In The Eyes of a Child
Thase sat in the shade of the big elm tree, her journal open in front of her, the blank pages begging for her to fill them. She frowned thoughtfully. She was trying to figure out a story for the tourney at the Famous Adventurer's School for Heroes. She was thinking about knights battling monsters but realized that the knights were trained to do battle so wanted to be heroes. She was looking to write about a person who hadn't planned on being a hero but became one. She wasn't having much luck with coming up with an idea.
She sighed softly, wondering if she should try again later. She could hear the sounds of the kids playing nearby. It sounded like her younger sister Brandi had all her friends over again. Which meant that soon they'd be coming to the trees anyways so she wouldn't be able to write then. She picked up her journal and pen and placed them in her bag. She wondered if she could get a few friends together and head to the beach.
A scream rang out. Without thinking Thase bolted towards the sound. The kids had been playing on the other side of a small corpse of trees and were not in sight. She slowed just as she reached the trees, worried that she wasn't hearing any sounds. Quietly she slipped through the trees, trusting them to hide her until she saw what was going on.
The first thing she saw was the largest of the neighbourhood bullies holding her younger sister with a hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream again. Her sister was struggling to get free, anger radiating from her. Thase kept herself from rushing forward and checked around. Usually the three bullies were together. She could see the rest of Brandi's friends cowering on the ground. She moved slowly forward and spotted one of the other bullies watching for anyone coming towards the trees from one direction. Turning her head carefully she could see the other bully watching the other direction. None of them were watching the trees themselves.
"C'mon brats," the largest bully snarled. "We know you have money and candy. Put them in that sack or we'll hurt you all."
His friends chuckled nastily, one cracking his knuckles. The girls were crying, trying to muffle their sobs on each other. Thase frowned. Three against one wasn't good odds especially when any one of the bullies was a tough fight. None of her friends would be close enough to help and she couldn't leave the little girls alone with the bullies. She shifted a bit, moving closer to a tree. A bird flew from the branches, the sudden flight and rustling of the leaves making the bullies jump.
"What was that?" one cried.
"Just a stupid bird," the largest said. "There's a bunch of them around." Thase noticed he looked as unnerved as the other two and got an idea.
Carefully she got out her disc man and changed cds. She turned the volume up to max and set it to play continuously on one track. Then she carefully placed it into a hollow in one of the trees, making sure it was well hidden and pressed play. She quietly moved away from that tree, staying close to the center group.
The first eerie wail echoed from the tree, the sound being distorted even more. All the kids jumped and the girls on the ground clung to each other. The boys looked around then into the trees as the sound of chimes echoed. They spoke at the same time.
"What is that?"
"A ghost!"
"Demons!"
The two bullies looked at each other as the second wail sounded. The girls screamed in terror and jumped to their feet, running away. The two boys followed. The bully holding Brandi yelled at them to come back then as a third wail sounded, dropped her and ran too. The little girl lay on the ground, staring fearfully at the trees.
Thase stepped forward so her sister could see her. With a glad cry, her sister ran into her arms.
"Thase!!"
"It's okay hon., I'm here for you," Thase murmured softly, holding her sister closely. Her sister tugged at her.
"We have to get away! There's something strange in the woods!" She paused then looked suspiciously at her sister. "You were just in the woods!"
Thase nodded and smiled, eyes dancing with mischief.
"So I was. Want to help me get my disc man back?"
Brandi giggled. She nodded eagerly, sliding her hand into Thase's.
"You played JMJ and scared them all?!"
Thase nodded, smiling wickedly.
"I figured they wouldn't have heard his music. And that song is perfect."
Thase lifted Brandi so she could take the disc man out of the hollow. She turned the volume back down before turning it off then they headed home together. Thase went to their parents and told them what had happened. Their parents contacted the parents of the other children involved and went off to a meeting later that day, leaving Thase to watch over Brandi.
As Thase tucked Brandi in for the night, her sister suddenly hugged her.
"Thanks Thase. You're my hero!"
Brandi settled into bed before the surprised Thase could react and closed her eyes. This was her signal that she didn't want to talk anymore. Thase smiled warmly and kissed her sister's cheek.
"I was glad I was there for you sis."
Thase turned off the light and went to her room. She looked at her journal lying on her desk where she had placed it after they got home. Brandi's words echoed in her head. Smiling, she sat down, opened to the first page and wrote.
Red Vixen sat in the shade of the big elm tree, her journal open in front of her
Go back to my library