Alleviation

by Tallulajay

Dassah never thought her life would ever become exciting and frightening like in the many stories her parents told her at night when she was younger until she found a mysterious boy unconscious in her backyard. Now with him around, her life slowly becomes more extravagant with the many monsters she thought she would only find in her nightmares.

I looked up at the trees in my backyard as the smell of pine reached my nose. I couldn't help, but smile. I love the smell of pine and always will.

"Dassah, come here!"

I heard my mother say to me before I saw him. He was a skinny fella. His hair was as black as the shadows from the trees and his eyes as brown as the brownies Mother made this morning. His skin was olive like. He looked a little pale and seemed like he was going to pass out on me. I slowly walked up to the guy who slowly started to back away from me before he tripped on a rock behind him hitting the ground with a thud. I came to take a closer look and saw that he was covered in scars and wounds. I was shocked by this. I only saw this many wounds on people in action movies after running from an explosion. I touched his arm and found that he was cold and wet. Seeing that he wouldn't wake up anytime soon. I picked him up, finding that he was lighter than I thought, and ran to the place I called home shouting,

"Mother, I need some bandages and peroxide!"

Mother quickly came to the door and was shocked to find the boy in my arms.

"Call your father while I tend to his wounds."

Mother told me before taking him out of my grasp. I ran quickly to our house phone and dialed his number. "Hello?" He calmly asked before I started to hastily say.

" I found a boy who is hurt badly and he passed out before I could ask who he is, so I took him into the house and Mother is tending to his wounds."

He was silent for a moment before he said that he was on his way home in a few minutes. I hung up the phone and ran back to Mother to see that she was done cleaning and bandaging his wounds and was taking him to the guest bedroom in our little cottage we called home. Mother plopped him on the bed and said to me,

"He needs his rest. Don't disturb him."

I nodded at that and walked back into the living room. I sat on the couch and waited for father to come home while mother started on making dinner for us all. A few minutes later, I heard the door open. I quickly got up and ran to my father and gave him a hug.

"Where is the boy?"

Father asked after giving Mother a hug and a kiss on a cheek. I pointed to the other room where the boy sleeps. We both watched him for a long time. He looked so peaceful under the covers. I felt a little upset when I notice that he was dirty and I'll have to clean the covers tomorrow.

"Y'all know that he's not gonna wake up anytime, so hurry up. Y'all are gonna eat supper or what?"

Mother said to us. My stomach started to rumble and Father laughed at that.

"Go ahead. Tell Sami that I'll be there in a few minutes and make a plate of it for the boy in case he wakes up."

He told me and I did exactly that. Mother made meatloaf with mash potatoes and salad. Mother first made my plate and then made a plate for the boy and covered it in plastic wrap. I took a bite of my food while Mother took the boy's plate into the guest room and she was in there longer than I expected, so I walked to the guest room to see what is going on. I looked through the crack on the door to see that the boy was awake.

"What's your name?"

Mother asked him. It took him a second for him to answer. He was looking down at his skull shaped ring before saying

"N-Nico. I think."

Mother and Father had a worried look on their faces. He must be like this because he tripped on that rock that was behind him, but he didn't hit his head on a rock or anything and his head wasn't bleeding from a cut either. He must of hit his head before I found him.

"Do you remember anything else?"

My Father asked him. Before Nico could answer, he lost consciousness.

"Dassah, finish your dinner and go upstairs to bed. We will talk more about this in the morning."

Father said to me and I quickly finished my food. After I finished eating, I quickly walked up the stairs to the bathroom and took a shower and brushed my teeth. I brushed my blackish red hair also and put it up in a ponytail. I yawned and rubbed my dark green eyes. I walked out of the bathroom with a towel around me to my room that was next door to it. I went to the dresser and put on my favorite purple pajamas with cup cakes on it and walking into bed and wrapped myself in the covers. Drowsiness took over me as I slowly fell into a deep slumber while thinking of who Nico was and how he got here.