The Bird

Part 1

The Box

Jane smiled as she ran with Kurt in the park. She laughed as she heard a yell from behind, "Slow down!" She looked back behind her as she saw Kurt's red face gasping for air. She laughed harder as she began running faster. She turned her face back around as she caught a glimpse of the large oak tree in front of her. Time began to stop as she fell into a memory.

"Alice! Alice, look at me. Recite to me what I just told you," her father whispered as he gently moved one of her long black curls out of her face. He kneeled down in front of her as he grabbed her arms to move her closer to him. She could tell that he was scared. His low booming voice was calm, but she could tell that there was hesitation in his words.

They were hiding in the cellar of their small house. Her mother held her little brother Ian tightly in the corner of the small room, her hand over his small mouth so he would not scream. The cellar was dark, the only light coming from the small crevices of the door above them. Alice could hear the footsteps of the men above them through the wooden floor. Alice slowly raised her head so that she could meet her father's gaze. She timidly looked into her father's deep brown eyes and whimpered in fear.

"No crying," her father demanded. "What are you?"

"Strong," she said quietly.

"Tell me again. What are you?" he whispered, but with power in his voice. He moved his face closer towards her so she could see him more clearly.

"Strong," She whispered a little more earnestly.

"Again," her father pressed.

"Strong," she said with more confidence as she wiped the tear that ran down her face.

"Now tell me what I told you. We don't have much time left before they find us," her father commanded.

"Take Ian and the box and run outside. Run as fast as we can towards the river. When we get to the river we bury the box by one of the trees. Mark the tree so I can find it later. Once the box is hidden we both hide behind the trees and wait until it is dark outside. After that...we come back," Alice uttered softly as she tried to remember each word her father told her earlier.

"Good, No matter what happens…you don't come back until dark. Understood?" he asked.

"Understood," she confirmed as her father placed the box into her hands.

"Alice, this box contains information that needs to be kept hidden from bad people. We can't let the bad people ever know about where the box is. If they find you can never let them know. You can never let anyone know." he added. The small stream of light from the cracks of the door above hit the top of the wooden box to reveal a wooden carving of a bird in flight.

"Your mother and I will distract the men above us. We will tell the men that this box is in the other room. When you hear the men's footsteps go into the other room you need quietly open the door and quietly walk outside with your brother. Once you are outside you run as fast as you can to the river," he ordered. He let go of her shoulders as he ushered his wife to come. Her mother hushed Ian as she slowly moved her hand from off of his mouth.

"Alice, come over here and sit by Ian in the corner," her mother whispered lovingly. Alice walked over to her mother as she stood up. Her mother gave her a quick hug as she whispered in her ear, "I love you my little bird."

Her father quietly opened the cellar door and they both climbed up the latter to the room above. The door creaked as the door closed behind them as she started to hear the men shout as their footsteps thumped louder.

She placed her hand on Ian's mouth again. She held him tightly as she closed her eyes. She heard her father speak from above, "The box is in the other room. Come with me and I will give it to you."

She waited until she could hear the footsteps go into the other room before she whispered to her brother. "Come on, Ian. Let's go."

She climbed the latter slowly with the box in her left hand as her brother followed from behind. She carefully pushed the door open and crawled out to her her living room. She grabbed Ian's hand to pull him up. She shut the door carefully as she tried to make no sound. She grabbed Ian's hand as she made her way to the door outside. She turned the handle carefully so it wouldn't squeak and she and Ian tiptoed outside. She silently closed the door behind them as she turned to Ian. "Run!" she exclaimed.

Their hearts beat through their chests as they ran through the trees and to the river. She looked frantically at all of the trees before she picked a small baobab tree to hide the box. She knelt by the tree and began to dig into the soil with her hands as she yelled at Ian to join her. Once the hole was big enough she placed the box into the ground and quickly buried the box with the soil around her. She grabbed a rock and carved into the tree a small x.

"What do we do now?" Ian asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"We wait," she replied as she leaned her back onto the tree.

They sat in silence as they both worried about their parents inside the house. Only a few minutes went by before they heard gunshots.

Ian screamed loudly as she glanced towards the house in the far distance. She tried to grab Ian's shirt when he stood up, but the shirt slipped out of her fingers as Ian ran towards the house.

"Ian!" she shrieked as she began chasing her brother. She saw the front door of their house open from afar as two large muscular men walked outside. "Ian, No!" She screamed louder, but it was too late. The men saw them.

The memories began to jumble up for Jane. She could only remember small glimpses of the men grabbing them, the men taking them into their house, and the men showing them their dead parents. Each glimpse of memory the men asked her where the box was, and each time she replied, "What box?"