A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews. I was shocked. I really didn't think this story would go over well. I know F/C is not a popular pairing. Personally, I'll accept either pairing (F/C or F/N) if the story is well written. It's the author's job to develop the characters and make me feel for them. If the author can do that, then I'm all in. That's my goal here. Can I make you care about the characters in this story? We'll see.
Chapter Two
The little boy shivered. He drew up his knees and hugged them to his chest. It was damp in the earthen hole. A small opening at the top allowed him a glimpse of sky. He had fallen through that opening hours ago.
He didn't know how many hours, but that glimpse of sky showed nighttime fast approaching.
The little boy was scared and hungry. He wondered if the crazy man was still out there.
The man was the reason the boy was in the hole.
The boy listened intently. The man no longer yelled for him to come out. Not that the boy would or could. He had tried climbing to the top of the hole. The sides were too steep and the dirt too loose. The boy just slid back to the bottom.
He hugged his knees tighter and tried to ignore his growling tummy.
He wished he had listened to Mommy. Mommy was smart and had given him good advice: Never talk to strangers. Never take anything from a stranger. Never wander off. Stay close to Mommy and Daddy.
Well, he had gone wandering off … alone.
Not smart. He knew that now.
In his small mind, he felt Mommy was holding him back. She treated him like a baby. She never let him out of her sight.
There was a big, wonderful world out there full of big, wonderful things and Evan wanted desperately to see the world. He wanted to see it, feel it, touch it, and taste it.
After all, he was a warrior.
Mommy and Daddy had chosen his name, Evan. It meant young warrior.
Daddy reminded him of that every night when he tucked him into bed.
"Evan, our young warrior." Daddy would smile and ruffle Evan's dark hair. Then Daddy would lean over and kiss him on the top of his head.
Evan felt Daddy's love in that smile and kiss. He saw the love in Daddy's eyes, too.
Evan liked it when Daddy read the bedtime story. Daddy picked stories with adventure and brave knights, stories that fueled Evan's imagination.
Evan wanted to be like the knights and princes in those bedtime stories. He wanted to travel to far off lands and have daring adventures. He wanted to wield a sword and slay fire-breathing dragons.
That's why Evan had run away today. Unknown places and adventure waited for him outside his yard.
When Mommy went in the house to make lunch, Evan slipped out the back gate. He crept to the front of the house and looked up and down the street. No one was around. Evan took off running.
At first he'd been afraid, but only because he'd disobeyed.
He knew the street well. Old people, who sat on their front porches, often waved to Evan and his Mommy when they walked down the street. Mommy, Evan, and his little sister, Leah, walked this street three times a week. Mommy pushed Leah in her stroller.
Leah was two and didn't walk much. Evan was five and could walk faster than Mommy. Mommy didn't like that though and when he got too far ahead she yelled for him to stop and wait.
Mommy was always holding him back.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Evan, Mommy, and Leah went to see Daddy at his store. Mommy brought a picnic lunch tucked under Leah's stroller. The family would meet Daddy and have lunch together.
Daddy worked in a hardware store at the end of the street. Daddy was the assistant manager. Evan didn't know exactly what that was, but he knew it was an important job. Daddy was a boss, not the big boss, but a helper boss. At least that's the way Daddy explained it to Evan.
The family ate lunch at a small park across the street from the hardware store.
While Mommy unpacked the lunch, Daddy played with Leah.
Evan was allowed to wander a bit. Sometimes he'd play on the swings and sometimes he threw rocks into a creek that gurgled not far from the wooden picnic tables.
The creek fascinated Evan. He wanted to cross it and explore the forest on the other side. Mommy and Daddy always said no.
Evan didn't like that. He was a warrior. He wanted to explore the dirt path he saw winding between the pine trees.
Daddy tried to cheer him up. Daddy said they would cross that creek one day soon and hike through the forest. They'd find out where that path went.
Days came and went. Weekends came and went. But Daddy and Evan never crossed that creek. They never explored the forest or the path.
Daddy was always too busy. Yard work. Shopping. Inventory for the store. And a bunch of other stuff that Evan didn't understand or care about.
Why couldn't they go exploring? Daddy had made a promise.
Evan felt like Daddy had lied to him and you weren't supposed to lie.
That's why Evan had decided to head out on his own.
He would cross that creek and sneak into that forest. He would take that path and see where it led. Then tonight, when he got home he would tell Daddy all about his great adventure.
To Anon: I can't promise a sweet romantic story with F/C. I'd like to see one, too. Sadly, this isn't that story. There are 'moments' though.