Title: I Don't Remember it Happening Like That

Y is for Yarn

Yarn: A story or tale of adventure, especially one fabricated by the teller as he relates it.

Timeline: They are fifteen.

Noll wasn't ever very big on the whole 'family gatherings', but he always did survive through that weekend every year. Most of the time he just retreated outside, mostly into the backyard forest, since the garden was normally occupied by the females. Generally, the people had Gene to hang onto, and didn't seem to care if Noll was there or not, but this year, his father wasn't going to let him get away with practically camping in the woods this weekend.

So, there he was, in the living room sitting on the couch with his brother, as they played 'babysitter' to the cluster of kids sitting on the floor, watching Gene show-off with his slight-of-hand.

"I'm running out of tricks," Gene said mentally to his twin, "what should I do?"

"I don't care," Noll answered.

"I think you're scaring the little children with your frown. Smile, dear brother."

A girl said, "Tell us a story, Gene!"

Noll couldn't remember whose daughter she was.

"A story?" Gene repeated, and Noll saw a spark go off in his eye. "Then I have just the one: it happened this summer, when Noll and I were separated from our hiking group in the middle of a midnight walk."

Noll didn't remember that.

"We knew that we had to sleep someplace safe, since we could hear the wolves howling and things going bump-in-the-night. We decided to spend the night in a tree, where we took turns sleeping."

The kids all stared wide-eyed at their lovely lying cousin.

"But then, suddenly—" Gene hesitated.

"You can't remember what happens?" Noll asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course I remember," Gene huffed. "It was when the tree started to move underneath us, with branches swinging to knock us out of its limbs. But I tell you now, Noll and I held on for dear life, not letting the thing get the best of us. When it finally slowed down because it was running out of breath, I leapt at its trunk – while Noll was still hanging onto a branch – and I stabbed it with my magical pocket knife."

"I didn't know you had a magical pocket knife," another girl said.

"And I would show you, if only I still had it. But you see, it had to be sacrificed to keep the tree under control. It's still in its trunk, keeping it from ensnaring children from the road."

"What did you do then?" A little boy asked.

"Noll and I ran as fast as we could, because all the trees were starting to come alive in this enchanted forest – and I had only one magical pocket knife. After we escaped, the forest suddenly disappeared behind us… Along with my knife, which had destroyed the enchanted forest to save us."

The children started jumping up and running off, yelling to their parents about how they wanted to be like their cousins.

"Can I ever believe a word you say again?" Noll asked.

Gene smiled, "Only if you want to."

I had to delete a hundred words from this story, which is very aggravating. x-D And I was honestly just coming up with this as I wrote it, so blame it on Gene, because I'm sure they were mostly his ideas. And if there is any inconsistencies in his story, it's his fault, as well.