by Corrie McKinnon
Chapter Two"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday." – Psalm 91:5-6
***
Isn't there a movie plot out there like this that people pay a lot of money to see? Girl has to slave away at a backbreaking job, getting paid next-to-nothing, until Prince Charming sweeps her off her feet. Shelby snorted softly. Why waste that money when they can see the real thing for free? And I sure don't see any sign of a prince in my life.
After seeing Connor onto the bus, she began the quarter mile walk to her job at the post office. This was one of those times where she wished she had a car. Stumbling over something in her way, she quickly righted herself, and curiously glanced down to see what she had tripped over. Hello, what have we here? She thought to herself. It was an ancient looking piece of paper; in fact, if she didn't know better, she would have said it was parchment. That wasn't the most unusual thing, however. There was writing on it, but it was completely undecipherable; she'd never seen the like! Before James had…well, before anyway, they had done a lot of traveling, and she'd been exposed to her share of languages. Shelby was positive that this was no known text. She eyed it closely. Was that…blood?
"Bryant! You comin' to work sometime this year?"
Shelby groaned. Her boss. Perfect. "Yes, Mr. Pittman."
The short, balding man grunted, and waddled back into the building up ahead. The post office was not that much to behold. It had once been white, but the paint had peeled so much that it was now mostly a dirty beige. Also, someone, a delinquent perhaps, had spray-painted foul words on the entrance. Every time they'd washed it off, it had happened again, so they just ignored it.
Shelby hurriedly increased her pace. Her salary was already minute, she couldn't afford for it to be decreased anymore on account of tardiness. Out of breath, she threw open the door, its hinges creaking shut in her wake as she entered. Her body was nearly overwhelmed by the barrage of sounds and sights. People were rushing around everywhere and shouting across the room at each other. Another lovely day, she thought dryly.
"Hey Shelby, what's that there?" A co-worker asked, motioning to her hand.
She shoved the paper in her pocket. "Oh, uh, nothing."
***
Anyone who saw Shelby Bryant's face at this moment would probably assume her cat had died. Her shoulders were slumped, her eyes world-weary, and her mouth pinched tightly. She sighed and reached up to massage her temple. After what was almost the worst day of her life, which she would not even begin to go into, she was looking forward to time spent with Connor. Even if it was in an action packed movie.
Shelby approached the local school, smiling slightly, watching the little blond chatter with his friends. It was good to see him talking to other kids his age; ever since his father had…gone, he had become withdrawn like her, and interaction with people meant he was coping.
As she got closer, Connor caught sight of her, and waved his arm excitedly. She heard him brag to a boy that he was going to see the new Lord of the Rings movie. She frowned sadly. If that was the most he had to look forward too…she shoved those thoughts out of her mind, they were too depressing for now.
Connor bade his friend goodbye, and bounded enthusiastically over to her. "Hey Mom! Are we going now?"
"Don't I get a hug first?" She teased.
He sighed, exasperated, giving her a quick squeeze.
Shelby rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose that's good enough." She stared walking toward the old theatre. "How was your day?"
Connor slung his backpack over one shoulder. "Okay. We had a math test today. Joey did really bad, but I got a 92."
"Good job!" Shelby praised. "Studying pays off."
They walked in comfortable silence for about five minutes.
Suddenly, Shelby was forced to stop or run into her son. "What is it?"
He turned pleading blue eyes on her. "Mom, can we cut through the woods? Please? It's faster."
Shelby hesitated. It wasn't dangerous, but snakes were out this time of year. "Well…I suppose it'd be all right," she said slowly. "But no running! You could step on a rattler."
"Yes!" Connor cried. Obeying Shelby, he didn't run, but he sped up to a fast walk. She pretended not to notice as they entered the woods. They were a place that seemed to glow with magic.
Shelby closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. If she imagined hard enough, she could almost forget about all her troubles. Almost. She glanced at Connor. He too seemed to have fallen under the spell.
Keeping an eye out for snakes, she allowed Connor to explore, albeit close by. It was cool in here, but not overtly so, it was just right. A person could stay in here for hours. Travel anywhere, most forests and woods had at least some amount of litter. Oddly, this small portion of nature in Peculiar, Missouri, had escaped any pollution whatsoever. Even the air was fresh, unspoiled by smog and other such things.
It was a little heaven on earth, Shelby decided. Even the animals were different. It was as if they'd never seen a human before. Instead of running or eyeing them suspiciously, they calmly and curiously regarded them, and came closer. A squirrel came within a foot of them and reared up on its hind legs. Even when they walked by, it stayed where it was.
Shelby allowed all of her tension and stress of the day to be soothed by the peaceful utterings of the woods. It was impossible to be here and not be happy. It was…perfect. There was no other word for it. Maybe Connor would-
Wait. Where was Connor? "Connor?"
Silence answered her.
Shelby's voice pitched higher in panic. "Connor, where are you?"
What if a snake had bitten him? What if he had fallen and hit his head? What if he had been kidnapped?
She broke into a jog, looking anxiously from side to side. "Connor, please!" She moaned.
Suddenly she paused, listening. Was that a voice?
It came again, not loud enough to be understood, it could be an animal.
But it wasn't.
"Mom!"
Shelby nearly crumpled in relief. "I'm coming, baby."
His voice came again, impatient. "Hurry!"
Obviously he wasn't hurt.
She should have been angry, she knew, but after all they'd been through…well, it just wasn't worth it.
Shelby followed the direction of Connor's voice and came upon a small clearing.
Connor was standing in the middle of it, looking down, but he looked up when he heard her.
"Mom, come look! It's a circle of mushrooms!"
A circle of mushrooms? She gasped. It couldn't be.
Connor was still speaking. "…and then I tripped over that big one and saw the circle. What is it?"
Shelby was staring, and barely heard her son. "It's a fairy ring."
Connor scrunched up his nose in thought. "What's that?"
Shelby spoke in an awed tone, trying to convey how special this was to him. "I found a fairy ring once. When I went home that day, I asked my mother what it was, and she told me that the fairies had made it for humans to wish upon when they needed help. She warned me to wish wisely, for I would only get one wish. So I went back the next day. But when I got there, it was gone. To this day I've never seen another."
Connor was quiet for a moment.
Then, he smiled at her. "Make a wish, Mom."
How sweet! She hadn't gotten to wish before, so he was letting her make one now. It wouldn't work, but it was sweet all the same. "Are you sure? You found it honey."
He nodded firmly. "You do it."
She stepped into the circle with him and closed her eyes. What to wish for? She couldn't wish for just anything, it had to be perfect. Shelby thought hard. Ah! I wish that we could live in a place with no worries at all so that Connor could be a child again. She opened her eyes and smiled at her son. "Well, we'd better go. We'll be late for the mov-"
Suddenly, the ground started to shake. Clouds blotted out the sun, and lighting streaked across the sky. Shelby barely heard Connor's cry of alarm over the roaring in her ears. What's happening? She clutched Connor to her and felt him tremble in her arms. Something made her look up, and she screamed, just before lighting hit them.
Everything went still. As sky cleared once again, the sun shone down on the woods. The fairy ring, and everything within it, was gone.
Two eyes glared at the empty spot. "Master won't like this." They twin orbs vanished, and all was as it was.
I know this seems kind of rushed, but I've had a bad week, and I don't have a beta reader (hint). Please leave a review.
