Author's Note: Here you go. After a few months of waiting, here is Chapter 10. I know, it's been forever, and I'm really, really sorry. I have been away from the computer for many prolonged lengths of time. So I made this chapter extra-long for you guys, because you are the best readers and reviewers in the world. Whew, this chapter was hell to write, though. (Pardon my language.) It'll probably be even worse to type. I had to do this beta-less because, I'm pretty sure my beta (*clears throat loudly* Sara *cough* McGregor) has gone on vacation, and as I'm going to be doing so myself in a day or so, I really needed to get this out for you all. Anyway, on with it. As always, if you liked it or hated it, please tell me!! My e-mail is serena264@msn.com, or just leave a review. You will make my day, I promise you.
Age: 4 (6)
10-Stones in Water
Mirian ran
out into the fields
where the ground seemed
to be dissolving in the downpour
it ran in little rivulets at first
but then the flow grew to be like a
vast ocean of rain water
running over the hills
that was almost a foot deep
small animals began taking
to high ground
for fear of being
swallowed in the sodden grass
Mirian took notice of these changes
her hearts pounding harder
with each step she took
she was careful
to keep her hooves closed
lest she choke on the water
dangerous as the conditions were
she couldn't help thinking of Koari
and wonder, anxiously,
about what could be
going on in his home
at that very instant
Mirian had been so stupid
she could see it now
talking to his mother like that
with all due respect
I think Koari
is happier playing with me
at the time it had seemed so
right to stand up for him
but now she cringed
at her own rash defiance
it was her fault
if she hadn't said that
then Koari and his mother might not
have started arguing
Mirian couldn't stop the image of
him getting hit with his mother's tail blade
from playing over and over
in her mind
with each time she thought of it
a little piece of her hearts seemed
to crumble and die away
and a knot in her stomach would tighten
Koari had never been allowed
to play with her in the first place
but now his mother probably
wouldn't even let him go outside anymore
was it her fault?
Mirian went numb at the idea
how could they ever be friends now?
would he be mad at her for ruining everything?
she could convince him to forgive her
even if he was angry with her
she envisioned herself
bursting into their scoop
and pulling Koari
out of that wretched place
Take my hand,
she would say, and he would
then they'd run away
to live at her house
and they would play
in her stream every single day
but only if Mirian could get home first
the onslaught of rain
fogged up her vision
and the terrain under her hooves
had turned even more slippery
like the grass had been ripped up
to be replaced by hard stone
Mirian slowly looked
at the ground below her
there really was rock
underneath her hooves
she was at the Gerant copies!
Mirian shivered
at least now she knew where she was
but, at the same time,
she could just summon
up an image of herself
several years back
I twisted my ankle.....
and her mother's upset voice
Were you at the Gerant copies?
then, Mother had warned her
about the consequences
if she was ever caught there again
well, Mirian reasoned,
it wasn't her fault this time
so Mother should let her off
on getting in trouble
then Mirian saw it
the river!
it was winding itself between
the boulder cliffs
of the Gerant
swollen with the rain
its waters spilling out
onto the bank
like blood from an open wound
she had never seen
the bank before
as the cliff had always hidden it
from her view
then Mirian realized why
she was always on
the other side of the river
because that was the side her home,
her beloved scoop,
was on
the bridge Mirian and Koari
had used earlier to get to his home
was many miles away
and she would never be able
to find it in the rain
to get home
and the end of the river was
many hundreds of miles away
Mirian faced the river
as the realization dawned on her
she would have to cross it....
she stared at the chasm between
the two closest boulders
it was a long way
how many feet would she have to jump?
the wind and rain roared in her ears
making her head feel
like one of the boulders
she was gazing upon
she would have to
take a running start
you'll get yourself killed!
the rational part of her mind argued
the driving need to be home
was beyond anything she'd ever felt before
Mirian walked to the
edge of the cliff
and looked down
terror
coursed through her veins
as she studied
the drop she could look
forward to if she missed
her mark, the other boulder
she was dizzy with fear
the river raged on
about fifty feet below her
against all rationality she knew
Mirian backed up
and started sprinting
towards the edge
NO!
something in her cried out
one last time
turn back!
but she was already there
and she leaped off the cliff
and soared
Mirian's breath caught in her throat
she gasped for air
she couldn't breathe!
HELP!
she screamed
but no one was there
to help her
even then, in the air
she knew
she'd missed
Mirian fell
her small body
slammed
into the boulder of the other cliff
she was stunned
her left foreleg hit the stone
with a crack
she grabbed onto
the jagged edges
of the boulder,
cutting her hands
she could feel the sting
of the rain on them
then
she was slipping
trying desperately to hold on
but her weak hands gave way,
sliding from the rocks like butter
Mirian gasped,
wordless
not even managing to scream
she plunged
into the icy depths of the river below
everything went black
Author's Note: Quite literally, a cliff-hanger. Don't you think?
HYE, HYR
(Hope you enjoyed, hope you review)
