Of Fairy Tales and Arrows
Chapter Four
"Were you scared?" Heidi asked as she held Larine's hand to guide her back to the house. The blanket of silvery silk-like material was draped over her shoulder.
"Not at first, but then it seemed like the forest was coming alive and..." the memory made the child shiver and bring her back to the verge of tears.
Heidi stopped and bent down in front of her. "It was very brave of you to come out here all by yourself, but also very dangerous and unwise. So try to remember not to do it anymore, okay?"
The girl nodded wiping at her eyes.
"Good, and I believe you now. Cause one of them led me to you." Heidi said in a whisper with a smile. She watched the girl's eyes widen and her mouth open to form words, but Heidi just put a finger to her lips and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on. I'm sure grandma is worried sick." She stood back up and continued walking.
They reached the edge of the wood in silence. "Here we are." Heidi said seeing the house in the distance and the shape of their grandmother pacing on the porch.
The words had just came from her mouth, when they were greeted with a very human-like scream from the side of the forest opposite from where they had just come.
"What was that?" Larine asked looking about her wildly.
Heidi herself had just been thinking and doing the same thing. She looked back at the farm house ahead. "You go on to the house Larine. I'm gonna go and check out who that was and see if they are all right."
"But..." Larine began to protest.
"Go on! Go!" She extracted her hand from the girl's hold and turned off to her right and began walking. She went a few paces then turned back around. The child was still standing there with a petrified look on her face.
"Larine, go to the house NOW!" Heidi yelled. The girl jumped, then spun on her heel sprinting to the house.
Heidi shook her head then determindly headed in the direction she heard the scream come from. While she was walking she kept trying to banish the horrific images playing in her mind of what might lie ahead.
Finally when she happened to just stop and take a rest she heard whimpering, yelps, and groaning and crying come from behind a thick cluster of trees and brush. She set off in a run towards it, then when she reached her destination she was forced to stop dead in her tracks. The very sight of it was painful and shocking to look at.
A child was caught in a bear trap. Her leg soaked in blood... She kept trying to pull it free from the position on the ground she lay in. But every time she tried to find some sort of release for her leg the more apparent it became that she could not have it. To top it off Heidi noticed she was like... HIM. Her flaxen hair glowed in the moonlight. Her pearly skin shimmered with an aura of gold. When the initial shock wore off she began walking slowly and purposely to the girl ahead.
The child finally saw her approach through her tears and distress and let out a scream followed by another attempt to free her leg.
When Heidi had come to stand before the child, she slowly held up her hands and lowered herself to be eye level with her. The girl stared at her with fearful, tear stricken eyes, then began speaking in a pleading voice. Problem was... it wasn't English. It was a beautiful language to her ears... but she knew what was being said, given how frightened the golden child looked.
"I won't hurt you. I promise I won't. I'm here to help." Then she quietly dropped the blanket and flash light to the ground.
Slowly, she reached around the trap and found the release mechanism. The girl still stared at her alertedly and with a great deal of suspicion. Heidi couldn't help but feel the intensity of how the girl watched her waiting with baited breath for her to do something wrong.
"This will hurt, but you'll be okay." she told her in what she hoped was a soothing tone.
Gathering all her strength she pushed down on the release. At first she thought it would not budge, then it began to whine as it's jaws retracted to free the child's leg. The girl let out a strangled scream, and at the same moment in the back of her mind Heidi also thought she heard a rustling and the creepy sensation that suddenly many eyes were upon her. She pushed the feeling aside and concentrated on the more immediate problem- the trap, and finally it let it's captive free.
The girl immediately crawled back in haste and carefully, but definately had an added sense of relief. Heidi released her agonizing pressure on the traps rusty release. After that she took a few deep breaths and looked up at the child, then around her, searching for the source of her discomfort. However, she only saw the girl. Her brow creased in confusion and alarm.
"I'm sure there was someone...." she muttered. She then looked back at the girl and at her wound.
She stood up quickly without thinking and watched the girl flinch and yelp as she crawled back more. She let a tolerant smile come to her lips and tried to come to the child. But the girl kept backing up until finally she was flat backed against a tree.
"I won't hurt you, I promise." She looked at the bloody wound again and grimaced. * I have to get that leg wrapped.* She tried to think of something she could use then finally looked down at the sleeves of her shirt that were poking out from under her coat. It was all she had to work with. Sighing, she undid the coat and began to work on the buttons of her shirt. The girl stared at her in confusion and wrapped herself into a ball.
Clad only in a sports bra, the cold piercing her skin immediately, she bent down, coaxed the child into brandishing her wound, and wrapped it. The girl had apparently gotten over her wariness with this gesture and let Heidi get up and collect the silver blanket to wrap around the girl's shoulders. Noticing after a minute or two how lightly clad the child was and was still shivering from the cold she managed to get the girl into her coat.
The girl was smiling now. "What about you? You have to be cold..."
Heidi stared at her in shock. "You speak English?"
"Yes. It's not my first language... but yes. But what about you? You'll get cold."
*That explains it. She was scared. It made her lapse back into her own tongue.*
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Where do you live? I need to get you home."
"NO!!!!" The girl screeched making Heidi stare at her in surprise.
"Why? Are you running away?" Heidi asked with a small smile.
"No... it's just... it's a secret place." the child said mystically.
"Oh. What about your parents? Any idea where they are?" Heidi asked.
"Out looking for me I guess."
Heidi sighed in resignation, then flattened herself on the ground. "Then we'll sit here and wait for them to find you."
"Why?" the child asked making Heidi do a double take.
"Why to what?" Heidi asked.
"Why are you going to wait with me?" The child asked looking around her oddly for a moment.
"Well, I can't leave you here alone."
"Oh..." was all that she said in return.
They sat for what seemed hours, and every now and then Heidi was sure she heard whispering voices. She had to admit it was beginning to creep her out. As if the cold didn't send enough chills down her spine already.
"Do you want your coat back?" the child asked quietly watching Heidi shiver and close her eyes as she wrapped her arms about herself for the millionth time.
"No, it's fine."
TBC....
Chapter Four
"Were you scared?" Heidi asked as she held Larine's hand to guide her back to the house. The blanket of silvery silk-like material was draped over her shoulder.
"Not at first, but then it seemed like the forest was coming alive and..." the memory made the child shiver and bring her back to the verge of tears.
Heidi stopped and bent down in front of her. "It was very brave of you to come out here all by yourself, but also very dangerous and unwise. So try to remember not to do it anymore, okay?"
The girl nodded wiping at her eyes.
"Good, and I believe you now. Cause one of them led me to you." Heidi said in a whisper with a smile. She watched the girl's eyes widen and her mouth open to form words, but Heidi just put a finger to her lips and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on. I'm sure grandma is worried sick." She stood back up and continued walking.
They reached the edge of the wood in silence. "Here we are." Heidi said seeing the house in the distance and the shape of their grandmother pacing on the porch.
The words had just came from her mouth, when they were greeted with a very human-like scream from the side of the forest opposite from where they had just come.
"What was that?" Larine asked looking about her wildly.
Heidi herself had just been thinking and doing the same thing. She looked back at the farm house ahead. "You go on to the house Larine. I'm gonna go and check out who that was and see if they are all right."
"But..." Larine began to protest.
"Go on! Go!" She extracted her hand from the girl's hold and turned off to her right and began walking. She went a few paces then turned back around. The child was still standing there with a petrified look on her face.
"Larine, go to the house NOW!" Heidi yelled. The girl jumped, then spun on her heel sprinting to the house.
Heidi shook her head then determindly headed in the direction she heard the scream come from. While she was walking she kept trying to banish the horrific images playing in her mind of what might lie ahead.
Finally when she happened to just stop and take a rest she heard whimpering, yelps, and groaning and crying come from behind a thick cluster of trees and brush. She set off in a run towards it, then when she reached her destination she was forced to stop dead in her tracks. The very sight of it was painful and shocking to look at.
A child was caught in a bear trap. Her leg soaked in blood... She kept trying to pull it free from the position on the ground she lay in. But every time she tried to find some sort of release for her leg the more apparent it became that she could not have it. To top it off Heidi noticed she was like... HIM. Her flaxen hair glowed in the moonlight. Her pearly skin shimmered with an aura of gold. When the initial shock wore off she began walking slowly and purposely to the girl ahead.
The child finally saw her approach through her tears and distress and let out a scream followed by another attempt to free her leg.
When Heidi had come to stand before the child, she slowly held up her hands and lowered herself to be eye level with her. The girl stared at her with fearful, tear stricken eyes, then began speaking in a pleading voice. Problem was... it wasn't English. It was a beautiful language to her ears... but she knew what was being said, given how frightened the golden child looked.
"I won't hurt you. I promise I won't. I'm here to help." Then she quietly dropped the blanket and flash light to the ground.
Slowly, she reached around the trap and found the release mechanism. The girl still stared at her alertedly and with a great deal of suspicion. Heidi couldn't help but feel the intensity of how the girl watched her waiting with baited breath for her to do something wrong.
"This will hurt, but you'll be okay." she told her in what she hoped was a soothing tone.
Gathering all her strength she pushed down on the release. At first she thought it would not budge, then it began to whine as it's jaws retracted to free the child's leg. The girl let out a strangled scream, and at the same moment in the back of her mind Heidi also thought she heard a rustling and the creepy sensation that suddenly many eyes were upon her. She pushed the feeling aside and concentrated on the more immediate problem- the trap, and finally it let it's captive free.
The girl immediately crawled back in haste and carefully, but definately had an added sense of relief. Heidi released her agonizing pressure on the traps rusty release. After that she took a few deep breaths and looked up at the child, then around her, searching for the source of her discomfort. However, she only saw the girl. Her brow creased in confusion and alarm.
"I'm sure there was someone...." she muttered. She then looked back at the girl and at her wound.
She stood up quickly without thinking and watched the girl flinch and yelp as she crawled back more. She let a tolerant smile come to her lips and tried to come to the child. But the girl kept backing up until finally she was flat backed against a tree.
"I won't hurt you, I promise." She looked at the bloody wound again and grimaced. * I have to get that leg wrapped.* She tried to think of something she could use then finally looked down at the sleeves of her shirt that were poking out from under her coat. It was all she had to work with. Sighing, she undid the coat and began to work on the buttons of her shirt. The girl stared at her in confusion and wrapped herself into a ball.
Clad only in a sports bra, the cold piercing her skin immediately, she bent down, coaxed the child into brandishing her wound, and wrapped it. The girl had apparently gotten over her wariness with this gesture and let Heidi get up and collect the silver blanket to wrap around the girl's shoulders. Noticing after a minute or two how lightly clad the child was and was still shivering from the cold she managed to get the girl into her coat.
The girl was smiling now. "What about you? You have to be cold..."
Heidi stared at her in shock. "You speak English?"
"Yes. It's not my first language... but yes. But what about you? You'll get cold."
*That explains it. She was scared. It made her lapse back into her own tongue.*
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Where do you live? I need to get you home."
"NO!!!!" The girl screeched making Heidi stare at her in surprise.
"Why? Are you running away?" Heidi asked with a small smile.
"No... it's just... it's a secret place." the child said mystically.
"Oh. What about your parents? Any idea where they are?" Heidi asked.
"Out looking for me I guess."
Heidi sighed in resignation, then flattened herself on the ground. "Then we'll sit here and wait for them to find you."
"Why?" the child asked making Heidi do a double take.
"Why to what?" Heidi asked.
"Why are you going to wait with me?" The child asked looking around her oddly for a moment.
"Well, I can't leave you here alone."
"Oh..." was all that she said in return.
They sat for what seemed hours, and every now and then Heidi was sure she heard whispering voices. She had to admit it was beginning to creep her out. As if the cold didn't send enough chills down her spine already.
"Do you want your coat back?" the child asked quietly watching Heidi shiver and close her eyes as she wrapped her arms about herself for the millionth time.
"No, it's fine."
TBC....