He ran down the road he was late again he knew it he skidded to a stop
outside a large brick building that was belching smoke out of its many
chimneys. "BOY!" he looked round his face full of dread. "You are late
again that's the 2nd time this week and the 12th time this month I'm sorry
but we do not need you to be here again do not come back"
"Yes sir" he said meekly and walked away from the building. He didn't want
to go home, that would mean facing his mother and telling her he was fired
and could bring home no money, not that she would realize what he was
trying to tell her, but her blank face to what he was saying she would not
under stand. He walked round the village then into the forest.
He had been walking for half the day and was getting hungry; he found a tree stump and sat on it taking out the bread and cheese that his mother had packed for him. After a while he had the feeling he was being watched, the hairs on the back of his neck pricked and he slowly turned round. He found himself facing a girl about his own age. He looked at her she looked away from his stare. She looked hungry so he offered the rest of his lunch. She ate it speedily. "Where are you from?" she asked her voice soft and quiet. The boy was taken aback to be asked so directly. "A small village about 4 miles away. " the boy answered "Where do u come from?" "I come from no where." Will tried to work the answer out in his head he looked up and saw the girl walking away. "Wait!" he shouted, she looked round, "where are u going?" for she was walking further into the forest where there was no village for many miles. It was towards the mountains. "I'm going home" she replied. "There is no one living out there." "I no." His eyes made contact with hers they were cold and heartless he looked away not wanting to look into those eyes wen he returned his gaze she was gone. He ran after her he didn't know why he did it was like a force pulling at him he didn't want to see her go he didn't want her to leave him in the forest. He ran towards the trees she had run behind. As he ran he realized he couldn't see her anymore. He was filled with a terrible sadness and longing. He couldn't just go home now he had to find the girl wherever she may be. He ran further into the forest hoping to catch up with the girl. He needed to find out who she was. It began to get dark the shadows of the trees blocking out the afternoon sun. He suddenly saw her it a clearing crouched down in front of something. He walked up to her and was about to call out when a ball of light exploded in front of her he had to look away for it was so bright. Then it went dark and the red he could see through his eyelids turned to black. He opened his eyes to see a fire, it looked like it had been going for hours so high was the flame and the heat coming off it that even he could feel from so far back. He turned to look at the girl sitting by it, the light from the fire dancing over her face. She looked younger than before. He then turned and went back into the dark forest that he had come out of.
She knew he was following her but felt no threat as she had done with the last boy. Instead she wanted to talk to him; she wanted him to follow her. As she walked she soon was lost in her own thoughts she had to get to the mountain before any more time was wasted. She found a clearing and forgetting the boy was watching her conjured up a fire and sat looking into the flames. Suddenly she was aware of him watching her she turned around only to see there was no one there, just trees. She lay back. She would have liked him to have stayed as she knew he would not harm her and was a friend. She fell asleep by the fire.
She looked around she had woken so suddenly she knew someone was there watching her, coming towards her. She then settled back down by the fire. "You came back then." She said to him. "Yes"
He sat down and looked into the fire. They didn't say another word to each other, after 5 minutes of this silence he got up and went to the edge of the clearing. She heard a crack of a branch being pulled off a tree. He came back to the warmth of the fire and got a knife out of his bag. "Sharpen the end of this branch." He told her and went into the forest. He was gone until the sun was almost gone; the girl thought he wasn't going to come back wen she heard a twig snap and the rustle of leaves. He had with him a rabbit and had refilled his canister with fresh stream water. A while later when he had gutted and skinned the rabbit he took the branch she had been sharpening. He cut the rabbit up into 6 pieces and put them on the branch he then held them over the fire. Soon the smell of the cooking meat was almost too much to bear for the girl who hadn't eaten since she had left her village apart from berries wicth were few in the forest, and some of his food which had not been much. When the rabbit was cooked she ate without pause and scalded her fingers and mouth. She drank nosily finishing half of his canister. After this she curled up close to the fire and slept. The angle of her body and the flickering light made him want to pull her towards him and hold her, but he resisted. He soon fell asleep. He woke it was not yet dawn and it was still black the embers of the fire glowed. Dawn was not far of as the sky at the top of the far trees was slightly lighter than the rest. He tried but found he couldn't get back to sleep, after a while he turned and found the girl was no longer there. He sat up and looked around but could not see her in the darkness. Then he felt her not far off. Her presence was coming nearer to him, and he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. He slowly turned round to face her; the morning light turned her jet-black hair silvery and her face pale. "I went down to the river to wash." She said plainly he blushed with the thought but she had already turned away. "We have to go north." She didn't offer any explanation why they were going north or even where they were going. All he knew was the mountains were north from his small village and they had been walking due north ever since they left. He worried about his mother, not that she would realize he was gone, but he wondered how she would make any money with out him working. He wondered if any of their neighbors would help her. He thought of the cruel Miss Weathon, who beat her sons before they left the village, old man Johnson who smelt of the liquor he made from the berries in the forest. He stopped thinking about his mother, and turned to look at the girl. She was staring at him with an exasperated expression on her face. "I've been yelling at you for ages! We need to be on out way or we will never be there in time!"
He had been walking for half the day and was getting hungry; he found a tree stump and sat on it taking out the bread and cheese that his mother had packed for him. After a while he had the feeling he was being watched, the hairs on the back of his neck pricked and he slowly turned round. He found himself facing a girl about his own age. He looked at her she looked away from his stare. She looked hungry so he offered the rest of his lunch. She ate it speedily. "Where are you from?" she asked her voice soft and quiet. The boy was taken aback to be asked so directly. "A small village about 4 miles away. " the boy answered "Where do u come from?" "I come from no where." Will tried to work the answer out in his head he looked up and saw the girl walking away. "Wait!" he shouted, she looked round, "where are u going?" for she was walking further into the forest where there was no village for many miles. It was towards the mountains. "I'm going home" she replied. "There is no one living out there." "I no." His eyes made contact with hers they were cold and heartless he looked away not wanting to look into those eyes wen he returned his gaze she was gone. He ran after her he didn't know why he did it was like a force pulling at him he didn't want to see her go he didn't want her to leave him in the forest. He ran towards the trees she had run behind. As he ran he realized he couldn't see her anymore. He was filled with a terrible sadness and longing. He couldn't just go home now he had to find the girl wherever she may be. He ran further into the forest hoping to catch up with the girl. He needed to find out who she was. It began to get dark the shadows of the trees blocking out the afternoon sun. He suddenly saw her it a clearing crouched down in front of something. He walked up to her and was about to call out when a ball of light exploded in front of her he had to look away for it was so bright. Then it went dark and the red he could see through his eyelids turned to black. He opened his eyes to see a fire, it looked like it had been going for hours so high was the flame and the heat coming off it that even he could feel from so far back. He turned to look at the girl sitting by it, the light from the fire dancing over her face. She looked younger than before. He then turned and went back into the dark forest that he had come out of.
She knew he was following her but felt no threat as she had done with the last boy. Instead she wanted to talk to him; she wanted him to follow her. As she walked she soon was lost in her own thoughts she had to get to the mountain before any more time was wasted. She found a clearing and forgetting the boy was watching her conjured up a fire and sat looking into the flames. Suddenly she was aware of him watching her she turned around only to see there was no one there, just trees. She lay back. She would have liked him to have stayed as she knew he would not harm her and was a friend. She fell asleep by the fire.
She looked around she had woken so suddenly she knew someone was there watching her, coming towards her. She then settled back down by the fire. "You came back then." She said to him. "Yes"
He sat down and looked into the fire. They didn't say another word to each other, after 5 minutes of this silence he got up and went to the edge of the clearing. She heard a crack of a branch being pulled off a tree. He came back to the warmth of the fire and got a knife out of his bag. "Sharpen the end of this branch." He told her and went into the forest. He was gone until the sun was almost gone; the girl thought he wasn't going to come back wen she heard a twig snap and the rustle of leaves. He had with him a rabbit and had refilled his canister with fresh stream water. A while later when he had gutted and skinned the rabbit he took the branch she had been sharpening. He cut the rabbit up into 6 pieces and put them on the branch he then held them over the fire. Soon the smell of the cooking meat was almost too much to bear for the girl who hadn't eaten since she had left her village apart from berries wicth were few in the forest, and some of his food which had not been much. When the rabbit was cooked she ate without pause and scalded her fingers and mouth. She drank nosily finishing half of his canister. After this she curled up close to the fire and slept. The angle of her body and the flickering light made him want to pull her towards him and hold her, but he resisted. He soon fell asleep. He woke it was not yet dawn and it was still black the embers of the fire glowed. Dawn was not far of as the sky at the top of the far trees was slightly lighter than the rest. He tried but found he couldn't get back to sleep, after a while he turned and found the girl was no longer there. He sat up and looked around but could not see her in the darkness. Then he felt her not far off. Her presence was coming nearer to him, and he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head. He slowly turned round to face her; the morning light turned her jet-black hair silvery and her face pale. "I went down to the river to wash." She said plainly he blushed with the thought but she had already turned away. "We have to go north." She didn't offer any explanation why they were going north or even where they were going. All he knew was the mountains were north from his small village and they had been walking due north ever since they left. He worried about his mother, not that she would realize he was gone, but he wondered how she would make any money with out him working. He wondered if any of their neighbors would help her. He thought of the cruel Miss Weathon, who beat her sons before they left the village, old man Johnson who smelt of the liquor he made from the berries in the forest. He stopped thinking about his mother, and turned to look at the girl. She was staring at him with an exasperated expression on her face. "I've been yelling at you for ages! We need to be on out way or we will never be there in time!"