That night, as Adrian packs her few possessions and the clothes the
orphanage had given her into a bag, a little girl no more than seven
dressed in peasant clothing walks over to her and tugs on her shirt. Adrian
looks down, surprised at first then her expression softens. "Kathryn, you
should be sleeping. It's late."
"Why are you leaving?" The little girl asks sadly.
Adrian sits her on the bed, "You know those two people who came by here today?" "I saw them leave."
"The lady talked to me, and she told me that she wanted to take me home and be my mother, and I guess that is what is going to happen."
"When are you coming back?" Kathryn asks tears forming in her eyes.
Oh no don't cry, she thinks. "I don't know, but I'm sure it will be as soon as I can."
Kathryn wipes away a single tear that streams down her cheek. "You never told me the rest of the story."
"I didn't did I. Are you sure you want to hear the rest. Last time I had to stop because it was frightening you."
"It won't scare my."
Adrian smiles at the bravery, "Alright, get under the covers." Kathryn gives an eager squeal and dives under the blankets. Adrian tucks her in tightly and pulls a chair over to the side of the bed. "Now where did we leave off?"
"The three monsters were flying at you."
Adrian cringed inside but didn't let it show, "Ah, yes. How could I have forgotten. The three monsters flew at me screeching as they picked up speed. I spotted an old wooden shack and ran with all my might towards the door. The monster was so close I could feel its breath." 'Yeah, very sharp breath that sliced up my shoulder,' she thought, half laughing. "I bust through the door and backed far from it as the creature hit the open door way but was unable to get through because of the size of its wings. As it backed away to gather itself I realized that there was only one, the others had disappeared. I raced forward and slammed the door shut, locking it but knowing it would not hold for long. The monster threw itself at the door in an attempt to break it down, and it was succeeding. A clawed hand tore a hole in the hard wood door and I heard the monster practically laughing, knowing that I had no where to go." Kathryn gasped, clutching the blanket tightly, but seemed to be enjoying herself. "The hand reached for me but I stepped back and grabbed an ax hanging on the wall." The little girl's eyes widened. "I swung the blade of the ax down on the arm and the monster gave the most bone-chilling scream I had ever heard as it yanked its injured arm from the hole. Everything became very quite and I started walking to the door, wondering if I had frightened the monster away. As I reached for the lock to open it, the door was ripped from its hinges and thrown in at me, hitting me and throwing me back against the wall. It walked into the room, almost human, and laughed at me. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the closest thing I could, a bucket of water." 'A pint of holy water in a glass bottle in my pocket, some bucket.' She thought to herself again. "I hurled the bucket at the monster and it hit the creature right in the face. It screamed in pain as the water burned the monster, making the skin smoke. It took flight and broke through the roof of the building heading to its castle in the mountains." Adrian paused looking at the child's face and all the expressions, Fear, happiness, surprise, wonder, and then just confusion.
"What happened next?" Kathryn asks, sitting up in the bed now.
The question took Adrian by surprise. She didn't know what happened next. 'I'll go with my first instinct.' "Well, the monster flies back to its castle in the mountains and rushes to join the other creatures. It joins them in a large stone room with their King. The monster tells the king of how it got its wounds and how I beat it. The king is furious and promises his creatures that he will find me and..." She stops seeing the scared face of the child. "That's all for tonight."
"What?" Kathryn says stunned. "But I want to know the end. What does the King do?" "I don't know." A bad feeling in Adrian's stomach told her what she just said could have very well happened.
"Awww." Kathryn whines.
Adrian smirks at the child and tucks her in again. "Lay down and try to sleep." The girl closes her eyes and is quickly dreaming. Now without a bed, Adrian moves the chair over to the large window and gazes out at the starry sky, the ending she made up to the story buzzing around in her brain. "Oh well." She whispers to herself, "What are the chances of that being right?" She closes her eyes and yawns, "I made it that part up, it was a lie, it didn't happen." She falls asleep telling herself it didn't happen, but it did.
"Why are you leaving?" The little girl asks sadly.
Adrian sits her on the bed, "You know those two people who came by here today?" "I saw them leave."
"The lady talked to me, and she told me that she wanted to take me home and be my mother, and I guess that is what is going to happen."
"When are you coming back?" Kathryn asks tears forming in her eyes.
Oh no don't cry, she thinks. "I don't know, but I'm sure it will be as soon as I can."
Kathryn wipes away a single tear that streams down her cheek. "You never told me the rest of the story."
"I didn't did I. Are you sure you want to hear the rest. Last time I had to stop because it was frightening you."
"It won't scare my."
Adrian smiles at the bravery, "Alright, get under the covers." Kathryn gives an eager squeal and dives under the blankets. Adrian tucks her in tightly and pulls a chair over to the side of the bed. "Now where did we leave off?"
"The three monsters were flying at you."
Adrian cringed inside but didn't let it show, "Ah, yes. How could I have forgotten. The three monsters flew at me screeching as they picked up speed. I spotted an old wooden shack and ran with all my might towards the door. The monster was so close I could feel its breath." 'Yeah, very sharp breath that sliced up my shoulder,' she thought, half laughing. "I bust through the door and backed far from it as the creature hit the open door way but was unable to get through because of the size of its wings. As it backed away to gather itself I realized that there was only one, the others had disappeared. I raced forward and slammed the door shut, locking it but knowing it would not hold for long. The monster threw itself at the door in an attempt to break it down, and it was succeeding. A clawed hand tore a hole in the hard wood door and I heard the monster practically laughing, knowing that I had no where to go." Kathryn gasped, clutching the blanket tightly, but seemed to be enjoying herself. "The hand reached for me but I stepped back and grabbed an ax hanging on the wall." The little girl's eyes widened. "I swung the blade of the ax down on the arm and the monster gave the most bone-chilling scream I had ever heard as it yanked its injured arm from the hole. Everything became very quite and I started walking to the door, wondering if I had frightened the monster away. As I reached for the lock to open it, the door was ripped from its hinges and thrown in at me, hitting me and throwing me back against the wall. It walked into the room, almost human, and laughed at me. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the closest thing I could, a bucket of water." 'A pint of holy water in a glass bottle in my pocket, some bucket.' She thought to herself again. "I hurled the bucket at the monster and it hit the creature right in the face. It screamed in pain as the water burned the monster, making the skin smoke. It took flight and broke through the roof of the building heading to its castle in the mountains." Adrian paused looking at the child's face and all the expressions, Fear, happiness, surprise, wonder, and then just confusion.
"What happened next?" Kathryn asks, sitting up in the bed now.
The question took Adrian by surprise. She didn't know what happened next. 'I'll go with my first instinct.' "Well, the monster flies back to its castle in the mountains and rushes to join the other creatures. It joins them in a large stone room with their King. The monster tells the king of how it got its wounds and how I beat it. The king is furious and promises his creatures that he will find me and..." She stops seeing the scared face of the child. "That's all for tonight."
"What?" Kathryn says stunned. "But I want to know the end. What does the King do?" "I don't know." A bad feeling in Adrian's stomach told her what she just said could have very well happened.
"Awww." Kathryn whines.
Adrian smirks at the child and tucks her in again. "Lay down and try to sleep." The girl closes her eyes and is quickly dreaming. Now without a bed, Adrian moves the chair over to the large window and gazes out at the starry sky, the ending she made up to the story buzzing around in her brain. "Oh well." She whispers to herself, "What are the chances of that being right?" She closes her eyes and yawns, "I made it that part up, it was a lie, it didn't happen." She falls asleep telling herself it didn't happen, but it did.