Disclaimer: the Mag7 characters do not belong to me.
Note: based around the poem by Eugene Field
Each chapter is a different story in my Distant Lullabye AU.
Please read and review.
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
--
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night,
Sailed off in a wooden shoe...
--
ATLANTA
Pausing to listen for sounds of footsteps, fifteen-year-old Ezra Standish carefully opened the window. He held his breath and slowly counted to ten. When he was satisfied that no one had heard, he slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and climbed soundlessly out the window. As soon as his feet hit the ground he took off running for the cover provided by a strand of trees in the distance. Once there he looked back at the house scanning it for any signs of life. When none could be discerned he began walking towards the road being careful to stick to the shadows...
DENVER
Hearing the sound of breaking glass downstairs, thirteen-year-old Vin Tanner hurrily shoved the last of his belongings into his backpack. He carefully zipped it up and slung it on his back. Then, he opened the window and shimmied down the tree outside. As soon as his feet touched the grass he took off running as fast as he could. Behind him he heard the door slam open and a drunken voice shout at him to get back there. But this only made him run faster...
BOSTON
Wiping away his tears, six-year-old JD Dunne gave his mother one last soft kiss on her cheek. Fearfully, his eyes flew to the window as he heard the sirens outside. He picked up his backpack which was packed with his most important stuff and headed toward the door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob and whispered,"Goodbye, Mama." before walking out. He closed the door carefully behind him and hurried down the apartment stairs and out the main doors...
--
Sailed off on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew...
--
ATLANTA
Once the road came into view, Ezra walked parallel to it making sure to stay in the shadows. He briefly considered hitchhiking but quickly dismissed the idea. After all, who knew what kind of ruffian would pick him up. Besides, he knew that there was a bus station not far from here and he had enough money with him to buy himself a ticket to...somewhere. He knew that there was a slight risk if someone decided to check the station for him. But he didn't think that anyone would bother to look for him for quite awhile yet and by that time he would hopefully be far from here....
DENVER
Vin skillfully ran through back alleys and side streets until he felt that he was far enough away. Then, breathing heavily he stopped to collect his thoughts. He doubted that anyone would come looking for him--not that they could find him if they did. After all, he knew the streets well and had lived on them before...
BOSTON
Sighing, JD chewed worrily on his bottom lip. He set his backpack down beside him as he thought. Running away had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he wasn't so sure. He was pretty far away from home now and the streets around him were all dark. But, he had heard the older kids talking about what happens when kids were taken away and he didn't want any of that stuff happening to him. And if he had stayed they would have taken him away--away from the apartment that he had known all his life...away from his mama. His eyes filled with tears again as he thought about his mama. She wouldn't have wanted him to get taken away. Sniffling, he picked his backpack back up and started walking again. He was getting tired though, and he just wanted to find somewhere where he could rest for a while. In a parking lot up ahead, he spotted a bunch of big trucks. He noticed that one of them was open in the back and so he looked around to see if anyone was watching. No one was so he peered inside. There were lots of boxes inside. He moved to the back of the compartment. Once there, he put his backpack down behind some of the boxes and quickly fell asleep. He didn't even notice when the door closed and the truck started to move...
--
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three...
--
ATLANTA
As the bus pulled away from the station, Ezra thought about where he wanted to go. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he hadn't the slightest idea. All he knew was that he wanted get away from Atlanta. He stared out the window as he thought. He knew that he had sufficient money on him to last for quite a while. What he really wanted was to go some place where he could start over, some place where he could just be himself...
DENVER
After finding a warehouse that wasn't already occupied, Vin started to prepare what would be his home for a while. He moved some crates over to a corner and spread out some newspaper that he had found. Then, he sat down, unzipped his backpack, and took out a candy bar. As he slowly munched, he thought about his situation. All he wanted was a place to stay where he was safe, fed, and had a roof over his head. But what he really wanted was a place where he was loved...
BOSTON
As he slept, JD dreamed peacefully. He dreamed that his mama was alive and healthy and that they were together. In his dream, she hugged him and kissed him and listened as he told her about his day. And he dreamed that she sang to him as she rocked him to sleep. But, mostly, mostly he dreamt of Home; where someone loved him and cared for him and where he belonged...
--
"We have come to fish for the herring fish,
That live in this beautiful sea,
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken...
--
Three bus rides, one train ride, and one week later Ezra found himself in the city of Denver, Colorado. By this time, he was sick of traveling and decided to find somewhere where he could stay for awhile. He soon found a half decent apartment and set to thinking of how he would go about acquiring some more money...
--
Blynken...
--
During the days following his running away, Vin set out looking for a job. Now, he was washing dishes at one place and cleaning at another. He wasn't making much money at either one of the jobs, but it was enough...
--
And Nod...
--
Once the truck had stopped, JD wasn't sure where he was. He waited until no one was looking and quickly jumped out of the truck. He then snuck into another truck and after hiding from sight, took out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich--slightly squished and ate while awaiting his next adventure. Two days later, he was surprised to find himself at an airport. He had never been on a plane before. With curiosity, he looked at where some cargo was being loaded. And when the men loading it weren't looking, he snuck into the compartment. He was startled when the plane started to take off. But then he discovered that there was a dog in a carrier in the compartment. So he pet it through the bars, talking to it until the plane landed hours later. And that was how JD Dunne found himself in Denver, Colorado...
--
The old man laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe...
--
Ezra soon decided that his best bet--no pun intended, to make money was through cards. And so he targeted a few taverns and swindled quite a few people into playing cards with him. He was careful not to win all the time and to not win a particularly large amount at any one game. It didn't take long for him to become set into some semblance of a routine...
--
And the wind that sped them all night long,
Ruffled the waves of dew...
--
Vin went to his two jobs daily and went back to the warehouse every night to sleep. He saved as much of the money that he made as he could--hoping that he would be able to afford to rent a small room soon. Then, one day he acquired a new job--washing dishes, this time at a tavern...
--
The little stars were the herring fish,
That lived in the beautiful sea...
--
Once he had snuck out of the plane, JD didn't know what to do. He was hungry and tired and he had no idea where he was at. And so he just started walking, never noticing the eyes following him...
--
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish,
Never afeard are we,"
So cried the stars to the fisherman three,
Wynken...
--
"Royal flush," Ezra said in a satisfied voice as he laid down his cards and started to collect his money. A hand stopped him.
"Why you little cheat..." the man said, narrowing his eyes.
"Cheat? I resent that horrid accusation," Ezra said in fake indignation while inside he was in fact very very nervous.
The man started to grab him from across the table as Ezra hastily backed up. Ezra's face paled as his back hit the wall...
--
Blynken...
--
Vin glanced up when he heard a commotion in the main area of the tavern. Apparently there was fight over whether or not someone had cheated at a card game. Vin shrugged, it was no concern of his. He continued washing dishes, when suddenly he jerked his head up at a noise. He held his breath hoping that he had imagined it when the sound came again. It was unmistakably the sound of a child screaming...
--
And Nod...
--
JD had slowly been walking along in a daze when suddenly someone grabbed him by the arm. His eyes widened in fear as he was pulled around to face the man. He opened his mouth and screamed, kicked the man where he knew it would hurt the most, and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction--screaming all the way...
--
All night long their nets they threw,
To the stars in the twinkling foam...
--
Ezra squeezed his eyes shut anticipating the blow from his antagonizer, when a scream suddenly pierced the air. While his attacker was distracted, he quickly stuffed a handful of his winnings into his pocket and made a break for the door. Once outside he was surprised to see another boy run out of the tavern.
As soon as he had heard the second scream, Vin ran. He paused outside the doors of the tavern to figure out which direction the sound had come from when he noticed another boy outside also. He turned his head as the sound came again.
"Come on!" he said grabbing the other boy's arm and running in the direction of the scream.
Ezra blinked in shock as he found himself running along side the other boy and toward what was most assuredly a dangerous situation. But for some reason he did not stop, did not question what in the world the other boy thought that he was doing--he just kept on running.
The two stopped short as they came upon the scene. As he saw the man grab the little boy, Vin turned to Ezra and said hurrily, "Grab the kid."
"Wha..." Ezra started to say, but quickly shut his mouth as Vin launched himself at the man. Blinking himself out of a daze, Ezra hurried over and pulled kid away from the scene. JD looked up at him with wide watery eyes and abruptly stopped screaming as Ezra picked him up and started to run. The two were soon joined by Vin who led them on a winding path away from the scene...
--
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home...
--
Once they felt that they were far enough away, the three stopped to catch their breath.
"Thanks for saving me," JD said looking at his two rescuers with hero worshiping eyes.
"Umm, you're welcome," Vin answered and turned to the other boy, "I'm Vin Tanner."
"Ezra Standish," Ezra said shaking his hand.
"JD Dunne," JD added.
"Where are your parents, JD, where do you live?" Ezra asked him.
JD's eyes filled with tears, "My mama went to heaven..and I went on an adventure so's they didn't take me away."
Vin turned understanding eyes on him, "Where are you staying at?"
JD just shrugged his shoulders.
"What about you Mister Tanner, where do you reside?" Ezra inquired.
Embarrassed Vin admitted that he was currently living in a warehouse.
Much to Ezra's surprise, he ended up inviting the two to stay with him in his apartment...
--
'Twas all so pretty a sail it seemed,
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 'twas a dream they dreamed,
Of sailing that beautiful sea...
It didn't take long for the three to discover that they were all runways and as such shared a common bond. They continued to live together in the apartment and soon became set in a comfortable routine. During the weekdays JD would go to school (a feat which Ezra had somehow managed to arrange), Vin would go to his jobs (though none of them ever went back to that particular tavern), and Ezra would go about his business. On the weekends, they would all just hang out together. They had all found a place where they belonged and their past weeks' adventures became but a distant memory...
--
But I shall name you the fishermen three,
Wynken,
Blnken,
And Nod.
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