-CHAPTER 3-MAGICAL PLANT-
As Johnny walks home, his mind is busy trying to decipher Freja's messages. Out of nowhere, he hears a child sobbing. Raising his eyes, he sees a small boy sitting on the doorstep in front of an old house. Johnny is compelled to comfort the boy when he is almost knocked over by a girl on a bike. The girl is around the same age as the boy and it is obvious that she is novice on her bicycle. In front of the boy's house, she hits a stone and is propelled over the handlebars. Johnny is about to run to her aid when Freja whispers into his mind, "She'll be okay. Just watch." The boy rises, despite his own pains and runs to the girl, helping her up. It's only now that Johnny sees the boy's face: a black eye, a bleeding nose and a cut lip adorn his features and a spiral burn covers his left forearm. "Abusive parents?" he asks. "Drunken father," Freja confirms.
Despite grazes on her right elbow and knee, the girl looks deeply into the boy's injuries, sniffs back her own tears and asks innocently: "Does your daddy always hurt you like that?"
The boy nods sadly in reply and moves to pick up the girl's bike. She spots the burn on his arm and adds: "I can fix that if you want. My mummy told me of a magical plant. Look: you've got one!" she points into the boy's front yard. Under the front window is a small garden, amongst the weeds an Aloe Vera plant fans out. They walk over together and she snaps off a leaf, splits it with a fingernail and eases the clear gel onto her fingers. "It makes the fire go away," she states knowingly as she takes the boy's arm up in her left hand and applies the salve with her right. "You're quiet." She says loudly. "My name's Freja. What's yours?"
"Nny," the boy replies, the rawness in his throat causing him to miss the first syllable.
"'Nny'," she repeats. "That's a funny name. Wanna come over to my house and play? I live just over there," she points across the road.
Little Johnny clears his throat before responding. "I'll have to ask daddy first or he'll get mad again."
"Okay. Can I come with you?"
Little Johnny shrugs shyly, "I guess so."
The children join hands and walk into the house, leaving the bike on the footpath…
"Stop it, Freja! I know what happens next, I don't want to see this!" the adult Johnny calls to the air around him.
"You do, do you?" Freja answers as her grown-self appears from the door of Johnny's old house. When she reaches him, she ads: "Tell me then."
He looks into her eyes, once so bright and full of life, now pale and empty. We heard Mum pleading as we entered. God, she was so afraid… Dad was yelling at her, telling her not to alert the neighbors. He said something about not getting in the way of my punishments. We saw them in the kitchen, she was cowering on the floor, Dad stood above her with the boning knife. She saw me and started screaming at me to run 'anywhere but here!' she had said. Anywhere but here… Before Dad turned around, I grabbed your hand and we ran, Mum's screams still following us. Then she was silenced… she just stopped screaming. We were outside, Dad caught up to us. He stood at the door, I spotted the blood dripping from the blade… you were so afraid – we both were. I don't think we ever thought about a destination: the only thing on our minds was flight…
"That's enough for today, Nny," Freja said soothingly. "Come on. I'll take you home."