THE BATTLE FOR TERABITHIA
Disclaimer: I don't own Bridge to Terabithia or its characters.
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Chapter 4
The Truth
May 12th, 2007
After another minute, the Terabithians stopped cheering. They bowed and worshipped their revived, beloved Queen. Jesse and Leslie smiled at the sight, especially Leslie. She felt so happy to see all the Terabithians again. She gratefully thanked them, and asked them if she could be alone with her King. The Terabithians accepted her wish and left the tree house, leaving their rulers.
Once Jesse and Leslie were finally alone, she said smilingly: "My, Jess… It feels so great to be back."
He smiled back at her: "Yes, I know."
His mind was filled with a lot of thoughts. He had so many questions to ask from his best friend. How could she still be here? Didn't she die at all? What really happened to her?
He managed to collect himself and changed his position so that he was sitting right in front of her, face to face. "Leslie…" She fixed her eyes on him. "You're probably aware that…that I have so many questions."
Leslie sighed: "Yeah, I would've guessed that."
"So, uh…" Jesse looked down, trying to find the right words. "I think you may have a pretty good idea about what I want to ask", he said and glanced up at her.
She just smiled, thinking that Jesse was about to say something…meaningful. "Well? What is it?"
"How can you still be alive? For a month I've thought you're dead!"
Leslie's smile vanished. "A month?"
"Yes! And not just me. Your parents, my parents and sisters, everyone has thought you're gone!"
Leslie looked away to the forest. "Wow. It must've been true after all."
Jesse's look got even more confused. "If you mean that you've been practically 'dead', then yes!"
"No, I didn't mean that", she said while turning at him again.
"Huh?"
"I meant that…" She fell quiet for a while. Then she looked at him straight in the eyes and said: "Okay, Jess. I guess I should tell you what really happened. But still, are you sure you're ready to hear this?"
He nodded. "Of course I am."
"All right. Here goes." She took a deep breath.
"One month ago, on the 14th of April, I went to your house to ask you if you wanted to go to Terabithia. But you weren't there. I just thought you were doing your chores, but then May Belle came up to me and told me that you had went to a museum or something with Ms. Edmunds."
Jesse looked down at the floor of the tree house, feeling guilty. "Jess, is everything all right?" Leslie asked and put her left hand on his right shoulder.
Jesse jumped a bit from Leslie's touch, and looked at her. Seeing her concerned face, he quickly said: "Yeah, yeah. Go on."
She removed her hand and continued: "Well, when I heard May Belle's words, I was quite puzzled. I wondered why you didn't invite me to come with you. But, then again I remembered that you had a crush on her. I knew that because I had seen the way you always looked at her."
"Yeah, that's true", Jesse admitted.
"Anyway, I decided not to let that bother me and quickly went back to my house to get Prince Terrien. We ran across the fields and reached the rope. I lifted P.T. and held on to him tightly while I reached for the rope with the help of a branch. I got the rope and swung over the creek. But then, just as I stepped on the other side, a Hairy Vulture suddenly appeared out of nowhere and flew towards the rope. And then it cut it in half with its claws. I was going to turn around and run away, but a flock of Squogres appeared right in front of me and soon they surrounded me. I started to panic, more than ever before in my life."
"Then what happened?"
"Well, the Hairy Vulture grabbed me by the shoulders and lifted me up. I started to scream. Even though I knew it was worthless, I kept yelling your name."
Jesse stared at his best friend sympathetically. Leslie, now on the brink of tears, continued: "And the worst thing was that I still had P.T. in my arms. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him, but I couldn't just drop him. What if he got injured or worse? So, I held on to him for the whole time while the Vulture carried us to…to the…"
"Where, Leslie?"
Leslie looked at him with fear in her eyes. "To the Dark Master's lair."
Jesse gasped. Leslie slowly nodded in response and went on: "The Vulture carried us through this high gate and then after a few more minutes it dropped us slowly to the ground. I released P.T. but still made sure he stayed near me. I looked around and saw that we were in some kind of a pit. I couldn't see anything; it was so pitch-dark in there. The only light came from above, outside the pit. The next thing I knew, the Dark Master appeared at the edge of the pit. He said: 'Dear Queen Leslie Burke, it is time. Prepare to meet your doom.' Then he raised his arms high into the air, and started to mumble something, like a spell. Two dark beams came from his hands, and they hit me. I started to feel very dizzy and couldn't move. I did manage to see P.T. being carried away by the Vulture and the Dark Master saying: 'This dog is no use for me', or something like that. And then, before I knew it, I lost consciousness."
Jesse had been listening to the whole story with his mouth agape. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. "That's how P.T. must've managed to survive", he thought. He was also now fully aware of the Dark Master's true strength.
Leslie looked up at him again. "The next thing I remember after that is…waking up here, and seeing your face again", she said, and gave a little smile.
"You sure have been through a lot. But that's all over now. I'm so glad to have you back, Leslie", he said and pulled her to a gentle hug, which she firmly accepted.
After a moment Jesse let go of her and asked: "There's still something I don't understand. If you have been here all this time, how can everything else be explained? I mean, my Dad told me the police found you in the creek, thinking you had drowned, and then we went to your house to 'pay our respects', and…" Jesse lost his voice and buried his head in his hands.
"I know what you mean, Jess, I really do. Look, we can't do anything about that now. I guess we'll have to figure everything out later."
Jesse chuckled. "Are you crazy? How on earth are we gonna do that? Besides, how are we going to explain this to my parents? Not to mention yours."
Leslie thought for a moment. "Jess, we can visit Terabithia later and…well, search for the answer to this mystery. As for your parents… I don't know, I guess the only thing we can do is lie to them. I know you know that I'm an honest person, and that I wouldn't lie about anything. But this is a situation where we have no other choice."
"And how exactly are we going to tell them that you are not dead after all?" Jesse said a little jokingly.
"Jess, that's not funny. I guess we're just gonna have to rely on something like… Well, you could just tell them that all of a sudden you found me here, in the woods."
"And you think they'll buy that?"
Leslie sighed: "Look, I know there's a high chance that they won't, but we don't have any other choice. We will have to try this, Jess."
Jesse thought about Leslie's suggestion seriously for a few minutes until he said, sighing: "Well, I guess you're right. There is no other choice."
"That's right, Jess. But don't worry. Everything will be figured out later. Trust me", Leslie said and gave a slight yawn. "I feel a bit tired. Tell you what. What if we go now, and then come back first thing tomorrow morning?"
"Sounds fine to me."
"Good. Let's go, okay?"
"Okay."
Jesse and Leslie climbed down from the tree house and walked to the bridge. When it came to full view, Leslie gasped in amazement.
Jesse noticed this. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Obviously I don't need to tell you that a lot of things have been happening since you were gone. I, um…built this bridge. Then I introduced Terabithia to May Belle. She's been the Princess of Terabithia ever since." Leslie turned to look at him, still with the same look of surprise. "I hope that's OK with you", Jesse quickly added.
Leslie smiled. "Of course it's OK, Jess. I understand why you must've done that. After all, May Belle is your favorite sister, right?"
"Yeah. But you're still the Queen."
Leslie's smile grew wider and she and Jesse turned to look at the bridge. Within seconds it started to glow. The bridge transformed. It was no longer brown and wooden, but beautiful, elegant, and golden. Both Jesse and Leslie couldn't help but stare at the wonderful miracle that had just happened in front of them.
"The magic is back", Jesse said.
"Yes, it is."
Leslie stepped on the bridge, and suddenly felt a vibration of some sort go through her body. Even stepping on the bridge seemed magical. Leslie walked slowly to the other side of the creek, Jesse following close behind her. When they reached the other side, Leslie turned around to look at the bridge again. She looked up and gasped again. She saw the sign that Jesse had made.
"Nothing Crushes Us", she read aloud. She turned to look at Jesse. "This is truly wonderful, Jesse."
Jesse noticed she was on the verge of crying. He smiled gently and opened his arms, allowing her to wrap her arms around him in a warm hug. He put his arms around her too. As the two best friends stood in front of the bridge for a couple minutes in each other's arms, Jesse also felt a tear going down his cheek. Both of them were happy that they were together again. Then the hug ended and they started to walk towards Jesse's house.
On the way through the fields, Leslie felt something touch her leg. It was something moving. She slowly looked down. Suddenly she screamed, making Jesse jump too. Leslie quickly shook her leg to get rid of the "thing". Jesse looked where it flew. Then he saw something moving away from them.
"A lizard?" he asked. "Was that the thing that touched you?"
Leslie nodded, still shaking a bit from the shock.
"Are you okay, Les?" She didn't respond. Jesse figured out why. "Are you afraid of lizards?"
Leslie slowly turned her head at him. "I'm sorry, Jess. It's just that…" She became nervous and ran her fingers through her blonde hair.
Jesse put his arm around her shoulders and said: "Hey, calm down. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I bet everybody's afraid of something. You know, there are stuff like arachnophobia and lots of other phobias."
Leslie seemed to calm down. "Yes, Jess, I admit, I am a bit herpetophobic."
"Herpetophobia? Fear of reptiles, right?"
"Yes. I've had it for my whole life." She chuckled. "I guess you're disappointed that I'm not quite so flawless."
"That's not true. Think about it. I have some flaws, and still you like me. Right?"
Leslie gave him a smile. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry if I overreacted."
"Hey, don't worry about it. Come on, let's go."
A few minutes later Jesse and Leslie arrived at the Aarons house. Leslie started to feel nervous again and was unsure about stepping inside. "Jess, I'm not sure if I can do this. What will your parents say?"
"Look, I know this may be a shock to them, but I think they'll be able to handle it."
She smiled faintly. "Okay."
Jesse opened the front door and carefully stepped inside. "Mom? Dad? Where are you?"
"It was about time you came back", Jack yelled. "We're in the living room."
Jesse gestured Leslie to wait for a second. "I have a little surprise for you", he said to his parents, who were sitting on the living room couch. As Jack and Mary turned to look at Jesse, Leslie slowly stepped inside and walked beside him.
Jack and Mary's faces were filled with shock and they both stood up. "Jesse Oliver Aarons, explain", Mary ordered.
Jesse looked at Leslie and his parents a bit nervously and said: "Well, what can I say? She's alive."
Mary looked tensely at Leslie. "Leslie? Leslie Burke, is that really you?"
Leslie smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I am."
Mary grabbed her husband's arm. "Jack, please tell me this isn't happening."
Jack shook his head. "Stop it, Mary. It is real. She's really there." He walked to his son and kneeled down. "How can this be possible, Jess?"
Jesse sighed: "I don't know. I was just…" he stole a brief glance from Leslie, "…walking in the woods until I heard something. Then, the next thing I knew, I saw Leslie lying on the ground under a tree."
"Yes, that's true, Mr. Aarons, he found me", Leslie cut in. Jack looked at her. "I just got lost in the woods a month ago. But now, I'm back, thanks to Jess", she said and rubbed Jesse's left arm a little, making him flush.
Jack stood up and walked past Jesse and Leslie to the kitchen. "Oh, my God. This is just unbelievable."
"It's true, Dad", Jesse said and turned around. "I know you're probably wondering how this situation is going to explain all the things that happened before and…"
"Oh, you sure are right, son", Jack chuckled seriously and met his son's eyes. "How do you think we'll find out everything? How are you going to explain that corpse in the creek? And the wake, how about that, huh?"
"Dad, honestly, I don't know. But I promise, we will find out later."
Jack looked at his son and Leslie for a moment. Never before had he seen so much determination in a child's eyes as he saw now in Jesse and Leslie's. "All right, if you say so, son." Jesse and Leslie shared relieved smiles.
"But, Leslie, I think we should call your parents. Don't you think so?"
"I guess you're right, Mr. Aarons."
"Do you want to call them or shall I?"
"No, no, go ahead. I don't feel like I'm quite ready to speak with them yet. And if I called anyway, they would probably get a heart attack or something from hearing my voice."
Everyone in the room shared a laugh. Then, just at that moment, Jesse's sisters walked down the stairs.
Brenda asked: "What's going on in…" she stopped and her face fell when she saw Leslie, "…here?"
Ellie and May Belle were shocked, too. "All right, are we all hallucinating here?" Ellie asked, raising her hands in the air.
Leslie burst into laughter. Jesse looked at her, and smiled. It felt so good for him to hear her beautiful laugh again. He and May Belle soon started laughing too.
"Ellie, I don't think this is a vision of any kind", Brenda muttered to her sister.
May Belle ran up to Leslie and hugged her. "I've missed you, Leslie!"
Leslie sniffed. "I've missed you too, May Belle."
Ellie walked to her brother. "Jess, what's the meaning of this?"
"Ellie, I just found her in the woods. That's all."
"But… But… Wasn't she supposed to be…?"
"Dead?" Brenda completed.
Everyone in the room stood in silence for a few seconds.
"I know we all thought that was true, but it wasn't. Leslie's back", Jesse answered with the happiest smile he had ever had. Brenda and Ellie looked at each other with confused faces.
"Hey, Leslie! Look who's here", Mary said. She was carrying Joyce Ann in her arms.
Leslie gasped. "Oh, Mrs. Aarons, you didn't need to…" Leslie said politely, but was cut off by Mary.
"No trouble for me at all. Leslie, would you like to hold her?"
Leslie smile widened and she glanced at Jesse, who nodded. "Sure!"
She walked up to Mary, and carefully took the baby in her arms. "Well, hello there" she said cutely and tickled Joyce Ann's nose. "I know we've met before, when I went to church with your family, but I don't think you remember me. I'm Leslie Burke. I'm your neighbor, and your brother's best friend."
Jesse, who was standing beside her, looked at his youngest sister. She was smiling. Jesse had never seen her smile before. By then, he had drawn the conclusion that Leslie was truly an angel.
The rest of the day went smoothly. Jack called Leslie's parents, Bill and Judy Burke, and informed about what had happened. Leslie had guessed right. Both of her parents nearly got a heart attack when they heard what Jack said. Once they had calmed down, they told they would be arriving at Lark Creek about two days later, on Monday. Leslie got even more excited and nervous when Jack told her the news.
As the night quickly approached, Jack and Mary discussed about Leslie's sleeping arrangements with her and Jesse. Leslie liked to be modest and suggested she'd sleep on the living room couch, but Jack and Mary wouldn't approve that. Mary took an old sleeping bag from a storeroom and gave it to Leslie. Jesse asked if she could share the room with him and May Belle. Jack and Mary accepted his wish. They also told that Joyce Ann's bed would be removed to their bedroom.
And so, around 9 pm., Leslie crawled inside of the sleeping bag, while Jesse and May Belle were already in their own beds. They wished each other good night, and closed their eyes. Both Jesse and Leslie were smiling as they fell asleep, feeling happy that he had found her, and brought her back.