A modern retelling of The Brothers Grimm's story The Owl
Disclaimer: Whatever you recognize does not belong to me. However, all things not in the original story, as well as this science homework, is mine.
"Sander!"
The loud shout came from outside of the small house. Turning around in his seat, Sander yelled back, "What?"
The man who had yelled walked into the house and stepped over to Sander, his heavy work boots still on.
"What in the blazes is so important that you have to disturb me?" Sander asked roughly, gesturing to the newspaper he was reading.
The other man snorted. "You can read that any time. But we have to go clean the barn, and I mean right now. Ma'll have your hide if ya don't."
Making a face, Sander got to his feet, placing the paper down on the chair. "C'mon then."
The two men walked into the barn, looking around the large, cluttered area. "We have to clean? All of this?" Sander asked disbelievingly. His brother nodded.
"Every inch."
The two started. They each grabbed a pair of gloves, and started sorting through the mess junk and debris. Occasionally, one would call out to the other about a new find.
"Hey, Lee, remember this?" Sander held up a faded stuffed bear.
"That's my old bear! Give me that!"
"What about this watch? It looks nice. Maybe I'll keep it!"
"Hey! That's mine!"
It had just reached midday when Lee happened to look up into the rafters. Staring up into the gloom, he saw a small figure shift out of the corner of his eye. Catching sight of the figure, he froze; he slowly stood up, and walked over to Sander.
"Lee, what's wron-" Sander looked to where Lee's eyes were fixed, and his own widened. He blinked once, slowly, then grabbed Lee's arm and pulled him out of the barn.
The two men ran to the center of the small town, where most of the men were. Panting, their eyes wide, a group encircled the brothers, questioning about what was wrong.
"In the barn. There's this…."
"This creature, with feathers, and giant eyes, and a huge, horrible beak…"
One of the men stepped forwards, and gestured to Lee and Sander. "C'mon boys. Take us to this thing."
Back at the barn, they group huddled together at the entrance. "Well, we won't get anything done by just standn' here!" A man named Ben Jebson strode up to the doorway. "I'll go in."
"Be careful Ben!"
"Go get that thing!"
"You can do it!"
Tipping the brim of an imaginary hat and flashing a glowing smile at the group, he entered the barn. It was dark, with patches of sunlight muffled by the thick dust floating in the air. Glancing around, Ben quickly took in the sight of tons of boxes crammed into every corner. Walking warily, he advanced further. The rafters curved over his head, and, on an impulse, he looked up.
Glowing golden eyes shone in the darkness, huge and dilated. Slowly, they revolved around, fixing Ben in their scorching glare. He stood transfixed, unable to tare his eyes away. His fingers trembled slightly, and his breath came out in short quick gasps.
Wrenching his eyes away, he turned around in a motion so quick he almost fell over. Without pausing for breath, he raced out of the barn as if Satan himself was after him.
Bursting out of the innocent barn, he skidded to a halt, his hands on his knees, bending over. Gasping, Ben looked around at the now shocked looking group. It was Henry, a farmer, who spoke first.
"Ben! What happened?"
His stunned voice broke the dam of silence, allowing the tide of questions to break through.
"Are you okay?"
"Did ya see it?"
"Did you see anything?"
"What's wrong?"
Slowly, Ben stood up, his heartbeat returning to its normal pattern. The group quieted, each member waiting on edge to hear what he had to say.
"I walked into the barn. Everything looked normal, with boxes everywhere." Ben paused, and seemed to collect his thoughts. "Then, something made me look up. Into the rafters." This time, the pause was for dramatic effect. "There, glowing in the darkness was a pair of huge, unblinking eyes. They were yellow, and the pupils were dilated. They must have belonged to some hideous monster."
The group was entranced by his story, and their gasps of horror and fear seemed to echo around the valley. The first one to break the otherwise silent stillness was Lee.
"What are we going to do?"
Nobody responded immediately, and the question hung innocently in the air. Taking a step forward, Ben said, "Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"
Sander looked at the man, and cocked one brown eyebrow. "What is?"
Steeling himself for his reaction, Ben replied. "We're going to have to burn down the barn."
Sander and Lee's eyes widened simultaneously. But before either brother could respond, a figure pushed it's way through the crowd. Stalking over to the patch of sun-dried grass in front of Ben, the newcomer glared at the man in front of them,
"Excuse me?" She said, in the voice known by everyone in the valley. Ben flinched back slightly, and his hand racked through his unruly hair in a nervous tick. "You will not be burning down my barn." She said menacingly, her eyes burning holes through Ben's head. If looks could kill, he would have had no chance.
"Go mom!" Lee breathed almost silently to Sander.
Taking a deep breath, Sander ignored hi brother, and walked up to him mother. "Sander! Lee hissed. "What are you doing?" Sander looked at his mother, keeping his back to Lee and the rest of the gathered.
"Ma." He said quietly, for her ears only. Her head snapped around, and now it was him whom the burning glare was directed at, Unflinchingly, Sander looked back gently. "Don't you think it's about time to move on from Dad?"
His mother's mouth dropped open slightly, and her gaze turned from glaring to anguish. "C'mon, Ma. Let's go back to the house." He took her arm gently, and started to lead her back toward their small home. The group parted respectfully. Glancing back over his shoulder, he nodded, one swift action, to Ben. And then they were gone from sight.
Lee was frozen. His mouth was open in shock. He had never heard his mother mention his father, and to hear Sander bring him up now was stunning. He could now guess that the several unopened boxes huddled in the very back of the barn held tokens and mementoes of his father.
Ben gazed softly at Lee. He knew he must be in shock, learning that everything left of his father was in the barn. That had to be destroyed. Turning his thoughts back to the creature in the barn, he cleared his throat. "Right. Okay. So, burning the barn." His eyes flickered to Lee. "Who wants to help us?"
A dozen men stepped forward. Smiling slightly, Ben began to give out orders, and dispersed the rest of the group to a further away location. In only a couple minutes everything was ready. Waling over to Lee, Ben grasped one of his shoulder. "You gonna be helping?" Bravely, Lee met his eyes. Swallowing, he nodded tightly, then walked over to a side of the old barn.
Ben's eyes followed him, and then he walked over to his own station. "Everybody ready?" He called out to the men positioned around the barn. Receiving several answering calls, he picked up his match. "On three then. One." Ben struck his match, lighting a tiny fire on the end of the wood. "Two." He held it up to the barn. "Three!" Together, everyone let his fire meet the wood of the barn. With a hiss, the barn was alight. Flames danced merrily, consuming the wood, leaving streaks of ash. Soon, the roof caught, and one of the oldest buildings in the valley was aflame. Lee stepped back, and watched his barn disappear under the crackle of flame. Roughly swiping at his face, he brushed away the one traitorous tear.
Standing at the window of their home, Sander and his mother looked at the fire burning. Stifling a sob, his mother turned to Sander and buried her face in his should while he looked out with unseeing eyes.
And hidden in the smoke now billowing up into the pure blue cloudless sky, a misty grey figure swooped out if the burning wreckage, flying up into the air. Glowing golden eyes looked back as the owl winged it's way across the valley.