Alexandre hated to have football practice in the summer.
Not because he'd rather be at the beach or in a bar eating an ice cream with his friends, but because it was too hot to do whatever it was without a having a fan connected to the maximum or without drinking water every five minutes.
Therefore, he couldn't have been more pleased when he received a message from his coach saying that there would be no practice in that day due to some personal issues. Unfortunately the weather was not the best, but he could always stay at home watching series and dawdling, as one is supposed to do during the summer break.
However, his mom had other plans.
Apparently, and since that it wasn't raining anymore, he had to go for a walk with his brother. The eight-year-old kid kept running from one side to the other, completely electric - and despite understanding his mom's side, he didn't want to go for a walk with his younger brother pretty much pegged on his back.
That was the summer that preceded the twelfth year, and he intended to make the best out of it. It would be the last summer that he would have before having to start worrying about real problems related to his future, and the fact that it had been raining for at least an entire week already and the moment it stopped he had to go for a walk with his younger brother wasn't really helping his plan of making that the best summer ever.
However, and realizing that he really didn't have any other option, he eventually agreed and left the house, putting the house keys and mobile phone in the back pocket of the white shorts that he was wearing. His brother, Gonçalo, walked behind him with a smile from ear to ear, looking delighted about the fact that he was going for a walk with his big brother.
Although the kid could be a huge headache when he wanted to, the younger brother was the best thing that had happened to Alexander. He could be having the worst day ever, and the kid always found a way of making it much more bearable. He had a hard time understanding those sibling who just didn't get along - but each relationship was different, he deduced.
"Alex, Alex!" Gonçalo called out, running to keep up with his older brother. "Can we go to the house in the woods?"
The house in the woods, as it had been named by the younger boy, was a small house of old wood and that looked as if it would fall down any second now. It was found by Alexandre and Marco, a friend from school and his neighbor, and since the boy mentioned it about three weeks ago at the dinner table his brother wouldn't stop nagging him to take him there. Truth was that the older boy didn't want to do so, though he didn't know if it was because he wanted to keep the house as his and Marco's secret, or because he thought that the house was a little too scary for his brother. The landscape inside the house was a pretty spooky, and he was sure the kid would have nightmares for days.
"No, Gonçalo." He ended up answering with a sigh. "We can go to the woods, but we're not going to the house."
Gonçalo insisted for a few more minutes (actually threatening to replace Alexandre by Marco) until he, realizing that the older brother wasn't going to give in, eventually gave up.
For a few minutes the two boys didn't hear a thing except for the sound of their footsteps and the hot wind blowing against the trees. Alexandre couldn't say that it was awkward, but seeing that it wasn't very nice either, he was relieved to see the big trees that signified the beginning of the woods.
After warning Gonçalo they wouldn't spend much time there since the rain was threatening to start pouring once again, and after the boy shrugged in response, he sighed and started walking down the path that existed there, looking back every five seconds to make sure that his brother was following him.
"Gonçalo." He ended up calling, making them both stop. He reached for the boy, who in turn was looking at his brother as if he had grown a second head. "Give me your hand." Alexandre clarified and the boy consented, probably not wanting to take the risk of getting lost among all those trees.
They went their way, and this time the younger man decided to tell his brother all the adventures of his last basketball practice. Initially Alexandre was listening – he always listened to what his baby brother said, even if it was the most boring or ridiculous thing in the world - but when his eyes fell on what looked like a purple teddy with strangely realistic wounds, Gonçalo's voice became fainter and fainter. After a while, he realized that Alex was no longer listening, and he opened his mouth to comment on it. However, his brother's finger on his lips prevented him from doing so.
The older boy didn't know exactly what had led him into signaling his brother to be quiet. It was just a teddy, it's not as if it could listen to-
"It's breathing!" Exclaimed the kid, wanting to escape his brother's grasp to look more closely at the mysterious thing. Alexandre was strong, though – he found himself thanking all the football practice he has had ever since he was a kid - and grabbed him without hurting him but firmly, returning him to face him.
"We don't know what this thing is. I want you to stay next to this tree," He pointed to the tree that was closer to the 'Teddy', turning his attention back to him "If I need your help, I'll call you. Deal?"
Gonçalo nodded affirmatively, being able to see the… thing from where he was standing. Alexandre, on the other hand, was increasingly convinced that that was a living organism, and it took everything in him not to think of the word alien. He squatted next to the... purple thing, watching it carefully for a few moments.
It had seen better days for sure, but seemed to be alive (at least it was breathing). Alex looked around for a stick and when he found one he pocked the purple frog (?) with it. He did not move, so he figured it was unconscious.
That thing, whatever it was, was seriously injured and he wouldn't feel good with himself by letting it stay there to die. Remembering that had put a coat over his shirt, he took it off and wrapped the being with it, holding it as if he was holding a baby.
Why am I acting as if this were normal? I'm holding an alien!
"We're taking him with us?" Asked Gonçalo quietly, silently walking to his brother. Alexandre nodded affirmatively and signaled the kid to go ahead, which he did willingly.
Of course that when he saw the opportunity to make a million questions, he took it.
"Can I name it?"
"I'm pretty sure it already has a name, Gonçalo."
"And play with it? Can I play with it?"
"It is unconscious and badly injured. I doubt it'll want to play with you. "
"Can I sleep with it? I've wanted one ever since I lost mine!"
Alexandre opened his mouth to answer him, but a sound coming from the alien made both boys stop dead in their tracks. The animal began to move gently in Alexandre's coat, murmuring a word that didn't make any sense for the humans.
"Giroro... Giroro..." it said, and the older boy deduced that it was having a dream. A nightmare, he corrected himself, seeing the way it moved within his arm. He could see that his brother looked somewhat frightened, finally realizing that it was not a teddy, and he thought it best to tell him something about it before he went running to their mom to tell them they had found a thing that came from another planet
Perhaps that's what he should do, but he really didn't feel like it.
"Gonçalo." He called, using that voice that older siblings use that leaves no room for discussion. "It's hurt, so we'll take it to my room and we'll take care of its wounds, alright? Don't tell anything to mom and dad until I say so. Promise me. "
The younger boy nodded, looking at the purple creature with a worried look. He seemed to understand that it wouldn't do anything to him, at least not while it was unconscious
"Will it be alright?"
Alexandre decided not to answer, holding the alien with one arm and stroking his brother's head with his free hand.
