The Story Hands
Chapter 10
Well… Now that we're here, how do we leave?
Adele scratched her hand nervously, feeling the weight of the situation fully crash down upon her. She hardly knew how she and the boy were here, let alone how to return.
The boy, eyes filled with misery, whimpered, "Please, please, I learned my lesson! Let me go home!"
Adele paused, trying her best to retain her charade, "Perhaps. But you have done a horrible thing-" her eyes examined Claudia's bedroom. She felt a sickening sadness rip through her, and suddenly it was as though she was being tormented in the depths of hell. I cannot possibly see my friend's room. Not after what's happened. I need to leave this place!
She allowed her thoughts to wander back to the grassy field near Sherylwood forest, and then found herself among the gently blowing grass again. No children frolicked, and no blood contaminated the scenery. Something's wrong.
"This isn't right," the boy wailed, wiping his eyes in fear, "This isn't what it looked like! Why isn't anyone around?"
"Ugh…" Adele wracked her brain for anything that might help, and her mind did realize a certain idea. Modrain took me away from that mountain place – if this is anything like that situation, than I need to touch that boy's eyes again. Nervously crossing her fingers, Adele approached the boy, her voice never giving hint to the nervous turmoil within her mind. "Come here if you wish to leave."
He proved to be an obedient child, for he was quick to approach. "You're not going to hurt me, are you?" His voice quivered as he watched Adele as though she was a monster.
"No." Adele paused, as she examined the child. Even if she ended up getting him out of the place, she had a sneaking suspicion he would tell everyone in the town… I'd end up imprisoned like Felicity! In the fake confident manner she held with the child, she announced,"I won't hurt you… In fact, I promise I won't… as long as you tell no one of this encounter. I gave you a lesson to help you understand the errors of your way, the evils of your behavior." Taking in a deep breath, in order to add a poignant air to her following words, she boomed, "If you dare to speak of this to anyone, I will return to you. Only this time, I will trap you in this world for all of eternity."
Terrified into submission, the boy only managed a nod.
Lifting her hands, and pleading that her idea worked, Adele walked forward, in a very calm manner, and pressed them against his forehead. She decidedly focused all attentions on the real world – especially the grassy field where Peter would be lying.
Everything became a blinding light. At one point, Adele thought she heard pig-tail girl saying something about insanity. She was sure she heard other voices, too. Focusing her attention to these voices and imagining Peter's crippled body, she slowly began to recognize the trees and grass of the field. But this time, children hovered in a circle. The center of this circle was a mutilated child, a boy who moaned every now and then.
The violent young teenager glanced around frantically, seemed to see Adele in a new light, and muttered, "I'm leaving before anything worse happens to me." Turning, he raced away. Several of the older kids followed, leaving the same peace that was brought by people who understood and were in good spirits with each other – meaning all of the younger children.
It was the pig-tailed girl who spoke. Her voice was fearful and frantic, "Wh-why were you both running around and shouting things at each other?"
Adele, not able to fathom what the child meant, only shook her head. "I don't understand. Who do you speak of?"
"You and Tommy." She paused, and in order to make the statement more emphatic, added, "That boy that hurt Peter. You were running around screaming; Tommy was almost in tears. What was wrong?"
"I-I don't know." Shaken by the idea that she was visibly still around the children, but even more shaken by the moans that the little boy was making, Adele muttered, "I do know we need to help Peter, and fast! Do you know anyone that can help?"
Pig-tail girl's eyes lightened as she took charge, "Just pick him up and follow me. My brother is very good at handling gory, yucky stuff like this." Wincing as Adele retrieved the bloodied wreck of a boy, she muttered, "Yup that sure is nasty. Poor Peter…"
Blood stained the sleeves on Adele's dress a shiny scarlet color. Dirt that had mingled and clung to the reddened skin began to rub off all over Adele's clothes.
The young ex-maid found herself having trouble carrying the child, for every time her grip slipped slightly he would moan in pain. "Calm down Peter. Think of something good." She heaved him into a better position to hold him, placing one hand under his back and the other under his legs. With a grunt, she began to follow pig-tail girl. Every step she took disturbed the child, causing him to bounce slightly, while making a disturbing groan.
Peter's lips, brutally mutilated, slowly formed words, "Please… Help… Me…"
"I am helping you. Well, we're going to find someone who'll help, anyways." Looking down at the wreck of a child, Adele bit her lips. The poor boy… how did Tommy manage to injure him so badly?
"No… help me… finish the play… I mean…" He coughed – causing scarlet drops to splatter from his mouth and onto Adele's cheeks – so violently that his whole body shook and Adele almost lost her grip on his back. "We can… Finish it… together… right?"
"Why would you think of that now?" Adele gasped in exasperation, but quickly covered her annoyance with a fearful submission. "Alright, alright, we'll finish it. Right now, if that's what you want."
Peter only slightly moved his chin up and down, his blackened eyes closing as he winced slightly.
Determined to distract his mind, Adele's voice began, first, with a question. "What's the name of that girl who always wears the pig-tails?"
"Wendy…"
"Alright, Wendy, it is. We'll have Wendy be the girl who's taken to be mother of the island. She'll be forced into doing all sorts of work for the Lost Boys and -" Adele stopped herself from crying out as she saw Peter's chest stop moving up and down. She placed her hand near the area of his heart and whispered, "Oh, no, don't do this! Peter, keep breathing, please!"
Pig-tailed girl had led them to a small house, located near the center of the town. They had passed several people along the way, all of which stared in nervous horror at the child.
Wendy carefully pulled open the door, her childish voice calling, "James…? James, I need your help! Please come quickly!"
A man, around his mid-twenties, appeared at the doorway. "What is it?"
Adele hardly noticed his appearance; all of her attention was captured by Peter. She quietly whispered, "I don't know what's wrong with him… You-you can help... right?" She heard the tremor in her voice, but found pride in her usual confident behavior to be pointless at the moment. Instead, Adele passed the child along to James.
The young man carefully took him from her arms, his eyes already assessing the situation. "Well, I certainly will try." He paused, glancing at Wendy, "Go and get Agnes immediately. We need her."
Wendy launched off, her tiny feet slamming into the ground as she darted away. Her pig-tails bounced up and down while she called, "I'll get her as fast as I can!"
I decided that, instead of a longer chapter, I'd give you all a faster update. Nice cliffie, don't you think?
So, maybe you noticed that I changed the rating. I was in the middle of writing this chapter and suddenly noticed how violent and gory it was. I was surprised at myself for writing something so… Bleah… But, anyways, I have now put up a T, just to be safe.
Iliana 11: I am surprised at how fast you reviewed! I'm not used to it, but hey, that's actually pretty cool of you. Regaining your sanity? Even if it is a slow procedure, how dare you? I rely on that craziness of yours! How dare you regain your sanity? ;D I'm glad you are no longer confused. In my profile I have a brief description of each of my works here on FF. In TSH's, I explained that this fairy tale is basically the origin of all fairy tales. I could hardly care if they have known authors or not. ;D But, err, actually… Rob and Hood are the same person. You said Hood was the sister, but no. Rob goes around wearing a red hood, and everyone calls him Hood. This way, I refer to not just one fairy tale, but two. I know! I loved writing the kids! It was first nature… Hmm… I wonder why? I hope this update was to your standards! ;D