All Chrissy wanted to do was play with her big brothers, Tom and David. Skipping over fallen logs, catching frogs in the bayou, smashing rocks against trees. They were a lot more fun than her big sister, Dahlia, who only wanted to braid Chrissy's hair and stuff her in another pretty dress.
Chrissy despised dresses. She preferred to wear her brothers' hand-me-downs. Their trousers. Her favorite was the one with the hole beside the knee.
Even though she tried to show she had more in common with Tom and David than Dahlia, her brothers often complained when she tagged along after them. She was five to David's seven and Tom's nine.
Dahlia, at thirteen, was the oldest, the crowning jewel of the family. At thirteen, she'd mastered the art of being beautiful so much that several boys her age had proposed. Much to her utmost delight.
Manipulation was Dahlia's finest skill.
At the moment, Tom, barefoot, was kicking a can around.
David, who'd been named after the Queen's husband, lifted his BB gun and shot a sleeping raccoon in the eye. "You can come with us," he lowered his gun, "if," the raccoon squealed, "you're brave enough to do a dare." He licked his teeth.
David's friends "ooh"ed. One of them bashed the raccoon on the head with a large stick. It bit his neck hard. He began to wrestle it.
Chrissy knew this dare wouldn't be for the faint at heart. Gamely, she stood her ground, imagining having to eat a bug or pick up a rattlesnake and fling it off a mountain. "What dare?"
Whoops and hoots surrounded the five-year-old girl.
"The dare," David replied, pushing out his massively broad chest in a way that made it resemble a lagoon, "is you have to find a lone ogre, flick its ear, and," he reached in his boot, "stab it in the ear with this." He produced a dagger with a yellowed hilt.
Chrissy did not hesitate to accept the weapon. She would not back down from adventure. Narrowing her eyes, she declared, "Piece of cake."
Her brothers exchanged triumphant glances then high-fived her. "You do that," Tom asserted, "and you'll prove you're man enough to hang out with us. Now, let's go find an ogre."
David hid his BB gun. Everyone dropped their eyes to the muddy ground to search for tracks.
It took a few minutes of searching before one of the boys in their party stuck his forefingers in his mouth and unleashed a shrill whistle. The lowered heads jerked up and swung in his direction. He beckoned them with his arms. They crowded close so they could see what he was peering at.
A huge footprint with shedded black toe hair greeted their eyes.
"You sure it en't a troll?" one of the kids asked.
One of the others smacked him. "Trolls don't have toe hair."
Uncomfortably, the doubter scratched the base of the back of his head. "How d'ya know that?"
"Papa told me. Trolls are dangerous, but ogres are worse."
"Alright, men," Tom called. "Let's follow this beast."
Chrissy took the lead. David swung from tree to tree in lazy pursuit. Tom juggled six coins. The other boys tripped each other or picked berries along the way.
When David discovered some bananas in a tree he was in, he tossed one to everyone but Shaun (who did not like bananas) and Chrissy. Chrissy didn't let it bother her. She wasn't hungry anyway, but if Chrissy had done something similar to David, he would have become really angry.
Footprint after footprint they trailed after. Some were stained with blood, where an ogre stepped on something sharp. They found a branch half soaked in foot blood.
At last, they came to the ogre hideout. It wasn't much of a hideout so much as a long underground tunnel where this pack's sleeping quarters were. Most ogres wouldn't go in underground tunnels if you tried to bribe them with shark fins, their weakness. It was an unusual hideout, which made Chrissy suspect trolls did have hairy toes after all.
Tom grabbed Chrissy's shoulder and tried to shove her at the gaping hole. She stumbled then grabbed a tree branch, her tanned face losing several shades of color.
"I-I'll wait until one of them comes out."
David jumped down and made wings with his arms. Crouching down, he clucked while bawking like a chicken.
"If you're so cocky," Chrissy snapped, "you are welcome to dive down." She flicked his forehead.
David's mouth opened in speechless disbelief as his friends erupted with laughter.
Patting David on the back, a dark-skinned kid chuckled. "She's got cajones, man!"
"And I don't?" David huffed, for his friend had never said this of him.
"Nah. You're just mean."
David shot him a stare full of hot coals. When his friend didn't relent, David's shoulders sagged. He pulled his pants pockets out and muttered absently, "You just might be right." He grinned crookedly.
An ogre strode out of the chamber. His eyes bugging out of his head as he grinned like a cat who swallowed a canary. His large tongue swung to lick his chops. When he did this, the children saw cat fur in his mouth.
They all eyed him in disgust. Then David clapped his hands. "Chop chop! So, little sister, when I was three, I wrassled an ogre, and I learned something that might help you. If you karate chop," he pointed, "his knee, it makes them easier to climb."
"No thanks," Chrissy said faintly, bracing to climb a tree. "I've got my own plans."
Her older brother shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Chrissy hoisted herself up the tree. Preparing to launch herself on the ogre as he headed their way with footsteps that rattled the ground like a round of mini earthquakes.
Down below, Tom whispered to David in admiration, "She's going to die, isn't she?"
With no ounce of remorse or terror, David stood, squinting with his neck craned up to study his sister. "Yep."
The ogre came marching up the path. His ears waggled. Sniffing the air, he muttered to himself, "I smell bananas. But I can't eat anything else." Patting his belly, he belched a strong scent that smelled like a cat lying in the sun. The smell floated a mile around him. "I'm full."
David was so disgusted that he could not stop himself from retching. The other boys shrank away from him, burying themselves among the shrubs and leaving as quietly and quickly as they dared.
The ogre rounded on David. "Alright, Banana Breath," he said, standing over the frightened child, who was paralyzed with fear. "You come to spy on us ogres?" Eyes narrowed, he demanded, "How'd you find us, punk?" He plucked the boy off the ground and shoved his thick, flaky nose against David's.
David was too shocked to lie. "M-m-mud. Dry mud."
"You meddling loser human—"
Something dropped out of the sky onto his shoulder. He goggled at it.
A little girl. And she stabbed the inside of his ear with—
The ogre roared and toppled over backward in agitation, bringing Chrissy with him. The boy scampered off.
Laying on his back, the ogre used his oily fingers with dirty fingernails to move the five-year-old girl to his stomach. He placed his strong hands on her throat to choke her.
Chrissy thought of her big brother and was glad he got away. She didn't fight the ogre. She went limp and braced herself. Waiting for him to crush her bones.
A white light shot out and separated the ogre's hands from its wrists.
The ogre turned sharp eyes upon the helmeted man riding astride a white horse. "Slayer," he rasped. The Ogre Slayer exterminated him.
Removing his helmet, the Ogre Slayer studied the girl with kind eyes. He held out his hand while holding the helmet with the other. "Come. I will adopt you. Me and my wife are expecting a baby. You can be our child too."
Chrissy didn't budge. Her green eyes were round and guarded. "I have a family."
"Two brothers you love dearly who tried to have you killed." She squeezed her eyes shut. "A sister you don't like. We will take care of and love you, Chrissy."
"How do you know my name?"
"The stories of each child I save comes with the rescuing."
Opening her eyes, Chrissy started to reach for his hand before wrenching hers behind her back.
"Psyche! You know the Pied Piper." She raised her eyebrows knowingly. "Don't you?"
"That I do, but I'm not taking notes from him."
Chrissy peered worriedly over her shoulder. Unable to stomach the thought her brothers weren't returning to check on her. "I have a family," she sputtered.
Kneeling down, Rumple murmured sympathetically, "When I was your age, I thought I had a papa. But he resented me for being a child, as your family resents you for being the youngest. That's why David wants to kill you."
Chrissy squirmed uncomfortably.
"I know it's painful," Rumple soothed, "but it's better to accept the truth at a young age than be betrayed by it when you're older."
She didn't say anything but stared thoughtfully off into the woods. Finally, she asked, "What about my parents?"
"I can see strains of the future. Your parents won't protect you from your brother." Chrissy's heart sank. "In the end, you have to protect yourself. Your family won't protect you. But I will."
Chrissy took a deep breath then held herself proud and strong. "I will go with you then."
"Great! Belle will love you!"
