Loving River

The Pickle Barrel

Hey ya'll! I just wanted to dedicate this chapter to wildnfree999. Check out their story: Edges of Blythe! I loved it and I'm sure you will too! It's pretty cool! Enjoy! And have a great day!!!😀

And now: chapter one of Loving River!

"Shhh." Willow murmured as held her daughter closer. The poor child was terrified, and she had reason to be. The sound of men talking could be heard through the wooden doors. It wasn't easy to hear what they were saying but Willow knew how the conversation would go.

Robert Krillin had come for his rent. The deal had been that the rent would be paid when the crops came in. The weather refused to cooperate however and Mr. Krillin was not a merciful man.

The shouting was getting louder and Willow heard her daughter whimper as she press closer to her.
"Mama, I'm scared." River whispered with a sob.

"Shh, River girl." Willow comforted. "Don't worry-" Her statement cut off then as a particularly loud bellow was made above. Making a decision, Willow pulled away so she could see her girl's a face. "River girl, you listen to me now. I'm going up stairs to help your papa convince-"

"No, Mama!" River cried as she clung to her mother tighter then before.

"River." Willow gently pulled her daughter's hand free. She tilted the girls face up and spoke in her no nonsense tone. "You stay in this cellar. Hide if you have to but do not come out. I don't want Mr. Krillin to see you again. Do you understand me?"

Unable to speak through the sheer terror that was clogging her throat, River nodded.
"I'm going to diffuse this discussion outside. You wait for me, River girl. I will be back."

River nodded and felt her mama pull away.
"Do not leave this cellar, River." Willow warned, then she was gone.
River wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them to her chest. "Dear God, please help my mama and my papa. Please God, save them." Over and over she repeated her short heartfelt prayer as she sat on the cold hard packed ground rocking back and forth.
------

River sat in the cellar for a long time listening to the hum of adult voices, when a particularly sharp voice caught her attention. "We would never agree to that!" She heard her mama cry.
"I will take my payment!" Mr. Krillin bellowed. "One way or another."
"But she's a our daughter!"
"Please, we only need-"
"I have needs too, woman and I am done waiting!"
River jumped at the quick succession of gunshots. Trembling beyond believe, River rose to shaky feet.
They had been eating supper when Mr. Krillin had arrived. Her papa was not armed. Those gunshots meant something horrible had happened.

'You stay in this cellar.' She remembered her mama saying. 'Hide if you have to but do not come out." River glanced around the dark cellar. Where should she hide? If they opened the cellar door the sun would fill the hole with light. She would be found. Holding her hands out in front of herself, River cautiously walked forward. She found the shelving her papa had built for when the garden was ready. She nearly stumbled over her papa's old saddle. Undaunted, she continued forward hoping to find a safe place before the cellar was searched.

"Find me that girl." Mr. Krillin announced . "I'll take her as payment."

"But Papa, what do you need a girl for?"
"Find me that girl." Mr. Krillin growled. " I have plans for her." Loud rambunctious laugher followed his statement.
River knocked her knee against something hard. She's clamped her small hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. Reaching her other hand out carefully, she leaned forward until her hand came to rest on the object before her. A barrel. A pickle barrel. She remembered the time her mama and she had been playing hide and seek. She hid in the pickle barrel. It took mama a long time to find her and when she did she kissed River's head and told her that was the best hiding place she had come up with so far. That was last summer though. River pulled off the lid and hoped that she still fit as she crawled inside. It felt tighter then the last time but she could make it work. River dropped the lid on the barrel just as the cellar doors opened. She held her breath.
----