Understanding Gregory

Chapter 10

Gregory woke, now tied to the outside of a cage, where the spirit was. It was late, around midnight. Jeff's arms were wrapped around Tom, his face stained with tears, but they were being ever so quiet. Gregory could not see the other two girls who had been their that morning. There was a coldness in the breeze, and it gave Gregory goosebumps.

    "It's okay" Jeff said brushing a hand through Tom's hair "it's okay."

    "It's not, it's not."

    "Now we've got a spirit, we're only need three more" Jeff cooed "just three."

    "You don't even know what it's like-" Tom sobbed.

    "And I don't want to" Jeff hushed to him. They stayed like that for a few hours until eventually they both fell asleep, and thats when Gregory began to chew at the ropes.

    "Child" the spirit said "let me out."

    "I would, but I myself, if you had not taken the care to fucking notice, am also currently tied up" Gregory said quietly and began to chew at the rope. A few strands of rope making there way to get up and jammed in her gums.

    "Free me, and I will free you."

    "Bitch did you hear what I said?" Gregory said annoyed and continued, yet still the spirit went on.

    "I don't need the cage opened. Oh no no no no no, they put, a stick in me. I can't. Why, I feel so much now, so much less. Take it out. Take it out before they touch me again."

When she said this, Gregory heard a thud and some shuffling and the spirit's hair popped  between the bars, and she pushed with her legs until her shoulders were as close as they could be.

    "Just there, look in me, pull it out, and off I go, woosh, woosh, once I'm gone they're never get me again. Shoulda listened, listened to the others, listen to all the spirits. Don't take form they say, your too young to understand, and now I know what they mean."

Gregory strained as he turned to the spirit "and if I pull that bullet out your arm, your free me before you woosh woosh."

    "Woosh woosh."

    "Do not do that" Gregory said angrily "I ain't gonna let you go unless you promise to free me. What hell kind of spirit even are you anyway?"

    "Not one like Jeff thats for sure. No me, I'm just a lil' nettle. Maybe a patch or a gang, maybe several humans fell in to me, but it was hardly my fault, let me go, free me Gregory."

    "Ahh, by The Twelve you are insane." Gregory said shaking her head.

    "Not me no sir."

    "You know what? Fine" Gregory said annoyed "and you untie me afterwards, right?"

    "Yes, yes, yes" the spirit said keenly. Gregory strained as he leaned over, her fingers stretching up through the bars.

    "So you just like - want to me to pull it out?" Gregory ask hovering above the gaping wound.

    "Please, please" the spirit urged her on. Gregory pushed two of her fingers in to the hole in her shoulder, the touch stung her fingers. She chewed her lips until her fingers wrapped around a lump and pulled the bullet out. Gregory dropped the bullet on the floor, her two fingers red and swollen.

    "Shit, shit, shit, shit" Gregory swore under her cradling her hand. Gregory looked back up the cage. No one was in it. Gregory looked back at her tied hands. Nothing had changed. Just a new pain, and freed cargo.

    "You were supposed to let me go you fucking prick" Gregory mumbled angrily in the dark, not wanting to wake anyone yet. The spirit, did not return. Gregory shook her head realising her foreseeable future would involve accidentally eating a lot of rope.