I rise up #ONC 2023

Chapter 5

Frankie, Katie and Milly wandered off big time. There was a path off the beaten track. It was as if it called three children to it. Well more like two and one that was a scaredy cat. And one with a stick in their hands. They waved it around as they did it. The place was dark beneath the thick trees. The mixture of native woodland trees, as they shielded the children as they went further.

"I don't like this we should go back," Milly whispered as she got closer to Katie.

"Here hold my hand," Katie gave her hand to Milly.

"I want to hold your hand too," Frankie holding on to Katie.

The three children walked further into the woods. It suddenly became darker as they went on. They could barely hear the sound of the adults calling them. Milly's face was starting to get wet with tears. Then that one water drop hit Frankie's head. Rain began and the boy looked to see the drops hitting him.

"Open," whispered Chris seeing a good place to hide for the children as they climbed in.

The shrines were everywhere. Chris left them to it. As he watched the rain pour down. He heard the adults calling them from their new hiding spot. It was Tom's voice that sounded the most painful. It flew across the wind through the leaves and through the ferns on the ground.

"Those stones look like a face," Frankie unknowingly looked at the shrine.

"It does a bit," Katie looking at the stones. "Maybe it looks like your mum" with a giggle.

"Yeah like your mummy Frankie," Milly joined in the teasing.

"My mummy is more squishy," Frankies defensive tone his little hands on his hips. "But she says not to poke her belly rolls."

Chris came back watching them for a moment. He had a sparrow and a fox with him. And then Mr Owl came down quietly as he sat down. He watched the children his head turning to the sound of distressed adults to the giggling children. It was as if an invisible wall was dividing them. It was as if they came from somewhere

"Hello" Chris approached the three children. "Aren't you three suppose to be with the school?"

"You are the man Miss Adams and I saw?" Frankie looking at Chris. Mr Owl watched from afar.

"They are calling for you," Chris looked at all three of them. He watched their faces full of squints and glares and knitted eyebrows

"We aren't supposed to talk to strangers," Milly as she hid behind Katie. Katie puffed her chest out slightly.

"I see," Chris looking at them. "They say that these are shrines of gods and goddesses" his face twitched a bit as he said it.

"Well, I'm telling Miss Adams about you" Katie said with her stance and hand on her hips.

"Then with that, I'm off" Chris grinned as he vanished into thin air.

The children could not believe it a man had vanished into thin air. They carried on looking for him, blinking around as Chris was high in a tree. Watching them. His grandmother's fox watched him from below. Along with Mr Owl and the sparrow watching with him. They were at an age where being soo young was they wouldn't have been believed. Miss Adam and Mr Woods didn't see it in front of their eyes like what just happened.

"Frankie," Uncle Tom yelled for what felt like the thousandth time. "Katie."

"It's been two hours," Miss Adams put her hand on his shoulder. "There are three of them and park staff are covering the exits. They should be here" reassuring him.

"There is a path that way," Miss Adams not realising the path showed itself. "Mr Woods, there is a path down that way. Give me a walkie talkie" yelled to him across the sea of people.