Joined by the heart

Friends or foe?

Swirls of snow danced about the air decorating the crunchy morning grass with delicate white flakes creating a quintessential blanket over the ground. Soon however, the flawless creation was disturbed by small foot prints running hurriedly across the snow. Laughter echoed amongst the surrounding trees as a little girl ran from her home through the pristine white forest. She looked to be only nine years old, and she had an energetic grin on her face as if everything that could possibly go wrong in the world wouldn't dare touch her. Her hazel brown hair hung free around her small body, flowing softly in the wind. The little girl giggled gleefully to herself as she ran. A light, but steady breeze lifted the ends of the strands gently.

Standing in the garden watching her run off was the child's grandfather, an unamused look on his face as he shook his head chuckling softly. He watched his young granddaughter with such an expression that would put anyone who saw him then into the same mood. The man had just turned sixty two years old, but already looked much older. His gray temples were beginning to show streaks of grey, along with some wrinkles.

"Don't tell me you're worried about her again Sanju." A voice spoke from behind him making him turn his head towards the source. An older woman walked quietly down from the house. His wife. "She'll be fine! Just like you when you were her age." The elderly woman laughed lightly as she came closer, standing beside him and wrapping her arm around his waist. "You're right, I just don't want her to get hurt. What if...?" He let out a long sigh, "What if something happens to her while she's out? She's too young to be taking care of herself, it would kill me to picture her calling out for us and we aren't there..." His wife leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes looking towards the sky where the young girl's footsteps had disappeared several minutes ago.

"You worry too much, that girl can handle her own perfectly fine. Now let's go back inside. You'll get sick if your outside in this weather for too long." She said smiling kindly at him. Sanju nodded, turning towards the house once more. As they walked hand in hand back inside the warm cottage, his thoughts slowly drifted away from his worries, instead going over what kind of adventures his granddaughter might have today and anticipated her return home.

Meanwhile their granddaughter weaved her way through frosty trees, jumped over fallen trunks and scuttled through bushes. The snowflakes danced around her tiny feet causing the little girl to giggle. Her steps slowed and became hesitant as she reached a clearing, where the pristine pattern of white snow was disturbed by violent splatters of crimson. Her breath escaped from between her lips in a plume as she squinted at the dark red stains. Slowly, she inched forward until she finally made out a figure in the far distance. The little girl gasped softly, tears forming in the corners of her soft blue eyes. Without hesitation she dashed forwards towards the collapsed body lying motionless in the snow, calling out to the stranger.

"Hello?? Hello! Are you okay?! Please, I'm going to help you!!" Uppon closer inspection the girl discovered that it was another young girl that lay in the snow. The other girl's chest rose and fell rhythmically, her clothes torn apart and caked in mud and blood. What caught the girl's attention next was a wide gash on the other's forehead oozing blood. Her eyes were shut tight and her breathing shallow. The girl's blue eyes examined the body beneath her, her mind racing to think of something to do. Unable to think of anything, she knelt down in the snow beside the body and attempted to shake the person awake, a worried look on her pale face.

"Excuse me- you need to wake up! I'm going to help you-"
" Before she could finish her sentence the other girl flinched at her touch, scrambling backwards with a terrified cry. Her eyes darted around as her breath picked up, becoming fast paced and uneven. "Don't take me back!! I-I don't want to go back-please!!" The fear was evident on the girl's face, as she curled into a ball and clasped fistfuls of the snow beneath her as if she were trying to hold into it to preven herself from being 'taken'. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly, the blood dripping from her open wound. Her small fingers trembled slightly, but her eyes never left the body before her.