Chapter 2: The nightly forest
Fourth's progress through the forest is accompanied by his calm breathing. Each footfall is in smooth time. Softly and in complete harmony, he blends into the nocturnal nature around him. A respectful harmony with the rustic trees and plants of the night. Only his thoughts disturb the sound of the nocturnal creatures.
'You ventured deep in,' he follows the tracks, "Why are you so angry, boy?" A branch snaps under his feet, "Damn!" Fourth dare not even curse out loud.
Better not to make any loud noises.
No creature of the night frightens Fourth more than his stepfather. If the dogs start barking, he gets so angry. And finally he has a reason to expel his violence on Fourth. He finds him in the forest.
He always searches and finds Fourth.
So, better to stay hidden.
To be on the lookout.
Quiet and inconspicuous.
Fourth now knows how to disempower him.
He just wants to quickly find this Gem and take him back to the 'Buttercup'.
And he is amazed to see that the angry boy must have fled to the river.
A dangerous descent to the shore.
'What happened here?' Fourth wonders when he suddenly sees Gem's tracks changed.
He must have fallen on the slope.
Not steeply downhill, but very uneven and with lots of hard undergrowth.
Fourth's feet hurry and he follows the traces of the fall.
The humid air of the forest carries a familiar rushing sound at night.
'Don't tell me you've fallen into the river!' his worried voice sounds, "I'll find you, Gem!" his echo floats in the nightly forest, "There you are!" Fourth is relieved, "Gem!" he crouches down on the ground next to the huddled figure.
A thick root had prevented him from falling further and had certainly hurt him on impact.
'Angry boy! It's me, Fourth!' Fourth inspects Gem's body for injuries, "I'm touching you now!" he warns him and puts a hand on his shoulder, "Don't be afraid! It's me, Fourth!" he quickly explains when Gem suddenly startsle.
He thought it was the end of him.
That fear that suddenly overcame him in the forest.
That darkness.
Those eerie noises.
And then, when suddenly an abyss opened up beneath his feet.
He fell and thought it was the end of him.
Again and again he felt the biting pain of something hard piercing his body. Several times he slammed into things that hurt him.
He saw nothing and felt only the greatest fear.
And his last thought was full of anger against his mother, who had sent him here, before he lost consciousness.
Until a hand reached out to him in hell.
'Stay calm! I'm here with you!' Fourth now holds the body of Gems, which is trembling with fear, with both arms.
Wide-open eyes and a tongue that threatens to suffocate him with fright.
'Gem, I'm here with you!' the figure shows itself to him in the darkness, "Are you hurt?" Gems' eyes can only very slowly adjust to the darkness.
But this voice seems familiar to him.
YOU ARE READING
Buttercup
FanfictionGem's mother decides to send him to a holiday camp during the summer holidays. 15-year-old Gem definitely doesn't want to go. The divorce of his parents still hurts him deeply and he doesn't want to leave his mother alone. But she is looking for a t...
