My Guardian Angel

Chapter 1: The Waterfall

"Wake up! Come on Bridget. I need to show you something.” I opened my eyes to see a boy, around the age of sixteen, shaking my shoulder and continuously telling me to wake up.

“I am awake. Chill!” I said to him. “Wait… Bennett? What are you doing in my house?” Bennett was my best friend, and also my neighbor. He had light brown hair that swept over his forehead, and chocolate brown eyes that glittered in the sunlight that shined through the window. His skin was a light shade of brown, from working in the fields for hours, and he had long, black eyelashes which made my sisters go nuts. I had no idea why he was waking me up. I looked over at my clock and it was 7:00 a.m.

“I need to show you something! I found it two nights ago, now come on!” he said as I climbed out of bed. “I’ll get Penny saddled up while you get dressed. Make sure to put on jeans because you might get some scratches; there are a lot of trees.” Bennett scurried out of my room, making sure to be very quiet so he wouldn’t wake up the rest of my family. All of a sudden his head popped back in the doorway. “I brought food, so you don’t need to eat any breakfast.” And with that, he went downstairs.

            After putting on a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt, I too went downstairs. I quickly opened the drawer next to the sink, pulling out a sticky note. I wrote a little note to my mother so she wouldn’t be worried.

Dear Mother,

I am going somewhere (I don’t know where) with Bennett. I am bringing Penny with me. I will also bring the walkie-talkie. Channel 7.

Love, Bridget

I unstuck it from the pad, placed it on the counter, and went out the garage door. In the garage I put on a pair of my cowboy boots that were old and worn out from wearing them so often. In the stable Penny, my horse, was already saddled up, and Bennett was on his horse, Teddy. I climbed on the back of Penny. Her body and mane were chestnut colored. I thought she was the prettiest horse I had ever seen. Teddy was a black horse and the hair on the back of his neck was a very dark shade of black. Teddy and Penny were named alike for a reason. I had known Bennett since we were babies, and we had gotten our horses at the same time. That’s why the names are similar.

I looked over to Bennett who was almost out of the barn. “Hurry up. We don’t have much time. It’s a long ride, but I bet we can make it there in a half of a hour,” he said over his shoulder. Once I got where he was, we began to ride. Those horses loved to run, and it felt so good when the breeze was against your face. We rode all through my backyard, which was about fifteen acres, and some of Bennett’s yard which was almost as big as mine. In the back of Bennett’s yard, there was a clump of trees, which had twigs and branches poking out from either side.

“Well, it’s this way. Just watch where you’re heading, because like I said earlier, you might get some scratches,” Bennett said and he pulled his horse through the forest.

“Are you sure this is the right way Bennett?"

"I'm positive," he replied certainly.

And how long is it until we reached this place?” I asked with a questioning look on my face.

“Not too far. Just be patient and we’ll get there in no time,” Bennett said.

“Whatever.” I murmured to myself, making sure that he didn’t hear me. I wasn’t very excited about seeing this place, and I was getting a little frustrated for it was taking too long. But then the trees seemed to separate, opening a little trail. I could hear water trickling down a river.

“See? We’re here.” Bennett said and he continued. “Well, sorta. You haven’t seen what I really brought you here for.” And as if on command, out in the clearing there was a waterfall with water streaming from the top. At the bottom, where the water lay, was a pool with crystal clear water. “Beautiful, isn’t it? I found it on Friday, and I knew that you’d like it.”

I scanned the scenery, noticing the bright green vegetation that had sprouted around the rocks. I reached down to touch the water, but quickly yanked my hand away for it was freezing cold. I smiled to myself before turning back to Bennett. “You’re brilliant. This is gorgeous. And you said you brought breakfast?” I asked as I looked at my watch, which had a horse underneath the numbers. The little hand was on the 7, and the big hand was on the 8, making it 7: 40. “Wow! It took forty minutes to get here. It didn’t seem like that long!”

“Yes Ma’am! I brought your favorite, hot and yummy-"

“Hello? Bridget, honey! It’s your mother, and I just want to make sure you’re okay!” a voice said from my pocket. I reached down, grabbed the walkie-talkie, or what I call “the walkie” and began to speak.

“Oh, hey mother! I’m fine. We’re about to get breakfast right now. When should I be home?” I replied.

“Well, I really don’t need you until the afternoon meal. But remember, you know I could give birth anytime, and I would need your help. Fernanda will help me with your chores, but you’ll have to repay her sometime.”

“Yes, Ma’am, I’ll be home around noon to help with the afternoon meal,” I replied into the walkie.

“Good girl, and please, try not to be late. But knowing you, you’ll probably be here before hand. Well, have a nice time.” And with that I heard a beep, and my mother was gone.

“Okay… I made your favorite hot and fresh pancakes.” Bennett said as he pulled out a dish of perfectly round pancakes from underneath a pile of rags. We placed a large red blanket on the grass and started to eat. They were delicious.

“Good, eh?” Bennett said as he took his shirt off and lay down on the blanket, spreading his arms out. I too, fell back, with my head resting against his stomach, which was muscular from all the yard work. The rush of the water slowly made us flow into a long sleep.  

“BRIDGET! We’re going to be late! It’s already 11:30 and we’re supposed to be home by noon,” Bennett said, and before I knew it, he wrapped his arms beneath my shoulders and legs and lifted me up to his horse. He also climbed up, and I reached my hands around his waist and held on tight. I could hear Penny galloping home and as the wind brushed across my face, I gently laid my head against Bennett’s bare back and drifted back into my sleep.

            By the time we reached home, I was only half awake. Bennett lifted me from Teddy, carried me, and eventually put me down next to a pile of hay.

“We made it in time, exactly at noon. I already told your mother, so no need to panic,” Bennett told me reassuringly. I blinked a couple of times, before finally opening my eyes. I was in the barn, slumped over a pile of hay. Bennett was kneeling in front of me, his eyes staring at the right side of my face next to my eye.

“What are you staring at?” I said and his eyes quickly looked away from where he was looking. He chuckled, but replied, “Oh, it’s just that you have a mark on the side of your face from leaning against my back on the ride here.”

            I slowly put my hand against my face, and immediately knew what he was talking about. My face was sweaty, and hot and bright red too. I laughed and gradually got up to my feet and headed towards the garage. Bennett walked right beside me and when I opened the door, there was Fern. She looked from me, to Bennett and said, “Now, what have you two been up to?” Then she gave me a little wink, turned around and left the room.