Red Pool To Overcome

Chapter 7

I shut my new journal and went to Mom and told her what I was doing with my journal. She smiled and said that she liked the idea. I went outside and went to the nearby park because I had nothing else to do. A bunch of kids were on the jungle gym there. I went and saw the snack vendor nearby .

The nice lady that worked there smiled and waved at me. She knows every kid around.

I walked up to the vendor and bought myself a pop and popcorn. I thanked her and she gave me my change. I went to the jungle gym and climbed up to the tallest part where the little kids on it never went up to it because they could not get up there. I ate my snack up there. The little kids teased me and called me a scaredy-cat, which I am very used to. I called them ground-dwellers, and they all scattered to their parents, defeated. I smiled and hopped down from my perch, throwing my garbage away in midair.

The little kids ran and dogpiled me. Thank goodness they didn't hit my left side.

I threw them off and hopped right back onto my perch.

"What, you bench of ground-dwellers scared? Come and get it, you!!" I yelled."

That must have been to much for them, because they came scrambling up trying to get to me. Some of them fell down crying, and a few couldn't even get even close to where I was. In all of their confusion, I slipped away and ran back to my house. I got my backpack and went out exploring like I sometimes do. I went to the lake, because there was a wide open forest.

When I came back to the house I reached for the doorknob. On my ring finger below my ring, I saw a ring with three small, glittering stones.

I nearly passed out when I realised it was Dustin's ring.

I ran and ran until I got to the church. I had to talk to Sister McEllia. She would know what to do. I was stopped by a tall man dressed in black with mirrored sunglasses.

"There is no one allowed in the church other than Sunday Service. What are you doing here, girl?

"I - I have to talk to Sister McEllia."

"Show me your ring."

Up until now I had kept my hand behind my back. Slowly I showed it to the man.

He looked at my ring, and then Dustin's. Then he took out a gun from his vest.

"Get out of here. Do not come back."

I stare at him for a moment, and he stares back. he takes a step forward and his gun clicked. I put my hands in front of me to try and block the bullet. I shut my eyes tight. Jut when I think he is going to shoot I feel something hard form in my hand. I opened my eyes to see a stick that was on the ground was now in my hand. What had happened? 

The stick quickly turned into metal. What was going on? Could it be magic? The man gave a look of surprise and fear, and then fired his gun. I shut my eyes again when I heard a twannng noise and I looked up to see that the metal stick deflected the bullet and I was safe.

The man in black had been hit by the ricochet in the arm. He fell to the ground and a few other men carried him to the nearby hospital.

Not a moment after they went in to the building I took off. I ran into the forest, at first on the trails, and after a few minutes I plunged into the deep forest.

I ran for what felt like hours until I came to a stream. I knew I was nowhere near the town now, so I took some time to catch my breath. I had prepared for this. I opened my pack and took out some canvas and found two good sturdy trees.

I set up the main wall of my tent for my time in the woods. I took a second, smaller piece of canvas and it makes the second front wall. I snip a little flap in it for a door.

Finally, I go inside the tent and take another piece of canvas and lay it down on the ground for the floor of the tent.

I took out matches and get out a fold-up cooler and set them on the floor. I get my sleeping bag with  a built-in pillow and set it down as well. Then I go outside.

This is going to be a long forest visit.

I hope it doesn't last too long for me now.