The Hole In The Roof

Chapter 8

    I fall out the window, and as I am plummeting I see everything. The rolling, green hills. The forests thick with big, strong trees. And the endless fields of flowers. Then, the realization comes to me that I am falling. I quickly look up and down and calculate that this is about a 25 feet drop, and I only have a few seconds to plan. I bring out everything I have, the tranquilizer, flashlight, lockbox, and some string. I formulate a plan and quickly tie the string to the dart. Then, I shoot the tranquilizer and use it as a grappling hook and swing myself behind the house. As I'm swinging, I look down and see that I am approximately 10 feet off the ground, although I estimate I was 5 feet high when I fell off the hook. Then, the dart breaks open and releases the blue liquid onto a patch of flowers, and I tumble into a ditch behind the house. My thoughts are that at least this will buy me some time while I'm unconcious. When I wake, I feel pretty bruised and battered, but no permanent damage. At first, I am surprised that the humans haven't found me yet, but then I realize Melissa most likely freed John and maybe talked to the kids. But, after measuring the sun, I realize it is only around noon, so the kids will be at their "school" unless it is a weekend. But, I notice there are no other kids, so there is a very high chance it's a weekday. After pondering all of these, I look for any items of use. I spy the tranquilizer a few feet away, although when I move closer to it I realize it is broken and of no use. Then, I remember the lockbox, and find it sitting in the grass near my hole. Although the lock is smashed, I still cannot break it open, so I carry it with me. I look around for a good place to go to, and I spy a not-too-big but not-too-small forest on a hill, which will offer a perfect vantage point if I climb up a tree. When I get to the forest, I draw a little ring in the dirt and mark it as my "resource spot". After an hour or so, I have collected a good amount of sticks and stones, plopped them in the resource spot along with the lockbox, and I am very pleased with myself. Now that I have enough resources, I sit down and brainstorm about how I can build a shelter and let the world know how John and Mellissa have locked me up in their attic for almost eternity.