Endrulfium (indefinitely on hold)

Chapter 2: The little girl by the lake

Hello! It is me, the narrator. Again. I have one fact to share with you: In this point of the story we move elsewhere. our main character is now someone else, yet still within this universe. That is all! enjoy.

I run. I feel the cool night wind on my arms and eyes. I arrive at the edge of the roof, but I don't stop, I don't even slow down. I bend my knees for half a second then extend them, exerting as much force as I can. Time stops. I feel like I'm flying, but I know I'm not. I look down, If I don't make it to the other rooftop I could die. But I'm not scared, as a matter of fact, I love this feeling, this adrenaline. I bring my knees to my chest and feel the arc of my leap grow. I stretch my legs and feel the sudden impact of the next rooftop. If I try to stay standing or lock my legs into place I will break them, so I bend my knees and stretch my arms out in front of me. I allow my body weight to move forward and I roll across the concrete and rocks of the roof. It hurts, but not much, I've suffered much worse. I stand up almost immediately and stop. For a few seconds, the world around me is filled with a still silence. then, the sounds of a busy city at night come rushing to my brain.

Among the mixed up sounds I pick up an Endrulfian guard-car siren. I decide to check it out. I listen, to identify where it is and where it's going. I climb down the wall carefully, making sure nobody can hear or see me. Once I get to the foot of the building, I run across the surprisingly empty street and run into the park, where I saw the guard-car enter. The driver has now turned off his siren, that's strange. I slow down to a quiet walk, making sure that I don't step on any twigs or leaves. I pass a lake and see the small frogs at the edge in the light of a tall green light pole. I continue sneaking through the trees, and when I find the place where the driver parked the guard-car, I feel... disappointed. Not just because the endrulfian guard abused of the siren, but because there's no emergency, nothing I can help with. He was just running late to his post and didn't want to deal with traffic.

I retrace my steps in order to exit the park. As I pass by the lake I stop to look at the frogs when I realize that there's a little girl on the other side of the lake. She can't be more than five years old and apparently, she's alone. I take a lap around the lake, making sure that the girl doesn't notice me when I go by her side of the lake. I can't find her parents. I take my outdated cell phone out of my pocket and see the time. It's one o'clock in the morning! I sneak over back to the little girl's side of the lake. As I get close, I realize that she has a bruise on her shoulder. I decide to say hi from a distance so that she doesn't get as scared when she sees me.

-Hey! little girl!

She turns around to look at me. I realize that she isn't afraid of me. That is NOT good. Every little kid should be afraid of a man in a mask with a billy-club on each hip and miniaturized tasers built into each glove.

-Hi!

-Where are your parents?

-That doesn't matter

She answered that last question very quickly and turned back around to continue playing with the frogs and ducks. I walk up to the edge of the lake and sit down next to her.

-So, you ran away from home?

-How did you know that?- She responded, surprised.

-I'm a telepath.- I lied

-What? you're not a telephone!

-What? No, a telepath.- I corrected her -I can read minds.

-ooooh

-but I don't like to

-Why?

-I feel like I'm invading people's privacy.

-oh, ok

I look at her. Obviously, something is going on in her home, possibly domestic abuse, but she seems happy in spite of it. I know she isn't. I know, because I do the same, though for different reasons. I don't do it because if things that people do to me, rather, because of things I do to people, for people. I can't allow myself to be blinded by emotions, especially when I go out to do what the guards cannot. I have to be cold-hearted at all times, but this is an exception. Right now she needs a friend, not a savior.

-Why did you run away? I'll know if you lie to me, so if I were you, I would just tell the truth

-They're fighting

-And they didn't notice you leave?

-Mommy did, but she had told me to a couple days ago, if they started fighting

Silence. I know what I want to do, what I should do and what will work. I want to make that man feel the pain he has caused his wife and daughter. The right thing to do would be to tell the endrulfian guards, so that they lock him away for good. But that won't work without a testament from his wife.

-How old are you?

-Four, but next week I'm turning five!

I knew it. If in over five years, she hasn't turned him over to the guards, she won't do it now. I only have the third option left. I could Kill him.

I decide to wait until one of her parents comes before I leave her alone. I'll have to do the deed when she isn't around, so that she doesn't end up traumatized. We start talking about her school, then about animals. We talked for about two hours during which I was able to find out that she lived in an apartment building on the other side of the street. Right next to the building I used to get down to the street. I notice the door to the apartment building open. A tall, thin woman crossed the street and started looking around. until the saw us. The air was suddenly filled with a shriek of terror that resembled the little girl's name as the woman started to run towards us. I stand up.

-OK, I think it's time for me to go.

-Why?

-Don't worry, things will get better.

I ran until they were out of sight and climbed up a tree. From that height, I could see the woman cross the road carrying her daughter. I couldn't see it, but I knew she was trembling of fear. She probably thought I was a pedophile or a kidnapper. After she entered the apartment building, I waited a few minutes, then climbed down the tree, passed the lake, crossed the street and climbed up the building from which I had previously climbed down. I went to the edge of the rooftop to my right and crouched down. I memorized all the possible visible exits of both buildings.

This won't be the last time I see that apartment building. I wish it was. I don't want to do it, but I must. It's the only course of action I can think of that will protect that little girl. that little girl I met in the park, playing with the frogs.