Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop. Drip. The boy’s eyes opened and then squeezed shut. To him, it felt as if the world was still tossing him back and forth between walls of water. The boy opened his eyes and all he saw was the dark sky looming over him, blinding him his surroundings. The boy rolled over onto his forearms and strained against the blackness in front of him. It took him some time to adjust, but once he did, he discovered that he wasn’t in his bedroom beside his older brother. The sound of the wolf’s nails clicking on the hardwood floor outside could not be heard. The eerie silence sent cold shivers down the boy’s spine.
“Kismet? Prestige? It’s Jovie. Hello? Mama? Papa?” Jovie pushed himself from the puddle of water he awoke in and scanned the premises. Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but the silhouettes of wrecked homes and trees. Water was everywhere and there was not one surface he could find bare. Jovie pushed through the waist deep water and climbed up onto the hood of a sunken carriage. He pulled his knees to his chest and stared out at the dark hopeless waters. Tears streamed down his cheeks and before long, he had cried himself to sleep.
“Jovie? Is that you, Jovie?” came an angelic voice.
Jovie mumbled inaudible words, but did not wake up. He turned over onto his side and pulled himself into a tight ball.
“Oh, Jovie, it is you!” the figure broke out into laughter and embraced the child.
Jovie sprung to attention and screamed out in fear before a hand cupped over his mouth. Breathing heavily, he turned his eyes to the stranger.
“Shhh, it’s alright. I’m gonna get you out!”
“Shirley?” Jovie questioned, leaning his face into the stranger’s. He stared at the eyes and soon found them to be the soft blue eyes he had seen before. The golden hair, though muddied, was swept to one side. Jovie broke into a happy gasp and threw his arms around her neck. “I want to go home!”
“I know, sweetie, but right now we got to get away from all this water. You alright? You ain’t hurt bad, are you?” Shirley examined Jovie’s forehead and found several scratches and bruises, but nothing fatal. “
“Where’s Kismet?” Jovie asked as he allowed Shirley to carry him through the waters and towards a dark tunnel. Catching sight of the tunnel, Jovie grasped Shirley’s shoulders and his breathing picked up speed. “We’re not going through there, are we?”
“It’s alright. It’ll lead us to a safe place. It’s only a gully. You’ve seen if before—it just hadn’t been filled with water, that’s all. Now be a big boy, and help me go through it.” Shirley stroked Jovie’s hair and cautiously stepped down into the entrance of the spherical passageway. She placed one hand on the inside of the wall and used it as her navigator.
“Will we find Kismet? And Prestige? What about Mama and Papa?”
Shirley choked back the tears. She had a horrible encounter with his parents, and she couldn’t bear telling him the reality of the situation. She had to lie to him. “You won’t be seeing them for awhile, Jovie, you ain’t gonna see them no more. Not now.”
“Why you crying?”
“Shush, Jovie, no more questions.”
Moonlight streamed into the tunnel, alerting the two that they were close to exiting. Shirley sighed in relief and hastened her pace. “When we get out, Jovie, you must sweat that you won’t go nowhere. You stay right here with me, you hear?”
Jovie nodded his head. “I promise.”
“That’s a good boy.” Shirley reached out with her barefoot and felt the slick grass leading up out of the tunnel. Another smile flashed across her face and she heaved herself and Jovie out. The two of them fell onto the cool grass and rested for a moment.
“What if Kismet’s dead?” Jovie asked quietly.
Shirley’s heart banged against her chest and then sunk to the pit of her stomach. “Oh, don’t think like that! I’m sure he’s fine.”
“You think Prestige is with him?”
“I hope he is. I ain’t seen the wolf where I came from. I hope he’s found Kismet.” Shirley stood up and helped Jovie to his feet as well. Taking his little hand, the two of them headed off towards the nearby woods. She knew where they were, they were several miles east of the Whitmore’s farm. She had stopped by the Whitmore’s place, hoping to find familiar faces, but when she saw it underwater, she continued east, heading to the outskirts of town. She, just like Kismet, hoped to find a safe haven.
YOU ARE READING
The Wolf's Boy
AdventureKismet and Prestige are just as unusual as their names. Though one is a boy and the other a wolf, they both desire the same thing: love. Through the years, their friendship grows and they become inseparable. But when their town is hit by a natural...
