Back to Monnie

Chapter Thirteen

       ~White lights flashed from each corner as I turned, to me it felt as if I were following a personage - but who? ~

         ~The brightened hall flickered throughout, slight whispers appeared all around me. I rotated each turn, and bumped into the wall - ending up in another room that was much darker. I couldn't speak even if I tried to, a muffled noise came from under my tongue, that's just about it. Turning back to Monnie, she stared up at me with her eyes glossy red, 'don't let him take me'. She sprinted further into the darkened hall. I ran after, almost tripping over myself. I forced the words out of my mouth, "MONNIE?!". I called, coming to a hault as the hall had a end to it. I thrust my fists savagely at the wall weeping to myself, "please, lord let me see her, I'll take her back, please, I'll take her back home".~

         ~Unexpectedly, the bright white light appeared again, this time it reflected brighter. I lifted my head up, gazing back to Monnie standing behind me, her round pudgy smile grew wider. "August". She opened her arms, running over to me, she clasped around my waist, "we're going home?".~

       ~"Yes Monnie, we're going home". I smiled happily, holding her back tightly.~

      ~ "He's there..". She backed away from me, I watched her frightened stare highly concerned, as I turned my collar back, an dark figure raised their hand at me. Luckily I caught my balance, grabbing the personage's hand. I noticed it was a German. He slashed the left side of my mug, knocking me onto the floor. Monnie watched with tears forming in her glossy eyes, she ran off in a instant. I tried to run after her, instead I was held down by both arms by the  German. His weight was forcefully all on me, I lost my breath struggling to fight back.~ 

       ~"Get off...of me!". I growled, kicking my legs up at him, I began to sense dizziness, and lack of motivation to get free. As I realized it was just a dream; 'Wake up, wake up, wake up'. I repeatedly thought over to myself.~

          Opening my eyes, it came to a shock that an actual German was attacking me. I glanced aside to my cutter sprawled out in the grass, "Clove?!". I called, almost gagging from getting choked. I reached out for the cutter, clutching hold of it, and flung it into the man's chest. He groaned intensely, slashing my left eye, I yelped quietly, jabbing the cutter again and again - non-stop. I cried silently, pushing him off of me rapidly, I crawled from under him, grasping for air.

        Clovis approached me, he hunched over and helped me up, dragging me along with him. "You alright?". He looked over at me, he paused, checking out the few brutal bruised slashes on my mug, I turned away from him, continuing to walk, "I'm fine".

         "A few slashes on you're well-structured profile aren't fine", he sneered as I avoided his statement, pushing the trees out of my view as I stumbled along.

          The outer sky went dull easily, the sun began to rest, there Oggy sat near a stern spruce tree, looking further out in the meadows. I ambled over, neighbouring next to her, "how does it feel to leave?". I asked her.

       "It's okay, I'm really glad you got me out of there, August I thought I had everything there...but I didn't...cause you weren't around". She grinned at me, I grinned back - nudging her shoulder gently. "Oh, Oggy, I'm sorry we got into all of this mess, it's my fault, I should've hid you girls much further, then Monnie could've been here right now, I wouldn't have had to cut my hair, change my name and age...I-I'm awfully sorry!". I cried.

      Oggy slanted her profile at me, shaking her head disagreeing, "no August", she smiled slightly, "it's not, it's those white folks they're the ones who got us in this much trouble, look at us now - we're wanderers with nowhere to go".

     I kept my head low, gazing back up at her, "yeah...yeah you're right". I giggled, wiping the warm tears away as she brightly smiled, "you're the only girl that that ever been in the Armed Force, you know?".

      "Yeah I guess am". I lifted myself up from the ground, "well night, Oggy".

      "Night August, tell Clovis I said 'night' too". She grinned as I walked off back to our camp-out.

        That night as everyone were sound asleep, I listened to the gun fires that alarmed from an far out distance - I groaned, sensing the value of drowsiness.

          First blush of morning, me, Oggy, and Clovis hiked through the bushes of the quiet woodland, we paused, resting for quite awhile. Oggy wandered off, gazing at the fruit wild berries on the trees. I hunched over, lifting a branched log and slit the bark right off the edges. Clovis stumbled toward me, he paused and leaned against the tall lean tree with his arms crossed, "you're a girl?".

        I came to a stern hault, and looked up at him anxiously - my palms gripped tighter on the cutter, "what?".

        "You heard what I said you're a girl?!".

        "Who told you?". I muttered, gazing back at the bark.

        "A little bird, August I heard you and Oggy talking last night!".

         "Why are you getting mad at me?". I stood up from my knee, handling the cutter into my back pocket.

          "You should've told me in the beginning!". He stormed passed me hurriedly. I turned back at him, "if it were the beginning, I'd be dead!". I cried.

          "Not true!". He glanced back at me furiously, shaking his head in disagreement.

         "Not true, how can you know that Clovis? They killed my baby sister in front of my mug, if I mentioned to them that I was a girl, they'd kill me too...same thing for Oggy!". I angrily stated, sensing the hot tears sinking from my burning red eyes.

         "Look...I'm sorry, August...". His green eyes glossed with the gloom sunlight. I shook my head, "don't come to me saying you're sorry now, you're white folks took everything away from me".

        "My family,  home, and my identity...they cut my hair short, just so it would look like everyone else's!". I stared at him, watching tears drain from his eyes, "I should've just told them I was a girl...you're just a useless friend who wouldn't care anyways..." I aggressively budged his shoulder, storming off further away from him as he watched me leave.

         Walking further down toward the water stream, I had my numb hands shoved in my pockets of my overcoat. Coming to a stern stop, there I sunk onto my knees gazing at the crisp stream. The swooshes of the clear blue waters struck the edges of the soil, after collecting crystal rocks. I settled down on a rigid rock, and tossed the few I collected into the clear water.

        At the moment, I thought back to Monnie and I playing near a small mud puddle, she hopped in and out of the puddle happily - we didn't care how much grief we entitled to, it was just me and her that all we needed. The way her dark hair blew with the raw wind, peacefully flung right over her shoulders, I felt my eyes burning - I no longer could've kept it in, I curled myself over my knees with my palms pressed against my ears weeping soundlessly.

        Clovis settled in beside me, he calmly caressed my backbone, I glanced up at him, turning away. "What do you want?". I muttered quietly.

        "I'm sorry about earlier", he looked at me with gloss in his eyes, "I didn't mean it, August".

        "It's fair...you were right, I should've told you in the beginning, then we wouldn't have came this far". I sniffled, attempting myself to end my silent weeping.

        "You know I haven't ever seen a girl step foot in the Armed Force before, what you did was brave, it shocks me". He stared at the view as I gazed over at him in the dark corner of my eye.

         "But if you want me to leave, I'll go...", he lifted himself up from the grass, stumbling through the rocks. I watched him, "Wait-". I called, dragging myself up against the tree wearied, "even if..." I croaked silently, "I'm a girl, w-would you still be my friend, Clovis?". I frowned slender at him, handling a timid grin.

          He grinned shyly at me that his mug slightly flushed, "of course...you're all I have left, August", he then wandered off back toward our campsite.