Speak Quietly

Chapter Seven - Almost Meant to Be

     Slipping back into the darkened woods was easy but fairly difficult. I wanted to just take Joseph’s hand and let him lead me anywhere he pleased. I wanted his security, I wanted his love, I wanted him. The sun began to creep down more with each passing step, each snap I caused a stick to make. I imagined that I was killing them, as if they were living beings. I, then, imagined that they were the man and his bones, snapping each ligament with just a simple step, killing him slowly. Becoming cynical was not in my plan, but it seemed to happen naturally. Such a wrong doing, murdering the slight innocence I had left. It was snatched from me, viciously, and mangled to hell. Just thinking of what happened open a flood of rage inside of me. I began to feel warm liquid run in my hand. Without my knowing, I had punched a nearby tree. I found tree bark embedded in my knuckle and a little stem of a branch sticking out from the bottom of my knuckle. It didn’t hurt but it wasn’t pleasant to look at, it made my stomach turn. I picked the branch out and let myself drip onto the wooded grounds. It soon became the darkest of night and I couldn’t see a few feet in front of me. There was a sense of terror that came along with this and it crept in fast. Every rustle of leaves left me whipping around every which way, every snap of a branch made me jump, and everything that touched me made me feel vulnerable. All of these noises kept getting louder so I ran, I ran until…

     “Hey, child… Hey, wake up.” someone was repeatedly poking at me. I opened my eyes to an elderly woman poking me with a stick from a distance.

“Are you okay? Are you on drugs?” she asked, somehow concerned yet annoyed.

“No, I don’t do drugs.” I wasn’t exactly lying. I haven’t had the money to get any, lately.

“That looks pretty nasty. Come here.” she was quite demanding but I followed her into her little log cabin, anyway. She seemed kind enough for me to be cordial with her. I turned the corner to see her holding the log door open for me; she wasn’t telling me to hurry or giving any sort of annoyance off, anymore. I smiled and thanked her. I looked up and saw a greatly decorated room. It looked fairly old and dirty on the outside but inside was almost a paradise. The elder motioned to a small love seat in the middle of the room; it was decorated with a cute floral pattern. I sat down and just admired the room.

“It’s as if you cut off the cloth from my couch.” she laughed. I looked down and realized my leggings matched her love seat pattern. I chuckled, myself.

“Almost meant to be.” I said, unknowingly. I looked over as she was rummaging through a first aid ready kit that was conveniently bolted next to her bathroom. 

“Ah, here we are.” she sighed, and came strolling to me with a fairly large gauze bandage and medical tape. I was about to raise my hand to her when she put it on the side of my head, right above my temple. I felt a wave of pain through my brain when she pressed against it.

“Looks like you took a real good hit before I found you. Did someone hit you in the head with a bat?” she said, obviously not being serious. I suppose she glanced down to my hand because moments later she was man-handling it and picking the shards of bark out.

“What happened to you, dear?” she whispered. Every once in a while I’d wince in pain and she’d apologize. I liked her, she was kind.

“Who are you?” I drew out. It almost seemed surreal at how kind and gentle she was when I was trespassing and being a nuisance. She probably has more important things to do, much more important things. Once she finished bandaging my hand she told me her name’s Elizabeth and that she and her family used to live in this cabin her grandfather built. Apparently these trees weren’t always there and there used to be more houses. She began to become emotional when speaking of how there used to be but now isn’t. She grabbed my hand and asked me where I was going. I told her that I did not know.

“Do you have anywhere to stay? Any family, friends…?” she asked. I shook my head, I had literally no one anymore. She stood up slowly and started to walk away. She motioned for me when she realized that I wasn’t following. She opened a door and there was a large room, decorated completely vintage. I fell in love with it and she offered me to stay. I couldn’t thank her enough but I couldn’t take the offer. Right as I went for the door, she grabbed my hand and yanked me back. She told me I could stay as long as I wanted. Maybe things are starting to turn around for me?

"Get some rest," she began, "and tomorrow morning we are going to head into town and get some belongings for you. Does the flea market sound alright?"

"You are speaking my kind of language." I said with a generous smile before heading into my new beautiful room and peacefully going to sleep.