So I'm hanging out in the woods, minding my own business.
There's a stream that flows over mossy rocks there, and tiny green plants with star-shaped flowers on the banks. It's peaceful and seems somehow still, despite the never-ending motion of the water.
Anyway, something intrudes into my peaceful time, splashing towards me. I look round and there's this kid, sandy-haired with a little red nose. He's stumbling in the shallows looking for things to put his hands on, like kids do.
But then he slips and falls on his ass in the deepest part of the channel and the current tugs him in. He starts to drift off, and when he can no longer reach the bottom he starts to panic, kicking and splashing, too scared to even yell.
So what else can I do? I get off my nice bed of moss and go after him. I run further downstream, stand on a rock, and yank him out of the water as he passes. I drop him on the grass and sit beside him while he coughs and shakes.
'You okay, kid?'
He looks up at me with big green eyes. 'I got wet.'
'You sure did.'
'But you got me.'
'I did.'
'Thank you for getting me.'
'No problem. What are you alone doing in the woods, anyway?'
'I'm not alone. I'm with my mom and dad. And Jenny.'
'Who's Jenny? She your sister?'
The kid nods. 'Uh huh.'
'She older than you?'
'She's seventeen. Or maybe... Seventeen, I think.'
'Seventeen. She hot?'
The kid looks confused.
'Nevermind.' I get to my feet. 'Let's go find Jenny and your folks, okay?'
The kid nods. He gets up and we head downstream, looking for somewhere to cross.
'What's your name?' he asks me.
I looked around for inspiration. 'Pebble. What's yours?'
'Thomas.'
'Watch your feet here, Thomas.'
We make it across the stream and head up the bank. He's soaked through, but it's not too cold so I figure he'll be okay.
He starts telling me about a kid in his class, who has a toy that does something cool. I try to sound interested but I'm not. I hope we find his folks soon. I hope Jenny is hot.
And soon enough, just past a stand of thick oaks, I hear voices calling out.
'Hey, Thomas. It's your family.'
He starts to run, and we soon we spot a family ahead, cupping their hands to their mouths and calling his name. I spot Jenny immediately. She's okay.
'Mommy!' he shouts, and an older woman rushes forward, scoops him up and hugs him. Then she gasps at his wet clothes and puts him down, and his dad crouches beside him.
'Thomas! Where have you been?'
'In the water,' he says. 'With Pebble.'
'Who's Pebble?'
The kid points back at me. 'He's a doggy.'
The dad stands up. His eyes go wide and he pushes Thomas behind him. He snatches a stick off the ground, and Jenny lets out a scream.
'Thomas,' he says. 'Whatever that is... it's not a dog...'
