Hi! Kat-chan here! This is just a one-shot that popped into my head! I ended it in such a way, that I could be continued later... Anyway, my mom got her paws on this story, and butchered the crap out of it, so if there are any mistakes or weird phrases that stick out (she changed a bunch of stuff around and put comments in) please tell me so I can fix it!

“Do ya have a smoke?”

            “Huh?” I blinked. In front of me was a gray haired woman, staring at me expectantly. How...what... I squinted, as if the sun were in my eyes; that elderly woman was certainly not there a few seconds ago. She stood hunched, leaning on an odd walking stick which looked freshly cut from a plant or tree, dressed in crisp white clothing. The woman’s already wrinkled face further crumpled into a frown; I had been staring at her for quite sometime and she didn’t look too happy. I felt my face turn hot with embarrassment. “I-I’m so sorry! I’m only 16;  I’m too young to smoke!” Not that I would.

            The old woman’s face smoothed out, stretching into a grin. Her voice sounded raspy; I half expected rust to come billowing out. “Don’t worry about it.” she croaked, shakily extending an arm. She handed me a crumpled ten dollar bill. “Could ya run down to the souvenir shop? They gots the cigs that I like.”

            I swear my eyes became as round as dinner plates. I’m a minor. There’s no way I’d ever get away with buying cigarettes! “U-uh ... I’d love to help you -- I really would! But I’m a minor, ma’am!” I managed to stammer out. 

            The woman just winked a wrinkled eye and gave another stretchy smile. “Don’t worry about it; the folks know that I always send down people.”  She closed her eyes and gripped her back with her free hand. “If it weren’t for my poor, achy bones, I’d go down there myself.” 

I caved in; I must be going nuts. Cursing my sensitive conscience, I assured the old lady I would be right back. Great. I thought to myself as I walked down one of the many trails in Kilauea National Park; my family is on vacation in Hawaii. It was a miracle that they let me wander around alone for once, and now I’m breaking every strand of trust I worked hard to gain with them; all that made for a poor old lady.  Suddenly, a thought made me stop in my tracks. What was an elderly woman doing so far up in the trails? If she could climb up that far... Oh well... I couldn’t just drop of me the errand; it wouldn’t be very nice ... and it was kind of exciting, too.  I mean, I’m my family’s goody-two shoes. It’s kind of refreshing to go and break a couple of rules. Hehe, if my parents had heard me say that...  

            As I reached the souvenir stand, I was beginning to have second thoughts, like, what if the employees didn’t believe me? They would call the cops and it would blemish my permanent record! Gah!  Not to mention my mom would go into hysterics, literally! This is such a STUPID idea! But, I found myself waiting in line.

 When it was finally my turn, I approached the counter warily and with a nervous smile, asked for a pack of cigarettes. I CANNOT BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT!   The pizza faced guy raised his eyebrows; I felt my stomach lurch. This is it ... I thought to myself, I am SO busted!  He turned around and grabbed the cigarettes!! Cracking a smile, he said, “For that old lady, right?” I nodded like an idiot, frankly because my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth.

            “T-thank you!” I squeaked, half-hazardly stuffed the pack into my pocket.  Running back up the  trail as fast as I could; my heart beating 300 miles an hour.  I can’t believe I did that! I felt more guilty than excited.

As I neared the trail, the clearing where I met the old woman cam into view. “Hi! I ...uh... got your cigarettes!”  I gave a half-grin as I walked up to her, handing them to her quickly.

            “Thanks.” The old lady croaked; she winked and walked into the brush behind her.

            “Um, I could help you down the trail, if you want...” I rushed over  to where she had disappeared, but I only found just that: she disappeared. “H-hello...?” I looked frantically around, trying to see if she had fallen down, or was playing a trick.  “Uh... I’m leaving now... ”   

            Just as walked down the trail, I thought I heard someone laughing. I froze as a wind blew past me, carrying a young woman’s voice.

            “I owe you one. Hee hee.”

-END-

(I think)

There you have it! X_x Not my best, but hey! XD