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Chapter One: The Aspects of Pain
… Timothy sat shivering on the tree limb he had climbed, watching as the dim yellow globe that represented the sun shone through the misty sky. The air was slightly chilly and moist, making Timothy wish he had brought his jacket. Oh well, he reasoned. It wouldn’t be much good anyways. His jacket was worn thin from years of dealing with rough treatment.
A sharp crackling erupted from the bushes underneath him. Timothy scrabbled to lift his legs up on the branch, cursing softly about why someone would bother to walk during a misty morning. He morphed into a statue, nevertheless, barely breathing. Other creatures who had been wandering about the forest stilled at the noise.
The perpetrators of the disruption molded into sight, a little southwest of the tree Timothy was perched in. It seemed to be only four, maybe five, people that were wandering. Timothy was clear out of eyesight, so he could easily spy on them. Two adults, recognized by their more professional hiking gear and deeper talk, came first. One bent in the bushes dotting the tree’s four-hundred foot branch span and rummaged about for whatever had been thrown. She took out an apple core. Timothy couldn’t hear what she said, being up in the tree so high, but he could see her make a look of disgust and call to the three stragglers a way off, scolding one. The boy yelled an answering shout in return. The woman put on a stubborn pose and waited for them to catch up, while the man just stood around and observed the scenery.
More footsteps deafened the forest with cracking twigs and squishy moss. Timothy observed that these hikers were adolescents, teenagers instead of trained adults. One of the girls was normal looking, but had a somewhat faraway look in her eyes and an adventurous gait in her walk. The other girl, short and willowy with long blond hair, looked like she could blow away in the wind with a mere shove. Lastly, the boy the woman had scolded walked behind. He was unusually tall for a fourteen-year-old, being near six five, and walked, if not a little, arrogantly. His jet black hair was smoothed back and he was wearing suitable hiking clothes that emphasized his hate of the cold and wet. . When they caught up with the woman and the man, the boy casually rolled his eyes and began to speak. The woman became furious at that and threw the apple core at the boy’s head. It smartly hit him right smack in the forehead, making him groan. The woman turned, disgusted, and began speaking to the man.
All the while, the two girls were spending time talking, trying not to look at any of the people near them. Timothy strangled to listen to their conversation, and managed to catch some of it.
“…so I heard these two little kids singing the weirdest song when we biked on the trail,” said the ordinary-looking girl.
“What were they singing?” asked the willowy one.
“I—” She stopped and looked up. “Did you hear that?”
“You mean that rustling?” Timothy cursed. His foot had slipped and whacked the branch below.
“Yes! You hear it too?”
The willowy girl shrugged and looked up into the tree also. “No, but I’ll listen more carefully. What could it be? Even squirrels would have the sense not to come… Evs, what are you doing?” The girl had one hand clamped on the lowest branch of the tree, and was searching for a foothold and a place to pull herself up. The willowy girl was watching in silent horror as her friend swung herself bodily over the branch and pulled herself upright.
“Finn! Paula!” the willowy girl called. “Stop her!” The man and woman—Finn and Paula—turned to face the girl who shouted and followed her finger up to the other girl who was in the process of pulling herself up another branch. Finn and Paula watched in shock, wondering why she was doing this. Timothy silently looked for a point in the trees where she wouldn’t find him.
Then she looked straight at Timothy.
Timothy yelped at her gaze, and lost his footing on the slippery branch. He felt his legs slip from the branch and graze the bark, and then his whole upper body followed his legs on their fall to the ground. Timothy panicked and grabbed for the branch just as he was completely airborne. His arms were yanked viciously. The ground looked a mile away.
The people on the ground had spotted Timothy and were panicking. The boy was just staring, and the willowy girl looked about ready to faint. Finn and Paula were shouting to the girl. “Hey boy!” shouted Finn to Timothy. “Hold on up there! Eva’s coming to get you. Eva, you be careful! The branches are slippery.” Eva nodded and focused on a branch above her. She threw herself up, then up again, and again.
She finally reached a standing point between the trunk and the branch. The next branch was a few feet away, but it was nice and thick and was very close to where Timothy was. Eva poised herself, ready to make the jump. Her friend below gasped and shouted a warning. Eva jumped. She was a few inches away when her body began to submit to gravity. She frantically grabbed the branch with one hand. Her fingers were already weak; she could barely hold on.
The willowy girl screamed from below, which was about a good thirty feet. “Evs! Evs!” Eva clenched her teeth and swung her arm upward, grabbing the branch. She pulled herself up barely, due to having thin, wobbly arms. She sat on the branch breathing heavily. Gaining herself, Eva saw the next, and last branch, was an easy climb. She climbed.
Now Eva was right beside Timothy on an adjoining branch. She held out her hand to him and wrapped her legs around the branch, ready to take on weight.
“Grab my hand!” she said.
Timothy nodded and tried to grab her hand. But right then his arms just collapsed like jelly and his hand missed hers, thus him losing his grip on the branch. He fell, a straight drop to the ground. The ground was a tidal wave with force and derision.
Screaming. Voices. Pain. Pain. Leaves.
Darkness.
When Timothy awoke, the pain was unbearable. It felt like both legs were broken, and he could feel warm blood coloring his pants. A couple of his ribs must have been broken too, and he could very painfully feel them poking out of his chest. Worst of all was his right arm and his head. He could not feel his arm, and his shoulder was dislocated. His head was dizzy and matted with blood.
It was still misty out, and he could see the girl, Eva, and her friend leaning over him. The willowy one was crying and looking at him shocked and Eva was calmly holding him up from the wet ground, talking soothingly to him like a baby.
“Can you speak?” she asked. Timothy shook his head slightly.
“That’s okay. Are you hurting much?”
Timothy nodded, short and quickly.
“Try to hold on. Finn and Paula went away to get the paramedics. They’ll be here real soon.” She tipped her head sideways. “What were you doing up in that tree anyways?”
Timothy opened his mouth to speak, but only a gurgle came out. Eva shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter much.”
The willowy girl let out a fresh burst of tears. “Eva!” she cried. “He fell! He fell like a stone!” More tears. Eva looked at her sharply, but did not say anything.
“Be calm, Annie. Be calm.” Eva closed her eyes and waited.
And waited.
Annie looked up from her tear-stained hands and at the tree. Timothy watched her eyes widen. She grabbed Eva’s shirt and pointed to something. Eva looked up. Timothy struggled to move his head, but fresh pain erupted in his head. I’m going to die, he thought. I’m going to die…
“What are you doing here?” asked Eva with venom. Annie hid behind Eva and was weeping softly. Timothy wondered who Eva was talking to.
“That is not for you to know,” said another voice, a strange, echo-like voice.
Timothy stiffened.
It was him! He had come to fetch him!
“Look,” Eva said, “this boy is hurt and we’re waiting for the paramedics to come. He’s really hurt. Now, unless you’re some kind of official, or know some medical stuff, go away.” Ouch, Timothy thought. Eva, shut up! You don’t want to anger him!
Some of the previous autumn’s leaves crackled as the man approached the girls and Timothy. “Feisty little dame, aren’t you? Why don’t you just lay on the nice soft moss and go to sleep? I can take care of poor little Timmy.” Timothy could just feel his brilliant smile. “He wouldn’t mind, would he?” Eva protectively leaned over Timothy.
“Go away! Just go away!” She stood up, but the man came ever closer. Eva’s lip quivered and she aimed a slap at his face, but the man grabbed her arm and threw her down. “Never defy me,” he said. He kicked her painfully in the stomach. Eva cried out. Annie scrabbled away in fear.
Timothy shivered as the man gripped his injured head by his hair. “Like to run off, don’t you?” He cruelly pulled at his hair, and Timothy screamed. The man laughed.
“Come now. Let’s go.” He pulled Timothy upright.
“Aaaaarrrggggh!” Timothy screamed an inhuman yowl that tore through his body and echoed throughout the woods. His legs were burning with pain. His ribs had stuck out even more and his shoulder burned with pain. It was painful. It was unbearable pain. Eva reached out to him, but the man stomped on her hand, and she screamed. Then the man took Timothy away.
Away to Timothy’s nightmares.
“Annie!” she shouted. “Annie!” That was perfect. Annie was gone, probably weeping in a hollow somewhere. It was just so strange, Eva thought. Annie usually was not this weepy and distant. What could have overcome her?
Eva put aside the thought and concentrated on standing up. It was hard, since her stomach would ache and feel like an anvil until the pain went away. That man sure had been cruel. She managed it however and limped over to a nearby linden tree.
Where were Finn and Paula? Where were the paramedics? Could something have happened to them?
The forest around the resort was big, and if something had happened with the medics, it would take days for them to find her. She could be alone and hungry in the woods for days.
That was not a comforting thought.
Though, finding Annie would probably be the best step. Eva called out again. No answer came back. Eva scanned the open, big clearing under the oak she had climbed and saw a nice, thick, and tall stick. Eva walked over to it, trying not to cry. She bent down with one arm, straining to reach it with as little pain as possible. Her hand gripped the stick and she heavily leaned on it. This was great. Spending time to pick up the stick, and not having the energy to use it, she thought. Wonderful.
Eva walked over to the other side of the clearing using the stick. She called out Annie’s name a few times, but she started to think Annie had gone off for good. She probably had. Eva decided it would be best to locate the road. She remembered hearing Finn tell Paula that they’d be near a creek and a road when they hiked to through the forest. The creek came before the road, but was just a little ways west of it, so when she found the creek, she was close to salvation.
Eva limped out of the scene and into the forest. Birds still twittered in trees, and it began to drizzle. Eva sighed. Nature was so nice and peaceful. She always visited the forest around her home on Michigan to get away from her parents and school. The Smokies provided that same feeling.
Eva heard a trickle. She quickened her pace and she happened upon the creek. That meant the road was nearby! Eva searched the creek and saw a foot bridge a little ways away. The nice little handmade bridge, with white rails and white planks, built a connection with the banks a ways away. She walked over to it and crossed the bridge, which creaked as she walked over it. Somebody had weaved a rose laurel between the posts. How cute.
Shortly after, she heard the hum of cars. Eva saw a thinning in the trees ahead, and gasped. The road! The small, paved road had abundant trees surrounding it and flowers planted on the sides. A covered bridge with green sides and a roof went over the creek. Eva could hear the approaching rumble of a truck. She limped madly over to the road and right into the middle of it. She waved the stick furiously. The truck—a new, shiny red one—shot out from around the curve. When the driver saw Eva, he stomped on the brakes with such speed the truck spun out of control, and stopped right before Eva, facing the opposite direction.
Eva smiled, and collapsed to the ground. An apple lay next to her head. A nice, shiny russet one with an aromatic scent. The driver came out and took out his cell phone.
Everything was going to be okay.
Or was it? …
