The Odd and The Mundane

The not-so-great escape

Petios knew she meant well, but the words just sounded so forced. But perhaps, she was not entirely wrong. Maybe, just maybe, he could elude this. No, this was no time for maybes. Whatever he was going to do next, it would be worth the shot..

He looked up at his friend, square in the eye, and said," Throw me out of the window."

She replied with a look of "are you kidding me?"

"Just do it, I've got nothing to lose. Plus, there's a tree right outside the window remember?"

"You sure about this?" Aisha asked.

"I...I don't know."

"Y'know what, let's give that a go," the girl shrugged,"how long can you stay out of that pot?"

"Uh.... long enough to find a tree to live on or something, I guess?"

"Wha-but where will you live after this?"

"I guess on another tree...high up....away from the earth."

"Awwww...looks like I'll have to learn how to climb trees then..." Without warning, she leant in and wrapped her arms around the other's shoulders. He returned the gesture.

Time really flies when you're with someone you really care about. But that's time for you, before you know it , it's about time to throw your best friend out of the window of your bedroom.

Aisha brought Petios to the window, he hoisted himself out of the cramped clay pot and took a good look at the tree outside. It was a dry old thing with branches that gnarled like claws and barely any leaves to speak of, not the best place to hide away during the day.

Footsteps were approaching. The adults were done with their little talk. Aisha boosted her tree nymph friend up

, for both of them barely reached the bottom ledge of the window. Petios climbed up, his friend supporting him so he wouldn't fall back into the room. The boy had no legs but he did have a good tangle of prehensile roots.At the count of three, he "kicked" back the window sill to throw his body forward. And his friend gave him the shove he needed to send him flying towards the nearest branch which was just barely a foot away from the window.

And then he was in the air. He looked down and his insides turned.

And now he hung on tight to an outstretched branch, out of breathe. What was he thinking? He could have fallen. He could have died.

But he didn't. Time to make his way down. He looked back at the window. It was shut and voices could be heard from inside, those of confusion and anger. He could hear Aisha trying her darnedest not to raise her voice. Her mother, on the other hand, had no qualms about doing that. He had to get down that tree.

He scrambled from the far end of the branch to the trunk of the tree and from there figured his way down. Petios was on the ground now, he was free. But he was also exhausted. Climbing down a tree and trying not to fall from great heights was easier said than done and he had never been one for physical activities. Among several things a wood nymph lacks by nature, stamina was one of them.

He tried to crawl away and suddenly his hopes of finding a new place to call his home dwindled into the barest of amounts. That hope sunk away into the depths when he heard the footsteps behind him and saw a shadow creep over him. It was her. The Summers lady!

Momma stood behind Ms Summers looking absolutely livid. Ms Summers, however, did not seem angry. In fact, she seemed concerned.

"Woah! You alright there kid?" she reached out a hand towards the wood nymph. Petios drew back.

"Ah! Sorry if I scared you," the woman's voice softened," I-I'm not good with kids...and your...erm...mother didn't mention you were sentient. I...er....are you hurt ?"

The boy shook his head.

"You don't really trust any other human other than Aisha, huh?"

He nodded.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you," Ms Summers squatted down to the boy's level,"I talked it through with your ma. You're just going to stay at my place until we find you a new home."

"We?"

"Yeah! You, me and my bro."

Petios averted his gaze from the lady. Why was she being so nice? What does he want from him? Oh right, Momma was paying her for her services, wasn't she?

"How do you know you're not gonna hand me to 'the authorities' or something?" Petios crossed his arms across his chest.

"Wha- what? Why'd I do that?" Ms Summers stifled a giggle,"What good would that do any of us?"

"Will I still get to see Aisha?"

"Of course! Don'tcha worry your bark-y lil' head about it."

Petios looked down. Ms Summers did not seem so bad. She seemed rather nice to him. Looks like like this was the best choice in the end. Not like he could do much by himself. He looked back up at Ms Summers and nodded. He gave in. He always gave in. He was weak and dependent and he hated himself for it. He let Momma put him back in the pot he had left. He hoped he didn't have to stay too long in there.

Author's note:
Look who's back! It's that kid that lived in a tree back in the chapter Plant On The Move! Also, I'm back! Updates will be mostly sporadic. I'm in my third year (and final year) of polytechnic and I think things are gonna get hectic at school...even moreso than before. So yes, large gaps of silence from me will be frequent...followed by SUDDEN UPDATES.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (and that I have not lost my touch lol). If so, do vote! Comments would be cool too~

-Bunni