Keira's Daycare

Part Five - Lake

Keira stopped running. She was panting and out of breath. Her blue dress was stained with sweat and her feet had been cut by sticks, rocks, and God forbid nails. She was in front of a lake. It was muddy and overgrown where land met water, and there were little frogs and toads hiding in the reeds. When Keira looked out at the water, it was beautiful. But what caught Keira's eye was a houseboat parked at the shore next to a little cabin. Keira wanted to walk up to it, but the water looked muddy and contaminated. She was already sure she had tetanus, or some sort of infection. She didn't want her mum to be even madder at her than she probably already was. No way to ruin a vacation like a hospital trip.
              The doorknob on the cabin was jiggling. Somebody was home. Keira was frozen in fear. She didn't walk away. She didn't investigate. She didn't blink, she held her breath. The person emerged from the shack. He was a boy, Keira could tell. He was about four months overdue for a haircut, and his hair and skin were stark white. He had albinism, Keira recognised. He was a little too skinny than he looked like was good for him, and his eyes were a pinkish-red colour. Because he was albino. His shirt was a sort of muted red, and it reached his knees. He was wearing jeans, but they were very, very faded.  He had converse shoes. But what Keira found her eyes drawn to about this mysterious boy was that his ears were pointed, like those of an elf. He turned to her. First he squinted, then his eyes widened. Keira's eyes widened too, out of fear. She felt a rush. Just as Keira turned to run, the boy yelled, "WAIT!"
                    Keira made a dash. Again, tripping, cutting herself, getting bruises. She looked her own house up and down. She was afraid. How angry would her mother be? She was genuinely terrified. She tiptoed to the doorstep, and tried to turn the knob. It worked. There was no sign of her mum outside, but the mess on the floor had been cleaned, and Keira could see the remains of the plate she had dropped in the bin. She knew she was in trouble in the morning, but she figured she could just sleep on it, and pretend to be asleep while she thought of something to say. So she went up the stairs, leaving little splotches of blood behind her with each complaint and groan of the staircase.