Toad Oak

The Death of Shy Valentine

Shy thought about the gray sky; she thought about how sad it must be to fill up with tears until the point you just bust. The pain the clouds felt must have been unbearable. The bus was moving at a slow pace down the tree covered road. Shy could feel the rocks underneath the wheels as she read the last news paper she'll ever see from her old home.

Her new home will not have her family or any surroundings she is used too. She felt hot tears stream down her face as these thoughts crossed her mind.
"Need a tissue?", a passenger next to her asked. Her face reddened at the thought of someone seeing her cry. She politely declined the offer and dried her eyes with her sleeve. The bus swerved a little causing Shy to look out the window to see the trouble. Shy saw the town sign."Welcome to the town of Toad Oak," the sign read. The thought of boarding school worried her to the point of almost vomiting.

The bus pulled to a stop at the bus station, and the intercom announced that the bus would be leaving in the next 20 minutes. She sat there a minute or two to process the thought of a new life. She thought of when she was a child. She remembered her father running up and down the drive way. As she rode his shoulders, the wind blew through her hair and she felt as if she were a bird. Not blue jay or a pretty robin, but a crow. She understood the crow and was heart broken by the fact that everyone hated them. After her ride her father would take her in and make her a snack. Sugar cookies and milk were he favorite. Before she could remember the sweet flavors, the driver of the bus appears.

"We'll be leaving in about five minutes, lady," he said. She was surprisingly tired and sorta stumbled a bit trying to get her bags. The driver asked if she was on drugs and she responded with a simple no, but considering the fact she had taken a few more pills than she was supposed to, she was eager to get off the bus.

As she walked down the narrow isle, the bus seemed to be moving. She was shaking back and forth violently, and all she could do was keep walking and hope to god she didn't fall. She walked down the steps and realized that she had left her phone. She placed her foot back on the first step just about the time the driver stomped in front of her.
"No more entry," he exclaimed.
"Im very sorry sir, but i left my phone".
"I hate to hear that pretty lady, but i also know that your phone wouldn't matter to me if it cost a million dollars, so absolutely no entry," he spat. The response offended Shy but the likeliness of her getting past that burly man was implausible, so she backed away slowly and picked up her heavy bags.
"Oh I forgot to give you your tip," she said. The man, being surprised but pleased, stepped out of the bus to receive his tip. As the man reached out his hand, Shy dropped the five dollars.
" I apologize," she said, and the man mumbled under his breath as he bent down to pick it up.

Shy took the chance and ran past the man, on the bus, and to her seat. She snatched her phone and ran to the exit, wondering why the driver wasn't screaming at her. She jumped off the stairs expecting to get cussed out, but the driver wasn't there. She was puzzled but had no time to ponder so she looked down for her bags. But of course they weren't there. She looked down the sidewalk of the bus station and saw the man running with her bags as fast as he could. She was confused but found herself running after anyway. She dodged and ran past the town folk as she sprinted after the man, but soon found her self running on grass instead of concrete. Trees surrounded her as she looked back to see the bus station. She did not stop, simply because those suitcases contained her clothes and her wallet. She cussed under her breath as she ran. She looked back and she could barely see the station. But she knew that if she wanted her money, clothes and identification, she would keep running.

Shy remembers running track in the 7th grade. She was good then, but surprised she could still run just as fast. She could see the man slowing down slightly, and she was easily able to catch up with him. It occurred to her that a 300 pound man shouldn't be able to run that fast, but she had no time to explain that mystery.

She soon slowed down herself, significantly faster than the burly man. Her bags were good as gone if she didn't do something soon. She could feel her legs moving increasingly faster, like she's getting ready for that sprint in a 40 meter dash. The man  was getting closer and she was soon in jumping distance.  She never was a contestant in the long jump competition, but for some absurd reason, she was sure she could tackle him. This overcoming feeling of bravery was something she didn't receive very often, but something she welcomed when it came around. Her speed was exceedingly fast now, so with a tremendous vault from her legs she was in the air for a few seconds until she came down hard on the the man's back.

Shy's nails were buried deep into his skin and she realized this was her one chance to retrieve her things. She stumbled up and quickly grabbed her luggage just as she felt a giant hand pull her down. Shy screamed as she sees the man towering over her with a giant rock in hand.  The man lifted it over her and taunted as she screamed. He hammered the rock down just as Shy moves her head. She could feel the wind from the rock whiz past her as it slams into the ground. 

She rolled to the right and scrambles to her feet, picking up a a thick branch. The adrenaline was overwhelming and she felt her pulse increasing. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump. The branch soon became heavier in her hands, and it was soon to much weight for her to handle. She wondered how she tired out so fast. The unwelcoming feeling she was experiencing was one of defeat and regret. The wet ground caught her body as she collapsed. Her eyes focused on the giant man one last time.

She tried to scream as the man hovered over her, pulling something from his coat pocket. The item he retrieved was a large black knife. The sight of solid black horrified shy, but she couldn't do or say anything. She could just say there and wait for the end of her life. All of her good child hood memories fled through her mind, and hot tears poured down her face.

Shy summoned the last of her strength to yell her last word. "Please," she screamed. The man laughed and drove the black knife straight through Shy's chest, and pulled it out immediately after it's enter. Shy coughed as the man repeated the process over and over again. She soon closed her eyes and accepted the last few stabs. She thought about the gray clouds, and how she now knew what it felt like to bust.