Grandpa and the Old Gods

Daddy says we moved here so I wouldn't die in a mass shooting. The whole year before we left America, Mommy kept having bad dreams about dropping me off at school and hearing gunshots as she drove away. This afternoon Daddy was watching the news and he started shouting. "It's happening!" Mommy and I ran into the living room and Mommy sat on the couch and cried. Then I heard gunshots and the newsperson said the name of my school.

Grandpa said he was going to take me to Burger King because Mommy and Daddy needed some time to themselves. I like Grandpa. He lives in a house with lots of straw on its roof. When we left America, Grandpa let us live with him. Except when we moved in, Daddy made Grandpa put away all of his old books. He said they were too scary for a little girl. Grandpa put his books in boxes and took them down the stairs and into the basement. I don't go down there.

Grandpa always holds my hand whenever we walk through the village even though there aren't many cars here. He likes to go to the pub, which is okay, but I like to go to Burger King. Grandpa doesn't like Burger King but he takes me there anyway because he knows it's my favorite. There's a boy who works there named Nick who's afraid of Grandpa. He always starts sweating when he sees us. Once he was so scared he dropped my hamburger and fries on the floor.

I'm not afraid of Grandpa because he's so nice to me. After we eat at Burger King, he takes me on a walk through the field. I like the field because the grass is pretty and there are flowers and if you look really hard you can see the train tracks. Sometimes if you're really lucky you can even see the train. Mommy and Daddy and I took the train from London to here. I ask Grandpa if I can take the train back to London and he says I can't because London is full of bad people. Then he says I don't have to worry about that because soon all the bad people will be gone.

The field is pretty because the sun is going down and the sky has all these colors that I like. I say the colors and point at them in the sky and Grandpa laughs. We walk for a long time. When it gets dark, Grandpa makes sure my coat is zipped. Then I hear a spooky sound in the grass and Grandpa picks me up. He whispers, "Don't be afraid, little one," and then he points at the grass where I see a bunch of rabbits. Except something's wrong with them. They have long noses and big black eyes and they keep following us.

"Don't be afraid, little one," Grandpa says again. I ask him when we're going home because I'm getting tired. He tells me not for a while because there's something he wants to show me. That's when I see the dogs and get really scared. I hold onto Grandpa and I try to hide my face in his jacket. Grandpa pats me on the back and says, "It's alright, the werewolves are our friends." I start to cry because I remember werewolves from Halloween in America.

Then I hear Grandpa talking to someone and I look up and see this big hairy man with sharp teeth. He looks like a monkey. Mommy says I'm not supposed to say that, but he really does. I can't understand what Grandpa is saying to the hairy man. But I don't like the way he's talking because it sounds like he's growling. Then I see the people in the sky. I can see them because the moon is really bright. They have big wings and claws and they frighten me so much.

"Shh, little one," Grandpa says, "now is not the time to be sad; now is the time to be happy! The werefolk have left their lairs to celebrate with us tonight. I know they look different from you and I, my dear. But you don't have to be afraid. The werefolk are your friends, and have always watched over you. They made your mother have those dreams so you would come here. They wanted you to be here for this."

Grandpa's voice calms me down and I open my eyes and see all these big tall stones. The creepy rabbits and wolves and monkeys and birds are all standing around me and Grandpa now. Everybody is looking at the sky. I look up too and see the stars are coming closer. They're moving in circles and it's pretty but it's also scary. I close my eyes and hide my face in Grandpa's jacket again, and everybody starts making those growling sounds.

"Oh my little one," Grandpa says, "I'm so glad you've returned. Tonight the old gods are descending to Earth after many, many years. They will take away all the people who have forgotten them, and those people will be gone forever. But not you, my precious child. The old gods have promised to leave you here with me. Had you and your parents stayed in America, that nightmarish land, things might have been different. But you came home just in time."