Ejiro's eighth birthday.
Eijiro awoke to hands shaking him and saying
"Wake up! Wake up"
His mother was always like that. Bubbly and excited, the feeling made him happy and safe inside.
He opened his eyes slowly and rubbed them.
"Whass goin on" He slurred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
He looked up at his mother's excited face."You know what's going on! It's your birthday! " She said, giving him another shake for good measure.
"Okay, okay, I'm getting up." His face lit up as he remembered, but he tried not to show it. Just then, he heard his dad yell something to his mom. And she dashed out of the room, with a big smile on her face.
Eijiro got up, dressed, brushed his teeth, put on his shoes, and went into the living room, to be greeted with a big warm hug from his dad.
"Oh wow! I can't believe that you're turning 8 already! You're so big!" Ejilo steered him towards the chair by the fireplace. " Now sit down, and open your gifts! "
Eijiro smiled, the biggest he had ever smiled before.
"Thank you so much! I love you to the moon and back!" He said as he began to open the presents. It was almost a tradition to say that phrase when opening gifts now.
The first box he opened, had a beautiful knife in it, the hilt had rubies encrusted into the handle, and the blade was shiny silver. It even had a leather sheath that could connect to his belt. The blade was about six inches long and razor sharp.
"Here, let me help you with that."
His dad walked over to him and helped him clip it onto his belt.
Ejilo had 'proud dad' tears in his eyes as he said "I am so proud of you! You've become such a big boy! That blade should last you a lifetime. I should know, I made it myself. That way, you'll always have a piece of your childhood with you."
Eijiro looked at his dad with wonder and excitement in his eyes, "I'm finally old enough to have my very own Knife?!! Wait, you made this? It's so pretty!"
His dad nodded. "I did, but you need to be careful with it it's sharp. You have one more package to open, so come on and do it already! I'm really excited!"
Mila laughed at her husband's childish remark, as Eijiro opened the last package.
Inside of it was a pair of new shoes. The fancy kind, with dragons embroidered along the sides "Oh, wow, mama! Look at how cool these are!" He said, holding up the new pair of shoes for her to see.
Just then, they heard a shout from outside the house. Both Ejilo and Mila jumped in fear. They lived in the middle of the woods, no one other than them had come out here in almost a decade. That must mean....
Then as the voices got closer, they were able to understand what they were saying.
"Finally, after ten years, will get those traitorous fucking bastards!"
Mila's face turned white. Ejilo stood up from his place on the floor, all traces of happiness gone from his face, only fear, and anger remaining.
"Mila, take Eijiro, go out the back, and hide in the cellar. I'll take care of them." Ejilo said, reaching the front door.
Mila picked up Eijiro without hesitation and ran for the back door.
Eijiros's eyes widen, as he was picked up from the floor, still holding his shoes, knife clipped to his belt.
She dashed through the back door, ran across the yard, and opened the hidden door to the cellar. She put him down in it and said
"I need you to stay quiet. No matter what you hear, or see. I need you to stay down here and don't come out, ok. It's like a game of hide and seek. You can't let anyone find you. Everything is going to be alright."
She said, rushing through her words. She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. She shut the cellar and covered it with grass and leaves. Then she disappeared around the house.
Little Eijiro watched her go through a small hole in the wooden door.
A few seconds later he heard loud screams that sounded like his dad. But he remembered what his mom had said, to stay hidden, not to come out, no matter what he hears, besides, she said everything would be okay, right? His dad was a dragon! Who could hurt a dragon?
His hands shook as Eijiro comforted himself with these words.
He had been sitting in the cellar for about three hours. The yelling, and screaming, had stopped a long time ago, but he was still to afraid come out. He may be young, but he's not stupid. He had put the pieces together and figured out what happened to his parents. He knew they were dead, that someone had killed them, and was coming for him too.
About half an hour later, he gathered enough courage to climb out of the cellar. He looked through the house, the windows were broken, and the front door had been knocked off of its hinges.
The inside was in no better shape. They had had two big chairs, and one little chair, for Eijiro. One of the big ones was missing a leg, the other one's back had been snapped off, and the third one was just plain missing. The table had a big slice cut into it, and the picture on the wall was busted on the ground.
That night Eijiro looked around the house, and in the woods in vain until it was too dark to see, searching for his parents. He knew they were dead, or severely injured, and he just wanted to help them, find them. If only just to see them again.
"Mama! DADDY! Please-please don't leave me here ma-ma" but his last word was cut off by a sob. He couldn't hold the tears back anymore, and he fell to the ground, screaming for his parents.
But there was no one there to hear.
Gone, and they were never coming back home.
He was alone now.
Alone in the middle of the woods.
Words: 1057
Leaf out!