The air was tense and dry. Petios the wood nymph slumped over the edge of the clay pot he was confined in. Not that it was worse than being perpetually encased in the hollow of a tree, as he used to be.
He was barely mistreated here. Sure, his new family (aka Aisha's parents) would throw him into the dark muskiness of the storage closet when they had visitors, but it was for his safety. They didn't really explain why, they only told him that he must not be seen. Not by anyone, not by anything, except them. They could have at least let him share a room with Aisha, but no amount of whining and reasoning would let them change their minds so the kitchen was where he stayed. But hey, at least they complied with his request to replace the soil in his pot with charcoal and coconut husk.
However, it was apparent. He was not needed, he was not wanted. Their parents treated him like he could possibly a hazard to Aisha, their suspicious stares had not gone unnoticed by the little wood nymph. And now they were getting rid of him. Aisha was still her bubbly self, but only on the surface. She was talking and Petios pretended to listen. But he wasn't listening, he was thinking.
And he was terrified; of the future, of the unknown, of this "Ms Summers" who was apparently going to take him away, and of never seeing his only friend,Aisha, again. Momma, that was what he called Aisha's mother, had told him, in her usual sweetness that masked her fear and dislike, that Ms Summers was a good person. In fact, the only person who would accept a request like this. She lived at the edges of town, in a particularly foilage heavy area.
They all told him he would feel right at home. They didn't understand. He wouldn't feel at home just because there were a bunch of trees there. He needed someone to talk to. Not as a monster, not as a pet, but as an equal- as a friend.
The electric doorbell startled Aisha out of her socks but all Petios felt was a sudden lump in his stem (no not a literal lump, it was not a tumor at all). Momma hurried over to answer the door, her face smeared with emotions Petios had never seen on her before. Uncertainty? Guilt? He was not sure but it felt genuine.
Aisha got up to greet the visitor, as prompted by Momma, with tears in her eyes that betrayed a stretched smile.This visitor was a young dark skinned woman with a beaming face, and noticeably muscular arms that emerged from her bright yellow graphic t-shirt. Her hair was jet black and held back by a broad hairband. This could only be Ms Summers.
She took one look at Petios, blinked in surprise, then turned to Momma and whispered," You didn't tell me it was a kid..."
"He," Aisha hissed.
"Uh, um... right!" the woman replied with an awkward lop-sided smile,"I think...I'll have to talk with your mother."
"Petios," Momma said," you can go have one last look around the house before you leave, alright?"
So while the strange lady and Momma negotiated, the two kids were left to say their final goodbyes. Or, maybe not.
Aisha dragged the plastic cart, on which she had brought Petios here and let him remain on it for mobility's sake, into her room.
"We can't let this happen," the girl cried," She knows nothing about you! We know nothing of her!"
"It's...it's not going to h-happen," replied the boy,"......right?"
"You're right! It won't !"
"You've got a plan?" Petios perked up.
"Uh...no"
".....eh?"
"But I know you won't go down without a fight!" Aisha was at it again, trying to push away her worries and her sadness with positivity,"Neither of us will!"
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