Believer's Melody

"Do you, Rose Anderson, take Martin White to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold...”

I yawned and shifted my position on the pew. I was at my Aunt Rose’s wedding. It only seemed like yesterday that she was in college, going to frat boy parties and getting wasted. Aunt Rose was beaming. She had been non-stop smiling for the entire day. Her cheeks were flushed and her green eyes seemed to be sparkling. When the priest said, “You may now kiss the bride.” , she lunged at her husband and kissed her husband with an incredible amount of enthusiasm. Of course I was happy for her, but I couldn’t help but think, “There’s a fifty percent chance her marriage might end in a divorce.” I knew it wasn’t a very nice thought, but it was possible and Aunt Rose was known for being overdramatic and clingy.

Mom, who was sitting next to me, was dabbing her eyes with a Kleenex. “My little sister,” she said to nobody in particular. “is all grown up!” Of course dramatics ran in the family.

I looked over to my left, where Tabby was standing up, singing and doing little twirls, and enjoying the way her pink dress swished around. My little brother John was scribbling into a book , occasionally making unnecessary sound effects. I had been sitting for almost two hours and I couldn’t stand sitting there for much longer. Especially with my family being so embarrassingly loud. I stood up to go get a drink of water.

Before I could even walk two feet, someone called out my name.“Robin!” She shrieked. I turned to see Aunt Rose standing in front of me. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her lipstick was a bit smudged, some of it had smeared onto the corners of her mouth.

“Um, Hi Aunt Rose. Are you okay?” I asked. She was breathing hard almost to the point of hyperventilating.

“Okay?!” she said. “Okay? This is the best day of my life!”she squealed. She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I could faintly smell champagne.

After she pulled away, I smiled at her. “Congratulations.” I said.

She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Honey, it’s so amazing. Just wait until you’re grown up and have a wedding of your own! Maybe I can plan it!”

I forced myself to laugh. “Maybe you could.” The truth was, I never planned to get married. I had almost ruled it out.

“Aunt Rose!” Tabby came running along and tugged on the skirt of Aunt Rose’s long white dress. “Aunt Rose, you look so beautiful.” Tabby was a natural kiss-up.

Rose smiled and picked her up. “But not as beautiful as you, little Tabby Cat!” She gave Tabby’s chubby cheek a gentle pinch.

Upon hearing this, Tabby squealed with delight. “One day, I’m goin to have my very own wedding and marry a prince and then I’ll be a pretty princess in a big castle!” she announced. “And I’m also goin to have my own fairied godmother and she’ll give me whatever I want!” I rolled my eyes. My sister needed a taste of reality.

Just when I was about to tell her that there were no such thing as fairy godmothers, Mom walked up to us. She was full on sobbing now, clutching a moist Kleenex. I suspected that not all of those tears came out of joy. It was kind of a sad sight. “R-rose!” she choked. She pressed the tissue to her nose and blew. “I’m so ha-happy for you!” Then she burst out into some more sobs.

While Aunt Rose tried to calm Mom down, I glanced at John, who was still sitting on the pew. He had been writing in a book for the whole ceremony. It seemed a little strange to me since John hated books. I craned my neck to see what he was writing, and then froze in horror. He had been doodling with markers. On my library book. I had a perfect library track record. I always turned my books in on time in good condition. Until now. Drawn all over the pages, were pictures of crudely drawn ships, aliens, and strange monsters.

Both my siblings lived in their own world. Tabby liked to tell everybody about her 'adventures' and dressed up in a different costume everyday while John liked to daydream and draw odd pictures of creatures I couldn't name on paper and hang them up in his room.

“John!”

John looked up, and then after seeing me, instantly started running.

“I’ll be back.” I told Mom and Aunt Rose as I walked off after John.

He was dashing around wildly, shrieking with laughter. “Catch me if you can!” He pushed the door of the chapel opened and went outside.

I grinded my teeth together. Everything was a game to my little brother. Once I was out of the building and was sure nobody was looking, and I ran after him. “JOHN!” I bellowed. “Give me back my book!”

He didn’t turn back, just screamed like a crazy person and ran into the woods. I followed him, but then hesitated when I got there. The forest scared me. It always had. The trees were so tall, and the branches reminded me of twisty gnarled fingers that were just waiting to snatch me. I slowly began walking through the forest.

I looked around, but John was nowhere to be seen. “John!” I stopped. All I saw were the towering trees and an occasional squirrel scampering by. “John?” I said again. There was no answer, just the crunch of dead leaves beneath my feet and the high pitched singing of a bluebird. I began to panic. Was John lost? Had he been kidnapped by strangers? “John?!” I hollered. “Where are you?!”

There was a titter. I jumped and turned to see John standing a few feet away from me.

“John.” I said. “Please give me back that book.”

He shook his head. “No way!”

I walk towards him and stretched my hand out. “Give me back the book. Now.”

He smirked. “No.”

I was beginning to get impatient. “Please?!”

“Nope!” He really enjoyed torturing me.

“John, you are going to regret---“

He was running again. I shook my head, then thundered towards him. I caught up with him and grapped him by the collar of his shirt. “Give it back.” I ordered.

I heard him sigh, and just when I thought I had won, there was a plunk. He had thrown the book on the ground and kicked it into a hole at the bottom of a tree. I gasped and he wriggled out of my grasp. “John!” I screamed, and he was off; fast as a cheetah. I would’ve pummeled him, but I was too tired to chase after him, and I needed to get that book back. I knelt down, and studied the cavity in the tree. It was pretty big. Big enough for my arm to fit through, at least. But was there anything living in it? Would I get infected with rabies if I stuck my arm in there? I decided that I had no choice but to put my arm in there and get it, no matter what the consequences were.

I took a deep breath I plunged my hand in, moving it around, searching for the feel of a smooth hardcover book. Suddenly, I felt my fingers brush against something. It wasn’t the book. At first, I thought it was a squirrel or chipmunk; some type of little forest creature. But the thing I was touching wasn’t furry. It was smooth and bony. I immediately tried to pull my hand back out, but whatever I was touching wasn’t letting me go. It closed around my fingers and held on, pulling. I screamed, and with all my might, tried to yank my arm out. It didn’t work. Whatever was holding on to me had an insane amount of strength. I tugged, pinched, and then, dug my manicured fingernails into the thing. The grip loosened for moment, but it wasn’t enough time for me to get my hand out. After that, the thing squeezed my hand so tightly, that I thought I heard the bones in my fingers break in half.

Then, I felt myself being dragged. I screamed and yelled for help, but nobody came. By that time, my whole arm was inside the hole. I wouldn’t be able to fit inside. The grip on me was strong and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape its grasp. I gave one last desperate jerk and then, I closed my eyes, ready for my head to be smashed violently against the tree. But my head never hit the tree. Instead, I fell.

I let out a blood curdling scream. And right when I knew I was going to die, something…someone caught me.

My eyes were still closed. I didn’t dare open them.

“What are you?”

When I didn’t answer, the person let go of me and I fell straight to the ground, landing with a thud. My eyes fluttered open. Once I saw the person who was staring down at me, I gasped.
It was a boy. He looked just a little bit younger than me; around fifteen. And he was beautiful. I could feel the breath being knocked right out of me. He was heavily tanned with a mop of golden brown hair and big blue eyes that were paler than the sky. His nose was long and straight; very lightly dusted with freckles. He didn’t look very happy. “That hurt.” He opened his hand and showed me five bloody cuts in the center of his palm. They were curved.

I didn’t pick myself off the ground, I just stared at him gaping for about five minutes. My mouth was dry my throat hurt from all the screaming. I took a deep breath and then finally, I mustered the ability to speak. “I…I’m sorry.”

“What’s your name?” he demanded. “Why are you here?”

I sat up and dusted myself off. “Um, my name’s Robin…”

He jabbed a finger at me. “You are the devil, aren’t you?!” he shouted.

I shook my head. “N-no! I’m…I’m…just a girl.”

“Then why are you dressed like this?” he asked. He lifted up the bottom of my blue dress and peeked under it.

“Stop that!” I pushed him away.

He jumped back and lifted a knife out of his pocket. “Stay away, devil! Do not come next to me!” he slashed the knife around wildly, swinging it back and forth. “I will kill you!”

I backed away from him. I was officially freaked out. “I-I’m not the devil! I’m just a girl!”

He lowered his knife and looked at me with a curious expression. “A…girl.” He said. “The fairies tell me about girls. They say that girls give kisses.” He leaned in close to me. “Can you give me…a kiss?” He whispered it into my ear and it sent shivers down my spine.

I stood up and moved away from him. “Um, no.” I said. “I want to get out of this place.”

He crossed his arms and turned away from me. “I can’t help you.” He started to walk away.

I looked around. There was a dirt ground and the sky, him, and that was all. If he left, I would be alone. “Wait. Stop! Please. I need to get home!”

He turned back and stroked his chin. “Well, I can help you, I suppose.”

“Really? Can you---“

“If you give me a kiss.” His face was solemn. Serious.

I bit my lip. Why he so wanted a kiss from me, I didn't know, but I did have two little siblings. I was no stranger to bargains. “Okay.” I said. “But only if you get me home. Then I’ll give you a kiss.”

He nodded. “It’s agreed.”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Run.” he said.

“Run? That’s your name?” I asked.

“Yup.” He said it proudly, as if Run was the best name a person could have.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I stuck out my hand.

He pushed it away, frowning as he did. “Are you trying to make me bleed again?”