Pointless Childhood Story About Hex

 

The cheerful cry of children was deafening as twigs snapped underneath their feet.  Heidi couldn’t remember the name of this town, not that a seven-year-old would care.  All she really knew was that it was boring and her mother kept telling her it was home.  Hilda, her mother, had found a job here as an assistant to a seamstress and they were living in the woman’s house with her and her ten-year-old son Aaron.  This town didn’t even have a doctor.  There was someone who knew medicine, but no real  doctor.  It was miles from a city surrounded by forest and in the colder seasons snow. 

 

It was cold enough for snow now, but the clear skies said no snow yet.  The forest is where Heidi and Aaron found most of the fun when they wanted to escape the watchful eyes of their mothers.  The two laughed as they swatted at each other with their poor imitations of swords, nothing more than sticks found on the ground.  They had been out there for hours and both were red-faced and panting, coats hanging open even though their mothers would beat them for doing so.  They had rules for their game, a way for someone to win but to any observer those rules were no where to be seen. 

 

Aaron swung his “sword” for Heidi’s left shoulder, but her being shorter made her a harder target to hit, and she giggled as stepped out of his range, turned, and ran.

 

“Hey!”  Aaron shouted and gave chase.  She was fast for her small frame but he had a longer stride and was able to keep up.  He lost site of her as she ran around a large bolder.

“Heidi?  Where’d you go?” Even as he finished the question he saw her foot disappear over the edge of the rock.  Aaron looked up at her as she peeked over the side.  She was smiling one of those smiles that children get that’s almost smug except they’re too cute.

 

“What are you doing up there?”

 

“Making you come to me.” She quoted.  After all he had said the same thing when he climbed the shed behind his house last time they played this game. 

 

“yeah, well come down.  If you fall and get hurt my mom will kill me.  I’m supposed to be watching you and keeping you safe.”

 

“Come up here an make me!” More smiles.

 

Aaron placed both his hand on his hips mimicking the posture their mothers would get when the children would do something wrong.

 

“I got half a mind to just leave you up there!”

 

“No you wont.  I’ll tell mama you left me alone out here and you’ll be in trouble.”  She shot back finishing in a sing-song-y voice.

 

“Okay, but you asked for it.”  He looked away from her to find something to use in helping him climb the rock, which he still had no idea how she climbed in the first place.  Spotting a good size log not too far away he went to move it.  He stopped several feet away seeing red in mixed with mud and what little snow was on the ground.  Animal tracks followed the trail.  Aaron was smart enough to if there was a dead or wounded animal near by it was going to attract predators.  Animals that might find small children a testy snack.  Suddenly scared he backed away slowly eyes darting around.  He eventually turned and ran back to the rock Heidi was on. 

 

“Heidi get down!  We need to get back before it gets dark or I wont be sitting for a week!”  he didn’t want to scare her but needed to get her somewhere safe. He knew she would listen if only for the tone he used when he said it.

 

Getting back to the rock he picked up a larger stick and waited for Heidi to comply with the order.  Looking between Heidi and the woods he missed Heidi slipping. There was a short scream followed by a thud.  Running around the bolder he had to laugh.  She had managed to fall face first into the ground and now looked up at him eyes wide, smudges all over her cheeks and nose.  Crouching down in front of her he waited for her to cry.  After all that what girls do when they get hurt.  To his surprise she didn’t.

 

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

 

“When I said get down I didn’t mean take a nose dive.”  He began to pull her to her feet.  “Always doing things the hard way.  I am going to be in so much trouble.”  Aaron stated looking at who dirty she had gotten.  As they began to walk he noticed the small limp she now had.  Knowing not to draw attention to something that she apparently didn’t notice herself he stopped her.

 

“You’re too slow, Hop on.”  Aaron gestured for her to get on his back.  Happy to not have to walk all the way back to the house she jumped up for the piggy back ride.  Once she was in place he tilted his head back to glance her way.

 

“You ready to go coward? OW!”

 

“I’m not a coward!”

 

“Sure and you were just…falling back to a more strategic position…?”

 

“If it makes me look good, yes.”

 

“Oh and if our moms ask…You tripped…?