Lark's End

by Christina Leigh Pritchard

  ATTEMPT

  Tahmi paced back and forth in front of the pool of oil. Her sister had been under there for several minutes now. Was she dead?

  “Help me pull her out,” she shouted.

  Trusty and Sandy skidded down the muddy hill, crashing into a large boulder. Sandy shook the loose mud from her wings. “What can we do? She’s been down there too long.”

  “There’s no such word as quit,” Andy exclaimed. “That’s what my dad says. Never quit on anyone.”

  Andy grabbed Tahmi by the ankles. She took a deep breath and let him lower her in.

  The suction was fierce, dragging her all the way under and him halfway.

  Tahmi flailed her arms around furiously hoping to find something of substance for her to grab onto. She could feel Andy’s grip slip.

  Was that her sister? Her hands hit something long and narrow. Tahmi held onto her and jiggled her foot so Andy knew to pull them up.

  Andy tried, his hands slipping from her ankles.

  Tahmi grabbed onto her sister, feeling Teri’s oil slick hair against her chest. She wasn’t moving.

  They’d die together; just great.

  TEAM WORK

  “Just great!” Jerry screamed. Andy gagged, coughing up oil. It was all over him. He couldn’t open his eyes and he barely breathed without wheezing.

  “That stuff is nasty.” Sandy stamped her feet. “They’re going to die if we don’t do something.”

  “Andy, take my ankles. I’ll get them,” Jerry said, lying on his stomach inches from the oil pool. “Let’s get on with it. Every second counts.”

  “I’m,” Andy coughed, “already dirty.” He flopped onto the ground, oil sprayed onto Jerry’s shirt. “Hurry up, punk!”

  Jerry scrambled to his feet. His fingers were strong around Andy’s ankles. “Trusty, Sandy, I need one of you to hold onto me.”

  “I’ll do it,” Trusty said.

  “But I’m the war horse. It’s my job to protect the princesses.” Sandy trotted ahead. “Let me do it.”

  “You’re more use to us as a look out for dangerous creatures,” Trusty spoke hurriedly. “I can’t guard anyone from those things.”

  She nodded. “I’ll look for water and shelter.”

  Trusty grabbed Jerry by the britches. His horse shoes sunk in the mud under the weight of them all. “Hurry up.” He ground his teeth.

  “Andy, can you see them?”

  Andy’s arms grabbed onto something. He pulled with every fiber in his body. He wasn’t going to let go this time.

  “He’s got something, pull, Trusty.”

  The brown horse used every muscle in his body, backing up, inch by inch until he was against the hillside. He let go, dropping Jerry in the mud.

  “Did you get them?”

  Jerry opened his eyes and gasped. Andy held onto a long branch. “They’re still down there!”

  Andy choked, now unable to move. He lay on his stomach with oil in his throat. He could hardly breathe. There was no way he could go in there again. His body shook and he sobbed. He’d failed. His best friend was stuck deep in the oil dying because of him.

  “Trusty, help me!” Jerry dived ahead of the horse into the dark substance.

  The horse, barely grabbed him by the leg of his pants. He shook and struggled under the boy’s weight. Trusty had never experienced such pain in all his life.

  Jerry could feel the blonde strands of Tahmi’s hair float around him. He would never forget the way it flowed around him the night before as she tried to enlighten him of her strange ways. He tugged on it.

  Her hair was slick and his fingers slipped. Jerry searched around her body, finally putting his hands inside her shirt. He held onto the fabric, signaling for the horse to pull them out.

  Trusty tugged like he’d never tugged before. He knew his very existence depended upon the blonde powerless princess. If she died the whole world would crash around them—there’d be war after war and he wasn’t ready for that. Keep the peace and save the little girl.

  The horse fell backwards, smacking his shoulders into round stones. They broke skin and blood painted the rock mass. “Did you get them this time?”

  Jerry gagged, still holding Tahmi with all his might. He couldn’t move. His body was covered in oil and what could possibly help remove it from their bodies?

  Andy stood now. He’d used the mud around them to clean his face. He looked like a freak but at least he could see. “Hey, Tahmi has Princess Teri.”

  Jerry still couldn’t open his eyes or speak.

  Andy knelt, wiping his face with mud, over and over until the film around his mouth and eyes were gone. It still stuck in his ears, making all sound muffled.

  “Help me get these girls breathing.” Andy leaned over Teri. “She’s been under longest. Try CPR on Tahmi.”

  “CPR? What the heck is that?”

  “Do as I do.” Andy pressed on Teri’s chest, pumping her. He then held her nose with his fingers and breathed into her mouth.

  Jerry glanced at Tahmi. His lips would have to touch hers.

  Andy worked furiously on Teri while Jerry just sat there.

  “C’mon, man!” Andy shouted, his freckled face red. “Don’t let my best friend die!”

  Jerry carefully put his hands in the lower cavity of Tahmi’s chest. He pressed. “One, two, three, four,” then held her nose. His fingers twitched and he could feel the warmth from her lips. His breath was hot, flowing through her.

  “Get out of my way!” Andy shoved him aside, pumping Tahmi’s chest as fast as he could.

  Jerry glanced up at Teri who sat doubled over, groaning and still spitting up whatever oil leaked into her mouth. “You’re gonna have to put that mud in your mouth. It’s the only thing that cleanses the oil from skin.”

  “Excuse me?” Teri gagged on oil that slipped down her throat. She couldn’t stop. Her chest heaved and finally, she vomited, expelling the grime.

  Tahmi gasped for air, knocking into Andy’s forehead. Her heart pounded and she couldn’t see. “Where am I?” She gagged, rolling onto her stomach. Her nose was full of oil and it only seeped into her more if she wasn’t on her stomach.

  “Rub your face with mud.” Andy covered her hair and back with brown, thick mud.

  Jerry crawled over, lifting her head slightly. Tahmi leaned up on her elbows. Her face tingled as his hands rubbed her cheeks.

  The only part of her body that didn’t hurt were her lips. They had their own heartbeat.

  “Did we get Teri out?” She coughed some more.

  “Yes, your sister is alive,” Teri answered, leaning over Tahmi. “I suppose I have you to thank for not letting go of me.”

  “See.” Tahmi smiled now, letting her face drop in the mud. “I told you if you came on this mission you’d lose your crown and get your dress dirty.”

  Teri grabbed the top of her head. Her favorite crown was gone, deep in the pool of venomous oil.

  Sandy’s shadow loomed over them. “Did you get the princesses out?”

  Trusty neighed to her in the distance. She reared up. “I’ve found a fresh source of what looks like water and somewhere for us to recuperate.”

  “Come down here,” Jerry shouted. “We need you and Trusty to carry us there.”

  Sandy slid down the hill, banging into Trusty. His brown eyes softened and she somehow felt as if she were home while looking in them.

  “Let’s get these kids to safety.” Trusty smiled, kneeling. Tahmi and Jerry climbed up onto his back. “Sandy, why don’t you help your princess?”

  Sandy blinked. Teri. “Is she hurt?” She sloshed through the mud, leaning over the young girl. She’d been with Teri since the child was three years old. “Teri?”

  “I’m alive, Sandy. Please don’t grow weak on me right now. I need a war horse, not another doting mom.” Teri leaned against the horse’s shoulder blade. “A little help, freckled one.”

  Andy glanced up at the girl. “I think I’ve earned enough respect to b
e called by my name.”

  Teri nodded. “Andy,” she choked. “Please assist.”

  He jumped up, petting Sandy. Next, he hoisted Teri over the Arabian horse’s back.

  Teri almost welcomed the hand he placed on her while they rode up the hillside.

  POWERLESS

  Sandy and Trusty sloshed through the muddy terrain towards the sloping cave entrance. It sat on a hill high up over everything else. Light shone upon it and there wasn’t much mud on its rooftop.

  “Look,” Sandy whinnied. “Greens.”

  She was right. There was some sort of moss growing on the top of the cave.

  “Wait till you see what I found inside!”

  “I smell water,” Trusty said, cantering ahead.

  They moved quickly.

  “I’m gonna hurl.” Tahmi groaned. The horses did not listen, moving even faster.

  “The lights will be down in a few hours. If we hurry, we may have enough time to clean up.”

  “With what?”

  Sandy grinned. “You’ll see.”

  They stood outside the cave’s entrance. Something trickled inside, splattering onto the limestone ground. It was wet and slippery. “Looks like Mary didn’t destroy all life after all.”

  Trusty stopped.

  “What is it?” Sandy turned her neck so that she faced him.

  “If there’s life, then what exactly?”

  “It looked empty to me. I searched the cave very thoroughly. No one plans to venture too far in right? If we stay close to the entrance we should be safe.”

  “Okay.” He sighed. “We need water and food and shelter so I guess we’ll take whatever we can get at this point.”

  Tahmi rubbed her eyes. An oily film still stuck to her lids and fingers. Her head pounded and her eyes burned. Was she dizzy?

  A cave with a slanted mountainous overhang stood before her. Were the horses bringing them in there? There was a familiar sound that echoed inside her ears. It was muffled and hardly audible. She knew that sound!

  It was water.

  She slid down Trusty’s side and stumbled inside the cave. She fell to her knees, too weak to walk.

  “Look Princess,” Sandy nudged her. “Water from your world.”

  Tahmi glanced up. There, trickling down a rock was clear water. It wasn’t pink or flavored. Just pure water—the purest she’d probably ever taste.

  “Oh, that’s what I need.” She crawled over to the small puddle forming on the ground. She tilted her head, opening her mouth under the dripping water. It was as if she’d been deprived of its satisfaction for years.

  “Andy,” she gargled, “water.”

  He hobbled down, swaggering across the cave. He splashed water on them as he crashed into puddles. “Real water,” he moaned.

  Jerry and Teri frowned. What was so real about it?

  Teri took a sip. It was tasteless. Who would be grateful for that? She missed her water. It was prettier and tastier.

  Jerry drank. He didn’t care that it tasted foreign to him. It still quenched his thirst.

  “Look what else I found.” Sandy trotted ahead of them. She disappeared around the corner. Returning, her voice was muffled. “It’s carrots!”

  Tahmi looked up. Sandy held carrots in her teeth. “Where’d you get that?”

  “In the little garden,” Sandy mumbled. “There’s more, come see!”

  Jerry and Tahmi struggled to stand. Their knees wobbled but the desire to see an actual garden strengthened them. They took slow steps turning the corner.

  Their eyes widened. Up ahead, the light shown through a hole in the slanted cave’s roof onto a small garden of various vegetables. There was dirt and even more water flowing into a small underground stream.

  Tahmi placed her hand in the water. It was as cold as ice.

  “Don’t, you’re oily still.” Jerry pulled her away. “Don’t damage the water supply.”

  “Sorry.” She rubbed her hands for warmth. “This place is amazing.”

  She looked up at the light. It hit the sides of the cave walls. Gems glistened. Rubies, emeralds, gold, silver… Her eyes watered. She’d finally found something more awe inspiring than the ocean.

  Butterflies and glow bugs or maybe they were loonettes, fluttered through the air, lighting the garden. It was breathtaking.

  Jerry watched Tahmi’s mouth open. Her eyes danced. Even covered in filth and grime, she shined. His fingers trembled. Her hair stuck together in thick globs making her look like a monster—a glorious one.

  “Isn’t this amazing?” Tahmi twirled round, letting her caked hair attempt to fly.

  “Yeah, it is.” Jerry grabbed her by the hand. “Still not the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, though.”

  DARKNESS

  Trusty and Sandy stood at the entrance together. They peered out at the desolate waste surrounding them.

  Sandy sighed. How could something so beautiful be surrounded by such filth? It made their little finding even more fascinating. “There’s still way too much oil on them.”

  Trusty nodded. “I know it’s not good. But what can we do?”

  “What about that goo? Didn’t you say it helped heal people?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “Why don’t we go get some and bring it to them?”

  “It’s over a two-day journey. We’ll find another way.”

  “How do you know?” She wept. “I can hardly look at them.”

  “It’s just a part of the mission. They know full well that this is a consequence of taking on this task.”

  “Do you regret coming?” Sandy inched closer, “Would you be happier if you were at home being a simple stable hand again?”

  “That’s a job I’ll never be able to do again.”

  “Why?”

  “After such adventures as these, who could?”

  Sandy rested her chin on his back. The closer she was to the brown horse the safer she felt. “I could.”

  “If you wanted me to be a stable hand with you I’d be one for all the days of my life.”

  Trusty’s skin shook. She closed in the distance between them. “Why do I feel whole when I stand next to you?”

  The brown horse lowered his head, hiding his moist eyes. He wanted to tell her the truth—what he was to her... But, where had that gotten him in the past? The laughing stock of Farmhouse Circle. She’d have to realize it all on her own.

  “What are you not telling me?” Sandy whinnied in his ear.

  He faced her, his wife. How long had it been since he’d embraced her? Over twelve years.

  They touched noses.

  “Sandy,” Trusty began, “I—”

  “TRUSTY!”

  They turned abruptly.

  Tahmi scrambled to her feet. “Where’s the firelight? Someone’s blown it out.”

  Jerry sat, rubbing his eyes. “It probably went out on its own.”

  “No.” She panicked. “I felt it grow cold instantly. Someone is out there.”

  Andy and Teri woke. “What do you mean?” Andy mumbled, still half asleep. “Are you sure you’re not just paranoid? You can get a little wacky when you’re tired.”

  “No,” Tahmi stood now, “Something is watching us. I can feel it.”

  Sandy and Trusty circled, trying to catch every shadow that danced about. Was one of them a threat?

  “Teri, get up. We need you.” Andy shook her.

  “I’m awake. Who could sleep with all that noise?”

  “Up, up.” Andy grabbed her underneath the shoulders. “Something is going to attack us. I’m not in the mood to die right now.”

  “And I suppose you expect me to save you?”

  “Kinda, yeah.”

  “I’m too weak.” She collapsed against the wall. “I’ve tried to emit acid so that maybe I could burn this oil off my skin but I can’t seem to do it. I tried—”

  Andy covered her mouth with his hand. “Shh.”

  Tahmi and Jerry stuck close. He squinted. W
as there really something watching them? “I’ll relight the fire.”

  He tossed in dried branches, watching the flames light the cave.

  Jerry couldn’t believe his eyes.

  Tahmi took his hand, trembling. “Please tell me this is just a nightmare.”

  “This is just a nightmare,” Jerry said.

  “Not funny.” She backed into him. Her body nestled with his.

  They looked at the cave walls.

  Thousands of black shadows stared at them with glowing green eyes.

  “Run,” Jerry whispered. He took her hand and dragged her towards the opening of the cave.

  The shadows took form as they neared the firelight. They were large bugs over a foot in length. They weren’t beautiful like the loonettes which lived in the gigantic flowers. These were black like coal and their green eyes shined wickedly.

  “I knew something had to live in here!” Trusty neighed. He reared up, trying to find a way to access his friends.

  The bugs circled round the horses, pushing them out of the cave and into the desolate wasteland. Others forced Andy and Teri up against the wall. They couldn’t believe their eyes.

  “It’s roaches!” Andy screamed. “The biggest ones I ever saw!”

  CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

  David paced back and forth in the Russo’s living room. It felt like an eternity since he’d hung up with the police. Why hadn’t the others thought to consider it a kidnapping? The police never took runaways seriously.

  Flashing lights shone through the windows. Donna opened the front door and raced outside in her bare feet. Would they help her now?

  A large metal truck parked. In big, bold letters it said C.S.I and under that, Crime Scene Investigation. Several persons climbed out, carrying bags of equipment.

  Two policemen tipped their hats at Donna. “Ma’am,” one said. “We want to set up next door in case the victims return with the culprit.”

  “Peg and David are inside,” Donna stammered. “Is this really that serious?” She couldn’t breathe. What in the world had happened to her daughter? The old man had given her one job and that was to keep Tahmi safe.

  Charles wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “They’ll find the kids, don’t worry, honey.”