Forward:

I’m different. And no, I don’t mean pink hair or crazy scars. I’m talking about the kind of different that changes things; the abnormality that epic tales are born from. Here is my story:

I lived in an orphanage near the beaches in Maine. It didn’t feel like an orphanage though. It felt like home. I’d been there for as long as I could remember. There were acres upon acres of land for us children to traverse upon. It was almost like living in an enchanted forest. For the longest time, Dawtry Orphanage was a magical place. In the fall, the land was tinted orange. You could hear the ocean at the edge of the property banging and crashing against the shore. And yet, despite such fearsome power, the sound of the waves calmed me. Sometimes when the constant nightmares became too much, I would sneak out to the beach and bask in the moonlight. There was a special cave near the end of our property. It was my secret hideout. I would spend hours there, just staring at the waves and thinking. Eventually, I’d get called back to the Main House by Miss Medley, the owner of the orphanage. She was like a mother to us all. Sometimes, I would pretend like she was my real mother. But then the dream would fade and I would remember that my parents didn’t want me.

There were five children at the orphanage, despite the enormous size. I was always puzzled by this, but I had my own room and lots of space to roam so I wasn’t going to complain. My best friend Puck would sometimes sneak into my room and we would spend the night talking. Talking about our future; wondering about our past. I was happy though. The orphanage was a kind place and I felt loved there. Soon, I would be old enough to live on my own, and the thought made me sad. When Puck and I were younger, we used to plan what we would do when we had to leave. Puck was two months older than me, so he’d leave first. I made him promise to wait for me. We used to say that we’d get married and live right next to the orphanage. We would never give up our children. We would cherish them, just like Miss Medley did for us. Now, I look back on our crazy schemes and laugh. Puck always wanted to learn how to fly. He said he’d learn when he got out. I vowed to help him ascend to the air. I wanted to learn how to swim, but was too afraid to step into the churning and vast ocean. Puck said we’d learn how to once we left. We had our whole lives planned ahead of us. I loved my days with Puck, out in the sunshine, but now I am seventeen. I am almost a woman. I have to grow up and act like one.
I will forever remember the day my world fell apart and came crashing down. The beautiful forest burned black. The once peaceful ocean churned with a fearsome power that scared me. The orphanage was swallowed in yellow flames. The little gardens I planted shriveled up and died. The soft grass was charred black. The birds didn’t sing. The magical trees were left mere stumps. My heart became cold, like ice. It froze the moment I saw Miss Melody gone. It froze the moment I saw Puck. I will forever remember the day Puck, my best friend, died in my arms. The only thing that lifted my spirits was the thought that Puck was free. He’d finally learned how to fly.


~CHAPTER 1~
“Tania! Hurry up already. Miss Melody rang the lunch bell and if we don’t hurry, Thompson will eat all the food!” Puck shouted down the ridge to me. “Coming,” I replied simply. I began to tear my eyes from the hypnotic waves and turned to face my best friend. He stood there, the salty winds teasing his hair. The sun seemed to cast a halo around his dark blonde hair. He was so beautiful. Tall and strong, with bronze skin, he looked perfectly at home with the rugged landscape behind him. I raced up the ridge and we began the walk back home. The trees enveloped us, hiding the sun’s harsh rays from us. I sighed in content. It was a beautiful day, the first day of fall. The slight chill in the air promised of winter. As the leaves crunched under my bare feet, I turned my thoughts to the future. This winter I was to leave the orphanage. Puck was going to leave in a week. I would miss him dearly, but I knew he would wait for me. He always did. “What are you thinking about, Tania?” Puck asked softly, drawing me out of my head. I stopped walking and turned to face him, suddenly blurting my thoughts. “About you. Puck, I don’t want you to leave.” I replied simply. He began to laugh, which upset me. I huffed and turned away from him. “Oh Tania, it’s only for a couple months. Then you’ll be out too. We can learn how to fly.” He said, smiling, “We’ll be free.” I began to walk towards the Main House once again and I heard him follow behind me. Without turning around, I asked, “Don’t you like it here, though?” He replied, “Oh I like it fine, but I really want to see the rest of the world. You and me, Tania, we’ll go explore!” I chuckled. Puck had always been a wild and free spirit. For a time, he was entranced by Dawtry Orphanage, but Puck could never be satisfied. The magical woods here just weren’t enough. For me though, Dawtry was my home. I could never grow tired of the rocky beaches and untamed forests. I would miss this place. It seemed as if I’d been here forever. Puck seemed to understand because he grew quiet and let me soak in the views as we walked. After several minutes, I felt a warm hand grab mine. I smiled and tried to walk on, but Puck wouldn’t move. I turned to ask what the matter was, but he wasn’t looking at me. Following his train of vision, I turned to see what he was looking at, but there was nothing there. “Puck, what’s the matter?” I asked. He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, “I just thought I saw something.” I narrowed my eyes. This was very unlike Puck. He seemed reserved and sad today. I decided to ask him about it later as we reached the Main House.

That night, I heard a knock on my bedroom door. Rap, rap, pause, rap, rap.

I knew instantly who it was. “Puck,” I whispered, “Aren’t you too old for this?” He opened my door, grinning. “Yes, I know but I was lonely.” He said in a mock childish voice. I laughed and patted my bed, signaling for him to sit next to me. His chocolate brown eyes sparkled and his blonde hair was tousled. Was it my imagination, or had he gotten taller? The bed creaked as he sat down beside me and took my hand. I couldn’t help but smile. Without thinking, I whispered, “I’ll miss you.” I heard him sigh. “I will too,” he replied, “So are we still going to get married after this?” He asked with a wicked grin. I punched his arm softly. “Very funny,” I said, “We were just little kids. We didn’t know what we were talking about.” He sighed. “Too bad.” He said with a chuckle. I laughed. Puck always knew how to make me smile. I rose from the bed and pulled him up. “Let’s go onto the balcony.” I said. Hand in hand, we walked out into the soft moonlight. I turned to Puck and asked, “So what will you do while I’m still here?” “Well,” he replied, “I will try and get a house by the water and have it ready for you.” “Thank you.” I said, breathless. The moon was so full and beautiful. It took my breath away. “Lovely, isn’t it?” Puck said. “Yes,” I replied and leaned on his shoulder. He put his arm around me and led me back to my bed. “You should get some rest.” He said. I began to feel my lids droop. They were so heavy. “Stay with me?” I slurred. He smiled and got into bed with me. “Goodnight,” He whispered and drowsiness overtook me. I fell asleep, lying next to my best friend.

Burning. Everything was burning. Yellow flames engulfed everything. The orphanage was burning! I could only stand there, paralyzed. Had to do something… The familiar tug pulled me towards the sea. If only the waves could wash away the burning. I saw Puck, burning, screaming in the woods! A sob escaped me. Had to save them… I screamed and the waves roared in my ears. Calling to me… Calling to me…

I woke up screaming! Puck was holding me in his arms as tears ran down my face. He was alive. Everyone was alright. I began to calm down and he kissed me on the cheek. My face burned. “Was it the same dream?” Puck asked, concern written on his face. I simply nodded. He sighed and began to stroke my hair, which calmed me down. After a while, he pulled me to my feet and began to lead me to my cave by the water… The moon was still high overhead and the ocean waves soothed my ragged spirit. Puck stood a few feet away, giving me my space. For that I was grateful. I needed to be alone with the waves. I breathed in, out, in, out, the salty air filling my lungs. I began to feel sleepy again and leaned against the rocks for support. “We should head back.” Puck said, breaking the silence. Slowly, I turned my back on the beloved waves and trudged home.
The next morning, I carefully walked down the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Suzie raced by with Laney right behind her. “Gimme back my dolly!” Laney cried. “Only if you can catch me!” Suzie replied, laughing. I smiled and kept walking. The children here were so full of life. It made me happy to see them this way. “Good morning Tania.” Called a voice from behind me. Thompson, a little Caribbean kid, stood at the top of the steps, waving down at me. I turned and waved back. He raced down the stairs towards the kitchen. His favorite thing to do was eat. As I walked into the room, I saw the faces of all the ones I loved sitting around a big wooden table. At the head was Miss Melody. She was a middle aged woman with a kind, open face. Her brown hair was streaked with grey, making her look mature and wise. Her blue eyes regarded with such love that I couldn’t help but smile. She turned to face the four other faces in the room. “Ok everyone. Today I will be gone most of the day getting supplies ready for the goodbye party for Puck. Everyone can have the day off from their schoolwork since it’s Saturday but no leaving the property. Be good!” She said, turning to face each and every one of us. There was a chorus of “yes ma’am” and “Okay” throughout the circle. Miss Melody nodded and turned to leave. “Goodbye then everyone! Be nice and Puck is in charge while I’m gone. If he says anything stupid, Tania’s in charge.” She said with a chuckle. I nodded and turned to Puck, who was laughing. When I turned back to face Miss Melody, she was gone. “Ok guys,” I said to the group, “you heard her. Don’t leave the property. And no swimming today. The weather channel said it’s going to rain.” Suzie piped up, “You know we NEVER leave Dawtry.” I looked in her direction with suspicion. Suzie had attempted to leave the property several times before. I would have to keep an eye on her. Puck stood up and grabbed my hand. “You guys keep eating. I’m going to steal Tania away for a while and if you guys need us, we’ll be outside.” He said and raced me out of the room. I scowled. “Puck, you know we can’t leave them alone. What are you doing?” He placed a finger over his lips, asking for silence. I growled but complied.

“Where are we going?” I asked for the fifth time, once again with no response. Puck tiptoed behind me and covered my eyes. I could hear the waves and smell salt on the wind. “The ocean…” I murmured without knowing. Puck began to lead me, my eyes still closed. He whispered in my ear, “I found this the other day. It was hidden but with a little man power and skipping some school, I managed to clear a path for us.” I giggled but tried to cover it up with a cough. “Now,” He said, “Open!” He removed his hands from my eyes and I gasped. We were a hundred or so feet up and far down below, the waves crashed. The endless blue stretched on for miles and miles all around and my head felt like it was going to burst from all the smiling. Rocks scraped my bare feet and seagulls crowed above, looking for a meal. Puck stood silently beside me, taking in the scenery. “This would be a great place to learn how to fly!” He shouted and took a step towards the ledge. I screamed and pulled him back, but he only laughed and laughed. Indignant, I punched his arm softly and went to stand closer off the side of the cliff-face. Dropping to my belly, I shimmied till my head was dangling in the air. Sharp rocks jutted out of the waves far down below. Suddenly nauseous, I saw double and began to sway. I felt Puck’s arms on my waist. “Careful there, Tania.” He said, pulling me back to firmer ground. I held my head in my hands and waited for the world to stop spinning. “I’m sorry. That was odd. I guess I’m not much for heights.” I said slowly. Puck’s face fell some and he looked concerned. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.” He said. “No, no,” I replied hastily, “It’s beautiful here and I’m glad you showed me.” I gave him my warmest smile to reassure him. He asked if I was ok, then pulled me to my feet and led me back under the copse of trees. Now that Puck’s hands weren’t covering my eyes, I could see that we had come to the farthest part of the property. I could even see the road that led to the more populated part of the coast. As I spun to look behind me, I caught a glimpse of something shining in the light. Pinpointing its location, I tried in vain to view it again but it was gone.
CHAPTER 2
I slowly sat up in bed and kneaded my eyes. It was Friday and I was…I gasped! It was FRIDAY! My heart grew heavy. Puck would be leaving tonight. I grabbed my robe and raced to Puck’s room on the other side of the hall. Not even bothering to knock, I simply barged into his room catching him unawares. He was curled up, his sheets a mound on the floor, his shirt lying beside that. He looked so peaceful, his mouth slightly curved upward, as if he were having a good dream. I couldn’t disturb him so I simply sat down beside his bed and peered around his room. Books were lying on every surface, strewn on the floor. A map of Middle Earth from ‘Lord of the Rings’ was hung up on the far wall by his own balcony. Right next to that was a John Lennon poster. I smiled. He was so unique, so special. My smiled faded away. He just couldn’t leave. I heard a soft groan behind me and turned to find a bleary eyed Puck looking down at me. “Wha?” He began and I hastily rose. “I’m sorry…” I began but he simply raised a hand and smiled. He replied, “Its fine. You need something?” I shook my head slowly, not wanting to face the truth. He was going to leave. As if reading my thoughts, he began to frown and said, “I need to finish packing.” I nodded dumbly at this and turned to leave. I suddenly couldn’t stand to see him another moment.

“Take a walk with me?” Puck asked me as I sat at my desk, working on Trig homework. I arched my back to stretch out the kinks and stood up. I replied, “Yes, a walk would do me good. I think my butt’s fallen asleep.” Puck laughed at that and we walked out the front door. “Whatcha doing?” came a voice from behind. Suzie materialized from behind the stairs. I turned and said, “We are going for a walk. If you need anything, go talk to Miss Melody.” Suzie pouted and said, “Oh c’mon! Let me come with you. I never get to have any fun!” Puck walked over to her and kneeled so he was her height. “I want to have a little time with Tania before I leave but I promise we can make a big fort later on, ok?” He said with such love, I sighed. A big piece of this home would be missing soon. Suzie nodded and let us pass. Puck asked me, “So where to, Milady?” And he gave me a silly, formal bow. I laughed and curtsied while replying “How about the cave?”
We talked. For hours on end we laughed and spoke of the future. The sun had begun to set and I felt my eyes mist. “It’s almost time isn’t it?” I whimpered. He gave me a hug and rested his chin on my head as we peered off into the distance. We stood there in silence for a while. Then behind us I heard a twig snap and Puck tensed. I broke our embrace and turned my back to the sea. I scanned our surroundings and gasped. There! I saw I something glisten, just like before in the woods. Once again, it was gone. Puck turned and began to walk off. “Wait, where are you going?” I cried. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He said rather distractedly. I followed him with my gaze as he became a speck in the distance.

I waited and waited. For half an hour I stood pacing on the beach until I finally snapped. “Where IS he?!” I yelled. Enough was enough. I was going to find him and figure out what on earth had happened. I stalked off in the direction he had taken, searching and calling out his name. Night was fast approaching and I was beginning to think I would have to go get help when I saw something odd off in the distance. I raced towards it, careful of the sharp rocks that littered the beach. Something bright red glistened on the ground. A single drop among the grey rock. It was so out of place that I bent over to inspect it further. Still trying to figure out what on earth it was, I looked up and found a bigger splotch over a few feet. Intrigued, I searched for more. They became more and more frequent on the earth and they slowly led me to the water. Startled, I felt the waves lapping my toes. Odd,

I thought, the trail of red ends here.

I sighed and began to search the water for the source. A shrill scream ripped through the air. I was shocked to realize that the sound had come from my mouth. There, floating some feet off was a bruised and bloodied Puck.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 26.02.2012

Alle Rechte vorbehalten

Widmung:
This book is for all those who need a home or want to learn how to soar.