User:Khandivya/Nightmare Number 3

''Keishe sat on the ground near a tree, playing with some sticks and some dirt. This stick was the mommy, and this stick was the daddy and this rock, that was Keishe. The mommy and daddy were having a fight again, and Keishe, who obviously needed to lose some weight, was leaning out over the edge of the imaginary tent straining to hear their argument. Keishe knew that if anyone overheard her playing, they would be angry, so she kept her mock argument as quiet as she could.''

''A troll boy walked up, and Keishe knew he was there. But no matter how much she screamed at herself to stand up and fight him, she just sat there moving her sticks and her rocks around. The boy got close to her, and she still didn’t notice, but she was still screaming, loudly “Get up! Get up!” as though watching a play where she knew the outcome.''

''The boy picked up a rock and threw it at her, it hit her shoulder and bounced away, off into a nearby bush. Ouch, that hurt! Keishe’s hand moved involuntarily to the shoulder, rubbing it gently where she knew a bruise would appear later. This had happened many times before. He was bigger than almost every other kid and he knew it. He said some things then, but Keishe couldn’t remember what they were.''

''She remembered this part though. He reached down, as if to pick up another rock. Keishe was to slow, to weak. He grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at her as he called out her name, “Keishe! Watch this!” She looked up at him and dirt got all over her face, and in her eyes. He had done this before, she remembered. But this time was different. She rubbed her eyes to try to get the dirt out; she didn’t know that she was just rubbing it in further.''

''Another person come along, this one running, Khan! Khan would save her! And she did, she pushed the boy into the ground and made him eat dirt. She even found a worm to stick up his nose and in his ear. Keishe laughed at that, even though she knew that the boy would just come back later and harder when Khan wasn’t around. But for now she was safe, Khan picked her up, she was really strong, and carried her back to the tent, leaving her sticks and her rocks under that tree.''

''She remembered her eye getting infected, green and exuding slime and dirt for a month. The tribe shaman tried to wash it out, but Keishe screamed whenever anyone got near her eye. Then Khan would come and she would hold the little troll girl and tell her that it was ok, and then the shaman was able to come closer and he got a lot of the dirt out, but not all of it.''

When it was gone, she didn’t think she could see as well as she was once able to.

The tent smelt of smoke. Usually this was a pleasant smell, the smell of the warriors of the tribe coming back from the hunt with new and exciting things to eat, the smell of the feast! But they had feasted a week ago, and the warriors hadn’t left yet to go hunting again. Where was the smoke coming from?

Keishe looked around her tent, she was alone. That was unusual; usually she would wake up look over at Khan and feel safe, even if her daddy wasn’t there because he was off with another troll lady. Not tonight.

She stood up. The smoke was thick and she couldn’t see very far. She started to cough quietly, the cough of a five year old girl. She got down low where there was less smoke and she crawled out of the tent. When she got to the entrance she carefully opened the bottom and peered out. A pair of feet stood outside the tent, covered in grimy metal. She could hear the rough sounds of people talking, but they weren’t talking in any language she understood. But she knew that she should hide, that these people wanted to hurt her. She yelled at herself to run and hide, that little girls weren’t strong enough to deal with these people. And to her relief, she did hide, she crawled to the back of the tent and cut a little hole in the side to breathe through and she prayed that the smoke wouldn’t get any thicker, and that the fire wouldn’t get any stronger, and she prayed that one day she would be able to fight the fire and stop the bad people.

Keishe sat on the ground near a tree, playing with some sticks and some dirt. This stick was the mommy, and this stick was the daddy and this rock, that was Keishe. The mommy and daddy were having a fight again, and Keishe, who obviously needed to lose some weight, was leaning out over the edge of the imaginary tent straining to hear their argument. Keishe knew that if anyone overheard her playing, they would be angry, so she kept her mock argument as quiet as she could.

A troll boy walked up, and Keishe knew he was there. But no matter how much she screamed at herself to stand up and fight him, she just sat there moving her sticks and her rocks around. The boy got close to her, and she still didn’t notice, but she was still screaming, loudly “Get up! Get up!” as though watching a play where she knew the outcome.

The boy picked up a rock and threw it at her, it hit her shoulder and bounced away, off into a nearby bush. Ouch, that hurt! Keishe’s hand moved involuntarily to the shoulder, rubbing it gently where she knew a bruise would appear later. This had happened many times before. He was bigger than almost every other kid and he knew it. He said some things then, but Keishe couldn’t remember what they were.

She remembered this part though. He reached down, as if to pick up another rock. Keishe was to slow, to weak. He grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at her as he called out her name, “Keishe! Watch this!” She looked up at him and dirt got all over her face, and in her eyes. He had done this before, she remembered. But this time was different. She rubbed her eyes to try to get the dirt out; she didn’t know that she was just rubbing it in further.

Something was different this time…what was it? What was different? She looked up, peering at the boy with the one eye that could see, even through the tears, and she saw Khan standing there. Khan would help her! Khan would save her! But Khan just stood there and shook her head, no Keishe, you don’t deserve saving. You didn’t save me, why should I save you?

The next day she woke up. She didn’t know how she had fallen asleep, but she had. The sounds of people and fire had died down and the smoke had cleared from the tent, but it still smelt like smoke. Keishe crawled carefully to the entrance to the tent and peered out again. Her people were there, walking around, but everyone looked as though someone had died. She stood up and walked outside. Her mom came running over to her and picked her up, crying. Keishe remembered her mom saying that Khan was missing, that they couldn’t find Khan, oh her baby, and her mom wouldn’t stop crying. Keishe didn’t know what to do. She felt guilty; she was so helpless and had cried in her bed instead of trying to stop them. So she promised herself that she would be strong and that no one would ever hurt her again. She gently patted her mom’s hair and told her that it would be alright, and she was sure Khan was just hiding somewhere. Her mom stopped crying; maybe she felt that she shouldn’t be crying when her five year old was being so strong. She told Keishe that she was a good girl, a brave girl and to go play by the tree near the tents so that mommy and daddy could help out in the camp.

Keishe woke with a start and pulled her dagger out from under her pillow where she usually kept it. She looked around, looking for a stranger in the night, coming to hurt her and her loved ones. No sounds could be heard, except for the gentle snoring of Tati next to her. She relaxed, just another nightmare she couldn’t even remember.

Careful not to wake the sleeping priestess beside her, she carefully put some clothes on and stepped out of their room into the balcony that looked over the guild common room. She walked down the stairs, creaking gently as she did so, and sat at her table in the corner. Pulling out her papers, she put them on the table and started to drawing and write. Soon it would be complete and then she would never have to fear anything ever again.

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