Escape from Hindmirror Village

13-year old Ketzal crept into the bedroom she shared with her older sister Lisa, taking care to be quiet. It was very late, probably around four in the morning, and the sun was already starting to rise. She had been out late, walking around her small village and enjoying the nighttime. This was something she did frequently; she preferred the night to the day. It was calm and quiet, whereas the day was loud and busy. Ketzal used the very small amount of light coming through the window to look [...]

II. “How do you know?” she whined. “Just trust me they’re not going to die. In the end this will all blow over and we’ll be a happy family again,” Will said this in a surely voice, but he didn’t know what would happen. He was scared too. “Hey guys, do you want to come up here, it’s safer to be hidden,” Ketzal tried to be optimistic. “No we better be going,” Will started to turn around. “Where are you, going to go?” Ketzal questioned him. “Home.” “Remember [...]

To Ketzal’s great embarrassment she nearly lost her footing on the sturdy branch that she was clinging onto again. She had already had enough near death experiences for one day and she certainly didn’t want anymore. “What, did I scare you?” The boy that Ketzal assumed to be James laughed in a not-to-kind way. Her cheeks flamed red and she felt a strong surge of sorrow as she thought back to her kind, loving family who had just that night been tragically taken from her. “Well, Will, W [...]

IV. In front of them the ground fell away into a cavernous ravine, sloping sharply down to a rushing stream. James, the fastest and farthest ahead of the group, skidded to a halt, his feet slipping dangerously close to the edge. Ketzal jerked around and looked backwards. Will looked close to dropping Sally, and the soldiers thundering behind them. Soon, the officers would see them. They had to do something, now. Ketzal’s mind raced, searching for some way to get out of sight of the sold [...]

It took many trips back and forth from the cave to the available bit of woods to gather enough supplies to last the night. Halfway through, Will got grumpy and disagreeable, and when James tried to talk some sense into him, Will exploded. “Here I am, tiring myself out just for you, and you think I will be fine listening to you complain about my company? Well, if you’d rather go hang out with the soldiers, be my guest. Just don’t come running back to me when they tell you they are le [...]

A growl came from the outside Will and James looked everywhere but could not find the beast that could have snarled. Quick glances shot around the cave everyone moved further down into the cave. Ketzel noticed that James didn't speak didn't moved just sat there curled in a ball she actually thought he seemed scared she moved over and he just seemed to ignore her. Ketzel open her mouth to speak but instead kept the silence. Everyone drifted off and through the day they slept waking for moments at [...]

The next morning, Sally woke up to the sound of birds singing. She wandered towards the small path. As she walked the sounds of the creek and the sound of the trees whooshing made her feel at home. Home, she thought. She thought of ma and papa looking for the lost kids. A tear slipped past her cheek. How long were they going to stay out here? Something startled her. But she almost forgot about the strange noise because the sights of big, wild blueberries made her frown go away. They smelled s [...]

As the four of them calmly plucked the blueberries from the brush: ignoring whether they were ripe or not, bruised or swollen, or if they had any defection of any kind, the strange noise that had sounded earlier reoccurred. As Sally jumped, startled, she bumped into Ketzal, who, while falling, managed to spill part of the bushel of berries. Will started screaming. The other three weren’t sure whether it was the sleepless nights, all of the emotional tension, or the fact that his patience wi [...]

In a desperate attempt of escape Ketzal bit down on Bill’s hand, “Ouchhh! She bit me!” Said Bill Ketzal, Will, James and Sally all ran as fast as they could but Pete and Bill were not far behind. Will was in front darting past trees and maneuvering past bushes; Bill and Pete were luckily not as quick on their feet as these four children. Ketzal looked back to see how far ahead they were, while she was not paying attention she tripped on a root sprawling onto the ground! Will veered a [...]

After a few more minutes of running, the children slowed to a brisk walk. The sounds of Pete and Bills’ arguing was now far behind them, and they were not in any immediate danger. Now their only problem was to find a hidden spot where they could hide. It was a pity that they had to leave the old cave, but soldiers were sure to be patrolling it, making sure the children didn’t return. They kept walking, looking for a place where they could rest easy, without fear of discovery. Suddenly Jam [...]

Sally, giggling as if it were a game, wasn’t paying attention to what was ahead of her. She tripped and fell in to a small den at the base of a tree. A scream of terror burst through the air. Sally exploded out of the den as a huge bear came roaring after her. “SAAALLLYYYY!!!!” screamed Will. Running towards the bear he knocked Sally out of the way as a huge paw came crushing down. Will was knocked out of the way, his body thudding into a tree. To Ketzals embarrassment she let lose a [...]