"Her" by Jaiden H

            The bell rang. She scurried along past the tiara-wearing sissies and the smelly boys towards Her favorite part of each and every day. She stood at the edge of the playground. To the left, the girls merciless pounded an innocent yellow ball into a concrete wall.  To Her right, the boys engaged in a game of four-square with an endless queue of children following. The rest lay scattered all around the place that she called “school”. Despite all of the activity, she continued peering past the little girl complaining that Her shirt is not pink enough and the little boys and girls betting about who could stick their finger farthest up their nose. The treasure she sought sat in the corner of the yard under the biggest ash tree. The only spot in the whole yard where the soft light could only touch the tips of his brown head and would shield him from the hot kisses of the sun. Dashing past the long line of ash trees towards the biggest and best tree. She heard the leaves of each of the trees start its light hum as they slowly began their organized dance. Seeing him in his favorite Ninja Turtle Shirt, with all four of his favorite green mutant guys, and his light-up sketchers was Her favorite sight of the day. With a little twig in hand, he drew into the dirt changing the ground into a platform of imagination. He looked up and his big smile snuck its way all into the corner of Her heart and seeped through every part of Her. He is Her best friend. Some days, when the sun decided to share its warm rays, they would play as pirates, ninja turtles, or  bankrobbers. Other days the two of them would go to the playground, littered with tiny booger-nosed children, and chase the screaming pink shirts with the iridescent critters that loved the bright summer sun. She enjoyed the days when they would sneak past the stuffy nosed proctor to the end of the big green field. There they could see the sheep that lived beyond the gated fence and even beckon them over to eat the few pieces of grass and vegetation that they plucked from the ground.

Today was one of those days. He sat on his knees offering the wary sheep the greens that he found to it. It approached slowly, examining his hand and the delicious treats the hand held intently before each step. The sheep drew close enough to eat out of his hand and munched quietly amongst the silence of the two. When the sheep finally saw the little pink hand of the boy, he ran off and the two sat. The little boy leaned back hoping that he could let the sun cover him, but the sun thought the opposite. The sun hid behind the giant dark cloak and everything turned pale and cold.

The grass was no longer green, the little brat’s shirt was no longer pink, and the innocent ball was no longer yellow. Everything and everyone was a pale shade of gray. The little boy tugged at Her arm gesturing to something on the other side of the gated fence; a little blonde haired boy wearing an overcoat staring at them with beady eyes. The little boy muttered something, looked to his right, and a woman appeared next to him. The woman held a hand out, smiled at the little boy, and listened to his low words. The little boy lifted one nubby finger at the two at the other side of the fence; the woman’s shining eyes followed his little finger and the woman’s smile faded like morning dew when the woman’s two eyes met their four. The woman’s hushed and hurried words did not alarm the fascinated little boy. The little boy looked at the pair in awe, spoke something again, and looked up to the woman for an answer. The day grew even darker and colder. The boy in the ninja-turtle shirt and the light-up sketchers began to disappear, along with the sheep, the grass, the playground, and the school. The only light shone on the little boy and the woman at the other end of the gated fence. The woman looked to the right and spoke hurried words. The woman’s arms flailed and eyebrows creased and the woman motioned to Her. A man came and stood beside the woman. The cold became icy and burning.

The woman’s voice became audible as she whispered, “What have you done?”

“Yes, Dad. Why is that lady in the room like that?” The little boy questioned.

“Ah… yes… You see, son, only God can fix everything that is messed up with people. Until the day comes when he decides to come and take care of us, we must do whatever we can, whenever we can to ensure that people’s lives are saved. My dear son, sometimes, we must use whoever we can.”

The little boy nodded intently, seemingly understanding what the man had told him; but the man’s eyes remained fixated on Her. A buzzing sound replaced the man’s voice and the dim cackling light replaced the warm sun.

“Yes. Sometimes that whoever is a crazy lady, but it’s all in the name of science. Right?” He said with a sweet smile. “Goodnight, my dear.”

Once again, the light faded, the woman’s scared face faded, the little boy who smiled as his father faded, and her world twisted and turned and plunged into darkness, from which she’d never awake.