To uncover that which is hidden.
Morning came, and after Shy stretched and yawned, he immediately checked for the box. It was just underneath his pillow, where he had left it after sneaking into the cabin last night. That had been a touchy situation. He had literally tip-toed up the stairs, and then the clunk of the slide trap door engaging had frozen him in place. He must have stood there, on the platform, for several minutes before risking getting onto the slide. Then, he had to inch his way down the slide, which was slippery from hundreds of thousands of usages. He pressed his hands against the sides, and scooted his butt forward, little by little. When he had entered the cabin, everything looked quiet. It was dark, though, and he dared not turn on the flashlight that Daniel had passed to him when they split up for the night. He had made it this far and just had to be careful while crossing the floor to his hammock. Then he moved the mix of blankets, pillows, and clothes that the boys had made up to look like he was sleeping there, and attempted to crawl into the hammock. He began to tip one direction, overcompensated, and then fell the opposite way. Thump! Right onto the floor.
"Shy?" Tad sat up.
Shy cringed. This was exactly what he didn't want to happen.
"Yeah…. I…. I fell out of my hammock."
"You OK?"
"Yeah."
With that, luckily, Tad turned and lay back down. Shy then succeeded in getting into his hammock, and breathed a sigh of relief. He must have fallen right to sleep.
Now it was morning, and although he was still tired, he knew he couldn't go back to sleep. Tad had already left to head down to the lodge. Shy changed his clothes, grabbed the box, and jumped out the trapdoor onto the net below. Immediately Ralph hailed him from the nearby platform.
"Shy! Shy, over here!" He shouted.
"Hey Ralph!"
"C'mon… They guys are all up. They sent me to get you. Do you have it?"
Shy nodded and lifted the box from his side to show him. Ralph gave Shy the thumbs up and a smile, and then quickly looked around.
"Is Tad gone?" Ralph said as he glanced up at the Raven's trap door.
"Yeah…. He went down to the Lodge. "He said we should all meet him down there for breakfast in an hour or so." Shy answered.
"Let's go then.... That doesn't give us a whole lot of time. The guys want to open the box!" Ralph pulled Shy from the net onto the platform, and practically propelled him forward.
They walked a twisted path, and ended up by the Magic Rope.
Shy looked at Ralph and pointed down to the forest floor, and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
"Yeah, we go down here…. They found a good spot for us to kinda hide while we open it."
"How early did you guys get up?" Shy asked as he swiped his hand forward to find the Glamour hidden rope. Without waiting for Ralph to answer, he gripped the rope and swung his body out into space, and was smoothly dropped through the forest canopy to the ground. There, he found the others waiting.
"'Bout time you get up, pardner." Sawyer gave his best cowboy imitation, which included hands grasped around an imaginary belt buckle.
Shy smiled when Finn punched him. They were the same old kids, treasure or not.
Ralph dropped down next to Shy and said to the others, "Tad wants us to meet him at the Lodge in an hour…. We don't have much time."
The boys were circled around Shy as he held out the box. Just then a low gravelly voice said, "There you are. Trying to escape without your escort?"
Shy slyly shifted the box behind his back, as he and the other boys turned. Ralph, nervous in the best of times, had jumped at Gust's voice.
"Ralph…. Why so jumpy? You boys getting into trouble again?" Although the rangy, white haired man smiled to soften the question, Shy could feel his eyes piercing into him. Shy's hands began to sweat. He could feel one of the boy's behind him, tapping his back. The hands then began to pull the box from Shy's grip. Shy was more than happy to let it go. Whoever had taken the box, Shy thought it was probably Daniel, moved away from where Shy was standing.
"You need to stick with me, Shy. Let's head on down to the Lodge." Gust nodded in the general direction of the path to the Lodge. As Shy stepped forward, Gust continued, "You other boys, I know you are up to something. You all got guilt painted on your faces. Stay out of trouble, and head down to the lodge in a bit. Got it?"
They all nodded. Shy turned back to the group as he moved in the direction that Gust indicated. The frustration welled up inside him, and he was sure it showed on his face, but he couldn't say anything. As they walked side by side down the hill, Gust was silent. Shy seethed inside. They would probably open the box, and he wouldn't be there. It wasn't fair! He had done all the work and deserved to be there when they first opened it. He almost wanted to cry. Suddenly he missed home tremendously. Gust must have sensed something from Shy, because he repeatedly looked down at him as they walked.
"Listen kid, I can tell something is wrong. Do you want to talk about it?"
Shy shook his head.
"Uh-huh. Well… if you need advice just ask. I might understand more than you know. Besides myself, Shy, I have never met someone that can see through Glamour… it makes you special.
Shy looked up at him, "You can see through it?"
"I could, when I was younger, like you. Then something happened, and the sight was taken away. Don't know how I ever got the ability, and I sure don't know why it went away, but it did. It pushed my life down a different path than where it might have ended up. I don't want that to happen to you Shy. I'm gonna be honest with you. This is a wonderful place to spend your summers. Magical, really. Most of the creatures here live together with us. Indeed, they even enjoy some human interaction. There are some, though, that don't. It seems like that they have been growing stronger lately. The fact that you showed up this year, with your abilities in sight, can't be coincidence. There is a tension in this forest that I have never felt before." He shivered, and then continued. "I'm not sure what to make of it, but I feel like it has to do with you." He locked eyes with Shy. "Kid, there are some of these creatures that think they are better than us humans. They don't like that you can see through some of their tricks. It almost feels like battle lines are being drawn up."
Shy just looked straight ahead and walked, although inside, Gust had definitely distracted him from his frustration. A battle? Here? And somehow Shy was a part of it! With his military background, Gust would be one to know when a battle was forming. Why, though?
"That huldra that you saw the other night…. That was dangerous. Clancy and I did some checking…. There hasn't been any claimed sightings or rumors of a huldra in this area in a hundred years... near as we can tell. If she had gotten you to go with her, we probably would never have seen either of you again. Clancy is considering the future of the camp. She can't have kids disappearing. You understand that… right?"
Shy looked up at him and nodded.
"OK, well… long and short of all this is, I need to stick by you… to keep you safe. I can tell you resent that. Don't be angry. Maybe in these last couple weeks of camp, we can figure out what is going on? Together. OK?"
Shy didn't answer. They were now within sight of the Lodge. As they walked through the back picnic yard, Shy kept running the different events of the camp through his head. So much had happened really. There was the light in the woods that he saw from the Hive, the interactions with Tom T, and another light that helped him when he was being chased by Crutch's gang. Then there was the fossegrimen, the huldra, and the other side of the waterfall with its treasure and demon horses. Maybe tonight he could find Tom T, and try to talk to him about what was going on.
They stepped into the dining hall, and Shy could see Clancy, Tad, Meg, and the other two counselors talking as they set up breakfast. Shy seated himself at his spot, and began to trace his name that was carved into the table.
Left to his own thoughts for a while, he drifted back to wondering if the guys opened the box. He convinced himself it would be OK. He was sure they would share whatever they found, and besides, he was the one that was lucky enough to have crossed over to the other world. That brought him back to thinking about the fire horses. He smiled. He had outrun flaming angry stallions! They had been trying to stop him from taking the box, of that he was sure. They had moved closer and closer to the water and him, but did not react aggressively or turn flaming red until he raised that box from the water and began to run. He would have been bitten or trampled for sure if he had not made it back to the passage in the cliff. He shivered.
"What'cha thinking about?" Tad asked as he walked over.
Shy shrugged his shoulders.
"Gust said you were a little surly on the way down here? You understand he needs to watch you for your own protection, right?" When Shy nodded, he continued, "Also, he needs to keep everyone safe so that Clancy can keep this camp open. It's all she does, and it really is Gust's life. He even lives here year-round."
At that, Shy looked up. He had assumed that Gust and Clancy had other jobs the rest of the year.
"Did I tell you he was special forces… in the military?"
Shy furrowed his eyebrows. "Maybe… when you were telling us about you and the trolls."
"Right, so after he came back from Viet Nam, he began working as a wilderness guide up in this area. Shortly after, Clancy bought this camp. He had stayed in touch with her since they had been kids and she asked him to come and help her run the camp. He has been here ever since. No one knows these woods better than him, and there is no way to keep you safer than having him watch you. He feels this land, Shy. He is a part of it almost, know what I mean?" When Shy didn't answer, he just pushed on. "He thinks something strange is going on Shy. Nothing to worry about yet, but he can sense some change. Some force that is growing. Kinda like how old people say they can feel a weather change coming… in their bones? He can feel something happening here, Shy. In his bones. Understand?"
Finally, Shy spoke up. "I'm not really mad about having him keep an eye on me."
"So, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah, I can see that, "Tad said sarcastically."Well, you need to let me know if you want to talk, OK?"
Shy nodded sullenly again. Tad moved off with the others again. Shy wasn't sure why he acted the way he just had. He chalked it up to being tired.
***
Eventually, the other campers wandered into the Lodge. Breakfast was ready by the time the other Forest cabin boys arrived. Shy could immediately sense something was wrong. They were quiet as they filed in and sat down. They didn't make eye contact with Shy. He looked from one to the other for some hint of what was going on.
"Where's the box?" He asked Daniel.
"We put it back in your hammock."
"AND???"
"What?" Daniel finally looked up at Shy.
"Paper. It was a stupid recipe!" Henry whispered angrily.
"What?" Shy looked from face to face.
"The box only had an old piece of paper in it," Finn explained.
"Yeah, and it looks like a stupid recipe!" Sawyer added from next to Shy.
Tad came over and told them to go line up to get breakfast.
As they walked up to the front table, Shy couldn't hide his shock. Crutch snickered at him as he walked past the Cave table. Shy didn't even care. He was flabbergasted. Paper? Where was the treasure? He had risked his life for paper? So much for giving his Mom a bunch of money… and getting his Dad to move back in. His mind continued to race as he walked back to his table. Claire looked up at him as he walked past her table with a thundercloud forming in his head. He didn't even think twice when Portia gave him a little wave.
"I wanna see it." He stated when they were all back at the table. I gotta get away from Gust though."
There was no real response from the guys. Daniel nodded as he ate. The others had seemingly lost interest in the whole idea. Shy just couldn't believe that something that was so hard to get, and had been protected so well, could be just a piece of paper.
He looked back to Daniel. "You're sure it's not a map or something?"
Daniel shrugged. "It sure didn't look like it. Don't worry….It's no biggie. It was a fun adventure, right?"
Shy admired Daniel's good attitude, especially since he himself was crabby. Shy decided he would tell Gust that he was tired after breakfast, and head back to his cabin. If the old man came with him, he doubted he would sit up in the cabin with him. Shy wrapped a cinnamon roll in a napkin to take back, and with a renewed sense of purpose, he tore into the rest of his breakfast.
***
Shy had been right on the money about Gust's reaction. When Shy said he was going to go lay down, that he wasn't feeling well, Gust asked Tad to bring him back to the cabin, and check in on him.
"You are not to leave the cabins without me. Got it?" Gust had instructed. "Send one of the boys to find me when you are ready to leave, or I will come find you when lunch is ready."
Shy had quickly agreed to the terms and left the others to their practicing. So, he lay in his hammock, waiting for Tad to leave. The counselor straightened some things around the cabin for a bit. Shy felt like he was waiting to see if Shy wanted to talk. He felt stubborn, and was dying to get at the box that was now warming his hands under his pillow. Shy lay quietly, not talking. Finally, Tad said he was heading back to check on the others. He reminded Shy to follow Gusts' instructions. Shy mumbled an answer and waited to hear Tad on the net below.
Once the older boy was gone, Shy jumped up and pulled out his hidden cinnamon roll. He placed it on a side table, and nearby he piled up the laundry that had been building up in his hammock. He knew that sooner or later Tom T would show. In the meantime, he turned back to the box. It was smooth and light blue in color. Shy turned it over in his hands as he explored the exterior. He could see the seam where the box closed, but could not see any hinges. He hesitantly placed his fingernails along both sides of the box, attempting to pry the top off.
The top smoothly slid off, and Shy saw the others had been right. A single piece of paper lay inside. Though it looked ancient, like yellowed parchment, Shy picked it up and began to read,
Beneath the seen lies many a danger
Beauty uncovered holds hidden device
To play in the garden safely
The wise will always look twice.
Take the beauty of the petals of the butterwort plant
Steep with water not yet soiled.
Mix in sap from an elder pine
Wipe the lids of unseeing eyes
To uncover that which is hidden.
That was it. In its entirety. Shy was dumbstruck. Why would these few words be something that was protected by killer horses? Shy read it again. And again.
He was still deep in thought, when a disembodied voice startled him.
"One should not have that in the open!" Tom T appeared to Shy, as he turned from the box. "Such as that should be guarded."
The little hairy nisse was nervous. He fired twitching glances around the cabin, as if unseen enemies lurked in every corner, and he tapped his hooked staff on the pine planked floor. Shy had never seen the usually confident and demanding creature in such a state. He went directly to the cinnamon roll and began to devour it, so Shy took his shot.
"Why is this treasure? Where is the gold? And jewels?"
The nisse stopped eating and turned to Shy. "What you hold is more precious than any earthly possessions you could find. It is sight. Sight you have, but sight you also hold."
He returned to gobbling the roll. Shy reread the words again, and something clicked to him. Quickly he looked at Tom T again. "This is a potion, isn't it? It allows a human to see through the Glamour? Like I can already!"
The nisse had already moved to the laundry. As he gathered it up into a huge burlap sack he had produced from behind his back, he said, "You hold power over our world in your hand. Treasure indeed depends on the holder. Word will spread over time. Many will come. You should not have taken a precious thing such as this. I can keep these forces at bay for a time but not forever. One day you will need to decide. Return this or there will be a high price to pay. Mark my words…. Mark my words. The eventual storm was already gathering. You have hastened it."
With those ominous words Shy watched him run ever-so-quick and bound through the trapdoor. He carefully placed the paper back in the box, but reread the words, again and again, committing them to memory.
***
Days passed, and Shy spent an increasing amount of time in his room. Try as the other boys might, they could not get him to do anything more than he had to. They had basically forgotten about the box. None of them asked about it, so Shy didn't bring it up, but it bugged him. Based on what Gust had been feeling, and what the nisse had told him, Shy felt the weight of responsibility weighing him down. He certainly didn't mean to cause problems at the camp, or with the fey, as Tad had called the fairy creatures. He needed to do something, but was scared. There was no way he could face those red horses again. He didn't know what to do, so he stayed in the Forest cabins, where at least he felt a little safe.
Tad was obviously worried. When Shy did go out, Gust watched him closer than ever. Shy would practice his event with Daniel, go to meals, and even visited with Claire once, but immediately would return to his cabin to check on the box. True to his word, the nisse kept the Forest cabins free from those that might be seeking the box.
A new problem had brought itself to Shy's attention, though. What would he do when camp was over? There was now only two weeks left, and he had to make a decision of how to deal with this. He had his last practice tonight for the nighttime geo-caching. Then, the camp competition would happen the next week.
If this recipe that allowed people to see the magical fairy creatures of these woods was so important, Shy thought, he couldn't just leave it in his cabins. Eventually it would fall into the wrong hands. Tom T had hinted as much. He considered bringing it back through the waterfall and throwing it back in the lake. He definitely was scared to face those horses again, but maybe he would have to. Suddenly he remembered that he couldn't get back to his world through the waterfall tunnel if he didn't have the box! How could he return it? He would be stuck there if he did!
The only other option would be to bring it home with him. If he did that, he could hide it until next summer. It would be out of sight and out of mind, like his mom always said. He reasoned that the whole uproar would blow over by next summer. Maybe then he could even return it. Maybe he could just sneak to the edge of the fairy world and throw it through? Maybe he could do that right now? Of course, how would he get there without Gust following him? He decided he would have to think more about that, but worst case scenario, he would just take it with him.
His decision made him feel better. By next summer, things would settle down and Gust wouldn't need to shadow him. Besides, he wouldn't be using the treasure. He could already see through the Glamour. Why would he need to use it? He certainly wouldn't tell anyone about it. Whatever forces were gathering, like Tom T had said, they could wait until next summer. He would keep it safe and sound at the old farmhouse if he had to.
With that settled, Shy felt better. He even decided to leave the cabin and take a walk. He ended up at the Hive. No one was around, so he walked over to the zip line. He thought back to that first evening at camp that he had flown through the trees on the line. Smiling he grabbed a bar and jumped on for a quick flight down to the Lodge. After landing, he waited. He hadn't ever actually seen the Sylphon that Tad had said carried the bars back up to the Hive. He stared at the zip line bar he had dropped onto the ground near the big pine. As it began to rise from the ground, Shy felt the now familiar snap of his vision as he pushed through the Glamour.
There rising into the air was a beautiful girl, that looked about his age. She had fine wings that sprouted from between her shoulder blades. She gave off a faint glow, and Shy could now hear a tinkling laugh, very similar to what he had heard from around the fire the night at the waterfall. She stared at Shy as she heaved the bar into the air. Giving him a smile that rivaled the twinkling of the stars on a clear night, she continued to rise and turned back toward the Hive. Shy stood transfixed, even after she disappeared from view amongst the pine canopy.
Voices off behind him broke the spell and brought him back to reality. Shy realized that he had left the cabins without letting anyone know. The voices sounded human, like kids, but he wasn't about to risk it. He hurried off to the Lodge. When he got there, he was scolded by Gust, who, of course, spotted him instantly. After taking his verbal lashing, they agreed he could hang out in the game room while Gust finished a few chores.
Shy walked into the game room, happily discovering that Ralph, Daniel, Henry, and Sam were hanging out with several of the Lake girls and there were orange sodas being passed all around. When Shy walked in, they greeted him heartily and Daniel ran to the fridge and got Shy a soda. Claire, Portia, Penelope and Kennedi all gave him hugs. He felt himself turning red and quickly turned to the boys.
"Hey Shy! Missed you around!" Ralph gave him a fist bump.
"Big night tonight." Henry cut right to the chase.
"What do you mean?" Shy asked.
"It's your last practice, right?"
"Yeah, but he'll be with, I'm sure," he said as he nodded toward Gust in the next room. "Nothing's gonna happen."
Then Shy looked at the girls and was embarrassed again.
Claire stepped up next to him again and said, "The guys told us everything Shy. We know about the treasure, and the way you can see through the Glamour… and everything."
Portia also sneaked next to him and said, "Yeah, we think it's pretty cool Shy."
Kennedi and bossy Penelope nodded their agreement.
Shy smiled. He now had even more support from friends. He wanted to tell them all about his dilemma, about what he should do with the box, but Daniel came back from the fridge and interrupted.
"You might have been sleeping the rest of the summer away," Daniel said, as he gave Shy the icy orange soda, "but we have been planning."
"Oh no," was all Shy could say, and the girls laughed.
Ralph was also laughing. "Guess where Sam and Finn are?"
Quickly the boys filled Shy in on Sawyer and Finn's exploits over the past week while Shy had secluded himself. It seemed that the two boys had become a two man army, carrying out practical joke after practical joke against the Cave cabin boys. Water balloons, leaky cups, and strings across the path to trip the other boys. Shy wasn't too surprised. Sawyer and Finn, although always joking around, had minds that were tailor made for this kind of secret war. What did surprise him, though, was what Daniel told him next.
It seemed that several of the Lake cabin girls had been helping. They had several run-ins of their own with the bullies, and after initially enlisting Sawyer and Finn's help, they eventually had become full-fledged partners in crime. At this part of the story, Kennedi and Penelope both giggled. Kennedi innocently began to run her hands through her long straight hair, and Penelope giggled and then whistled innocently while pretending to look out the windows.
"So, what are your plans for tonight?" Shy asked after digesting all that Daniel had told him and smiling at the two girls.
"We are gonna protect you!" Henry said proudly.
Shy looked at him and then back at Daniel with raised eyebrows.
"What?" Daniel asked with a smile. "We protect our friends. We are gonna all be out tonight. I'll be with you, but the guys will all be out "
"Plus some of the Lake cabin hotties!" Henry interrupted and moved his bushy eyebrows up and down.
They all laughed
Shy gave a quick glance at Portia. She caught his glance and smiled openly, and he could feel his face turning red. He thought back to the Fourth of July, when they had visited the Lake cabins. He hadn't really noticed any special attention from the tall, wavy haired girl then. Thinking back to the day after they found the box, though, Shy thought he remembered her waving at him at breakfast, and there had been other instances, he thought. While the others talked about where everyone would be hiding that evening, Shy sneaked more looks at Portia. Yep, he thought to himself, she's definitely pretty. He felt himself getting warm inside, and those stomach butterflies were back again.
***
The practice began that evening the same way as the previous two, with one exception. As Daniel and Shy strode away from the Lodge, Gust was hot on their heels. He claimed he was not going to interfere in the geo-caching, he would only step in if anything unusual took place. The two Cave cabin boys participating in the practice snickered at Shy, and he heard some comments about babysitters, but he let it go.
Shy had found out that they had nine other campers hidden in various spots around the camp. Besides the other five Forest cabin boys, Claire, Portia, Kennedi, and Penelope from the Forest cabins were helping.
The sun was going down, and Shy and Daniel's first set of coordinates took them west towards the camp entrance. They approached the long rope bridge that spanned the mist shrouded river gorge below. Shy thought he could hear the screeching, wailing laughter that they had heard previously several times. Instantly he was on the alert. The last time they had heard this, they were attacked on the bridge by some kind of invisible flying monster. Shy could see the recognition in Daniel's face also. He looked back to see the reassuring Gust several yards behind them. The old man was seemingly paying no attention. Shy remembered too that Claire was posted close by. He looked around for her, but could see no sign.
The coordinates took them directly to the near side of the bridge, close to where it was secured by iron posts that were driven deep into the stone walls of the river gorge. As the two were huddled around their map and GPS unit, the same cry arose again from the wide river gorge. They both subconsciously moved several steps away from the bridge. Gust was watching them with brows furrowed.
Time seemed to slow for Shy, and he felt the air pressure shift from behind him. Both he and Daniel began to turn, and as they did Shy saw Gust spring forward. It was all too late. Shy felt claws grab him by his shoulders. They closed and tightened, piercing his flesh. Shy screamed and grabbed at what had gripped him. He felt giant wings beating, and Daniel was knocked sideways. He slipped at the edge of the gorge, and wildly reached for the rope bridge. Shy felt himself begin to lift off the ground. Gust had almost reached him, but turned and dove to grab a slipping Daniel. Shy looked down at his chest and shoulders, and his vision snapped quickly this time. He could now see that huge talons were gripping his shoulders. Just like that, in a breath, he was up in the air.
Still screaming, Shy craned his neck to look above him. The beast that had grabbed him flapped huge leathery wings, while the body was covered in thick scales. With each beat of those wings they lifted farther off the ground, and the creature's talons would squeeze his shoulders.
Shy now stopped screaming, but the pain from the talons made him wince. He tried but could not budge the grip. He tried to twist, to get another good glimpse of the beast, but now could only see a scissor-like beak above him. He watched as it screamed the blood curdling warble he had become so familiar with. Shy's hands left the talons and covered his ears.
They were now almost above the treetops. Shy felt a change in the way the beast flapped, and they began to fly south. Shy didn't know what to do. He was helpless. The iron grip on his shoulders had not lessened. It would not be long before they were well beyond the borders of the camp. If he had a knife he could stab or cut the talons. Quickly his hands searched his pockets. Nothing. There was nothing to use as a weapon. He looked at the scaly talons again, and rubbed his finger on a scale…. Something happened! It almost felt like…. He tried it again. Sure enough, the grip lessened, and then retightened when he stopped. He almost cried out from the shock of pain when the beast renewed his grip. Quickly he moved both hands to the talons and began to lightly sweep his fingers across. The beast moved both talons and then retightened again!
A thought popped into Shy's brain. This thing was ticklish! Shy looked down. He was above the Cave cabins…. Way above! He was determined that if he was going to die, it wouldn't be as dinner for some prehistoric looking beast. He brought up both hands, and just as they swept over a stand of the biggest pines, he began to lightly tickle. Instantly the left claw, then the right twitched. He continued and pushed up the back of the talon farther.
Both clawed talons released at the same time, and the beast gave off a massive wail. Shy dropped so fast that his shirt was pushed up over his head by the rush of air. He was not able to get the shirt down before he hit the trees. He tumbled from one pine to the other like a cartoon character bouncing off awnings of buildings. He was blinded by his shirt, and although the pine boughs softened the initial blows, he eventually fell through to the bare branches underneath. He hadn't realized that he was screaming until after he impacted the ground with a blow that knocked the wind out of him.
Shy felt like he might have died. Slowly he turned over from his stomach to his knees, and gasped for breath. He squeezed his eyes closed to ward off the pain, and tried to focus on taking in little sips of air.
It wasn't until he heard the dreaded voice, and opened his eyes that he realized a pair of shoes were almost touching his nose. He cringed as he heard Crutch say, "Look at the pansy that tried to spy on us from the trees, and fell out."
At this point, the only defense he could muster was a creaky, "Crutch… don't…"
"Oh, is the little baby hurt?" Crutch continued in mock sympathy as he used his foot to push Shy over. Shy realized there were other boys gathered around him also. "We can't let this go, you know. You have caused me trouble this whole summer, and now it's payback time."
Although Shy had caught his breath by now, he was too frightened and alone to do anything. His mom had told him once to always cover his head in a tornado, and that was all he could think of. He covered his head with his arms and hands, waiting for the inevitable blows to fall.
Then, he heard a thump, and reopened his eyes. Crutch was lying glassy eyed right in front of Shy. Shy looked up. There was Portia, with a thick limb in her hand, and she was brandishing it at the other boys. She was by herself. Shy had never been so happy to see a girl in his life!
He tried to stand as she screamed at the Cave boys, "You better run… NOW! Gust is on his way."
They slowly backed away, and then eventually turned and ran.
Shy smiled weakly at the tall girl. "Thanks."
She simply smiled back.
Shy nodded at Crutch. "What do we do with him?"
"Who cares. Leave him. Oh my God, you're bleeding!" She pointed at the front of his shoulders as she walked over to him. He couldn't help but notice how the ringlets of her hair bounced on her shoulders as she rushed over.
He forced himself to look down at his white Minnesota Twins t- shirt. It looked pretty gruesome. Blood had run in rivulets down the front. His shoulders didn't really hurt that badly now. He didn't really hurt too much in general, but it sure looked bad.
"C'mon, let's walk. Can you walk?"
He nodded and flushed when she put his arm around her neck. They started up the river gorge path. It wasn't long before they heard running feet, and yelling.
"SHY! SHYYYyyyyyy!"
It alternated between Claire's voice and Daniel's.
Portia stopped, and cupped her hands to her mouth, "Over here!"
The first one there, however, weren't the kids. It was Gust. He dropped to his knees in front of Shy with none of the usual macho expressions.
"You OK kid?" He pulled Shy's blood soaked T-shirt collar back and inspected the obvious wounds. Satisfied that he would live, he moved on to check for broken bones. Shy cringed as he pushed on his thigh, but otherwise he didn't feel much.
"I think you are in a little bit of shock," Gust said. "You'll be sore tomorrow, but it doesn't feel like anything is broken." Gust sat back on his haunches and took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
"I hit that jerk Crutch with a branch. He's laying on the path back there," Portia pointed back the way they had come.
Gust looked at her in disbelief.
"Well, he was gonna kick Shy while he was laying there!" She said defensively. "He said it was time for payback. He had a bunch of his stupid friends there with him too."
Gust stood up. "I will want to talk to you." He pointed at Shy. "Can you all bring him back to the Lodge?" He asked the other three. When they indicated that they would, he said, "I need to go clean up your mess down here, I guess." With that, he frowned at Portia, who gave him her most innocent smile, and quickly turned and jogged down the path towards Crutch.
"What was it? How did you get free?" Daniel asked.
"Why were you in the trees?" Portia added.
"I didn't really get a good look at that thing," Shy answered Daniel's question. "I saw scaly talons that grabbed my shoulders. Oh, and the beak… the beak was bizarre. It opened sideways! That was all I could see. There wasn't much time."
Portia was obviously lost, so Shy explained more for her benefit, as they walked.
"Some kind of a huge flying monster picked me up and was carrying me away." He said, trying to sound like it was no big deal. Portia looked at Shy with a face that bordered on disbelief.
"How did you get away? Did it put you down?" Daniel asked again.
"No, I tickled it." Shy said. He looked at the three friends, and could see the disbelief in their eyes. "Really… I did."
He spent the rest of the walk back to the Lodge explaining what had happened.