Harwood English Review Online

Chapter Sixteen

Ketzel awoke form her slumber, she missed the voice of James. He had been missing for weeks since they had last saw him. She felt like it had been an eternity though. James was becoming more and more distant. Will and Sally had almost forgotten about him and Ketzel was becoming more impatient by the day.

Finally one morning when Ketzel was awaken by the sound of blue jays whistling she decided that it had been long enough since they had last saw James.

“Everyone up, we are going to look for James!” The faces on Will's and Sally's faces looked liked dead zombies ready to rise from the dead.

“Ketzel” said a voice that sounded more dead than alive “Ketzel I don't want to go and look for James. Ketzel soon realized that the voice was coming from Sally.

“Oh, come on Sally you know how your always looking for an adventure.”

“Yeah, normally but not today I want to stay home!” Tears were starting to flood her eyes and Ketzel was just about to yell at Sally when Will's voice came from the opposite corner of which Sally's had come from.

“Ketzel, right now it is unsafe to go out in the woods, besides I don't want to encounter another bear.”

“Fine if you two dot want to go fine with me but I am going out to look for James because he is our friend and right now we are all we have!”

“Ketzel, relax, we will go and look for James but let us at least have breakfast quickly.” Ketzel's face lit up in happiness, it was just as full as a moon would be and just as bright as a star.

Breakfast was as it always was a piece of bread and some milk. “Ketzel, I am getting so sick and tired of having bread for every meal of the day it gets so old so quickly.”

“I know I think everyone is getting tired of it but it is all we have right now.”

“Ketzel, I just have to say the woods is a very dangerous place, we need to stay together because like you said we are all we have, besides bread right now.” Ketzel’s face went bright red, for she knew at that moment that she was truly falling for Will in all ways possible.

After breakfast was done everyone emerged from the cave. Will carefully armed himself with a bow and some bread for a snack along the way. Sally ran out of the cave and began skipping towards the woods, Will and Ketzel followed her with unsure faces.

“Ketzel” Will said in a soft voice so that Sally would not hear “Ketzel we only have enough bread to last us one more night.”

“I know, what are we going to do?”

Suddenly from behind the trees there was a flash of darkness that lined the trees in horror.

--E.M.