(9 years ago)
A young child of six years old lay in bed, buried in his pillow, feeling the weight of his newfound powers. "How am I going to break the news to Mom? Maybe I should strike a heroic pose, raise my hand high in the air and shout, 'Behold, Mother! Your son has awakened!' Hehehehe!" The child giggled at the thought, feeling a surge of excitement and nervousness at the prospect of revealing his abilities to his family.
"Damian, your grandma is here!" came the call from the living room, and the smile that had been on Damian's face quickly disappeared. "No way, why is she here?" he muttered to himself, quickly scanning his room for a hiding spot. "I can't be seen, I need to run!"
With the grace and speed of a panicked squirrel, Damian launched himself out of the window and hit the ground running. His small legs pumped furiously as he sprinted away, looking like a cartoon character fleeing from danger.
"Daaamiaaan, come out, come out wherever you are!" Elara called out, hoping to hear a response. She opened the door to Damian's room, only to be greeted by an empty space. "Well, he must be playing hide-and-seek with me," Elara thought as she chuckled to herself. She started searching for him, but to no avail. "Where did that sneaky little boy run off to?" she wondered, scratching her head.
Damian's tiny legs carried him as fast as they could, and he didn't stop until he was at the river, gasping for air. His chest heaved up and down as he gulped in air, feeling like he had just run a marathon. He collapsed onto the ground, the grass tickling his face as he lay there, still catching his breath.
As Damian laid there catching his breath, he couldn't help but shivered as he remembered a particularly bad memory from his past. "I still remember the time when I was born , when grandma came to visit me for the first time.
Six years ago...
"Say dada? How ridiculous! I can barely even open my eyes, let alone speak! What is wrong with this man? It hasn't even been a full day since I was born, and he's already expecting me to talk. Ridiculous!"
However, Damian didn't voice his thoughts out loud, as he was still too weak and helpless. He lay there in the warm embrace of his mother, feeling safe and protected.
Suddenly the door flung open with a loud bang, causing Elara to jump. "Are you okay? And the baby?" her mother exclaimed, bursting into the room.
Elara took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "Everyone's fine, Mom," she reassured her, with a convincing smile.
Her mother huffed, looking around the room as if she expected to find something amiss. "That's what I've been telling her, there's no need to rush, but does she listen?" her father interjected, appearing behind her mother with his usual gruffness.
Elara couldn't help but roll her eyes at her parents' bickering.
As all calmed down, sitting at dinning table for dinner " Stop shaking me old man " Damian said in his mind as his grandfather who looks like he is in 40s with His spiky white beard and muscular physique gave him a ruggedly handsome appearance.
Damian's grandmother noticed that the newborn baby appeared uncomfortable in the arms of her husband. "Ooo give me the baby," she exclaimed, gently taking Damian into her own arms. She stood up suddenly, a look of concern crossing her face as she examined the little one's expression. "Maybe he's feeling uncomfortable inside," she mused, her tone soft and soothing. With a tender touch, she stroked Damian's cheek, murmuring sweet words of comfort as she rocked him gently back and forth.
As Damian's grandmother carried him outside the house , held in her arms under the moonlight, she muttered, "You know, I was really hoping for a baby girl."
But Damian, who was too tired to even open his eyes, thought to himself, "Sorry, grandma, but I come with a 'no exchanges, no returns' policy!"
Then, to his horror, his grandmother added, "Maybe we could cut off your jingle bells and turn you into a girl!".
Suddenly, Damian's eyes popped open wide with a look of pure shock and horror. He couldn't believe his ears! It was as if his sweet old grandmother had just transformed into a mad scientist!
"Dont tell me she is the one who poisoned snow white , Now she will cut off my little brother" Damian thought as he mustered up all his baby strength and let out a loud cry. "Momm save me! She's a witch, she's an evil granny!" he shouted, hoping his mother would hear his plea.
But alas, his words were drowned out by his own cries. "Wahhh wahhhh!" .
As Damian wailed in his grandmother's arms, his mother Elara rushed outside to see what was wrong. "What happened, don't cry," she cooed, scooping up her little one and holding him close.
But Damian was too distraught to speak, so he resorted to baby sign language to convey " she wants to cut my little brother" . He frantically waved his arms and made little gestures, hoping his mother would understand.
Unfortunately, Elara mistook his signs for hunger cues and whisked him inside to feed him. "There, there, sweetie. You must be hungry. Let's get you fed," as she took him inside her room.
After some time Damian would been seen lying beside her mother suddenly , a sharp sound pierced the peaceful silence
"clack!!". Instantly, Damian's body tensed up as they noticed the door creak open, with someone peering through the gap with one eye.
"No she is back " his heart pounding with fear Damian quickly moved his hand to shield his little brother .
"He seems fine" As Damian grandmother said closing the door .
BACK TO DAMIAN
Damian lay shivering beside the glistening river, haunted by memories of the past. He couldn't shake off the feeling of distrust that he held towards the old granny.
As a sudden rustling noise emanating from the dense forest on the other side. The sound was so abrupt and jarring that he jumped to his feet, his senses on high alert.
The noise was quickly followed by the sound of someone falling, and Damian felt a pang of concern. He strained his ears to listen, hoping to catch any further clues as to what was happening across the river. The forest was dense and full of mystery, and it was impossible to tell what was causing the commotion.
Despite his fear, Damian felt an urge to investigate. He knew that he had to cross the river to find out what was happening on the other side. With a deep breath, he waded into the cool water and began to swim towards the source of the noise.
As he reached the other side of the river, he saw that the forest was even darker and more ominous up close even in the sun. As it was his first time coming to the forest.
He couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead as he made his way towards the fallen figure. His heart beating rapidly, he called out to the person, hoping for a response.
As Damian approached the scene of the fallen, he noticed a young girl on her knees, carefully picking something up from her basket. Concerned for her safety, he approached her with a gentle tone and asked, "Excuse me, are you alright?"
The little girl who was slightly smaller than him, with her beautiful black hair and bright brown eyes, was startled by Damian's sudden presence. But his kind words and calm demeanor quickly put her at ease, and she looked up at him with a small smile.
Suddenly, a rustling sound interrupted their conversation, and before Damian could react, a flying figure appeared out of nowhere and kicked him to the ground. "How dare you touch my sister!" the newcomer shouted angrily.
The scene was chaotic, with the young girl frozen in fear as her belongings spilled out of her basket. Damian was left writhing in pain, struggling to get back up, while the flying character stood ready to strike again if necessary.
"Wait, brother, he did nothing!" the small girl exclaimed, as she stood up and tried to explain the situation. "And that loud sound was just a brown branch falling from the tree."
The little girl's explanation provided some clarity to the situation. That boy had not done anything wrong, and the sound was just a harmless branch falling. The flying character seemed to calm down slightly as he listened to his sister, though his guard remained up.
Meanwhile Damian who was still lying on the ground" what happened? " as he slowly waked up to see a new character infront of him how bit taller than the girl with brown hair as he was holding a stick in his hand.
As Damian brushed off his clothes and stood up, he asked the flying character, "Who are you?"
"I'm Kaelen," the flying character replied, looking a bit sheepish. "I'm sorry for kicking you. When I heard the loud sound, I ran over here and saw you standing near my sister. I thought you were trying to harm her, so I reacted without thinking."
Damian nodded in understanding, appreciating Kaelen's protective instincts. "It's alright," he said. "I understand why you did what you did. I'm just glad that everything is okay now."
As the little girl started picking up her things, Kaelen struck up a conversation with Damian. "And what's your name?" he asked.
"I'm Damian," replied Damian, who wasn't too concerned about the flying character.
As the little girl finished gathering her things, she suddenly offered to take Damian to their secret place. "Do you want to come to our secret place?" she asked.
Kaelen, who seemed a bit unsure about the idea, protested, "Wait! Why should we take him with us?"
But his protests were in vain, as the little girl was already excitedly leading the way. "It's our playing area," she explained to Damian, who was intrigued to see where they were going.
As they walked, Kaelen tried to lay down some ground rules. "Hey, you! Don't tell any other children about this place, do you understand me?" he warned Damian.
Damian nodded, finding the whole situation a bit amusing. Here he was, being led to a secret play area by a group of kids he had just met, with a flying character giving him stern warnings along the way. It was certainly not how he had expected his day to go, but he couldn't deny that it was a bit of an adventure.
As they walked along, they finally emerged from the dense forest, and were greeted by a vast, green field that stretched out before them. In the distance, they could see a small hill, covered in lush green grass, and beyond that, the shimmering blue of the ocean.
As they walked towards the hill, the little girl led the way, her excitement palpable. Damian followed closely behind, taking in the breathtaking scenery around him. Kaelen, on the other hand, seemed more hesitant, still grumbling about their sudden change of plans.
Once they reached the top of the hill, the trio sat down on the grassy knoll and took in the stunning view of the ocean. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore below was soothing, and the gentle breeze blowing through their hair was refreshing.
For a few moments, they sat in silence, taking in the beauty of their surroundings. Damian felt a sense of peace wash over him, as he watched the sun casting a warm, golden glow over the entire scene.
"This is amazing," he whispered to himself, still in awe of the beauty around him. The little girl smiled, happy to have shared her secret place with new friends, and Kaelen, too, seemed to relax a bit, finally succumbing to the serene atmosphere.