This is the Final
installment of the
short story
Captured Fire
This story is the story of a nine-year-old boy,
Robbie, who enters a magical world where he learns
about the meaning of life,
friendship, and respect for others.
Slowly Robbie opened his eyes,
everything was a blur. When things
finally came into focus he saw that he was lying on a crushed rose bush in
Nana’s garden with red petals scattered around him. His arm was hurting and he ran his fingers over a puncture and a
few scrapes on his arms. He stood up
trying to understand what had happened, then he saw Nana coming out of the
potting shed carrying a garden statue. He stared at the concrete flower fairy
she was holding, it was a total replica of Rosella. Nana seeing his condition
put the statue down and went into the shed and brought out an old picnic
blanket to cover him up.
“Come and help me find a good place
for my new statue in the rose garden,” she said calmly as if Robbie had not
been missing all summer long. They
placed the concrete Rosella between two yellow bushes; the color Robbie
remembered her dress to be. “Come on and let’s get you cleaned up,” she said
putting her hands on his shoulders guiding him to the house. Still silent he
moved stiff like a robot clenching his hands in fists as they walked slowly
into the house.
As Nana filled the bathtub with
warm sudsy water Robbie opened his hand and found a small rosebud and an acorn
cap in his palm. He stood there staring down at it as the past experiences
flashed through his mind.
“Nana I had a dream, at least I
think it was a dream, but I am holding a part of it still.” He proceeded to
tell her about catching the giant firefly that turned out to be a fairy and how
he said the magic words that took him to the magical underground flower world.
“And I was turned into a firefly … and I made friends … Jason was there, the
fairy made him tiny too.” Tears came to
his eyes as he recalled the injuries and deaths of his new friends and the
horror finding out he killed the father of his new best friend. “I think it was
a dream, it had to be, how could something like that be real. I guess I fell
down and hurt my head.” He looked again
at the small treasurers in his hand and then at Nana. She smiled a loving knowing smile at him, “You take your bath now
and then I think a little a nap is what you need.”
Robbie woke up to voices in the
front room. He quietly got out of bed
and peeked out the door. Mama, Dad and
Nana where sitting with two police officers who were questioning them.
“That is all I know,” Nana said in
a quiet voice, “there he was sleeping in the garden. He was a little dirty and
had a few cuts on his face and arms but otherwise fine.”
“Where did he say he was, did he
say who took him?” the round officer with the deep penetrating voice asked as
the thin officer with the kind eyes wrote down everything said.
“No he didn’t,” she said looking
him straight in the eye, “all he talked about was a dream he had, a fairytale
dream. He does have a huge imagination
you know.”
The round officer was getting
impatient. “If you don’t tell us more how can we bring in the kidnapper? We’ve
had two boys taken in this neighborhood and no one can tell us where they were
and what happened while they were gone. We have boys saying they saw bugs that
looked like the boys. Whatever has been going on here we have to get to the
bottom of it, we need all the information anyone has.”
Nana raised an eyebrow and smiled
her crooked little smile. “Well maybe
they weren’t kidnapped. Children do
have vivid imaginations. I think Robbie hit his head in the potting shed. I
found a crate and a few things knocked over in there. He must have been
disoriented and wandered off to one of the secret meeting place boys have, you
know they do like to have their own space. I think he was just sleeping. ”
“All summer?” the officer growled.
“Didn’t you do something when you
were a little boy and then too frightened by it to face your parents? I am positive that is what happened, he
wasn’t hurt just a little dirty and now he is home.”
“That doesn’t explain where the
other boy was,” the kind eyed officer said as he put away his notebook.
“Oh Jason, that boy,” Nana laughed,
“I’m sure he wandered off so everyone would be looking for him. That boy just
wants to be the center of attraction all the time. Now if you will excuse me I do have to attend to my roses.”
Robbie still peeking out the door
watched her stand up and look over his way.
With a little wink and a smile, she left the room.
Everyone looked at each other, then
Mama said, “Maybe she is right, you know how boys are. We’ll take him to
the doctor to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion and all is well with him.”
The officers stood up to leave,
“Well we can’t do any more, this case is dead.
Call us if you know more details. Let’s just hope no more children
disappear, or get hurt, or worse next time.”
Robbie closed the door and went
back to bed, he knew no one else would disappear as he did. With a smile he
snuggled down in the soft warm blankets happy to be in his own bed.
Life went on as normally as it
could. Robbie was checked out by the
doctor who said he was not hurt in any way and in fact very well nourished.
Wherever he was he was taken care of
wonderfully.
The boys still played their games
at night but in harmony with no one being in charge. Everyone was careful when catching the fireflies. Robbie made
sure they all released them when the game was complete. All the children in the neighborhood wanted
bug boxes like Robbie’s. Robbie, Jason and a few of the other boys on Mayberry
street spent several days building boxes. When finished they loaded them in a
wagon and went house to house selling. The money they collected was given to
the city park to help maintain the rose garden. Their parents were happy everyone was back home and safe but very
bewildered by the change in their play and this new concern for the
environment. As long as they were
happy, and no more children disappeared, they did not question the actions.
Robbie was happy to be back home
and to be a boy again, but he did miss the new friends he made, especially
Martworth. One occasion he did doubt
himself, wondering if he really did just hit his head and his adventures were
just a dream.
“Nana, do you think fairies are
real?” he asked one night while they sat on the back porch after dinner.
“Of course I do. Look at the fairy
that looks after my rose garden. Don’t you think she is real?’
Robbie sighed. “Sure I do.” He
thought for a moment. “Nana, do you think fireflies have feelings and know how
to talk to each other?”
Nana laughed, “so many questions
Robbie. How could they not have
feelings they are alive. And look at them in the sky now. See the wonderful
light show they give us. You don’t
think they practice that show, you don’t think they know what they are saying
to each other with every blink of their light. Yes Robbie, I know they have
feelings and talk to each other. I know that for a fact, don’t you?”
She sat back smiling, looking at
the sky. Yes he did know that. He also looked up at the light show, knowing
which light would flash next. Then over to the right of the symphony of lights
he saw one light blinking on and off.
He read the code it was flashing.
“Robbie I Miss You – Your Friend Martworth.”
End
©
Copyright 2013 Eileen A Partak
