Tree House - Chapter Two

            Okay, don’t make the slightest movement. I stand still and stare at the man with wide, interested eyes. I’m actually not surprised to see a man clinging on my window; instead I’m surprised to see a man with wings. I’m not sure if they are exactly wings " the one I have always seen in the pictured fairytale books when I was six. But I really think they are wings, because they sparkle in the sunlight and they flutter in the air. They aren’t like the birds’ wings, they look like fairytale wings. But why isn’t he flying?

            I still stare at him. It is because I don’t know what to do. My mind races fast. He is wearing blue outfits and they look like the outfit in the 19^th century. Perhaps he is a costumed man who ran away from a boy’s birthday party. Or perhaps he is a burglar wearing a costume. But no. Those statements all don’t even make any sense. Why should a costumed man run away and climb onto the ivies and cling on my bedroom window? Why should a burglar rob in the daylight when there are guards on the ground? I think I must have been dreaming. I slap my right cheek to see if I am dreaming or not. Gosh, I am not dreaming! I can feel the pain. Ouch.

            The man knocks several tiny knocks on the window pane and smiles. He looks really sweet with a smile on his face. “I need to come in!” he shouts from outside. He voice turned muffled into my ear.

            Should I let him in?

            I unlatch the huge window and pull it in. Breeze swooshes against me, making my hair flying back. Goosebumps cover my neck. God, is this guy a something?

            “Thank you,” he says, nods lightly and climbs in. His voice was firm and thick with Latin accent. Where did he come from? “I need to find a hiding place for a while,” he says and looks around. “Can you help me? I promise I will explain to you later.”

            “Oookay,” I say, confusing of the miracle which is happening right now. I wipe the tears which are still wet away from my cheeks. I walk to my bed and duck a bit, lift up the duvet that covers the space under and make my decision. “Well, I think you can hide here,” I say quickly, because maybe he needs my decision in a haste manner. He walks toward me. “Crawl inside and the duvet will cover you.” I remark, and he crawls.

            “If there are men with shamrock figured brooches, which are silver, knock on your window, tell them I’m not here,” the man says in muffled tone.

            “Noted,” I tell him. I sit down carefully and quietly on the window seat and smooth my hair. I don’t think this guy going to admire a girl with messy hair and a metallica shirt on.

            After a while, I heard someone knock on the window pane four times firmly, and I spring onto my feet and draw the curtains aside. There are two men hanging in the air, and I know they are flying. I unlatch the window and push it open. The two men look really fierce. Their hair is cut into a clean hairstyle, and they both wear funny dark green tights and dark green long sleeved tops. Both of them carry a silver javelin. And on each of their chests, there are shamrock figured brooches.

            They fly into my bedroom and drop on the floor smoothly.

“Sorry, missus, we are searching for a man wearing blue clothes flying around this area,” a man with quizzical dark brows says. A man? Wow. Is that man just now wanted? A flying wanted man? This is so cool. Are they all flying in their place? I can’t imagine if I fly in the sky. You know, who don’t want to fly?

“Miss? Have you seen him?” the other one with narrow eyes asks.

I wake up with a start. Goodness, I have to answer him right away, or else he’ll know that that man is under my bed. “No, no, I haven’t seen any man,” I lie and shake my head lightly. “In fact, I haven’t heard of such name.”

The men stepped backward. They fly out of the window, and hang in the air right outside the window. “Well then, if you have seen him, please let us be informed. We’ll be flying about in the yard for a while.”

“All right,” I nod, and the men fly away. “Okay, you can go out now.” I sing after the men are gone out of my sight.

            The wanted man crawls out of the bed and jump up into a straight stand. “I shouldn’t be outside the city for a long time, it is somewhat against the rule,” he smoothes his chest and belly. Well, I think I can describe how he looks like right now.

            This wanted guy is handsome, I think, because if a chap with black eyebrows set near the eyes, and a smile that could give you thrill, he should be called a handsome one. I really love his eyes. They are so adorable and gorgeous and so like a pair of round, dark sapphires that blink whenever you stare in them for a long while. His hair is the color of bittersweet chocolate, and they curl up a bit at the sideburns and behind his ears. The wanted man’s rosy, clean cheeks enchant his white, plain face, and his incandescent smile which happens to visible a small spot-able dimple nearly chokes me to death. Wow, this guy really pounds my heart.

            “So, you’re wanted, huh?” I smile my best smile, the one I’d shown my crush, Adam Marco, for years. Well, you know, when you are in the presence of a really good-looking man, you can’t stop showing your best grin.

            “Not exactly,” he bows a bit and I return a sweet curtsey. It is a bit awkward to curtsey in my jeans and shirt, instead of dress. I can feel scarlet on my cheeks already.

            The minute I look up to face him, his wings flutter a bit, and that really startles me, so I gasp and take a few steps back.

            “Oh, I have to apologize to you,” he scratches his head and chuckles nervously. “My wings are out of batteries.”

            “Wings?” I ask. “Out of batteries?” So, they aren’t real fairies wings, at all. They are just robotic wings, which will only function in the presence of normal batteries.

            “Yes,” he takes off his wings. Now I can see them clearly. They are 30 cm in length. They are limpid, and they look like the colored glasses on the window panes at the churches. He shows me how to make it flutter. He presses the button which is on a ring at his right hand’s middle finger, and the wings flutter slowly. They are out of batteries, and I wonder how to charge back the batteries.

            “They need electrics,” he points out over a sad face. “Can you help me?”

            I rub my chin. How is it to help him? I don’t even know how. And Martha will check on me in five minutes. I have to help the wanted man right away.

            “I can,” I hold out my hand to take a look at those wings. He hands the wings at me. “If you’re able to show me the way.”

            The wanted man’s mouth curved into a smile, showing his teeth which are flashing white. He looks like in the toothpaste commercial, perhaps. “Thank you!” he digs his fingernails into his palms, presses his fists onto his face, and eyes wide with a hint of satisfaction.

            He walks to the window and looks outside. “The guards are still here, so I have to stay in your bedroom for a while.”

            “How to fix these?” I ask, holding out the wings and lift my shoulders up high.

            “Oh!” he makes quick steps to me, and he grabs the wings from me. “Do you have a screw or something like it?”

            I think for a while. Hmm, I don’t know if there’s a screw or not in this castle. In fact, I don’t know where they usually place their hard wares. Oh, no.

            “Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute,” I bolt out the bedroom as quietly as possible, and make my way to the kitchen.

            They all are totally shock when I’m in the kitchen. I think they are afraid I might be really mad for bugging my conversation with father just now. All of them stop their workings and stare at me.

            “Uh, guys?” I exclaim and fling my hand in the air. “I need a screw.”

            “Whatever for, Your Majesty?” a maid says, with her eyes wide upon her, and mouth half opened.

            “Um,” I exclaim. What is the right word? “The, uh, laptop in my bedroom needs some screw. Where do you keep your hardware?”

            “It is under the pair of large staircase, Your Majesty,” the cook remarks. He is holding a machete to cut the meat, and he holds it in the air, pointing toward where the pair of large staircase is, and it scares me off my skin.

            “Okay, thanks!” I dash out of the kitchen as quickly as possible, afraid that they will ask more questions.

            The pair of large staircase is at the entrance of the castle, and it is so hard for me to get there, because I have to pass several long alleys which was branched into several guests’ rooms and locked doors.

            At last, as I reach the pair of staircase, I search for a door that might be the entrance of the hardware room.

            There are two doors under at each staircase. I open the right one, and realize that I had opened the wrong one. There are bottles of wines and beers imported from Australia and stuff. When I open the second one, I know exactly that that’s the right one. There are screwdrivers and spanners and lots of more I don’t know. I duck in and search for some silver screws.

            There they are! They are lying on the shelf selfishly. I grab three screws about the size of the fore of my pinky finger, and head upstairs.

            When I reach my room, I found out that Martha is in the room. She bents down and smoothes my bed duvet. But the wanted man isn’t in the room Oh, where did that man had gone? The window is bare open, and perhaps he had gone outside. But he had said his wings can’t function.

            “Oh, Miss Belle, where have you been?” she gasps when I step in. I look around. There’s no one there besides Martha, I am really sure.

            “Why?” I raise my brows. “What happened?” I’m afraid that Martha had met that wanted lad and is going to tell father about a man who break into my room through my bedroom window.

            “I want to tell you wondrous news,” she puts her hands together. “His Majesty is going to hold a ball tomorrow night, and Prince Harry was invited!”

            Prince Harry? “Who is that?”

            “The one you’re going to marry! It is going to be so fun! There will be lots and lots of food and snacks and cakes and the ballroom will be filled with tons and tons of people wearing formal clothes. There will be dancing and walking and talking in the greatest manner imaginable! And you and Prince Harry will dance together and talk outside privately and you guys will have the best romantic moments of your lives!” Martha collapse onto the bed and she breath hardly. I collapse onto the bed, too.

            “Are you sure?” I ask, touching my chest dramatically. “Wait a second. Tomorrow night?”

            “Yes, Miss Belle,” Martha admits. “Is there anything so wrong with it?”

            “Yeah,” I nod in anger, impudently. “Tomorrow is Monday which is a school day, and tomorrow’s night is a school night!” I exclaim, jump and stand up.

            “Well,” Martha’s eyes look around. “You can always have a day-off.”

            “Owwwh,” I fall and sit next to her. “I have to go to school.”

            “Oh, please, Miss Belle,” Martha clasp her hand together and hold them tightly. “You have to take a day-off, just for one day only.”

            “Well,” I shrug. You know, I really can’t take a day-off, because I hate to ask homeworks from my friends. If I ever called Sam she’ll only ignore her phone and continue playing the MotoGP in the PlayStation. If I call Leo he will continue on sleeping on his new white polar bear rug (he had once told me that his father bought him a rug, and it was a polar bear rug) and Lora? She probably read her science books when I call her. Other friends? They can’t really help me out. Those don’t make me happy.

            “Well, forget about that,” Martha exclaims. “I’m going to tell you something.”

            “What?”

“Prince Harry is handsome, Miss Belle!” Martha bounces up and down on the mattress. “The other maids said he is the most handsome male you could’ve ever seen. He has dark brown eyes and the most adorable smile you could’ve ever imagined. We have seen a picture of him. He is so gorgeous!”

Oh, Goody. I don’t feel like he is gorgeous, at all. He didn’t even meet me yet, and how can I tell everyone in school that I’m going to marry him?

            “Oh, no!” Martha flings her hands to her mouth, which is wide open.

            “What?” I say.

            “Where is your dress? You look awful,” Martha’s stare lingers on my attire.

            “Oh, I hate those dresses"it scratches my neck!” I cover my neck with my hands.

I stand up and turn around to look at Martha, who looks rather delightful with her eyes shining and her mind going elsewhere. “Um, Martha,” I exclaim. “I want to have a walk outside. I hope there’s nobody to disturb me.”

            She spring onto her feet. “Okay, let me just dress you into something more wonderful than that.”

            “No, no!” I hold my hand in the air, and she tries to pull me toward the dressing room. “I’m just wearing something that isn’t really illegal. That is okay, I know you know it.”

            “Well,” she shrugs. “Okay.”

 

 

            The sky is really blue. I can’t help but notice the marshmallow-like clouds flying away out of the striking sun. I am now walking in the garden in the ground yard of the castle, and I hope I can stroll to the forest which was at the other side of the gates. I know, this castle may consist many wonderful gardens, packed with bright, red poppies, sweet scented mignonette and thousands of snowdrops, but nothing may interest me, as I have this feeling like I was shut in and never to come out again. Father had forbidden me to go out of the castle without him knowing it, but I hate to live like this, so I would like to break the rule now.

            The breeze blows away the dried leaves on the ground, making a rattling sound. I look around to search for a right place for me to go out of the garden by climbing the wall.

            I spot a great wall which can be very good for burglars to climb in and ruin the castle. It was covered with tons of ivies, and the ivies might be strong enough for me to cling onto it because it had grown for about sixteen years already. Martha had told me that this castle is sixteen years old, and the ivies probably sixteen years old, too.

            And so, I grab some ivy for each of my hands to pull me up. My feet climb fast and in a few seconds, I’m already outside the gates.

            It feels so great to be outside the gates, even though I’m just a few inches from the wall. I spin my head round, eyes looking everywhere, afraid to see if there’s a guard or something.

            I now realize that I’m in someplace new. It is a long, hansom way that was covered with old, tall trees. They covered the sky and darkened the surroundings. The rattling old leaves on the ground gives the hair on my neck a sudden stand. Breeze flow through between my thin legs. I turn my head around again, hoping I could meet a new friend. I mean, there got to be someone out here. This is Fiorando. Fiorando never is quiet like this. I’ve lived in New York and always tight within crowds of people at the sidewalks, and this is really different from what I’ve experienced.

            “Hello?” my voice makes a bit of echo. I know I shouldn’t make any noise when I’m still near the wall, but I’m scared. I walk a few steps and rub my hands together. No wonder they forced me to wear dresses; dresses can warm me a bit. This oversized shirt I’m wearing allows the wind to flow in and make me overcool.

            I look at the huge trees. Wow. These creatures sure are old, because the branches look crinkle and the bark are dark colored and thick. The leaves which were on the branches swing to and fro, and I steps become faster.

            Wait a second. Where am I to go? What is it I am doing? Well, there are two reasons why I want to have a walk outside the gates. First, I need some fresh air. I mean some fresh air from the outside of the gates. You know, the air in the gardens is different from the air outside here. There are lots of wild plants and trees that could give me different types of airs, and freedoms. The second is"I want to meet Carlos. He must explain to me why did he left abruptly. He can always hide under my bed from being seen of Martha just now. I mean"well, okay. I really want to meet him. There’s something different when he’s in front of me. It feels like, wanting to smile for the rest of my life. You know, his eyes are killing me, and his smiles are"

            “OUCH!” I gasp and fall down facing the ground. It hurts my nose so bad that when I sit back up I nearly wail loudly and decide to stop because the guards might hear me. But wait. I am so far away from the walls now.

            I look to my right. The trees in the woods give me sudden chill. Is this something? Should I go in there? Well, I would love to have a day full of adventure, but it would be so scary to be so far away from home. Wait, home? Did I just say home? Is that my home?

            I have to have at least an adventure, no matter what. I slide my hands into the pockets on my skinny jeans. I found something rough inside the right one. Goodness, what are these? I pull out my right hand. Oh, they were the screws which were supposed to be spun on the wanted man’s robotic wings. Oh my, I wonder what he is doing right now. Where is he? Is he doing okay? He can’t fly back his home with his broken wings. I wish I could go to where he is living now. But I am not in the least of acknowledging the presence of the place he’s living, or where it was. He didn’t even tell me of it just now. He hadn’t had any time to story me.

            I stand onto my feet and bolt into the forest eagerly. Perhaps he is in there. The leaves of the trees bounce each others and they make noises like wind hollowing and stuff like it. It makes me even more scared when I heard owl’s coos.

            I walk and walk and walk, until my toenails become sore. This is so overreacting. That wicked gorgeous wanted man isn’t here. If he is here, why didn’t I bump into him while I am walking this second?

            I sit down under a tree and take off my sneakers. Oh, what a relief! The breeze cools down my feet in just a minute. I take off my socks, and eye my toe thumbs. Blisters! Those nasty things covered the corners of my toenails. I didn’t know that even by wearing sneakers I could get blisters. I lean back on the bark, and close my eyes.

            After a few minutes, I can exactly hear some dried leaves rattling, like someone is stepping and walking on it. And the noises become louder and clearer, as if they are coming near me. I quickly open up my eyes and turn to look at source of the sound.

            That wanted man. He is standing there in a still manner with his blue eyes pop open, staring at me and his jaws hang down in an inch. He is holding his robotic wings in his right hand’s grip, and something tiny in the left.

            I scramble onto my feet, brushing off the dried leaves away from my thighs. I look up at him.

            “What are you doing here?” he bared his hand and drags up his shoulders a bit.

            “I"I am searching"I need some fresh air,” I lie and nod, and, to make the statements all true, I add up, “I mean, I love the fresh air outside here than the castle’s.”

            His eyebrows rise up high. “Well,” he walks toward me a bit. “That makes sense, I hope.”

            Cold wind swooshes on me, and I rub myself.

            Noticing this, the wanted man says, “Well, I think perhaps you should come with me. I knew a place where you could gain heat.”

            “Oh, that’ll do.” I exclaim and stalk him.

            We walk for about five minutes, and then he stops in front of a very tall tree. “This is it,” he gestures his hand toward the tree.

            I look at it. Uh, I think there’s nothing at this tree that could make me warm. It is only a tree, and I don’t understand what he is talking about. “What do you mean?” I step forward.

            “No, lass,” he walks near me from behind. “Look up at the sky, and pray tell me, what do you see?”

            I drag my gaze from the tree’s rich black stalk which got nailed planks on it and to the branches and"oh my God!

            A tree house! There’s a tree house up there! It is so beautiful and it was built with lots of woods, I can see. There’s the planks nailed spirally on the tree’s stalk for people to climb up, and there are four windows and the woods are dark colored woods, and they look rather old and dusty. I cannot take my eyes off it.

            “Goodness!” I say. “Did you build that?”

            “No,” the wanted man grins. He walks to the tree. “I found it. I do not know who made it. Come on,” he climbs up carefully by stepping on the nailed planks.

            “Aren’t you afraid in case there’s someone out there who owns it?” I ask, looking at each thing that’s available on it. There are big rotten ropes and some mould on the tree’s branches. The branches are situated near so near the tree house that I imagine holding it. “Don’t you think you have to be cautious because it perhaps crumples down off the tree? It sure looks old.”

            “You are cold, are you not?” the wanted man says just as he arrives at the top of the tree. He pops out his head from the window and looks down at me. “So, just fly up here and stop complaining.”

            “Fly?” I frown. I walk to the tree and start climbing up eagerly. “You mean, climb up.”

            “Yes!” he exclaims. “That is exactly what I am talking about.”

            “You know, I’ve been thinking where exactly you’re living,” I remark as I had already arrived at the top of the tree. I stay standing at the door for a while. “You really don’t look like you’re from New York or France or Fiorando. You look like you’re from someplace I really don’t know. And by don’t know, I mean, don’t exist.”

            “Do not exist? What do you mean? Its name is Autumn Hollow, and I am so sure you do not know a single thing about it, because it is the most secret place you could ever imagine. This is the very first time a thing travels out of it,” he points out. He looks at me and I look at him.

            “Oh.” I nod, pretending to understand but didn’t exactly understand. I look at him when I realized that he is looking at me for a long time. “What?” I exclaim. “Why did you look at me like that?”

            “No,” he smiles. I can see he is blushing, but his cheeks don’t look so rosy. He looks down. “You are a beautiful girl.”

             “Goodness,” I sit down beside him. “You know what? My father forced me to marry a man I don’t really fancy. In fact, I don’t know him at all. I’ve never met him before. He is a prince of Morolanda. Morolanda is an island near Fiorando.”

            “Oh,” says he as he looks up at me in surprise. “I see.”

            “So,” I say, trying to change the subject and to forget the fact that I’m going to marry. “Story me, about your own country. I learned that you are wanted.”

            “Oh, please don’t say that,” he looks annoyed. “I run away because those palace guards want me to stay in the palace.” He suddenly realizes what he has just said, then he clasps his hand quickly to his mouth.

            I look at him in shock. “Are you living in a palace? Were you grown up in it?” I start to babble some questions which, I know, will only annoy him and fritter me away. “Are you a Prince?” I ask him in a really polite manner.

            His eyes go huge the minute I ask him the last question. “I"” he stammers, his lips open and close and open up again. “I am.”

            “You are?” my eyes pop open immensely huge. This is so good. This is totally going in an orderly manner. I really can’t imagine him being a prince.

            “I am so sorry for not telling you of it,” his face turns into a shade of scared. Or nervous, perhaps. I don’t know how to describe his reactions, because all of his face looks the same. Only his eyes give out reaction, and that changes his whole face, with just a bit only. “I am so afraid if you know that I am a prince and you will spread some rumors.”

            “Whoa, whoa, hold on that one,” I stand up and turn to look outside the window. “I am not that kind of girl; I’ve never spread some"”

            When I turn my head and body around to face outside, I found out that the whole surroundings is filled with tall trees, and I can only see the top of the trees, which are only leaves that hits each other. There are birds flying above us, and hawks circling the sky, and I can see bird nests on a branch of a tree nearby. The nestlings are all hopping and jumping and bouncing and they are so cute that my mouth opens up really big this time. I should’ve turned my head around the minute I stepped into this tree house!

            “Holy cowww!” I shout, and I jump to a window and look outside. I pop my body out and stare widely; head turning and eyes lingering. “This is so"argh!”

            In a second, everything goes so fast. I am falling down onto the ground. My body is swaying down reaching the cruel, hard earth below, and I can’t really tell how it feels when I hit the ground from the top of the tallest tree, because I don’t feel anything. I don’t hear anything. I am hearing small noises, like the blowing of winds and the rattles of leaves. I didn’t even hear any thud sounds that shows I have fallen down. Why didn’t I feel a single pain? Why didn’t I feel like bumping when I hit the ground? Did I even hit the ground?

            I open my eyelids, and try to figure out what exactly is happening. The sunlight hurts my eyes, and so I hang up my right arm to cover it from hitting my eye. I open my eyes wider. I look up to see a smiling face. I’m in the arm of"

            The wanted man.

Reviews

[ainaaabdul]

heehee thank you!

[Syldor]

The writing is abit choppy, and there are sevral grammar errors, but those are all things that can easily be improved with practice. Otherwise the plot is good and you give a wonderful character set-up.