Getting Help

After her older sister falls from a tree, it falls on five-year-old Xenia's shoulders to get help.

    The entire thing happened as if the whole world had decided to slow down before her very eyes. It was normal when Nora told her she was too little to climb the tree. It was normal when she'd  grabbed the chair and dragged it to the tree to help her reach the sapling's lowest branch. Not to mention when she was climbing up. It was when the crackling snap of wood cut through the silent winter air that the world slowed. The succession of rustles, cracks and snaps was the young hobbit's weight plummet through the tree sounded as long as the wind's howl. Even the punctuating sound effect, the sickening crunch that was Nora slamming into the chair and the wood giving way beneath the child's weight, lasted an eternity.

    Good thing it hadn't been a fast fall, or Nora could have been really hurt.

    Usually, children fell much faster than that. That was why falling down hurt. Just the other day, she'd tripped over the hem of her skirt running along the cobblestone walkway and scraped her palms. Nora might need help up. Without a second thought, Xenia ran as fast as her five-year-old legs could carry her to Nora's side. She'd need help off that chair. Lying on broken, splintered wood couldn't be comfortable. Slipping one hand under Nora's chest and the other on the front of her thighs, Xenia pushed up. It took all her strength and was really hard, but she managed to flip the older child onto her back and off the chair. There, the problem of her lying on wood was solved. Now there was making her feel better.

    Nora didn't seem too hurt though, she thought, staring at the crumpled form of her sister in confusion. She had scraped both arms against branches and was bleeding a bit from those scrapes. Oughtn't she to be crying? Xenia had after her own fall; the skin coming off her hads had hurt a lot. Grass was soft, that was true- but branches weren't. Besides, nobody had ever fallen from that high up that she knew.

    Her sister wasn't even moving to get up. Odd. Nora hated getting dirty. She'd even said "I better not end up with any grass stains on my dress" before they started playing with Xenia's all. Why did she not care now?

    Speaking of stains...

    It wasn't green like grass or brown like dirt. A big red spot just appeared on the side of Nora's dress near her... hip? Yes, that was what that part where the stomach ended and the legs started was called, right? Where the bone that stuck out a little bit was?

    But the body part's name didn't matter. "Nora?" said Xenia uncertainly. Her sister's face looked different too. Paler. The skin hiding Nora's eyes quivered, then disappeared to be replaced by a pair of dark brown eyes. They closed, opened, closed and then flickered open once more. This seemed bad. Why couldn't she stay awake? Why wasn't she getting up?

     "Nora!" This time, it was a scream. Nora's face scruched up. Her mouth opened like she was going to talk, but she didn't. Xenia rubbed her chin, looking down at the red. The spot was growing larger. Did she scrape her stomach? Or maybe a bump or bruise? Yes! She had an idea! She told it to Nora. Nora seemed not to hear. Her poor big sister. She must be really hurting if she was acting like doing things was harder for her than it was her little sister Jillian.

    Xenia crouched and laid her hands on Nora's stomach, taking care to avoid where the blood was. The resulting scream made her jump back several inches.She was too startled to even cry. Nora sounded like she hurt more and it was all her fault. Her breaths came in gasps.

    "Nora, I'm sorry!" Xenia wailed, hoping her big sister wasn't too mad at her. She hadn't worsened the pain on purpose. Why was Nora so whitefaced? Why wasn't she crying, if it hurt that bad? Above all, why wasn't she getting up? "I didn't mean to hurt you more!"  A terrifying thought occurred to her. There was no way she and her sister would be able to hide this from their parents. Even if her mother was off visiting a friend from her uppoer

    Nora seized her wrist. Her eyes closed, then opened again.  It wasn't a tight grip. If anything, she seemed barely able to close her hand. That scared Xenia. Even babies could do that. She looked desperately around. Surely someone had heard Nora? What about the landscaper? No, he'd disappeared to the other side of the house belonging to her father. The house that was by far the biggest compared to their neighbors. Maybe the gatekeeper? No, that was all the way on the other side and a long way ahead of the front door. Once again, Nora's eyes closed and opened.

    Then, for the first time since the accident, Nora spoke. Her voice was raspy and barely above a whisper.  Every syllable seemed a struggle.  "Get... help." Her eyes closed. This time, they did not open. Her breaths, the one sign of life, came fast like she'd just run a race. All wrong, when all she was doing was lying on the ground. Her sister's blood, now thoroughly soaking the sides of her dress, was beginning to drip onto the ground.

    Xenia didn't need telling twice. She sprang to her feet and ran towards the house. Who would help? Her mother wasn't there. She didn't dare interrupt her father. Two hobbits who were with him on the Council were visiting. He'd locked the three of them in his biggest study and ordered everyone not to interrupt. She'd done just that often enough to know he'd be very angry if she barged in there.

    The gatekeeper might be her best hope.  She began sprinting towards where the front door might be. The best shortcut. She wasn't supposed to run inside but Nora needed someone fast.

    Rounding yet another corner- why did the house seem much bigger than usual- Xenia almost collided with one of their housekeepers. Jemima.  

    "Xenia!" scolded Jemima. "Why are you running inside? You know better..." Jemima looked more closely at the young hobbit's face. "Xenia? What's wrong?"

    "Nofallotatree"

    Jemima blinked. "Slow down, Xenia. Repeat that. Slowly."
    
    "Nora fell," the five-year-old choked out, bursting into tears. She collapsed against the grown-up, who enclosed her in a hug.

    "What do you mean?" Jemima asked. She looked the small child up and down. Her eyes settled upon the dark red staining the girl's pinafore. Horrorstruck, she said  "Xenia, is that blood?"

    "My ball got stuck in the tree, and she went after it- I'm sorry, I know we're not supposed to! But it was really high,  and she climbed to get it, but the branch broke, and... and..." She couldn't say anymore. The sobs came too fast.

    "We must get her help then," said Jemina, hastening to the kitchen. Xenia followed, baffled. "Make sure you get word to the household, Tara," said Jemima. "Councilhobbit Foxtrot's oldest is hurt badly. And someone will need to fetch a healer." One did not need to see the child to know that. The blood on the middle daughter said it all. Once she'd seen this done, Jemima reverted her attention to Xenia. "Bring me to Nora. The only thing that might help her is your cooperation."

Reviews

[Mila]

Didn't find anything critique wise with this, it was very enjoyable, despite the fall! I can relate, for I too have fallen from many a high places as a youngin. Plus I'm short, so most places are high places for me.
Great job with this, can't wait to read on!
Well done :)

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Thanks so much! Yeah, I have too, though thankfully I managed to control my landing and NOT land on pieces of furniture hard enough to break them! (and thankfully not so high I'd be hurt no matter how I landed)

[♔ CrownedDevil &#..]

A very interesting chapter. Nicely written. :)

[NoelHC]

Excellent chapter. It made me think of playing with my sister once when she fell off a shed roof and hurt herself, we weren't supposed to be there, I related well to Xenia wanting to get help, but knowing she would be in trouble.

cracks and snaps was the young hobbit's weight plummet (as the young...)
before they started playing with Xenia's (b)all.
uppoer ??

[Craig2591]

Well done. You did a good job getting into the head of a five-year-old. Very convincing.

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Thanks so much for dropping by! Wee Xenia! [,=

[Jennie Baron]

Outstanding! I missed reading your work and this is absolutely wonderful, such an engaging story. Thanks so much for the RR.

[SpeedyHobbit Armstrong]

Awww, thank you for dropping by and the encouraging review!