Lucas had been right. Reunion with their parents was not funny or easy. Lucas’s mum, dad and little sister and Ronald’s mum and dad came to the hospital together while Ronald was fast asleep and Lucas had to deal with them alone. He explained them what had happened, the prettier version anyway. The police men had told the parents about what Lucas and Ronald had said about the bodies in the woods. That made the mums go crazy and when Lucas said they had probably hallucinated the whole thing it didn’t make the mums calm down. Quite the contrary, actually; Lucas’s mum announced that Lucas was not allowed to go into the woods ever again until the wolf or dog or whatever is shot to dead and Ronald’s mum agreed with Lucas’s mum, saying that Ronald will not step into the woods ever again without adult supervising. Lucas thought they were overreacting. They thought Lucas was in a shock and didn’t understand the seriousness of the situation.
When Ronald woke up he was still in the same hospital room and he saw his mother sitting by his bed. She was reading a book, some Nora Roberts book, and lifted her gaze up when she heard Ronald moving in his bed.
“Oh, my sweet baby”, she whispered and took Ronald’s hand in hers. “I have been so worried.”
“Where’s Lucas?” Ronald croaked out. His throat was completely dry and he really wanted to drink water. His mother noticed that and took a plastic cup from the table and handed it to Ronald before answering.
“He went home with his family. He wanted to stay here but I insisted he would go home and get some rest.”
“How about Dad?” Ronald asked after drinking the water and feeling better, despite the fact that his wounded arm was aching in pain.
“He had to go to work but he told me to tell you that everything will be okay. He will make sure that the police men will take this seriously and put the hunters after that animal.”
“He couldn’t take a day off for me?” Ronald said, feeling disappointed but not surprised. Something he was used to feel when the topic was his father.
“He tried, honey, but no, it wasn’t possible.”
“Sure he tried”, Ronald muttered under his breath and looked around in the room. “When can I go home?”
Ronald’s mum sighed. “I don’t know. They want to keep you here for a couple of days, just to make sure that everything is fine.”
“Okay. It’s Sunday, right?”
“Yes and the clock’s three in the afternoon. You’re going to miss a couple school days.”
That didn’t bother Ronald one bit but he really wanted to meet Lucas. See that he was okay. Now when he tried to remember last night, everything seemed very hazy. He wasn’t sure which was true and which was not. He wasn’t so sure about anything anymore and he wanted to make sure Lucas was okay and ask him how he was feeling and if he remembers what had happened exactly.
“Are you in pain?” Mrs. Quinn asked worriedly.
Ronald nodded and Mrs. Quinn got up and went to seek for a nurse who could come give him something for the pain. Ronald stared at the ceiling and tried to remember what the bodies had looked like but all he got was hazy pictures that didn’t tell much. He couldn’t remember the run through the woods. He did remember the bright green light, or fire, that had saved them but since he couldn’t explain it, he locked it in the back of his mind and let it get dusty in there.
“Someone will come soon, honey”, Mrs. Quinn said as she re-entered the room. “Hang in there.”
Ronald nodded again.
Wednesday morning Ronald was finally free to leave the hospital. His arm was in a better condition. It was still hurting but not as much as it had been. Lucas had visited him every day and brought him his homework.
“Crazy that they put me in school right away”, Lucas had said on Monday. “You’d think they would let me stay home for a week after what happened but no.” Lucas had started imitating his mother’s voice. “’It’s best if you go back to your daily routine immediately so you will not have time to think about what happened’.” Lucas had stopped imitating his mother and returned to his normal voice. “What kind of bullshit is that? They should let me wallow.”
Ronald had laughed and then they had talked about stupid stuff, clearly avoiding the what-was-that-thing-that-attacked-us -topic. That was until Wednesday came and Ronald was able to go home.
Lucas came to visit right after school and they sat in Ronald’s room, just the two of them and nothing to talk about.
“Do you… have nightmares?” Ronald asked hesitantly.
“Yeah... every night. I keep seeing the dead bodies.”
“Me too. Have nightmares, I mean”, Ronald admitted. “I get attacked again and again, but it’s a different animal every time. It’s like my brain can’t comprehend what that… thing... was.”
Lucas nodded, frowning. “Is it wrong that we keep things from the adults?”
Ronald shrugged. “Like you said, they wouldn’t believe us anyway.”
Silence. And then Lucas chuckled. Ronald raised an eyebrow.
“What are you laughing about?”
“I just realised I forgot to tell you something that happened today at school”, Lucas said.
“What?” Ronald asked.
“Farrah came to talk to me.”
“WHAT?” Ronald yelled, sitting up in his bed and looking at Lucas. “You’re lying!”
“I swear to God I’m not! She came to ask me if you’re okay since you’ve been missing a lot of school and there’s rumours going around that you hurt yourself during the weekend.”
“What did you tell her?” Ronald asked.
Lucas blushed.
“Oh no. Lucas, what did you do?” Ronald asked.
“I panicked, okay! I told her that you had a real bad haemorrhoids and couldn’t come to school.”
“LUCAS!” Ronald yelled and threw a pillow at his best friend. “You’re a complete idiot! Now I have to avoid her for the rest of my life!”
“But I told her you are getting better and will come back to school on Thursday!”
“Still!” Ronald whined. “Oh God. This is so embarrassing.”
“Sorry, Ron”, Lucas said sincerely. “I really just panicked.”
“Uh-huh, you have to make this up for me.”
“I will, I promise.”
Ronald went back lying in his bed and they were silent for a moment until Ronald groaned and said, “Haemorrhoids! really, Lucas?”
Lucas started laughing. Ronald couldn’t help but join him.
On Thursday morning Ronald woke up extra early so that he would have time to take a shower. After coming out of the shower and putting on clean clothes, he looked in the mirror and saw the dark circles around his eyes. He looked like a corpse but at least his stitched arm wasn’t aching in pain – he had too strong medication for the arm to be hurting like a bitch.
His mother had prepared him breakfast again and then left to work so Ronald was alone. He ate in silence and took his sweet, sweet time chewing and swallowing. When his phone reminded him that he should leave to school he put away his dishes, pulled on his shoes and a jacket, then he took his school bag and left the house. He walked slowly, mainly because he had a lots of time but also because he didn’t really want to go to school. Haemorrhoids still haunted his mind and he really didn’t want to see Farrah because he was so ashamed.
Damn you, Lucas, Ronald thought.
There was a man standing near the school’s gates and Ronald glanced at him quickly as he walked past the man. At first he didn’t think anything of it but by the time he reached the school’s main doors he realised that the man had seemed familiar. Ronald was sure he had seen him before, but where? He turned around to look again, but the man had disappeared.
Ronald furrowed his eyebrows but then he just shrugged and walked inside the school, letting the whole thing slip out of his mind.
When Ronald woke up he was still in the same hospital room and he saw his mother sitting by his bed. She was reading a book, some Nora Roberts book, and lifted her gaze up when she heard Ronald moving in his bed.
“Oh, my sweet baby”, she whispered and took Ronald’s hand in hers. “I have been so worried.”
“Where’s Lucas?” Ronald croaked out. His throat was completely dry and he really wanted to drink water. His mother noticed that and took a plastic cup from the table and handed it to Ronald before answering.
“He went home with his family. He wanted to stay here but I insisted he would go home and get some rest.”
“How about Dad?” Ronald asked after drinking the water and feeling better, despite the fact that his wounded arm was aching in pain.
“He had to go to work but he told me to tell you that everything will be okay. He will make sure that the police men will take this seriously and put the hunters after that animal.”
“He couldn’t take a day off for me?” Ronald said, feeling disappointed but not surprised. Something he was used to feel when the topic was his father.
“He tried, honey, but no, it wasn’t possible.”
“Sure he tried”, Ronald muttered under his breath and looked around in the room. “When can I go home?”
Ronald’s mum sighed. “I don’t know. They want to keep you here for a couple of days, just to make sure that everything is fine.”
“Okay. It’s Sunday, right?”
“Yes and the clock’s three in the afternoon. You’re going to miss a couple school days.”
That didn’t bother Ronald one bit but he really wanted to meet Lucas. See that he was okay. Now when he tried to remember last night, everything seemed very hazy. He wasn’t sure which was true and which was not. He wasn’t so sure about anything anymore and he wanted to make sure Lucas was okay and ask him how he was feeling and if he remembers what had happened exactly.
“Are you in pain?” Mrs. Quinn asked worriedly.
Ronald nodded and Mrs. Quinn got up and went to seek for a nurse who could come give him something for the pain. Ronald stared at the ceiling and tried to remember what the bodies had looked like but all he got was hazy pictures that didn’t tell much. He couldn’t remember the run through the woods. He did remember the bright green light, or fire, that had saved them but since he couldn’t explain it, he locked it in the back of his mind and let it get dusty in there.
“Someone will come soon, honey”, Mrs. Quinn said as she re-entered the room. “Hang in there.”
Ronald nodded again.
Wednesday morning Ronald was finally free to leave the hospital. His arm was in a better condition. It was still hurting but not as much as it had been. Lucas had visited him every day and brought him his homework.
“Crazy that they put me in school right away”, Lucas had said on Monday. “You’d think they would let me stay home for a week after what happened but no.” Lucas had started imitating his mother’s voice. “’It’s best if you go back to your daily routine immediately so you will not have time to think about what happened’.” Lucas had stopped imitating his mother and returned to his normal voice. “What kind of bullshit is that? They should let me wallow.”
Ronald had laughed and then they had talked about stupid stuff, clearly avoiding the what-was-that-thing-that-attacked-us -topic. That was until Wednesday came and Ronald was able to go home.
Lucas came to visit right after school and they sat in Ronald’s room, just the two of them and nothing to talk about.
“Do you… have nightmares?” Ronald asked hesitantly.
“Yeah... every night. I keep seeing the dead bodies.”
“Me too. Have nightmares, I mean”, Ronald admitted. “I get attacked again and again, but it’s a different animal every time. It’s like my brain can’t comprehend what that… thing... was.”
Lucas nodded, frowning. “Is it wrong that we keep things from the adults?”
Ronald shrugged. “Like you said, they wouldn’t believe us anyway.”
Silence. And then Lucas chuckled. Ronald raised an eyebrow.
“What are you laughing about?”
“I just realised I forgot to tell you something that happened today at school”, Lucas said.
“What?” Ronald asked.
“Farrah came to talk to me.”
“WHAT?” Ronald yelled, sitting up in his bed and looking at Lucas. “You’re lying!”
“I swear to God I’m not! She came to ask me if you’re okay since you’ve been missing a lot of school and there’s rumours going around that you hurt yourself during the weekend.”
“What did you tell her?” Ronald asked.
Lucas blushed.
“Oh no. Lucas, what did you do?” Ronald asked.
“I panicked, okay! I told her that you had a real bad haemorrhoids and couldn’t come to school.”
“LUCAS!” Ronald yelled and threw a pillow at his best friend. “You’re a complete idiot! Now I have to avoid her for the rest of my life!”
“But I told her you are getting better and will come back to school on Thursday!”
“Still!” Ronald whined. “Oh God. This is so embarrassing.”
“Sorry, Ron”, Lucas said sincerely. “I really just panicked.”
“Uh-huh, you have to make this up for me.”
“I will, I promise.”
Ronald went back lying in his bed and they were silent for a moment until Ronald groaned and said, “Haemorrhoids! really, Lucas?”
Lucas started laughing. Ronald couldn’t help but join him.
On Thursday morning Ronald woke up extra early so that he would have time to take a shower. After coming out of the shower and putting on clean clothes, he looked in the mirror and saw the dark circles around his eyes. He looked like a corpse but at least his stitched arm wasn’t aching in pain – he had too strong medication for the arm to be hurting like a bitch.
His mother had prepared him breakfast again and then left to work so Ronald was alone. He ate in silence and took his sweet, sweet time chewing and swallowing. When his phone reminded him that he should leave to school he put away his dishes, pulled on his shoes and a jacket, then he took his school bag and left the house. He walked slowly, mainly because he had a lots of time but also because he didn’t really want to go to school. Haemorrhoids still haunted his mind and he really didn’t want to see Farrah because he was so ashamed.
Damn you, Lucas, Ronald thought.
There was a man standing near the school’s gates and Ronald glanced at him quickly as he walked past the man. At first he didn’t think anything of it but by the time he reached the school’s main doors he realised that the man had seemed familiar. Ronald was sure he had seen him before, but where? He turned around to look again, but the man had disappeared.
Ronald furrowed his eyebrows but then he just shrugged and walked inside the school, letting the whole thing slip out of his mind.
