The Summer Camp

She was supposed to stay in the house. Specifically, she was supposed to stay in the kitchen. But she was never good at listening to instructions. She always had a little rebellious streak, that a little pout and cute eyes could always et her out of trouble.

She had quickly found that she was bored being outside. The backyard wasn’t fun to explore when she had already explored all of it. There were the woods behind her house. Mommy and daddy said she wasn’t allowed to go out there, but they weren’t here. It couldn’t be that bad. She would just go for a peak and come right back. They would never know.

There was so much to explore, so much alive back here in the woods. She didn’t understand why her parents would keep her from going out there. It was great! A butterfly had even landed on her nose, flying away only when she had let out a giggle.

If only she had been aware she had gone too far and gone past the pack boundaries.

She was surprised when she came across a man, barely dressed, and a little too dirty for her tastes. She was stopped a few feet away, eyeing at him.

“What are you doing out here, little one? Are you lost? Did you wonder away from your pack? You seem a little young to be out here all on your own” The man asked, his voice a little hoarse. She should’ve walked away but he smiled so kindly at her he had to have been okay.

“I will have you know I am six years old. I’m not young,” she pouted, stomping her foot. “I didn’t wonder, I’m on an adventure. Just don’t tell my mommy and daddy. I’m not supposed to be out here.”

“If you’re not supposed to be out here, then you shouldn’t be. It can be dangerous out here, especially for cute, little girls. Come, I will take you home.”

She shouldn’t have taken his hand, should’ve known something was wrong. But his eyes were so kind, and she was starting to get hungry. She hoped her mommy was almost done making cookies.

No one came when she screamed, when she cried. For hours it seemed to go on, until her voice stopped making noise, too hoarse and dry to go on. She laid there, unmoving, for days it seemed. To her it could have been an eternity. To her parents, it was three agonizing days searching for their daughter.

They could barely bare the sight when they found her.

She was never the same after that. No amount of therapy or medications could fix that. There were some parts of her that she couldn’t heal, perhaps didn’t want to heal.

She shut herself away from everyone. She was content with being alone for the rest of her life.

It’s funny how fate works, though.