“They were so nice, I thought they were friendly, how could they do such a thing?” she whimpered.
“They? Who are they? You mean the monsters?” Falla asked. The child nodded and looked towards the sound of Falla’s voice.
“We didn’t know they were monsters, they seemed like lost travelers, they were so nice and friendly when we picked them up. They said they needed a ride, and my foster dad agreed to give them a lift. They even offered an apple pie as thanks, it was so yummy,” she explained shakily.
“What kind of monsters were they, what did they look like?” Luna asked.
“She’s blind, Luna, how would she know what they looked like?” Falla asked flatly.
“Oh, right, sorry,” Luna said nervously. The child shook her head and looked down with watery eyes.
“There was two of them, they were girls, they sounded older than me, but younger than my foster mother. They were very polite, always talking and laughing with my family while they rode with us, telling us about their travels. They… they did talk strangely though,” she explained with a worried expression.
“Strange? How so?” Luna asked.
“They kept talking… at the same time. It was like they were both speaking together, like they were the same person, it was kind of weird,” the child answered. Falla looked around carefully then back to the young girl.
“So… is it just you out here now?” she asked. The child nodded and looked down with a whimper.
“I woke up from my nap, and I heard my mom screaming. The two monsters, they were eating her, I could hear them chewing into her, they were laughing and eating her alive!” the girl cried out. She started breathing quickly as the two sisters watched her with worried eyes.
“I cried out for help, but the monsters only laughed and said that I was next as their dessert! I heard my mom crying out to run for my life. I tried to get out quickly, but I tripped and rolled over… what was left of my dad, those monsters just laughed at me while my mom screamed in pain! I fell out of the carriage and then just ran, I ran and I ran far away into the woods. I kept running and running, and running, and I kept running until… until…” she explained while trying to control her breathing. Luna looked over towards where the girl fell into the river earlier with remorse.
“Until you couldn’t run anymore,” she said softly, turning back to the little girl as the child nodded and closed her eyes.
“They ate my family, they ate my family, they ate my family…” the girl whimpered while holding onto Luna. The butterfly monster held her gently and looked to Falla with a saddened expression.
“We can’t leave her like this, she’s all alone,” she pleaded.
“What are we supposed to do, adopt her? Luna, look at us, she doesn’t belong here with us, we’re not exactly the right babysitters for her,” Falla argued while gesturing to her wings.
“But look at her, she’s frightened to death and all alone, we can’t just abandon her,” Luna said looking to the young child.
“Luna, put her down, we have to go,” Falla urged.
“No, we have to do something for her,” Luna pleaded while holding the child closer.
“You saved her from drowning, you’ve done more than enough,” Falla argued.
“Stop being so cruel, we can’t leave her out here like this and you know it,” Luna shot back with a flustered expression.
“We can’t be seen with a human child and you know it!” Falla shouted out. She then jumped with a small gasp and looked to the young girl as did Luna. The blind girl looked towards the sound of Falla’s voice then to where she thought Luna was.
“Human child?” she asked quietly.
“Oh crap,” Falla said worriedly.
“Um…” Luna said nervously. Falla glanced to her then to the child.
“Luna, let her go, we need to leave, now,” she said quickly.
“What do you mean ‘human child’?” the young girl asked softly.
“Um… well…” Luna stuttered, fearful of how the girl would take the truth.
“Let’s go, Luna, right now,” Falla repeated urgently.
The young girl slowly lifted her hands up to Luna’s cheeks, the butterfly girl showing a nervous expression.
“I… we… well… um…” Luna stuttered. Slowly the young girl moved her hands up along Luna’s head before Luna grabbed and held them in place.
“Please don’t be scared, I’m not going to hurt you,” Luna pleaded softly. The child showed a nervous expression as Luna gently let her hands go, the young girl then slowly moving her hands up to the top of Luna’s head, where they came in contact with her antennae. The child gasped as she felt the insect appendages on the monster’s head and trembled in fear.
“You… you’re a monster!” the girl said with surprise.
“Please, I promise I’m not going to hurt you, don’t scream or cry, please don’t cry! I just wanted to help you; I didn’t want you to get hurt or to drown! I just wanted to help! Please don’t cry, don’t cry, little girl! Just… just please don’t start crying!” Luna cried out before she started sobbing uncontrollably. The child showed a worried expression then slowly moved her hands back down to Luna’s face, touching the cheeks and mouth to get a picture of the sorrowful expression on the butterfly monster’s face. She could hear Luna crying, and could feel the facial movements showing the monster’s remorseful frown.
“I just wanted to help you; I didn’t want you to get hurt or to drown. I’m sorry, please don’t scream at me! I’m not a bad monster, I’m not!” Luna wept with tears forming in her eyes.
“Are you crying?” the child asked softly. Luna whimpered and nodded, with the child feeling the monster’s tears on her hands.
“You’re… you’re sad?” the young girl asked.
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to scare you, I just wanted to help you. You were going to drown in the river, so I flew over and lifted you up. I just wanted to help,” Luna whimpered. The child just stared at her with a stunned gaze while slowly moving her hands around Luna’s cheeks.
“I was saved… by a monster?” she asked curiously. Luna sniffled and nodded while Falla watched the young child carefully.
“Why did you save me?” the child asked worriedly.
“What do you mean why? You were going to drown, I couldn’t just let that happen,” Luna reasoned. The child looked at her curiously then cocked her head slightly to the side in question.
“But I’m a human,” she said hesitantly.
“I don’t care, you’re still so young, you didn’t deserve to die, that wouldn’t be right,” Luna said shaking her head. The child remained silent for a while then slowly looked to where she heard Falla from then back to Luna.
“Who are you two? What are you two?” she asked.
“My name is Luna, and this is my sister, Falla. We’re… we’re known as giant butterflies to you humans,” Luna said softly. The child looked at her with wonder as Luna helped her stand again.
“Butterflies? You’re a butterfly monster?” the girl asked.
“Yes, we are. But we don’t harm humans, really. We’re not going to hurt you at all. I’ve never harmed a human in my entire life,” Luna pleaded. Slowly the child reached her hands out and felt Luna’s head then down to her shoulders, the girl then walking around the monster and feeling along her body to her wings. She showed a curious expression as she gently ran her hands along Luna’s wing, with the sisters watching her as she used her hands to feel out the shape and size of the wings.
“Wow, you have wings,” the child said softly.
“Yeah, we are butterfly monsters after all,” Falla pointed out. As the child felt along Luna’s wing to the edges Falla watched as the young girl showed a curious expression while she made out the body and form of her savior.
“Look, kid, we’re just going to go now, ok? We’re not going to hurt you or anything,” Falla said while looking away.
“But, Falla, we can’t leave her here, it
’s not safe,” Luna said shaking her head.
“What do you expect us to do? We can’t just take her with us and keep her, not to mention that if we’re seen with her like this we’re dead. I mean look at her,” Falla exclaimed, waving to the child. Luna stood up and looked down at the young girl who was looking back and forth between the sounds of their voices. Falla shook her head and looked at her sister with an expectant expression.
“She’s got blood all over her from her dead family, and we’re two monsters. If any humans see us like this they’re going to think we killed her family, they’ll hunt us down and behead us for sure,” she pointed out.
“But… we can’t just leave her alone, she won’t last long out in the wild all by herself,” Luna pleaded. Falla groaned and looked up while holding a hand over her eyes.
“Luna, I get that you want to help her, but we’re not the ones who can,” she reasoned. Luna looked down to the young girl, the child looking up to her with watery eyes that didn’t focus on the monster at all.
“Why are you trying to help me?” she asked softly.
“Because I don’t want you to get hurt out here,” Luna answered with a small smile.
“But I’m a human, and I’m a girl, why would any monster care about me?” the child asked. Luna knelt down and gently held the girl by the shoulders.
“I’m sorry monsters ate your family, I really am. But I’m not like them; I’m not a bad monster, really. When I saw you fall into the water I knew I had to save you, it was the right thing to do,” she said softly. The child looked towards the sound of her voice with wonder as Luna gently wiped away the girl’s tears.
“Please don’t be afraid of me, I just want to help you,” she said gently.
“You… you do?” the young girl asked.
“I do,” Luna said with a warm smile.
“What is wrong with you?” Falla asked with disbelief. Luna and the child looked to her as the butterfly monster was shaking her head slowly.
“Are you crazy? Are you trying to get us killed? Look at her. If we’re seen by other humans with her, then they’ll try to butcher us. We’re already in danger near humans as it is, but having a child with us? That’s insane!” she cried out.
“But Falla…” Luna said worriedly.
“But nothing! I get you want to help the kid, and you did, you saved her from drowning. But we can’t help her anymore. We can’t be seen with her, and we certainly can’t protect her from monsters out here in the outerlands, we’re not fighters, remember?” Falla reasoned frantically. Luna looked to the child then to her sister with hopeful eyes.
“But, what about Daniel and his friends? Can’t they help her?” Luna asked. Falla paused for a moment then jumped with a gasp.
“Wait a minute, Daniel! What if those two man-eaters find him? Dammit, we need to find him before they do, he can’t make good on his promise to me if he’s dead,” Falla said looking around quickly.
“That’s not what I meant. They can protect this girl, they can help her,” Luna said looking to the young child.
“What are you talking about?” the girl asked.
“We know people, a human and a group of monsters who travel together. They’re strong, and friendly, they can help you,” Luna said with a hopeful smile. Falla looked at her with disbelief.
“Help her? Luna, we need to find Daniel so he can-” she started before looking at the young child curiously. Luna watched her with a whimper as the young girl turned towards Falla’s voice, with the butterfly girl eyeing her over carefully for a moment before a curious smile came across her face.
“So he can help this young girl, yes,” she said thoughtfully.
“Really? Then you agree we should help her?” Luna asked hopefully. Falla nodded slowly while eyeing over the young human. She walked over and gently held the child by the shoulders, gently brushing the girl’s hair before looking to her sister with an eager smile. She glanced to the child then kneeled down to face her.
“My dear child, what’s your name?” she asked gently.
“Emily, Emily Winterbloom,” the girl said softly.
“What a lovely name. Emily, would excuse us for one moment, I need to talk to my sister about… a personal matter. It won’t take but a moment,” Falla said kindly. Emily nodded slowly as Falla stood up and took hold of Luna’s hand, walking her further away from the child while Luna looked back to the young girl then to her sister with a curious expression.
“Talk to me about what?” she asked. Falla led her away from the girl then turned to her with a bright smile.
“Luna, if we keep this girl alive and well, and tell Daniel we’re trying to help her find a new home, he may think we’re good monsters, he might trust us,” she reasoned. Luna looked at her curiously then glanced up in thought, with Falla waiting for a response with an expectant smile.
“Um… so?” Luna asked looking back to her sister. Falla show a dull expression then glanced to the human girl who was looking down at the grass while holding her hands together.
“If we can get Daniel to think we’re trustworthy we might get a chance to be near him when he’s alone. Think about it, we’ll stay with them the entire time we’re looking for a home for this girl, he’ll think we’re good monsters who only care about the child, and he’ll let his guard down. Once he does we can nab him and get his seed,” she explained slyly.
“But what about Triska and the other girls, they won’t let us get him, they never do,” Luna reminded while shaking her head.
“Not at first, but if we play the part of babysitters for this girl, they may let their guard down as well. This is our chance, this girl is our ticket to getting a free ride on Daniel,” Falla said with a wink. Luna thought about it then looked to Emily.
“But… what about her?” she asked.
“Like you said, with Daniel and his friends she’ll be safe. And I’m sure they’ll find a home she can stay at during their travels. The important thing is that we keep Emily with us to get closer to Daniel, once we get his seed we can leave her with him, they’ll be fine,” Falla reasoned. Luna looked back to her with wonder, with Falla nodding with a sly smile.
“Daniel will think we’re noble monsters if we take care of a child, and with that we can get closer to him,” she said assuredly.
“So… we use her to get closer to Daniel?” Luna asked worriedly. Falla smiled weakly and shook her head.
“I wouldn’t say use; we are protecting her from danger and helping her find a safe home. We’re helping her, Luna, and she’s going to help us too, even if she doesn’t know it,” she reasoned. Luna nodded then looked back to Emily.
“Well, ok, as long as she’ll be safe,” she said softly.
“Don’t worry, Daniel and his group will watch over her, they’ll find her a new home,” Falla reassured. Luna smiled then looked to Falla.
“Ok, so what should we do first?” she asked.
“We need to be nice to Emily and get on her good side, if she speaks highly of us to Daniel then that will help us get even closer to him faster,” Falla said looking to the human girl with a smirk. The sisters nodded then walked back over to Emily, the girl looking towards the sound of footsteps in the grass.
“Emily, I’m so sorry about what happened to you,” Falla said gently as she knelt down in front of the young girl. Emily showed a saddened expression as Falla wiped a tear away from the girl’s cheek.
“You poor thing, it just broke our hearts to hear what you went through. It’s a miracle you made this far on your own, you’re so lucky,” Falla said softly. Emily nodded and looked down with a whimper. Falla smiled a bit and held a hand on the girl’s shoulder.
“Emily, I know we’re monsters, and that you must hate monsters after what happened to your family. But, please believe us when I say that my sister and I want to help you,” she said genuinely. Emily looked towards the sound of her voice as Falla gently took hold of the girls’ hands with hers.
“We’re n
ot bad monsters, Emily; I pray you can believe me when I say that. My sister saved you from being washed away in the river because she wanted you to live, we both do. I don’t know if you could find it in your heart to trust two monsters like us, but please, let us help you,” Falla pleaded gently.
“You want to help me?” Emily asked softly.
“Of course I do. We giant butterflies adore children; we hope to have daughters of our own someday. We may not be strong on our own, but we know of some travelers who are. If you’ll allow us, we’ll help you find them, they’re not too far from here. They can help us find you a new home, one where you’ll be safe again,” Falla said kindly. Emily remained silent as she just stared in Falla’s direction, with Falla glancing away with impatience for a moment before looking back at the child with a gentle smile.
“Please, we promise to watch over you like you were our own daughter,” she assured. Emily looked down for a moment then back toward Falla.
“You mean it?” she asked worriedly.
“Emily, I would never lie to you. You can trust us,” Falla said gently. Emily whimpered then quickly hugged the butterfly girl, with Falla holding her with a calm smile.
“Ok, if you say so,” the young girl said softly.
“There there, we’ll take good care of you, I promise,” Falla said glancing to Luna with a wink. Luna nodded with a warm smile at them, with Falla then standing up and looking down to Emily with a smirk.
“Now then, we need to find Daniel and his friends, they’re going to be our protection from those bad monsters out here,” Falla informed gently.
“The man-eaters,” Emily breathed out with fear.
“Yes, but don’t worry, we’ll be flying up over the land, they won’t be able to get you, you’ll be perfectly safe,” Falla assured kindly.
“Flying?” Emily asked. She trembled and looked down while holding her arms around herself. Luna smiled gently at the girl and walked over to her, kneeling down and holding her close.
“It’s ok, I’ll carry you myself, it’ll be fun,” Luna said gently as she picked the girl up into her arms, with the child’s legs hanging over one arm while her body was held close with the other. Emily clung to Luna tightly and trembled a bit before Luna nudged her head with her nose. The child looked up towards Luna’s face as the butterfly girl smiled gently at her.
Chronicles of Eden - Act 2 Page 5
