STOIC

THREE

EMMERSON

Emmerson 5

Stoic 10

~Day of Emmerson's Birthday~

"DON'T GO FAR, and remember to be back home early." I heard Daddy scream at me as I ran full speed into the woods. No one would stop me, not my brothers, not Stoic. I would climb all the trees I could and jump headfirst into the river.

As I arrived at my favorite spot, I saw my old friends playing. Noah, Mason, and Oliver used to play with me every day, but that was before Stupid Face got angry at me for not doing my homework and slammed down two of them on the ground at once. Now, they ran away every time they saw me.

I approached them with my hands up, "I come in peace."

The three of them stopped what they were doing, eyes landing on me and immediately after, desperately looking around and behind me. I knew what they were looking for, the devil's shadow.

"Can I play with you guys? Pretty please!"

"No, go away!" Oliver shouted.

"Yeah, go away, or Stoic will kill us," Mason added.

"He won't 'cause he doesn't know where I am. Please," I said, putting my hands together and begging.

"No way, I don't want to die," Noah said.

"No, I promise. He won't find us."

Why wouldn't they believe me?

"Yes, he will! The Dokken always finds you. No! No! And no!" Mason screamed in my face.

Well, that was not necessary.

"No, he won't," I screamed back at him, emphasizing every word. "The Dokken" sounded like a mythical monster's name. Pretty appropriate, I gave them that.

Noah raised a hand with a smirk on his face as if to say, "I got it!"

"Okay, we will let you play with us, but only if you accept our dare."

"OK, fair. Go ahead, tell me, what do I have to do?" Yes! I had a chance! I stood tall with my hands on my hips.

The three of them gathered in a circle and talked in a low voice. After a minute or so, Noah walked forward.

"We dare you to climb that tree and bring the sparrow's nest down with you." He pointed at the very top of the tallest tree.

"Done!" I said, full of confidence, not even looking up at my destination. I rolled my sleeves up and pushed my hair back, but it bounced back in my face. I could do this. Taking decisive steps, I walked my tiny feet to the tree.

"She's not gonna do it. She's scared. What a baby." The little jerks joked around.

Let's see who would be laughing after I got that nest.

Looking up, I didn't feel as confident anymore, but I wouldn't show them. I decided to do honor to my name and be brave.

I started climbing the tree and soon realized that the task was going to be more difficult than it seemed. It had rained in the morning, and the tree bark was damp and slippery. Refusing to give up, I kept climbing. After getting halfway up the tree, I lost all confidence, and now I was not even sure if I knew how to climb down.

"You're not gonna make it, you loser." They mocked me, and I knew they were right. I was stuck.

The three boys were so distracted laughing and making fun of me that they didn't notice Stoic getting closer to them.