A Child Among the Leaves (Family SBI)

Chapter 10

They marched forward, Techno in the lead, and Wilbur and Tommy following close behind. Tommy kept looking around hoping to catch a glance of something exciting, but the landscape remained identical.

He was beginning to think they might be messing with him, and even during the short duration of the walk he'd began to grown inpatient. "How long it'll we get thereeeee?" He drawled, tugging impatiently on Wilbur scarf.

"We've only been walking for like 5 minutes"

Tommy groaned. "Well it feels like we've been walking for 5 hours"

Wilbur scoffed and looked down at him. "You should try walking to our house"

"Is it far?" asked Tommy, his previous boredom forgotten immediately.

Wilbur nodded and hummed, his face laced with pride. "Yep, it's about a two hour walk from here"

Tommy gaped. "I think that more than I've ever walked in my life"

"Well telling by your current attitude, probably"

Tommy crossed his arms in protest, though he couldn't deny the truth of it.

Two hours sounded like a long way, far longer than his little legs had ever carried him.

"How do you even know how to get back?" he questioned, trying to comprehend such a journey.

Wilbur stopped, eyeing Tommy hesitantly.

Finally after a couple of seconds he crouched down.
"Okay, I'll show you, but you can't tell anyone alright?"

Tommy nodded enthusiastically, he'd never had a secret to keep before.

Wilbur scanned the trees around them, suddenly pointing out to a seemingly random spot.
"You see that"

Tommy couldn't see anything, just the same old trees.
"No" he huffed.

Wilbur sighed, "Look closer, there on the low down branch of that big one"

Tommy squinted as hard as his eyes could mange, and in fact did see something. A red ribbon had been tied to the base of the branch.

It's hue was similar to that of the leaves of the branch itself, making it almost impossible to distinguish. No wonder he couldn't see it at first.

He looked up to Wilbur who had stood up again.
"It's a ribbon"

Wilbur nodded, turning and walking again to catch up with Techno. "Yep, and there's a bunch of them, and there each tied on a branch that points home"

"How can you even see them?" continued Tommy confused as he trotted to keep up, "They look just like the leaves!"

"That's the point" said Wilbur with a grin. "Only we know there there, so only can use em"

"Why can only you them?" asked Tommy. "Do you not like anyone visiting you?"

Wilbur's smugness faltered, and Tommy got the feeling it was perhaps something that he didn't, or rather couldn't, understand yet.