Monster

A Close Call

"Why is he following us?" 

Tish grumbled. All the children threw back a look and found the same small figure tagging along after them a few paces back. Eerie, white eyes held on them, not even appearing to blink at first. 

Then, the little Human did blink and looked to the side where tall bushes rose along the quiet forest trail where all of them walked beneath the shadow of the thick trees. As one, the villager children turned and looked in same direction as the little Human, searching the bushes.

"What's he looking at?" One of the children lowered his tone to a wary whisper.

A loud huff suddenly startled everyone, causing the children to turn. Angry green eyes of the oldest child met them as he considered them with his arms folded across his chest. 

"Who cares? Are we still going to the river or not?" He demanded, fuming that everyone was suddenly acting so timid. 

"But Terik, what if its a creeper?" Kash added uneasily and they all began to look around, searching for the dangers that grown-ups always told them about, but which they dismissed after a really inspiring adventure story that librarian Fir told them this morning in school.

"Oh, posh! No one seen any monsters here in a whole year!" Terik scoffed. "Besides, they stay away during the day. It's completely safe. You all remembered to bring your lucky emeralds, right?" 

At his expectant look, the other children immediately began to reach to their pockets and shirts. One youngest child, Mimi, even reached to his shoe, from where they pulled out their treasures – small green gemstones that reassuringly sparkled back at them.

They all then turned and looked at the Human, unsure.

"Does he have one?"

"Doesn't matter. He can have ten or even twenty! And he'll still be unlucky. Monsters hate Humans." Marish, of same age as Terik, scoffed with a look of strong dislike in their unwanted tagalong's direction.

"You! What's your name... Human! Go home! Shoo!" Tish tried to chase the Human away. At his raised voice, the small being stopped, blinking back at him, but only seemed confused as he stood there, not making a move. Long sleeves of his over-large gown slightly hung over his hands and trousers slightly dragged on the ground, covering his dirty bare feet. Wild tufts of hair sticking from his head in all directions made him look like a wild creature from the woods, especially with those strange, white eyes that nearly seemed to glow in the semi-dark of forest shadow.

"Ugh. He doesn't understand us. Dumb Human!" Tish concluded in frustration. "Terik, I really don't want him following us!" 

Terik sighed. "Does anyone know what his name is?" He asked the others, but the children only shrugged.

"Hermo? Huro? It was something like that." Someone finally said uncertainly. The Human and his 'brothers' had begun to attend the common gatherings in the village only recently, so no one knew them well, yet. Marish smirked, but didn't say anything. Terik frowned at him, but decided that he didn't care.

"You! Huro!" Terik must have said the name close enough, because the strange white eyes turned and held on him. "Go home! Go! We don't want you following us! It's not safe! Ugh, where is Margol? He's supposed to watch him, isn't he? How's he even following us?"

His demand only made the other children shrug. None of them even noticed it when the little Human ended up following them. They were too busy having fun, looking forward to yet another forbidden adventure. They had gotten away with dozens of them before, loudly pretending to go to one place, where the grown-ups wouldn't mind, only to slip away and return just a bit later. Each time it got easier and easier.