The child laughed gleefully at the trilling cries of the squirbils. He had chased the mother and followed her back to her den. Now cornered with no escape he proceeded to poke into the burrow with a long branch, entertained by every yip and squeal he got from tormenting the helpless creatures.
He heard a noise behind him and turned to find himself facing a peculiar looking girl. She was probably three or four years older than him and a full head taller. Her hair was extremely long and inhumanly colored, changing hue from orange to pink and purple down the length. It also seemed to have its own ideas about gravity and floated about instead of being pulled towards the ground. Her clothes were equally strange, matching nothing the boy had ever seen. Totally impractical for the chilly autumn season.
"Check this out," he said. "It's hilarious."
He turned his attention once more to the creatures and found himself without a stick.
"What the?" he glanced back to see her holding it. "Give that back!"
She tossed it up into the air. It never came back down.
"You asked for it!" he gathered and charged at her.
He tripped and slid face first across the forest floor as his prey disappeared. He whirled around. She was there with a smug look plastered across her face.
The child scowled. "I hate you!" he yelled.
The girl stuck her tongue out at him.
He turned in a huff and stalked off.
— — —
The youths had successfully snuck out of their homes. They grouped and converged on their objective. At their destination they each prepared their attack. Five eggs flew through the air. Five eggs were returned towards their owners instead of splattering on the headmaster's home. A long-haired girl kicked her legs jubilantly and called out to the boys from her rooftop perch.
"Your throwing is terrible. I think those would have missed even if I hadn't turned them around!"
"She can't stop them all!"
The boys gathered up their remaining ammunition and hurled them at the building. The young girl was a blur as she popped in and out of existence all over, sending every egg right back to its originator. Not a single one hit its intended target. The boys ducked and cowered as the hail of eggs rained down upon them.
She laughed heartily at the goop covered teens before diving off the roof into a glowing hole in the sky.
— — —
The merchant's carriage made its way slowly through the forest pass, the driver carefully guiding his horses through the night. The bandits didn't need any special preparations for their ambush, they just stood on the road blocking all passage.
"Your money or your life." the leader called out. "We've been waiting in the cold and the dark for you all night. I hope you will make it worth our while."
A shimmering disk ringed with glowing light formed in the road between the bandits and the coach. Up and out of the portal flipped a little girl with long flowing hair. She stumbled slightly before catching her balance and pointed an accusing finger at the bandits.
"You guys are looking for trouble? Well you just found it."
She ran towards them even before they had a chance to understand what was going on. They were eight grown men and being set upon by an angry little girl.
She wove her way through them, adeptly dodging all of their attacks. Clearing the group she turned around and dropped all of their weapons at her feet.
"And now the fun begins," she cracked her knuckles and charged in again.
The bandit group fell into chaos as the assault occurred. Somehow their strikes would not hit the girl but instead land on their own comrades. They lashed out in confusion but only managed to damage each other in the process.
"I think that ought to do it," the girl said. "Sleepytime!"
She materialized a shimmering bubble between her hands and stretched it until it was the size of a large pumpkin. She leapt backwards into a portal that relocated her far up in the air above all of the bandits. With a somersault kick she sent the bubble flying right into the midst of the miscreants. The bubble exploded into ephemeral moths of purple light that showered them with dust from their wings. They collapsed into into heaps in moments, deep in slumber.
The girl fell upwards, back into the portal and was gone.
— — —
The old man had gathered his family to bid farewell. His dear sister. His wife of forty years. His son and daughter along with their families. He had much to be thankful for. He had lived a long and fruitful life, successfully creating a reputation for himself as a wood craftsman. It was laborious work, requiring great effort for sometimes paltry gains but it was an honest trade and he was proud of all he accomplished. His son would take over his shop, and his daughter wanted to continue her music studies. There was plenty of money for all of that.
He sighed and looked to the door once again. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but he was becoming anxious that his time would come before finding out.
"Whatcha looking for, gramps?" said a voice beside him.
And there she was sitting cross legged on a stool beside the bed, looking as out of place as one possibly could but acting as if there was nowhere else she could belong. A young girl, strangely dressed with multicolored hair that floated weightlessly.
"I knew you would come," his voice rasped softly. "I don't know who you are, but I knew you would be here. Before. Before it was time."
He gazed into the mysterious girl's eyes and all the memories came flooding back. Every time he had met her, back when his life was still uncarved.
"You..." he barely whispered now. "Why me?"
"Because you hated me."
Tears flowed from the old man's eyes and he gently gripped her hand with every ounce of his strength.
"Still do." said the old man as his grip relaxed.
She beamed exuberantly as the old man relinquished his hold on life.
Leaning over Zoe placed his hand on his chest and whispered.
"And now the fun begins..."
