Red Leaves and the Living Token - By Benjamin David Burrell Page 0,67

Look at the sky Emret. We have to get out of here now!"

"I'm not leaving!" He wheeled his chair around and pushed with all his energy. The chair inched forward up the steep slope. "I'll meet you back at the bottom. You don't have to come!"

She stamped her feet. "You are an impossible, little boy, you know that?"

He proceeded with out her, zig-zagging back and forth across the trail to lessen the slope. She watched with her arms folded as he progressed by the inch. "You're as stubborn as your father!"

Emret ignored her, saving his concentration for the climb. He was surprised that he was able to make as quick of progress as he did. As long as he could maneuver around any large rocks or wash outs he didn't have too much trouble. After a moment he stopped to catch his breath. His chest throbbed from the exertion.

"Good. Had enough?" She asked.

"Nope!" He answered, then started to zig-zagging up the trail again.

"Hrrrr!" She grunted in frustration. "Come on, Emret!"

He kept wiggling his way up the mountain.

"I can't believe this." She stomped after him. "Fine, you've got twenty more minutes and then I'm dragging you down the mountain by your fur!"

Emret smiled.

-

The sun dipped down just below the trees, as Moslin continued to push Emret up the trail. Emret was running out of time, and he knew it. Once the sun set they’d have to turn around. The forest was already getting dark, and that meant a much harder way back. In fact, he was surprised Moslin hadn’t stopped them already.

He tried to think of a strategy to convince her to keep her going, so he’d be prepared for when she tried to make them stop again. He knew they were close, but he could also tell she was reaching her limit.

Almost on cue, the wheel chair stopped abruptly. He turned and looked up at her, ready to start his argument for continuing, but she wasn’t looking at him. She was focused on something off in the trees ahead of them.

“What is that?” She asked.

Emret turned to where she was looking. A faint, but unmistakable, glow lit up the underbrush, as though someone was hiding in the bushes with a lantern.

“That’s it!” He shouted. “That’s what we’re looking for.” He couldn’t believe he’d almost missed it. He’d been so focused on coming up with his next argument to keep them going that he had stopped looking.

“What do we do now?” She asked. She still hadn’t moved or looked away.

"Could you push me over there?" He asked.

"Sure," She pushed him forward again.

The glow brightened as they approached. Shafts of light peeked out from under the drooping leaves of the undergrowth. She crouched down half way behind the chair and pushed as quietly as she could, as though she was going to scare it way.

"What is it?" She whispered.

He bent over and brushed a leaf aside with his hand. Bright light beamed out from a cavity below the leaf. The source of the light was siting on the forest floor. It was a small object shaped like a small plant. He scooted to the edge of his chair reached his hand down in between the plants towards it.

"Be careful!" She cautioned.

As soon as his finger touched the glowing white surface, his mind went blank. Then he saw himself laying on the forest floor, bathed in a red glow. Just beyond his reach was a shimmering red leafed seedling. It looked almost identical to the white glowing object he had just touched.

He saw himself gather his strength and then stand up without wavering. He stepped forward, solid and sure. This was what he'd come to find, he thought. It was true! He would be healed!

His surroundings changed, and he saw his father running through the forest. Then without warning, his father’s legs buckled, sending him tumbling to the forest floor. He looked over at his father and saw a dark pool of blood flowing out from under his chest. His father wasn’t moving.

Everything around Emret shrank, and he found himself back in the forest, his finger touching the white seedling shaped object.

"Emret? Emret!" Moslin shook him by the shoulders.

"Dad!" He cried.

"You OK?" She asked.

He stared at her, disoriented. He wanted to tell her what he had just seen. He wanted to share the weight of it. Was that the price of his healing? His father would be injured? Killed? How? Was his father already in the forest somewhere looking for him? They'd have