• Tommy woke up to his ceiling. The light poured on his window, making an odd shadow of the tree outside. He rubbed his eyes warily. Pushing the covers over him, Tommy lurched towards the door in excitement to greet his parents, and go outside. He grabbed his bathrobe, and freshened up. “Good morning Tommy.” said his parents with black shadows under their eyes, and the smell of coffee looming around the kitchen.
    “Good morning Mother.” Said Tommy politely, sitting on the small wooden chair from his toddler days. Lise, His mother, sat a big plate filled with eggs, and bacon in front of Tommy. He smiled, and sniffed the plate, His stomach pleading for food.
    He grabbed his fork, and began to eat, as his mother lingered toward the door. Tommy smiled widely. It had been years before he had a breakfast this great, years before- the people – had come to take over Ireland. He moaned.
    “This is delicious!” He laughed, wiping the remaining egg off his cheek with his pajama sleeve. He took his last bite, and ran over to the small sink, dropping the small plate into the sink, and rushing back to his room to change for the upcoming evening of a game of hide-and-seek with Rachael, his best friend since forever, as he had always thought. He brushed past the airplanes hung loosely from the ceiling.
    He grabbed his favorite shirt, and a pair of shorts, and changed eagerly, in a rush to get outside, and greet the morning birds.
    A knock erupted on the wooden door.
    “Tommy, what are you doing?” asked his mother, a bit of edge in her voice.
    He opened his door, and poked his head out.
    “Changing.” He said innocently.
    His mother nodded, “I’m going to the garden if you need me, and your father has to leave to the market, for some hand-me-downs.” She said, and turned away, carrying her small basket which held fruits, and veggies, Tommy made a reminder to throw away the carrots on his plate tonight. They had always been a poor family, and Tommy always had to wear hand-me-downs from the local market to school, but he didn’t mind.
    He ran quickly to the front door, well- almost the front door. He was stopped by the gigantic, slobbery dog in which he called his other best friend.

    “Tobey, want to play?” He said excitedly, watching the dog leap around in the air. He grabbed the dog by a tuff of fur, and dragged him outside, closing the cabin door behind him.
    He admired the mountains, sprawled out on Ireland, and the translucent mist that surrounded them, making them look awfully dusty. The green hills ran up, and down, a good place to roll off of. He took Tobey to go and play, which he knew he was forbidden to do, considering that Tobey, was a sheep herder, ‘not a dog to play with’ said his neurotic father, always lecturing little Tommy.
    Tommy didn’t care though, so he dragged the yelping dog over to the small cabin, across the dusty road, to ask Rachel to play.
    ***
    Rachel Felton was a seven year old girl, she was small, with red hair and green eyes, her hair was always in piggy tails, and she worked with her mother on the farm, always milking the cows that she had, and playing with the gray kittens that ran around their small farm.
    He ran up to the barn, and looked over the fence, on his tip-toes, trying to see if Rachael was out, which she was.
    “Rachael! Rachael! Do you want to play?” asked Tommy, still looking over the fence.
    Rachael turned to the direction Tommy was at. She gasped in delight.
    “Tommy! Come inside! I have something I want to show you!” She yelled excitedly over her shoulder.
    Tommy struggled to reach for the clasp on the fence. He finally reached it, and ran over to Rachael, who held a small thing in her hand.
    Tommy looked at it in wonder.
    “What is it?” He said, reaching out his hand.
    “Momma said it’s a bird.”
    Rachael smiled. “Maybe it’s a magical bird.” She said, stroking the creature’s small head.
    Tommy had never interacted with a bird, only with his cousin, when his family would go over to their orchard, and watch the hummingbirds suck on the small flowers, but that was rarely.
    Tommy reached for the bird, but pulled away quickly as it stared at him intently, almost like it was looking through his soul. Tommy shivered and looked away.
    “Want to play hide-and-seek?” Tommy murmured, playing with the thread dangling from his old shirt. Rachael smiled.
    “I thought you’d never ask.” said Rachael, the sweet, southern accent dripping off every word.
    “One second.” She said, and rushed inside with the bird. Tommy peered through the small crack in the door, and stared as Rachael swiftly put the bird in a small cage, and ran back outside.
    “Last one to the field is a rotten egg!” She yelled behind her, which made Tommy dash after her, running and laughing across the fields of Ireland.
    ***
    “One, Two, Three, Four, FIVE!” Yelled Tommy, looking up from his hands.
    Tommy, Rachael, and Tobey were playing hide-and-seek in the woods behind the old, abandoned barn. The small clearing was placed with a river, where Tommy’s mother and father would come to gather water for their little seven-year old who tended to get dirty often.
    He looked around the small clearing for Rachael, hearing the faint gasps coming from behind a tree. He lingered toward it, and jumped around, reaching for Rachael. Rachael screamed.
    Tommy fell onto the soft grass dotted with perfect strings of dew. He laughed, pointing at Rachael as her cheeks tinted a light pink.
    She sat down beside him, and ran a hand along her small dress that she loved, playing with the hem of it.
    Tommy looked at her small eyes, her bright, green eyes, and her red hair wisping around her face.
    “Want to play again?” said a breathless Tommy, narrowing his eyes over to Tobey, as he snapped at a butterfly.
    “Sure.” said Rachael, looking over to him, and getting up from the small spot.
    “Your hiding.”
    ***
    Tommy came home from a long day.
    Daybreak was beginning to form as the sun turned a bright orange, and rested on the banks of the river across the fields. The moon seemed to rise in the sky, as the purpled lit sky dotted with shimmering stars, looking down upon Ireland.
    He took of his smelly shoes, and ran to the middle of the small room.
    “Mom, Dad! I’m home!”
    No reply.
    “Mom?”
    Still no reply.
    Tommy looked around for his parents- They would be home by now; it was against the rules for the village people to stay out after breaking dawn.
    He called them once more, but once again, there was no reply.
    He looked everywhere, but still couldn’t find them. Tobey whimpered beside him, and dashed off to the kitchen, where he was forbidden to be ever since his little accident with the carton of milk, and the eggs from the Felton’s farm.
    “Tobey!” He yelled, running after him in haste.
    Tobey stopped at the kitchen door, and scratched it, whimpering, his tail between his furry wet legs.
    Tommy knew this was trouble.
    He took a deep, hesitant breath before pushing open the door. Tobey crawled back into the darkness of the small room.
    Tommy gasped, and called his parents name in a whisper.
    He heard a small noise, like miniature claws against wood. He turned around to see an old note, crippled, next to the large bird, gazing at Tommy with worried eyes.
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    Catherine, 2010