Banished To Earth Book Two, Souls Adrift (19)

      Davin stepped back and looked around, “Huh? That’s odd.”

 

     Tucker dropped several feet behind him. “Ah, what’s not, odd around here?” He half-joked.

 

   “Winds are still howling, but this big old tree is barely moving. Leaves are fluttering but not blowing off, just gently fluttering. The gusts are barely affecting them.”

 

    “You’ sayin’ the tree is projectin’ a buffer.”

 

    “Sure looks that way. Something we can’t see is protecting it.”

 

    “Okay. But we walked right under it, didn’t feel a thing.” Tucker made his way toward the open field and waved his hands. “Nothing,” He declared.

 

    “Well, it's clearly deflecting the bulk of the wind.”

 

    “Yeah, the damaging part.”

 

    “It's.” He hesitated, “protecting itself. Let’s uh, get back to the girls.” Davin said, “This thing is starting to creep me out.”

 

    Neither wasted any time getting clear of the tree. Stopping about three hundred feet from it, Tucker whipped open a portal, which placed them inside the barn. Once satisfied the horses were ‘free’ and well, they shifted back to Trudy’s foyer, dripping wet but safe inside.

 

Chapter 52

 

   Golden beams of sunlight streamed across Trudy’s debris-cluttered lawn. The storm was now racing up New England’s coast, leaving a mess in its wake.

 

   “We fared well,” Trudy declared, as they followed her out the front door and into the blinding morning glare.

 

   “Don’t see no shingles, that’s good,” Tucker said, walking down the red brick steps as he spoke. “You know what, Trudy, why don’t you make us a big breakfast and let us super folk put our powers to good use. Silhouette,” he yelled over his shoulder. Don’t lag. We can clean this

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yard up in no time. We are mighty quick.”

 

   She eased up behind Pry and Davin, “I’m not dressed.” She yelled back.

 

  “When are you ever?” He yelled back, “Come on, let's get to it, chop chop.”

 

    She rolled her eyes, “Did you actually say chop, chop.”

 

    Davin Pry, Nikkie and Beth laughed.

 

    “Oh, leave the girl alone.” Trudy replied, “You and Chase, dang it’, I mean Davin can take care of it after breakfast. Goin’ to need some plywood on my busted window too.”

 

   “I bet I could shift to Wilmington and find some glass….”

 

    Trudy cut Tucker off, “Oh no, you won't, you better not risk your life over my busted window, ain’t worth the risk.”

 

   “Well, can I go ‘round back, check for any damage?”

 

   Trudy shook her head, “Yeah, that’d be good.”

 

   “Davin joined Tucker on the steps. “I’d like to take another look at that tree, too.”

 

      Neither of them had said anything about the fairies or the tree's force field. They had agreed that it was a subject best discussed in morning light, hopefully out of Nikki’s earshot.

 

    After they ate a big breakfast of eggs and bacon, toast, coffee and milk, they headed out to the front yard, armed with rakes and wheelbarrows.

 

    Even Silhouette dashed about the yard, a black blur siphoning up pinecones and small limbs like a human, well, superhuman vacuum cleaner. The grownups were busy working; none of them noticed the big yellow butterfly following Nikki around like an attention-hungry pup.

 

   At first, not even Nikki noticed. But when the beautifully colored insect landed on her shoulder and brushed its wings against her tiny, tender left ear, the child nudged against it, twisted her head and saw it.  

 

    She giggled, reached up and gently patted the delicate creature with her pudgy little fingers. It did not fly away. It walked closer to her ear, then fluttered down to her right hand. Delighted, the child lifted it to her face. Its wings flattened as it wobbled up her right index finger and up her hand.

 

    Silhouette had just finished clearing the last cluttered corner of the yard when she looked up and noticed the little girl peering at the pretty bug perched on her finger.

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    “Whatcha’ got there, little one?” She asked as she drew near and kneeled by the child.  

       

   “It’s a butterfly. See.” Nikki spun toward the Huntress. It did not move, not a quarter of an inch. It did not move.

 

    “That’s not a butterfly.”

 

   “It is so.” Nikki insisted.

 

   “No baby, that’s a friend. I bet the storm scared it, so it flew out of the woods looking for someone to protect it and found you.”

 

   “You really think so!”

 

   “I sure do. See, it’s not scared of you, not one little bit. Now it's your job to keep it safe. Can you do that?”

 

  “Oh yes, won’t let nuthin’ bad happen to it. I promise.”

 

   “You do that,” Silhouette said through a sigh, “you do that.”

 

     It wasn’t long before Beth missed Nikki, looked around and spotted her talking to Silhouette.

 

    “What you got there, baby?” She yelled as she trotted to her child.

 

    Nikki, her face beaming, held the insect up to Beth’s face. “A friend, I found a new friend. I saved it, didn’t I, Silhouette?”

 

    Beth eyed The Huntress and smiled. “Well, someone is full of surprises.”

 

  “Kids, you know, they’re cute.”

 

  “Uh huh.” Beth smirked at Sil, “and kinda irresistible too.”

 

   “Yeah, yeah.” Silhouette blushed again. Twice in one week, a record for her…

 

 

    Of course, the butterfly was supposed to stay in a well-ventilated mason jar. But somehow found its way onto Nikki’s nose when nap time rolled around.  

 

   It waited. It wasn’t long before the precious child was fast asleep. Her invisible breath bathed the insect in innocence and life. It crept down the bridge of her nose, over its tip, then down over her mouth.

 

 

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    When it had perfectly positioned itself over the baby's lips, it squatted, spread and flattened against her little mouth and sealed itself.

 

   Nikki’s essence sank deeper into the patient, hungry insect with every exhalation. And every inhalation drew Eloween deeper into Nikki.