___________________________________

                "Your heart is so pure and innocent,
                      You are such a wonderful gift to me."
                                    - Unknown

___________________________________

•••

          " Don't go " a small pause, " Please"

•••

     Lilith paused in place, unable to take another step forward as much as her mind willed her to. There was something in that voice that had her a statue in place. The young girl remained cautious yet surprisingly tranquil, her curiosity getting the best of her.

" Why should I? " the young girls stance changing from fleeing to playful defiance. Both hands now rested on her narrow hips and eyebrows furrowed. 

She assumed it was one of the boys from her town playing tricks on her. Only two other families took the same path she walked on and only one had a male inheritance.

Hatcher Murdock

One of the older boys in her town who liked to play mean tricks on her and pull her hair at luncheon. The same boy who nicknamed her 'loser lily'  and had everyone quickly jumping on the bandwagon by playtime.

Yet somewhere deep down, Lilith knew that it was in no way Hatcher Murdock calling out to her from the woods. The mean boy had tons of ways to mess with Lilith and none included crossing over the forbidden.

A small frown etched her smooth skin after no response was given.

" It isn't funny Hatcher, that's just mean." Her arms now crossed, taking an cautious step backwards.

Lilith held the strap of her book bag and pivoted her body towards her destination once again, this time a a faster pace.

It wasn't until she noticed a shadow following beside her that had her sprinting without a second thought, past the trees and into the safety of 'Aberdeen's Elementary School' .

•••

Lilith took her place amongst the small group of children in their assigned seats, breathless and unaware of her distressed state.

Her hair faced all directions of a compass, face red as a tomato and her book bag slightly tilted off her shoulder. Nevertheless the young girl took her seat and mimicked the actions of others pulling out their books. That is until she reached into her bag and was evidently missing the assigned book.

She must've dropped it on her way when she ran like a headless chicken towards safety. Her heart dropped at the thought of having to ask her parents to purchase another copy if she couldn't find it on her way back.

Her family was in no way wealthy, nor were they apart of the higher castes here in Aberdeen. Her father being the towns mechanic in a town with no use for automobiles and her mother, once a respectable seamstress..now a stay at home mother due to her 'psychotic episodes' they called it.

Afraid of the scolding her teacher would give and the letter her parents would receive, Lilith couldn't bare to burden her parents with such a careless mistake.

So she did what she believed was right at the moment and surprised herself as she exited the class unexcused and undetected towards her way back to the woods in search of her missing book.

•••

    The young girl searched left and right of the pavement and still no sign of her book. She'd been walking back and forth the same trail from where she remembered she took off from.

Maybe she hadn't placed the book in her bag on her way to school? Maybe left it in her room or the kitchen?

She stood there contemplating the whereabouts of her missing or misplaced book in the middle of the path when a voice called out to her.

" Looking for this?" The girls head snapped towards the direction of the voice and surely there was HER missing book in strange hands.

Judging by the stature and height, surely enough it was a young boy. A strange young boy who held her book in his hands.

" You know you shouldn't be in the woods, you can get in big trouble for that." The girl scolded.

" If you give me my book I won't tell."  Lilith added, attempting to compromise with the strange boy in the trees with an underlying innocent threat. Knowing full well the young girl hadn't the guts to tell on anyone.

" Okay "  the boy started, " But you have to come and get it."  The boy proposed, his hands extending the book temptingly towards her.

•••

Oh my goodness..

-A