by Robert S. C. Cutler

Created on: March 22, 2009

Jenny Zimmerman heard the noise clearly in her dreams. Something was running back and forth across her bedroom floortiny claws clicking and scrapping on the hardwood. She was playing in her grandfather's barn, while small pigs with feet like rats scurried around the stalls. She tried to get a closer look, but the pigs moved further away until they were completely gone.

The barn faded and she was now in the old farmhouse kitchen with her grandmother. A large pot containing an un-plucked chicken was boiling over on the wood burning stove.

"No Jenny!" her grandmother yelled, grabbing her shoulders as she reached out to touch the curled feet. Afraid of being beaten, Jenny ran out of the house and across a field crying. Before long she was standing on the front porch of her own home. Her mother and father were scolding her for not obeying her grandparents and waking her baby brother who was bawling in her mother's arms.

Her grandparents appeared at the end of the drivewayher grandmother with a large rolling pin and her grandfather holding his belt. "No! Stay away! I hate you all!" Jenny yelled.

She ran inside the house, then shut and locked the front door. Peeking through the front window, she waited. She knew what was comingshe giggled at the thought.

Flying up through the trees, a large flock of blackbirds scattered into the air. The ground beneath her parent's and grandparent's trembled. Jenny knew by the terrified looks on their faces that the Beast was near. Soon, she wouldn't need to worry about them anymoresoon she would be happyfinally alone in her house.

Jenny's cats jumped on the bed and shook her awake. She sat up, disoriented, in the dark. Blurry red numbers on her small clock showed just past five in the morning. She was breathing heavilythe dream still fresh in her mind. This was the second straight week she had dreamt of her family and the Beast. Although she knew it to be only a dream, she could still see their angry faces and the Beast circling the house in the adjacent woodspatiently waiting for an opportunity.

Jenny hadn't been to her grandparent's farm since she was twelve and her brother, David, was born. She felt abandoned that summer, spending most of her time alone while her parents and grandparents played with the new baby. She would often be punished for the slightest offenseher grandmother sitting her in the corner of the hot kitchen for hoursher grandfather threatening with his belt if she didn't stay out of the barn. Jenny hated the weekly

• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 8
• Next Page >>