FORGIVEN
Richard watched her intently. It was an awful moment for both of them but he couldn’t take his gaze from her mouth, the way her bottom lip kept disappearing under her front teeth. The fullness of her lip as it was released. She had bitten too hard and a pinprick of blood blossomed rapidly into an impressive trickle. It brought him back to the moment.
“Why d’you do it, Mags?” he asked, jealous now. Soon the others would be here and they’d want to know what had happened to her. Not to it. They might think he had punched her. Maybe that would be okay. For them to think that, not for him to really punch her. Although he was really angry.
She was breathing heavily through her nose. He thought she might be trying not to cry. Or maybe trying to squeeze some tears out in fact. Girls were like that. As if crying would make things better. If she cried he wouldn’t be so angry with her anymore. She’d better not cry. He’d be gentler.
“Why?”
She wiped her hand across her mouth and up towards her nose, smudging the blood into it. It looked really good.
“I don’t know. I thought it looked stronger than that. Is it dead?”
“Of course it’s dead!” Maggie did this to him sometimes. Things on her face were so interesting, he’d forget what he was thinking about. She was doing it with her lips and her teeth and now her bloody nose – and that’s not a bad word, not when there really is blood and you’re describing it, it’s just an adjective. But now she had reminded him. It lay motionless in his hands.
“You killed it Maggie! And I was going to turn it into a real live pet.”
He turned his attention to the frog. It wasn’t even fully grown yet. It still had to lose the last part of its tail. Richard was going to check on it every day to see how long it took. He wanted to watch it eat things. Not now. Now it was dead. It could be any old ordinary thing now. It could be just a stupid toy plastic frog. He flung it away, disgusted.
“I don’t care anyway.” He said, wondering where the others were. Did they see him do that?
Maggie squeaked and ran to it.
“Richard!” She said, “Don’t! We have to bury it.”
“You can if you want.”
As she picked it up, the other three arrived on bikes. She had it in her hands and she was crying. And she had blood all over her nose. Sam asked,
“What’s wrong with your nose?”
“What’s wrong with the toad?” Said Jake.
“It’s a frog.” Said Richard. “It’s mine. I found it and she killed it.”
They turned towards her, impressed.
“Did you?” Asked Sam.
“What did it feel like?” Asked Kate. “Why didn’t you kill it, Richard?”
“Scared!” Said Sam.
“Yeah! Scared of a frog!” Said Jake.
“We’re going to bury it. It’s the right thing to do.” Said Maggie with an air of importance. Richard felt like he had disappeared and she was the only one who ever had the frog.
“I was going to call it Fred.” He said.
“I’ll help you pick flowers for the grave.” Said Kate.
“Can I hold it Maggie?” Said Jake.
“I’m holding it!” Sam butt in.
“I said it first!”
“I’m the oldest!”
“Richard will hold it,” said Maggie and she smiled sideways at him, bringing him back into existence. “He found Fred, didn’t you Rich? Sam, you’re the oldest – you can be the Priest. Jake, we need a coffin. See if you can find a box or something.”
He watched her organise them. Watched them listening to her. Her changing shapes as she pointed here or there, as she bent down, as she turned around. Every now and then she’d look at him, saying with her eyes: ‘They don’t really understand, but we’ll include them. And I’m really sorry about your frog.’ When he smiled back he was saying: ‘That’s okay, I forgive you. And you can kill my frog anytime.’
Word count: 692
Richard watched her intently. It was an awful moment for both of them but he couldn’t take his gaze from her mouth, the way her bottom lip kept disappearing under her front teeth. The fullness of her lip as it was released. She had bitten too hard and a pinprick of blood blossomed rapidly into an impressive trickle. It brought him back to the moment.
“Why d’you do it, Mags?” he asked, jealous now. Soon the others would be here and they’d want to know what had happened to her. Not to it. They might think he had punched her. Maybe that would be okay. For them to think that, not for him to really punch her. Although he was really angry.
She was breathing heavily through her nose. He thought she might be trying not to cry. Or maybe trying to squeeze some tears out in fact. Girls were like that. As if crying would make things better. If she cried he wouldn’t be so angry with her anymore. She’d better not cry. He’d be gentler.
“Why?”
She wiped her hand across her mouth and up towards her nose, smudging the blood into it. It looked really good.
“I don’t know. I thought it looked stronger than that. Is it dead?”
“Of course it’s dead!” Maggie did this to him sometimes. Things on her face were so interesting, he’d forget what he was thinking about. She was doing it with her lips and her teeth and now her bloody nose – and that’s not a bad word, not when there really is blood and you’re describing it, it’s just an adjective. But now she had reminded him. It lay motionless in his hands.
“You killed it Maggie! And I was going to turn it into a real live pet.”
He turned his attention to the frog. It wasn’t even fully grown yet. It still had to lose the last part of its tail. Richard was going to check on it every day to see how long it took. He wanted to watch it eat things. Not now. Now it was dead. It could be any old ordinary thing now. It could be just a stupid toy plastic frog. He flung it away, disgusted.
“I don’t care anyway.” He said, wondering where the others were. Did they see him do that?
Maggie squeaked and ran to it.
“Richard!” She said, “Don’t! We have to bury it.”
“You can if you want.”
As she picked it up, the other three arrived on bikes. She had it in her hands and she was crying. And she had blood all over her nose. Sam asked,
“What’s wrong with your nose?”
“What’s wrong with the toad?” Said Jake.
“It’s a frog.” Said Richard. “It’s mine. I found it and she killed it.”
They turned towards her, impressed.
“Did you?” Asked Sam.
“What did it feel like?” Asked Kate. “Why didn’t you kill it, Richard?”
“Scared!” Said Sam.
“Yeah! Scared of a frog!” Said Jake.
“We’re going to bury it. It’s the right thing to do.” Said Maggie with an air of importance. Richard felt like he had disappeared and she was the only one who ever had the frog.
“I was going to call it Fred.” He said.
“I’ll help you pick flowers for the grave.” Said Kate.
“Can I hold it Maggie?” Said Jake.
“I’m holding it!” Sam butt in.
“I said it first!”
“I’m the oldest!”
“Richard will hold it,” said Maggie and she smiled sideways at him, bringing him back into existence. “He found Fred, didn’t you Rich? Sam, you’re the oldest – you can be the Priest. Jake, we need a coffin. See if you can find a box or something.”
He watched her organise them. Watched them listening to her. Her changing shapes as she pointed here or there, as she bent down, as she turned around. Every now and then she’d look at him, saying with her eyes: ‘They don’t really understand, but we’ll include them. And I’m really sorry about your frog.’ When he smiled back he was saying: ‘That’s okay, I forgive you. And you can kill my frog anytime.’
Word count: 692
