Cornfields and Outhouses

 there was a girl named Kali Rae.  She lived in Rome, attended school and enjoyed gardening in her free time.  She lived in a simple but quaint white home with green shutters on the windows that overlooked her abundant well kept garden.  One morning as she sat rocking in the porch swing she heard a very suspicious noise and what sounded like a scream coming from the cornfield way off to her left.  She tilted her head to the side straining her ears to hear... there it was again... She wanted to go see what the disturbance was but she was afraid and refused to risk an attack or face any other unforseen possibilities, so she ran into her house slammed the door and slid the massive rusty  lock over the door to prevent entry and ran to check her other doors and lock the windows. 

She sat curled up on the couch listening for anything, hearing nothing.  Soon she realized it was dark outside and she started to shiver.  She got off the couch walked to the fireplace and started a fire.  She was about to go back to the couch when something silver popped and leaped out of the newly lit flames to sear her foot.  She screamed in pain and reached down to pry a key off of her leather slipper - with a million questions running through her head.  Where did it come from? and What did it mean?,  she asked aloud.  I will be your guide.  You must be brave - you need to find out what you heard today, someone may need help.

"But I am not the one for this mission. I am a girl, and girls don't play the hero - that's only in movies."   Ahh, but that is where you are wrong little one, girls can be a hero the same as a big strong man.  you can do whatever you set your mind to.  And I am here to help you."  Reluctantly she agreed and rushed to the kitchen to pack some food and gather warm clothes for the journey.  The key relented to give her the night to sleep before starting out before sunrise the next morning.  And as she laid her head down on the pillow she thought to herself, "What am I doing?"   

*  *  *  *

The next morning she woke up to a gentle hum, at first it was so comforting that she wanted to just stay there forever, but she had to get up and keep her promise.  She collected her things while stalling for time to collect her courage and walked out the front door, across the grass and into the corn field.

She pulled a knife from her pack and cut her way through the tightly threaded brush, making her way slowly toward the sounds she could hear off in the distance - with the key bumping against her chest hooked to the chain she had found.  All at once the sky turned dark and the clouds began to rumble and circle in a whirling vortex above her head - following her every step of the way.  

She heard a noise off to her left, instantly setting her on her guard, she tensed as a dark figure emerged into her path blocker her advance then they were in a circular clearing with other figures surrounding her and her enemy as they slowly danced in circles waiting for someone to throw a first shot in.  Then as quick as she blinked the figure lunged at her she dropped and blocked the attack flipping her body into the air ~ now she was behind the figure confused it looked back just as she sank her fist into it's face, it vanished into thin air with screams of rage lingering in the air.  

She pushed her feet forward, her legs felt like rubber and her palms were sweating as she wondered what her next challenge would be - not watching where she was going she almost walked right over the cliff into the pool of piranhas with no bridge but a very skinny log stretching over the expanse of the watery death trap.  It was either walk across or turn back, the key refused to let her give up, so she gathered her courage yet again and climbed onto the lock praying her boots wouldn't slip.  She fell half way through her journey across the log, but got up and made it across trying not to hear the piranhas snapping their hungry jaws at her.  Then she stepped off and headed into the corn once more heading toward the sound. 

There... another sound... a man this time stepped out of the corn into her path from the right this time and she was instantly on her guard, but he was no one to be afraid of.  His name was Romulus and he was a friendly water nymph who got pushed out of his water by the man eating fish.  Taking pity on him she relented to let him tag along and he agreed to show her easier ways to get to where she was going.  

She knew she hurt his feelings when she told him that she knew what she was doing and that she was a girl and was human, not a freak.  She didn't know what possessed her to say such a thing but his feelings were hurt and his eyes filled with tears.  Just then they happened onto the source of the journey... in a clearing there stood an old abandoned outhouse, someone was locked inside but the door was jammed and there were dark figures surrounding the area.  

Kali turned in time to see the coward and hurting Romulus scamper into the bushes.  She was on her own.  She earned the sword of self respect and as quick as the figures would jump at her she'd cut them down and earn coins as their forms wisped into the air never to be seen again.  

Having taken care of the figures, it was now getting dark, she ran over to the outhouse to release the old woman inside. She was thanked over and over again and granted 3 wishes.  Her first wish was to gain Romulus' friendship back, she had an undeniable feeling in her stomach saying something about her feelings about him.  The old woman granted her that and so much more. 

When she woke up she was sitting on her couch in front of her fire, in Romulus's arms and her hands gripping the key around her neck... She was back where she belonged and her journey had proved to her that she could do anything she put her mind to, and on top of all the knowledge she had gained she finally earned the love and respect of the man of her dreams.