9 Y - 0 M - 4 D

Yet another backstory!

AO3 / Wattpad

9 Y - 0 M - 4 D

“I want that squirrel.” Ethan pointed at the tree that was triple his height.

His mother took off her sunglasses, searched for the animal between the leaves, and analyzed her little boy.

“You’ll get your clothes dirty.”

“I can wash them later.”

She saw the squirrel far away, really far away, holding a nut and moving its nose. Such an ugly creature…

“Do you want to eat that?”

“It’s not for eating! It is to be my pet!”

“Pet?” She frowned and leaned on. “Is there a special reason for this?”

“Because Tony is small, and it will be cool to chase him there!” Ethan put his hands together. “Please, mum, can I have it?!”

She looked up and down at his new outfit: polo shirt, shorts over his knees, led shoes, and, lastly, his puppy face.

Fragile. And extremely cute.

She sighed. “Yes, you can, but go slowly so you don’t fall.”

“Alright, mum! I love you!” said him, already running at the tree.

He arrived at the base and checked if he was in the same direction as Tony. The squirrel didn’t move at all, so it would be easy to catch him!

Hugging the tree, Ethan put a foot on a bump, and pushed his body up. He gripped the next branch, tested if it held his weight, then pushed up again.

He kept doing it, slowly as his mother told him to, until the largest branches finally arrived. It was the hardest part: to get over there; but Ethan could see Tony just at the edge, and he wouldn’t stop now that he was this close.

Placing his hands in minor areas, he managed to get his torso over. To get his legs up as well, he just had to drag himself on the branch and… ta-dah! He was safely sat!

The squirrel was still with its nut, trying to open it with big teeth. It made Ethan smirk. Tony was kinda similar to Sam in appearance; would they like to meet each other? Ethan was certain they would, so he should hurry.

He moved subtly to not scare Tony, just like his mum did in other times. It would probably work with him, too, if he did the exact same thing.

“Hi, Tony,” he whispered. “Do you wanna go to my house? There’s a lot of food there.”

He showed his hand to the squirrel, who stared for a long time before approaching. His tiny paws let go of the nut and touched Ethan’s hand, as if searching for something.

“Hey, this tickles!” Ethan giggled and squirmed as Tony traveled his arm and shoulders, stopping over his head. “What are you doing there? Is it comfortable?”

Ethan could feel the squirrel pulling his hair, then going still as if he found the perfect spot. After realizing he was ready, the boy put the nut in his pocket.

“Now, we just gotta get down and…” He froze.

When did he get that high?

His body tensed as he looked down for the first time. No way he could jump from this height; he’d turn into a pancake! What could he do?! What could he do?!

He hugged the branch, looking for his mother who was just a minuscule red point on the green.

“Mum!” he called, but she didn’t move. “MOMMYYYY!”

Tony squeaked and left in a rush, jumping on Ethan’s legs and causing more screams.

“NO, TONY! DON’T RUN!” Ethan wanted to catch the squirrel, but his body was locked. “COME BACK, PLEASE!”

Yet the squirrel disappeared in the leaves, totally forgetting about the promises of food and new home. Ughhh, what a traitor!

Ethan looked down again and his heart sank.

His mother wasn’t on the bench anymore. Where did she go?! Did she leave him stuck there?! How could s—

“Ethan, is everything okay?!” Her voice came from below, returning his soul to his body. “Did you get the squirrel?!”

“HE LEFT!” Ethan carefully looked down, but regretted it immediately. Spirits, what a nauseating place to be in… “I’M STUCK, MOMMY! HELP!”

“You climbed up; you figure out how to get down!”

His eyes darted at the horrific distance between him and the ground, and, nuh-uh. Nope. Sov.

“MUM, IT’S TOO HIGH! I LOVE MY LIFE! I WON’T DO IT!”

She chuckled softly. “It’s not hard, son! Just put your feet in the same place you put before, and climb down!”

“BUT I WILL FALL AND DIE!”

“You won’t, I promise you!”

“MUMMMMMMMM!” He shut his eyes and gripped the tree like a koala. “I’M NOT GOING DOWN!”

“And I’m not going to get you!” She sat beside the tree. “If you’re staying there, we can pass the night here. I don’t mind!”

Ethan couldn’t believe it. Was it for real? She really wasn’t coming to save him?? Even if he’s clearly in danger?! She doesn’t mind if he dies?!

…no, she must be kidding. She was letting Ethan stay for longer because he broke her bracelet. She said it was fine, but maybe she secretly got angry at him, and now was taking advantage of his situation. That must be it. He just gotta wait until she pities him.

Yeah, she was going to get him soon.

Soon.

At any moment.

At any second.

When she feels like it.

Before it was night.

She would do it.

However, time passed, Ethan didn’t move an inch, and his belly was getting wild. The only thing he had all afternoon was an ice cream, and now his stomach was trying to eat him inside out.

Meanwhile, his mum was there, laid down and resting peacefully on the grass.

“Mummyyyyyy… I’m hungry!”

“Me too.” She didn’t even open her eyes. “A shame you let that squirrel escape.”

“Tony wasn’t food! He was my pet!”

“As you say, dear.”

And she kept silent, not uttering a single word about saving him. The crickets and owls were talking more than her, at this point!

His lips trembled when he talked again. 

“Mum, will you really leave me alone here forever?!”

“Of course no, am I not here?” She smiled. “I won’t leave you alone, Ethan; I am letting you learn something useful.”

“But it’s past the time of learning anything! It’s time for dinner, then fairytale, then bedtime!” 

“I know, it will be such a hassle to fix it when we get home, so can you climb down quickly?”

The boy stared at his mum, measuring once more how hard he could fall. Maybe it wasn’t that far, but…

“It’s dark, I can’t see.”

“Ethan…” She huffed and got up, resting her hand on her hip. “We both know you can see clearly—the moon is full, and your vision is better than mine—, so stop procrastinating and get down!”

Ethan breathed in deeply, gazing from his mum to the tree trunk. He could see everything, as she said, but could he do it?…

“Sweet, hear me,” she continued. “It’s not hard. Drag yourself to the trunk, hold it, then put your foot on the nearest branch. After being sure it won’t fall, repeat the steps until you get here. It’s the same as going up, but in the inverse order. Easy, right?”

“Easy, saying! It’s not you here, mum…” he grumbled and swallowed dry.

However, he knew he had no other way to leave. It was climb down or climb down, so he stretched his hands forward. Slowly, focused and shaking, he moved on the branch towards his goal. 

Without looking down, he got at the trunk and squeezed it with his arms. His heart was about to break his rib cage, but he continued the process: a foot down, blindly looking for a new support, then descending over it.

Sometimes Ethan would misstep on a lump and feel his blood vanishing, but then he’d find a way to stabilize himself, say thanks to the stars, and keep the journey down.

It wasn’t easy at all; it was hard, terrible. He felt like he’d fall at each action, hurt himself while falling, hit the ground, go to the hospital, have a head surgery, then die, leaving his mum crying for him the rest of her life.

And this was exactly what happened.

Disturbed by his own thoughts, he glanced down for a second. A millisecond. A tenth of a millisecond. And that was when gravity pulled him down with all its might.

It was fast. Too fast! Ethan screamed and reached for something to hold, but he only held onto leaves who folded with him. He couldn’t seem to stop! He was going to hit the ground! He was going to die!

“ETHAN!”

He shut his eyes, prepared for the inevitable, for the impact, and—

He rolled like a barrel, in a tight space, muffled noises, and aching body. When he stopped spinning, his brain didn’t. It kept sick, feeling suffocated. His lungs were heavy, and it just was tight. Everything was unbelievably tight.

The voice was what made him realize the cause of that problem.

“Thunder! Begone evil!” His mother cursed behind him, still pressing him against her chest. “Do you want to give me a heart attack, Ethan?!”

He couldn’t tell apart her heartbeats from his, but he knew they both weren’t fine. She was shaking. Or was it him? They were too close. Her arms were entangled around his body and he could feel her uneven breath on his hair.

Ah…

Safe. He was safe. He didn’t die. His mum saved him. She got him before he hit the ground. She saved him.

He held weakly to her hands, and the tears came at once. 

“Ethan…” she called and turned him over. “Ethan? Are you hurt somewhere? Did you hit anything??”

He shook his head, but she checked him whole as he didn’t stop to cry. He couldn’t, and he didn’t understand why. Instead, he jumped into her arms again, hugging her neck and weeping louder.

“Son?…” muttered her.

She didn’t push him away, nor told him to be quiet, nor mocked his ugly face.

She just held him back, pulled him closer, and mumbled softly:

“I am here, Ethan. I am here.”