Mona's Miracle Quest

It started like any other morning. I had just finished tending to my father's chickens, and was about to walk back home for breakfast.

That's when I heard the commotion.

I crept up to the house, squeezing myself into the corner formed by our house and the fence, so I could listen in on the conversation. I didn't recognize the voices, so that meant they were strangers. Strangers meant danger!

My father had always told me to stay away from strangers. He had also taught me how to use a knife and a gun, as well as how to escape and hide if anyone ever tried to hurt me or him. So I knew that if there were strangers at our house, I would have to be careful and keep my eyes open.

I slowly peeked around the corner and was shocked by what I saw. There were five men standing around our front door, talking quietly amongst themselves. They were dressed in all black clothing, with vests and bandanas over their faces. They looked menacing, and carried large guns in their hands that glinted evilly in the sun as they moved them around. But most terrifying of all was the fact that one of them was holding my father by his arm! They seemed to be asking him something, but he just kept shaking his head back and forth. He looked terrified!

I had to do something! I couldn't just stand there watching like some cowering chicken! They might hurt my father! What if they hurt us? My mother and baby brother were inside the house, too! What if they shot us? Or kidnapped us? Or burned down our house? Or stole all of our chickens? Why did they have guns? Why didn't we have any? If only my father had gotten me a gun for my birthday instead of that stupid doll…

Suddenly another man came out of the house carrying a bag with something inside it. He walked right up to the group of men standing around my father and handed it over when they asked for it. The men took it from him roughly, looking suspiciously at what was inside - but then one of them pulled out some sort of necklace from somewhere within his clothes, examined it for a moment, nodded at whatever it was that he saw there, and put it back into the bag without saying anything else to my father or anyone else. Then he turned around and nodded at one of his companions who immediately went back into the house again, reappearing a few moments later with a big wooden chest strapped across his shoulders. As soon as he had set this down in front of the men, they began talking among themselves again until one of them pointed at my father again and said something which made them all laugh loudly - including my dad! Just as suddenly as they had appeared, they were suddenly gone again - all except for one man who stayed behind while his companion went back into the house once more and returned with another chest this time. This chest was smaller than the first one though - maybe even half its size or less. The other man took this little chest from him gratefully, gave him a quick nod before handing something over in return (which made him look very happy indeed) then turned around and followed his friends down towards their ship that lay waiting just off shore with oars extended outwards like skeletal fingers pointing towards land. The other man climbed down into their boat himself but stopped halfway when he noticed me hiding behind our fence staring up at him fearfully. For a moment he looked startled himself - but then he grinned down at me revealing sharp yellow teeth stained red from chewing tobacco before spitting dark brown liquid into the water below him where it quickly spread out creating a small circle on top of the waves which looked like blood floating on top of an ocean made dark green by algae underneath it: "Don't you worry young missy" he called out to me "we're not here for your family" - then gave me another smile before turning around once more and jumping down into their boat where he joined his friends already waiting for him below deck: "Time to get movin!" he yelled loudly before turning around once more to face us once more: "We'll be seein' you real soon!" With that he raised two fingers into the air above his head in an odd gesture before following his friends below deck once more as their boat began moving off shore quickly until it disappeared completely beneath the waves: "See you soon!" The last thing I heard from them was laughter echoing loudly underwater before disappearing completely beneath a wave leaving nothing more than ripples where its wake had been only moments ago…

After what seemed like hours - but must've only been minutes because I remembered thinking that I'd never been so hungry after having stood there watching them leave for so long - my mother finally came outside carrying baby brother along with her while her eldest son ran outside after her calling hurriedly: "Mother! Father!" She looked pale and frightened but also relieved when she saw me standing there in front of her safe enough next to our fence while her husband lay still unconscious next to her feet having fallen down upon seeing her arrive finally safe and sound along with his youngest son who'd run outside after hearing her voice calling through the front door for help…