Don't Be Scarred

Don’t Be Scarred

Hey there little girl don’t you cry,

I know I know you’re scarred to die.

Little girl I know you’re hurting now.

Don’t wait for a sunny day,

To dry your tears away.

Don’t worry, the pain will fade,

Hey there little girl it will be alright,

A smile is a real special sight.

Hey there little girl the sun will shine.

It was a cold day in late autumn. Sunlight crept in through the blinds on the windows, waking little Andi. She sat up rubbing her eyes. At a snail’s pace, she walked into the kitchen. Her mom smiled when she saw her, swept her up, and placed her in her booster.

“Mommy, where is Shields?” little Andi asked as her mom put her oatmeal in front of her. “I want to play with him.”

“He’s not here right now, Sweetie,” she replied in a singsong way. She was currently mixing up bread, and was distracted. Andi knew she couldn’t go play until after she had eaten her breakfast. Half of her oatmeal ended up in her lap instead of her mouth. Her mother, sighing, took her daughter off the booster and into her room. Andi didn’t protest the entire way there.

“I wanna play with Shields,” Andi stated. Her mother sighed as she pulled off her filthy pajamas, wondering how she got her oatmeal in the oddest places.

“If you want to play outside, you need shoes and a coat.” Andi’s mom went into the laundry room to put the clothes in the laundry. The timer for the bread mixer started beeping, echoing through the house. Andi’s mom rushed to the kitchen, forgetting about leaving Andi undressed in her room.

Andi, really wanting to play with her dog, pulled on her coat. She starred at her shoes, not knowing how to tie them. In the end, she resorted to pulling on her snow boots. Ready to go, she marched out the back door. Right outside the door, were little kittens, begging to be played with. When Andi’s mom heard the door shut, she looked out the window to see what Andi was doing. Much to her shock, Andi was outside in just her coat and snow boots. She ran outside after her.

“Andrea Maughan! You get back here right now.”

Andi knew she was in trouble by the use of her full name. She ran to her mom crying, “I’m sorry, Mommy, I’m really sorry.” Andi’s mom looked down at her, and started laughing. Andi looked up at her confused. “Why you laugh, mommy?”

“Nothing Sweetie,” she picked her daughter up and carried her to her room. After dressing her, she let her go back outside and went back to the bread dough, still laughing at what just happened.

Andi, after being let out of the house, went out in search of her beloved dog. She went to the garage and was surprised he wasn’t there. When he wasn’t in the house, he usually was out in the garage. She headed into the yard. She looked in front and in back of the house but couldn’t find Shields.

At this time, her mom called her to come eat lunch. Little Andi, ran home as fast as her little legs could take her. When she got inside, her mom put her in the booster and placed a sandwich in front of her. Andi quickly ate, only pausing to tell her mom she wasn’t able to find Shields. Her mother nodded as if she was listening and continued to knead the bread in front of her. Finally, Andi finished her sandwich, slid out of her chair, and went back outside to look for her dog.

The only place left was the barn. The barn was extremely old, and the boards were rotting. Forgotten tools, wood, nails, hay, dead animals, and collapsing boards were everywhere, dangerous objects for children. Andi knew she wasn’t allowed to go in there, but she didn’t understand why. She had seen animals and adults go in there all the time.

Shields must be in there, she thought. As she walked up to the old barn, she noticed how it loomed above her. The old, peeling paint made it look menacing and evil. Swallowing her fear, the brave little girl pushed on the barn door. Screech!!!!! It opened slowly. Even with the sunlight, the entry seemed dark and lifeless. Andi took one step, then another through the entry way. The barn was eerie and Andi could see the outline of things. She walked farther into the old barn. It smelled musty and filthy.

“Shields, are you in here?” called little Andi. Something moved in the back of the barn. Wood and metal slid from the loft, clashing to the floor. Andi jumped in surprise. Her heart sped up a little. As she walked farther in, her nervous system slowly began to kick in. She stepped slowly and carefully through the debris.

When little Andi reached the back, there was a huge pile of old metal and wood. She looked around and called for her dog again. A large yowl came from the corner of the room. There was a huge cat glaring at Andi with her yellow eyes. Andi cried out and began running away. As she ran, she tripped and slammed into the floor. The rotten boards underneath her snapped, falling with her into the dark forgotten cellar. As Andi fell she let out a blood curdling scream that no one heard. She hit the stone floor with a sickening thud. Andi drifted out of consciousness.

Back at the house, Andi’s dad pulled into the driveway. He got out and a big Rottweiler followed. The dog dove out of the car and ran straight for the backdoor of the house, his tail wagging. Andi’s dad laughed, “Hold on Shields, I’m coming.”

As he opened the door, Shields dashed into the house and into Andi’s room, but was disappointed to find his young mistress missing. Andi’s father went into the kitchen and kissed his wife, who was taking bread out of the oven. He told her how he took Shields to the vet, and how Shields didn’t like it. Just then, they heard Shields back at the backdoor, whining to get out. They shook their heads as they let him back out and continued talking. Shields bolted out the door and began looking for his missing mistress. He searched all over the yard, sniffing here and there, looking for any sign of her. Her sent was faded and all over the place. Shields whined and continued looking.

In the cellar of the barn, Andi was beginning to wake up. At first she was disoriented and had no clue where she was, and then her memories came soaring back. Her nervous system kicked in on full throttle. Her heart pounded, she began sweating furiously, the adrenaline rushed through her. It was either flight or fight, but how could she do either? She looked up at the hole above her; it was too far up for her to reach in any way. She started pushing her way through the muck around her, when a nail scratched her arm. Tears swelled up in her eyes, the pain was too much for her little body. It was hurting everywhere from the fall. She sat down and started to sob uncontrollably.

Shields ears perked up at the sound of Andi crying. He sprinted across the yard and into the barn. He entered the deteriorating building cautiously. He followed the cries of his mistress to the hole leading into the cellar. Seeing it was inevitable if he wanted to get to Andi, he jumped down. Even though he braced himself for the landing, it still hurt. What little light lit the barn, didn’t light the cellar. Complete darkness surrounded the little spot under the hole.

Just a little ways into the darkness was little Andi. Shields went up to the young child, whined, and licked her tears. Andi reached out and embraced her loyal dog. She followed him back to under the hole. They laid beside each other on the grimy floor. Her small hand stroked his short black and brown fur. Little Andi drifted off to sleep while her dog watched over her.

It was late in the afternoon when Andi’s parents realized she was missing. They went outside to look, but didn’t see her. When they started calling her name, barking came from the barn. For the first time, they noticed the barn door open. They rushed inside and found them in the hole. The dog was right next to his beloved mistress.

Soon after, Andi’s father carried her back to the house, with the Rottweiler right on his heels. After she had a bath and dinner, her parents tucked her into bed after the long day.

“Mommy, can Shields sleep with me tonight?” Andi sleepy asked. Her parents whispered back and forth. Her father left and came back with the dog. He climbed into her bed and her parents turned on the night light. Andi went to sleep smelling his freshly washed fur, while Shields spent the night protecting his little Andi.

The sun sets

The stars start to twinkle

The pale moon rises

All’s right

Sleep little girl sleep

All is quite

The moon is high in the sky

The stars shine bright

The sun has gone to bed

Sleep little girl sleep

Andrea (Andi) Maughan 1980-1988

Back story: I wrote this for a class. We had a feildtrip to the cemetery and had to write a story using a person we found. I chose her.