Forgiven

This is a short snippet from the book I am currently rewriting.

Silently screaming, I opened my eyes. I’d just had the most horrible dream, that someone was mocking me. But I didn’t know who it was. I had only woken from it when I felt something slither across my hand.

Looking around, it was obvious that I wasn’t in the woods anymore. Sand dunes were all I could see, with cacti scattered here and there. 

It seemed that I had fallen into a new world. What was it called? Why was I here? Who or what had called me? What was my purpose in life?

My wondering was interrupted by a sharp pain in my shoulder. Biting my lip to keep from crying out, I struggled to sit up, the pain getting worse with each movement. Looking at my shoulder, I couldn’t see anything wrong with it, at least not on the outside. “I probably sprained or dislocated it,” I thought. “Now what will I do? There’s no way I’m brave enough to put it back in myself, and by the looks of this place, there’s no one around to help me. I’ll probably die of starvation out here. In a few months, some family will come along and find my poor, pitiful bones. The dad will say…”

“Well, what have we here?” A cheery voice interrupted my negative train of thought, stopping it between stations and scaring me half to death. “What’s the matter, dear? Are you alright?” Looking up, I saw a woman older than my grandmother smiling down at me. She looked like a person who could take care of herself just fine. Her very presence was, shall we say, intimidating? 

“Well, besides having a dislocated shoulder and being lost in a strange land with virtually no vegetation, I’m doing just fine. You?”

She laughed, a cheerful, sunny sound that made me feel better just hearing it. I’d never have admitted that aloud though.

“I knew I liked you! Come on, stand up. I’ll take a peek at that shoulder for you.”

Seeing my hesitation, she frowned at me. “I’m not going to hurt you. Now stand up.”

Didn’t I tell you she was intimidating? There’s no way I was going to disheed her orders! Standing up, I winced as a fresh wave of pain shot through my entire arm. She gently touched my shoulder, inspecting it.

“You were right about your shoulder. Hold still, and I’ll pop it back in.” She added, “This may hurt a bit.”

A bit?! Man, did she underestimate it! I’d never experienced that level of pain before, and I have a very low pain tolerance. I passed out.

Advertisement