Chapter 3 - Shot Through the Heart
“And I will hang my head, hang my head low.”
- The Crane Wife 3, The Decemberists
Two weeks later...
Amethyst and Rainflower walked out of the Biology class, laughing and talking with each other. During the two weeks, they had quickly become good friends. They had become literally inseparable at school, staying together during lunch and their afternoon classes. They had found in each other what they each needed the most: someone who they had a lot in common with.
“Man, Mr. Herabh is absolutely hilarious.” said Amethyst. “He sure knows how to make Biology class interesting.”
“You can say that again.” replied Rainflower.
“Man, Mr. Herabh is...” began Amethyst. Rainflower swiped at him, but he evaded her hand. He ran down the hallway, laughing, with her running after him. As he reached the end of the hallway, he stopped suddenly and spun around. Rainflower tried to come to a stop in front of Amethyst but ended up running into his arms in a sort of unexpected embrace. They looked at each other for a second, then quickly separated, blushing.
“Whoops, sorry.” said Rainflower, looking away from his eyes.
“No worries. That was my fault.” he said sheepishly. He composed himself and cleared his throat. He readied himself for the question he was about to ask. “Would you like to come over to my apartment for a while?” he asked. Amethyst had never asked a girl over before, even just for a friendly visit. He waited nervously for her answer. Rainflower blinked, caught off guard by his question. She nodded slowly, then nodded more quickly.
“Sure, why not? We'd have a more relaxed environment for talking and writing.” replied Rainflower. “That'd be great. Let's go.”
* * *
The next day, at lunch...
The previous afternoon had been very fun for Amethyst and Rainflower. He had showed her his apartment, which was still in its stage of becoming a home. They had retreated to his room to work on their poetry, each helping the other with writing poems.
Now, they sat at their usual table, eating lunch and enjoying each other's company. As they talked, three boys walked towards their table. Amethyst looked up from his chicken biryani.
“Who are they?” he asked Rainflower.
“Oh, those are the most popular boys in the school. The Eastern Sun Clique.” she said. “I don't see why they would bother to waste their time on us.” The three stopped in front of their table. Amethyst and Rainflower looked up at them questioningly.
“So, Amethyst? That's your name?” asked the lead boy.
“Yes, that's my name.”
“My name is Sahib. And these two are Aryan and Lahiru, respectively.” he said, gesturing to the other two. “We've noticed you over the past two weeks since you came to our school.” Amethyst noticed a slight emphasis on the word 'our'.
“Well, I'm glad to be noticed.” said Amethyst.
“We were wondering if you would like to join us this afternoon after school.”
“Join you where?” asked Amethyst. Their proposal felt somewhat suspicious to him.
“That's a surprise. You'll find out soon enough. Just meet us by the steps after last period, okay?” replied Sahib. “See you later, Amethyst. Come on boys, let's go get something to eat.” Sahib and the other two walked off to get some of the cafeteria food. Amethyst and Rainflower watched them go, then turned and looked at each other.
“I dunno, Amethyst. This seems weird to me...” said Rainflower, apprehension in her voice.
“Yes, it seems like that to me as well. But I should still see what they want anyways.” replied Amethyst. He poked at his chicken biryani, no longer feeling that hungry.
* * *
2:45 p.m., on the school steps...
Amethyst pushed the door open and stepped through the entrance. Many students filed past him, swarming over the steps. He moved through the crowd to the bottom of the steps. As he reached the last of the steps, he caught sight of Sahib and the other two. Sahib waved him over.
“There you are, Amethyst. You ready to go?” asked Sahib. Sahib motioned to the vehicle parked beside them. “Get in, dude.” Amethyst got into the back seat. Sahib got behind the wheel, Aryan sat in the passenger seat, and Lahiru sat in the back with Amethyst.
“Now, where exactly are we going?” asked Amethyst.
“That's still a surprise.” said Aryan. “Lahiru, you got the blindfold?”
“Yep.”
“What's this about a blindfold?” asked Amethyst cautiously. Lahiru pulled out a black blindfold. “What's going on?”
“Calm yourself.” said Sahib. “We told you it's a surprise. You're going to like it, believe me. Besides, this way, with the blindfold, it truly can be a surprise.”
“Eh, alright.” replied Amethyst. Lahiru put the blindfold on Amethyst's eyes, blocking out the world.
“Ready? Let's go!” shouted Sahib. He put the car in gear and roared off.
* * *
Lahiru led Amethyst by the hand. They had parked a few minutes ago, and they were now walking quietly through some brush. Is this a forest?, thought Amethyst, where are we? He remained quiet nonetheless. Sahib had told him that he had to be quiet, and besides, he would've just said it was a surprise. Best to just wait and see what it is, he thought.
Roughly five minutes or so later, they came to a stop. Amethyst moved his head left and right, confused. He heard sounds around him. They were vaguely familiar, but he still couldn't make out what they were.
“Alright, Lahiru. Take off the blindfold.” said Sahib. Lahiru took the blindfold off Amethyst. Amethyst squinted at the sudden light, having been in the dark for a little while. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized where they were. They were in the marsh. Amethyst had an uneasy feeling.
“So...what are we doing in the marsh?” asked Amethyst. “What's the big surprise?”
“Well, Mr. Crane, we thought we'd initiate you into the Eastern Sun clique. And what better way than this?” asked Sahib. He thrust an object into Amethyst's hands. Amethyst looked at it. It was a double-barrel shotgun. He dropped the gun on the ground.
“What? What are you doing giving me a gun?” he said angrily to them.
“Come on. You've got to know. We're here to shoot some cranes.” replied Aryan with a wicked smile. Amethyst's fists clenched in rage.
“You! You three are responsible for killing cranes! How dare you!” yelled Amethyst.
“Shut up! We might get caught.” hissed Lahiru. Sahib picked up the gun, narrowing his eyes at Amethyst.
“Hmph. And we thought you might be Eastern Sun material. I guess we were wrong.” said Sahib.
“I don't want to be part of any gang that shoots innocent cranes.” said Amethyst. “You can forget about me seeking membership with you.” Sahib shook his head sadly.
“Well, we might as well kill at least one while we're here.” said Sahib. He looked out into the marsh. Several cranes were standing in the water. Sahib aimed his gun at them.
“Hey don't!” said Amethyst angrily.
“Sahib!” said Lahiru. “Look! There's one coming in for a landing! Get that one!” Sahib looked up and saw it. He aimed his gun. Amethyst leaped at Sahib, but Aryan and Lahiru knocked him down and held him to the ground. Amethyst struggled in vain. The shot rang out. A piercing cry split the air.
“Come on, let's go boys. We'll leave the Crane with the cranes.” said Sahib. Aryan and Lahiru got up and followed after Sahib. Amethyst looked angrily at them as they left. He stood up and stepped out into the open.
Laying there, with a red stain in its breast, lay the crane that Sahib had shot. It was still. Amethyst ran to its side. He fell to his knees. His heart had broken in two. His whole body shook as he sobbed bitterly at its side.
“No...this cannot be. You did not deserve this.” sobbed Amethyst. He reached out and stroked its head feathers. “I'd rather it was me they shot. If only it had been me!” He looked up and saw many cranes, looking at him. Two of them flew over and landed in front of him. He looked up at him. He could swear that their faces wore a look of anger and sadness.
“Human, you are under arrest.” said the one on the right.
“Wha?” Amethyst jumped back, startled. “You...you can talk?”
“Yes. Now, you are under arrest. You must come with us.”
“But...but...I did not do this. It was the other boy, the one with the gun.” replied Amethyst. The crane on the left narrowed its eyes at him.
“What part of 'under arrest' do you not understand?” he said. He spun around and clipped Amethyst with his wings. Amethyst flew backwards.
“Ow!” yelled Amethyst. “Okay, okay!” said Amethyst, “I'll come peacefully.” He reached up and felt some blood on his forehead. The bird had cut him with it's pinions. The two birds walked up to him and put their wings through his arms. They led him over to the edge of the water. Several other cranes surrounded Amethyst. They all grabbed on to him, and then they beat their wings and lifted him into the air. Amethyst was amazed at their strength. But he worried about what would happen next. He was under arrest for something he didn't do. What are they going to do to me?, thought Amethyst. |
Submission Name: Story of Amethyst, Ch.3
