Theo (need a title any suggestions?)

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight
Baby grabs my net again. I pat the hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll think of something to help us.”
Baby tries to make his net holes bigger so he can climb into my net with me. “That’s it! Baby you’re a genius. I’ll make the holes big enough for us to crawl though.”
I imagine the holes big enough for me to fit through. I wait but nothing happens. I try it again and still nothing happens. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, it should be working.”
Baby starts making a series of noises. “I don’t understand what you are telling me Baby.” Maybe I should focus like Alfred taught me. I use to meditate to clear my mind and chant to help Alfred keep focus.
I settle in the net the best I can and close my eyes. I breathe deeply through my nose and slowly let it out my mouth. Once my heart stops racing and my mind slows down I begin to chant softly. “As above, as below, as within, as without, I am one I am all.” I keep repeating this until that is all I am thinking about. All the worry, all the noise is gone. It is just me and the chant. I pull on the ropes to make the holes bigger and bigger.
“Ouch!” I hit the ground with a loud thud. “It worked, I did it!” I jump up and down and then realize that baby is still in his net.
I sit down on the ground. This time I don’t have to do the chant to clear my mind. I picture the net around baby and spread the holes as large as I can. I hear a thud and open my eyes. Baby is standing up rubbing his backside. “I’m sorry, I should have warned you that I was going to do your net next. I didn’t want to disappoint you if it didn’t work.”
Baby makes some noises. “I wish I could understand you but I can’t.” Baby comes over and rubs its head against my shoulder. “You’re welcome.”
I start to walk away. “Let’s get out of here before whoever set those nets comes back.”
Baby grabs my arm and walks the other way.
“Come one, we need to get out of here. We don’t want to get caught.” I pull away.
Baby holds me back and for being my height and scrawnier than me, it certainly was strong. It made a low noise in the back of its throat. Further down the line of nets the noise was returned.
“Your mother is in one of these nets. Let’s see if we can figure out which one, but you better make sure she doesn’t decided to have me for lunch.” I take Baby’s hand and begin to walk the row of nets. We stop at each net and Baby makes the low noise in the back of her throat. It isn’t until the eighth net that the noise is returned.
I sit down behind the tree that Baby’s mother is hanging from. “Alright if you decided to eat me, at least give me a chance to run first” I close my eyes but I’m so worried that she is going to eat me that I can’t focus. So I begin to chant and I keep repeating the chant till my mind is clear. I visualize the weave in the net getting bigger and bigger. I don’t know how big Baby’s mother is so I keep making it bigger and bigger till the ground shakes as a huge weight drops from the tree.
I peak around the tree and see Baby getting a hug from the biggest creature I have ever seen. She is tall enough to see past the first few branches of the tree. Baby and her are talking in short rapid sounds. I stand up and step around the tree.
“Show no fear,” I encourage myself. “That’s what I learned from the dogs in the market place, no fear.” I don’t know whom I am kidding; my knees are knocking together.
I close my eyes as Momma reaches towards me. They pop open when she ruffles my hair, making a funny gurgling sound. “You’re welcome. Now get out of here before the owner of the nets come back. I can’t leave the others here. I have to help as many of them escape as I can. I only hope the rest are like Momma and don’t want me for lunch.”
Momma pats my head and Baby gives me a big hug and then climbs up on Momma’s back, they take off into the woods.
“You need to get out of there.” The voice in my head warns.
“Now you decided to come back. Where were you when I needed some help? I can’t leave till I get the others out.” I retort.
“Be careful.”
“I will.” I walk to the patch of light and let the sunshine warm my face. I walk a short distance into the woods but not so far that I can’t see and feel the sunshine. I climb up the nearest tree as high as I can get so that I’m totally hidden from the ground. “Unless what I let loose is a tree climber none of them should have me for lunch.”
My head is beginning to hurt; I am having trouble concentrating. In the middle of the chant I almost fall off the branch and have to start again. I picture each net and one at a time expand the weave so that whatever is inside can fall to the ground. One by one I hear them scamper off. In the distance I can hear voices of men talking.
“Someone is coming.” Warns the voice.
“I know, I hear them, only a few more to go.” I struggle to keep focus.
“No time.”
“I have to try, I’m hidden so even if the men make it here before I’m done they shouldn’t find me. I’ll try to open them all at once.” My head is pounding. I visualize all the nets and their weaves opening. Slowly the nets weave begins to expand. The smaller animals wiggles out and scamper away. Sweat beads up on my forehead. I block out the sounds of the men coming and focus on opening the holes farther so the last animals can get out. The men come into the sunlight just as the last of the nets open wide enough for the creatures to slip out and take off at a fast run.
“Stop, get back here,” the men shout as the race after the animals. Two men grab bows and start shooting at the creatures.
I try to shout the magical word for stop so I can freeze everything like I did with the armor but nothing comes out but a squeak. I try to call again but the world begins to swim. I wrap both arms around the tree branch and hang on.
I watch the men running from net to net but I can’t focus on them. “Please don’t fall, I don’t want to be caught.” I whisper as the world goes pitch black.