Thorns

Timing/Date: ~16 January 2002; Griet's (and possibly Pietr's) first day of Grade R
Notes: I've known for a long time their first meeting involved an acacia tree, but didn't know /how until this morning.
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Pietr snaps off the last thorns, straddles his chosen branch, and closes his eyes. Six deep breaths later he opens them, drinks in the afternoon light on the acacia leaves and flowers, the warm breeze in his curls, and sighs happily.
The branch twitches out of time with the wind.
Pietr investigates.
The branch jerks, tilts.
Pietr lunges for the trunk—
Weightless!
Thorns and leaves scraping his arms and legs.
Impact! Something solidish—
Impact! Something /hard.
Pietr gasps, blinks up at sun-dappled branches wavy with tears.
Something under his back squirms.
He scrambles away from the motion, wobbles to sitting.
His brain sloshes around in his head and there're lines of blood sparkling along his arms and there're really pretty so he keeps—
A hand grips his shoulder, shakes him.
His brain sploshes, swirls; his world turns smoke-coloured at the edges.
He closes his eyes for two breaths, tests the world.
A circle of girl's faces: mostly angry, a few confused.
“Say ‘sorry’ to her,” orders the biggest, pointing.
Pietr tracks her finger.
His eye lands on fluttery pink streamers in blonde hair, blue eyes bright with tears.
The big girl shakes—
Pietr's stomach lurches with his brain; he swallows.
—him again.
::I'm very, very sorry,:: he says to the ribbon girl, shaping every word carefully.
Her forehead crinkles with confusion.
The other girls look angrier, close in.
Mrs Pillay swims into view, crouching to his level. “Are you alright, Pietr?”
He shakes—stomach flops—freezes, spells out, ::N-O:: instead.
“Hold still, then,” says Mrs Pillay, patting his knee. She turns to one of the girls, says something; the girl runs off. “The nurse will be here in a moment.”
::Thank you.::
Mrs Pillay smiles kindly, then part of her attention is drawn away. She beckons.
The ribbon girl steps closer, plops down beside Mrs Pillay.
“Pietr can't hear or talk. You need to face him and have his attention for him to understand.”
The ribbon girl nods—pink fluttering like butterflies—looks to Pietr, says carefully, “You're very cute.”
Pietr's face becomes very warm.
The other girls, laughing, grab the ribbon girl by the elbows and pull her away.
She waves.
Pietr grins, waves back.
A tap on his arm.
Mrs Pillay says, “Stay right here. I'm going to see what's taking Miss Botha.”
::O-K,:: replies Pietr.
Mrs Pillay squeezes his arm, stands, and leaves.
Pietr admires the ruby-bright spots of blood on his arm.
A tap.
Pietr flicks his eyes over.
Miss Botha!
“You fell from the tree?” she says.
::Y-E-S.::
Miss Botha looks to Mrs Pillay.
“Yes, he did. I believe he landed flat on his back, too.”
Miss Botha's lips thin and she pulls his eyelids farther open, peers into his eyes. “That seems alright. Do you think you can stand, Pietr?”
Pietr pushes—
The world spins spins spins.
—and throws up.
Mrs Pillay scoops him up, settles him on her broad hip.
Pietr pants, clings to her dress.
Mrs Pillay smooths his hair and hurries after Miss Botha into the school, humming—a deep, warm rumble against Pietr's skin.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Pietr
Category:Pietr (ficlet)
Category:Griet
Category:Griet (ficlet)
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Koffiefontein (setting)
Category:Mrs Pillay
Category:Mrs Pillay (ficlet)
Category:Pietr's POV
Category:Forging of a Skeleton Key storyline
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