image [https://imgur.com/QzGr1Gk.jpg]
Yamin and I reported back to the group, letting them know a baby was missing and we were going to find him. They all decided to check the front few cars, while Yamin and I checked the back. Even Samael, my pet snake, did a few rounds in the crevices of the train cars.
The lady was very adamant about making sure nobody told any of the train personnel the baby was missing. It was super suspicious, but we decided that our mission would be stealthy anyway.
After about ten minutes, Yamin and I had checked all our respective cars. Not a hint of the baby in sight.
“Could someone have stolen him and gotten off at another stop?” I asked.
“I’m really worried they might have,” Yamin said. “But let’s not lose hope. Maybe the baby is just playing hide and seek.”
This was supposed to be a toddler, so it was a gamble if that was the case or not. How smart we’re human toddlers?
*Thump thump*
“Should we check the luggage compartments?” Yamin opened up a small compartment under a seat. A suitcase full of clothes sprung out and exploded all over the place. “Ahh!” she shrieked, quickly collecting everything and cramming it back in.
“Woah, those compartments are stuffed like a Christmas turkey,” I said. “I doubt a baby could fit in one.”
*Thump thump*
With my aid, Yamin managed to get the suitcase put back in place. Just in time too. A dude in a fancy suit came in and retrieved that exact one.
“That was close.” Yamin sat back to take a breath.
“No kidding. We have to be more careful.”
*Thump thump*
What the heck was that noise? It sounded like something was jumping on the train car roof.
Oh dear God…
“You don’t think…” my face twisted with disbelief.
“With our luck, I think we both know the answer,”
~☆☆☆~
We both ran out to the very end of the train car and climbed the ladder leading to the roof. Sure enough, the baby was there. He was swaddled in a red blanket. But somehow he was able to perch himself on a railing. He looked like an upside down chrysalis with a face.
“How did the baby get up here?!” I shouted over the heavy wind.
“Not a clue!”
Yamin was ready to go out there and grab him, but I stopped her.
“No, I’ll get him,” I said, reminding her that humans can’t fly if they fall off a high speed train.
I magnetized my hands and feet and crawled out onto the train roof. The baby wasn’t far away, but if I didn’t move quickly, who knew what might happen to him?
Finally I reached him, but he looked all happy as a clam to be up here, not scared at all.
“Come on, you little scamp…” I stood and reached out with my hands.
“Peep!” he squawked as he pecked my hand.
“Ouch!”
What the heck…does he have a beak?
I quickly unwrapped his blanket, stunned to find the baby did in fact have a beak. Actually, he looked like an adorable cross between a person and a bird.
He was a bird person!
Of course, like any bird, he had a healthy pair of wings for arms…which he started waving at me, playfully sending huge gusts my way.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“Gah!” I uttered, trying to resist the wind of both the train and the baby. “Stop it! Bad baby!”
“Yalda!” Yamin announced, seeing the conflict.
“Peep peep!”
Maybe we could come to an understanding, since I myself have wings. As a sign of trust, I materialized my own feathery appendages and spread them out.
“See?” I flapped them a little bit. “I’m like you.”
“Peep?” the baby’s head tilted. “Peep peee!”
His mouth opened and he aimed it at me. At first I thought he was preparing for a breath attack, but Yamin figured it out.
“He’s hungry!” she shouted over the wind.
“Sorry, little guy, but I don’t have any half-eaten worms on me.” Well, I did have some monster meat in my inventory…not cooked though.
“Hold on, I’ll get something!” Yamin ran back into the train, moments later coming out with the bird child’s mother and something in a tin can.
“Tori!” the mother announced, shaking the can. “Come here, baby!
“Peep?” Baby Tori turned to his mother, his eyes going wide as his mouth. “Peeeep!”
I was going to head back to grab the food, but the baby wanted to follow me. Even a slightest wind caused him to slide off the train once he let go of the railing.
Suddenly, the whole situation got a whole lot more real for him. He scrunched up, placing his wings over his body along with the blanket, his talons clung on tightly onto the metal bar.
I tried with all my might to pull him out, but he was way too scared to budge.
“Darn, I think he’s too scared,” Yamin said to the mother.
Tori’s mother pulled out a small little wooden box, requesting that I let the baby listen to it.
“I can’t leave, or he might fall off,” I said. At this point, I had to hold him in place. The winds were picking up, and even his talons weren’t going to be enough to keep him steady.
I could have grabbed him and flew off the train, but a big problem was up ahead. There were a bunch of signs and wires just that would make flying out of here a complete mess. We needed to wrap this up fast.
“Oh no…” Yamin let out a quick breath, taking off her sun hat and handing it to the mother. “Guess I’ll have to get it to her.”
It was way too dangerous for her. Despite my protests though, Yamin held onto a metal bar and crawled her way toward me.
This was super dangerous for a normal human, like a deadly roller coaster ride.
“Oh God, what am I doing!” She was suddenly stunned with fear, unable to move any further. Her arms clung tight to the railing by her side of the train roof. "Somebody, help!"
-Warning! Darkness detected!-
“Huh?” my brow furrowed seeing that message appear in my FOV.
Yamin’s backpack started to waft out a hint of thick black smoke. The top slowly began to unzip and a shadowy hand trailed snaked it’s way out.
This shadow hand took hold of the wooden box and made up for whatever distance Yamin couldn’t, passing it on to me. She had her eyes closed the whole time, so she didn't even notice.
Once I had it in hand, the shadow hand retracted back into her backpack.
"I got it!" I confirmed to her.
“LORD have mercy!” she continued screaming until she crawled safely off the train car roof.
“Oh boy…” I uttered, realizing that the evil book must have just helped her out. It was the only thing that could have... But if it wasn’t hurting us right now, it wasn’t worth focusing on. I turned my attention back to the baby and the wooden trinket I held in my hand.
This thing was a music box, but it just made this really muffled chirping sound.
“Peep peep…Momma…” a tear ran down the baby’s eyes. “Peep peee…”
He looked at me, his innocent little gaze sullen by watery tears.
“I may not be your mother, but please, let me take you back to safety. Okay?” I offered.
The baby nodded his head, then his wings stretched out to me and I picked him up. He was so light, like a little doll.
Yamin had already crawled back to the end of the train, so I just needed to get back myself.
"Ssss!" Samael hissed really loudly from my hair and conked on my head, pointing toward the front of the train.
A metal train sign was about to hit me!
I ducked down, it just barely missed.
A blood curdling scream left Yamin's mouth as she saw the near miss.
But that wasn’t all. A few more signs were heading my way. The worst part was that they were at different heights. Adding to the layer of difficulty, the train was rounding up a hill…meaning this was about to turn into a very twisted game of Duck and Jump Frenzy!
Well, no sense in crying about it now. This was a learning curve I had to get a hold of fast.
I had mere seconds to jump and duck under each of the metal signs as they’d passed by. All the while I had to slowly move back toward everyone at the end of the train. A tunnel was coming, so I needed to get out of this mess yesterday!
Jump! Duck! Jump!
Jump!
Duck!
Duck!
Goose!
Wait a minute…
Finally, after one more duck, I rolled off the roof of the train, being caught by Yamin and the bird baby’s human mother. Just in time too, because we reached the tunnel.
“You okay?” Yamin started inspecting me and the baby.
“Yeah,” I nodded, handing the baby back to the mother. “He’s hungry.”
With mama and baby reunited, I felt relieved. But now I had so many questions that needed a good answer…
----------------------------------------