Bianca and Rider crouched low on the rough, weathered tiles of the man's rooftop, their eyes fixed on the house below. It was a sturdy, squat building, clearly more storeroom than residence, nestled just off the main path and surprisingly well-kept despite its solitary appearance. Dust motes danced in the late afternoon sunbeams that slanted through unseen cracks. A nervous flutter stirred in Rider's stomach, a stark contrast to Bianca's wide-eyed, eager anticipation.
"See?" Bianca whispered, barely containing her excitement, her voice a triumphant murmur. "I told you he would keep them here!"
Just then, the heavy, unadorned wooden door of the storeroom creaked open. The man from before emerged, his back to them, then with a grunt of effort, began to roll the lumber-filled wagon inside. Its wheels scraped loudly against the dirt, the rhythmic groaning of the axle echoing in the quiet. He pushed the wagon deep into the shadowed interior, out of sight.
"He's putting it in the store!" Bianca exclaimed, louder than intended, a burst of victorious joy escaping her.
Below, the man stiffened. He stopped pushing the wagon and slowly turned his head, his gaze sweeping upwards, a frown creasing his brow as he tried to pinpoint the source of the unexpected sound. Rider, reacting instantly, clamped a hand over Bianca's mouth, pulling her back and down, pressing her against the warm, dusty tiles of the roof. They held their breath, their hearts thumping like trapped birds. The man stood there for a long moment, his eyes narrowed, before shrugging, dismissing it as a trick of the wind, and finally disappearing inside, pulling the heavy door shut behind him. The thud of the latch echoed, sealing them out, for now.
Rider slowly released Bianca, his voice a furious whisper. "You nearly got us caught! What is wrong with you?"
Bianca pulled his hand away, a sheepish grin spreading across her face as she scratched the back of her head. "My bad," she mumbled, but her eyes still held a sparkle of unrepentant mischief.
Rider shook his head, then turned his gaze back to the now-closed door. "So, how do you intend we get down there?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm, but a tremor of anxiety ran through him.
"Easy!" Bianca chirped, as if the answer were obvious. "We jump!"
Rider stared at her, his eyes wide with disbelief, convinced she was joking. His mouth opened to protest, to explain the basic physics of falling, but his words died in his throat. To his utter surprise, Bianca, without a word, had bent down and was now straining, her small muscles bulging, as she lifted a heavy, jagged piece of rock, easily half her size. It was a raw, unpolished chunk of granite, probably dislodged from the roof hard Stones or the ground nearby. With a grunt of effort, she heaved it over her head and, with a terrifying, primal yell, dropped it directly onto the glass panel of the roof.
The impact was deafening. Glass shattered with a monstrous, splintering CRACK!, followed by a cascade of tinkling shards raining down into the room below. Rider instinctively stepped back, his eyes glued to the jagged, gaping hole where the glass had been. The sound seemed to reverberate through the very air, a violent disruption of the afternoon quiet.
"Don't you think he heard that?!" Rider hissed, his voice strained with panic.
Bianca, however, merely beamed, her eyes sparkling with glee. "Most definitely he heard that!"
Rider frowned, utterly bewildered. "Then why are you smiling?!"
Before he could process an answer, Bianca, without a moment's hesitation, sprang forward and launched herself from the edge of the broken roof, dropping through the newly created opening. Rider ran to the edge, his heart leaping into his throat, watching in horror as she plummeted. But then, to his immense relief, he saw her land safely on a surprisingly large, springy pile of hay that had clearly been stored beneath the shattered glass. He breathed out a shaky sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping.
"Come quick!" Bianca yelled up, her voice muffled but clear, already scrambling out of the hay. "Before he comes back!"
Rider hesitated for only a fraction of a second, the image of the angry man flashing in his mind. The thought of facing him alone spurred him on. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and jumped, landing with a soft thud and a rustle in the fragrant hay. He coughed, dust tickling his nose. "Isn't this... illegal?" Rider asked, peering around the dimly lit storeroom. The air was thick with the scent of old wood and dust, rows of stacked lumber casting long, eerie shadows.
Bianca, already on her feet, paid his moral dilemma no mind. She produced a small, utilitarian knife from somewhere in the store—a tool she seemed to have spotted laying around—and handed it to Rider. "Go cut the ropes holding the wagon," she instructed, her voice urgent. "While I open the door so we can roll it out."
Rider took the knife, the cold metal feeling alien in his hand. He walked towards the wagon, which sat partially obscured by stacks of firewood. As he reached it, his eyes, still fixated on the shattered glass above, caught sight of something else. High up, at the edge of the remaining glass panel, there was a small, almost invisible knob. His brow furrowed in sudden realization.
"Wait a minute," Rider said, his voice slow, staring up at the broken roof. "The glass could have been opened. There was no reason to break it."
Bianca, already at the heavy wooden door, fiddling with a complex latch, paused and looked at him, her smile wide and utterly unapologetic. "I know," she chirped. "I just wanted him to have a broken roof or window, whatever he calls that."
Rider sighed, a long, exasperated puff of air. The sheer audacity of her mischievousness was almost admirable. He shook his head, then turned his attention back to the wagon, his hands moving to cut the thick ropes that bound the firewood.
Suddenly, the storeroom door flung open with a violent BANG! The man stood there, silhouetted against the bright afternoon light, his face contorted in a mask of pure fury. He had clearly heard the shattering glass. His eyes locked onto Rider, crouched on the wagon, knife in hand.
"You brat! Breaking into my house!" the man roared, his voice shaking the small room. "You've crossed the line!" He lunged forward, grabbing Rider by his hair, yanking him off the wagon with brutal force. Rider yelped in pain, dangling helplessly as the man snarled, "I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"
But before the man could deliver on his threat, Bianca, quick as a flash, had grabbed a long-handled leaf rake that stood propped against a wall. With a mighty swing, she brought the broad head of the rake around, connecting with a sickening THWACK! squarely on the man's balls.
The man emitted a strangled, high-pitched yelp of pure agony, his eyes bulging. He immediately dropped Rider, clutching himself with both hands, doubling over, his face a mask of intense suffering. This was Bianca's cue. She scrambled onto the pile of wood on the wagon.
"Now, Rider!" she shrieked, her voice high with adrenaline and triumph. "Push it!"
Rider, still dazed from being dropped, reacted instinctively. He threw his weight against the back of the wagon, pushing it with all his might. The wheels groaned, then began to roll. The wagon lurched forward, gaining momentum quickly. As it started to roll out of the storeroom and down the gentle slope of the ground, Bianca, already perched precariously on the wood, extended a hand to Rider. He scrambled on, clinging to the side as the wagon picked up full speed, rattling furiously.
They flew down the path, the wagon gaining speed with every second. The wind whipped through their hair, and a wild, exhilarating laughter burst from both of them, a mix of triumph, adrenaline, and pure, unadulterated joy. "I can't believe we did it! Yes! Yes!" Rider shouted over the wind, a genuine, unburdened smile on his face for the first time in ages.
His smile, however, turned to stark shock. Ahead, walking casually down the road, was Aingo. He was still some distance away, his back to them, seemingly deep in thought. Aingo mumbled to himself, "What is taking him so long? I gave him one thing to do, and he can't do it right."
Rider's blood ran cold. "How do we stop it?!" he yelled over the rushing air.
Bianca, her eyes wide, grimaced. "Oh! I didn't think about that!"
Panic flared in Rider's chest. The wagon was hurtling towards his teacher. To add to the chaos, Bianca's parents suddenly appeared, running up to Aingo from the opposite direction, their faces etched with concern. "Have you seen our daughter?" Bianca's mom called out, her voice laced with worry. "She went off to help Rider push a wagon but never came back!"
Bianca spotted them, her face paling. "Oh no! We gotta stop this!" she shrieked, her earlier mirth replaced by absolute terror. Both she and Rider began to flail, desperately trying to slow the runaway wagon.
Then, an idea flashed in Bianca's mind. "We have to scream with all our might!" she yelled to Rider. "Then they can hear us and get out of the way!"
With one accord, their young voices rose in unison, a desperate, high-pitched shriek that pierced the air. "AAAAHHHHH! WATCH OUT!"
Bianca's parents and Aingo simultaneously turned, their faces shifting from concern to utter bewilderment, then to wide-eyed horror as they saw the runaway wagon, hurtling at full speed, with two terrified children aboard, heading directly towards them.
"Hey! What should we do?!" Bianca's mom shrieked, grabbing her husband's arm. "Our baby!"
But Aingo, ever the picture of calm and formidable power, simply stepped forward. With a movement so fluid it seemed effortless, he extended one leg. The wagon, laden with wood and careening with the force of two children, slammed into his extended limb. With a barely audible grunt, the entire wagon came to a complete, shuddering halt, as if hitting an invisible wall. Not an inch more.
Aingo stood there, unmoving, his gaze dropping to Rider, a deep frown settling on his face. "Care to explain yourself?" he asked, his voice stern, an underlying current of exasperated relief.
Meanwhile, Bianca's parents rushed forward, embracing their daughter tightly. "Why do you always have to cause trouble?" Bianca's mom chided gently, tears of relief streaming down her face. As they led Bianca away, she waved energetically to Rider, a bright, unrepentant smile already back on her face. Rider, still dazed, waved back weakly, watching them go.
(Back to the present)