“Annabella and the Hungry Monster”

Chapter 2.

After two hours had passed, Annabella woke up from her nap. She went to the kitchen, and prepared another bowl of soup for Mother. To not awaken her snoozing mother, Annabella sealed the bowl and stored it in a warm cabinet for later. She tiptoed to Mother, asleep on the bed in the living area, and gently kissed her on the right cheek. She tiptoed to the front door, and made her way into town.

Annabella took a stroll in the village. She played a round of the ball toss game with her friends, next to the local market. Then, she went shopping for groceries, as usual, with the two coins that she had luckily found in her pocket. As she strolled from vendor to vendor, to select the best soup and the best bread for mother, her mind started roaming. She began to reminisce on the times she would daydream as a little girl of what her father must be like to be around, in current times. She didn't like that she was never able to see him. She didn't know where he was located. She didn't know anything about him, besides that years ago, Mother and her unborn self was forcibly thrown out of Destiny Nation, ruled by her father, King Henry Pomper the 17th.

After hoping and wishing that her father was a changed man, Annabella made a quick stop at the last market vendor, at the end of the street, and just steps away from the nearby forest. She approached Mister Michael's table of fresh goods. Mister Michael is a good friend of Mother, and a loyal customer of Mother's seamstress services, due his large family and continuously growing children. Annabella pulled out the two coins in her pocket and offered them to the vendor, but he shook his head, not accepting the money. “It's for free, in hopes that my friend Tracy will be healed quickly and return to village life very soon,” Mister Michael said. “Oh my… Thank you so much for your kindness sir,” Annabella replied. She accepted his kindness, as he placed a large loaf of white bread and a bucket of mushroom soup in her carrying basket. 

Annabella had thanked Michael one last time and turned to head home. A second later, a man dressed in dusty rags, saturated with dirt spots on his face, and imprinted with seemingly claw marks on his arms and chest, ran out of the forest with a shaking body and fright on his face. He looked as if he had been fighting something off of him. He screamed into the ears of market customers, “the forest is haunted! There is evil ready to attack us!” Then, the dusted man tripped and stumbled in Annabella. He alarmingly shouted in her face, “do not leave town! They prey on men, women, and children!” Annabella replied, “Who is out to get us?” “Evil monsters,” the man said, as he continued to run away trembling.

Scared and confused, Annabella quickly grabbed her basket and ran home. Once at home, Annabella slammed the door and rapidly jolted the locks closed. Annabella breathed deeply and shook with fear. She wished, and wished, and wished that no monsters would come to attack her or Mother. “Where have you been?” Mother spoke as she calmly hemmed a pair of pants, while laying up in bed. Mother noticed Annabella looked shaken. She said, “Who did you meet? Has anyone hurt you?” “No,” Annabella replied. “I had just visited the market to shop for goods. I just wanted to be back before it got dark outside.” Mother replied, “very good my kind hearted dear. I don't know what I would do without you. Reading a story might calm you down.” Annabella grabbed a book from the shelf. It was one of her favorite fairytales, “Happiness Always Wins,” a classic Gordon Fairytale. Together, Annabella and Mother read the story as they ate their warm white bread and steamy mushroom soup.