Miss Fox

“You can’t run forever.”

That voice echoed in Miss Fox’s brain.

It was a dark night, filled with a thick fog. She loved fog. Her father used to wake her up every foggy morning to look at the pieces of the mountain range that weren't coated by fog. She pulled her black hood tighter around her head, being careful not to reveal the bumps that are her ears. Fox ears.

Time had passed slowly. It started to rain. Her eyes began to grow sleepy. Then she smelled something. Coffin varnish. The hairs on her neck stood up. She had to get out of here. He was coming for her. She stood up, being careful not to make the other passengers suspicious of her. She had to formulate some sort of plan. She couldn’t just jump off. She was on a mountain side, and she couldn’t afford to break anything. She passed through each train car, the scent getting closer. She entered the caboose. She was relieved it was empty. That gave her the opportunity to unhinge the train. She watched the other hinge speed away from her. As she looked up, she saw him. The Coffin man. With his black overcoat and his dark specs. His face, almost unreadable. Miss Fox ran inside.

 The caboose moved for a little while until coming to a complete stop. Miss Fox sighed in relief. She laid down on one of the benches and fell asleep. 

  She woke up the next morning to the sound of birds. She walked outside of the caboose. She was right on the summit of a mountain that was filled with aspen wood trees. She thought about continuing on the tracks. She then realized it wasn’t the smartest thing to do. The Coffin man could be doing the same thing. She climbed to the top of the caboose, hoping to see something over the golden-leaved trees. There was a ranger’s hut. What luck! She walked over to the cabin. She noticed that there was a goat, three chickens, apple and plum trees, and a garden. Perfect, they have plenty to eat. She knocked on the door and was met with a very unpleasant surprise. A little boy who was about six, maybe seven, was pointing a crossbow at her. He smelled like cilantro, and he wore a plague doctor mask. Alarmed, she stepped back.

“Go away, and I won’t hurt you!” he warned.

  Miss Fox put her hands out protectively.

“Where are your parent’s? I just need some food.” she asked.

“Go away! No one is welcome here!”

  He then proceeded to slam the door. Miss Fox turned around and walked back to the caboose. Then she smelled cinnamon and heard the patter of tiny feet. She turned around to find a little girl with curly bright pink hair. She looked at her in awe. She looked to be four or five, and was holding a basket full of food that was too large for her to carry without any conflict.

“Here you go ma’am! Sorry about Kairos! He’s just super protective of me.” yelled the little girl.

Miss Fox nodded slowly as she took the basket.

“Um… okay. Can you tell me where the nearest town is?” she asked.

  The little girl shrugged.

“I don’t know. I usually stay home while daddy goes to the market.” she replied.

“Is your dad at the market?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. He–”

“Zelie! What are you doing here?!” The sky’s purple! We have to get in the cabin!”

It was Kairos. The little boy in the plague mask. He grabbed Zelie’s hand and tried to run. Zelie pulled back.

“What about the lady?!”

“She’s not our problem!”

“I’m not going until she comes too!”

“Zelie! We’re going to die!”

  Just then, Miss Fox heard an ear piercing shriek. Her stomach dropped.

“Fine! Come on lady! We need to get to the Cabin! Now!” ordered Kairos.

  Miss Fox didn’t ask questions, but ran with them. They went inside the house and locked all of the doors. Miss Fox saw something covering the window.

“Is that a giant feather?!” She asked.

  Kairos rolled his eyes as though it was a stupid question.

“Yes! It’s from the Thunderbird. A giant magical bird that eats anything that doesn’t have a protective spell on it!” he snapped.

A large door crashed down on the ground. It was from the caboose.

“Much like that caboose.” Kairos added.

Some time went by and the raging Thunderbird storm still went on. Kairos told Miss Fox that it was going to last for a week.

“A week?!” Miss Fox asked in disbelief.

“We have enough supplies to last us three months. We should be fine.” Kairos told her.

  Miss Fox looked out of the window.

“Where are your parents? Why would they leave you alone before a time like this?” Miss Fox asked.

Zelie looked down.

“Our mother is dead, and our father went to take care of something, and never came back.” she whispered sadly.

Miss Fox nodded solemnly.

“I’m sorry. I lost my parents at a young age too.” she replied.

  Zelie nodded.

“How long have you two been alone?” she asked.

Kairos took out a lantern.

“Six months. Why did you come to this forest? Travelers usually don’t come here. Did the caboose snap off of your train?” he asked.

Miss Fox tensed up.

“Sort of. There's an evil man after me. He wants to kill me.” she told them.

  Kairos spun towards her, swinging his lantern against Zelie’s arm. Zelie winced.

“Sorry Zelie. As for you, when this is all over, you are getting out of here as soon as you can, and never coming back! I’ve worked too hard to keep Zelie safe! You are lucky that she has a big heart!” he warned.

Miss Fox nodded.

“Don’t worry. As soon as that bird is gone, I will be gone.” she told them.

Kairos nodded.

“Good.”

The first day wasn’t the easiest. Since Miss Fox had no choice but to show her face to the children, Kairos became extremely suspicious of her, and gave her a long list of rules. He still hadn’t shown his face.

“So why do you have a fox tail and ears?” asked Zelie.

  Miss Fox shrugged.

“Um… I was probably born with it?” she replied.

“That's cool! Wish I had a tail!”

The second day was a little easier. Kairos taught Miss Fox how to cook after she explained that she usually ate whatever she could find.

“Sometimes I would eat out of the garbage.” Miss Fox told them.

“Yeah. Don’t do that here.”  Kairos told her.

  That same afternoon, Miss Fox found an old picture she presumed to be of Kairos and Zulie’s parents. The mother had long curly hair, and the father had sharp features and a mischievous smile. She found herself staring at the picture for a while.

“It’s rude to rummage through people’s things.” Kairos told her.

  The rest of the week went smoothly. They started to trust each other enough to swap stories about their past.

“Tomorrow is going to be the day you will be free to go! Aren't you excited?!” Zelie asked Miss Fox.

  Miss Fox wiped the table.

“I guess, but what about you guys? You can’t stay here forever alone…” she told them.

Kairos waved dismissively. His mask was off, showing dark curly hair and dimples.

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine.” he replied.

  That night, Miss Fox stayed wide awake. She couldn’t sleep. She had the feeling that something was wrong. That she needed to get out of here…

The next morning, Miss Fox’s suspicions were confirmed. The Coffin man arrived at the cabin. He carried a torch. Miss Fox grabbed the children, and ran.

“What are you doing?!” Kairos hissed.

“That’s the Coffin man! I’ve been running from him for a long time!” she whispered.

The Coffin man threw the torch at the cabin. He pulled out a flask and made the flames bigger, until it ate away at the cabin. Zelie was horrified.

“OUR HOME! HE’S BURNING DOWN OUR HOME!” she screamed.

  Miss Fox tried to shush him, but it was too late. The Coffin man noticed them. Miss Fox started to run with the children in her arms. By some miracle, and Kairos’s instruction, they escaped in a secret tunnel. Miss Fox didn’t stop until her lungs felt like they were going to burst. She looked at the two children. Zelie was crying, and Kairos was beside himself with rage.

“That cabin was our home. Our father built it for our mother.” he snarled.

  Miss Fox hung her head.

“I’m so sorry. He destroyed my home too.” she said quietly. “I’ve been on the road ever since.”

There was silence for a long while.

“Now what?” Zelie asked.

  Miss Fox looked at them.

“I guess we walk.” she replied.

  They walked through the tunnel, not saying a word.