“Where is the hairdryer?!” yelled Pixie, her voice filled with anger, rattling through the house like thunder.

“I don’t have it. I don’t have it,” repeated the innocent brother.

“I know you do, just admit it! I am not in the mood for your stupid games!” It was clear Pixie would not be easily convinced and that this could turn into a long and drawn out civil war. If only Pixie were more reasonable and trusting, then the world would be a much more peaceful

place. Pixie’s voice grew in volume as she grabbed her brother and pulled him with great force, as if she could just yank a better answer out of him. Her brother, Jake, was becoming more and more worried with each second. Pixie, a dangerous threat herself, was becoming increasingly

Aggressive.

“Jake, give in now. I know you are the criminal who stole my hairdryer. You probably broke it too, and that is why you won’t confess. Jake, don’t try and run away. There is no use. I’ll eventually find you, and there will be no escape. No one will be here to back you up. You have no friends. Simply put, you are a loser.” Pixie’s tongue was transforming into a sword. Each word could puncture, causing damage not easily healed.

“Mom and Dad will believe me. They know I don’t steal. They will make sure justice prevails.”

“Do you really think our parents will testify? No, because they can’t. They don’t know anything. They are just old... and senile. It’s time to face the facts.Your world is falling apart.” Pixie lashed her sword towardsJake.

He made a run for it. He escaped his sister’s grasp, ran down the hallway, and crawled up the stairs in a split second. He noticed that his heart was in beat with his steps as he raced around furiously. In the past he had been accustomed to this upstairs hallway, in which various rooms branched off, but now it seemed foreign to him. He was now in a battle zone in the midst of a battle he did not want to participate in. The beating of his heart quickly overpowered his perception of his own steps, and nearly his own thoughts. He was in a panic. His knees were numb and his hands were shaking. He regretted ever being born into such a family but he had no control over such matters. All he wanted was to be brave, able to stand up against his evil sister who was like no other.

Just then, Jake could hear Pixie set foot on the staircase. She walked slowly and steadily, her steps sounding like the pounding of a hundred angry fists. Jake was silent, leaning against the wall, listening, and not knowing his next move. Pixie was drawing closer, like a clock counting down to the last moments of life. Jake realized his time on earth was passing rapidly.  

There was no time for wasting. He had to make a quick decision. There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms, but which room would be the safest sanctuary from his sisters’ wrath? It was a tough decision. It was like these rooms were branches of a tree. He didn’t know which branch, or which limb, would be able to support his weight. Finally he chose his parents’ room, so he took an immediate left and escaped under the bed.

  For once he felt safe. Maybe there was hope for the future. Underneath the bed there was a whole new world; a world of safety, security... and Christmas presents? Jake was trying to move some boxes so that he could see out the other side of the bed. Upon doing so, he discovered that these boxes were the Christmas presents he had been searching for, for weeks. He wished he could tell what his parents were going to be giving him, but all the presents were wrapped, disguised from their true identity. Jake wondered if he could unwrap one just enough to get a peek.

Suddenly the feet of Pixie reached the top step in a big thud. The cry of Pixie gave off another roll of thunder. Jake was startled. He realized that he had been distracted, and he realized that he should be more focused on survival rather than Christmas presents. He was beginning to feel that the branch he was resting on was not the safest, that any moment Pixie would find him and the branch would snap, bringing him down to his end.

Pixie, at the top of the stairs, stood quiet and alert, listening in hopes of hearing her brother’s movement. Then it happened. The bed creaked. Jake’s heart jumped. Pixie dove onto the floor and pulled Jake out from under the bed by his head.

“Don’t sit on me!” yelled Jake. “Please don’t.” Jake was frightened, and through his eyes he saw Pixie as a terrorist.

“I am not going to sit on you!” said Pixie. “Just give me my hairdryer!”

“I don’t have it!” yelled Jake, running down the hallway and into his room where he slammed the door and guarded it for his life. His back was pressed against the door, and his feet were digging into the carpet. His eyes then laid sight of a hairdryer thrown in the corner of his room. This has to be some trick, he thought. How did I get the hairdryer? Then it hit him. He had used the hairdryer to dry his shoes after he went skateboarding in the rain the day before. He did have fun skateboarding, especially in the rain. He thought it was cool that he could dry his shoes with a hairdryer, but now he would have to pay.

“Let me in!” yelled Pixie, banging on the door. Jake dashed across the room, grabbed the hairdryer, opened the door, threw it out into the hallway and then slammed the door behind him. He was expecting to hear some angry response from Pixie, but there was no response. The thunder had stopped, the sword was silent, and the branch he was standing on seemed as firm and as steady as never before. Was it over? Had the battle come to an end?

He felt safe. His heart returned to a normal rhythm, and he finally began to stop sweating and began to cool down. Who won this battle? He asked himself. He could not determine, but he eventually did not care. The Christmas presents were whispering to him in a sweet and tempting tone, calling him to come under the bed. Was that a safe branch? Maybe the branch would snap and he would never be able to experience the surprise at Christmas. He realized he’d have to play it safe, so instead he grabbed his skateboard and decided it was time for more skateboarding in the rain.

The End