literature

Jack Overland: Chapter Two

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   Jack could barely sleep that night due to his excitement. He arose early, before the sun even appeared over the horizon. He didn't bother getting dressed or putting on shoes-- there was no time for that. He held his breath as he tiptoed passed his parent's room, where his father was snoring quite loudly. If they found out, he was in trouble for sure. Upon making it to the door, he opened it slowly, trying ever so hard not to make it squeak. However, it screeched loudly and Jack threw the door open all the way in a panic, leaving it to slam behind him. Half expecting his father to come running outside to catch him, Jack stood there silently squeezing his eyes shut. When no one came, he let his breath he'd been holding in out and set of into the forest, proud of his escape.
   
   The spring chill caused goosebumps to appear on his thin arms and he shivered. His bare feet, callused and nearly always dirty, were almost prone to the cold ground beneath them. Only a few villagers were up this early, doing chores and feeding animals. Anyone who saw him only thought he was up to his tricks, and payed him no mind. He was very close to the end of the dirt path that led to the forest when a small voice rang through the silence.

   "Jack?"
 
   He whirled around to see Clarissa standing in on the path behind him, clutching a thin shawl around her shoulders. Clarissa was a small girl with auburn hair and dark blue eyes. Freckled dotted her cheeks, which always seemed to be rosy red. She lived a few houses away from Jack, and to him she was always in the way. For such a small girl, she was the only one who stood up to him and his practical jokes and was always such a nag. To Jack it felt like she was a small version of his mother when she talked.

   "What do you want?" He snapped.

   She placed two frail hands on her hips "Now listen Jack, you better not be doin' anything mean to other people or-"

   "Or what?" Challenged Jack.

   "Or I'll tell your parents," She said, jutting out her chin to show she meant business.

   Jack furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his small fists. "I'm not doing anything mean."

   "Then what are you doin'?" She piped.

   He rolled his eyes and turned back around to the forest then continued to walk. Clarissa kept on nagging him even though he tried to block her squeaky voice out, and he knew either way she was coming, whether he liked it or not.

   "...better not be climbin' trees again! You always-"

   "Clarissa?" He asked, cutting her off again.

   "What?"

   "If I let you come with me to see what I'm doing, would you be quiet?"

   Her eyes lit up for just a moment before she disguised her excitement with fake disgust. "If I must. Just to make sure you don't kill yourself or somethin'."

   Together they made their way to the forest. Clarissa still talked a lot, but at least she wasn't scolding Jack. The sun had begun to come up, and it was now light enough to see with more detail. Jack scanned the trees, looking for land marks such as little piles of rocks he'd left for himself on different adventures so he could always get back home. Finally they came upon a part of the forest where the trees had grown tighter together. There in the middle of them stood the forest's largest tree that Jack had found, looming over them.

   "Woa!" Exclaimed Clarissa grabbing on to Jack's sleeve. "Jack look at that tree! It's so tall!"

   "Yeah," He said grinning at the sight of it. "I'm gonna climb it!"

   Clarissa immediately shook her head. "No! What if you fell!"

   "Oh come on. You've seen me climb plenty of trees!" Jack said.

   "I've also seen you fall out of one," Said Clarissa, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.

   Jack rubbed the back of his head "Th-That was one time! The tree was...slippery!"

   "You're a bad liar, Jack Overland," Said Clarissa shaking her head slowly.

   "You watch me, freckle-face!" Jack said, now angry with her. He could already be at the top by now!

   Clarissa grew red with anger. "Fine! Climb the stupid tree and see if I care when you fall!"

   Jack gave her one last glare before making a run for the tall tree. Upon reaching it, he found that there were no branches low enough to grab onto. He swore beneath his breath (something his mother would have been very disappointed to hear) and looked around him. There was a smaller tree growing close to the largest one. He could climb it and then jump to a branch from there!

   With a determined smile, Jack stood at the base of the smaller tree and began to scale it with surprising agility for a boy his age. Sunlight from spaces between the leaves dotted his face while sticks and twigs tugged at his hair and skin. Clarissa watched with wide eyes as he climbed then stopped at a certain branch. It was the perfect thickness and length for Jack to jump from.

   "Jack be careful!" She called.

   He simply nodded although she most likely didn't even see him do so. He stood up from his climbing position, both arms out at his sides for balance, and began to walk along the branch. As it thinned out, Jack crouched lower, hands poised over the branch ready to take hold of it if he lost his footing.  When he reached a good place where the branch was just barely thick and long enough, he cautiously stood up from his crouch, holding his breath.

   Clarissa's heart was in her throat as she watched the boy stand. His balance was incredible, but he could fall at any moment. She pushed the idea from her head and watched as Jack began to bend his knees. A cry for him to stop caught in her throat as she witnessed him leap off the branch. She covered her eyes with her hands, not wanting to see the mess if he didn't land on a good branch. Suddenly a shout of victory rang through the forest and she opened her eyes again. He made it! Jack was wrapped around a high branch in the larger tree, safe and sound.

   "Jack! You could have died!" Clarissa shouted, although she held back a cry for joy over his accomplishment.

   Jack carefully got into a crouch again, smiling at the girl. "No way. I'm to good at this stuff."

   He rose to his feet again, walking along the branch (in quite a cocky fashion)until he reached the trunk of the tree where the branch grew from. He reminded Clarissa of a squirrel as he scaled the large tree, somehow knowing exactly where he was to place his hands and feet. However, he wasn't as fast as one, and it took him quite a while to get as high up as he was. Clarissa took a seat on a flat rock to rest while she continued to watch the boy. After a while he was just a dot amid the branches.

   Jack soon had to be quite cautious about how he placed himself. He was nearly to the top and the tree had thinned out a considerable amount. If Clarissa was yelling at him, he couldn't hear. The only sound was the whisper of the spring wind. He continued onward, tired but determined to reach his goal.

   Then finally, Jack got to the point where he could go no higher. He had reached it, the top of the tallest tree! He hugged his body tight to the center of the tree, looking out over the forest. He could see the village, and the large snow capped mountains behind it. The cloudless and sunny sky smiled at him, and he smiled back, proud of himself for his victory while the wind rustled his hair.

   Carefully, Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his small travelling knife his father had given him. With crude marks, he carved a "J" followed by an "O" into the bark, leaving the mark of his accomplishment. Jack let out a laugh and a shout as he put the knife back in his pocket.

   When his feet hit solid ground, Clarissa came running to him, happy to see him safe. "Jack! You did it!"

   "I know! I know!" He exclaimed, beaming. He took her small hands in his and danced her around in a circle while they laughed.

   "That was amazing, Jack," Clarissa said once they had stopped spinning.

   "I just wish my parents could have seen me...and been proud of me. No one's ever proud of me." Jack said, dropping her hands.

   "Don't worry! I'm proud of you!" She said.

   "Thanks, Clarissa," He said with a smile before giving her a quick hug.

   Clarissa's rosy cheeks turned a greater red. "No problem."

   "Well, I guess I'll walk you home then. A girl like you could get hurt real fast," Jack said, hooking his arm around her's like a true little gentleman.

   "What's that supposed to mean!?" Clarissa asked, pulling away. "I bet I could get out of here way faster then you, Jack Overland!"

   Jack laughed. "Fine then, freckle-face. It's a race."

   Together they raced through the forest, laughing as they jumped over rocks and logs. When Clarissa reached the village first, Jack pretended to be insulted and angry with her. They said their good-bye's and Jack headed home, kicking rocks in his path.

    He would never tell her of course, but he let her win.
Behold, chapter two! It took longer because my power went out and I had to retype some of it :'(

I hope you guys like Clarissa, cause she'll be in quite a few of these!

Good job Jack, you made it to the top!

I'm going to be drawing a new preview image soon :)

Any suggestions on adventures little Jack should go on?

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Dragonempress123's avatar
mmmhmmmm you let her win. sure ya did. you totally did.