Schinell Grason, Contributor

Mrs Linder walked slowly through the tall grass, her eyes alive and joyful. A gentle smile danced on her ruby lips. Her clothes were well appointed and as neatly put together as humanly possible. She held a stately posture and charm that was reflected in whatever she did. The meadow was likewise lovely.

The grass, although uncut, danced with graceful joy at the slightest breeze and could easily be the hiding place for many childish treasures. An old oak stood tall in all its splendour; its branches spread high, proudly shadowing the stone that formed a rise.

As soon as she stepped on to the rise, the oak lowered its limbs and the grass swayed with the heaviness of grief. Mrs Linder turned her eyes toward the gate and her aura darkened with distress and longing as she remembered what had been taken from her.

It had been a cheerful day and there was not a thing out of place. Birds sang outside the window about the surreal grandeur of this heavenly Saturday. Mrs Linder stood in the kitchen humming as she washed the dishes.

Suddenly the pitter-patter of feet shattered the silence. Soon after, the cause of the noise came bounding in. It was a boy about eight years old, cheeks flushed with joy as he rocked from foot to foot in excitement.

"I've finished!" he announced, proudly.

"All of it?" Mrs Linder questioned as she put the plate down to give him her full attention.

"Yup! Every bit, promise," he replied quickly.

"No crosses?"

"No crosses!" The boy responded eagerly, holding out his chubby hands to her as evidence.

"All right then, you can go, if" Mrs Linder said with a dramatic pause.

His face fell and his shoulders slumped forward in his distress.

"You give me a hug and promise to be home in time for dinner," she said playfully.

Warm greeting

It took but a second for his joy to return. He gave his mother a hasty hug. Then he dashed off, yelling a quick 'bye mom' before the door shut him out.

Later.

Mrs Linder looked up at the clock; it was eight o' clock. He was overdue by an hour. The school had had no news from the bus. She went to the rise to see if she could spot the bus, but it was to no avail. After waiting a while, she went back inside, intent on calling the school once more.

Before she could get inside, the phone rang. She rushed to it, greeting the person on the other end with a hurried hello. As suspected, it was the school, but not with the news she had expected.

As the telephone call ended, Mrs Linder sank into the chair; it seemed too unreal. Her world rocked and was shattered with that one phone call.

Slowly Mrs Linder straightened her back, and the despair that filled the space but moments before receded from whence it came, and the air once again became filled with joy. Mrs Linder slowly stepped from the rise and made her way to the house, in the process knocking over a pill bottle from a set that was carefully hidden in the tall grass. The print on the bottle read:

Linder, Adrina Rx878372 Dr Rinchmond, Peter V

TWO CAPSULES TO BE TAKEN TWO times daily for Halluicination.