Copyright © 2015 Dan Absalonson

My brother pushed me hard into the tall weeds and yelled, "Don't come back without them!" He and his friends turned and ran down the forest trail around a sharp turn out of site. Soon I couldn't hear their laughter anymore and that scared me. I realized I was alone in the creepy forest and started crying harder. We were halfway to the campsite when they realized we forgot to bring matches for the fire. My big brother Kyle decided I was the one who had to go back to get them. I told him I was too scared to go alone and started to cry which embarrassed him so he pushed me. Now I was alone in the spooky woods no longer excited to finally be on my first camping trip with my brother and his friends.

I agreed someone needed to go because sitting around a fire is the best part of camping. Watching the flames, feeling the warmth, telling stories, roasting weenies, and making s'mores. The forest trail we took to get to the campsite was a fun one when you were with people, but alone it creeped me out. Even in the daytime.

On the way I had spent my time in the back following my brother and his friends. I was just happy to be with them so I tried to stay out of their way. There was my big brother Kyle, his hairy friend Steve, and a funny skinny guy named Ricky. If I laughed too hard at one of their jokes they'd stop and look back at me like I was ruining their fun. My brother would always say "Shut up Nolan," so I just walked in the back alone. But now I was really alone.

I got up and started running. I was running toward the moment when I could be back with them. I kept my eyes on the trail, jumping over tree roots and large rocks. I hated the feeling of all the trees around me. I felt like behind every tangle of foliage something was waiting to jump out and grab me.

As I ran I kept my eyes down. I smelled something funny but it didn't register in my brain until it happened. I ran right into one of the older kids I knew from the school bus. He went to high school like my brother, and he was mean. No one liked him.

He always wore this black leather jacket with zippers all over it. He had really long greasy black hair. He wore steel toe boots over ripped up jeans. Everyone called him Smokey Pete. He's the creepy kid everyone avoids and I had knocked him over. I saw something bright red fall from his hand and bounce across the trail to land in tall grass. I jumped up and tried to run but his hand reached out lightning fast and grabbed me.

"Whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going? You can't just knock me over like that and think you're getting away with it."

Suddenly being alone on that forest trail didn't seem so bad.

"I'm really sorry," I spurted out. "It won't happen again. I just wasn't paying attention. I'm really sorry."

I felt blood trickle out of my nose and down my face.

"Yeah you were really booking. What's the hurry? You even bloodied yourself up a bit. Not good little man. Not good. But the worst part is you knocked out my smoke. I don't like cigarettes that have fallen on the ground. Do you?"

I didn't say anything. He was still holding me so I couldn't get away. He hit me.

"I said would you like that? Smoking a cigarette that fell on the dirty ground?"

I shook my head. He hit me again.

"I can't hear you. What's that?"

"No," I said.

I wasn't crying yet, but you could tell I was close and I hated that. He started to laugh.

"I've got it. You're going to pick up that cigarette and smoke it."

I looked over at him shaking my head, my eyes pleading.

"Oh yeah, down to the butt. Now pick it up."

I started crying.

"No. Please don't. I'm really sorry, I..."

"Pick it up."

I stood there starting to shake a little. He reached over and smacked the back of my head.

"I said pick it up."

I picked it up and lifted it to my mouth.

"Do it."

I held my breath and sucked on it feeling dirt between my lips. Then I blew out the smoke.

"Oh no, you need to inhale. I hope you're enjoying that dirt too."

He twisted my arm sending a sharp pain through me.

"Okay!" I screamed past dripping tears.

I took another puff, this time breathing the smoke in. A weird feeling rushed to my head as I felt the smoke filling my lungs, then I pulled it out and bent over coughing hard. It was so hard to breath and I was dizzy. It tasted nasty. I opened my eyes and saw that red little rectangular shape gleaming in the sunlight. Then I realized what it was and got an idea.

I stood and looked at the cigarette. Smoke was trailing off the end in little wisps. I looked at him. I knew what I had to do.

I looked toward the red plastic lighter Smokey Pete had dropped that would solve our camping problems.

"What are you looking at? Take another drag."

I kept looking. When he looked over his shoulder I jammed the cigarette into his hand. He spun and dropped it screaming out in pain. I was already past him. I grabbed the beautiful red lighter and started sprinting. I've never run so fast in all my life. I'm sure that even as an older kid with longer legs and bigger lungs I couldn't run as fast as I did that day with so much fear and excitement pushing me forward.

I was running away from the safety of my brother and his friends but I knew I was too far to make it to them in time. Down the path a bit further I remembered the tall weeds my brother had pushed me into. If the bully caught me now I'd be getting more than another lung full of smoke. He'd pulverize me. So I ran.

I came to the turn in the trail and dove into the weeds. I hit the ground and lay as still and silent as possible. The weeds had a weird sweet smell to them. Soon I heard his feet pound past me on the trail. His loud swearing scared me. I did not want to find out what he would do to me.

I waited until I couldn't hear his footfalls anymore, then I got up and ran. I ran full out all the way back to my brother. They were all laughing about something, totally unaware I had just escaped certain death. Then I heard it, another person running up the trail behind me. I knew who it was without having to turn and look.

I ran behind my brother and screamed, "He's trying to hurt me and make me smoke his cigarette because I accidentally ran into him!"

The kid was looking at my brother and his two friends. He was easily bigger than all of us, but there were four of us and one of him. His words came out slow and staggered around his breaks to gasp for breath.

"Hiding behind your friends? I knew you couldn't outrun me so I figured you hid then ran the other way. Now I know why, but they can't protect you. Why don't you guys just get out of here? My business is with that little snot."

"You're right Smokey Pete. He is a little snot. But he's also my little brother. What are you doing punching out a little snot anyway? Get bored giving yourself cancer with those stupid cigarettes you bummed off your mom?"

My brother, the one who constantly made fun of me, picked on me, and pushed me around was protecting me. It made my heart swell. I'd never felt anything like it towards my brother.

"I didn't punch him. That happened when he ran into me and knocked my smoke into the dirt. It was very unfortunate, but you know what? I'm feeling charitable. I'm willing to forget you just said that. Just make the smart choice and get out of here before I make you regret what you just said to me."

"Wow. Are you guys as surprised as me?"

My brother looked at his friends.

"Unfortunate? Charitable? I didn't know Smokey Pete knew big words like that, did you?"

They smiled and shook their heads. I think that's when Pete realized my brother and his friends wouldn't back away from a fight. His smile was gone. He looked back and forth between them. Then he looked at me. His hand came to rest on the burn I had given him with his cigarette. His face grew dark. I still see that face in my nightmares sometimes. He took out a cigarette then felt around in his pocket.

"Missing something Smokey Pete?"

"Stop calling me that."

He put his cigarette away then looked up at us. He stepped forward putting my brother and his friends on alert. They tensed up as he walked toward them. Then he leaned around my brother until his eyes met mine.

"Next time kid you're going to do more than cough."

"Hey!" My brother yelled as he pushed Pete to the ground. He walked forward and stood over him.

"If you ever lay a finger on my brother I will follow my nose to your smell and beat you until you don't know what hole to smoke out of! You got me? Smokey Pete?"

Steve and Ricky walked over and stood next to my brother. Pete crawled away then stood up and ran away. When he was out of sight they all turned to me.

"Dude! You're lucky we were here little man!" Ricky said.

"Yeah dude he would have murdered you," Steve said.

"I know!" I said. I looked at my brother and said, "Thanks."

"Yeah whatever. You're crazy. How did you outrun that kid? I guess he's probably got bad lungs but he's huge!"

"He made me smoke the cigarette I knocked out of his mouth. It burned and made me cough hard. He was going to make me smoke it again so I burned him with it and ran."

"You what?" Steve said.

"No way!" Ricky said.

"Are you serious dude?" said Steve.

I nodded my head with a smile. None of these guys had ever looked at me like that before. Real admiration on their faces, and pride in my brother's eyes. For once they thought I was cool. It only lasted for a few seconds, but I'll never forget those glorious few seconds. Then the smile slid off my brother's face.

"Hey wait," he said.

"What man?" said Ricky still smiling.

"Nolan got away but he didn't get any matches! You couldn't have made it all the way home and back in the time you were gone."

They all looked at me with frowns.

"Oh yeah," said Ricky.

"Ah man! No fire?" Steve said. "I'm not going back that way dude. I'm afraid I'd run into Smokey Pete."

I smiled and pulled out the red lighter, holding it up. I flicked it on. A bright little flame danced around above my fingers, and their smiles returned.

THE END

Thank you for reading my short story Cue Bull. For more about me check out my website where I blog about my writing journey, write and podcast book reviews, and have links to many more free stories both in eBook and audio book formats: www.DanDanTheArtMan.com