CHAPTER 2 BRIDGING MEMORIES: TERABITHIA RECLAIMED

        This is a Fanfiction, a reimagined tale of the well-loved classic The Bridge To Terabithia . It's a part of my daily writing for the 30 Day Novel Writing November. Presenting Chapter 2 on Day 2.

                       CHAPTER 2 

                      NOT AGAIN!

Saturday 

May Belle watched her father’s retreating back as he slammed the door and walked over to his car. She dashed upstairs to her room and sulked for a long time. 

Here we go again! It's like Leslie never left them alone. She was going to be part of her family, her home and also her life. Goddamn! The flowers in the vase too. How she abhorred Daffodils. Leslie’s favourite. 

May Belle was in deep misery. Hot tears streaked her cheeks. Everyone was gone leaving her alone. She might as well check out the new born calf but she wasn't going to call him Moo-Babe. No way! 

She had decided on a name and that was what it was going to be. Mushu ! From the Disney movie she had watched.

As she made her way downstairs, she passed by the kitchen table. She tipped the vase of daffodils and all the water splashed on the floor. She trampled on the flowers, crushing them indignantly into the hardwood with her sneakers. There! Silly daffodils! She liked peonies but never were there any fresh peonies in the vase anytime…

The squashed flowers strewn around seemed to have given an outlet for her bitterness, although not quite. Everyday the mornings began and the nights ended with Leslie marking a presence even in the most mundane moments. She didn't feel like part of this family anymore and wanted to disappear. Would they miss her as much as they did Leslie? Wouldn't it be just the test for them! 

Her eyes gleamed at the thought. Someday they will be sorry…

*****

The morning was bright but a chill hung in the air. She wrapped her arms around her and took brisk steps towards the barn. As she pushed the door inwards, it creaked softly. Miss Bessie and Mushu were huddled on the warm hay. Jesse had covered the calf with a quilt to keep him warm and cozy. The barn held an aroma of freshly cut sweet green grass and milk. 

Miss Bessie raised her head and nodded at May Belle and then placed her jaw on Mushu’s head gently as if to say–” Look at my baby! Isn't he a handsome boy?!”

A warm feeling rushed into Maybelle's heart and she took a long look at Mushu who was still curled up against his mother's belly taking comfort in the love, his eyes tightly shut. Mushu was asleep and a few drops of milk freckled his lower mouth.

May Belle lightly touched the fuzzy hair on top of his head and stroked it very very delicately. Mushu didn't seem to notice her presence. She whispered his name. Mushu, you are a good looking boy and you're going to be my best friend. I'll come again to play with you when you're awake.

At her new found joy she bounded out of the barn and hopped and skipped all the way towards the main house. She had a friend and it was going to be wonderful. There was no Leslie now to ruin it all….

                     WINNIE GREY

With nimble hands, Jesse had crafted May Belle a delicate silver bracelet in a summer camp craft workshop. The pièce de résistance was a tiny, oval pendant—an exquisite enamel work in soft pastel grey to match Maybelle's beloved pet rabbit Winnie's fur and bearing the tender imprint of one of its front paw.. The imprint seemed to capture the very essence of Winnie's gentle touch that Jesse had carefully created.

The bracelet itself was a slender chain, woven with thin silver threads and charms of baby carrots in orange crystals that shone subtly in daylight. The pastel grey pendant hung delicately, seeming almost alive with the faint texture of Winnie's paw pads. Tiny flecks of silver ‘glow in the dark’ dust around the imprint twinkled at night. 

Just a few months later, they had buried Winnie Grey under the hyacinth blooms after her sudden passing.

She had burrowed into May Belle’s arms comfortingly on a June night. The very next morning Winnie had lain still, cold to Maybelle's touch. She cried, clutching her bunny tight. Jesse had helped dig a small grave in their garden with tears that he'd held back. May Belle remembered Winnie Grey's playful hops in their backyard, the way Winnie Grey would snuggle into her lap nibbling lettuce while twitching her whiskers.

Wearing the bracelet daily gave May Belle a sense of closeness to her dead pet. The pastel grey pendant that clung to it delicately, seemed almost alive with the faint texture of Winnie Grey's paw pads etched forever in enamel. 

*****

Weeks passed; May Belle was seven then  starting Windermere Primary's second year.

One afternoon at school after a nap break for the younger kids, all the children milled around at the playground. May Belle arrived rubbing the sleep off her eyes and joined in the playground chatter. 

Upon returning to her seat in the classroom, panic seized her – the bracelet was gone! "Leslie! My bracelet's missing! You were holding it before the bell rang for nap time," Maybelle's voice shook pointing accusingly at Leslie– suspicion clouding her face.

Leslie looked horrified. "I didn't take it, Maybelle! I swear. In fact I clasped it carefully back on your wrist." Her denial seemed genuine but Maybelle's doubt lingered painfully.

Maybelle's eyes welled. Anger, hurt and betrayal shone in them "It was here! Where did it go…only you could have taken it." Her voice rose, unsettling all the classmates nearby who watched them awkwardly. Leslie was aghast by the accusation. "Maybelle, don't say that!"

The buzzing in the classroom was momentarily disrupted as Mrs. Thompson walked in . "Maybelle, let's check properly. Accusing friends without proof is simply not honourable." But May Belle’s suspicion was only beginning to fester.

The very next day May Belle found remnants of her silver bracelet on her desk crushed brutally into tiny mangled pieces. Winnie Grey's grey enamel pendant lay shattered irreparably among broken metal bits. Her sobs broke out uncontrollably on seeing Winnie Grey's imprint destroyed. "Who...why?" She stared aghast at the wreckage.

Leslie, stricken faced, approached May Belle. "May, I'm so sorry...I didn't do this either.." Regret and fear marked her expression.

May Belle turned away, hurt. "It had Winnie Grey... Jesse made it. If I'd only known what a spiteful girl you are with so much hate in your black heart…" Her voice cracked but her words flowed without restraint. 

"Maybelle, I... listen to me…please…" Leslie was dumbfounded. May Belle had shown her a side that wasn't so pleasant. She had tried to clear her name but May Belle was not one to be pacified.

Strained days followed. May Belle had completely withdrawn from Leslie creating a cold distance between them. Although Leslie had tried mending gaps, the destroyed bracelet had created an abyss between what was once a precious friendship.

*****

The science exam had been looming over the students of Windermere Primary School for weeks, and the pressure was mounting by the day. Leslie had spent months working on her graded project, a detailed model of the human eye, crafted from delicate wire, translucent paper, and tiny zircon beads that mimicked the iris. She had painstakingly labeled each part, her handwriting neat and precise, and had even included a working model of the pupil that adjusted to light.

As the students filed into the exam room. Leslie carefully placed her project on the designated table in the science workroom, her eyes scanning the place to make sure everything was in order. May Belle, who had been avoiding Leslie since the bracelet incident, caught sight of the model as she was passing by and felt a pang of resentment.

The project seemed to gleam with perfection, a creative piece of dedication and skill. May Belle's own project, a hastily assembled model of the solar system, seemed amateurish in comparison. She felt a twinge of jealousy, followed by a familiar spark of anger.

 May Belle waited until the exam for the fifth graders began and snuck into the science room unseen. She then reached out for the model with a trembling hand.

Her fingers brushed against the delicate wire, causing the model to shudder. May Belle felt a rush of adrenaline as she applied gentle pressure.

The model began to topple, the wires snapped, and the beads scattered across the table. Her hands continued to close in on the eye model with a vice like grip.

May Belle watched, unblinking, as the model popped apart, the delicate pieces flying around the display table, breaking into a hundred tiny fragments. A slow smile spread across her face, and she felt a surge of satisfaction, mixed with a hint of vindication. “That's for Winnie Grey’s bracelet.” She hissed under her breath.

*****

At evaluation, Mrs. Philippa looked at the display, her eyes narrowing. "Leslie, what happened to your project?"

Leslie stood in shock, her blood running cold. She gaped open mouthed, her gaze never leaving the vandalized model. "Somebody did it, Mrs.Phillipa " she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The room fell silent, the only sound the soft ticking of the clock on the wall, as Leslie's world began to crumble around her. Meanwhile May Belle cowered behind a row of students who were gathered to watch the science fair. Her satisfaction lingered, a warm glow that refused to be extinguished.

Leslie's gaze met May Belle's, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. May Belle's eyes gleamed with a quiet triumph, while Leslie's face twisted in anguish at the realization.

Mrs. Phillipa gazed at the shattered remains of Leslie's project. "I'm afraid this is a disaster, Leslie. Your project was exemplary, and now...it's ruined." Her expression was grave as she turned sternly on everyone around.Who did this? Own up now."

There was only silence all around but Leslie knew. It could only be May Belle.

Her face fell, her eyes welling up with tears. "I worked so hard on it, Mrs. Philippa. Please, can I redo it?"

Mrs. Philippa sighed, her expression softening slightly. "I'm afraid not, Leslie. The deadline is over, and there's no time for a remake. You'll have to make do with the components you managed to complete before...this happened."

Leslie's shoulders slumped, her eyes fixed on the broken pieces of her project. May Belle, on the other hand, felt a surge of satisfaction, knowing that Leslie would receive a barely passable grade. 

Leslie's hands shook as she gathered the broken pieces of her project, the wire digging into her skin like a cruel dream. As she stared at the fragments, Leslie's vision blurred, her eyes burning with unshed tears. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut, the breath knocked out of her. The months of toil and dedication, the countless nights spent perfecting every detail, the thrill of creation – all reduced to a pile of trash.

Leslie stood rooted to the spot where she had now relegated her precious model to the trash bin in the corner of the room. The delicate wire and beads that had once held such promise now lay tangled and broken. 

She looked at May Belle, who was chatting with her classmates nonchalantly. Leslie's feelings of frustration was a hard, cold stone in her chest even as hot tears streamed down her face.

Leslie's eyes locked onto May Belle, and for a moment, she saw a stranger staring back. The familiar face was now a twisted, unfamiliar mask. May Belle's smile, once a warm, sun-kissed glow, now seemed like a cold, calculated sneer.

The bell rang, signaling the dismissal hour of the day and Leslie packed her bag mechanically, her eyes red and burning. She walked out of the room, her shoulders limp, her heart heavy. The sound of May Belle's laughter following her light and carefree, pierced the air like a dagger. She felt like she'd been betrayed, abandoned by the very person she thought was her friend.

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

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