uncle Aran

"Aunt Em?"

She opened her eyes enough to see her little nephew standing in the doorway. "Oscar. Did you have another nightmare?"

He nodded, the ends of his hair bouncing as he did.

She reached out an arm. 'C'mere then."

with little hesitation, he climbed in bed and snuggled up to her. He was so little he could curl up and barely cover her torso.

It was little under two years since his parents died and still he has those dreams that would bring to her room in the middle of the night and every time he had them, this I what would happen. Emily had always hated the thought of her little nephew laying awake in the dark, alone and afraid. The poor boy had always been afraid of being alone.

She wrapped her arms around him protectively. "Your lucky your uncle didn't catch before you got here."

She felt him tense just a little. "You...know what he's been doing?" He asked her.

She sighed. Off course she knew, but how much could she do about it?

Aron had always been the more aggressive of her brothers but after losing Owen, his dark moods had become even more frequent and frightening. Oscar always got the worst of it whenever one of them was on him. Perhaps the boy just reminded him too much of his father.

"Don't worry about your uncle." She tried to reassure him. "You let me do that."

Emily had always been perhaps the only one who could calm down her older brother. Being the middle child and the only girl, she had been the mediator for her brothers. Now she had to be the mediator for him and there nephew.

"Why does he do that though." Oscar looked up at her. "How can someone be so mean?"

She smiled at him sadly. Bless his pure heart.

"You might be surprised." She stroked his soft hair. "Some people are just born that way."

He blinked at her. "But...why?"

She shock her head. "It's just the way the world is, sweet pea. Try to get some sleep now." She kissed his forehead, held him close and said a silent prayer.

May the brothers protect this child and keep him from the true horrors of the real world for as long as possible.

but prayers often went unanswered.

The next morning, the door burst open and they both jumped out of bed in shock. There in the doorway stood uncle Aron Pine. This was the first time he'd caught them like this.

"Are you trying to make him weak?" He rounded on aunt Em. "The more you coodle him the less capable he'll be." That was always the excuse he used. 'Make him stronger.' Gods be good, he was just a little boy!

He started towards the bed, his eyes locked on his sister.

"Wait!" Oscar protested. "i-i-it wasn't her fault. I...I had a nightmare."

bless his selfless little heart.

Aron just took him by the arm and tossed him towards the door. "Get out of here you little pest. I'll deal with you later."

Getting back up, Oscar still wanted to try and stop his uncle, until his aunt called out to him. "Oscar...it's alright." She smiled. "It'll be ok."

Oscar cast a frighten look from her to his uncle, then turned and ran from the room. He didn't wait outside. He didn't stop past the barn. He just ran, and kept running, right towards the forest...