Emma and the Minotaur Read Free

scene. Within the boundaries of the forest, the creature could remain unseen whenever he wanted to, and he had remained in hiding as he’d followed the man, the boy, and the girl.
    He had heard them call for the one named “Andrew,” the one who was lost, and he had followed them through the forest. It was out of idle interest at first, but then the girl had heard the music.
    The creature had stood close behind her when the music had called to her in the clearing. He had almost reached out a hand to touch her, but then the others had come, and so the creature had gone back into hiding.
    And so he was watching and waiting. The girl was so young and so small and fragile.
    He watched the humans leave the clearing, completely unaware of him, and then he walked up to the ancient tree. He looked quizzically at the great oak for a moment.
    “So you are sure,” he said at last. “Emma is ready.”
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    2
    The Disappearing Boy
     
    Early into the new school year, Emma became obsessed with a boy who disappeared.
    It all began on the first day of school during morning recess. Emma was sitting on a swing in the playground, swinging her feet, and reading the book that she had smuggled out of class. She was keeping half an eye on a few boys who were bouncing a tennis ball off the side of the building. She was wary of them because she had been the victim of a stray ball or two before.
    It was during one of her glances up from the book that she noticed the disappearing boy quite by accident. He was a plain-looking boy and he was walking around the playground with his hands in his pockets. There was something about him that made Emma believe that she had seen him somewhere. His face looked familiar but she couldn’t remember if she had met the boy before.
    She continued to watch him for the remainder of recess and noticed that he seemed to be avoiding the other kids. If someone looked at him, he would look down to the ground and walk away. Emma decided then that she would try to become his friend.
    When the bell signalling the end of recess went off, the teachers who were in charge of supervising the playground herded the children back inside. Emma tried to keep an eye on the boy as she walked toward the school doors but she lost him in the crowd. She stopped to look around for him but then she saw Will walking back from the other side of the school, where the basketball courts were located.
    “Hey, what are you doing?” he said.
    “Nothing,” Emma said, still looking through the crowd.
    “You better get to class, Emma. Don’t want to get in trouble on your first day.”
    They entered the school together but Will went straight down the hall to his classroom on the first floor. Emma’s class was on the second floor. She went to the stairs but stood at the bottom and watched as the remaining children walked or ran past her on their way up. The boy wasn’t among them.
    “Go to class, please,” someone said. Emma turned and saw one of the teachers. He was a tall man with gray hair and a round belly.
    “Sorry,” Emma said. “I was just looking for someone.” She fled up the stairs.
    When she reached her classroom, Emma saw that the boy she had been looking for was sitting at the desk nearest the door.
    “You’re in my class? How did you get here?” she said.
    Everyone in the class turned to look at her, including the teacher.
    “Emma,” she said. “Please sit down. And try not to be late next time.”
    Emma turned pink. “Yes, Miss Robins,” she said and took her seat.
    Emma tried to catch the boy again during lunch time.
    She entered the busy cafeteria and sat down with Will and his friends, Kevin and Joey. The room was filled to capacity. Laughter erupted now and then from one table or another.
    “So full in here this year,” Kevin said. “It’s all the stupid grade sixes.”
    “Yeah, so many new ones,” Joey said. He motioned toward Emma with a tilt of his head.
    “Sorry, Emma,” Kevin