All Gremlins Great & Small by T.M. Baumgartner

Author:T.M. Baumgartner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Speculative Turtle Press

10

My first thought was earthquake. But even as that went through my head, I realized I was falling, the unstable hillside crumbling under me. Christopher dropped. I slid, feet first, on the trailing edge of mud and rock, curling one arm over the gremlin in my shirt.

Branches and rocks banged against my back and elbows. All I could think about was how much worse this would be if I lost my balance and started tumbling. Then I hit a more level patch and slowed when I dug in my heels. I had almost come to a stop when the ground under my feet disappeared again and I pitched over the edge of an eight-foot cliff, landing on my feet in the dry sand of the creek bed below.

I bobbled the landing, falling forward onto my knees and my free hand, which hurt, but at least I was on stable ground. For a second, I froze, waiting for the pain of broken bones to come. But other than my knee, I seemed to have survived the fall unscathed. I glanced down and saw the gremlin still inside the fold of my shirt. She squeaked and repositioned herself, nails clutching the fabric.

Moving carefully, I stood up. The knee of my jeans was torn, and blood seeped at the edges, but I could move the joint and bear weight without pain. I took a cautious step. Yeah, I was a little bruised and I'd probably be sore when the adrenaline wore off, but I wasn't hurt.

"Christopher?"

I looked up and saw the raw area of the hillside bare of plants. The section that had crumbled wasn't large, but there was more than enough mud and dirt to bury someone. A flash of light blue fabric caught my eye. The corner of the wagon stuck out from under a mound about fifteen feet from where I'd landed. Empty water bottles were scattered around the area, and I saw the metallic glint of a protein bar wrapper in a shrub lining the riverbed. I staggered toward the wagon, ignoring the stones that still showered from the hill. "Christopher!"

Digging at the muddy pile with my hands accomplished little more than bruising my fingertips. Then I remembered the spade. It had to be around here somewhere, unless it was buried as well. That was when I heard a wheeze.

"Over here."

The sound had come from a stand of juniper shrubs, if juniper shrubs had red foliage. The gremlin burbled a greeting. I found Christopher behind the bushes, flat on his back, struggling for breath. "Give me a sec. Just had the wind knocked out of me," he gasped, his voice already a little stronger. He'd lost his sunglasses at some point during the fall, and pain wrinkled the skin around his eyes.

Crouching next to him, I put a hand on his chest when he moved like he was going to stand up. "Hold still for a bit. How do you feel?" Aside from a variety of scrapes and cuts on his exposed skin, he appeared to be in one piece and was already breathing more easily.

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