"Timber!" Shouted Thomas as the large, reddish brown tree came crashing down upon the white snow-covered earth. The gargantuan tree was bare and there were no leaves on it due to the sheer cold of the winter. Thomas walked over to the fallen giant and began to feel the rough edges and bark of the tree. He observed the many scratches and scars of the surface in awe, he'd never seen a tree like this one before.
"Thomas." Julia, Thomas's mother, screamed as she sprinted outside in her nightgown towards Thomas who was standing on the fallen tree, gazing out into the distance. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" She questioned Thomas as she examined him. Thomas giggled and then said, "Yes Mom, I'm fine..." He turn't back around and began to observe the tree again. Julia's narrow face began to turn red and her petite frame began to shiver as a gust of cold air smacked her back. "What are you even doing out here anyways? And where is your coat at? It's freezing out here boy!" She said as she walked Thomas back into the large red brick house.
"Christopher!" Julia shouted as she took of Thomas's shoes and attempted to cut the fireplace on.
Chris responded with a little bit of sarcasm in his voice, "Yes Julia? How may I be of assistance to you today?" Thomas's dad was of tall stature and was a man of great strength and power. He walked into the living room where Thomas and his mother were and listened as Julia explained and complained about the situation outside.
"Hmm... It seems like we have a little situation going on here. But we need some firewood anyways.. so I guess this isn't too much a hassle." Said Christopher as he walked toward the coat rack beside the fireplace and grabbed a thick, brown coat that was filled with an animal fur of some sort, and it appeared to have been very expensive. "So what are we going to do dad?" Said Thomas as he scratched his frostbitten hands. Christopher paced around the couch where Julia and Thomas were sitting, as if in deep thought and then said, "Son... You and I are going to cut the tree up so that we can bring in some firewood." Thomas's grinned and began to tie his snow boots back up, he hopped off the couch excitedly and made his way towards the coat rack where his father was standing. He shouted, "I'm ready whenever you are Dad!" Christopher grabbed a large ax for himself, and a smaller, less dangerous one for his son.
Thomas burst out of the front door of the house in excitement with his father trailing close behind. "Slow down kid!" I think me and your mom need to get you involved in a track team!" Thomas continued to sprint until he came upon the woods where the tree had fallen. He grabbed the smaller ax from his father's clutch and began to hack and slash at the tree's bare surface. Bits and pieces of bark flew into the air as Thomas aggressively attacked the fallen tree, and gradually he began to slow down as he became more and more fatigued. "You're tired aren't you?" Thomas's dad chuckled as he observed his exhausted son. Thomas glanced up at the tall figure of is dad and slowly smirked. "Nope, I'm not tired in the least bit!!" He turned back to the work in progress and began to hack at the tree even harder and faster than before. His face began to turn red as exhaustion crept upon his body. Thomas gradually gave in to his exhaustion until he finally dropped the ax and relaxed.
"Fine! I give up! It's your turn now.." Thomas said as he walked away form the tree and sat on a nearby tree stump. Christopher laughed for a moment, and then grabbed his large ax and made his way towards where his son had previously failed. "Watch this..." He said as he lifted the sharp blade into the air. With one swift moment he slammed the ax down into the tree, and like a twig, the thick tree snapped into two. Thomas's dad continued to break the tree up until he had cut up a great deal of firewood.
"Lets go back in now, I'm pooped", said Christopher as he took a deep breath and began to collect the wood that was laying on the white ground. Thomas picked up a couple of pieces and began to make his way back home with his dad, but out of nowhere the pair heard a commotion in the woods."Did you hear that?" Thomas whispered nervously to his father. Christopher turned towards the woods and cautiously observed for any signs of what had made the sound. "Yeah, get behind me.." He replied as he observed his surroundings.Thomas slowly tip toed behind his dad and raised his small ax, as if he was ready to attack whatever came out of the woods. the footsteps became closer and closer until they were only a few feet away.
Finally, a strange-looking man came out of the woods. He was of tall stature and he had a long, ruffled white beard. His clothes were tattered and he looked as if he had been thrown in a cheese grater. His skin was pale, and his eyes appeared to be sunken into his large wrinkled face. He had a large black patch over his left eye, and the right eye that showed was the deepest, most eerie shade of yellow. He had a long, narrow scar that ran diagonally from is eye to the corner of his mouth. His mouth was agape as if he wanted to say something, and his teeth were a dark grey.
"You left this..." The raspy, frog-like voice of the strange man echoed as he approached Thomas and Christopher. Thomas observed the peculiar man as he limped toward him and his father. "Thanks..." Christopher replied as the man's cold hand met his. The strange man nodded his and then paused for a moment, looked Christopher directly in the eyes and said, "My name is Martin Rigsby.. I'm homeless and I have nowhere to stay...Do you think I could spend the night at your home until this storm passes? I would greatly appreciate it.."
Christopher took in the man's words for a moment, trying to decide if it was a good idea to let him spend the nigh. He paced back and forth in the snow and then walked to Martin. "I'll let you stay for ONE night, but that's it. You got it?" Martin's eyebrow rose in delight at the proposition, and the most strange smirk came over his face as he gazed at Thomas.
The night fell upon the cold earth and everyone prepared for bed.. except for the peculiar man named Martin Rigsby. He was up to something very evil...
Thomas walked downstairs drearily and made his way towards the kitchen. He opened the cabinet, looking for his favorite cereal "Lucky Charms" and a cold hand met his mouth. He struggled to free himself but it was too little to late. A rag was thrown over his mouth and Tommy began to feel drowsier than before. His body's strength began to drain and he began to lose consciousness. Thomas looked over his shoulder one last time to see who was responsible for his struggle and to his surprise it was the man that he had met yesterday.. Martin...
