Short Stories for Kids

FETCH
By Nino Mark M. Sablan

When my friend Jasmine was four years old, she didn’t talk a lot. She didn’t waste her time indulging in long conversations with her parents or chatting with her classmates or neighbors. Mostly she stayed by herself, all alone. The maid though would occasionally spot Jasmine talking or giggling happily whenever she was alone.

One cold October night, Jasmine and her Ate Ria drank their warm milk, kissed their parents goodnight and sped off to the room they shared together. After exchanging stories, they drifted off to sleep. In the middle of the night, a loud noise alerted Jasmine’s older sister to an unusual activity in their room. Ria then saw her little sister’s bed start shaking as if it had a life of its own. From a slight shake, the movement began to grow stronger and stronger. After a while the door swung open. Thinking it was her parents. Ria turned expectantly toward the door but find no one there. Suddenly, Jasmine’s bed started inching toward the door, as if someone was dragging it. A terrified Ria wanted to jump out and drag her sister away from the bed but she couldn’t move. It was as if her limbs had turned to lead. She was afraid, so dreadfully afraid.

And so he prayed to drive away her fears, reciting the Hail May out loud. She prayed hard, asking God to stop the bed and her sister from going out of the room. She closed her eyes and prayed and prayed when she heard a growl! “Tumigil ka diyan, ‘wag ka’ng makialam!” It said.

Eyes opened wide, she turned to the sound coming from the door to find the source of the voice. It was a red hairy dwarf with pointed shoes and pointed hat. When their eyes met, he suddenly scratched his head and left.

Suddenly Ria found she could move again. She got up hurriedly and rushed to her sister’s bed to check on her.

The next morning, Jsmine confessed to her elder sister that she knew the dwarf. He had approached and befriended her, she said she felt drawn to the different world he lived in. She was curious. The dwarf, she said, had invited her to go with him to their kingdom and she agreed. When she got there, the dwarves offered her “grain” to eat which she refused, saying she was full. After that visit, her friend would constantly pester Jasmine to go back with him to their kingdom. She always declined, saying she had a lot of things to do.

Ria figured that the dwarf must have gotten angry at Jasmine’s refusal to leave the world she inhabited. And since Jasmine made it seem as if she would go with him, the dwarf expected a lot back from her.

After the bedroom incident, Jasmine stopped promising and misleading dwarves.

After a couple of days, she stopped talking to them. After some time, the dwarves stopped showing themselves to Jasmine.