An Origin Story - Part 1

The McDaniels Family Fables -- Chapter 4

When I was four, my mom died. My daddy, in an effort to cheer me up, gave me a big book of fairytales. I loved that book.

My favorite story was The Frog Prince. I learned to read by memorizing that one. I could probably recite it from memory now.

One spring, right after the weather broke, when I was eight or so, I woke up early and dashed out the back door before Grandma’s alarm had gone off. I clutched my book to my chest and improvised frog prison in my little fist as I dashed across the yard and followed the sound of the creek. I hadn’t even bothered to put socks on. Bare feet against my pitiful plastic rain boots. My grandma was a stickler for propriety, so they were bright pink with little birds on them. Some attempt to make me dance around puddles, rather than stomp through them like “some ragamuffin boy-child!”

I jumped over a fallen branch and giggled when I splashed into a big puddle on the other side. It had just rained, so by golly I was going to catch a frog! He’d get a big fat kiss and turn into a big handsome prince!

I dropped my book in a dry spot on the shore and waded into the water. It was deeper than I was expecting and the frigid snow-cold water rushed into my boots and brought a squeak out of me. But little me was determined. I took the stance, hunkered down, and waited.

The most I did was wiggle my toes occasionally to keep them from going completely numb. Every now and then I caught the glimpse of movement between the leaves. But I waited for the tell tale plop of the frog hitting the water.

But none of them came.

Eventually I noticed the water snake slithering by the shore, and I gave up. I slushed out of the water and scooped my book off the ground and started following the stream downhill. I rarely went this deep into the trees, and never without my daddy there. But the morning was bright, and I relished in the novelty of the view.

As I slushed, I kept my eye on the water snake that had started following me.

It disappeared from view, and I took that as a cue to hop out of the stream and start heading back home. I was only a few steps away when I saw the snake again. It's jaw was completely unhinged, and caught in it's mouth was the wing of a bright red cardinal.

"Ack!" I shouted, running over and stomping on the snake without thinking. It gave a startled hiss and lashed out, it's teeth sinking into the rubber of my boots, barely nicking my shin. It hurt like the devil and I shrieked, jumping up and down until the snake finally slithered away.

I looked down at the bird, it was breathing, but only barely. I sniffled, and sat down, bringing the birdy into my lap.

"I'm sorry," I sniffled before bursting into tears.

“You’re a long way from home youngling.” A mound of mud spoke to me. But I knew the mud was a disguise. A disguise meant to…comfort me somehow.

“No I’m not,” I said, wiping my eyes furiously.  “I know exactly where I am.”

“I never said I thought you were lost.”

The mud man stood before me, lurking and oozing. It circled me like a predator would, sizing me up.

“You came looking for a prince, and instead stumbled upon a little god didn’t you?”

I didn’t answer, all the hairs stood up on the back of my neckk and it took everything I had to stay still and not do anything.

“I want your book,” it declared.

“No,” I said, clutching it to me again.

“Give me your book and I’ll give you a name.”

"Nuh-uh," I said furiously, "Save the birdy and I'll give you my book."

"I can't do that," the thing said, it's voice incredibly patient. "See? You saved the little god. It's fine now."

I looked, and the bird had recovered, and pranced around a bit before it fluttered back into a tree.

"So, can I have your book for a name?"

“Who’s name?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the cardinal.

“The father of your children.”

Gross. I thought.

“It won’t be gross when he gifts them to you. You will be very happy. You will call them the greatest gifts of all time.”

I studied the creature, watched his wide eyes and tried to feel him out. And then, reluctantly, I handed the book into his soggy hands.

He gave me a name, and disappeared into the muck again.

As soon as it disappeared beneath the moss, the thread holding me immobile snapped and I bolted all the way back through the woods, and into my bedroom.

I knew I woke grandma up when I bolted by, so I scribbled the name on a piece of paper and shoved it into my school book. Just in time for grandma to burst through my door.

“What the fuck you think you’re doing child?!”

“Sorry grandma!”

She sighed heavily, wrapping her robe around her before looking at my waterlogged rain boots.

“Were you out in the woods this morning already?”

I nodded.

She sighed again and stepped out of my doorway. “Go wash, feral girl.”

I didn’t argue.

I cried through the shower about losing my book, though I didn’t dare say anything to grandma or daddy. They chalked my crying up to the watersnake bite and ensuing lecture. Just had a funeral girl! Goin off and getting in fights with watersnakes for birds. What kinda fool are you? Just coz we don't have moccasins round here don't mean a snake ain't a threat.

Daddy didn't say anything about it, just stood by glowering while grandma patched me up.

Over the next few years, bit by bit the name and the book eventually faded from my daily thoughts and memory.

Until I was fourteen.

Whispers and rumors were flying around like mad about the new student.

“Didja hear? The new senior? He’s some kinda delinquent1 He got kicked out of his las school for smoking!”

According to another rumor it was for fighting, or arson, or rape. None of the reports were ever the same, or had any details. “I heard…” was their only source.

“What’s his name?” I asked, trying to divert the conversation away from rampant speculation and gossip.

“Cormac McDaniels.”

I coughed, so hard and so suddenly some of my milk actually came out of my nose.

Their laughter burned my entire face with shame, but at least it came with the support of everyone’s napkins and a few hard pats on the back to ensure I wasn’t going to choke again.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry…that was so gross. I gotta go to the bathroom.”

I dashed away before any of them could offer to come with me, try and help. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face. I was completely oblivious to exactly how soaking wet the front of my school uniform was. My feet trudged like I was moving through sand, but my head was full of clouds. I traipsed through every floor, checking every nook and cranny of the damn school, determined to find him.

And then I did.

He was leaning against a locker, openly chewing on the filter of a cigarette, it wasn’t even lit. He looked over at me with the most cheesy smirk. “Lookin for trouble, little girl?”

“I was looking for you…I’ve been looking for you.”

He sauntered over to me, an exaggerated swagger that felt forced, but it was the dark look in his eyes that intimidated me all of a sudden.

“Well, am I everything you’ve been expecting then?”

I thought of the name given to me for the book of fairy tales. I’d expected a prince, but this man standing in front of me? <Physical description> was certainly no prince.

“You are scruffier than I’d anticipated,” I conceded, “but that’s more on me. I didn’t ask for those kind of details.”

He scowl deepened.

“What do you want?” He practically growled.

I took the challenge and rose to it, instead of cowering away like I should have, like I was sure he wanted me to, I stood up straighter, and looked him in the eye.

“You’re going to be the father of my children,” I announced, plain as day.

And then?

The motherfucker laughed.