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Description
Gerard ran in the direction he thought he could hear brush being moved in. He wanted to talk to the boy, to find out why he was up here in the middle of nowhere, apparently alone. It wasn't normal. There were no houses in the area and no one really came up here, even campers found other places to go, found it too remote and isolated to deem safe. He stopped and doubled over with his hands on his knees, panting harshly. He had run for quite a while and now listened over his huffs of breath, trying to quiet them a bit so he could hear. There was a slamming noise, like a door being shut quickly.

Gerard managed to catch his breath and went in the direction he had heard the door slam in. When he walked out of some brush he stood in disbelief for a moment as a cottage was in front of him. It wasn't large, just a tiny one room house he imagined. He couldn't believe it, he'd never heard of anyone living on the mountain.

Walking around the front he was cautious, worried this might be some sort of trap, like the boy was bait to lure him here. The steps groaned under his weight and the deck only creaked with the same amount of wear. Gerard heard shuffling inside the house and looked in through the window, seeing the small boy cowering under a tiny bed. He couldn't understand what was happening. "Why is he up here in the first place?" Gerard thought to himself. It was highly peculiar and suspicious.

When he tapped at the door he heard the boy shriek and heard things shuffling around in a quick manner. "Hey," Gerard said and had to think of what he could even say. He didn't know this kid or who he was. There was really nothing he could try to use as leverage.

"Frank?" He recalled the boy's name in his head and tried to use it to sound less threatening. "Listen to me. I don't want to hurt you. I came up here camping with my brother and I'm sorry I frightened you. It wasn't what I wanted to do. I just…I wanted to know what you're doing up here all by yourself."

Only the noises of the mountain caught Gerard's ears and he wondered if Frank might have just passed out from his fear. Then there was a creak from inside the house, someone was slowly moving around.

Gerard didn't know if he should just leave the boy to be or if he should continue to try and help. When he least expected it, he heard the tiny voice that belonged to Frank from the other side of the door.

"Are you….Are you sure you're nice?" Gerard could tell by Frank's voice that he was very unsure and was considerably frightened. The kid wasn't just messing around, he was genuinely afraid.

"I like to think I am. I won't hurt you if that's what you think. I just wanted to talk to you and make sure you're alright," Gerard said honestly, trying to hold a soothing tone.

The doors lock shifted a little and when the wooden wall between them creaked open a bit Gerard looked down at the much shorter boy who was peeking around it. "You…You promise?"

Gerard gave him a gentle smile though it was a bit sad as he looked at the frazzled child. "I promise," he said softly.

Frank opened the door a little more and Gerard could finally see him. He was very short, quite skinny, and seemed to almost be a bit slow. Gerard felt mean for thinking something like that but he couldn't help but notice Frank's small words and unsure voice that tended to stumble over even small, regular words like, promise.

"My…My mommy says that men are bad," Frank whispered with an unsure voice.

Gerard's face showed his confusion as his eyebrows tilted upward and pushed together slightly. "Some men can be, yes," Gerard told him, "but I'm not. Not everyone is bad. Some people are really nice." Gerard leaned a bit forward so he was closer to Frank's height.

Frank seemed to take this in and lightly sucked at his bottom lip. "Would you like a peanut butter sandwich?" Gerard smiled down at Frank's tiny smile and nodded his head, trying to get himself inside to see what this kid was really like, see what was going on.

Frank let him in and Gerard stood by the door as he watched him get out bread and peanut butter. He glanced around the house, seeing how minimal everything was. An old VCR player, a very old television, a few movies, that was all there was for luxury. Beside that there were two crammed beds, a door that went into a bathroom, and a small dresser.

"So, you said you have a mother? Where is she?" Gerard turned back to Frank now, who was smearing the peanut butter on the bread.

"Mommy goes on trips to the big world," Frank said, his eyes almost seeming to glow. "I'm only allowed to go down there on Halloween," he said quietly, almost a little bit of sadness in his tone as he went back to spreading the contents onto the bread.

"Why?" Gerard looked at him very confused, things already seemed suspicious.

"My mommy said that the bad men want to take me away from her. That if I'm not wearing a mask, they'll see my face and take me away," he explained and Gerard was beginning to think that Frank's mother might be some type of paranoid schizophrenic.

"When will she be home?" Gerard wondered if Frank would answer this but when he told him a day or so he instantly didn't like this situation. Frank was not capable of taking care of himself. Sure, he had caution towards stranger but he was also very curious and not very informed. Gerard knew how badly Frank could be hurt if someone else found him. Someone who wasn't nice and knew they could get away with whatever they wanted and no one would know for days. Frank was giving out all this information so openly and freely.

"Here you go, Sir," Frank said and held out the sandwich to him on a plate.

"Oh, thank you," Gerard said, taking it. "And you don't have to call me 'Sir', you can just call me plain, old Gerard," he smiled.

"Okay, Plain Old Gerard," Frank said with a smile.

"No, just, Gerard," Gerard tried to explain, frowning a tiny bit at how Frank really did seem to lack communication.

"Oh, sorry, Gerard," Frank said and smiled before he went over to his sandwich and then sat on the floor in front of the television. "Want to watch Winnie the Pooh? It's my favorite movie."

"Sure," Gerard said softly with a small smile, going over and sitting beside him.

The movie began and Gerard's mind was racing in a million directions. He couldn't believe this was happening, better yet, how it was happening. Some child was living on the mountain with his mother and no one knew. He didn't have proper knowledge and seemed so lonely that he wanted the company of any other stranger. Though he had been convinced that others were terrible people, he lacked socialization so much that he would take anyone to get it. He seemed so content just having someone to sit in the same room with him, to fill his need for comfort, and to know that someone else was actually in the same world as him. Gerard knew what Frank wanted, he wanted a friend.

Description
Gerard ran in the direction he thought he could hear brush being moved in. He wanted to talk to the boy, to find out why he was up here in the middle of nowhere, apparently alone. It wasn't normal. There were no houses in the area and no one really came up here, even campers found other places to go, found it too remote and isolated to deem safe. He stopped and doubled over with his hands on his knees, panting harshly. He had run for quite a while and now listened over his huffs of breath, trying to quiet them a bit so he could hear. There was a slamming noise, like a door being shut quickly.

Gerard managed to catch his breath and went in the direction he had heard the door slam in. When he walked out of some brush he stood in disbelief for a moment as a cottage was in front of him. It wasn't large, just a tiny one room house he imagined. He couldn't believe it, he'd never heard of anyone living on the mountain.

Walking around the front he was cautious, worried this might be some sort of trap, like the boy was bait to lure him here. The steps groaned under his weight and the deck only creaked with the same amount of wear. Gerard heard shuffling inside the house and looked in through the window, seeing the small boy cowering under a tiny bed. He couldn't understand what was happening. "Why is he up here in the first place?" Gerard thought to himself. It was highly peculiar and suspicious.

When he tapped at the door he heard the boy shriek and heard things shuffling around in a quick manner. "Hey," Gerard said and had to think of what he could even say. He didn't know this kid or who he was. There was really nothing he could try to use as leverage.

"Frank?" He recalled the boy's name in his head and tried to use it to sound less threatening. "Listen to me. I don't want to hurt you. I came up here camping with my brother and I'm sorry I frightened you. It wasn't what I wanted to do. I just…I wanted to know what you're doing up here all by yourself."

Only the noises of the mountain caught Gerard's ears and he wondered if Frank might have just passed out from his fear. Then there was a creak from inside the house, someone was slowly moving around.

Gerard didn't know if he should just leave the boy to be or if he should continue to try and help. When he least expected it, he heard the tiny voice that belonged to Frank from the other side of the door.

"Are you….Are you sure you're nice?" Gerard could tell by Frank's voice that he was very unsure and was considerably frightened. The kid wasn't just messing around, he was genuinely afraid.

"I like to think I am. I won't hurt you if that's what you think. I just wanted to talk to you and make sure you're alright," Gerard said honestly, trying to hold a soothing tone.

The doors lock shifted a little and when the wooden wall between them creaked open a bit Gerard looked down at the much shorter boy who was peeking around it. "You…You promise?"

Gerard gave him a gentle smile though it was a bit sad as he looked at the frazzled child. "I promise," he said softly.

Frank opened the door a little more and Gerard could finally see him. He was very short, quite skinny, and seemed to almost be a bit slow. Gerard felt mean for thinking something like that but he couldn't help but notice Frank's small words and unsure voice that tended to stumble over even small, regular words like, promise.

"My…My mommy says that men are bad," Frank whispered with an unsure voice.

Gerard's face showed his confusion as his eyebrows tilted upward and pushed together slightly. "Some men can be, yes," Gerard told him, "but I'm not. Not everyone is bad. Some people are really nice." Gerard leaned a bit forward so he was closer to Frank's height.

Frank seemed to take this in and lightly sucked at his bottom lip. "Would you like a peanut butter sandwich?" Gerard smiled down at Frank's tiny smile and nodded his head, trying to get himself inside to see what this kid was really like, see what was going on.

Frank let him in and Gerard stood by the door as he watched him get out bread and peanut butter. He glanced around the house, seeing how minimal everything was. An old VCR player, a very old television, a few movies, that was all there was for luxury. Beside that there were two crammed beds, a door that went into a bathroom, and a small dresser.

"So, you said you have a mother? Where is she?" Gerard turned back to Frank now, who was smearing the peanut butter on the bread.

"Mommy goes on trips to the big world," Frank said, his eyes almost seeming to glow. "I'm only allowed to go down there on Halloween," he said quietly, almost a little bit of sadness in his tone as he went back to spreading the contents onto the bread.

"Why?" Gerard looked at him very confused, things already seemed suspicious.

"My mommy said that the bad men want to take me away from her. That if I'm not wearing a mask, they'll see my face and take me away," he explained and Gerard was beginning to think that Frank's mother might be some type of paranoid schizophrenic.

"When will she be home?" Gerard wondered if Frank would answer this but when he told him a day or so he instantly didn't like this situation. Frank was not capable of taking care of himself. Sure, he had caution towards stranger but he was also very curious and not very informed. Gerard knew how badly Frank could be hurt if someone else found him. Someone who wasn't nice and knew they could get away with whatever they wanted and no one would know for days. Frank was giving out all this information so openly and freely.

"Here you go, Sir," Frank said and held out the sandwich to him on a plate.

"Oh, thank you," Gerard said, taking it. "And you don't have to call me 'Sir', you can just call me plain, old Gerard," he smiled.

"Okay, Plain Old Gerard," Frank said with a smile.

"No, just, Gerard," Gerard tried to explain, frowning a tiny bit at how Frank really did seem to lack communication.

"Oh, sorry, Gerard," Frank said and smiled before he went over to his sandwich and then sat on the floor in front of the television. "Want to watch Winnie the Pooh? It's my favorite movie."

"Sure," Gerard said softly with a small smile, going over and sitting beside him.

The movie began and Gerard's mind was racing in a million directions. He couldn't believe this was happening, better yet, how it was happening. Some child was living on the mountain with his mother and no one knew. He didn't have proper knowledge and seemed so lonely that he wanted the company of any other stranger. Though he had been convinced that others were terrible people, he lacked socialization so much that he would take anyone to get it. He seemed so content just having someone to sit in the same room with him, to fill his need for comfort, and to know that someone else was actually in the same world as him. Gerard knew what Frank wanted, he wanted a friend.