Deleted Scenes: Kai and the Tree

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Backstory: Kai and the Tree

*Read-a-long

"I bet you can't catch me!" Kai shouted over his shoulder as he took a head start. 

Kenzo accepted the challenge. "Yeah, right." 

They ran around the yard, zigging and zagging, and then Kai jumped onto the ladder that led to the treehouse. He scurried up the ladder as fast as he could without looking back. When he finally looked around, he realized he had just put himself in a corner. 

With Kenzo on his tail, Kai thought, He's going to get me. Maybe I can go up. He began to climb above the treehouse to the limbs above. The higher he went, the smaller the branches became. They started to sway, and Kai held on tight, but he was too heavy for the branch.

"Ahh!" Kai fell to the ground with a loud thud, followed by complete silence for a long moment. Then he began to wail. 

Mom came running from the house. "What in the world is going on out here?" 

Kai was lying sprawled out at the base of the tree, writhing in pain. Kenzo was frozen at the top of the ladder for a few seconds before he rushed to Kai's side. Kai sobbed as his mother assessed him, noting the gashes and scrapes. When she shifted his body, he yelled. Kai lifted his head as she raised his pants leg, and blood poured from the open wound. 

"Taan! Call the hospital and bring me the phone." Mom pulled the pant leg back down, covered the area with her hands, and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. She took a deep breath then looked at Kenzo and, in an even tone, said,. "Go get me a few towels." As Kenzo disappeared into the house, Taan walked out to see what all the commotion was about. "Phone, Taan. Get the phone. I think his leg is broken!"

Dad returned from the house moments later with the phone in hand. Kenzo returned with an armful of towels and dropped them at Kai's feet. She grabbed a handful and pressed. By the time Dad reached them, he had dialed the last number of the emergency line and then handed the phone to Mom. She snatched the phone with a blood-coated hand, put the phone on speaker, and placed it on the remaining towel just in time to hear, "Illa Emergency Department, what is your emergency?"

"My son fell from the treehouse. I think his leg is broken."

"Do not move him and try to keep him calm. Who am I speaking with?"

"Queen. I am his mother."

"Thank you, Queen. I'm going to ask you a few questions to assess the situation. Did the bone break the skin?"

"I don't know. There is blood everywhere. I am trying to stop it." 

"I need you to uncover the wound for a few moments and tell me what you see."

"Okay.” She peeled the blood-soaked pant leg up, and then suddenly Kai stopped crying. "He's…" 

Kai sat up on his elbows and watched as the bone popped back in place. Kai sat up straighter, and the blood stopped gushing. 

The operator asked, "Ma'am, are you still there?"

"Uh, yes." The wounds began slowly closing before their eyes.

"How old is your son?"

"He is six." She gasped and then continued to stare as the minor scars disappeared. The larger wound was getting smaller with every second. "Never mind. He's okay. We don't need any help."

"Are you sure? Broken bones are very serious. We can send an ambulance to check him out."

"No. My kids were playing a trick on me. I will talk to them about this. Sorry for wasting your time." She hung up. Meanwhile, her eyes never left Kai. 

Kenzo also stared with his mouth agape without saying a word. 

Dad chuckled and broke the silence. "Looks like you have your gift. How do you feel?" He asked with a wide, toothy grin.

"I was hurting bad, but now I don't feel anything." Kai’s eyes narrowed, then he looked up at his father and asked,. "Is that supposed to happen?"

"I guess so. You can heal very fast. Initially, you will still feel the pain, but it goes away much faster than when others are wounded. If you are lucky, when you get older, you will be able to heal much faster and barely even feel a thing."

"Really?" Kai replied, very excited as he stood to his feet with one blood-soaked pant leg pulled up above a pencil-width scar, and it was steadily getting smaller. 

"That's right! Let's go jump off of something." Taan laughed again, but Mom was notably less amused as she sat on her knees, covered in her son's blood.

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