Word: Forby

forby

or for·bye

[ fawr-bahy ]

preposition, adverb Chiefly Scot.

1. close by; near.

2. besides.

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               “It’s close.  I can smell it.” George said.

               He held his net at the ready, prepared to drop it on the creature the moment he saw its furry form.  He slowly crept through the yard, periodically checking behind something.

               “Should we tell him? Asked Kyle, one of George’s kids.

               “Are you kidding?  We usually have to pay for this kind of entertainment.” Replied Ted, the elder brother.

               “Yeah, but it’s kind of sad, isn’t it?”

               “That’s what makes it fun.”

               George approached a small bush at a slow pace.  He gave a triumphant yell and jumped behind the plant, only to find nothing.  He still looked closely at the ground nearby.

               “I think you almost had it, Dad!” Ted called.

               “Don’t encourage him.” Kyle said.  “I still think we should tell him.”

               “Tell him what?  That he’s right, it is super close?  Then what’ll he say?”

               “I think we should just outright tell him it’s behind him.”

               The furry creature stood just behind the teen’s father.  Whenever the man moved, it did too.  The thing was definitely smarter than most animals its size.  Of course, it was nothing any of them had ever seen.  It looked like a cross between a rabbit and a squirrel that stood on two legs.  It looked intently at George, always jumping around to stand directly behind its would-be captor. 

               “Where is it!” George cried.  “I know it’s somewhere around here.  My hunting instincts are screaming that it’s close.”

               “Has Dad ever gone hunting?” Kyle asked.

               “Nope.” Ted answered.  “Unless you count hunting for the remote.  And what’s the fun of just telling him?  Besides, do you think it would stick around if we told him?  Pretty sure the only reason it’s ignoring us is because we’re not trying to catch it.”

               “You think so?”

               “Oh yeah, definitely.”

               The animal spared the boys a glance.  Then it went back to moving behind George every time he moved.  George’s face was starting to change color, both from anger and from physical exhaustion.  He still refused to be defeated by the small animal, and continued to run around the yard, trying to find it.

               “Man, he’s really going at it.” Ted said.  He wished he had remembered to bring his phone outside with him.  It was too late now anyway.  “Hey, watch this.”  He called out loud enough for their dad to hear them.  “Hey, Dad!  I think I saw it run up that tree over there.”

               George stopped, looked toward the tree and let out an almost primal bellow.  He charged the tree and did his best to scramble up the trunk. He did not make it very far.

               “That was mean.” Kyle said.

               “But funny.”

               They watched their dad jump around the tree, trying to see the creature that remained just behind it.  Kyle let out a heavy breath.

               “Hey Dad!” He called.

               “Don’t do it.  Don’t be lame.” Ted said. 

               “Think about Orion.”

               George stopped.  His breathing was heavy and he just looked at his son blankly.

               “Yeah, he has no idea what you mean.” Ted said.  “Hell, I don’t know what you mean.”

               Kyle rolled his eyes.  “It’s behind you, Dad.”

               “Dude, not cool.”

               George quickly turned.  This time, the animal remained in place.  The two looked at each other for a moment.  George screamed in rage and swung his net.  The animal nimbly avoided the capture attempt and dashed off into the nearby woods.  George ran after it, but soon came back with slumped shoulders and a net that had a few new holes in it from branches and brambles.

               “That was lame.  You should’ve just kept your mouth shut.”

               “It had to end some time you know.”

               “Yeah, but not that soon.  I mean, we could’ve easily kept him going for another hour.  Maybe gone and got our phones and filmed it.”

               George slumped over to his sons. 

               “Come on boys, let’s…let’s go inside.” He said, defeat etched into every fiber of his being. 

The two boys looked at each other.  Kyle pursed his lips and spoke up.

               “Oh don’t be so down, Dad.  I bet you’ll get it next time.”

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I'll be honest, I didn't really know how to end this one.  I could probably do a better job, but whatever.  This is what I'm willing to do, so yeah.  Sorry.