The Lover's Parable Through A Seven World Journey

by Millerson, Brady

  High-pitched screams and barking madness had rolled through the forest following his wild shots. And it appeared that the wounded among them were beginning to spontaneously attack the others in their party. Leaning into Sofia’s back while continuing to keep watch behind them, John forced her to keep moving at as brisk of a pace as he could maintain without entangling their legs together.

  The pounding of the beasts’ heavy feet were gathering around them once again. The perimeter of safety was lessening. It seemed as if the entire pack was preparing to simultaneously rush in.

  “Where are we going?” Sofia cried out.

  “Just stay close-,” John said, as he suddenly caught sight of a shadowy figure at his flank.

  A single beast lunged from its cover, salivating streams spewing from its open mouth mere centimeters from John’s face. Reflexively bringing his rifle up to meet it, he fell backward to the ground, bringing Sofia down with him. With his finger clenched around the trigger, a burst of fire wildly flourished from under the belly of the animal. Scorching and tearing its fur, multiple projectiles passed through it, boring a gaping exit wound across its back and sending flesh and bone spraying into the air.

  The dead weight of the corpse crashed to the soil beside them, pooling blackened blood around its torso and involuntarily convulsing. John scrambled to his feet wiping the blood splatter from his eyes.

  “Let’s go! On your feet,” he yelled as he pulled at Sofia, “We need to move!”

  Grabbing her by the arm and hoisting her up, John pushed her to action. Tripping over the hidden obstacles and struggling against their own blindness, he forced her to run into the blackness of the forest.

  Panting and gasping under the strain of the backpack’s weight, each step was a fight. Pulling against the heavy suction gripping her boots, Sofia’s feet were sinking deeper into the progressively softening soil.

  The trampling of the creatures’ paws was not far behind, and they were gaining fast. With his rifle held behind him, John let loose with his weapon’s blast, firing frantically in the general direction of the tumult. By the sound of clamor, the concentrated steps of the beasts were disorganizing, scattering about the periphery.

  The eminency of the Savior’s rise was finally upon them. The visual draw was beginning to increase just beyond a single meter, giving John and Sofia the time they needed in order to react more quickly to the fallen trees and large rocks that intermittently made their sudden appearances from out of the gloom.

  The moisture beneath their feet had taken on a sudden transformation. John and Sofia were no longer simply running through muddy soil. At first they began splashing through several small puddles. But before long, the water level was over the toes of their boots.

  As if stepping through a curtain, the young couple exited the fog and found themselves standing at the edge of a great body of water, the opposite side of which was too distant and mist layered to visualize. John fired off a few more bursts of his rifle into the air, allowing him to gain more time in order to decide what their next move should be.

  Sofia was bent over, propped against her knees, overstrained and vomiting.

  “I don’t want to do this anymore. I can’t do this anymore.”

  The howling from the deep of the forest signified to him that their foes were regrouping. If they stayed too close to the land, it was only a matter of time before he and Sofia would be found.

  “Get into the water,” he commanded.

  “What? No, I can’t swim,” she resisted.

  “Neither can I, but we can’t go back that way,” he said, pointing towards the barking commotion.

  Moving into the shallow of the lake, John grabbed Sofia by the front strap of her backpack.

  “If we have to, we’ll dump our packs and figure out what to do later. They’re getting closer, Sofia, come on.”

  The initial coolness was soothing to their legs, giving the both of them a renewed vitality as the water was, at first, only deep enough to spill over the tops of their boots. The terrible cries from behind were becoming more distant. It appeared that the enraged beasts had finally lost their scent. With the barking and yelping of the creatures dying out, through the splashes the two of them were making as they lightly waded through the water, the low rumbling of the unseen wishing stars could be heard once again, rising in the skies above.

  As John and Sofia moved further out into the lake, the thinly risen layer of fog above them had almost completely dissipated, revealing the starless, deep blue hue of the sky, pastel pink and whitewashed to the east, signifying the nearness of the precious daylight.

  The watery depth was gradually deepening. It was now up to Sofia’s breast line, and the muscles of her arms were burning under the strain of keeping her rifle from dipping into it. Exhausted and overwhelmed, she lost all care for keeping the weapon in prime condition. Letting her arms drop down, she chose rather to walk with her firearm under the water’s surface.

  John continued to keep a tight grip on the strap of her backpack, paying close attention to every step he was taking for fear of stepping off of an underwater cliff or slipping on an unstable stone.

  The liquid was blue and dark. The further out towards the center of the lake they traveled, the colder it became. After a few hours, they had progressed quite a distance from the southwesterly shoreline. With the Savior burning down upon them, the chilliness was of little concern.

  Bumping his knee into the side of a solid structure, John realized that they were standing beside a rather large underwater boulder. With his hands feeling their way to its top, he was surprised to find that it was situated just a few centimeters below the lake’s surface. Assisting Sofia with her waterlogged backpack, they climbed to the top of the rock and sat down, giving their feet the much needed rest.

  “Will you hand me the compass?” John asked, pulling out the little black book from his shirt pocket and surveying the surroundings against the available data of the map.

  Lifting her rifle out of the water, Sofia could see that her weapon’s foregrip was empty. The compass was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was not something that John had planned for when he was attempting to consider all of the potential situations that they could encounter with such a venture. The firearms, the food, the quick-start fire sticks, clothing items of various sorts. He thought that he had planned so well. The compass was the only item of which he never would have guessed they would find themselves without.

  They had been trudging through the immense body of water for quite some time while the Savior stared down at them from his perch in the heavens, having burned away the entire blanket of mist long ago. The water was still at the level just below John’s breast line, and it had been that way since long after they had distanced themselves from even the faintest of howls. It appeared that this was as deep as the lake was going to get, and they would most likely be safely crossing the entire reservoir without much difficulty.

  Being somewhat shorter than he, Sofia was trying as best that she could under the circumstances to enjoy the coolness of the water as it reached up just under the neck collar of her shirt. Although they were moving much slower due to the density of the liquid, some of the items in her pack apparently had some buoyancy to them, causing her burden to feel much lighter on her shoulders.

  The rippling fluid splashing against Sofia’s face relieved the burning redness of her skin. Considering that she and John had little to say to each other since her loss of the compass, she did her best to ignore his active silent treatment, knowing that she had already apologized more than once. Although his frustration with her was apparent, she knew that he would soon forgive her.

  With the visibility finally having become fit for point-setting, John had chosen an oddly shaped cluster of trees situated at the far, north end of the lake, approximately a thousand meters towards the direction of the towering, white peaks. They would need to suffice as their guides, at least for now. B
y the time they would be reaching the other side, he knew that most of the day would have been already well spent. Darkness would be nearing. And he and Sofia would be rushing to procure everything necessary to the building of their nightly structure before the blackness set in.

  The expanse above had become, once again, that soothing baby-blue layer that contrasted deeply against the surrounding greenery of the shoreline and the hills beyond. The deep blue tones of the water seemed so fresh and inviting.

  “It’s too bad that we won’t be able to go all the way there like this,” Sofia commented on their water traversal, breaking the long silence between them. “This is actually quite fun.”

  “It’s alright,” John replied rather sternly. “But we need to stick to the trees. By nightfall, when the cold settles in, you won’t want to be here.”

  Finding another boulder upon which they could rest, they took one last break from their travels through the lake, eating some dried fruit and enjoying the warm breeze. It was another special experience that the two of them were able to enjoy together.

  The lake’s surface was lightly rippled and blessed with serenity not unlike the quietude of resting in the shadows of the trees at the tops of the hills. The only unnatural detail capable of ruining the quietude of the moment came in the form of the pollutive noise filling the skies like an endless rolling thunder of a distant storm.

  The low roaring of the flying ships of the sky would continue to be heard throughout the remainder of the afternoon. For Sofia, having wandered upon another paradisiacal world hidden among the trees, would yet be the accompaniment of that solemn reminder that always lingered about: John’s mission to bring in some type of closure for himself. All of the so-called idyllic locations that they were finding were merely pseudo-paradises. As long as there existed within him that tenacious longing for the missing puzzle piece that he seemed to believe would allow him a completion of his being, the mysterious unknown that he so desired would continue to be a partition between them.

  Chapter Twenty

  The Savior was just beginning to touch the peaks of the hills that decorated the westerly horizon as John and Sofia walked out of the water and onto the rocky shore. The end of their long day was at hand, the compass was gone and the Burning Star, with assistance from the mountains of the north, would now be their chief navigator.

  They had much work to do while the light was still present. Emptying their backpacks and spreading out their contents on the large boulders scattered about, they began the late afternoon’s duties by letting their gear and clothes dry out in what little heat remained of the day. They then took up the arduous task of gathering the necessary materials for building their shelter.

  Many of the chores at hand had become quite a routine over the past several months since leaving Labor behind. The simple things, like fire starting and acquiring a shelter, did not add to their burden in any way.

  By nightfall their fire was doused, and they had settled in for a good night’s sleep, neither of them having the energy for sky watching. As the last bit of fading light retreated over the westerly hills, Sofia cuddled up close to John, placing her arm across his chest. She intended to quickly fall into a deep slumber. The silence of the forest, the unusual absence of the chirping insects and the croaking of the web footed creatures, allowed the night’s sky to roar with a passion.

  It was difficult to fall asleep. The deep hum of the flying ships caused a vibration in their cloth covering, rattling the sticks that formed the framework of their shelter.

  “I’m afraid the closer we get, the louder it’s going to be,” John said with frustration.

  Sitting up, Sofia pulled her backpack alongside her and began rummaging through it. Pulling out her first aid kit, she removed two cotton balls.

  “Tear these in half and stuff them in your ears,” she said. “It might help a little.”

  Following her lead, John pressed the soft material into his ears and closed his eyes. Although it did dampen the sound a bit, it was of no use in limiting the abuse upon his tactile sensation. Sofia did not seem to be as ill affected by the strange vibrations as he. And it was not long before John could feel her rhythmical breathing against his back as she fell asleep beside him. It was only the exhaustion of which she had been enduring that could have brought her so easily to such a restful state, he thought.

  The oscillating clamor continued to rattle throughout his skull. But, it was not enough of a nuisance to ward off his own wearied mind. After a period of deep thought, he joined her in slumber.

  The mid-afternoon heat of the Savior was held at bay by the dense leaves of the valley trees that they had been journeying under for the majority of the morning’s trek. Following a stream that ran a course to the northeast, John attempted to make an addendum to Mr. Sanders’ map. To the best of his poorly artistic abilities he added his own notes and detailed sketches.

  Paying particular attention to Sofia’s whereabouts whenever he was looking through the little black book, he gave extra precautions to keeping secret the fact that he essentially had no idea as to what dangers were potentially lying in wait for them around each corner.

  Splashes of water had moistened the rolled up pant legs that were pulled up around Sofia’s knees as she waded barefoot through the cool stream. The thick, old branch she held in her hand assisted her balance, as the smooth, slimy rocks beneath her were rather unstable.

  Unaware that John was no longer plotting their course based on the Sanders’ previously observed milestones, Sofia paid little attention to what he was writing and where she was being led. It never occurred to her to question him as to which paths were safe and which areas were not. She was confident that John was in control of their current situation.

  “As soon as we reach the end of this valley, we’ll finish the day on the top of one of the hills,” he said with an authoritative tone. But which hill in particular, he had no idea.

  “Wherever you think is best,” she said, regaining her balance as she slipped on a stone. “I’m in no hurry.”

  The rest of the afternoon was rather undiversified and monotonous: Trees and water, water and trees. It was dim, and rather humid, but non-oppressing to the soul. Every so often the Savior would peek through a tiny clearing between the branches, splitting the air with his comforting beams of light. It was quite a beautiful site. And Sofia and John would take the time to let the rays settle upon their hands whenever the opportunity arose. The comfort of the trek was made all the more enjoyable by the fact that their load was far less of a burden to them now than it had been at the beginning of the journey. They had consumed most of their rations, and were nearing the end of what little food they had left.

  There was one thing that did stand out as rather strange to them, though: the further north they traveled, the quieter it became with regards to the ambience of the forest. There seemed to be fewer animals and buzzing insects within earshot than there had been in the forested areas behind them. Even the fowl of the air had, for some time now, ceased with their squabbling.

  With the odd sensation of being watched hanging over them, due to their all-too recent run-in on the other side of the lake, they began taking frequent rests from their travels, attempting to listen for the sounds of any creatures that may have been stalking them. After several undertakings over the course of a handful of hours, they had concluded that there was nothing of concern with regards to their safety. Perhaps, as most of the clatter seemed to be caused by the flying machines rumbling in the sky above, the beasts of the forest may have been wearied of, even threatened by, the unnaturally thunderous engines of the wishing stars, migrating to less unnerving locations.

  The early, evening breeze began churning the leaves of the sparsely growing trees as it made its way towards the south. Sofia and John had just taken the first few steps that marked the descent from the top of the hill, finally releasing them from the densely forested area, eventually placing them into the grassy plain beyond.


  Moving aside the last of the leaved branches blocking their way, John held a bough up high allowing Sofia to pass through. As she ducked her head under it and made her way out into the open, the westerly Savior was bright and warm. Looking across the distant plain, she exclaimed incredulously, “John, look! It’s the Highway!”

  The thick branch swung back in place as John let it fall back into its original state. As he approached her, he could now see from over her shoulder the serpentine path of the Highway slithering between the hills and through the valleys. It ascended towards the mountains hidden behind the hills on the other side of the plain. It was now quite apparent from John’s perspective which mountain it was that the concrete structure would be terminating at. Quickly pulling out the little black book, he jotted down some notes, making a rough sketch before tucking it back into his pocket.

  The intensity of the rumbling overhead was presently accompanied by an unaided visualization of the tiny, teardrop shaped flames of the airships as they lifted off from their launch sites several kilometers away. With the ability to see them due to their relatively close proximity, John and Sofia were also able to note the incoming vehicles, of which they had not noticed before, appearing out of the sky, just over the mountains. They seemed to be traveling at a rather slower rate of speed compared to their rising counterparts, descending upon the same general location.

  To John, the sight of the airships was terrifying, yet exhilarating at the same time. They were also a relieving addition to his well-being, knowing that he would possibly have some answers soon as to whom the vehicles were being sent, perhaps even gathering enough information as to where the northerly descending vehicles were coming from. He could not help but feel as if an empty hole in his soul was about to be filled. But to Sofia, it was all too dreadful, as Mr. Sanders’ warnings had never been lost to her.