After eyeing him up for an instant, William had the odd sense that the creature wasn’t threatening, although a creature it definitely was. That’s not to say he wasn’t frightened, because he wasn’t sure what to expect from this peculiar fellow.
The chap’s hairy face was broad and kind, though no shoo-in for any beauty contest was he. His arms and legs were scrawny, and on the end of his nose lived a large wart. Above his fat jowls were his fat lips, with two of his bottom teeth sticking out to meet his snout, and his tiny, round eyes were welcoming enough. His smile was long too, and he was covered from head to toe in mousy-brown hair. Then, sprouting up from his forehead, were two tiny horns. This was all rather pleasant in contrast to his odour, which was on the opposite side of the scale altogether. It was hardly surprising, after all, given how his scruffy fur was entangled with pieces of old twigs and dried muck.
Knowing that he’d clearly been discovered, William crawled out from the mound of foliage, and again he stuttered, “W-What—”
“What am I?” chuckled Icrick. “Why, I am what you folks would call a Grogoch! I would have expected you to know that, young William.”
How the creature knew William’s name was indeed a mystery. But there were far deeper questions on the boy’s mind at that point in time.
“A Grogoch?” he replied, with his face held stiff. “You mean like the imp I’ve read about in some o’ my books?! Nah! You can’t be!”
“Oh, but I am!” the Grogoch said stoutly, when William continued to quote what little he knew about those creatures.
“The one who helps with people’s crops, without payment, except for a bucket o’ cream?! The one who is full o’ good intentions, but always ends up getting under people’s feet?! The one that—”
“Yes, yes! All that!” interrupted the Grogoch, with an awkward twitch in his eye. “So, you did hear about us before?”
“Yes, I’ve hear-...I mean...I’ve read about you before,” said the boy, walking slowly closer to the creature, examining him with every step. “But you don’t exist...except in stories! And how did you know my name?”
“Ho-ho!” laughed Icrick. “Much to learn you have, my lad. Much to learn indeed! We don’t exist?! Pfff! Posh! Where do you suppose the tales come from then? We exist all right, though we may not be seen above on your world nowadays. And I know your name because we’ve been expecting you! We’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time, in fact!”
William said hesitantly, “You have?!”
“Yes! Now, we must be off. There’s much to be done! Hurry along now. Follow me.”
Unsure of how to respond to the Grogoch’s request, William found himself peering up through the sludgy tunnel above his head. It didn’t tickle his fancy all that much to follow the creature; then again, he didn’t really have any other choice, because the opening from which he fell was too high up for him to reach. Not to mention how slippery and confusing it might be to negotiate, had he been successful in actually reaching it. So, he could but hope that this Grogoch thing knew of some other exit.
“Are you going to show me a way out o’ here? I need to get out and be on my way as soon as possible. My ma will be worried,” the boy explained.
Without answering, Icrick simply took William’s hand in his furry paw and walked him merrily down the long tunnel.
Because Icrick himself was fairly small, he was able to waddle upright through the tunnel without any trouble whatsoever. But William had to walk with a hunch, while roots were tickling his ears from above as he passed under them. Still he ventured on, regardless of how unwilling he may have been to do so.
The minutes pushed on to what felt like an hour, or perhaps even more. By then, the lad’s legs were aching beyond anything he had ever felt before, and his clothes were absolutely filthy from rubbing against those muddy walls. He even lost his footing a few times, on account of it feeling like they were walking at a funny downward angle. But the Grogoch creature obliged him to his feet every time before traipsing on.
As they strolled, Icrick softened the silence by humming a few ballads in some form of ancient Gaelic which William wasn’t familiar with. It sounded Irish in the way it was pronounced, only it was more of a gobbledegook sort of Irish, as it made no sense to William whatsoever. Saving him the trouble of asking, Icrick began explaining that it was an ancient Gaelic, no longer used in regular society, after which, he continued to hum away.
His sound was very calming and deliriously tranquil, even though he himself was still very odd and completely out of the ordinary. High ahead of him he held out his lantern, not at all bothered, not at all bewildered, and not the slightest bit concerned about the young boy who was, to be quite honest, all of those things at once. William didn’t know what to think at this point.
In the past he’d heard so many stories of children going missing in peculiar places, and such demoralizing thoughts truly did not bear thinking about at that particular moment in time. Yet the more he tried holding those malicious thoughts at bay, the more they came to terrorize him. Notions of the Shadow’s Guild began germinating within his newly crazed sense of imagination, making him worry a great deal more. As a result, every now and then, he considered shoving the Grogoch away and making a break for it, back to the other tunnel. He didn’t, however, as his already slim sense of bravery had by then relinquished itself to worry through his overly-suspicious ideas. Alas, he just kept on following the strange Grogoch.
Farther in they trudged, for another long time. Icrick’s songs had long since finished, and quietude was in the air when finally, he spoke. “So, you met old Maggie, I believe? I hope she didn’t scare you too much. She’s been planning this day for a long time, you see. About two hundred years, if my memory serves me correctly. That was all she used to talk about. We never used to get a moment’s peace with her ranting on about it. All the time! ‘Oh, I’ll give him the full treatment!’ she used to say.” (He delivered this impression in an elderly lady-like fashion.) “‘Oooh, he won’t know what hit him...’ Some sort she is all right! Some sort indeed!”
“Maggie?” William asked, fearing the thoughts of actually having to hold a conversation with this creature. “Um...y-y-you mean that old lady that was crying up the woods? The one who chased me?”
“That’s the one!” Icrick smiled, shining the lantern here and there by the cavern walls, which were now diverging into many various routes. The Grogoch was examining the wall markings as though they were directing him in some way. “You could call her an old lady, if you like, but she prefers the term banshee. She prides herself on her ability to scream ‘n’ shout! She’d give you a blinding headache if you had to listen to her for half as long as we have...silly old crone! But she has her moments.”
Smiling at Icrick’s insight into Maggie’s persona, William’s opinion had somewhat changed about the old woman. For some reason, she didn’t seem so terrifying to him anymore.
Harvesting the guts to ask a question, he finally said, “She was going on about some curse. She kept on saying that it’s been placed...or something or other? What do you think she meant?”
“Not to worry! All of that stuff will be clarified soon enough, young William,” the Grogoch answered politely. “I would fill you in now myself, if only I could. But it’s not really my place to explain these things, I’m sorry to say. I hope you can understand. But that’s her job, you see. She’ll know the proper way to clue you in. Me, I’d probably muck it up and leave out a whole bunch of important stuff! Best leave it to her, William.”
Wishing his answer had been a little more informative and less mysterious, the boy asked no more. Now he was really curious as to the import of that curse and, moreover, of this nameless woman whom Icrick had referred to on two separate occasions now. The her he kept referring to was not Maggie the witch, but some other woman.
The Grogoch was quite remorseful for being so vague. It appeared he had no choice in the matter, for the mysterious lady had evidently bee
n pre-appointed to disclose said details unto William. Thus, acknowledging the Grogoch’s predicament, William respectfully accepted his humble reticence, and carried on by the creature’s side.
They sauntered along, and Icrick continued to tease and giggle, while doing all sorts of weird and wonderful impressions. And as more time passed by, the boy actually found himself smiling and laughing, and becoming all the more comfortable with his situation. What’s more, now that he’d gotten to know Icrick a little bit better, he had also come to the conclusion that the Grogoch was the most delightful character indeed, albeit William still found the entire situation totally obscure, not to mention baffling.
“We’d better get someone to see to that graze as well,” said Icrick, gesturing to the boy’s forehead. “The last thing you need is to get a nasty infection! Uncomfortable things, if you ask me!”
“When you say ‘we’...who are you talking about?” William asked. “I mean...how many o’ you live down here?”
“Ho-ho!” Icrick laughed again. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you! But now you can see for yourself.”
Having suddenly approached tunnel’s end, William stepped out onto a large, rocky shelf which extended from the higher confines of a marvellous round cave.
“Welcome to the Grollo Halls!” Icrick said proudly, displaying the cavern with a big, toothy grin.
The cave stretched out, both high and far, and it was altogether remarkable. After spending so much time in that confounded tunnel, a greatly desired warmth comforted William’s spirits, along with the smell of fresh pine, which drifted blissfully through the air.
Many torches were fixed into the stone all around. Each burned brightly, and the merry shadows danced to the heights of those grand cavern walls. Countless portholes and doorways were hewn all over, together with even more tunnels. Numerous ladders, of both rope and wood, and even bridges, which were carved into patterns of such splendour, ran from wall to wall, and door to door, in every thinkable route. All of this great architecture carried on and on so deep into the bowels of that monstrous cavern that William could see only shadow. Then, acting as a great column in the heart of the foremost cave was one, magnificent evergreen tree, unnaturally colossal, with its crown growing copiously back into the ceiling above; intending, I suppose, on creating a sturdy mesh amongst the stalactites, lest any should become loose from wear.
That grand cavern was positively seething with the décor of orange and black ribbons scattered widely amongst the glittered limestone, whilst threads of golden leaves, entwined with emerald ivy, crept up along the walls on all sides, and in copious amounts. To William’s right, on ground level, a long, slender void was set within a wall, and it stretched on far, like some huge window. Outside of it he noticed the banks of a simmering molten lake, which was undoubtedly the source of that lovely warmth.
Down below, in the midst of it all, where the light was plentiful, were those who dwelt within. Hundreds upon hundreds of creatures! I would even say that there were a few thousand or so. They were all there...everywhere. All that William had ever read about. Dancing, singing, feasting, drinking, and playing festive songs, as if that was just their way of life. He had never seen such an odd mixture of folk in one place before...apart from maybe his uncle Marty’s house on a drunk St. Stephen’s night.
It didn’t appeal to him all that much to see what these folk were feasting on. For, in their hands, were bowls of insects and creepy crawlies which they gobbled down ravenously, like popcorn. At the sheer sight of this, William discreetly belched into his collar with disgust.
All manner of beings were present. From big hairy trolls to small skinny imps; covens of witches and their bubbling cauldrons; monkey-like people called Bidícks, who appeared very strong and had immense floppy ears; cheery looking ghosts; four-legged beasts of many variations; forked-tongued serpents lumbering about on all fours; and peculiar grey Mèlcrige people, with spanning raven wings and massive, curling horns. A very large congregation of Grogochs were resting nearby in a stony hollow, too, pouring pots of cream into their bellies. Even old Maggie was there, gliding by them and moaning for no apparent reason, annoying the Grogochs as she went.
But there were more.
From black unicorns to great noble hounds; Dwarves and amazingly lanky Gumìn folk, to ever so fat Yackà creatures, with six arms each and big yellow tusks. There were beautiful Elfish maidens with pallid skin and pointed ears, which William noticed immediately. Yet they did not feast, nor dance, nor sing. They simply sat quietly and watched on with a peaceful look in their eyes and a gentle smile upon their faces, carefree in their own reside. Dancing around everyone were hundreds of little bearded men. Leprechauns to be more precise; wearing fine, big green and brown hats, and black buckled shoes. But that’s not all. Everywhere William looked, he could see tiny lights zipping through the air in every imaginable direction.
“I can’t believe this!” He smiled. “Are...are those garden faeries?!”
“What’s that you say?” asked Icrick, whose eye was on a barrel of hot cream not too far away. “Oh, garden faeries? Oh yes, yes! We are all faeries of some shape or size in here! We prefer the term imp though. You name it, we have them all down here! Elves, Mèlcrige, banshees, hounds, tree-imps, Yackà, sprites! All who are sound and benign! And we are known as ‘the Dwelvin-Mites’...the dwellers of the Grollo!”
He then muttered to himself, “Oh, what a delight it would be, to be able to live as happy as this, in total comfort.”
“In comfort? What do you mean?” asked William, still flummoxed by what he was seeing.
“Well...I...” said Icrick, hesitating for a moment. He leant in close and whispered darkly, “To tell you the truth, our innocence has proven to be our downfall! For there is one abroad who does not belong. One who wants to hold us in fear of his evil power!”
This interested the boy, however not enough to stop him from asking out of turn, “Oh! Actually, are there any Pooka? I can’t seem to see any.”
As soon as he mentioned that word, the entire cavern fell to utter silence, and all heads spun in his direction.
Inquisitive whispers came over the community. Finding the attention to be completely unnerving and really very embarrassing, William gazed slowly over the crowd, his shoulders twisting in his dirt-splotched shirt while the tension turned his face a cherry-red, and he could feel the dots of sweat forming upon his brow.
“Oh, nooo! Nooo!” Icrick whispered worriedly, from the corner of his mouth. “You are a Newcomer! Our very first Newcomer! You aren’t supposed to mention that word here!”
With a forced smile to the curious horde, the boy panicked. “I didn’t know, I’m sorry,” he said, whilst his nerves were, by degree, escalating in rhythm to the very throbbing of his heartbeat.
It seemed to him that the Grogoch was also quite anxious of being on the spot.
“No, no!” said the creature. “It’s not your fault! I should’ve told you earlier! I apologise, it’s all my blasted fault!”
Suddenly, a bizarre noise hailed from a tunnel on the opposite side of the cave, directly across from where William stood.
It started out with a low scratch, only to grow steadily louder, into a shuffley-huff-buff-skuffle. The community then faced the other tunnel, and the music commenced yet again, only this time the tune was more graceful and melodic; almost ceremonial. The next thing William knew, everyone had rested upon one knee, and were bowing their heads in a loyal fashion. A light then brightened within that far tunnel, thereby reflecting off the cavern walls in a dreamlike sparkle. It grew so intensely pale that William retreated a step, shielding his eyes with the back of his hand. It was so very bright indeed, though not blinding, and he could just about distinguish a shape approaching the tunnel opening. ‘Twas then that he saw something even more wondrous than that which he’d already encountered.
A most magnificent creature. A beast like William had neither heard of nor read about. Twice as high as the boy h
imself, a great ice-badger appeared, with fur of frost and icicles. It had on gleaming striped armour of blue and platinum, with its small, berry-like eyes, which shone as clear as saffron, peering through a helm of wrought silver. And yet it was she who sat astride the beast that truly captured William’s attention, and inexplicably reassured his nerves.
As the woman became more revealed by the failing light, Icrick took William’s hand and requested that he bow too, so he did. The music then faded, silence prevailed, and the cavern went absolutely silent once more. For a moment, William felt like he was alone, deserted, away from it all. Through the darkness of his eyelids he could see the light turning dim and returning the cave to the way it was when he’d first entered. What was happening?! he thought. This couldn’t be happening, it was impossible! Not to mention daft! Was he sleeping?! That must be it! He was still in Ms. Watkins’ class, and after drifting off! Ah no, she’d have his guts for garters and would tell old Misery-Guts!
With that disturbing notion now whizzing about in his mind, William went off on an all-out mental dispute, when a gentle voice suddenly uttered, “Yes, this is happening. No, it is not impossible. And no, you are not sleeping.”
Carefully, almost timidly, he opened his eyes to the presence which had unexpectedly appeared before him.
There was she, the fairest woman he’d ever laid eyes on, dressed in a pearl and coral sparkling gown with lace gloves to match. Her long, golden hair ran the length of her dress in a single braid, and it was so dauntingly beautiful how it shimmered, bordering the realms of the surreal. And resting in those gilded curls was a tiara of silver feathers. Within her eyes, William found a sense of comfort and wisdom, and her smile was without guilt or hostility.
The Other of One - Book One: The Lythiann Chronicles Page 4