The other creature got close and spoke in the same disgusting fashion as the first, “You eat, fairy we smoke, fairy dust, ha, ha, smoke good fairy dust!” he started laughing enjoying the torturous words to his victims.
The fairy then started turning different colors shining brightly, first a bright orange and then yellow fading to blue. The different colors continued an undistinguishable pattern of glory that seemed to be getting brighter with every passing breath. She was gasping for air, “Can’t breath, I…I can’t breath.” The monster shook the fairy trap again laughing.
“No, No, please let her go!” Zoe cried out.
The fairy sat upon the bottom of the contraption and looked at Zoe for a moment finding peace in her ever-fearful situation. She spoke looking tenderly at the child, “Worry not, te he, I saw you naked.” Then there was an explosion within the fairy trap as the little sprite turned to illuminate fairy dust which greatly brightened the forest within twenty yards in a complete circle about them.
Tears rolled down the boy’s face as his lone companion was no more. He wished he could take it back, go back in time and start down the path anew; he wished he had started on his journey sooner, realizing there were no watchful eyes upon the blue rock the first time about. He realized his disobedience was the fairy’s misfortune.
All the while the two creatures greedily began preparing for a lighthearted smoke of fairy dust. They retrieved a pipe and proceeded to fill it with the dust from the jar as it was evident that they were overly excited. They placed an abnormally large amount of fairy dust in the pipe, packing it tight for the smoke. They then took their turns smoking the fairy dust. They took down as much as they could until an unexpected thing happened. The first creature grabbed at his chest, and he started to feel pains in his lungs. This pain started to grow as the other one watched in fearful anticipation until his chest started to burn as well. The pain grew and they found themselves rolling on the ground in agony and pain. From within Zoe could see that the creatures’ lungs were on fire. Then suddenly each creature in turn exploded from an overdose of fairy dust. Zoe hung there in exhausted fear from the anguish of facing his own death, wondering what he was to do being unable to free himself.
Chapter 4
When is man strong until he feels alone?
~Robert Browning~
Discouragement enveloped the boy as he was stuck to the tree hour upon hour with nothing to comfort his soul. Because of his foolish behavior, the sprite who had saved his life was dead. He had no one to blame but himself. Thoughts raced through his mind: poor sprite; by the gods what am I to do now; why did this creature that cared for me have to die; foolishness of a boy; death comes for me; Mikael, curse you wizard! Fearful thoughts enveloped the child while the night spoke of evil to his heart and mind. He yelled out at the darkness many times breaking the silence foolishly with his childish outbursts, “Gods of this land, I curse you! Why do you not help me? Why do you leave me hear to die? Help me! Gods of my father, the god of Mikael, I curse you to destruction with my words for your cruelty!” When at last no strength was left in him, he felt totally alone.
It was not until he felt alone did the child feel any strength. It seemed to him all of his life he had leaned upon another never knowing his own resolve nor strength of mind. He in his moment of weakness knew for the first time that he had a strength unknown to him before. He had fear, but the fear was small in comparison to his courage. He worried and doubted his gods, but strength of faith led him to believe that somehow, by some means soon the gods would deliver him. In his loneliest hour, he became strong.
Zoe then noticed the light of day was upon him--his salvation was near. He had spent the night’s air breathing in its deadly poisons of doubt and terror--coming away as a child of faith. He believed that Mikael had sent him by the hand of his god; that the blue stone had correctly led him on his path into the treacherous Yellow Forest. And he even somehow seemed to convince himself that possibly even the sprite's passing was by the will of the gods. All good and well that his faith was strong, but it was by the light of day that strength was seen.
Zoe struggled with his entrapment that held him securely; his struggle was to no effect as the creatures’ secretions were stronger than any rope he had ever used. All the while he struggled animals started to come by. He noticed first a deer come near which the lad was surprised did not seem to be startled by the boy's presence. On any normal day, the deer would have bounded away in a moments time. Yet this deer meandered around as if Zoe was not present. He could not understand this oddity. Then four or five other harmless animals bounded by with out being disturbed as if Zoe were a part of the tree being transparent and undistinguishable in sight or smell.
Fear rose within the flesh of the boy as he saw an unfamiliar creature approach from the distance. A beast bounded through bushes noisily, giving heed to Zoe that he feared not at all. Zoe was again doubting the gods. He struggled against his captive goop substance to no avail. Working with all his might he became exhausted with effort and fright. Animal came up near where Zoe was given the fullest view any creature had ever had of the specimen. It was bear-like in size though having little to no fur or fat, muscles protrude off of the creature’s body like no other Beast he had seen before. It had four hind legs, with muscular appearance. This is where he saw carvings of all kinds upon the beast, it seemed to be a list of creatures or category of animals upon which were drawn. It had hands like that of a human but two large hook like claws were protruding from the back of each appendage. The fiend’s face was small, yet it had a rather large mouth. The eyes seemed not to be very focused as the beast would run into things, an animal of such strength to be near blind seemed ironic.
Within an instant it froze in position as if frozen by time. The animal was no more than two feet away from Zoe. He could smell a sweet aroma that the beast seemed to be emitting. It was still for a long time until a helpless deer appeared. The aroma increased drawing near its prey. The dear approached unaware of any danger; within a split second, the creature leapt upon the deer digging its razor sharp hooks into the beast allowing no escape. The beast then showed why its mouth was so large. With one bite it had taken off the entire head of deer with its razor sharp teeth. Zoe wet himself at that moment. The monster was so engrossed in his bestial carnage that he didn't notice a slight stream of liquid was making its way toward his four feet.
It finished his meal and lay down at the feet of the tree to sleep. Zoe held back as much whimpering as possible, but many tears of terror ran down his face. He had always thought the scariest things of the land dwelt in the darkness; he no longer believed such fairy tales. He was wondering about his situation, what more can happen to me? What more? Indeed, what more?
Both suns crossed in the sky when the boy startled to see another animal approach. This sight disturbed him greatly. The animal at the base of the tree sprung up in fearful delight readying himself. He let out a hideous screech which caused Zoe to scream along in unison. What more was there to this strange beast? He wondered in fear.
The two beasts battled for territory crashing into each other and damaging everything in sight. The beasts fought for supremacy claws slashing flesh fighting for life and death. Then the female gained the advantage having thrown the male form of the beast against the tree upon which Zoe was trapped. The devastation created by the action was evident in the uprooting of the tree. Zoe found himself pinned to the tree now on his side. The female then delivered a deathblow leaving the mating scene unscathed--howling in the heat of the day.
Zoe now was unable to see much as his face was pushed sideways down into the ground. He felt sick to his stomach fearing this would be the end. Yet to his surprise and delight, the uprooting of the tree had brought with it the home of hungry ants. These ants had for hundreds of years eaten of the sticky droppings of the Mettheaxu, the creature that pinned him to the middle of the tree. The ants in an army of many made quick work of the sticky substance that kept Zoe
bound through the night.
He got up off of the ground finally free and took a deep breath before puking as his body responded to the fear he had pent up inside throughout his newly started adventure. Groans came from the boy as he collapsed onto one knee. He was exhausted with terror. He was now alone, looked about, and wondered why the gods had spared him.
Zoe got up from his kneeling position and looked at the creature that had been slain. He was not particularly fond of what he saw, but he was searching for the remains of his pixie friend. He saw the jar near the creature’s head and went over to get the remains of what once was the only companion he envisioned having along this lonesome journey. When he got within a few paces of the jar, he noticed a shiny blue orb that was protruding out of the mouth of the creature. He was fearfully hesitant lest the creature was not dead, nevertheless curious at that same time. He came close and forced the blue orb from the mouth of the beast using a stick as he didn’t dare stick his hand near the creature’s mouth. The orb rolled five feet from him and found a stationary place. He quickly picked up the sphere and jar, placing it in his carrying sack, and backed away from the creature wondering at the events of the past night and day.
At first the orb was a mystery that Zoe could not get out of his mind. He looked at it on many occasions, wondered about it, and even tried breaking it. In his heart of hearts, he thought it would be best to leave behind, but he kept the thing and forgot about it along his journey as it lay in wait in his carrying sack.
He traveled on during the day somewhat uneventfully as nothing frightening happened. He dealt with food problems, thoughts of shelter, thoughts of what was he doing, thoughts of doubts in general. Even though the day was uneventful, Zoe felt as if an eye was upon him. He was constantly looking about him wondering what intuition gave him the feeling of being watched. Nothing presented itself to the boy. He was all the more grateful it was quiet as he wondered what other creatures the Yellow Forest was made of.
When night came again, a windstorm arose having a life that penetrated the walls of the forest, curling about through the trees. The storm chilled the child as he sought for shelter from the cold night air. No place seemed to be enough to keep the deep chill in his bones from penetrating his soul. The chill became so excruciating that Zoe decided to try and build a fire. He knew that it would be next to impossible with the wind, but he knew of nothing else that would help. He set to the necessities of the task by collecting dry moss and twigs. He then gathered some dry branches and larger pieces of wood. He brought more than his father, the one he thought to be his father, had taught him.
This task done he proceeded to rub the fire sticks together that he had taken with him in his sack trying to shield the twigs from the night’s wind from the sticks hoping to ignite the moss and small twigs. He did exactly as he was taught, but when he had hope of a fire starting, he would hear a whisper within the wind, “Sophia.” The gentle wind would blow any hope out of a fire. He tried no less than fifteen times, each time on the edge of success the gentle wind of Sophia blew out his hope. He cursed Sophia, “Ahhh! I curse you goddess of the wind! How am I to survive if you allow for no hope of warmth from your own power? Don’t the gods care? Doesn’t anyone care?” He broke down and cried.
Chapter 5
A fool must now and then
be right by chance.
~William Cowper~
Bitter tears of sadness flowed from the boy as he sat upon the ground in despair. Nothing was going right for him. He had no knowledge of mother or father, and those that were called by that name were savagely killed before his own eyes. He knew of nothing that he was to do in life. Life itself was squeezing down upon the child forcing the flame of existence out of him.
Zoe was sprawled upon the ground. He rolled over and started pounding the soft dirt that he sat upon dirtying the last remaining clean parts of his body. He wailed and screamed incoherently in the night sky at the gods, at the great wizard, at Sophia, at the falseness that his keepers portrayed as a mother and father. He started rolling around on the ground in a mad fury trying to put out the pains that engulfed his flesh. The madness of his mind turned the child into a fool as he howled out into the night air allowing for the inhabitants of the Yellow Forest to hear his cry. A foolish action, not knowing what lurks in dark places, yet even a fool by chance once in a lifetime will find that the gods will have things by chance go right by the fool.
By chance as Zoe was in the near distance, two creatures came by the way of the gods with evil intentions. The Katesthio were of the vile wicked kind meaning wickedness for those that came by way of them. They floated over the terrain having neither legs nor feet to walk upon and were hidden in the darkness with veils of obscurity, only their shinning yellow eyes were perceived as they looked over the terrain for helpless prey. As they moved along they peered with wicked delight in the night with the powers of the gods to see heat of any sort.
A cry was heard nearly 30 yards away, the cry of a foolish boy. The creatures slowed to stillness looking in the direction of the noise having keenness of senses. They waited for the sign of life, being excited about the prospects of a savage meal. Patiently they waited hearing the cries continue to echo in the darkness of night. Nothing. They continued to wait as they looked directly toward Zoe. So by a fool’s chance he was in a dip being hidden behind a pile of dirt having only his cries of loneliness swirl in a dance with the wind.
The creatures waited, waited longer than the patience of man hoping for more of the child than was given. They made slight guttural noises with which one communicated to the other pointing his fleshless fingers in a direction away from the noise of the boy. In the distance over two hills their keen sight saw a source of heat. The glow of delight caused the creatures to forget the foolishness of a child’s tantrum.
The yellow eyes of delight was fixed on its prey as they swept through the Yellow Forest floating upon the wind being directed onward, ever onward. They swept through the forest with purpose and delight gliding past trees with fluid motion always keeping their eyes centered on the growing figures before them. Distance was reduced by time as the creatures moved onward, closer and closer. Every moment the unsuspecting were about their normal nightly doings; every moment the dark creatures of the night were moving in on the families worst fears until embers of fire were unleashed upon them.
From behind they came out of the darkness as the parents saw these creatures come from over the shoulders of their dear ones. Swiftly the creatures came upon the unsuspecting ripping into the flesh of the two children with their grimy teeth. Fear and terror were upon the parents as they screamed in utter disbelief and horror. As the creatures were tearing, separating flesh from bone, the children cried out in burning pain. The father quickly grabbed the nearest weapon, a spear of choice, hand crafted by the man himself. Turning upon the creatures his spear was trust into the beast causing no harm as weapons made by human hands have no power upon them. The creature let go of his flesh torn victim and turned on the man with a fierce hatred making a quick end of him as the man’s terror for his child and rage turned to utter fear for his own safety. The creature was upon him and did not stop until the man lay lifeless. All the while the wife had leapt upon the other creature hoping to free the child of her bosom, but to no avail; in like manner to her companion, the woman fell.
Screams of horror and terror echoed in the night dissipating with distance leaving the inhabitants of the Yellow Forest ignorant of the terror this little family endured. As the creatures feasted upon their meal, a foolish boy finished with his tears of self-pity. He sat up and whipped away the remaining tears flowing from his puffy red eyes. With little energy, the boy spoke softly, “Curse you Sophia, why must you blow out my fire?”
He sat there and allowed his mind to reflect upon images and voices from the recent past, “Father why do you say such harsh things?”
His father looked at him as he was fumbling with the sticks that his father had given him
. He gained his son’s attention, “Look boy,” held his palm up and brought it before the child in a sweeping motion as if presenting the Yellow Forest to the child; the child rose to take in the full view the man was presenting. “See this boy. The beasts of this forest will eat you alive, only by a fools chance will you survive if you don’t learn how to start a fire!”
The boy kicked dirt not meaning to send it flying into the fire pit, “Look here! See you have made an already difficult task near impossible. Foolery, only by a fool’s luck with you start this fire. You must learn!” The father bent down and cleared the dirt from the wood and dried leaves. He began showing the boy again how to start a fire. “Make sure the goddess Sophia can do her work boy, allow for the fire to breath of Sophia!” The boy tried setting up the sticks the right way, but it always seemed to be a big mess for him pilling up and giving no room for the fire to breath of the air. “No! Go, get out of my sight, boy!” His father could no longer take his son’s failures to heart.
The boy went off and cried, he cried for most of the day realizing that in his father’s eyes he was a failure. Zoe knew that when his father talked of the fool, that the biting words were intended for him. His father looked upon him as a fool.
The night air cooled the boy’s tears as he continued to cry recalling his father’s treatment. Failure, thoughts of failure invaded his mind as he let the hot tears of loneliness stream down his dirt covered face. He screamed out in anger and hatred of who he was and the loneliness the gods had predestined for him, “I hate you all.” Screaming louder with every word, “I’m a failure, I am a failure…” He broke off into tears again looking at the pile of twigs before him. He thought to himself, My father was right; I am a failure.
Where Dragons Haunt (The Diaspora Book 1) Page 3