Egbert's World

by Robert Ian Wilson

  Chapter Three - A Familiar Place

  I remembered my eyes were dim and heavy; the floor was hard and cold. I felt sleepy and I had awoken to silence.

  My breathing faintly echoed out into a large open space and I gasped at the relief of being unharmed. I sat silently, as I looked around my surroundings. The roof had extremely large wooden beams, which were arched like an egg. The foundations looked strong and the church walls were made of white stone; it felt awfully familiar.

  The place was too big to be a simple church, it looked more like a cathedral. There was an organ on a platform and behind it was a big and bright window. The patterned stained glass was a work of art and it told a story of some sort. I could just make out the context, which had been inscribed with such care. It said:

  'When the earth was born and the first garden was created, an evil lingered in the shadows. Where there is Light, there is always Darkness. The Evil hid amongst the world and spread its content across the lands to add to its strength. A group of knights confronted the Entity and trapped it inside a plant that was grown from pure light. The earth returned to normal and it was sealed inside of Eve until the end of time.'

  “So… I am in a place called Eve?” I whispered. I felt in awe at being present in such a magical place. That's until I did the silliest thing, an action, which I'm not proud of to this day.

  A voice called out to me, which triggered my hairs to stand up on the back of my neck. I couldn’t make out what it said at first, the low grumbly tone was hard to hear; until it settled to a friendlier nature.

  “Who are you?” it said.

  I called out my name and awaited its next question, but nothing followed for a second; so, I asked, “Who’s there?”

  Again, it stayed silent, adding to my frustration and so I managed to find the exit. I grabbed hold of a golden door handle and was about to take my leave, when it spoke again...

  “Where are you going?” questioned the stranger.

  I was already tired of it, to be honest; I thought it was rude for asking questions and not introducing itself. My grandfather had taught me better, so I obliged and answered.

  “Out!” I shouted.

  “But why?” it said, with its constant questioning.

  I explained my predicament and my wishes to find my lost Grandpa Egbert and my dog Sam. I described how I heard Egbert's voice calling out to me from out of the mysterious door.

  There was a moment of silence until it spoke again. “Let me out too, please. I have been in here for quite a while and I have longed to see the sky once more.”

  I was suspicious of the voice at first, but it also explained its own dilemma. Apparently, an evil entity who lived outside the cathedral had locked him inside with force and it had stayed, guarded, for many years.

  I asked for it to show itself, but its response was highly unusual.

  “I can’t form a body, young one. You already see me for what I am, and I can only be here in spirit.”

  I thought the best thing to do was to get help, especially if there was something waiting in the wings outside. And so, I let the voice go, by opening the doors freely and with the hope of its help in return.

  How naive I was, as I watched a dark mist manifest into a shadow with red eyes. It laughed with joy and stretched its ghostly arms. Terrified would be an appropriate word to describe one's self, as the fear washed over me.

  The shadow's voice had changed and was low once more; its silhouette reminded me of the gargoyles from the orphanage.

  “Thank you, Lucius, you have done me a great favour. Is there anything you want in return? Your grandfather perhaps?”

  I was shocked at the request, but also untrusting towards the being, so I foolishly asked: “Where is this evil entity you spoke of?”

  The voice laughed at my question and disappeared in a shadow of a large tree and it was gone…

  I was glad it was over and felt a bit betrayed, but I could concentrate on finding Grandfather and Sammy once more, but the path ahead stretched far and long. Another visitor travelled towards the cathedral.

  Who could this be now? I thought.

  The closer it got, the larger it became, and I hoped whoever it was would be friendly.

  A Fox stood up like a man, stopped in the middle of the cobbled road. I’ve never seen an animal walk on its back legs before, it was highly unusual and unorthodox; besides it must have been the world’s biggest Fox.

  “Hello,” it said fondly.

  Wait! The Fox spoke!

  I couldn't concentrate on that thought and the more the animal spoke, the more I felt faint.

  He asked why I was coming from the Cathedral and so, I told him about the voice.

  “He has escaped?” it panicked.

  “Who? The voice?” I replied.

  “The Evil has been freed into our plain again!” yelped the fox. “He will try and devour the spirits! And our world will become darkness once more! It will be getting stronger by the minute.”

  “Why does it need strength?” I was really starting to get worried, each time the Fox spoke.

  “Didn’t you read the story human?” he asked. I nodded and realised that I’d been tricked, like the gullible fourteen-year-old I was. “It wants to return to your world.”

  I offered my assistance at once, to amend my mistake: “I’m sorry, is there anything I can do?”

  The animal stared for a second.

  “Suppose you can, maybe…”

  He asked if I would accompany him home and I could tell he was a bit worried. His brown eyes darted around unnervingly at every movement from within the forest, which surrounded us both.

  We set off at pace and to be honest the feeling was mutual; I was sure there were a pair of intense green eyes watching from afar, but they disappeared like the shadow.

  It turned out the Fox was, in fact, a farmer and his name was Mr Henry Watson; a very formal name for an animal, but suppose wherever I was, it'll be the norm. I also had asked the Fox if he'd seen my grandpa, but unfortunately, he didn't know of any other human passing through, so it was back to the drawing board for me.

  The road was tiring, and Mr Watson was still on his back legs.

  I thought, surely enough it would be easier for him to saunter along like a normal Fox. It was something I struggled with. You’d think a Fox talking would be more peculiar, but his walk was so strange to witness.

  We stopped abruptly and Mr Watson told me to stand back and wait. I wasn’t sure what he was up to, until he pulled out a key, but where was the door?

  To my amazement, a small black hole was randomly in the centre of the road. He placed the key in and opened a door out of thin air.

  The other side was completely different. It reminded me of my grandfather's garden; it housed thousands of exotic plants and overgrown vegetation.

  “Welcome to my farm,” said Mr Watson.

  We stepped into another side to this world and it was beautiful. The birds chirped and sang in a synchronised rhythm. Small whispers could be heard in the canopies and it felt like we were being watched by little eyes. Rest assured, though, it was only the insects having a debate on which tree to start eating next. It was odd but felt warm and inviting.

  We finally stopped at a fence with a small gate and Mr Watson invited me in for some lunch. I wondered what would be on the menu... but it was simply tomato soup that Mrs Watson had cooked up the previous day.

  His wife was very nice and loved to have company, especially since I’d let an evil spirit out upon this world. She was worried about our wellbeing's and they decided to take me to the town through the next door, for my own safety. I felt nothing was straightforward in

  Eve…

  “Eve? What is this place?” I asked.

  “This is a realm, which exists purely by the light,” explained Mr Watson. “You have crossed into a spirit world. It was partly created to hold the evil Entity that you mistakenly let go. He has many forms and finds pleasure in making mi
schief for those beneath him.”

  I noticed Mrs Watson hold onto her husband’s hand; I felt I’d done something extremely awful.

  “What is the Entity’s name?” I asked.

  “He has no name. No first or last name, we just call him the shadow, or anything related to pure evil,” explained the Fox. Mr Watson suddenly smiled, “I don’t want to sound soppy, but it’s nice to have a guest here, even if you are human.”

  “We don’t get many visitors,” explained a saddened Mrs Watson.

  “Are there many humans here?” I asked.

  “Just one. Her name is Thea.”

  I wondered about how she arrived… The same way as me or through the many doors that Mr Watson had mentioned?

  “Where is she?” I asked.

  “All I know is that she lives in an old library and unfortunately, it’s all the information I have,” responded the fox.

  After lunch, I stepped outside to wait for the two foxes to accompany me to their town. I was hopeful that someone might have heard a word of my grandfather, but I hadn’t noticed the shadows in the forest. They moved quickly and were hard to keep track of. They came from out of the ground and trees; I wasn't sure what we were dealing with, until Mr Watson set his eyes upon the Darkness, he knew what was coming.

  The light faded quickly, and their thatched cottage was a blaze of fire.

  “Lucius, go!” shouted Mr Watson.

  I watched the owners attempt to put out the flames. I tried to go forward to help, but I’d been cut off from my new friends. Their house sank into shadow within seconds and I ran, like a coward, back through the forest that burned.

  I fell to the ground and felt a sharp pain in my leg. I noticed a lump in my pocket and brought out a key. Mr Watson must have slipped it into my pocket at lunch. It was like they were expecting to be swallowed by the Entity and their only goal was to protect me. But why? I was nothing but a stranger to them?

  My name was called out from the shades of the black trees, which had been eaten.

  “Lucius… Lucius… You will fail and I will return.”

  His taunts were confusing, but I was a determined boy and this thing had angered me.

  “Filth! You will not have the last laugh!” I screamed.

  The voice chuckled with amusement and I could sense the pleasure in upsetting me. A shadow formed into a man not far off and started to approach. It was brandishing a black sword and it held it up high to strike me down. I lost my footing and fell backwards onto a tree and noticed a keyhole in the wood.

  I quickly opened the door and the key disintegrated in my hand. I jumped into the next world without hesitation and the door vanished behind me.

  Chapter Four - The Old Knights and New

  I had fallen on a hard floor and my back ached from the harsh contact. I’d somehow moved into a very old, oval library. There were thousands of different coloured books that spread along the wooden shelves.

  I got up and noticed another door, half open, and a cold breeze came in. I could hear people talking outside and I saw strange shadows cast onto the floor. My instant reaction and thought, was that the Entity had followed me. I gazed outside into a circular courtyard, where an old tree resided in the centre, but I couldn’t see or find the source of movement, who created the shadows.

  The talking had stopped, once I had set foot outside. How peculiar, I wondered.

  The place was awfully confusing, everyone seemed very secretive to me and reserved; why hide oneself and especially from just a boy?

  My curiosity was answered, and something called out either behind or up the tree.

  “Hello there, young one,” it said.

  I asked for them to show themselves, before delving into any conversation, I didn’t want to be tricked again and would’ve liked to deal with the situation face to face and to my surprise, he wasn’t hiding…

  The withered old tree spoke slow and softly: “It’s been hours since I had company! I do like having company, especially strangers who tell good stories.”

  A story? I pondered. The only tale that came to mind at the time was the one I was part of so far; starting with my grandpa.

  The tree impatiently moaned, “Come on, please tell me a story.”

  So, I did and told him everything that had happened, including my shame of letting the Evil spirit free. I felt it was only fitting to let the tree know of the danger, who was lurking within the shadows.

  He didn’t like that part; I knew by the disappointment in his voice. “The fox is right; the spirit is pure evil! And will not stop until everything here is devoured by its darkness. He has started with the Watsons and will keep going until everything is gone. It needs the strength to pass into the human world and there it will make its home once more,” he said in a gloomy tone.

  “How do you know this is to be true?” I asked.

  “I have heard many stories from strangers, who had fought in the war between the two Kings and the arrival of the Entity, but I forget what is true and what’s been elaborated. There are so many tales to remember.”

  I asked if one of the strangers could have been my grandfather, but the tree had not seen him and I was the first outsider to have passed through the courtyard, in a while.

  Amongst my deep conversation with the tree, I had overlooked something again, unfortunately, I'm not very observant, a family trait apparently.

  “Who were you talking too?” I asked.

  “My friends,” he explained. “But they have a strange accent and can be very frustrating, to strike a decent conversation out of them.”

  The source of the shadows had been answered, when two small squirrels bobbed their heads from out of a hole in the tree. They quickly scattered down the bark and onto the concrete floor, to have a better look at me. The little squirrel stood up on its back legs and chattered its teeth like any other.

  At last, I thought, some sanity that I can latch onto, an animal who acts like an animal.

  The two climbed up my orphanage navy sweatshirt, poking holes into the fabric.

  “They are very tame,” I said to the tree.

  “They would be; they spend their time mostly with the mistress. She was the one who they came with into my world.”

  If she wasn't the owner of the library, I thought she could be the human the Watson's spoke of or just another talking animal?

  It wasn’t too long until I’d found the answers to my questions. A latch opened the door on the far side of the wall and a beautiful girl, with golden hair appeared before me. She looked at me with a joyful expression and said, “You have come!”

  I wondered how she could have possibly known of my impending arrival.

  She dropped her picked apples onto the floor and gestured to sit down on the wall, which enclosed the old tree.

  “It was foretold that another will come and collect what is rightfully theirs,” she explained to add to my confusion. I started to sound like a broken parrot as I explained the reason of my presence and sole purpose of finding my grandfather and my dog, Sammy, but she was adamant, my arrival had a truer meaning.

  “Only those who are worthy enough to travel to Eve have the pure light in their hearts.”

  The tree blurted out of my misdoings, I think he felt left out of the conversation and she looked troubled. How a mood can quickly change... She placed a hand on my shoulder, just like Kara would’ve done to comfort me, before giving the bad news.

  “Then it is your duty to put the Evil back and imprison it once again. This was no accident and your grandfather is involved. To find him, you must confront your fear and face this evil,” she said.

  I shook at the idea of being in its presence once more and the voice, who chilled me to the bone.

  She guided me towards the tree and propped her hand on the bark. The tree opened up and its roots presented me with an unexpected gift. A hilt stuck out of its rooted hands and I pulled a magnificent silver sword from its grasp. I held it up towards the sunlight, which re
flected from off the blade; it was a perfect size for a boy my age.

  I asked the mysterious girl, “Who are you?”

  “I am the daughter of Arn Siegfried, a Knight who was chosen to imprison the Darkness who’d swallowed the earth. My name is Thea and the other three are Rostruk the tree, Arthur, and Oscar.”

  I introduced myself with a gentlemanly bow, although I wasn’t sure what to do with the sword in hand. “Lucius Domhill at your service; it’s very nice to meet you all.”

  It had been a good hour and we’d just finished eating some homemade bread, which I’m sure had seen better days. I’d learnt more of Thea and her knights of old. The story in the Cathedral was true and she was part of those events that unfolded, although she shouldn't have been part of it at all.

  She hailed from a family of knights who were tasked with the duty of imprisoning the Evil by the pure light. Her father was there that day, amongst the tropical rainforest in South America. They had travelled a long way to drive the Entity back and with the help of the light, they banished it from the earth into the sacred plant, but there was one important detail, which was left out of the stained-glass window. Thea had been taken by the Entity.

  She awoke alone on a green island and was lost to the world until she realised her fate.

  The sword I held was presented to her by an old spirit called Ullpli and he gave her the task of guarding the silver blade, until its rightful owner appeared in Eve.

  Apparently, that was me, but I felt very sceptical about her tale and I’m sure I made myself clear a couple of times; I was no knight.

  I placed the sword back onto the table and prepared myself to look for my grandfather once again. Luckily Thea understood, although she kept gesturing for me to take the blade. Rostruk wanted to hear another story from me before I disappeared, but I’d wasted too much time. I turned towards the gate and said my farewells, but I noticed the fear in Thea’s eyes. I didn’t quite know why? Until I turned around to face another stranger.

  The Darkness who’d held the shadow blade must have followed me through the tree and it wouldn’t be too soon, until I heard the voice once more.