Questmyre

by HaaJar Johnson

  “It is the Reposer…” Trilly came to stand near her, sensing her fear.

  “The Reposer. Oh, I met him. What does he have to do with this song?” Robin asked in confusion.

  “It is not a song but more a cry of lamentation.” Marin explained then cried out loudly like the rest.

  “But why? Why now? What were those drums for? Is that why the cries were coming from the town center all those nights?” Robin asked frantically. She needed concrete answers and she wanted them now.

  “It’s the Reposer… he is preparing to repose…” Trilly said cryptically.

  “Don’t ask too many questions. It is best you and your other strange friend do not anger the wongswited or question their ways. Just return below stairs and act like you never saw us. Forget about what happens in the town center. It does not concern you.” Garabeth stared pointedly at Robin then at the red exit door at the other end of the roof.

  Robin realized she would get no further answers. Wanting to get back to Roami’s side and safety; Robin raced towards the red door and made her way down one flight of stairs. She then exited the door to that floor and ran down the hallway towards the elevators. She was definitely taking the easy way down.

  Stepping into the elevator she could not help but fidget and hop anxiously from foot to foot. She could not wait to tell Roami all that had happened. But more importantly they had to get to the town center right now to figure out what the Reposing business truly entailed.

  ***

  “Wait… so what are you talking about? What is Bunk juice? And why in the world would you drink something without knowing what it would-" Roami shook his head in confusion as he tried to piece together Robin’s rushed story.

  He was still dressed in his black pajama suits. He barely had time to throw on his black shoes as Robin rushed through the details of her adventure and their need to get to the town center quickly.

  She had kept her purple pajamas on as well but rushed to collect all of the souvenirs she had picked up from Fitz and Wongswited, excluding the large doll house of course. That had been a tough decision; it was just too big to carry without causing a scene. Robin was sure she would take it everywhere she went if she could. She frantically placed the Flob nuggets, blue Akwo stone and Bunk juice in a black hand bag Tika had been nice enough to give her days ago.

  “Roami does that really matter right now? Please, we need to focus on what they are trying to hide from us. It definitely has something to do with ‘Reposing’ and I just pray it’s nothing at all like ‘Disposing’ or we may have another problem on our hands…” Robin said breathlessly as they made their way out of the building and raced across town. They did not stop running until they made it to the small park located at the town center.

  Robin and Roami raced back to the same spot they had hid the previous night. They breathlessly hunched behind one of the brightly colored, artificial sculpture bushes which stood just at the back of a park bench.

  At first all they saw was the Reposer standing in the clearing next to the marble slab which marked the towns epicenter. He looked just as they had seen him the day before. He wore the same brown suit and arrogant expression. Robin crooked her neck to get a better view of him. He was standing near a copse of sculpture trees while banging a large silver colored drum with one large brown stick. Robin yawned and was beginning to wonder if there truly was a deep, dark secret to unearth. Maybe the Reposer was just part of some corny underground music band that only played in the dead of night and early morning.

  Their perseverance, however, paid off and after waiting a short while they saw tons of Wongswiteds slowly begin to fill the small park.

  Although the hour was early everyone wore their finest business suits, not one person looked flustered, hurried or wore their pajamas with curlers still in their hair. Robin definitely felt underdressed as she and Roami were still in their pajamas and her hair was all over the place.

  “I guess they had this already planned out. They finally have a party here and we weren’t even invited. How rude…” Robin sucked her teeth in exasperation. She glared past the rainbow colored crystal leaves of the bush and the wooden slits of the bench to take it all in. Roami just gave her a warning stare that said, please be quiet for once.

  When it appeared everyone was in attendance a tall and slender purple woman walked out from among the crowd. She looked very nervous and her sky blue eyes glistened in the blue light of the lanterns hanging above them on the street lines.

  Her sky blue hair was short and curled softly against her beautifully sculpted face. She wore a pristine white gown which looked exactly like the gown Boonie had worn during his Birthing in Fitz. It flowed all around her and the bottoms had turned slightly yellow from the golden ground beneath them.

  A man stepped from the crowd and stood a few feet behind her looking just as nervous. He had fiery red hair and green eyes that looked kindly. He was dressed in a black suit and black undershirt.

  The woman turned around and stared at him for assurance. It was fair to assume he was her husband. Nodding his head he motioned for her to move forward. She smiled timorously then made her way before the Reposer who now stood beside the silver drum.

  With a deep indrawn breath he ceased his drumming and dropped the wooden stick to the ground. The Reposer looked her in the eyes and she curtsied respectfully at his feet.

  “Is it time then?” The Reposer asked.

  “Yes, it is.” She responded robotically.

  “We must wait for the King to-” The Reposer stopped speaking when he saw a path quickly open within the crowd. King Philtu made his way to the forefront. Two large guards stood at his sides; one with a large golden chair in hand which he placed down right before the swarm of onlookers. The king sat on the proffered chair then nodded solemnly at the Reposer to continue.

  “Let’s just get on with this. This is the latest birthing in history! How could it have come so late?!” He looked incredibly angry. Taking a deep breath to control his rage he just shook his head then continued to speak before the Reposer could begin to make excuses, “Just get on with it quickly! We can’t have our guests waking up and seeing this business…”

  Nodding hastily, the Reposer took the woman by the hand and led her a few feet over the golden cement path towards a patch of manicured ground. Here at the town’s epicenter, there was a mound of artificial brown grass and in the center of the small upraised hill a circular piece of black marble.

  “I saw that the other day when we passed by. I thought maybe it was a monument or something…” Robin whispered to Roami. Roami just nodded as he watched the events unfolding with bated breath.

  As the Reposer and the woman made their way towards the marble slab, two large purple men followed behind them then leaned forward to pull the oval slab of black marble from the ground. Beneath it was nothing more than a circle of red sand.

  To Robin, it felt as if the entire procession had taken a deep breath of anticipation at the same exact time. The tension nearly crackled in the air.

  At the Reposer’s stern nod, the woman walked towards the sand and sat on it gingerly. Her white gown bunched up all around her and soon had red stains from the sands pigment. After a few moments of contemplative silence she stood up and stared at the spot of sand she had left.

  Everyone else stared at the spot of red sand as well. As the moments passed the woman began to wring her hands nervously.

  The red-headed man who had urged her earlier was indeed her husband. He rushed forward to stand beside his wife. He took her tenderly in his arms. All the while theirs and everyone else’s eyes never left the plot of sand.

  “I guess they have a similar birthing process after all...” Roami said just before Robin shushed him. Just then a tiny hand ripped out of the sand and a small body pushed its way through the sand to lie across the ground. The newborn babe give a hearty scream out to the heavens above.

  “Oh no! Oh please no!” The woman said and immediately fainted
in her husband’s arms. Grabbing his wife the man grimaced then carried her away quickly.

  The silence of just a few moments before was a thing of the past. Angry screams erupted from every direction. The crowd began to scream and grab angrily at the couple, who stealthily got away.

  When their initial targets were gone the crowd rounded up against the small child, left behind and abandoned by its birth parents.

  The small green skinned baby looked back at the crowd with large tearful purple eyes and began to scream for its mother. His beautiful golden hair was matted to his head and covered in red sand. “Mama, Mama! Who am I? What is my name? Mama, Mama! Who will protect me?” he cried out frantically.

  Robin’s mouth hung ajar in complete shock as tears began to build up and seemed to drown her from within.

  “Oh no… How could they?! How could they repeat such an ugly thing and do exactly what was done to them!” Robin said this angrily as she jumped over the bench they had hid behind. Without a thought in her mind, other than the safety of the baby, she made her way to the child’s side. She stood before him just as the first gold rocks were thrown its way.

  “Robin, wait!” Roami said as he raced to stand beside her. He quickly positioned himself to shield both the baby and Robin from the brunt of the stones thrown at them.

  “How could you all do this to a helpless baby? Have you learned nothing from what you went through at the hands of the people of Fitz? This is completely crazy!” Robin screamed furiously at the crowd. However, she grew quiet when something at the edge of the crowd caught her eye.

  “Oh no... Please no. Not you too!” She said with tears in her eyes as she saw young Brifton dressed in a small white suit, gleefully racing around to gather stones. He then threw each one at the young green child. He was mimicking his parents’ actions. For Robin, knowing this did not make the betrayal sting any less.

  Before Robin could continue her tirade against the town’s people the tall skinny man who called himself the Reposer, stepped before the two children and the young green baby. Pushing his white rimmed glasses up against his face he glared at Robin and Roami with distaste. “Move aside strange ones! Move aside so that I can do my job and lead this abomination away from us all!” He said sternly.

  Before Robin could respond with words or her fists, a loud moaning sound began to canvas the town. Everyone stopped and stared up above. The Fitzian’s cries from the rooftops was so sorrowful it crept into the bones of any who heard it.

  Robin herself could not help but shiver. Roami grabbed up the green baby and held him protectively in his arms as he too looked up in wonder.

  “I know what that is! That is the sound of sadness. That is the sound of your guilt!” Robin screamed out at the crowd and pointed at everyone. The moans continued as each Quarter on each building reacted to the screams they had heard in the town center. They knew now that one of theirs had been born of the Wongswited and would be killed.

  “You all think you can profit from the pain and misery you put on those poor Fitzians but you are wrong! Like so many people before you, you will be taken down by your own greed and corruption. Yes, the Fitzians under the sea were wrong to abandon you and throw you away. But to make the ones who were forced here, suffer too, that is just as wrong. You went from the victims to the victimizers!” Robin wiped the tears that fell from her eyes during her speech. She looked at Brifton standing with a rock in his hand and could not stop the moan of pain that fell from her lips.

  Roami; seeing that Robin was close to completely losing it, took her by the hand and pulled her against him for support. The child was still safely behind them and protected from the crowd.

  The King stood from his chair and motioned towards Robin, “Do you truly think Strange Ones… do you truly think those heathens…those slaves on the rooftops would not do to us what we do to them if they were given even half a chance?! You know nothing of society… you know nothing of the nature of people if you think they are any better than us! Only the fittest survive…everyone else must be kept down for their own good!” Grimacing he covered his ears as the Fitzian moans grew louder.

  “Guards I want each one of those Quarters punished by nightfall. No rations of food for three days for this offense. And if they dare stage another Blue Storm for this, be sure to make that a full week without rations! As for that green abomination over there… Reposer get over there and get rid of it now!” The King bellowed.

  The two guards beside him moved forward to take action.

  “No way!” Robin said standing protectively beside Roami and wrapping her arms around Roami and the baby.

  “Now, no need to get angry. I’m just doing my job, that’s all. Have to rid the city of this stain. No harm intended; really, just doing my job.” The Reposer said with agitation. He moved towards them to pull the little baby from their grasp.

  “No!” Robin said simply.

  “Yes well… Then I guess you two will be going with it then!” The Reposer said this and waving his hand in the air, motioned for someone to come towards him.

  The crowd moved aside as two large green Fitzian servants in tattered gray shirts and trousers, shorn hair and red sleep deprived eyes moved towards the trio. They did not look all that menacing but it was apparent they would do whatever they were ordered.

  The servants pushed at Robin and Roami who remained entwined to ensure they were not separated. The baby snuggled between them and tried to hide his cute face away from the angry and vicious glares it saw all around it.

  After a few hefty nudges by the two servants, the trio was forced across the gold pavement and into the gold cobbled street.

  There a white truck waited for them. It was the only vehicle Robin and Roami had seen since they had arrived in Wongswited. It was made of wood and was circular in shape, very similar to the water buggies in Fitz. Instead of sea horses it had a thick layer of purple gemstones on its bottom which helped it hover in the air.

  Where there should have been a hood and an engine, there was a simple cutout and two sturdy ropes so that the two large servants could pull the wagon along with their brute strength. Apparently their gems were not strong enough to lift such a large structure off the ground without the additional power of water. Not to mention, the gemstones could not navigate such a vehicle. The stroller and shopping cart incidents now came back to haunt Robin and Roami’s minds. They realized both had been drawn by invisible servants who were chock full of Bunk Juice.

  The servants forced Robin, Roami and the baby into the side door of the carriage. Inside they found there was no velvet or plush pillows. Everything was hard and made out of old wood. Sitting on one of the double benches, they continued to hold on to the small baby to ensure there was no way anyone could take him from them. The Reposer jumped in as well and sat on the bench opposite them; facing away from the front.

  Robin looked out of the small circular cutout window to see the people of Wongswited still angrily yelling and shaking their fists at them. A few rocks were thrown against the carriage and one made its way inside where it hit Robin in the shoulder.

  “Ow! You stupid-" Robin made as if to throw open the door and run out to seek vengeance but Roami pulled her back in. He looked at her then pointedly at the small baby in his arms. That calmed Robin down a bit. Roami rubbed at her shoulder to soothe the pain.

  “Does it hurt? Are you okay?” He asked with concern.

  “It’s not so bad…” Robin said as she began to feel the carriage move forward. Like the water buggies of Fitz, their carriage had a small glass cutout in the front which allowed them to see the road ahead of them. The two servants stood before the vehicle and each grabbed a hold of the hanging strings. Without preamble they began to pull the hulking carriage forward as it hovered slightly in the air.

  The Reposer hung his head out the window and waved at the crowd. Before driving off he said, “Get some rest my good people! I will take care of this problem and tomorrow we will forget this ever happe
ned. Good day!” He yelled for the servants to begin moving the vehicle forward.

  They drove past the same shopping centers they had happily walked through days before. Drove through Akwo Tunnels they had slid through day after day. Passed store owners and people whose names they had learned and whose hands they had shook. What a difference a day could truly make, Robin thought.

  As they eventually left the town limits and moved closer to the forest, Robin understood why she had heard so many of the Wongswited call them “The Dark Forests”. The tree leaves were ink black and the trunks were a pale sickly gray. The dirt here was grayish unlike the golden color they saw everywhere else they had been. The few pieces of wild grass and plants were all black as well.

  Robin looked confused, “Where are all the bright plants and flowers I saw in the Quarter?”

  “You were in one of the Quarters? You truly know how to put your nose where it doesn’t belong Strange One. If you must know there are few if any thriving trees or plants still left in the forest. The blue Akwo stone mined from the ground of the forest gives life to the trees and plants. Anywhere you see trees like these here it is because the blue stone has been completely mined from a location. The plants you saw in the Quarter were taken from seeds of thriving foliage.” The Reposer looked annoyed for having to explain even this little tidbit to her.

  “So…long story short… In addition to enslaving the Fitz and making them invisible with your poison juice… You guys also single-handedly destroyed the forests in order to obtain light which you could easily get from the Planet Yur… if you hadn’t built buildings too tall to make any sense. The end.” Robin looked at the Reposer sarcastically.

  The Reposer looked as if he would respond but was so angered by her frank yet accurate account of their actions that he just swallowed hard and made a pointed effort to ignore her. He stared out the window as if she too had drank Bunk and became instantly invisible.

  As they moved steadily away from the town of Wongswited Robin sighed and whispered “Good Riddance!”