by Aaron Lynch
“Perhaps some of the spirits will be gentle,” Lisa said, feeling rather foolish for trying to speak to the fox prancing along without a care for anything else around it.
However, speaking the words herself, instead of hearing them from some foreign body, only heightened her misgivings. Lisa trusted the serpent to be truthful and expected all, or at least a vast majority, of these shadow creatures would be vicious. Nevertheless, she needed to continue, if not for the fact she seemed the only one able to help. No others had come to the gate. No one else even seemed to occupy this land but the leviathan and the gleeful little fox. All through her wonderings, she picked at the flowered branch, never daring to tear even a petal free. It held too beautiful an image to damage and, although still covered in slime, and probably worthless, she felt, for some reason, it held importance; remaining unable to place why.
The mist of her mind blocked everything...
Closer they came to the forest. Saplings littered the ground jutting out of the grass, proudly exclaiming their triumph of marring the perfect expanse of green. Soon the saplings grew into tall young trees reaching out with wide entangled branches ever more proudly. This change passed by completely unnoticed by Lisa, who, in her musings and absent fiddling, only had eyes for the ground. Her feet screamed for her to rest, the cool soil doing nothing to douse their burning any longer. But she couldn’t stop. Every time she slowed her pace, or tried to catch the fox’s attention, hopefully making it realize she needed rest, it’d simply ignore her and sprint on forcing her to continue tired and miserable.
Finally, after what seemed another hour, the fox stopped at a tree not much taller than her. Lisa hardly noticed it was even there, falling to the ground immediately massaging her feet.
“You don’t care much for rest, do you?” she glared at the forests edge searching for the bird. However, it thoroughly eluded her sights, barred by the high canopy.
Though the fox happily welcomed the rest, as it too fell to the ground panting, it refused to sit still, continuing to shift its gaze around the field and towards the forest. Lisa felt its uneasiness radiate like the heat of the sun breaking free from a clouded sky. Though, she took comfort in knowing she wasn’t the only one having misgivings of this strange land. She reached out to give the worried fox a reassuring pat, but sensing her movement, it moved away before looking back to her as it continued towards the trees. Begrudgingly, feeling the rest was hardly long enough, she followed.
Drawing farther and farther into the forest Lisa grew increasingly unnerved. Her heart beat fast and her hands developed an annoying tremor. This land was a stark contrast to the beauty of the fields. Trees, no more a sapling than she was, growing to monstrosities so high they forced her to crane her neck to see the tops, littered the landscape stealing the nutrients from the ground, disallowing the grass to grow. Light filtered through in full force, though it did nothing to warm the incredibly cold sea of trunks. Surprising, seeing as the trees here had no leaves to boast, as would a normal forest. Despite its intrigue, Lisa refused to give this strange phenomenon a second glance.
Misshapen, grotesque creatures, looking as if crossbreeds of birds and spiders, with long, green feathers and a hundred unblinking eyes, watched with a frightening intelligence upon their perches. Keeping her eyes to the fox they continued, their speed hampered from weaving around the massive trunks or avoiding the creatures many angry branches. Other animals scurried along the ground, some looking to be deformed deer bearing spikes on their backs, others having no limbs, not even faces, to speak of and hardly holding any semblance of shape. Before Lisa could get a good glimpse of any of these strange animals, they vanished only to reappear somewhere else just as suddenly. She shuddered and clutched her flowers close to her chest, shielding them from their hungry eyes.
She chanced a glance back towards the edge of the forest confident seeing the emerald grass would calm her rattled nerves. She frowned and her eyes fell to the dirt seeing they were so far gone into the woods no semblance of its edge even existed. The sea of thick trunks obstructed her view completely. Lisa didn’t even try to understand how they’d traveled so far in what seemed like only a few moments. The concept of how time worked in this land brought the mist back into her mind, along with its dull, throbbing headache.
Despite the eyes and spectral animals swirling around them Lisa flopped down exhausted, her back on a trunk rubbing her feet unable to walk any longer.
“We must discuss how often we rest!” she huffed to the fox, who, after noticing her befallen companion, tugged at her dress in useless persuasion. Its attempts to pull Lisa to her feet were short lived. The fox backed away from the tree she lay against, growling, baring its teeth and pawing like a rhino about to charge some foolish intruder of its territory.
“What’s wrong?”
Lisa stood as quickly as she’d dropped sensing her little friend’s unease. The fox took guard between her and the tree, growling incessantly. The tree itself stood an absolute oddity in the field of sky-high trunks and bare branches. Much shorter than the rest around it, its branches were thin, bearing long tropical leaves akin to the palm or cordyline species. The air around it lay suffocated with moisture holding in a curious bitter cold much too harsh for such a specimen.
Lisa’s stomach flipped at the queer sight. Something in her head screamed for her to get away! Then, before she could move, the ground heaved violently, nearly knocking her over. The fox turned tail and ran full tilt through the mass of trees, leaving only a flash of red as it disappeared. The many eyes watching them scattered and soon Lisa was alone. Steadying on another tree, she scrambled after the startled fox, but to no avail... It vanished before she took more than a step. The ground fell away replaced by a chasm viciously groping at her heels, trying to drag her down into the growing hole. Then the void stopped its advance allowing her to duck behind a trunk and slump to the ground panting uncontrollably. Everything went silent, the sweet smell of wet earth swirling through the air.
She peered around her hiding place, her eyes wide at what stood before her.
A magnificent pond overthrew a space a hundred feet across, a moss-covered stump stood alone in its center where the tropical tree had been. Its waters, despite bathed unabated by the light filtering through the branches above, were dark and cold. No plant life grew over its surface nor did anything swim within its depths. In spite of the ground’s violent heaving the water stood as still as a frozen sheet.
Lisa braved approaching the new form, nervously playing with her branch. Her advance was short lived; the disturbing image before her holding her in place like shackles. The stumps bark turned a sickly brown before peeling away, greedily consumed by the inky surface below, revealing a distorted dark mass. The figure ebbed and flowed gentle as a trickling stream, expanding to a horribly misshapen form of a human, glaring at her with a faceless head. Lisa recoiled unable to breathe, placing a hand on her chest trying to contain her racing heart. The thing only stared, still as a statue, suspended upon the water of which it consisted.
“Hmm... have I seen your pretty form before?” it asked. Their voice gurgled and choked as if the water consuming it fought to drown them as they talked. Lisa backed off further as the creature floated towards the edge of the pool, moving not a limb. Though the leviathan had given no description, which she hardly could blame it, as even now she was lost for words on how, she knew this horrendous thing to be the Nakki of which they spoke.
“N-no, I-I’ve never been here before,” she replied firmly yet unable to shake the feeling it was a lie. The creature seemed to nod its misshapen head, but its body flowed so much it was hard to tell.
“Of course, I must remember my place. A new face, but always the same purpose.”
The Nakki bowed with its hands together in prayer like a priest asking forgiveness. Reaching the edge of the water it leaned out towards her groping at her hand clutching the branch, its legs unable to leave the confines on the pond. Lisa tried to get
away, but a trunk behind her prevented her escape.
“Well, well, well. It seems that wretched serpent has convinced the sheep once more,” it said.
Lisa scowled at the creature. “I’m not a sheep! And why should I trust you? You’re no different!”
The Nakki sputtered inaudibly before straightening its posture and glaring at her with misshapen, angry eyes. “As are you. Heading out to do anything asked for a mere promise.” Water flicked from where its lips would’ve been as it spoke.
“What do you mean?” Lisa took a cautious step forward but still held her stance well away from the pond.
“Oh, no insult meant, my dear,” it reassured, “it is a... condition of your kind. Always ready to run headlong into the first task presented if even a chance of reward is present. I wonder if you ever stop to think, to ponder, if it is wise.”
“I think I can decide for myself what’s wise.”
“Of course my dear, of course. I know you are smart and very,” it parted its hands, gesturing to her as a whole. “Beautiful.”
“And what do you know of me?”
“So you are not smart?” it asked, amused.
Lisa took a step forward. “No, I-I mean, uh, yes, I am!”
The Nakki let out a stifled drowned laugh. “Yes... yes... Very smart, and so rare to find holding such beauty.”
“Enough compliments!”
“Ah, of course, you are too high of mind to fall prey to petty flattery. No, information is your crutch unfortunately, much like the majority of your kind,” it said with coy intelligence, a distorted smile breaking over its ever-moving head.
“What kind of information?” Lisa asked, taking another step.
“Oh, things I could care less about... though, seeing as your guide has vanished, I know will hold different meaning to you.”
“You know where I have to go, how?” she narrowed her eyes at the creature.
“Of course I know!” it snapped. Quickly it straightened its stature and recomposed its voice, “The times I have been so kind as to point the way tires me greatly. And, sadly, it’s always squandered in the end...”
Lisa played furiously with her branch, the soft petals offering little to calm her. “What d’you mean? Others have tried to get that serpent’s key back?”
“In a sense, yes, but unimportant. What is, is that I know.”
“Then tell me!”
“Oh I shall... but first, tell me. If you believe me to be untrustworthy, why have you nearly stepped into my waters?”
Lisa leapt away as quick as her heart bounded to her throat, her bare toes mere inches from the pond.
The spirit cackled again holding its stomach as if the joy pained them.
“Why you— you’re horrible!”
“And you have no idea what these waters can do! I am only trying to help.”
“Then tell me where to go!” Lisa stomped her foot hoping to intimidate the spirit with her anger, yet, it only made her feel slightly childish. Nevertheless, she held her proud, demanding stance, brandishing the stick in defiance of the crashing wave of fear trying to drag her into the depths of panicked anxiety.
The Nakki bowed its sloshing head then outstretched its right arm to the side. “Continue on in that direction and find the tree soon enough. But you will be back, I know it...”
Lisa looked to where it pointed then around and up to the branches searching for the creatures still watching.
“Do not fear the animals; they will not touch what I tell them not to.”
Then, as if it hadn’t ever been there at all, it melted away into the pond, the waters staying immobile as a sheet of glass.
Lisa backed away, the image of the monster leaping up from the pond flashing before her eyes. However, after waiting what felt like hours, or minutes, she never could tell, the Nakki never arose. Thankful it was gone she turned the way it’d pointed, giving one last fleeting glance around for the fox. Nothing, not a flash of red nor the sound of startled whimpering broke through the sea of trunk and earth. She had no choice but to follow the spirit’s misshapen limb. They may be a liar but where else could she go? The fox had run off, probably for good this time, and she could hardly trust the creatures perched above. Frowning, Lisa trudged forward all too happy to leave the pond behind.
Chapter 3
The Nakki’s cackling echoed in Lisa’s ears well after she’d left its domain. She ran as fast as she could, not only so the creatures above or scampering around could have no chance to attack, but to escape the horrid sound. Before she realized it, the trees had begun to disperse again as did the eyes watching her, waiting to strike the first moment of opportunity. None of them pounced nor called nor made any movements whatsoever. They merely watched in silence, just as the Nakki had said, and despite the leviathan’s warning. Soon she emerged from the forest back into the emerald fields.
She hardly noticed the change. The curious event at the pond lingered in her mind only allowing her own worries to enter. What had the Nakki meant? It seemed like it knew her, at least it assumed it did. Lisa pushed the unreasonable thought into the mists of her mind, refusing to question it any longer. The thing was taunting her, trying to get in her head, trying to drag her into its depths. It must be wrong, assuming her someone else. But who? No one else was here, or at least no one she’d met, and she hardly believed she’d meet anyone now. Why didn’t any of the creatures try to mislead her as the serpent said they would? Though horrid looking, they seemed only slightly disturbed and curious than angry that she’d entered the forest.
Not caring where she stopped Lisa flopped into the grass taking a well-deserved moment to assess her new surroundings. Having not noticed before she was pleasantly surprised at reaching the end of the dense thicket. However, her content vanished as quickly as it’d come seeing what stood before her.
The land ended abruptly, as if some giant had gouged away the ground with a shovel. Sparse outcroppings sat across the chasm with all but one holding anything of interest. A massive tree, much wider and taller than those of the forest, clung to the pillar with many thick, protruding roots. Its high branches were barren like the others, but it had a great many more to boast sitting upon a trunk so massive, yet so incredibly fragile, a massive hole ripping through the middle, they appeared as if perched on two thin table legs.
Lisa frowned at the sickly shell, pitying it for even attempting to cling to its sad existence. Standing she breathed deeply before braving to continue. If the condition of the tree was any indication of this mischievous spirits temperament, she had much more to fear than simple trickery and persuasion. Making her way towards the cliffs a bridge emerged out from behind the slight rise of the land stretching the gorge, connecting the trees lonely isle to everything else. The bridge itself looked positively ancient. Moss and grass grew along its ropes unabated, along with many boards having come loose from their bindings, plummeting into the abyss below.
Lisa braved peering over the cliffs edge only to have her stomach flip violently in protest. She recoiled overcome with disgust. Neither land nor ocean rested far below, only the dark, empty space of nothing. She tried to quell her racing heart with fast shallow breaths. Her thoughts scurried away, frantic and distraught as she tried to put sense to the sight. Alas, she couldn’t, and tried instead feebly forcing the thought of the abyss away altogether. However, the mass of forest behind only served to remind her of what unspeakable monster could lay within the hollow tree.
Shuddering Lisa refocused on the yawning gap between her and the tree. The expanse held a greater width than she’d initially thought and the bridge seemed fit to give way at the slightest touch. Grasping the ropes, she stood rocking back and forth trying to muster the courage to cross. She stared at the trees sickly appearance for long moments, wondering of exactly how it came to be in such a desperate state of being and if, perhaps, the creature within had any hand in its form. She thought fleetingly perhaps the spirit was reflective of the tree and that it held a
s disfiguring and feeble a form. The assumption gave her a false comfort, however, and the words of the serpent echoed in her mind just as she raised her foot to cross. Her eyes widened and she backed away from the bridge cursing at herself for her stupidity.
“How can I do this if I can’t cross!?” she stomped her foot and clenched her fists so tight she nearly snapped her flowered branch in two. Her voice echoed across the still air like a rock clunking down an empty well.
The air fell deathly silent, even the music of the distant hedge disappeared. The bridge swayed violently in a ghostly gale. Lisa bound backwards tumbling into the grass as a shadow crept from the tree’s wound, glaring at her with menacing red eyes. Then, it leapt from its lair streaking across the bridge with the speed of a pouncing cheetah. Lisa fell to the ground shielding her head as the thing froze before her, rising to a terrifying height. But it didn’t attack. It merely stood high above her, silent as the air. Its presence forced her to shudder; her skin crawled as if she’d fallen into an anthill. The spectres scurried along her body content to sting and bite at any exposed flesh.
“A-are you the spirit that stole the leviathans’ key?” Lisa asked before the eerie silence of the being drove her insane.
The shadow waited long moments before replying with a simple and heavy breathed, “Yes.”
The word was but a whisper yet to Lisa it’d shouted across the chasm it protected. Its deep voice penetrated like a knife stabbing her heart just enough to force it to continue its frantic beating.
“You may stand,” it said in a much calmer, albeit demanding, tone.