Emma and the Minotaur

by Jon Herrera

that once inhabited this world. Every story you’ve ever heard, they are all true. These stories did not come from nothing, and they now inhabit the World of Light. They left this world long ago but now more and more creatures, my brothers, are coming back.

  “Minotaur grows ever stronger. So far, he comes only at night and he cannot leave the forest, but soon he will be strong enough to do so and to remain awake for a long, long time. Soon there will be no turning back and no one will be able to stand against him. What you must do, Emma, first and foremost, is to defeat Minotaur before he gains the power to conquer the world.”

  Though, in reality, the encounter had occurred the night before, for Emma it had only taken place a few hours back, and the vision of the one called Minotaur was still vivid in her mind. She recalled the monster, and his impossible size and power, and she almost shivered.

  “How? How can I fight such a thing?”

  There was a long pause before Domino spoke again. “I don’t know, Emma,” he said. “I don’t think anyone does. Not in the time that we have left.”

  “This is crazy.”

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t believe my dad would agree to this. He told me you’d only teach me to defend myself.”

  Domino nodded. “That is what he believes and what I have led him to believe. You must let him keep believing it. We have argued for years about this in the event that you were truly meant to be the one to bear this burden. In effect, we’ve argued over the fate of the planet like a fated game of chess. We hoped this wouldn’t happen so soon but no one can predict what the Lord of Light will do, not even the trees.”

  Emma sat down where she was. Her head was swimming with information and possibilities. There was a whole other world that she had been unaware of and that her father had known about all along. What other secrets had he kept from her?

  “I’m sure this all seems like too much but there is little time. Come to me every day from now on and I will teach you the things that you need to know, starting with how to use the gift that you’ve been given. Go now and rest. What is to come will not be easy.”

  As Emma walked back home, it felt as though none of it was real, or as though it was happening to someone else. The strangeness of it made her feel like she was in a dream. The walk home felt interminable and, when she finally made it, she felt exhausted with the weight of it all.

  She had dreamed of saving the world like the heroes in her books did. She loved the stories about unlikely persons destined for greatness. But all of it seemed so far above her head, so much bigger than she was. She didn’t know if any of her heroes had ever been so plainly confused. On top of it all, when she imagined the eyes of the creature, the minotaur, she was filled with cold fear.

  When Emma entered her house, her father was waiting for her just beyond the doorway. She walked up to him and hugged him tightly and closed her eyes. She felt his arms wrap around her small frame.

  Emma tried to speak but she only managed two words. “Why me?” she said and then sniffed as a tear or two formed in her eyes. Her father took her in his arms and carried her to the armchair. He sat down and Emma curled up into him.

  “Let me tell you a story,” he said. “About the day you were born.”

  Emma sometimes had those days when her mood was so low that nothing could make her feel better. Whenever of those days came, she always found herself like this, snuggled up against her father, listening while he read a book to her.

  “It was the sunniest of days when you were born, my little girl. A beautiful day in April.”

  “April?” Emma said. “Dad, I was born in May!”

  He laughed and continued. “I know, my dear. I’m just teasing you. It was a beautiful day in May. Will was just a toddler, a two-year-old hurricane of a kid, and Grandma was taking care of him at her old house.

  “I was there at the hospital when mom was giving birth. It was an easy labour, she said later. They had the windows open and birds were chirping and they were welcoming you into the world. I was there in the room and you came out just like that. You were so little back then that I could almost hold you in one hand.

  “It was so easy and you were so healthy that we brought you home right away. We drove back with the windows down. Mom was holding you in the car and your little eyes were opened wide and you were staring at everything in your new world and laughing sometimes at what you saw. The most beautiful sound it was when I first heard you laugh.

  “We were almost home and we were driving by the forest when it happened. It was very quiet at first but then I slowed the car down and we listened carefully and it only got louder.”

  “What was it, Dad?” Emma said sleepily.

  “It was the forest,” he said. “All the forest was singing to you and welcoming you home. I found out that it all started with a single tree, one you’ve now met. He started singing for you and the whole forest took up his song. The song was heard all over and no one could explain it but we knew it was for you. This is how we know you’re special, Emma. The forests sang for you on the day that you were born.”

  Emma smiled, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

  It was later that afternoon when Emma woke up and found herself tucked into her bed. She was still wearing all her clothes from the day before.

  She sat up groggily and took a look around for a moment, trying to decide whether she had dreamt it all. There was so much to think about but one of the first things that came to mind was Lucy Leroux. Her parents had disappeared.

  Emma had been so rude to Lucy that she decided the first thing she would do was to find her and apologize. Her stomach rumbled and she decided that visiting Lucy would be the second thing she would do.

  She found her flute on her nightstand, took it, and tucked it under her mattress.

  On her way to the kitchen to fix herself something to eat, she stopped by her father’s office. He was all smiles and he agreed that she should go apologize to Lucy as soon as she had some food.

  Emma made herself a sandwich and poured a glass of orange juice. She ate in the living room while looking out the window. The clock on the wall showed that it was three o’clock. Will wouldn’t be home from school for another half hour.

  Emma finished her sandwich and went into the bathroom for a shower. After she changed into clean clothes, she and her father got into the car and drove off.

  Lucy Leroux’s neighbourhood wasn’t too far from the University of Saint Martin. It was a neighbourhood of big houses and giant driveways with two door garages.

  When they pulled into Lucy’s house they saw that it was a big thing full of windows that stared out at them. There were two cars in the driveway and both of them seemed fancy and expensive to Emma.

  “I’ll wait here,” said Mr Wilkins. “I think it will be better that way so you girls can talk.”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  Emma exited the car and went to the front door, not sure of what she was going to say. Lucy’s lawn was large and green and littered with flower beds. It was all very pretty and looked as though it took a lot of work to maintain.

  She rang the doorbell and hoped that Lucy was home. It was the middle of the afternoon, after all, and so it was possible that she was in class.

  The door opened and Lucy looked down at Emma with surprise. Her eyes were red and her clothes were wrinkled. She wiped her face with a sleeve and made an attempt at a smile.

  “Hey,” Lucy said.

  “Hi, Lucy. Can I talk to you?”

  The older girl looked past Emma at the car in the driveway and waved. She then stepped aside so that Emma could enter. They went inside and sat down in an expansive living room full of old-looking furniture. It was all very clean and polished except for one couch that faced a giant television. On that couch, there was a pile of blankets and a box of tissues.

  “Sorry,” Lucy said. “I kind of slept here.”

  “It’s okay,” Emma said. As she spoke, a striped cat entered the room and walked along its p
eriphery, casting a glance at her now and then. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. I was very rude. I didn’t know what had happened. I’m sorry. You’re always so nice to me. I’m sorry, okay?”

  “Yeah, don’t worry, Emma,” Lucy said. “It’s so weird, though, isn’t it? They just vanished like that. I mean, I talked to my mom and dad that day and then they were just gone when I came back. I don’t know what’s happening in this town.”

  Emma didn’t know how much she could say to Lucy about what she had learned. It was probable that the girl would think she was crazy if she told her everything. She felt as though she had to say something but didn’t know what. All she could think of were general words of comfort that everyone said when there was a loss or a tragedy. Somehow, those words always sounded empty to Emma but she could think of nothing else.

  She opened her mouth to speak when the striped cat landed on her lap. He looked at her face and then strode off to sit on one of the armrests.

  “Hello,” Emma said to the cat.

  “That’s Sprinkles,” Lucy said and turned to him. “Hey, kitty. What a good cat you are.”

  “Hello, Mr Sprinkles,” Emma said and reached out to pet him.

  “Don’t you dare put a hand on me, foolish girl,” Sprinkles said and Emma withdrew her arm.

  “I’m sorry,” Emma said to the cat.

  “It’s okay,” said Lucy. “You don’t have to apologize anymore, okay? Don’t worry about it.”

  “You didn’t hear that?” Emma