See but Never Perceive

   

    The morning dew was starting to dry as the spring sun shined above with not a cloud in the sky. Chip sat at the edge of his cottage’s porch with an overstuffed backpack in front of him. He looked over his pack for the third time making sure he had everything they would need.

    Sun protection ointment, towels, extra clothes, emergency whistle. I think that is everything.

    “Hey, Bro! Ready to go?” His little sister called from behind.

    “I believe so,” he looked over his shoulder and saw she was also dressed in swim attire. “Amy, why do you look ready to go?”

    “Mama said I could come with you to the swimming hole.”

    “I never said it was okay.”

    “Well, too bad. Mama said it was and that’s all that matters.”

    “Mom!” Chip cried.

    A woman in her late 30s with auburn hair in a messy bun and wearing a dirty apron stepped out the door with a sigh. 

    “If you want to go swimming with your friends, you’re taking your little sister with you.”

    “But Mom…”

    “No ‘buts’. She’ll be fine and you’ll still have plenty of fun.”

    Except she won’t be fine. I doubt it will take her 10 minutes to find some way to hurt herself.

    “Now, run along. You don’t want to keep your friends waiting.”

    Chip turned around to hide his grimace, picked up his pack, and started walking. “Let’s get going,” he said with defeat in his voice. 

    “Awesome!”

———————————————————————————

    The siblings met up with Chip’s friends a few minutes into walking through the woods. They didn’t look nearly as displeased with seeing Amy as he was. 

    As the day was approaching noon they made it to the swimming hole. It was a small lake with a twenty-foot tall waterfall on one side and the water continuing down the hill on the other.

    The kids immediately dropped their stuff and jumped in, not caring that their clothes had become soaked.

    This is why Chip always brought extra clothes. He took his time to dress down to his swim trunks and reapply the sun ointment, just to be safe.

    “Come on, Chip!” one of the kids called out. “At this rate, it will be dark before you ever touch the water.”

    “A safe life—“

    “Is a long life,” all the kids said in annoyed unison.

    Chip felt his face become warmer. When he looked up, a large shadow moved behind a wall of trees off in the distance. It may have been his imagination, but Chip swore he felt the ground shake just slightly.

    “Uh, guys. I think we should go back.”

    The kids groaned. “What, did you forget your safety blanket?”

    “I’m being serious!” Chip shouted over their laughter. “I think I saw the Behemoth way off in the distance.”

    “The Behemoth?” Amy questioned. “Come on, Bro. That’s just a story parents tell their kids to keep them from wandering too far from home. It’s not real.”

    “Not true! There have been a few sightings, and some trees were torn down almost like something too large was making a path.”

    “We’re safe,” Amy insisted.

    “Maybe, but I should at least call for help.” Chip rummaged through his pack for his whistle. By the time he pulled it out, Amy was out of the water and snatched it out of his hand. 

    Before he could do anything, Amy threw the whistle into the middle of the swimming hole. 

    “Why did you do that!?”

    “I have been wanting to go swimming since the middle of winter. It finally gets warm enough, and you want to ruin it.”

    “I don’t want to ruin anything,” he insisted. “I just want to keep everyone safe.”

    Amy put her face uncomfortably close to his. “I’ll say this one more time; We are safe!” With that she jumped back into the water cannonball style and splashed the other kids, Chip's legs were caught in the splash zone.

    Chip scanned the area where he saw the shadow but didn’t see anything out there. With no one listening to him, he relented and went back to reapplying his ointment.

———————————————————————————

    A few hours went by of splashing, diving, and more cannonballing, Amy always being the leader of the next big stunt.  Chip had spent the better part of the first hour trying to find his whistle under the water, but it was too dark down there to see. By around afternoon almost everyone was starting to wind down.

    The kids stopped swimming at one point to eat the lunches they packed. After everyone had finished eating, they all felt tired and knew they still had to hike back home. Amy however showed no signs of stopping.

    “Come on, guys! We’re just getting started.”

    “Amy,” Chip groaned, “It’s time to head back. We all want to rest for the day.”

    The rest of the kids mumbled and nodded in agreement. 

    “No, what you need is an energy boost.” Amy looked back at the water. “And I know just what to do.” She ran back to the lake but didn’t jump in. She instead ran along the edge and started climbing the steep hill leading up to the waterfall.

    “Amy, stop! That’s dangerous!” Chip shouted while looking at the bottom of the waterfall littered with large sharp rocks.

    She showed no signs of stopping. She was either ignoring Chip or probably couldn’t hear him over the sounds of crashing water. 

    Chip wasn’t sure what to do. Knowing his sister, if he tried to climb after her she would jump more hastily. It was possible for her to jump passed the rocks and land safely in the water, but Chip still didn’t like it. He decided to post himself at the edge of the water as close to the waterfall as he could.

    Amy reached the top. She cupped her hands over her mouth to yell something, but no one could make out what she said. She crouched halfway and swung her arms behind her about to jump. Chip held his breath.

    Her foot slipped on mud. Before anyone could process what happened, Amy was now dangling off the side of the cliff clinging onto clumps of grass.

    “AMY!”

    Time slowed down. Chip tried to climb up the hill, but lost his footing every time the ground shook. He didn’t have time to be slipping. He had to get up there.

    Wait. The ground is shaking?

    He looked across the water and froze with fear. He watched tree after tree crash as a towering figure, much larger than the cliff he was climbing, ran through them like they weren’t even there. Chip couldn’t move or look away from it. All he could do was scream. The monster reached out its enormous, human-like hand. Chip forced his eyes closed as he waited to be crushed.

    Nothing happened. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the Behemoth with its fist partially closed around Amy as she still clung to a clump of grass. Her eyes were as wide as could be. All the color left her face. She screamed until her body went limp.

    Chip tried to look at its face, but it was shadowed by the afternoon sun behind it. Three rocks bounced off the Behemoth’s body, causing no damage. Chip looked back and saw the other kids gathering rocks for another volley. He shook himself out of his stupor, remembering he still had to save his sister. 

    He grabbed some loose rocks from the hill and started throwing, being careful not to hit Amy. “Let her go, you monster!”

    The Behemoth turned its back to the kids and ran off with giant strides. The second quake sent Chip tumbling over the edge and into the water. After a pause of lying underwater, he righted himself and swam back up. By the time he looked to where the Behemoth went it was gone.

    Chip swam as fast as he could to the water’s edge and clambered up. 

    “Come on!” He waved his friends over. 

    None of them moved. 

    “What are you doing? We have to go after it.”

    “Chip, that thing didn’t even flinch at us throwing rocks at it. What do you expect us to do against that?”

    “I expect us to save my sister!”

    “More like die alongside her. I’m sorry, Chip. But I don’t feel like dying today.” The kids each turned around, grabbed their things, and headed back to the village.

    “At least tell the villagers to send help!” He shouted. 

    No one responded.

    Well then. I guess it's just me. Hang on, Amy.

    He ran as best he could without completely exhausting himself. He wanted to save some stamina for it when it came time to run away. The Behemoth left very large and deep footprints that would be difficult not to track.

———————————————————————————

    The sun was starting to lean heavily to the west and Chip’s legs and feet burned like never before. He finally found the end of the trail. He was standing at the base of one of the mountains, where the largest cave entrance he had ever seen lay waiting in the dark for him to enter.

    Every fiber of Chip’s being told him to not go in, but he had to. He took a deep breath, punched some feeling back into his legs, and marched on. 

    All daylight faded away within seconds of walking inside. He hugged the cave wall as he tried to make as little noise as possible with his steps. He hadn’t known how long he had walked, but just as he questioned whether or not he would ever see light again, a warm glow came into view in the distance.

    He slowed down his pace and crouched trying to keep out of sight. This proved rather difficult as there were no rocks large enough for him to hide behind or depressions in the wall to press against.

    As he approached, he made out the bright orange glow of a large bonfire. He saw Amy sitting by it trying to warm herself. On the other side of the fire was the Behemoth standing with its back turned to her.

    Chip saw his chance and went for it. He got to about twenty feet from his sister. He cupped his hand over his mouth and tried to whisper.

    “Amy.”

    Amy. Amy. Amy. Amy. Amy. 

    Chip was horrified as he heard his voice loudly echo throughout the cave. 

    Amy turned around to face him. The whole cave shook as the Behemoth turned to the intruder. Chip, out of instinct lunged forward and grabbed his sister’s arm. “Come on! We’ve got to run!”

    To his surprise, Amy pulled her arm away. “Wait, Chip. I don’t think he’s gonna hurt us.”

    He gave his sister an incredulous look. “What are you talking about? Look at the size of him! How can he not hurt us?”

    “Why don’t you actually look at him?”

    Chip reluctantly looked up. The Behemoth’s face was partially lit by the bonfire below. Its face was much like a human’s only much larger and puffier. The mix of light and shadow should have made it appear terrifying. But as he looked into its eyes, Chip saw only sadness.

    It let out a low groan, again making Chip feel more sad than scared. It didn’t move. It only held its gaze on the two siblings.

    “See?” Amy asked. “And look over here.” She was now the one pulling Chip over to the cave wall where there were crude drawings etched on it. 

    There were over a dozen drawings, each made by scratching the wall with a large rock. They were even colored. By the smell, Chip guessed the color came from crushed fruits. All the drawings showed a towering figure, presumably the Behemoth, at different locations and situations. The size of the behemoth seemed to grow gradually between each picture. Chip put it together this was a sort of sketch diary.

    Chip looked back at the Behemoth, still standing in place watching them. Chip returned his gaze to the drawings, the largest and most prominent one showing the Behemoth standing in front of a group of stick figures. It was hard to make out, but it looked like the figures were shouting and throwing rocks at the Behemoth; much like Chip and his friends did earlier.

    Amy pointed to this drawing. “I think he’s used to people being afraid of him.”

    Chip shook his head. “But why did he pull you from the cliff and kidnap you?”

    Amy was taken aback. “First off, he didn’t pull me from the cliff. He caught me when the grass I was holding onto broke off and I fell. Secondly, I tried to run as soon as I woke up, but he did nothing to stop me, so I stayed. As I sat with him, it became clear he never wanted to hurt me or keep me here. I think he believed you and the others weren’t just throwing rocks at him, you were throwing them at me too.”

    She walked over to the Behemoth. He crouched down and lowered his finger next to her. Amy placed her hand upon it, looked him in the eye, and smiled. “He was trying to protect me.”

    Chip stood there not sure what to make of what he was seeing. Was it possible the monster his parents and all the other villagers told him to fear wasn’t a monster at all?

    He slowly worked up the courage to approach the Behemoth where his sister was standing. Eventually, he managed to bring his hand up to touch the Behemoth’s finger. Chip looked him in the eye. 

    “Th-thank you… for saving my sister.”

    The Behemoth made a rumbling sound. Chip wasn’t sure if he understood his words, but he may have understood his meaning.

    “Do you have a name?” He asked.

    The Behemoth tilted his head looking confused at the question.

    “He hasn’t said a word since I woke up,” said Amy. “We should give him a name.”

    “Us give him a name? What would we even call him?”

    “How about Greg?”

    “Greg? Why Greg?”

    “It’s short for Gregarious. I heard Mom say it once, and she told me it means ‘friendly’.”

    “Huh. I guess Greg is as good a name as any.”

    “That settles it.” She pointed up at the Behemoth. “Your name is Greg.”

    “Grrr….grrrrreeeeegg.”

    “He can talk!” She exclaimed.

    “I don’t know about that just yet. But it seems he can learn to talk.”

    “Well, we’ll teach him,” she proudly proclaimed. “Hey, Greg! Want to play with us and our friends?”

    “Ppppplaaaay.”

    “That’s right. Come on. Let’s go back to the swimming hole.”

    Chip started walking back, but with the adrenaline now gone his legs finally gave out. Amy didn’t laugh this time and showed concern for her brother.

    Greg then picked up the two siblings with his fingers and placed them on his shoulders. He carried Chip and Amy back to the swimming hole. He even removed the rocks below the waterfall making it safe for jumping. 

———————————————————————————

    After a while, Chip and Amy convinced the other kids to return to the swimming hole. They even came around to liking Greg after much hesitation.

    The swimming hole became the go-to place for the kids whenever they had the time. Greg slowly but steadily grew in his understanding of words. Eventually, more kids were invited and some stumbled upon the gathering on their own.  From then on Greg always wore a smile on his face, and Chip didn’t pack his safety bag quite so full anymore.

Behold the New has Come

    

    Fire nearly licked at Kaytun on all sides. None of his crew were anywhere to be found, but he could hear their screams off in the distance. They were joined by the sounds of swords clashing and spells slinging. The only thing in front of him was the chest. Sweat drenched his bandanna and was now beading down his greasy face. After a moment’s hesitation he did what, he told himself, he had to do.

    Kaytun shot up in his bed gasping for air. His old muscles and bones all punished him for it. He groaned as he wiped the glaze of sweat off his brow. He wasn’t sure which he would regret more, getting up or going back to sleep. He ended up deciding to start the day. He looked out the window to his small cottage. Outside there was a line of trees that surrounded his home. Judging by how the sun appeared to be a foot over them, Kaytun would say the day already started without him. 

    He made breakfast and grimaced as he cracked his last egg on the skillet. He would have to go into town soon. He ate his breakfast in silence as he did with all his meals. The only sounds around him were of the critters roaming around the woods. Cicadas made their annoying rattling. Morning crickets were playing their song. Oh joy, a woodpecker now decided to search his door for food.

    For whatever annoyance the animals and insects were, Kaytun put up with it. There were far more annoying things in the world.

    The second wave of woodpecker taps had a rhythm this time. He looked up from his plate at his door. Another set of knocks continued their off-rhythm beats. Someone was at his door. 

    Why would anyone come out here? Kaytun made it a point not to have any friends or even say one word more than was needed for his occasional shopping runs.

    His bones creaked as he lifted himself from his dining table. He hesitantly opened the door just enough to see outside.

    “Hi! I’m Celia. What’s your name?” A little blond girl wearing a white dress with a pink flower pattern was at his door. She was jittery and hopping like her blood was made of pure sugar.

    Kaytun closed the door in her face. He turned around in time for another set of ‘musical’ knocks to play. He let out a long quiet groan that would’ve been louder had he the energy to spare.

    He cracked the door open once more. “Kaytun,” he said in a low gravelly voice.

    “Nice to meet you, Mr. Kaytun. I’m Celia.”

    “I heard you the first time. What do you want, Celia?”

    “I wanted to say ‘hello’ and spend time with you!” She looked more excited as she spoke.

    “Didn’t your parents ever tell you not to talk to strangers?”

    “They did. But they talk to strangers all the time. People I’ve never seen before come to our house often. My dad invites them inside, my mom makes them tea, and they have long boring talks. I figure if they can talk to strangers, why can’t I?”

    Kaytun groaned. “You’ll find a lot of adults tell you not to do something while they do it themselves. But, trust me I’m not a stranger you want to hang around.”

    “Can’t I make that decision for myself?”

    “How old are you?”

    “I’m eight years old!” She threw out her hands showing 8 fingers extended.

    “Ah, sorry. I have a rule against talking with anyone younger than nine. Now run along.” He started closing the door but was met with resistance. 

    Celia was pushing her whole body to keep the door from closing. “Oh, please Mr. Kaytun. Won’t you make an exception just this once?” She looked up with glassy eyes.

    Kaytun sighed. “If I close this door, you’re gonna keep knocking aren’t you?”

    She vibrated a nod.

    He paused for a moment. “Fine.” He opened the door and let her in. 

    She quickly entered and scanned the room with a face that looked like it was seeing the inside of a grand palace.

    “So, you’re in a stranger’s home. You’re talking to a stranger. What else were you hoping to get out of me?”

    “Would you tell me a story?”

    “A story? What makes you think I have stories to tell.”

    “You’re old. Old people always have stories.”

    Kaytun narrowed his eyes at her. “I see your parents were too busy entertaining guests to teach you manners.”

    The glassy eyes came back. He wanted nothing more than to get rid of this nuisance as quickly as possible. But those eyes. He swore there must be some kind of magical curse behind them.

    “Fine.” He went over and sat in his rocking chair next to the small fireplace. Celia ran over and sat on the floor with her legs crossed. 

    He rested his head back against the chair trying to figure out what he was going to say. The heat of the fireplace warmed his side and flashes of last night’s visions came to mind. 

    Well, not all stories are happy ones. She’d learn that sooner or later.

    “Once upon a time, there was a group of idiot bandits. They robbed and took whatever they could from whomever they could. Being the idiots they were, whatever gold fell into their pockets never stayed for long. Plenty of nights went by with them out in the cold and starving.”

    Kaytun looked down at his one-girl audience and she appeared to be hanging on his every word.

    “One day,” he continued. “Their leader said ‘I’ve had enough of living offa chump change’,” he said while trying to make his voice sound big and dumb. “’ Let's rob from one o those fancy places. A mansion, I think it's called.” Kaytun couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he spoke. “So the idiot bandits went and broke into a fancy mansion. But of course, such a rich place didn’t stay rich unless it had decent security. So—“

    “Question!” Celia interrupted with her stretched far above her head. “What does security mean?”

    Kaytun groaned again. “It’s things you use to keep your stuff safe. It can look like doors rigged to shoot someone who tries to break in, nets, or any number of things. For this story, it means a lot of swordsmen and a mage were waiting inside, making sure no one stole anything.”

    Celia put her hand down.

    He pointed a finger at her. “No more questions, or you won’t hear the rest of the story.”

    She nodded. He laid his head back once more. “Now, anytime someone wanted to break into a place, swordsmen would typically be the worst they ran into. This place however had a mage, which is like having to fight a hundred swordsmen.”

    “Whoa!” Celia exclaimed. 

    “Yes, that is what w— they thought when they saw him, but they weren’t nearly as excited as you are. To them, the mage meant assured capture, if they were lucky. But rather than have one smart thought in their lives and surrender, one of the bandits grabbed a nearby candlestick and threw it at the mage. The mage used his magic to easily swat away the pitiful attack. But the candle, of course, landed right under the window drapes.”

    “Uh-oh,” said Celia.

    “’ Uh-oh’ is right,” the edge of his mouth couldn’t help but rise a bit. “Those expensive drapes look great, but boy do they catch fire quick. While the idiot bandits scattered throughout the mansion, grabbing whatever they could without slowing down, the swordsmen and the mage hunted the bandits down one by one. I guess they thought their job only required them to deal with thieves and not keep the place from burning to cinders.” Kaytun shrugged his shoulders.

    “Now, one of the bandits managed to stay hidden while his fr— associates were being felled. He even managed to find a chest tucked away in one of the rooms. It was big but not too big for one person to carry, and it was filled with priceless treasure. You know what he did?”

    “He left the treasure behind and saved his friends.”

    Kaytun scoffed. “Please, you asked for a story, not a fairytale. No, he grabbed that treasure and ran out. With all the fire and confusion, no one ever caught him.”

    “Why did he do that? Didn’t he care about his friends?”

    Kaytun paused. A shadow came over his expression. “No, he didn’t, because he was a bad man. And bad men are the ones who get the treasure in the end.”

    “I don’t like that.”

    “Yeah, well. That’s what happened. The end.” Kaytun got up from his chair and went over to the dining table where he left his dirty dishes. 

    “But what happened to the bandit who got away?” asked Celia.

    “He—“

    Knock! Knock!

    Kaytun looked at his door with a grimace. Years no one came by here, and now everyone wants to visit. It was probably the girl’s parents. This was sure to be a fun conversation.

    He reluctantly opened the door. He then raised his eyebrow. He was not expecting this. There were three men dressed in ragged leathers and wore bandannas over their mouths. The one in the middle held a crude-looking sword at Kaytun’s chest.

    Guess it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for it.

    Kaytun backed away with his hands raised. Celia shrunk and tried to hide behind his rocking chair, but was still plainly visible. 

    “Much appreciated you having her out here. Makes it much easier to grab her when there’s no one around.”

    Kaytun was confused. These punks weren’t after his treasure? Not that there was much left after so many years. Still, what did they want the girl for?

    “I’m sure the mayor will pay a fine ransom to have his little girl brought home safely.”

    Celia is the mayor’s daughter?! 

    “Look, I’m old. I’m not interested in whatever you’re up to. How about you leave me and my house in peace?”

    “We’ll be happy to, gramps.” He turned to his compatriots. “Grab the girl and let’s be off.”

    Celia looked at Kaytun with fear in her eyes. “Mr. Kaytun! Don’t let them take me!”

    Kaytun couldn’t look in her direction. “Sorry, kid. Like I said, bad men get the treasure in the end.”

    The bandits’ leader cackled. “Couldn’t agree more.”

    Celia struggled against them, but the bandits soon had her tied up and gagged. 

    “Thank you for all your help,” said the leader as he closed the door behind him.

    Kaytun was alone again. Just like he had been this morning. Just like he had been for the past 40 years. Just the way he liked it. Except he didn’t like it at all this time.

    With everyone gone, he could hear the sounds of the woodland critters once more. The annoying cicadas. The crickets played their song. No woodpecker this time.

    He brought his dishes over to the sink but stopped before turning on the water. Why was he bothered? He was a retired bandit. He had stolen plenty. He had killed a fair number when he had to. He abandoned the people closest to the word ‘family’ when they needed him most. 

    It wasn’t like he could do anything about it. His body hated him anytime he stood up. And it never hated him more than now as he crouched down beside his bed and removed one of the floorboards. He reached into the opening and pulled out an old rusty sword.

———————————————————————————

    The sky had grown cloud-cast in the past hour or so. The bandits slowly made their way down the road between the trees. The leader was annoyed by how much they had slowed due to the little girl’s constant struggle. He just kept telling himself the money would be worth it.

    “Hold up!” He heard a gravelly voice shout from behind then went into a coughing fit.

    The three bandits turned and saw the old man leaning against a large tree holding a rusty sword.

    “Let the girl go!”

    The three bandits laughed their heads off. “Or what, old man?”

    The old man was breathing heavily. “Or you’ll have to deal with me.”

    The bandits chuckled and shook their heads. “Have it your way. We tried to be nice, but we don’t mind heading back and ransacking your shack.” They threw Celia off to the side. She rolled a little as she hit the ground hard.

    The three bandits walked together toward the old man. 

    “Stop! Don’t take another step!” the geezer ordered. 

    “Oh, are you going cut us down with that rusty piece of junk?”

    “Please, me and this sword are too old to cut you. And I wouldn’t say you’ll be going ‘down’.”

    The bandit leader raised an eyebrow as Kaytun swung his sword behind the tree he was leaning on.

    The bandits’ bodies were smashed together as the whole world turned end over end. When things finally seemed to settle, the leader was upside down. He and his bandits were wrapped in a net swaying back and forth at least 30 feet off the ground.

    “What— What is this?”

    Celia managed to get the gag out of her mouth. “It’s called security!”

    “That it is, little one,” the old man said with a small chuckle as he untied Celia. 

    “But there weren’t any traps on our way in!”

    “You idiot. If you’re going to make it hard for people to come in, you might as well put up a giant sign saying ‘valuable stuff inside.’”

    Celia put her fists on her hips and blew raspberries at them. “Mr. Kaytun, would you take me home now?”

    “Sure. And we’ll talk to your daddy about collecting these idiots.”

    They started to walk away, but then Kaytun stopped. “Oh, if you’re thinking of cutting yourselves down, best be careful. You never know which part of you is gonna hit the ground first.”

    Celia skipped a few yards ahead as Kaytun hobbled as best he could, leaving his rusty sword behind.

A Brother is for Adversity

    The midday sun beat down on me as I lifted the axe for the hundredth time that day. The log split right in two as I swung down. One of the more lucky swings. Usually, it took me two or three swings for it to cut through. But, what could I expect, I was barely taller than the log when it was set on the stump.

    I wiped my brow off and took a glance at my house. It was small, even compared with the other houses in the village, but it was home. Looking through the window, I saw my little brother, Noel, playing with our father. He had been coddling my little brother for over a year now. It started right after our mother died of an illness she caught during winter. My father was much happier before then and now appears run down when he wasn’t putting on a show for Noel. His hair was more salt than pepper these days and he would get tired more quickly than before. All of this meant I was now responsible for handling most of the manual labor, playing with Noel when Father became too tired, and not being left much time for anything else. 

    I heard my brother laughing as our father tickled him, and he laughed right along. I already had beads of sweat pouring down my face, but my face grew hotter still.

    I was about to go inside and give them a piece of my mind but was stopped.

    “LEON!” A kid called out. 

    Michael and the other kids in our small village ran up to me. They greeted me and gave me flack for looking like a sweaty pig. They asked if I wanted to go do some cliff diving at the nearby lake. Before I could answer, my front door opened and my father said with all resolve, “No.”

    I looked at him with fury in my eyes. He then told the boys to leave before he told their parents what they were up to. Without missing a beat, Michael and the others ran as fast as they could. I was about to argue with him, but before I could get the words out, he told me to take Noel out to play. The volcano inside me was about to erupt when he gave me his infamous death stare saying there would be no arguing. I guess I was taking his favorite son out to play.

——————————————————————————

    Noel frolicked laps around me as we made our way into the forest. Occasionally, he would pick up a pine cone and throw it at a tree, giggling nonstop. I felt like throwing pine cones myself, but I certainly wouldn’t giggle. I let my brother play for hours, and it still did nothing to tire him out. The sun began to set and I knew it was time to head back. As we walked, the sky became too dark too quickly. The sky, the trees, and the ground were all enveloped in a pitch-black veil. Then it was our turn. As were swallowed by the void, all I could hear was a wicked cackle.

    My eyelids were heavy. I managed to pry them open but struggled to understand what happened or where I was.  I tried to stand but was stopped by a pain in my wrists. I was chained to a pipe sticking out of the wall. After a moment, my eyes adjusted to the dim light, and I was able to look around barely making out the inside of an old cottage. It was filled with all kinds of weird stuff. There was a large cauldron set up in the middle of the room with a small, unlit fire pit underneath. There were shelves stacked with bottles too dark or dirty to see inside. One of the shelves had a little doll house sitting in the center. There were things on the wall I had no idea what they could be. Some of it looked like it may have come from an animal, but I didn’t want to know which one or what part of it I was looking at. I glanced over and found Noel also bound to a pipe across from me, still unconscious. I stretched out my foot as far as I could and was able to nudge him awake. He moaned a little as he came to, and I shushed him as quietly as I could.

    I looked around for any sign of movement and listened for any sound, but couldn’t find any. It seemed we were alone. 

    “Noel,” I whispered. “Wake up!”

    He finally became conscious. His eyes were filled with panic as he took in the surroundings. I could hear him breathing rapidly.

    “Stay quiet. Breathe.”

    He stared at me for a long moment and slowly started to control his breathing. “Where are we?” He whispered.

    “I don’t know.”

    “I want to go home,” he whimpered. 

    “We’ll get home,” I said with as much confidence I could muster. “But, we need to figure out how we’re going to get out of here first.”

    Preferably before our captor came back. It was at that moment a loud creaking came from a door, just out of view. Too late.

    A fire awoke underneath the cauldron without warning, bathing the room in an orange glow. A Wrinkly old crone hobbled into view. She had stringy white hair coming off the sides of her head. Her nose was as long as a carrot, and her skin the color of a swamp. She looked right at us and gave a malicious smile.

    “Well, you’re finally awake, I see.” She rubbed her hands together. “Good, it’s much more enjoyable when they’re awake.”

    I was petrified. I couldn’t do anything but stare into those cold eyes. Somehow just looking at them stole all the warmth from inside me. She then turned to Noel. He couldn’t scream or let out any noise at all. He has never had to face something so terrifying. Then again, neither had I. 

    “Don’t you worry. It won’t be much longer. My poor little home has tuckered himself out running all along the country. Those horrid adventurers have been chasing us oh so long. He just needs a little boost to brighten his spirits. Isn’t that right, my precious?”

    She rubbed her hand along the wall, and the whole cottage shivered in, what I could only guess was, enjoyment.

    This house can move? This hag has evaded armed and experienced adventurers for who knows how long? How can we escape something like that???

    “That’s where you two come in.” She pointed at a decrepit grandfather clock. It read a quarter past 11. I don’t know why, but my brain thought about how it was way past our bedtime. “Once the clock strikes 12, we can begin. And your souls will become one with my home,” she said with a creepy smile.

    She crept out of view once more, and the creaking sound came back. 

    “I just need a few more ingredients. Ta-ta sweet children.”

    The door closed. My brother and I were alone again.

    “Brother, what are we going to do?”

    I groaned. “I don’t know. Let me think.”

    As much as I tried to focus on how we could get our hands free, my mind kept going back to earlier that day. I couldn’t ignore the fact we would’ve never been in this mess if Father had just let me go with the other boys. We could’ve both been safe, and I could’ve had fun. No, instead I had to take my little brother out to play, like playing with our father wasn’t enough. I was so angry and I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

    “AAARH!” I wailed while yanking my chains against the pipe not caring how it was futile.

    Noel cowered into the corner as much as he could. After a moment, my shoulders dropped and my face relaxed while I panted. I took one deep breath and became calmer.

    “I’m sorry.”

    Noel didn’t look at me. “No, I’m sorry.”

    “This isn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong by wanting to play.”

    “Maybe not for playing, but you’ve been caring for our family ever since Mother died. I’ve noticed how hard Father is on you. I should’ve helped you more.”

    I looked at Noel with my mouth agape. I never heard him talk like that before. 

    “I guess,” he continued. “I got used to the idea there wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle.”

    That certainly wasn’t true. I definitely couldn’t handle Mother’s death. Thinking back to the days after she was gone, I isolated myself from everyone for weeks. I stayed in my room and wouldn’t even talk to my family more than I had to. Noel wouldn’t stop crying. Whether he ate dinner or tried to sleep, he always had tears in his eyes and never once smiled.

    Wait…

    It was then something came to me. Maybe Father tried to give us what he thought we needed. He gave me a push to help me move forward, and he gave Noel a reason to smile again. I was so absorbed in my own misery for doing so much work it never occurred to me that Father was trying to help me.

    “Listen. I may not be able to handle things this time. But, we certainly can.”

    “W-what can I do?”

    “A lot more than you realize. We just have to wait for the right opportunity.”

    Noel hesitated before responding with a semi-confident nod.

    The minute hand on the grandfather clock steadily crawled until it was a quarter until midnight. I still hadn’t thought of a way to break these chains, but I was not about to give up. The hag finally returned with the last of the things she needed and went straight to work. She gathered all her ingredients around the cauldron and brought down the doll house from the shelf. She placed it next to the cauldron with a delicate touch. She threw a bunch of things into the brew and poured numerous liquids as well. The light coming out of the cauldron changed colors with each new addition. 

    At one point she set down one of the bottles she poured closer to where Noel and I were chained. The bottle was clear and I could see bright green liquid inside. One drop hung on the lip of the bottle and dripped down the side. As it made contact with the wooden counter, it made a sizzling sound, and a small wisp of smoke came off.

    That’s it. If we couldn’t break the chains, then we could melt them. The bottle was way too far from me. Where Noel was sitting, his feet were the closest to it but still out of reach. I gave myself a headache trying to figure out how to get the bottle without the hag noticing. 

    My eyes shot open.

    “Noel,” I whispered as quietly as I could.

    My brother looked at me. 

    “That bottle. Put your legs together next to the counter under it.”

    He looked confused but did as I asked. 

    I made sure the hag wasn’t looking. I reached past the pipes I was chained to and carefully rubbed the wall, holding my chains with the other hand so they didn’t rattle. The cottage shivered once more, and the bottle migrated closer to the edge.

    “Yes, yes. I know you’re excited,” said the hag. “It’s almost ready.”

    The bottle finally went over the edge. I held my breath as it fell. Noel caught it with his legs with no sound to be heard. I let out the breath as silently as I could. I signaled him to bring it over to me. With careful work, we managed to transfer it from his feet to mine. I then brought it up to my hand and gently removed the stopper. I poured the liquid on the chain links closest to my wrists. I gritted my teeth as some of the acid made contact with my skin, but I refused to make a sound.

    After what felt like ages, the chain link melted and my hands were free. I shuffled over to Noel and got to work on freeing him. Once we were both free, it was time to make our move.

    I got up and gestured for Noel to stay back.

    “Hey, Hag!” I yelled. 

    She jerked around in time for me to splash the rest of the acid in her eyes. She wailed, shielding her face with her hands as she stammered back. She crashed against the counter knocking over all her weird stuff. I told Noel to run for the door. While he did that, I turned and looked at the dollhouse near the cauldron. I grabbed it and threw it into the brew. 

    The house quaked violently. I almost lost my footing but managed to run right out the door. I crashed into my brother outside and we stopped and looked back at the hag’s cottage while holding each other. The outer walls were not only shaking but also bending and twisting. The house was being pulled inside of itself until it finally vanished without a flash or sound. The house, and the hag inside, were no longer there, and there was no sign it had ever been there.

    A moment passed and I recovered from the shock. I looked down at Noel and whispered in a shaky voice, “Let’s go home.”

                ———————————————————

    We trudged through the forest for about an hour, looking for some familiar ground to lead us back to the village when a voice barely reached our ears.

    “Leon! Noel! Leon…”

    Both Noel and I summoned what strength we had left and sprinted toward the voice of our father until we saw a torchlight in the distance. We called back, and within seconds the three of us hugged each other, not daring to let go. With tears in his eyes, he demanded to know where we had been. We told him everything, and he didn’t accuse us of lying. He may have believed or maybe he realized he didn’t care. All that mattered was he had his son back. We headed home and had a few pieces of bread to quell our hunger before collapsing on our beds.

    The next day I learned one of the boys who went cliff diving was badly injured. He managed to get himself back home and get his injuries treated. He told everyone how the other boys ran off when he hurt himself without even checking to see if he was okay.

     I guess I was wrong before. If I had gone with them, I may not have been safe. Although, I definitely would’ve had worse company when trouble came.