Post by thestoryteller20 on Jan 24, 2006 17:08:14 GMT -5
As the demon stared defiantly at me, his voice sneered with my futility, my helplessness and finalty. "You will never leave this place! Your soul is mine! as he spoke those words, above me, the clouds swirled and formed the shape of evilness!
You have something that belongs to me, and you have something I want"; and I watched him as he held his gaze upon the staff in my hand. "If you give me both, I shall let you pass. But; if you refuse, then I shall take them both"! The sounds of his words resounded like thunder in my ears. The ground began to shale as if I were in an earthquake, as I tried to maintain my balance. Suddenly, I heard the splashing of water, and I saw four of his followers step out onto the grassy soil behind me.
"Be gone"...he roared, this mortal is mine; and they cowered and retreated to to the brownish murky waters of the swamp. For what seemed like eternity we stared at each other, neither moving or speaking. Then, with a comic smile, he raised his clawed hand and brushed it against his velvet cloak.
"What shall your answer be"...he shouted? I strengthened my grip on the staff and stamped the ground with it; and suddenly the amulet atop of the staff grew brilliantly bright! I don't know who was more surprised...the demon or me! "I see the ancient one has taught you well... but, he sneered, she has not taught you enough! I sense the amulet worn under your shirt, and I also sense she is dead! No one is here to help you defeat me, GIVE ME THE STAFF"!
But I stood my ground and shook my head. I knew if I did as he demanded I was as sure as dead. If he had the power to easily take that which was his, he would has done so before now. I sensed it, I knew it! The wall was maybe 8 feet behind him and I knew he would not step aside. In the midst of terror, a terror I had never felt before, I found somehow, a piece of courage. "If you want what I possess, you will have to take it from me"; I shouted, as strongly as I could muster in my voice.
In a split seconds blink of an eye, he motioned his left arm towards me and suddenly I was surrounded by the sting of electricity, and I could feel the heat, but it was not burning me. Nor was I knocked off my feet. I felt that the amulet and the staff were protecting me. With nothing to lose, I stamped the staff in the ground a second time and I destroyed that which was trying to destroy me. I can't describe the frustration I saw in the demon's eyes. He looked like he wanted to rip me into pieces.
Then the sky thundered with the anguished screams of all the children's souls that he had taken for centuries, echoing the same plea..."Please help set us free!" The demon was looking uneasy, his power over me was not what he had imagined, and he knew he couldn't easily kill me. Then he did something I never expected him to do! He began to come closer to me. He stood an arms length away from me, but made no effort to strike me. His bluish skin was leatherly and his fangs disgusted me.
"I know your thoughts"; he sneered, "I know your fears"! You think you will take their souls and leave! How wrong you are! Suddenly, behind him a cloaked young woman appeared in front of the wall behind the demon.
She too wore the same velvet cloak but was a beautiful woman. Her eyes revealed a confidence that told me she was here to help me, not hurt me! The demon sensed her presence and whirled around to face her. "It cannot be"! Daughter.... I sensed your death"? She walked towards him, then past him until she stood beside me and placed her hand around the staff above my hand. Her eyes offered me assurance that she was in truth, the old woman who I had first encountered on the sidewalk. She was no longer old and weak, but strong!
I released my grip and she turned and faced her father. You will not harm this human...you shall let him pass. In return I will stay in this world with you my father"!
He seemed pleased, and waved his arm to me encouraging me to walk to the wall. With hesitation, I looked at the woman and she nodded, and I saw a smile in her eyes. As I passed her, she whispered under her breath, "Do as I instructed you do do"! When I reached the wall, there was sadness in my eyes, as she said..."go now"!
I passed through the wall, and felt down for the flashlight, and turned it on. I then picked up the crow bar and frantically began to break the wall down stone by stone. Sweat poored down my face and in my eyes as I struggled to finish my task. When I reach down and tossed the last of the ancient stones behind me, the basement echoed with the sounds of children's voices! They did not sound tormented any longer, but joyful. The room became bright with their souls spirits as over and over little one's said thank you. Suddenly one child with long brown hair appeared before me.
"You were brave, so very brave. You risked your life to free all of us and I "we" all thank you. You have trapped the demon in his world, never to steal another child's soul! But in doing so, you trapped also his daughter to spend eternity with the one she grew up to hate! But I bring to you, from her, a message she gave to me".
"Be not sad for me, for your kindness will never be forgotten for all my remaining days. You cared more for other's then you did yourself. Other's in your world will see that kindness and you will be blessed! Take away the stones at your feet and scatter them to the corners of the world so they will never be assembled again"!
There were tears in the child's eyes as well as mine as she hugged me tightly, looked up, and whispered..."I must go and join all the other's, and she slowly waved good-bye as we waved to each other.
I spent the rest of that day loading the old stones into my 3/4 ton truck. I finished just before the sun went down. In the morning I would scatter stones as far away from each other as I could, so no one could ever re-build the wall again and let the demon take another soul. I felt sad that the old woman, his daughter was trapped with someone so mean, so hateful, so evil. She was a beautiful woman. I was glad that I had bought this old house, I was glad I met her, and I shall all the rest of my days wear this amulet in memory of her.
© 2006 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)
You have something that belongs to me, and you have something I want"; and I watched him as he held his gaze upon the staff in my hand. "If you give me both, I shall let you pass. But; if you refuse, then I shall take them both"! The sounds of his words resounded like thunder in my ears. The ground began to shale as if I were in an earthquake, as I tried to maintain my balance. Suddenly, I heard the splashing of water, and I saw four of his followers step out onto the grassy soil behind me.
"Be gone"...he roared, this mortal is mine; and they cowered and retreated to to the brownish murky waters of the swamp. For what seemed like eternity we stared at each other, neither moving or speaking. Then, with a comic smile, he raised his clawed hand and brushed it against his velvet cloak.
"What shall your answer be"...he shouted? I strengthened my grip on the staff and stamped the ground with it; and suddenly the amulet atop of the staff grew brilliantly bright! I don't know who was more surprised...the demon or me! "I see the ancient one has taught you well... but, he sneered, she has not taught you enough! I sense the amulet worn under your shirt, and I also sense she is dead! No one is here to help you defeat me, GIVE ME THE STAFF"!
But I stood my ground and shook my head. I knew if I did as he demanded I was as sure as dead. If he had the power to easily take that which was his, he would has done so before now. I sensed it, I knew it! The wall was maybe 8 feet behind him and I knew he would not step aside. In the midst of terror, a terror I had never felt before, I found somehow, a piece of courage. "If you want what I possess, you will have to take it from me"; I shouted, as strongly as I could muster in my voice.
In a split seconds blink of an eye, he motioned his left arm towards me and suddenly I was surrounded by the sting of electricity, and I could feel the heat, but it was not burning me. Nor was I knocked off my feet. I felt that the amulet and the staff were protecting me. With nothing to lose, I stamped the staff in the ground a second time and I destroyed that which was trying to destroy me. I can't describe the frustration I saw in the demon's eyes. He looked like he wanted to rip me into pieces.
Then the sky thundered with the anguished screams of all the children's souls that he had taken for centuries, echoing the same plea..."Please help set us free!" The demon was looking uneasy, his power over me was not what he had imagined, and he knew he couldn't easily kill me. Then he did something I never expected him to do! He began to come closer to me. He stood an arms length away from me, but made no effort to strike me. His bluish skin was leatherly and his fangs disgusted me.
"I know your thoughts"; he sneered, "I know your fears"! You think you will take their souls and leave! How wrong you are! Suddenly, behind him a cloaked young woman appeared in front of the wall behind the demon.
She too wore the same velvet cloak but was a beautiful woman. Her eyes revealed a confidence that told me she was here to help me, not hurt me! The demon sensed her presence and whirled around to face her. "It cannot be"! Daughter.... I sensed your death"? She walked towards him, then past him until she stood beside me and placed her hand around the staff above my hand. Her eyes offered me assurance that she was in truth, the old woman who I had first encountered on the sidewalk. She was no longer old and weak, but strong!
I released my grip and she turned and faced her father. You will not harm this human...you shall let him pass. In return I will stay in this world with you my father"!
He seemed pleased, and waved his arm to me encouraging me to walk to the wall. With hesitation, I looked at the woman and she nodded, and I saw a smile in her eyes. As I passed her, she whispered under her breath, "Do as I instructed you do do"! When I reached the wall, there was sadness in my eyes, as she said..."go now"!
I passed through the wall, and felt down for the flashlight, and turned it on. I then picked up the crow bar and frantically began to break the wall down stone by stone. Sweat poored down my face and in my eyes as I struggled to finish my task. When I reach down and tossed the last of the ancient stones behind me, the basement echoed with the sounds of children's voices! They did not sound tormented any longer, but joyful. The room became bright with their souls spirits as over and over little one's said thank you. Suddenly one child with long brown hair appeared before me.
"You were brave, so very brave. You risked your life to free all of us and I "we" all thank you. You have trapped the demon in his world, never to steal another child's soul! But in doing so, you trapped also his daughter to spend eternity with the one she grew up to hate! But I bring to you, from her, a message she gave to me".
"Be not sad for me, for your kindness will never be forgotten for all my remaining days. You cared more for other's then you did yourself. Other's in your world will see that kindness and you will be blessed! Take away the stones at your feet and scatter them to the corners of the world so they will never be assembled again"!
There were tears in the child's eyes as well as mine as she hugged me tightly, looked up, and whispered..."I must go and join all the other's, and she slowly waved good-bye as we waved to each other.
I spent the rest of that day loading the old stones into my 3/4 ton truck. I finished just before the sun went down. In the morning I would scatter stones as far away from each other as I could, so no one could ever re-build the wall again and let the demon take another soul. I felt sad that the old woman, his daughter was trapped with someone so mean, so hateful, so evil. She was a beautiful woman. I was glad that I had bought this old house, I was glad I met her, and I shall all the rest of my days wear this amulet in memory of her.
© 2006 Raymond Cook (All rights reserved)