Second Writing Prize Winner
SUMMER 2018
By Christopher Muldong
of Laguna Niguel, California, USA
As a child who played in the dirt and came home with bumps and bruises, the adults told me never to go too deep into the Bleakwile Forest. Maybe they got scared easily and ran away every time a black cat looked them in the eyes. The forest looked inviting enough, west of the orphanage where my sister and I lived, just across the bridge. I’d never been inside of it, but it looked like any forests with big trees and strange noises.
Standing below the dark canopy, this forest has been nothing short of strange. All types of animals from cattle, snakes and various birds roam about freely. Walking through the bush and thorny weeds that tatter and stain my clothes has slowed down my progress. I can brave through anything though, especially for my sister.
My sister, Eva, has been bedridden for weeks, and watching her hacking coughs, and inability to get out of bed spurred me to find a cure for her. The town’s doctor did not mince words; Eva will die without treatment. However, orphans hardly have enough food, no less money for medicine. I tried to steal some for her, but the herbs that I took turned out to be used for getting rid of rashes, and I never tried again.
The other day, an unexpected guest came into my dreams. I stood idly in a forest where the canopy covered most of the sun, and a black shadow shaped like a human with horns appeared before me on the trunk of a large tree. It told me in a surprisingly sweet voice, “Your only kin is sick, and you must save her. Am I correct?”
“Yes. Can you help me?” I asked with a hint of desperation.
“Go deep into the forest and into the home of the wizard. In his garden is a fig tree. Take one and feed it to your sister. She will be cured.”
I woke up and immediately ran to my sister to tell her about my dream. Once I told her everything, she told me, “Ladam, I had the same dream. I don’t know if you should go, though. You’re not exactly that good at stealing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you even know what a fig looks like? Maybe you’ll get a carrot instead?”
“I know what a carrot is, and they don’t even grow on trees. They grow on the ground, and they’re those brown-colored things, right?”
“Oh, Ladam. Maybe we should find some other way to cure me.”
“Maybe I should find out what those things I ate were if they weren’t carrots.”
~Page 1~
Tears stream down my sister’s face.
“Look, I’ll go into the forest, find this wizard’s home, and get one of those figs, okay?”
It does not help that I have no idea what to expect from this forest or the location of this wizard’s house. I only brought a small dagger, and I’ve put it to use by cutting down tall grass and weeds. Still, I can’t see a foot in front of me without some plant blocking my sight. I did not do myself any favors by not looking down and falling down a steep hole.
I landed on the soft ground in an underground cavern, and luckily, I didn’t fall onto a stalagmite. Stalactites point down from a high ceiling, and multiple tunnels surround me. Small flashing lights hover around giving enough light to see, and they bundle into a ball and fly into one of the passageways. I run after them instinctually, but they fly faster than I can run. I manage to keep up but not without having to catch my breath.
The bundle of light stops right before what looks like an exit. Suddenly, it quickly flies back towards my direction and gets behind me. Looking back, I see small humans with wings and pointy ears inside the light. They must be fairies. Two almond-shaped yellow lights slowly approach me, and I put my dagger in my hand expecting danger.
“Look out!” a voice shouts from the bundle of light.
I step aside and dodge something that pounced violently at me. Close to the fairies, their light reveals a large ravenous dog with black fur and teeth that could rip off my arm. I’m not exactly used to fighting wild beasts, but I clutch my dagger with both hands shaking uncontrollably and point it at the dog. It walks in a circular motion with its eyes never leaving my face while growling at me.
“It’s about to pounce. Just dodge it like last time,” one of the fairies tells me.
As the dog jumps at me with its paws ready to impale me, I dive to the side and roll on the cold ground trying to get back to my feet. With its back turned, I close my eyes and slash at the beast. Hearing a whimper, I open my eyes and see a large cut near the dog’s tail. It looks at me with passiveness and fear while limping toward a wall. With my dagger pointed at the beast, I run towards the exit.
When sunlight hits my face again, the fairies follow with smiles on their faces.
“Thank you for beating that mean old dog. It wouldn’t let us out,” one of them says.
“Do any of you know of a wizard that’s supposed to live somewhere in this forest?”
They all look down with uneasy looks and remain silent.
“Look. If any of you knows where he is, then you have got to help me. My sister is sick.”
Giving each other nervous glances, one of them finally says, “Just continue west, and you’ll see an old wooden house surrounded by a wooden fence. It’s strange though because there’s only a fig tree growing in the backyard, but no other plants.”
I arrive in a part of the forest where light shines through the canopy giving nutrients to the abundantly green plants. Trees stand proudly as the singing of chirping birds and the sight of butterflies fill the air. However, bigger and more feral animals from bears to giant lizards, roam about as if patrolling a specific area. As if they carried the intelligence of humans, these animals move, stop and look around carefully in particular zones.
Trying not to draw attention, I crawl and hide behind a bush to observe their movements. However, something pokes at my back, and I push it away thinking that a branch must be pointing out. I get poked again and look back only to see a black bear with claws and teeth that could end me instantly. I fall to my back and pretend to play dead, but it strangely picks me up and carries me to the wizard’s home.
~Page 2~
I open my eyes as the bear carries me like a child over his shoulder and see a haphazardly put-together fence made out of old logs and thick branches that surround the old wooden house. Some of the fence posts lean at an angle, and they barely reach any higher than my shoulder. Grass oddly does not exist on the ground around the home, but an inconspicuous fig tree sits in the backyard.
An elderly man with noticeable wrinkles and a somewhat long nose comes from the house. His white beard drags along the dirty ground, and he walks with a cane seemingly made from a branch. I get the impression that he has lived for hundreds of years.
“Thank you, my friend,” he tells the bear.
The bear places me on my feet and leaves. I guess that I cannot play dead again.
“Now, what are you doing in this place?” he asks with a surprisingly commanding tone.
I stammer with my words, “Uh, I….my sister….tree.”
“Allow me to help.”
He points the tip of the cane on my forehead, and I strangely feel calmer.
“Excuse me, sir, but I came for a fig from your tree. My sister is sick, and I’ve been told that one of those fruits can cure her.”
“I do not know where you heard such a story, but I simply cannot allow you to take one of these figs.”
“Why? It’s for my sister.”
“You are doing right by her, but you must leave here.”
He points his cane at me.
“I cannot have you telling anyone about this place.”
I fall to my bottom and scoot backward, but the wizard’s eyes never leave my face. Somehow, I scramble back to my feet and run the other direction, getting further away from the house until it gets dark. With the bottom of my feet hurting and sweat pouring down my face, I stop to rest. Thinking about my options, I don’t have the energy to go back through the cave, but I can’t stay around the wizard’s house either because of all the animals roaming about. Going home empty-handed and seeing my bedridden sister does not sound appealing either.
Overcome with fatigue, I find an old oak tree and lie down against it until I fall asleep. In my dreams, I find myself in front of the wizard’s house. The front door opens, and I expect to see the white beard of the wizard to drag along the ground. Instead, the shadow comes through the door and stops at the doorway, “You cannot give up now. You are already this far in, so why turn back? Your sister only gets sicker by the day. Use the darkness of the night to your advantage,” it tells me.
I wake up to find the moon making its presence felt and cold air finding its way to the forest. In the cover of darkness, I make my move. I do not hear the footsteps of the animals patrolling the area, and I reach the wizard’s house with no problems. I jump over the wooden fence and rush towards the fig tree. Despite the thinness of its trunk, the wizard appears from behind it and walks towards me.
“I figured that you would come back, and what better time than in the dark?”
Nothing gets past a wizard, I suppose.
“Despite it being dark, I can still sense a pesky shadow lurking about.” He looks around and then redirects his attention to me. “This tree is not what you think. It will cure your sister of her ailment, but its fruit will grant its consumer immortality. Your desire to save your sister is admirable, so I will allow you to pick one fig from this tree. What you do with it is entirely up to you.”
~Page 3~
I pick the fig and notice that the wizard’s eyes remain focused on me as I walk out of his property. Once I step past the wooden fence, I look up, and he appears before me as our eyes meet. My eyelids immediately feel heavy, and I fall asleep on the forest floor.
I wake up in the morning lying on the ground with ants crawling on me. Still, on my back, I look to my side and see the shadow waiting for me against a tree just outside of the wizard’s house. I try to get up, but my body will not move.
“I see that you have the fruit. Give it to me, and I will deliver it to your sister,” the shadow says as it creeps closer to me.
“I don’t know if I even want to give it to her.”
“Then, how can you save your sister? She will die because of you.”
“She’ll live forever if she eats it.”
“Let her live forever. With immortality, she can be a ruler of kingdoms with you by her side. No more will you live in a filthy orphanage. Now, give the fruit to me!”
My mind wanders as I lie on the ground thinking about my sister. Most of my memories see her sick in bed with me sitting next to her. She played outside with everyone in the orphanage the few times that she had the energy to get out of bed, but those times tended to be short-lived. The last time that she played outside, she collapsed from exerting herself too much. When I saw her lying on the ground breathing heavily, I knew that I had to do something drastic to save her.
I look up at the shadow and tell it with what strength I have, “Away with you, shadow. Only I will decide what to do with this fruit.”
Without another word, the shadow leaves. A few seconds later, the wizard stands over me.
“It looks like you still have the fruit. You have passed my test, Ladam. I will repay your courage by healing your sister.”
The wizard disappears, and I feel strong again. The fruit has vanished, and I make the journey back to the orphanage with my sister out front waiting for me. She runs to me and energetically gives me a strong hug.
Once my sister got better, I stopped stealing and got an apprenticeship. My sister helps out in the orphanage helping those that don’t have anyone in their lives. I’d ask around about the wizard and the shadow, but no one has any stories about them. I guess that it’s a secret that my sister and I will keep for the rest of our lives.
~Page 4~
About the author:
I received my Bachelors of Arts degree in English from California State University Fullerton. Also, I received my Master’s degree in Teaching from Kaplan University. I write stories primarily in the fantasy genre and have always enjoyed fantasy through various media such as video games, television, animation, and movies. ~Christopher Muldong
