Immortal

by Lacy Armendariz

  The trio rode under the trees; the trees that darkened the forest a great deal. They rode closer together now. Gabriel and Staysia kept their heads up, and their eyes looked left and right, and over their shoulders. Isis and the horse stumbled upon stones that were on the road. The buggy wiggled and jiggled, causing Jasper to come off of his seat when it hit the bigger stones.

  “Did you see that?” Staysia rode up closer beside Gabriel and looked off into the darkness in terror.

  “No, what did you see?”

  “I don’t know. It was there!” Staysia pointed into the darkness.

  “I don’t like this so much. I don’t think I should’ve come.” Jasper turned his buggy around, without Staysia and Gabriel noticing.

  “Another one! Look!” Staysia screamed in horror.

  “Yes I do see them now. They’re shadows, they won’t hurt you,” Gabriel said nonchalantly.

  “Shadows? Are you sure they won’t hurt us?” Staysia asked as she watched three more of the dark figures run and hide behind the trees, where they’d peek around and stare with their large, round, glowing eyes.

  “Where is Jasper?” Gabriel swung his head around quickly to where Jasper had been before.

  “Jasper!” Staysia called.

  “There. There. There. There.” The voices of the shadows engaged and echoed throughout the forest, as they pointed down the road at Jasper riding away inside his buggy.

  Gabriel looked down at the creeper. “That’s a shame,” he sighed.

  “What’s a shame?” Staysia asked him.

  “It is a shame that the creeper didn’t follow him.”

  “Why is that a shame?”

  “Because it means that the creeper does not see Jasper as his master yet.”

  “Shall we go get Jasper?”

  “Of course!”

  The two of them rode side by side through the dark forest to persuade their small friend to continue the journey with them.

  “Why don’t you two just leave me alone? I am not cut out for this, and I have changed my mind. I just want to go home!” Jasper grumbled.

  “What about Em?” Gabriel asked him.

  “Who’s Em?” Staysia asked.

  Gabriel put his finger over his lips to shush her.

  Jasper spoke. “Em is nothing but a dream of mine; a dream that will never come true. What would she want with me?” he said, hopelessly.

  “Em is who he shall wed! If and only if he rides with us. If he does not, he will return to his old life; his hopeless life with no one to love and no dreams to fulfill. He will never have the strength to tame a beast. He will continue to . . .”

  “Fine! I will go with you!” Jasper whirled his buggy around so quick that it flipped over on top of him.

  “Oh no!” Staysia slid down Isis and dropped to the ground quickly. She hurried over to the overturned buggy, and began to push on it to flip it over. Gabriel joined her. “Are you okay? You poor thing!” She showed much concern when she spoke to Jasper.

  “If you all weren’t so persistent I would be a whole lot better!” Jasper proclaimed.

  Staysia put her hand over a cut on his head. “Does it hurt?” she asked.

  “Well, it certainly doesn’t feel nice!” he told her.

  Gabriel slowly spread a smile across his face when he said, “Well, look at you. You really do care, don’t you?”

  “Keep quiet, Gabriel! This doesn’t mean I trust you!” she replied.

  “No, but you are a sweet girl.” He licked his lips briefly and smiled at her.

  “Of course I am.” She put her head down. “I wish to trust you Gabriel, I do. I wish to know you.”

  Jasper threw his hands in the air. “Did everyone forget about me?”

  “No we didn’t forget about you, Jasper. I will get you something to put on that cut of yours,” Staysia told him.

  “Allow me!” Gabriel said as he walked into the forest.

  “We will be right here where you left us!” Jasper called.

  “So Jasper, tell me about Em, if you don’t mind,” Staysia said.

  “Emerald is the one I adore. She is the only one I will ever love. We went our separate ways as we were thrown out of town. But we were never, you know, in love. I only loved her.”

  “She probably did and you didn’t know it. She probably did and still does. Love is a timeless treasure.”

  “Is it a timeless treasure to you?” He rubbed his chin and squint his eyes at her. “If it is such a timeless treasure, why don’t you go after him?”

  “Who?”

  “Who? You know who! Why, Gabriel of course.”

  Staysia giggled. “Gabriel? Why would I go after Gabriel?”

  “Because you love him, and you knew it the first time you ever set your eyes on him.”

  “That is absurd!”

  “Is it now? Well, if that is so absurd, then maybe I will just go home after all.” He looked down, but peeked at her with one eye.

  She fidgeted and looked around the forest. When she opened her mouth to speak, Jasper grinned.

  “How do you know so much about love?” she asked him.

  “Aha! You do love him, I knew it!”

  Staysia looked around the forest again and held her finger over her lips. “Hush!”

  “Don’t worry he cannot hear me!” He leaned in close to her and whispered, “But you do love him!”

  Staysia shook her head. “I do not know him, Jasper.” She frowned.

  “He is good, Staysia. He will show you that he is good.”

  “We will have to see about that. Now hush, here he comes.” Staysia said as she held her finger over her lips.

  Gabriel returned holding an Aloe Vera plant. He smiled and said, “I got it! Looky what I have here.” He kneeled down beside Jasper and began to rub the aloe Vera on his wound.

  “Ouch! Would you stop?” Jasper snorted.

  “You really need to toughen up, Jasper. You really need to toughen up. There you are!”

  “Grr,” Jasper grumbled.

  After that, Gabriel swiped his finger across a Dragon Claw tree and rubbed the sap on Jasper’s wound. “This will stop the bleeding,” he said.

  “Aha! dragon’s blood, that’ll stop the bleeding in no time,” Staysia said.

  “Is everyone ready to hit the road?” Gabriel asked with his hands on his hips, and his back slightly arched in a half-stretch. Staysia noticed his gorgeous smile again, and stared just for a moment before answering.

  “I am ready when you are!”

  Gabriel turned the buggy over upright and tapped the seat with his hand. Jasper boarded the buggy. Gabriel mounted his horse and Staysia mounted Isis. The shadows watched them as they rode through the dark forest. They moved from tree to tree and whispered.

  The forest wasn’t quiet although the trio didn’t speak. There were many animals that shuffled here and there. There were the sounds of shrieking, growling and grumbling, ka-kawing, and more stirring.

  Jasper looked right and left, wide-eyed, as he held the reigns tight in his hands. Staysia made her way carefully through the darkness. Gabriel rode ahead of the others. He kept a close eye on their surroundings and slowed them down in moments of caution.

  The trees became fewer and a small village became visible in the distance. Gabriel came to a halt and pointed at the village. Staysia and Jasper stopped behind him and waited for him to speak.

  “It’s the village,” he said, almost in a whisper.

  “The Village of Darkness?” Jasper asked carefully.

  “No, the Village of the Dark Ladies.” Gabriel corrected him.

  “Oh no!” Jasper’s voice shook.

  “You’ll be fine, Jasper,” Staysia assured him.

  “That’s easy for you to say!” Jasper replied.

  Gabriel took a deep breath and waved them forward.

  They made their entrance into the village. It wasn’t as dark now that the trees had thinned, and they could not only hear but see the dark ladies
peering out of the windows of their huts.

  There was a rustling in the bushes. The trio came to a halt. A woman jumped out in front of them with her arms spread out on each side.

  “Hee! Hee! Hee!” she cackled. “What brings you to the village of the fair ladies? Have you brought the skin of a fairy or hair of a baby’s? Will I let you enter into the village? Well—maybe—” She had the voice of an old woman. It was raspy and cruel.

  Her burgundy hair was tied in a bun at the back of her head. One of her hands was curled in front of her chest. Her nails were long and gray. She wore a dark blue dress with a pocket on one breast. The pocket had the head of a dead rat hanging out the top of it. Her black boots were scuffed and torn. She was a homely woman. Her teeth were yellow and brown. Her nose was long and pointed. Her eyes were small and beady.

  She stood hunched over, holding a cane in one hand. She smelled of death. She poked Staysia with her cane and squint her eyes at her. “You! Get off of your malodorous unicorn and come here. I don’t want to hurt you my dear!”

  “Me?” Staysia put her hand in the middle of her chest and looked at Gabriel.

  “What do you want with her?” Gabriel asked the witch.

  She swung her head and looked Gabriel in his eyes. “That is for me to decide! I need something from her if it is through my village you wish to ride.”

  “We have traveled together. We wish not to part.” Gabriel told her.

  “Is that so?” said the witch. “Well, that is fine by me. I only need her for a moment’s time you see.” She stuck her cane into the ground. “We won’t leave this spot, she and me!”

  Staysia slowly slid off of Isis and stood beside her.

  “Come closer my precious! Step aside from your unicorn and share with me just a bit of your essence,” the witch said as she beckoned her nearer with a curled finger.

  Staysia left Isis’s side and stood nearer the witch. The witch turned her back and hovered over a small pot that she held in her hands. She slowly turned and told Staysia to look inside.

  Staysia could see her reflection through the liquid that was inside the pot. The witch threw her head back and cackled loudly throughout the forest.

  “What have you done?” Gabriel asked.

  “What have I done? I wouldn’t want to say so and spoil the fun. Go on through the village now, son.” She pointed to the other side of the village and smiled.

  “I’m not afraid of you!” Staysia told her before mounting Isis. The witch cackled again even louder.

  Staysia and Jasper stayed behind and let Gabriel go ahead of them. Staysia was behind the both of them when she felt someone jump on Isis behind her. She felt a hand wrap around her mouth. She moved her eyes to the side but couldn’t see who it was behind her. Whoever it was turned Isis around and headed back inside the darkness of the forest.

  When they had gone inside a good distance the hand was removed from her mouth and she began to scream, but she was unheard. She looked behind her to find it was the witch that had taken her deep into the forest.

  “Get off of my unicorn!” Staysia demanded. “Get away from me!” she screamed.

  “You may scream all you want. The man and the troll will not find you, no matter how much they may hunt,” said the witch. “Now, get on the ground where you will not be found.”

  Staysia was amazed at the witch’s might as she pulled her off of Isis and threw her into a shallow but large hole in the ground. Staysia tried to get up, but there was an invisible force that kept pulling her to the ground. The witch pet Isis’s mane and smiled wickedly at the unicorn.

  “You get away from her!” Staysia warned. Isis kicked her hooves into the air, but she could not move from where she stood either. The witch shook her head and said, “Now you are both stuck! I wish you both the best of luck!” She wrinkled her nose and smiled. She waved and with a twirl of her cane and a fog of smoke, she took the form of Staysia.

  “No!” Staysia screamed. “You can’t do this! You cannot!” But the witch was gone. Staysia saw the shadows in the corner of her eye. She opened her mouth to ask them to help her. Before she could get any words out, they began to run in the opposite direction.

  Isis kicked her hooves violently and neighed loudly. “Isis! Stop! It’s okay Isis, we will be okay.” A tear rolled down her cheek. She came to her feet and doubled her fist. She began pounding on the invisible wall that held her in the bubble, but it was useless. She sunk to her knees and put her head in her hands. She could see the vial of fairy dust around her neck and held it in her hands.

  * * *

  Gabriel turned to find Staysia was no longer behind him.

  “Jasper, where is she? Where is Staysia?”

  “What?” Jasper turned his head to find her gone. “She was just h-here. She’s gone!” Jasper replied.

  “We have to find her!” Gabriel said as he made a circle and surveyed the area.

  “Staysia!” he yelled.

  “I’m here!” said a faint voice.

  Gabriel moved his head forward and set his eyes on what looked to be Staysia.

  “Staysia?”

  The woman had a glow around her body. She smiled and beckoned Gabriel closer. She then ran into the forest. Gabriel and Jasper followed. Gabriel could see the back of the woman as she stood still looking off into the distance. “Staysia?” he called. She turned to face him. “Gabriel,” she chimed in a creepy, low voice.

  “Wait! I-I don’t think that’s Staysia,” Jasper told him.

  “Of course it is! Who else would it be, Jasper?” Gabriel asked.

  Jasper put a hand on his forehead and shook his head. “It’s not Staysia!” he said under his breath.

  The witch glared at Jasper without Gabriel noticing. She smiled at Gabriel. “I can’t find Isis!” she told him.

  Gabriel swung his leg around his horse and hopped to the ground. He put his hand on her back. “It’s okay Staysia, I will help you find her.”

  Jasper shook his head and looked off into the distance. He rubbed his eyes when he saw a shiny emerald glowing in the distance. It was hovering just above the stream.

  He took one last look at Gabriel and drove his tiny buggy to it. He got out of his buggy and hobbled to the stream. “It’s a sign! It’s a sign from my Emerald,” he exclaimed.

  Gabriel turned, and stood hands on his hips, with a wide smile watching him as he jumped up and down trying to grab the emerald.

  Finally, Jasper jumped high enough to grab it and held it in his tiny hand. He kissed the emerald and then took a better look.

  The emerald was large and soft. The emerald had a pair of red lips on it this is what it said, “I am not just a gem, not just another jewel. I am a timeless treasure. Ah yes, as love flows through your veins so does the stream flow below me. Timeless. You claim your love is true, but do you trust enough to take a bite of me? If you do, please do not hesitate. Love may be a timeless treasure but how long do you have to prove to her how you feel?”

  “It’s true! It is a sign from my precious Emerald!” He wiggled his legs and twirled himself in a circle. He kissed it again, this time on the lips, and then took a huge, juicy bite. The juice from the gem dribbled down the sides of his mouth. Jasper felt a strange sensation immediately.

  He took a seat on a large rock and tried to gain his composure. But, his composure could not be gained so easily. Jasper could not rid himself of his spinning head, his racing heart, or the hallucinations that came with his error.

  His head began to move in a circular motion, not just in his mind, but the effect was apparent. A low grumble startled him, and he looked over his shoulder to find the creeper staring up at him.

  His brows furrowed, his eyes widened; he tried with all of his might to focus. “It’s the pig!” he blurted. He attempted to step off of the rock, but he fell instead. “Hello pig!” he said. He patted the top of the creature’s head and smiled.

  The creeper turned its head and began to walk to the stream. Jasper rolled
from side to side on his back, and held his gut as he giggled. He pointed at the creeper, who swooshed its head around in the stream. “Gabriel!” Jasper called. “Your pig is thirsty!”

  But, Gabriel was nowhere to be found. He had already begun his search for Isis with the witch. It didn’t matter much to Jasper. He rolled over and hopped to his feet. “Here, piggy, piggy!” he called. The water looked like hot lava to Jasper in his drugged state of mind. “No piggy! That’ll burn your mouth!” he cried.

  He hobbled to the stream and threw his arm around the creeper’s mouth. He began laughing again, which annoyed the creeper. The creeper growled low.

  “Snake! You have a snake wrapped around your mouth!” said Jasper, referring to the vine that was wrapped around the creeper’s mouth.

  The creeper lifted its head up and down. Jasper stared at what he thought was the face of the snake, which looked like it was smiling at him. “Oh yes, you are a nice snake, are ya?”

  He began unwinding the vine from around the creeper’s mouth. When he was through, the creeper snapped at him. Jasper jumped and rolled over backwards and back on his feet. He held his hands out in front of him and slowly walked towards the creeper. The creeper realized that his mouth was free and crawled down to the stream where he began to drink.

  “There ya are! Drink up little pig! I will go fetch some grasshoppers for you and my lizard!”

  “Grasshoppers?” The creeper turned to face him. “I would much rather take a bite of you!” Jasper paid him no mind. He grinned and skipped away from him to a field, and hunched low to the ground to stake out some grasshoppers.

  The ground began to move beneath him. Jasper held his arms out on each side of his body. He saw a grasshopper and tackled it to the ground.

  He rolled over on his back and stared at the sky. What Jasper saw was different than what others could see. Jasper saw the sky turn a plum shade of purple, and what Jasper saw were grasshoppers floating on pink clouds. Some of them played violins and others danced.

  A female grasshopper who was dressed in a long red gown blew a kiss to Jasper. He held his hand in the air, grabbed the kiss, and held it close to his heart. Jasper opened his other hand and took pity on the grasshopper that he had planned to feed to his lizard and the creeper. He released the grasshopper and began to hop through the field alongside it. Jasper thought that he was a grasshopper. He caught tiny bugs in his mouth and ate them. He watched his grasshopper friend hop into the forest and called, “Goodbye!”