Shantago's Revenge

by Nicholas Penn

  Some of the young oogle ogles and snarks were in the entranceway playing froggle as they sometimes did, towards the front of Shantago’s lair. Once shantago saw this he spoke to them. “Younglings, come forth.” At first they were all trembling with fear until Shantago eased their troubled minds with a short verse of an old lullaby, “T’was brillig his eyes; oh how they bled, with his heart as fierce as a dragon’s head. Gnawing and clawing on others souls’, he was the destroyer of worlds with great power and zin, and he would come for all who did not fear him. The ruler of all and the keeper of crows, he was the great Shantago.”

  This put the younglings in somewhat of a trance as his song was sung like a sweet nightingale’s voice on a calm and peaceful Sunday morning. “Gather around little ones; I would like to tell you a story.” Each oogle ogle and snark came closer to listen at the great king’s lullaby. Even a few raw snorgs climbed on his lap to partake in the storytelling.

  “Listen up, my seedlings, to a story that you all need to know. The story I’m getting ready to tell you is part of your heritage. It first starts out in a small village out in the old country.” One of the inquisitive raw snorgs sitting on his lap spoke to him, “Where is that at?”

  “Oh the old country is in a far-off land many fortatas from here.” He rubbed the little snorg on his head as he laughed. “I had always worked hard in my life providing for the princess and our little ones. I had built her a nice wooden cottage, set off to the west at the end of the village. We had a white picket fence surrounding our land and a drawing well there in the front yard.”

  Shantago started to speak joyfully while telling this next part. “We had many little ones running around the village, which made the princess very happy. The princess had hair black as soot, and she always wore a special medallion around her neck that sparkled like a moonlit ocean. Her beauty…” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Her beauty was like a diamond in the sky where shooting stars would be ashamed to fly.”

  All of the oogle ogles oohed and aahhed at the medallion’s description as Shantago sighed from the lingering pain that was deep inside of him. Shantago took a deep breath before he continued, “The princess was always very happy tending to the animals and playing toggle games with her friends. She spent her days telling stories and chasing butterfloggles and catterpoggles with all the raw snorgs and snarks of the village. We lived such a good life together and the two of us were as one.”

  “One day, while I was in the fields working on bringing in the harvest, I smelled something so sinister it took my breath away at first.” All of the toggles were on the edge of their seats once he made that statement. “I turned to face the village, and off in the distance I saw a thick smoke filling the entire valley. I immediately dropped my tools and scrambled down the hillside, sliding down it as fast as I could to get there. Once I arrived, flames had engulfed the entire town. They had lit our small cottage on fire and it was burning out of control.” All of a sudden the gleam in Shantago’e eye was gone. It was replaced by a ravenous hatred. “By the way, the smell that took my breath away was seared flesh.”

  The small toggles stood there in awe when he spoke those chilling words to them. “The whole town was massacred at the hands of murderers and all that was left was a smoldering inferno. I found the princess lying there on the ground, shielding two raw snorgs–about your size–from the heat and fire. I picked her up and saw that there were black and blue marks all around her neck. Someone had tortured her.

  I held her in my arms just for a fleeting second before I was ambushed by the mercenaries. The evil ones left me for dead that day too. Right before the princess and I were tossed down a well, I asked the perpetrators one question: ‘Why? Why did you do this to my family and to our town?’ The lowlife remained joyous while humming an eerily sounding tune which resonated deep to my very soul.

  I’ll never forget the smirk on his face as he convulsed a laugh so mischievous and obnoxious. I haven’t forgotten that laugh nor that tune and probably never will. He kicked the princess over the edge, and right before he pushed me in, he made this heartless statement: ‘Because I can.’ That’s all that was said as I rapidly fell headlong towards the utter darkness.

  You could tell that the story tugged at Shantago’s deepest feelings and strongest affections. He choked up just before he splattered one of the oogle ogles against his lair’s back wall. “All of you get out of here before I lose my temper.” The snorgs and snarks scattered to and fro, while the remaining oogle ogles climbed out the windows.

  “Guards, guards get here at once.” Shantago’s voice echoed throughout the corridor. Quickly, a loki toggle arrived on the scene. “Bring me the toggle twins. I have a special project for just the two of them.”

  Shantago dismissed the loki toggle, as he couldn’t stand the pain any longer. He started clawing his throne’s arms, grooving notches into the wood with his fingernails, “No one can outsmart the wisest, most powerful toggle in the land. My blood is boiling hot for revenge, and I will have it.” Once more Shantago set along with his thoughts.

  Shantago pulled out a picture of the princess and started talking to it. “Soon I will have our vengeance, my love, and soon I will bring you back from the beyond. I give you my word.” Shantago sat on his lonely throne for the remainder of the evening, talking to his picture like he sometimes did, with excruciating pain fueling his wrathful and repulsive revenge.

  Lament’s Grave Discovery

  Strolling through a cemetery has never made the top ten things that I enjoy doing. Now that Piper lay there, I found myself frequenting this bleak place quite often. Taking in a deep breath while being observant, I noticed that there was something very peaceful about this church yard. Statues for memorials blanketed the field where fallen soldiers lay. A marker with a cross on it also showed respect. This cemetery included a small pond with a fountain in the middle to give it a serene feeling. While taking it all in, I experienced a sad yet somber feeling from one end to the other.

  I’d received a phone call that week from the cemetery that the stonemason had finally completed the headstone for Piper’s plot, so I thought I would come and check it out while paying my respects. I was very curious to see what design the family decided to go with for the headstone since I wasn’t allowed to give any input on the matter. The same went for the inscription on the stone. Her mom was very upset at the time of the decision, so I thought it was better to just stay away from the family.

  Piper was laid to rest on the only hillside there at the cemetery, which made for such a beautiful setting. Right after Piper’s death, her mom explained to me that Piper always spoke of being buried in that place, so naturally her mother made sure that it became reality. Piper’s family even donated a park bench in Piper’s name as a memorial to her.

  As I approached Piper’s plot, I noticed that the grass hadn’t been cut in quite some time, which angered me. I told myself that the groundskeepers were probably just letting the new grass seed take root before making the first cut. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt for now and let it go.

  Kneeling down at Piper’s headstone, I read the engraving: “Piper Lane. Here lies our loving child who will be forever missed.” The headstone turned out to be perfect, and so did the description. The marker had angels on it, which were playing harps and flying towards heaven. With the headstone now complete, everything seemed to have come to an end. I thought that perhaps this was just the closure that I needed to move on with my life.

  While kneeling, I started to pull some of the overgrown grass away from the headstone while a single tear rolled down my cheek. I whispered, “Piper, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for the way that it all ended, please forgive me.”

  After a long silence, I stood up and saw, off in the distance, a young girl all adorned in white sitting on Piper’s memorial bench. She motioned for me to sit down, so I went over to meet her. The way that she was sitting there, the noon day sun was blinding her face with a lu
strous glow–so much that I couldn’t make out just who she was as I approached her. “Hello my name is Jordan.” I was expecting it to be one of her family members, perhaps a cousin that I’d never met before. Piper told me long ago about having a rather large family. She made the statement that even she hadn’t met all of her cousins yet, because they were scattered all across America.

  “Hi Jordan. I know who you are. Have a seat so we can talk.” I figured out quickly by her mannerisms that she was indeed related to Piper. Even her voice sounded familiar. “Do I know you?” I asked while trying to block the blinding sun from my eyes. “Are you related to Piper?” The mysterious girl started giggling as she said, “You could say that.”

  I started to ask the unknown girl her name when I was cut off. “We don’t have much time, and there are many things that I want to say to you.” I managed to say, “Go on,” before she continued. The mysterious girl’s cheerful eccentricity seemed to change to a serious and grim tonality as her words resonated throughout the stone city we were in. “There were times that I wanted to thank you and times that I felt cheated and forsaken.” Still blinded by the light on her face, I thought, “Just who is this girl and what in the world is she talking about.” She continued, “Piper meant the world to you, right?” I shook my head yes. “Then why, tell me why, did you let it end the way that it did?” I scooted back on the bench for a moment to size this girl up. “Ma’am, just what are you implying?”

  The strange lady in bright linens didn’t answer right away. Instead she started humming a familiar tune. I instantly recognized the endearing melody. It was the same song that Piper and I first danced too. Perplexed on how she knew about that song, I asked her again, “Just who are you?” The girl continued humming away, perfect and in tune, with every note sounding like the trumpet of an angel. “I think you need to go,” I stated while becoming rather angry. I thought as my anger began to intensify, Just who does she think she is anyways? Is she somehow trying to intimidate me with this song? She soon finished humming and turned to face me on the memorial bench.

  By this time the noon day sun had started to gradually shift, so I could see more of her and not just her reflection. This lady had long dark hair, as black as coal, and a sparkling medallion hanging around her neck that looked like a scorpion. As I focused closer on her neck, I made a horrible discovery. Bruises covered her neckline so much that I felt afraid for her. I thought to myself, This girl tried to commit suicide. I would bet anything that she tried to hang herself but was unsuccessful in doing so.

  “Ma’am, are you okay?” I asked her this because she started rocking back and forth like in a trance. “Can I get you something to help calm your nerves? Perhaps a glass of water?” As soon as I asked her this her shaking suddenly came to a halt. The girl in white started twirling her hair nervously while admitting, “I have to go now, but before I do, I wanted you to know something. I hate what you did to me and now I will never be your fancy face again.”

  I was floored and quickly moved to panic. No one knew about the nickname that I’d given Piper except for one: Piper herself. I only called her that in private, as a pet name. She stood up out of the light, and for a brief second I saw who the mysterious woman really was. With her face disfigured from the accident, I still recognized her. I completely lost it. I was instantly in agony, with my soul reaching out for her. With bitterness and torments I screamed, “Piper. Don’t leave. I know how to save you now. There is so much that I need to tell you. Please wait!” Piper looked furious, betrayed, and disappointed as a bright luminous light unexpectedly hit me, briefly dropping me to my knees.

  Once I uncovered my shielded eyes, she was gone. I was at a loss and I needed help; the pain was more than I could bear. I tried to recollect myself. While I sat there, tears rolling down my face, trying to understand what had just transpired, I thought, Have I gone completely mad?

  So many thoughts ran through my muddled mind. What was Piper trying to tell me? Did she mean to die that day? Was this all real or is it just a vision playing out in my mind? The more I thought about it the more I wasn’t entirely sure about anything.

  I sat there for many minutes trying to gather myself, hoping that Piper would return. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to see her again. I needed to hold her in my arms and tell her that everything was okay. I asked myself over and over again, Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?

  I stood up and made my way over to Piper’s grave. With the sun still in my eyes, I tried to make out the words again on her tombstone, which now read: Piper Lane. Here lies our loving child who was murdered. I didn’t understand, and I was shocked at this new revelation. I quickly refocused my eyes, rubbing them profusely. This time it read: Piper Lane. Here lies our loving child who will be forever missed. After everything that had just transpired, with my heart being torn out of my chest yet again, I felt it necessary to make my exit.

  ?

  I needed to find a place to clear my ever-dubious mind. I needed time to comprehend what had happened with the apparition I encountered at the grave yard. To make matters worse, in only a few days, life as we knew it could be coming to an end. Somehow I knew the perfect place to go to ease my troubled mind. It was the most soothing place outside of Gramps’ cabin that I could just go and clear my head– something that I hadn’t needed to do for many weeks until today.

  I missed Piper more than words could explain and nothing seemed to ease the pain. I once had heartburn that I just could not get rid of. In fact, everyday it worsened to the point that I visited a doctor. The doctor advised me to drink plenty of milk and take antacids. I tried that and everything else that I could think of, including home remedies, but nothing worked. Then one day I woke up and it was gone. I never questioned why the pain and burn suddenly disappeared, but it did. I contributed it to a gift from God; believe me it most certainly was. I’m hoping that eventually the same will happen once again. I want to wake up one day and have the pain be gone. The pain I suffer with now hurts more than any heartburn that I’ve ever endured. Pain is more severe when your heartaches like mine.

  A lot of mixed feelings arose once I made it to the park. This was where I courted Piper and asked for her hand. This was also where my dog Iggy was violently taken from me. I chose this place because being there made me remember the days when things were simpler and life was painless.

  Right away I noticed the abundance of missing-children flyers posted on almost every light pole. I thought, Who in the world would be so evil as to take someone’s child? Walking a little further I recognized one of the posters and immediately tore it down. Detective Marlowe assured me that he’d removed all of the missing dog posters that I’d hung up. I wanted there to be room for the things that mattered most, which was the missing children. Besides, Iggy had already been found.

  I walked around for several minutes, reminiscing on my past memories of Piper when I saw two young people in love sitting on a park bench by the pond. The water looked so clear, and there was definitely love in the air. I watched the young man get down on one knee and propose just like I did with Piper. Even from a distance I saw the sincerity in his proposal. After a few minutes I saw the two kissing while holding hands and walking down the trail. I was happy to see that there was still love in this world, because lately that was something that I wasn’t sure of anymore.

  I made my way to the playground and had a seat on one of the park benches. There, off in the distance I saw a young boy, probably eight or nine, with hair as black as coal, playing alone on the swings. As I sat and watched him, I thought of Piper and how she wanted us to have a little boy like this one. What I would give if only there was a way to make it happen. I watched him for a while as he went back and forth, swinging to and fro, and having the time of his life. I thought how nice it must be to be that innocent and not have a care in the world.

  By this time it was getting rather late and I realized that I should find some dinner before going home. I sti
ll had a lot to figure out, not only with Piper but also with saving the town. I stood up and dusted off my pants when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a toggle. I watched him sneakily hide behind a tree, and then another. Back and forth, he was bouncing from tree to tree and getting ever so close–closer to the child playing on the swing set.

  I immediately picked up a rock and threw at the toggle while yelling for the child to run away. This spooked the child, which instantly threw him into a panic. Not knowing what was happening, the poor boy started running from me and into the arms of the toggle. Before I could reach them, the toggle and the child disappeared into thin air.

  There was nothing that I could have done differently, I was sure of it. I searched all around for his parents and found no one. Angered, I thought, Where are his mother or father and why would they let him play on the swings unattended?

  A thought suddenly struck me. Was the child really there? What about the toggle? I pondered that for a moment while frantically wandering around an empty park looking for any signs of his parents.

  Surely this too wasn’t just a figment of my imagination? I felt more out of place now and my mind more muddled than ever before. Should I call the police or should I just walk away? I finally found a maintenance man who was cutting grass nearby. I flagged him down as he stopped his mower. “Can I help you?” The guy saw the fear in my eyes as he spoke up. “It looks like you’re in a panic. What’s wrong?”

  “Did you see a little boy over by the swings playing a few minutes ago?” I asked him, not sure if I wanted the answer to be yes or no. “Yes, there was a little dark-haired boy probably seven or eight playing. Yes I saw him.” My mind eased a little as I asked, “Did you see where he went?”

  “No sir. I was too busy cutting grass to babysit.”

  I thanked him and, as I turned to leave, he said, “Is he yours?” I kept on walking. “Don’t you think you should call the police?”