The Tapestry

by Wigmore, Paul

  His father had been getting weaker as the days went by, “it wouldn’t be long before he would no longer be able to rest and gaze upon his little piece of heaven” he had said to Liu but he knew it would be up there waiting for him so that he might dangle his feet in the little stream once again. Liu remembered that he always joked about not having to do the gardening any more as he was sure heaven would have their own gardeners. He had always pictured his Father sat with his feet in the stream whilst a small army of angels tended to his garden, still it brought a smile to his face now as he hoped it were true.

  His father had told him that day that he needed to do two things on this very important day. Liu must take him in his car on an errand and he was to ask no questions as he could give no answers, and the second was to hand over the box to Liu.

  He recalled his fathers’ hand trembling with either pride or fear as he passed it over to him. Or maybe it was a mixture of both. Liu traced his finger over the dragon symbol in the middle, as he was doing now. It was of two dragons that looked to be in battle and his father explained that is a common misconception but put there to fool you. The dragons must look fierce and invincible. They can not be seen to be weak whilst they are protecting the dragonfire. Liu had asked what the dragonfire was and his father had simply replied that it was the power of Mother Nature herself.

  The content of the box was simply a list, a small list, just four names to be exact. But they were the most powerful four words any man on this Earth could mutter and they were now being entrusted to Liu. His father had locked away the four names inside this box after painstakingly building it and decorating the box himself many years ago and had since forgotten the names that lay inside. “No one man on Earth should ever have that much power” he said to his son. “They only chose me as their messenger as I am now choosing you my son”

  He had been staring into the glow of the orange lanterns wanting to ask but not sure if he should and then his Father answered his unspoken question as if he had seen into his mind like a clear water dish.

  ‘They... my son... they are the dragons themselves, they are born of divine power and to see them is an honour too high for a man of this world. I did see them once for they came to me in a dream I’m sure of and they told me the four names and what I must do’

  ‘The names of what though Father.. what are the names?’ Liu asked as he turned the box over and over in his hands. The key to the brass lock was on a chain around his Fathers neck. He took the chain from around his neck and gently placed it over Liu’s head.

  ‘They are the true names of the four elements. To know them is to control them. He then began to recite a rhyme which the dragons had whispered upon the wind to him as he had slept and dreamt of beautiful landscapes with rolling hills and the brightest coloured flora he had ever seen.

  “If she were to know the name but three

  Then weakest would be her authority.

  If she were to know the names but two

  Then defeat would most certainly become you.

  If she were to know the names but one,

  Then she would wield the power of the sun.

  If she were to know all four,

  Then death shall lie at the devils door”.

  He then leant over to Liu and whispered but one name in his ear.

  He realised his finger was still idly tracing the shape of the dragons as he began to come out of his little reverie. His hand went instinctively to the key around his neck. He had never used the key. His father had told him the content of the box was not for his eyes but just for him to pass on to the guardian if the time should ever come.

  Well the time had now come, although Liu had thought that it would never happen in his lifetime.

  The guardian had now been set on her path and he knew she would find him soon. The name his father had whispered in his ear all those years ago had served him well. He was still in awe that he was now to pass the names of all four elements to the guardian... He knew that she would be a wise and pure warrior, his bones were tingling with excitement that he should meet her soon.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  The news of the strange deaths hadn’t got past Clara and Seb. She had been told by the dragons of the signs to look for and since the strange shapes and words had appeared on her window they had both begun watching the news and also tirelessly calling nursing homes looking for a man named Liu.. As the words on the window underneath the picture were just “Old Gables, come soon.. Liu”

  ‘Another brew love?’ she asked as she got up from the kitchen table that had become their office over the last few days.. Seb had decided that what he saw the other day, the strange light and the wind that just seemed to come from nowhere meant that he could no longer go back to work, or at least not yet. He had to see this through to its conclusion, whatever that was... He had never been so excited about anything in his life, but he had also never been so scared because it could mean that the monsters in the closet at night were really there... he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit to that yet but he was going to help Clara however he could. He felt more alive now than he had done in the past thirty years, he could see it in Clara too. She seemed more alive, her face seemed to have more colour to it and her whole being somehow, she seemed to have more life in her, more vigour, he could tell the way she spoke, she was passionate about something again, but more passionate than he had ever seen her before and...

  ‘So how are the faeries... pass on my regards wont you’ Clara teased seeing as she had not gotten a response from Seb. He seemed to be in a world of his own, or as she liked to put it “away with the faeries”

  ‘On their way to bring you some wishes my loveliness’ he joked as he was snapped out of his daydreaming by the strange comment. He shook his head a little and then returned his gaze to the newspapers spread all over his kitchen table. There were copies of the tabloids printed over the last few weeks. There had been some very strange and he hesitated to say but amazingly brilliant killings. The like had never been seen before and he was sure that the police or press weren’t giving all the details as it was normally the case that they would hold certain information back.

  ‘There you go’, Clara placed the coffee on the table knowing that although he hadn’t actually requested it, he would appreciate it as they had both been poring over the newspapers for a good few hours and discussing the strange deaths that had begun to occur in their own neighbourhood. They had also been discussing the strange events which had brought them to be sat at this kitchen table now.

  As she joined him back at the little table he had found another “Old Gables Nursing Home” in a little village nearby called Clitheroe.

  ‘This one seems to have the same sort of logo on its advertising that you mentioned’ he said as he turned the laptop around so that she could get a better view of it herself. The hairs stood up on her arms and she could feel the goosepimples rising on her arms as she took in the logo of the two old oak trees bookending the gate that led to who knows what. This was the one, she was sure of it.

  As she punched the number into the phone, she had a feeling of finality. This was it, she knew that whatever happened now, her life was never going to be the same. Dialling that number was like putting her foot on the path towards a journey that she could never look back from and never turn around upon because the door that got her onto the path would be closed behind her, she could only ever now move forward on this path and wherever it may take her.

  Clara was surprised at how easy it had been to be put through to Liu, feigning a family friend. Obviously they weren’t so up on security at this particular nursing home, or the girl on the desk just couldn’t be bothered which is what she thought was more likely.

  Seb was sat watching her across the table as she spoke to Liu. It was clear that although she already knew, she was still shocked to find that he was the one to leave the message on her window and Seb was still having a hard time finding all of this to be real, but he was enjoying i
t immensely, that much was written all over his face as he listened intently to the conversation.

  Clara had clearly been shocked, not just because she had found the man she was looking for but because he had explained to her the weight of her responsibility, and what was now expected of her. He had explained to her that she was too weak right now to carry out any of the dragons bidding and that she must come to him. He would help her become. He wouldn’t give away too much information to her over the phone, there were things that couldn’t be spoken of over the phone. , but when she put the phone down she made Seb promise to drive her to “The Old Gables” in the morning, first thing.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  Clara and Seb sat at the side of the bed that the old man was lay upon, he appeared to be very weak and frail. She could see that his breathing was supported by a number of fancy machines and she found herself wondering if this was really the animated man she had spoken to yesterday, but she had no reason to doubt. For as soon as he realised they were there he pushed the button at the side of his bed which lifted the top part of his bed up which made it easier for him to sit up and he greeted both of them with a surprisingly cheery

  ‘Hey what took ya, I didn’t send my message by pigeon post did I?’

  After they had sat a while and discussed the events that had taken place recently, Liu took the box from the cabinet at the side of his bed.

  ‘Inside this box is all you will need to become The Guardian. My father passed this box to me many seasons ago and he told me that a wise and wonderful being would become the owner of the contents. I now know that being to be you.

  Inside this box are the names of the four elements, you will know them as Earth, Air, Wind and Fire, but their true names are inside this box.’ Clara watched him lovingly trace his fingers over the patterns painted on the lid of the box, as he had done many times before. He seemed to be in a slight trance as he followed his finger round, and round. And then she took in a short gasp as she recognised the symbol of the two dragons in the middle of the pretty little box lid.

  ’You and you alone are to know the names of the earthly elements, because to know the names of each element is to control that element. I know that you have already parlayed with the dragons and they set you upon the path of becoming. I am now here to fulfil that path for you. When you leave here Clara you will no longer be the woman that walked into my room, you will truly be “The Guardian Of The Dragonfire... The Keeper Of The Tapestry”

  Seb shuffled about in the plastic chair that had been provided for him as he watched Clara take the box from Liu’s hands. He was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable and if he were being honest with himself, a little like a spare part. Liu had not spoken to him since he had entered the room and had not even acknowledged his presence with a simple hello or even a howdy doo. So when Liu did decide to acknowledge him because he had asked to look at the box himself he was a little taken aback, as he had leant over when it was passed from Liu to Clara just to admire the artwork on the lid of the box, but Liu had shot his arm out so quickly to stay Sebs arm away from the box that he jumped back into his seat away from Liu instinctively to protect himself.

  ‘Have you not been listening? I see you sit there and pretend to listen, but if you had been listening then you would not touch the box’ Liu screamed at the top of his lungs, his face turning purple which was quite an achievement for an Asian person Seb thought.

  ‘Clara, why you bring him if he can no listen, how he gonna help you, I know my Father said to listen to the dragons and trust them with whoever they choose but... your friend no listen... the box not for him’

  Liu’s voice and his whole accent had changed, it was as if he reverted to his native accent when he was caught unawares or his guard was up. Clara took the box and laid a hand on Liu’s leg.

  ‘Don’t worry, Seb is my friend and I trust him with my life but I will not pass these words to anyone, you have my word. You have my word as The Guardian of the Dragonfire and The Keeper Of The Tapestry... she said solemnly. ‘If this means as much to you as you say, then you will be appeased,’ and he was. Liu began to calm down and he then reverentially took the chain from around his neck and he handed it to Clara.

  ‘Before you open the box and become who you will be I feel i must recite a little poem to you, my Father said the dragons sang it to him once on the wind of a dream, Clara sat back in her chair and placed her hand on Sebs as she took the key from Liu and listened intently.

  “If she were to know the name but three

  Then weakest would be her authority.

  If she were to know the names but two

  Then defeat would most certainly become you.

  If she were to know the names but one,

  Then she would wield the power of the sun.

  If she were to know all four,

  Then death shall lie at the devils door”.

  He paused for affect at the end of each verse and held a finger up in front of his face for each verse, until he reached the last, and at the end of the final verse, he closed his fist and smashed it down onto his bed as he spat out the words Devils door.

  She didn’t need to ask what the meaning of the little poem was, it was quite self explanatory, but could she believe it? Could it really be true? There was only one way to find out. She took the key and slid it into the brass lock on the front of the box. Liu was watching her like a vulture circling a lame calf. He had so wanted to open that box for many a year, but his loyalty to his father had forbade him to do it, and besides, his father had given him the name of the Water, that should have made him happy, but it was only to help him locate The Guardian and bring her to him, that was all.

  She turned the key in the lock and as she did so, the door to the room slammed shut. The window rattled in its pane and as she removed the key and put her hand inside the velvet lined box an ear shattering cry came from inside the box itself. It was the cry of the wind; it was the sound of waves crashing upon the rocks mixed with the crackle of fire and somewhere amongst that was the sound of every living plant being born from the soils of the planet. The noise was like nothing they had ever heard before. Seb put his hands over his ears as the noise enveloped the room but Clara pushed her hand deeper into the little box and brought out a little sheet of paper. It had been wrapped up in a scroll like fashion with a little red ribbon holding it together.

  Liu was thrown back against the large metal headboard of the hospital bed, he grabbed his covers and tried to protect himself with those. Seb had gotten up from his chair because of the noise and overwhelming cacophony emanating from the little box and had stepped back towards the window, still with his hands over his ears.

  Clara took the little piece of paper and unravelled it from the ribbon. She read the words out aloud, each one of the names would have been a tongue twister to anyone else because they were so unpronounceable but she read them with ease and as she did so, the cacophony began to die down. Not one of them had noticed but since Clara had opened the box, outside it had begun to rain heavier than any other day that year. The thunder and lightning was of apocalyptic proportions but when she had read the names, that also died down.

  ‘Hey, what’s going on in there... Mr Wong... Hello?’ An orderly came crashing through the door, he had been trying to gain entrance for the past five minutes but the door had been stuck and he had heard all sorts of unnatural sounds coming from this room. He finally pushed his way through. Clara turned her head towards him and just blew out a very soft breath in his direction. The door was slammed shut again knocking him to his very well padded behind on the other side of the door.

  Clara rose from her seat, taking the box with her, although she no longer needed the box or the paper that the names were written on. The names had somehow been ingrained into her mind. She felt as if she were Mother Nature herself. The power that was coursing through her veins at that moment was undeniable, it was unquestionable and unequivocal.

  She turned and look
ed into the eyes of Liu as he sat back against his headboard, his breathing had become erratic, he wasn’t meant to get excited as his heart was very feeble. She saw the death in his eyes and he knew it was there too as he gazed his final gaze upon “The Guardian.”

  ‘I am honoured to have met you’ Seb managed to regain his composure enough to clock the momentary glance between the two and then Liu sighed his final breath, his last words were “Find the trident before...” and then he trailed off to find his father in his garden of lanterns before he could finish his final thought.

  Seb got up and rushed over to the little mans bedside, he searched for a pulse, only to find none. There was a hammering on the door as the orderly got to his feet and also regained his composure. Clara blew a kiss towards Liu which somehow took on a physical form, it looked much like a fluorescent blue butterfly that winged its way to his lips and then disappeared once it touched his flesh.

  ‘Right, I’ve had just about as much as I can take’ Seb shouted as he watched the strange butterfly thing meander its way over to Liu and disappear on his lips. He got up and started towards the door. Clara had already opened the door and brushed past the security that had been banging on the door with uncommon ease. As Seb got outside he saw they were all lay on the floor, perfectly unharmed but not willing to rise until they had passed.

  ‘What the hell just happened in there?’ he screamed after her... ‘What was that?, the whole thing with the noises and the.. the... the butterfly kisses? Are you kidding me? Come on’ he shouted to the back of her head. If he had looked a little further to the floor, he would have realised that she was no longer walking but, “floating” down the corridor but he was too busy still reeling from what had just happened in Lius room to notice