The Golden Talisman

by J. Stefan Jackson

“Just before we reached the midway point, one of the clouds’ hands let go of the bridge and tried to grab us. Since the bridge was very narrow, it couldn’t quite get a grip on either Banjo or me. Still, I nearly lost my grip on the bridge’s railing, forcing me to use my arms and elbows to keep from being tossed over the side into the raging river below. I couldn’t hang on to Banjo, though he managed to wedge himself in between my legs.

  “Moving along like this was tedious, but we managed to make progress anyway. We were nearing the end of the bridge when a powerful bolt of lightning slammed into the bridge floor only steps behind us. Besides singeing the hair on my right leg, it mortally damaged the structure, leaving a deep crack in the bridge where it hit. The crack soon splintered into smaller ones that quickly spread toward us, and I could tell the bridge wouldn’t hold up much longer. It was about to collapse into the volatile water below.

  “I pulled and pushed Banjo with my legs as I desperately worked toward the other shore, resolutely determined to cross the bridge before it crumbled into the river. When we were within fifteen feet of the eastern shoreline, the hand gave up in its pursuit of us and began whipping the water from the turbulent river onto the bridge. The water, acting as a powerful hammer, crashed heavily against the foundation of the bridge. It made it even harder for me to hang on, as the cracks in the bridge floor and walls quickly widened.

  “The bridge finally began its collapse. Huge pieces of stone fell into the river from our rear. I clung to the stone railing with Banjo clinging frantically to my legs, and could feel a deep rumbling as well as the frightened trembling of my little companion. On account of our dire situation and my own desperate fear, we were still nearly ten feet from the shoreline.

  “Another section crumbled into the river. I took as wide a step as I possibly could and I tightened my grip on Banjo. Right as the floor disappeared beneath us, I leapt with all my might while pushing him along side me through the air. The river’s powerful current dislodged the bridge’s foundation, pushing us closer to land. I grabbed onto a large clump of thistles growing along the water’s edge with one hand. While ignoring the thorns piercing that hand, I secured my grip on Banjo’s front leg with the other. I then watched what was left of the bridge crash into the river where it vanished in the rushing rapids.

  “I pulled Banjo to safety atop the embankment above the shoreline. The cloud’s hands and arms rapidly withdrew into the cloud, and the entire thing dissipated a moment later. The volatile water, in turn, slowed down to a smooth, peaceful current as the river returned to its original course through the woods. Feeling a little safer, I took a moment to remove the painful stickers from my bleeding hand, finding it hard to believe I’d actually hung onto the sharp thistles and Banjo without both of us tumbling down into the river.

  “The late afternoon sun had returned, although it’d dropped deeper into the western sky. The sun’s rays danced upon the river while the grove and meadow disappeared. In their place were the usual trees and plants typical for the woods near Carlsdale, like tall pines, oaks, and elms. Wild ferns and blackberry bushes were among the plants familiar to me that crowded the dirt path overgrown with tall grass and weeds.

  “I felt ecstatic to be back in a world I readily knew and understood, where magic and monsters didn’t exist. ‘We did it, Banjo!’ I shouted excitedly. ‘We made it out of that hellhole alive!!! Can you believe it??’ I kneeled down and hugged him, smiling despite my weariness. All we had to do now was get through the woods and we’d be back home. I stood up and headed for the hillside, with Banjo trotting along side me.

  “When we reached the top of the hill, I surveyed the area one last time. The wilderness below was still impressive, although it was nowhere near amazing as the view I’d enjoyed earlier that day. It was as if I was looking out onto the vast, and for the most part undisturbed, forest for the very first time. Although unremarkable, it was home and it was beautiful. Relieved the adventure was over, I turned away from the hills’ edge and led Banjo into the woods.

  “We had just stepped into the deep shade of the woods when all at once we heard an incredible, almost ear-splitting roar which shook the entire hillside behind us. Since I wasn’t expecting it, the roar was the most frightening thing I’d heard all day. I cautiously crept back up to the small hill’s top and peered down at the river below. On the ground between the river and the path that led up the hill sat the biggest damn reptile I’d ever seen.

  “As I told Sheriff McCracken later that night, I estimated its length to be at least seventy feet, and from the shiny colors on its scaly skin, I recognized it had to be the serpent Genovene referred to as Vydora. She was much larger than what I’d remembered seeing splashing around in the water underneath the stone bridge earlier. It took me a moment, but I soon realized I’d only seen her tail and not the rest of her body at the time.

  “Vydora’s appearance certainly matched her roar, for her claws were long and sharp. Her head was huge with gold horns on top of it, and her mouth was open to where I could see several rows of pointed sharp teeth. As I said earlier, she also had a pair of multi-colored fans near where her ears must’ve been. To me, she really did look like a cross between a tyrannosaurus rex and a mythical dragon—just like the sheriff’s report stated. To her I must’ve looked like ‘dinner’, for as soon as she spied me peeking down at her, she roared loudly again.

  “A long stream of fire flew out of her mouth, stopping less than fifteen feet below us and scorching a patch of tall grass. I now knew what had burned the meadow on the other side of the river. Even from where I was crouched down, I could feel the fire’s intense heat.

  “Keep in mind Vydora had one other physical aspect I failed to recognized at first glance. The wings I told you about? They were on her back and blended in perfectly with her scales. So unless they were extended, like they were right then, you might not notice them. Having a good idea what was coming next I quickly went over to Banjo, giving him a firm swat on his butt to get him moving.

  “Vydora flew through the air and landed with an immense thud right where we’d been only an instant before. We ran into the woods, moving down the incline on the other side of the hill just as she reached its pinnacle. I turned and saw her colorful silhouette against the backdrop of the late afternoon sky, the sunlight glistening on her head and shoulders as it reflected off her horns and scales. Once she spotted us moving through the woods below her, she roared again and sprayed fire through the trees and plants aiming directly for us.

  “The light and heat were extremely intense. I shielded my eyes and turned my back to her, running as fast as I could with Banjo keeping pace with me. She pursued us and closed the gap very quickly, crushing the trees—even the largest ones—in her path. Propelled once more by fear, we ran deeper into the woods where it was much darker and a lot harder to see anything. Vydora spewed another stream of flames that struck a group of trees standing nearby to our left, illuminating the woods around us.

  “Banjo suddenly veered away from me toward the right, sprinting into the deep woods. Vydora continued after me and I knew I had no chance of outrunning her. She was about to overtake me, for I could hear her breathing and I felt the moisture from her snout spray upon my neck as she snorted. The sweltering warmth of her mouth cloaked my back and I smelled its sulfuric sourness. Visions of the miahluschkas’ charred, half-eaten remains filled my terrified mind. Since I knew she could bite me in half at any moment, I stopped and changed direction, sprinting to the same area Banjo had fled.

  “Vydora’s jaws closed on empty air as she attempted snapping at me. She turned her head to follow me as I ran away from her, roaring in anger and spraying another long stream of flames at me. In desperation, I crawled under some thick undergrowth, where I was surprised to find a small cliff hidden beneath it. I grabbed onto a thick vine and quickly slid over the edge. There was a deep crevice beneath the cliff and I leaned into it as far as I possibly could, not even thinking about what could be waiting there for
me. I felt a warm furry animal with bristly hair on its head and immediately backed away from it.

  “I almost scrambled out of there, but then realized it was Banjo! He started to whimper. I put my hand over his mouth to shut him up, since I knew Vydora was somewhere close behind me. Several trees suddenly ignited nearby, and I tightened my grip on the billy goat’s snout while we both trembled. The pounding approach of the dragon bore down quickly on our hiding place.

  “The ground above creaked and started to give way as she stood right on top of us, sending clods of soft earth down upon us both. A low-pitched growl rumbled through the area and then the underside of her massive jaw appeared as she nuzzled her face into the space in front of our hideout.

  “Fortunately, her head was at an awkward angle to where she couldn’t see us hiding just a few feet away, although certainly she could smell us. Her loud snorts resounded repeatedly until suddenly she withdrew. I can only reason she did this because of the fire spreading rapidly toward us all. I let out a slow quiet breath I’d been holding, but didn’t dare loosen my grip on Banjo’s snout just yet.

  “The ground above creaked heavily once more and then the thunderous steps moved away from us. I let go of Banjo and stepped out from under the cliff as the fire crept closer. I poked my head above the cliff’s ledge and saw that Vydora was already a hundred feet away, and getting more frustrated by the minute since she couldn’t locate me. She reared her massive head back upon her neck as she straightened her enormous body, which caused her head to disappear briefly in the treetops. She roared her displeasure and then sprayed fire into the very trees that concealed her. The scene was surreal as the ignited foliage burned brightly, casting eerie shadows upon her enraged features. I looked around frantically for a route out of there that wasn’t on fire.

  “I reached back under the ledge and dragged Banjo out. He whined terribly, but there wasn’t time to calm him down. There was only a tiny gap left for us to escape the fire. I would’ve liked to check on Vydora’s whereabouts one more time, but the smoke and heat made my eyes water terribly, and it was getting harder to breath. I pushed Banjo through the gap, praying that the fire wasn’t worse on the other side, and followed after him.

  “Once through the gap, I was relieved the fire hadn’t spread through this area of the woods yet. Banjo immediately shook his body to rid himself of the ashes that’d landed on him, while I wiped my eyes with the inside of my T-shirt. We moved quickly. It was only inevitable before the fire spread toward us. At least it seemed unlikely we’d have to deal with Vydora again, because it sounded like she was moving further away, roaring angrily the entire time.

  “I worried about Grandpa and Jeremy, as I was pretty certain the dragon was heading straight for our house. I needed to warn them, even though they’d surely heard Vydora’s angry cries and seen the fire she’d caused. I grabbed Banjo and started running south as fast as I could, hoping I could exit the woods near the Johnson’s farm. I soon saw the remnants of daylight ahead as the trees began to thin. Less than a minute later, I saw the green backside of the John Deere tractor in that photograph you have. I secured my grip on Banjo’s collar and raced out of the woods.

  “Perhaps you know this, but Ben Johnson’s farm sat on one hundred and thirty acres, which bordered the woods on the west side and Lelan’s road on the east. Fielder’s Pond formed the southern boundary of the farm, while the northern border was my grandfather’s place. I ran past the tractor, practically choking poor Banjo as I continued to pull him along behind me, and went directly to the Johnson’s farmhouse. I intended to use their telephone to call Grandpa, and then the sheriff and fire department.

  “Once we arrived at the house I went over and banged on the back door. There was no answer. I pounded again even harder, but still no answer. I ran around to the front door, but got the same response. After peering through the living room and kitchen windows, I confirmed that indeed no one was home.

  “Just to be sure, I went over to the main barn that sat adjacent to the farmhouse. It was locked. I turned back toward the woods and was alarmed to see the area we’d just traveled through completely engulfed by flames. That left the old frontage road as the quickest way home. Banjo resisted me some, since this meant we had to head back toward the woods first. I was scared, too, and I half-expected Vydora to reappear at any moment. But there was no sign of her—only the fiery destruction she’d caused.

  “The road wasn’t so overgrown with weeds and such until our farmhouse came into view, just as we reached the last few acres of the Johnson’s property. Suddenly, the air shook again as the dragon roared loudly from somewhere close by. I dropped to the ground, holding Banjo down with me and peering in the direction the roar came from. The fire still raged through the woods, increasing in strength, and yet it still hadn’t crossed over into the field. In the midst of the fire stood Vydora’s hulking figure. She seemed nervous, and as I watched her, she bellowed an anxious cry into the smoke-filled air.

  “It made me smile a little as I stood up. Apparently, she’d boxed herself in with the very flames she’d created. She soon disappeared from view and her cries grew softer as she moved south through the woods. I finally felt relieved, and walked the rest of the way home after loosening my grip on Banjo.

  “Grandpa and Jeremy were in our backyard, sitting on the oak’s lowest limb. They both looked toward the woods. So far, neither of them noticed Banjo and me as we approached the gate. They didn’t seem to notice the raging fire in the woods. I wondered why they weren’t reacting to that or Vydora’s distant roars.

  “I heard my name mentioned once and then Grandpa looked toward the sphere and back gate with a look of worry and sadness, and more than a hint of irritation. I was pretty sure he knew I went where I wasn’t allowed.

  “‘Hey Grandpa! Grandpa!!’ I cried. ‘I’m over here!! Hey, Jeremy, tell Grandpa I’m home!!! Jeremy? Grandpa??’ They couldn’t hear me even though I yelled at the top of my lungs. They both looked nonchalantly toward where I was standing, and then away again. I realized they couldn’t see me either!

  “We were just a few feet away from the back gate. I started coaxing Banjo to go underneath the gate like I had earlier that day, so I wouldn’t have to force him through the gate’s railings again. The sky was beginning to turn into the deep purple of twilight when all of a sudden the earth shook again, throwing us both to the ground. A large hole opened in the earth, and Genovene in all of her hideousness came rising up through it. Towering over me, she bent down and placed her incredibly grotesque face close to mine.

  “‘So...you think you’ve won, do you?’ she asked, sneering at me. ‘You think you’ve defeated me, Jack Kenney?? THINK AGAIN YOU MISERABLE FUCKING CURR!!!’ Her shrieking nearly split my eardrums. ‘I shouldn’t have played with you the way I did!!! I should’ve conducted business as usual and taken you when I had the chance to do so yesterday!!!’ she snarled. ‘Mark...my...WORDS!!! I’ll never make the same mistake in dealings with you humans EVER AGAIN!!!’ She looked around, as did I. Silently, and desperately, I prayed that someone would see me and come to my rescue.

  “‘Hel—!’ I tried to scream, but Genovene grabbed me, cutting off my words, and placed her slimy claws over my mouth. I thought for sure that I’d hurl my guts up when the gelatinous mess oozed into my mouth.

  “‘Well, Jackie boy...this day won’t be completely wasted,’ she continued, lowering her voice to a gruff whisper. Her breath was as foul as a ripe outhouse. ‘I’m going to break your grandfather’s spirit! I’ll leave him your mutilated little corpse to discover, but I’m taking your heart and I’m claiming your soul!!! What do you think of tha—!’

  “‘LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! LEAVE HIM ALONE, NOW, GENOVENE!!!’ a mighty, thunderous voice suddenly shouted from behind her. A brilliant white light filled the area, and a look of utter surprise spread across Genovene’s frightful face. She backed up from me, reluctantly releasing me from her powerful grip as she slowly turned her sneering head toward
the sphere. Upon it stood an angel roughly twelve feet in height.

  “The angel was the most magnificent being I’d ever seen, and had a mixture of male and female features. Its hair was long and lustrous, resting as a full golden mane upon its broad shoulders. Its eyes, which were as green as emeralds, were soft and luminous in appearance with long golden lashes—as beautiful as any woman I’d ever seen. Yet, the rest of its face was filled with masculine features, such as a sleek prominent nose and powerful jaw line.

  “The angel’s body was slender and yet its arms and legs were defined by powerful muscles that flexed continuously beneath its bronze skin. It was dressed in a shimmering white tunic and its wingspan was incredibly wide. Deep lavender and white, yet iridescent, feathers filled both wings that extended outward and behind from its shoulders. Unlike pictures and paintings I’d seen depicting such heavenly beings, the wings on this angel seemed to have a life of their own, moving and twitching as it stood there gazing down at us from atop the sphere.

  “I was so enthralled by the angel’s appearance I didn’t notice right away that my mom was also standing on the sphere in front of it. My mouth flew open in joyful surprise, and widened further once I realized my dad stood just to the left of her. He had his arm around my mom’s waist, while she in turn had her arm wrapped around the shoulders of a pretty little girl who stood just to the right of her. They were all dressed in shimmering white tunics similar to what the angel wore.

  “My mother looked like she did when I last saw her in the village, and I imagine this was how she looked when she and my dad disappeared so many years before.

  “‘Mom? Is that really you, too, Dad??’ I cried in disbelief. Before either of them could answer, the angel spoke to me again.

  “‘Stand up, Jack, and come here!’ it commanded, its voice so unusual, but at the same time pleasant to my ears despite its force. ‘Bring Banjo with you!’

  “I picked up Banjo and walked past Genovene, determined not to look up at her. I felt her heated stare as I walked by, but she didn’t prevent me from obeying the angel. As soon as I reached the back gate, I looked up at the four figures standing on the sphere. The little girl spoke first.