by Aaron Lynch
“I see the serpent has yet another loyal sheep to keep in his pen!”
Lisa quickened her pace not daring to look back at the angry beast. Her attempt failed miserably and the shadow sped past her, expanding its form wide across the bridge blocking her path.
“I will not allow it!” it said, its eyes blazing like the heart of an uncontrollable fire.
Their glare burned through her chest searing her heart. She tried to look away, but they held her fast, as one stares at an animal torn apart by some vicious predator despite the horrible sight.
“Listen to me, girl, do not return to the serpent. Nothing good can come from it! Come with me, I can show you what you want!” it gestured a ghostly hand beyond. “Only I can give you the answers you crave!”
“Liar!”
Lisa ran straight through the shadow, its body chilling her as if she’d run through a waterfall. It shouted for her to come back, to accept her true destiny, but she refused its continued lies and trickery. Escaping the bridge, she dipped to grab the medallion before running into the forest. Just as she reached the trees, a tug on her dress froze her in place. She glanced back but didn’t turn her body. The fox stood with her dress in its mouth, its eyes pleading for her to come back, to follow it across. Kicking its nose Lisa stumbled forward from the renewed freedom. She never looked back to the fox’s yelping or the enraged agony of the shadow. She only looked forward, towards the hedge, towards the soft mumbling music, towards her freedom.
Chapter 6
Lisa stumbled through the forest barely holding to the medallion’s chain, letting the large golden piece drag lazily behind her. How could the fox have wanted her to go with that monster? It had to be in league with the spirit and only guiding her there to trick from the beginning! Yet, why would it have deserted her at the pond, forcing her to trust the Nakki’s directions alone? This she couldn’t answer no matter how many times it ran through her misted thoughts.
It didn’t make any sense...
The shrill screams of the shadow died away as soon as she’d entered the forest, allowing her respite enough to slow to a walk. Unfortunately, the calls of the faceless creatures wandering the forest floor and above in the branches replaced the agonized howling. The soft hum of music calling her to its embrace remained but a whisper, but it was enough. Lisa, whether founded in imagination or reality, found the tune had grown clearer since her ordeal with the shadow, with individual notes becoming audible for the first time. Still, the overall call was lost to her. Only the message beckoning her back remained discernible. She couldn’t care less what the tune was, as long as she had a guide.
She approached the pond again unsurprised she’d made it so far having run the vast majority. The Nakki still lingered in the center holding its prize branch lovingly. Yet its eyes, or what Lisa could figure was its eyes, wasn’t to the beauty it held, but to its returning visitor. Lisa glared back at its apparently smug demeanour.
“What’re you staring at?” she shot, unafraid of the creatures tricks.
The Nakki took a deep, gurgling breath chuckling with immeasurable glee. “Watching the sheep prattle along back to its shepherd.”
“And you’re nothing but a parasite!” Lisa snapped stopping her advance past the pond, her expression darkening.
After what she’d been through who were they to question her judgement? The Nakki glided across the water towards her. Lisa stood her ground as it leaned over the edge, its misshapen head stopping only inches from hers. It snickered, the gurgling sending a chill down her spine.
“Is this true bravery or arrogance now that you have that worthless coin?”
“This!” Lisa brandished the chain at the creature. The medallion lurched after it ramming her heel, to which she gave little care, “will give me the answers you all refused me!”
The spirit straightened away from her. “I gave more than enough answers, girl! You refused to listen! Not surprising, your pride of intelligence overshadows your humility.”
Lisa glared at the creature with such anger it seemed as if it flinched. But when it bellowed its horrible laughter at her expression she let her eyes fall. Fed up with their arrogance she stalked away from the pond. The Nakki called to her again.
“What do you expect the serpent to give you in return for that trinket? Answers? Ha! There’s only one who can give you what you want, and they are back from where you came!”
Lisa clenched her fists snorting like a bull before whirling around to face the spirit shouting, “Lies! Neither of you want to help me! You only want to drag me away and keep me like a trophy to gawk at! The only one that’s truly promised me anything is the serpent and I’m taking this back to it!” She brandished the chain again before limping off through the maze of trees.
Lisa didn’t dare look back; she knew what she’d see. She could hear the innate ramblings of the Nakki as it sputtered and fumed at her. What did she care? She didn’t need its hollow promises and false rewards. She figured out the test and it aimed only to create doubt in her decision. Despite the leviathan promising the same, answers and the truth, they remained the only one uninterested in luring her into its trap at every turn, leaving her no reason to distrust them, having been shown time and again no other cared to aid her.
Even the fox had betrayed her...
Lisa continued at a brisk pace trying to focus on the soft music. The shrieking of the shadowed spirit and the cackling of the Nakki pounded incessantly in her ears. No matter how hard she tried, the horrid noises clung as a bur clings to ones clothes.
Reaching the edge of the forest the emerald grass gleefully filled every space between the saplings like a flooding river. She flopped to the ground exhausted, dropping the chain, rubbing her feet and staring off into nothing. Only the top of the massive hedge peeked over the horizon. Even at such a distance, it appeared to be holding up the sky with its thick, brambly walls.
Despite being unable to tell exactly how far she’d gone, or how much time had passed, there was no question of the ordeal the journey had been. Her feet screamed for rest all through the forest, a complaint she wholeheartedly refused. How could she have justified stopping? The many creatures always skulking close by, calling to entice her, along with being so close to her goal, forced her forward as if she were still following the traitorous fox.
She could already see the gate opening for her, the blast of bright light and swirling sounds of music that would surely greet her, already hear the serpent explaining away all her questions. She knew not where the images came from, but delighted in their promises all the same. She rose and continued towards the pillar.
Then, she halted, feeling a tug on her dress. She spun around and froze staring at the empty space behind her. She scowled at her dress thinking, perhaps, the medallion’s chain snagged. Her expression only darkened as her dress continued its unabated flow. Perhaps the fox had come back to her only to vanish from fear of her anger. Unlikely, and even if it did, its traitorous actions were reason enough for her to refuse its desperate calls for forgiveness. Shaking the phantom feeling off, she continued towards the very real sound before her.
Finally, feeling as if she’d walked for years without rest, Lisa arrived at the sparkling quartz gate. The many branches, leaves and flowers of the hedge greeted her approach with invisible smiles reflective of their beauty. Lisa smiled along with them; though not back to them, that would be insane, but to making it back with nothing but sore feet and a bruised heel. The leviathan still encircled its center gracefully dangling its head. Standing before the gate, giving ample room for the serpent to come down, she called to it. Its eyes flared open at the obtrusive sound and, before she could take a step back to avoid its entanglement of scales and frills, it dropped trapping her within its speckled pen once more. The serpent’s attention was immediately lost in the medallion’s golden surface.
“Excellent, I had no doubts you could retrieve my amulet.”
Lisa held the chain out to it. “Take i
t and tell my why I’m here!”
“Patience...” they hissed flexing the frills along its length. Using the tip of its tail, it snatched the amulet away hoisting it high above the ground to its eyes. “Child, you have definitely earned your reward with such loyalty!”
“Wait!” Lisa called up to the creature ogling its prize.
“What is the matter?” it asked in a subdued, almost impatient tone.
Lisa swallowed hard, forcing her heart back into her chest, her stomach feeling as if a fish swam gleefully within. Looking into the hollow black eyes of the creature, the image of the gate reflected within them, the painful stabbings obvious familiarity nearly overtook her nerve of asking, yet, still, she could discern nothing of the misshapen figures in her head. She’d made the right choice, hadn’t she? She tried to push the doubts away but they rebutted with the same squeezing pains as at the bridge. She had to see for herself, know the reason those other spirits detested this serpent so much, and know why her mind called her away from the hedge. It could’ve been that the serpent was honest within a world of liars. Any oddity, whether safe or not, often gives the sensation of unease. However, now staring at the massive creature again, its long fangs, flowing antennae and frilled spines giving it a most menacing look, she began to wonder if the spirits had some truth to what they’d said.
“I-I want to know... why— why did the spirits warn me of trusting you?”
“Is not the answer obvious?” it replied, “using truth is a dismal way of attempting deceit or to lure prey into their never-ending traps.”
Lisa thought hard of the words of the Nakki and discerned what the leviathan said to be true for it. But the shadow was different. It acted as if personally attacked by the hedge’s guardian.
“The shadow said something about the tree being a gate. I-is that... is that true?”
“Yes and no...” the serpent sighed. It drew in close, eyeing her intently. “I wonder, when the shadow told you their sorrowful tale to coax you into their pathetic home, did they happen to mention that the tree, the true gate as it often refers, a pleasant little lie, was once a branch stolen from my hedge!?”
Lisa stared unseeing, lost in thought, murmuring. “So it is a gate...”
A flicker danced through her mind showing her once again at the tree but turning away before even crossing the bridge. She tried to focus on the image, unsure of how it could even be possible as there was no questioning her bravery in approaching the sad crossing. Her mind devoured it before she had a chance. Lisa snapped from her trance as the serpent spoke, its response completely lost to her. It didn’t seem to notice her wonderings as it raised its head and continued.
“I rejoice at your return, and your ability to stave off their temptations,” its eyes went once again to the amulet, “along with returning what is most important to me.” Then it turned to the gate. “Now, you shall be rewarded with what was promised.”
It released her from its scaly prison, allowing her to step towards the elaborately carved slab. It offered the amulet dangling precariously on its tail tip towards the gate, touching the coin’s gem to the sparkling stone. A slit of light cracked through the slab as it split open, grinding horribly along an obsidian base and disappearing into the brambled column.
The pleasant smell of marigolds, roses, lavender and chamomile leaked from the widening fissure along with the soft sounds of violins, cellos, clarinets, oboes and harps. Finally, the tune of the music could be heard, but it wasn’t anything she recognized. She mused it to be something one wanted playing alongside a very elegant or, perhaps more accurately, sombre occasion. As more of the gate vanished the light leaking from its yawning gap weakened, allowing her clarity upon the majesty it held.
A field of flowers danced in a warm westerly breeze. The sky held the same pale blue as above the emerald fields, save for the high, cottony clouds littering its expanse. In the distance a group of people sat in lines of chairs, the women dressed in elegant, vibrant coloured dresses, the men in dashing suits, staring at a wooden stage where others, dressed much the same, played the instruments with downcast expressions, as if wanting only to end their tune out of respect for the beauty surrounding them. Lisa gasped at the sight. A wide hopeful smile, long since gone from her normally firm expression, cracked her face. She knew it! She knew the others were horrid, blatant liars!
The serpent bowed its head in acceptance of her awe. “Thus is the reward of one who trusts. Go forth; take your place within the garden! All will be revealed once you enter.”
“But why? You said that if I got the key back I’d be told everything!” she retorted, somewhat put off by the sight of others in more plain faced clothes mindlessly wandering the garden, picking flowers, or sitting and staring at the sky.
“And I have given you a way for that to happen,” the leviathan nudged her towards the door with its tail.
She pointed to one man wandering with his hand to his forehead with sad, distressed eyes and dressed as if going to a wedding. “Will they be able to tell me where I am?”
The serpent did not look to the person in question, focusing solely on Lisa. “No, all that is required is for you to enter.”
Lisa narrowed her eyes at the snake. This was far too strange, but how could she argue further, especially with how wondrous everything looked in the grove, unlike the shadow’s tree or the Nakki’s frozen depths. Her mind made up she started for the entrance. A tug on her dress, much more savage than any before, forced her to stumble back just at the threshold. Once again, she looked to see nothing. Not even a snagged branch from the bramble held her.
“What is the matter?” the serpent asked, seeming quite annoyed with her frequent stops.
Lisa didn’t answer. The same hand of familiarity gripped her with such violence she felt her head about to burst from the pressure. Still the fog refused to lift, but something within tried desperately to break free. Staring at the flowers as if they would give some hint, bring some inkling of recollection, her heart sunk to her stomach and her stomach fell even farther. A chill shot down her spine and her hands began to shake. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t place it. The people sitting within the flowers or the ones placidly listening to the music, dabbing their eyes at the emotion the tune coaxed, looked as if they were old friends long forgotten, but none were recognizable. The man wandering the garden caused the feeling to squeeze at her head with such violence she nearly toppled into the grass.
The leviathan chucked. “I understand... you feel this familiar?”
Lisa groaned holding her head and shutting her eyes from the pain.
“Do not worry; it is normal to be nervous.”
It pushed her over the obsidian on which the gate had stood, the warm summerlike air engulfing her like fire.
Finally, the pain released its oppressive hold and the fog lifted away dispersing into the warm air. The memories flooded back so fast she all but fainted from the rush. She saw herself finding the gate and speaking to the serpent, then again breaking the branch from the hedge and along to meeting the Nakki. Then, the cliffs flashed through and she stood speaking to the shadow, accepting the task of fetching the water. Again and again and again, the memories flashed before her eyes. Every time ever more distorted and changed... The words were unrecognizable, not the ones she’d just experienced, her movements foreign. Then, the memories of repeatedly passing through the gate returned to her.
The music, before surreal and pleasant, changed becoming as if her own death march. The smell of the flowers fouled, degrading to that of rotted onions and meat forgotten for weeks in the open. The sky darkened and the air fell cold with the coming storm. Her eyes widened and her heart leapt to her throat. She whirled around to face the serpent eagerly awaiting its prey’s reaction.
Lisa bolted for the gate forgetting so easily she’d tried it before and that it never worked. Still she had to escape, she had to make it to the shadow, tell it she was wrong and apologize for her arrogance! The serpen
t easily pushed her back with its tail and she doubled over into the cold, wet flowers.
“So many times you’ve repeated this cycle and each time I enjoy it even more,” it sneered. “I really thought you figured it out, that the others had gotten to you, that I’d have to relinquish you to that shadow. Now I see they truly have no power!”
“Why are you doing this!? I-I did nothing wrong!” tears stung her eyes and she wiped them away not wanting to give the snake the satisfaction of seeing her distress, but to no avail.
“I know not what you did or why you have been punished... but take it in stride child, for this loop shall be your home until the shadow is trusted!”
The gates halves shuddered before crashing together loud as a thunderclap. Lisa leapt from the flowers to run at them hoping, somehow, to slip through their closing gap. It was too late... They shut fast and refused her repeated poundings against the cold stone. She bowed her head, tears flowing unabated down her cheeks. Why was this horrible being doing this to her? Why couldn’t she have realized the shadow wanted only to help, screaming so blatantly for her not return! No, she had to be proud, be so sure of her first instincts, to prove nothing anyone said could change her mind!
No matter how wrong her assumptions were...
She wiped the tears away fruitlessly as new ones readily replaced them. She watched the garden slowly vanish, as she’d done so many times before. The stage and her family before it were gone, consumed by the encroaching white mist. Her friends sitting in the flowers and her father, sadly wandering the glade, soon followed, vanishing as if they never existed. She closed her eyes constricting her muscles waiting for the inevitable.
“I don’t want to do it again...” she choked as the cold mist licked her hand.
The cloud engulfed her and the ground vanished beneath her sore feet. She fell, fast as a comet into the white nothingness. Then everything slipped away. The memories were gone. Once more, she felt the touch of cool earth and the tickling of grass.
