Blue Blazer
May 10th, 2012, 09:09 PM
Chapter 1: The Great Forest
Once, in a land now lost in a forgotten time, there was a great forest. In this forest there was a small, humble cottage where a small, humble family lived. The father was a tall, broad man with a loud, booming voice full of laughter. The mother was pretty and rosy-cheeked, and often singing songs from days long past. And their son was slender and quick, with hair the color of autumn wheat and a round, smiling face. He was a good boy, prone to mischief but full of love.
The forest gave this family all that they required; they had little, but needed even less. The father would hunt and fish and make repairs to the house, when it was necessary. The mother tended to the garden and washed their clothes in the river. The boy had his own chores, and when they were done we would often explore the wonders of the forest around him.
But there came a day when, for reasons unknown, the forest stopped providing for the family. The father could find neither beast nor bird to hunt, nor fish to catch. The fruits and vegetables in the garden shriveled and died. The family had managed to put away some food for the winter, but it was not yet May and it quickly began to deplete. Out of love for their son, the mother and father began to eat less and less, so that he could have enough to stay healthy and strong. But this began to take its toll on them, so that they became weak and ill from starvation, until they could not even raise themselves from their bed.
The boy was frightened, knowing that his parents would soon die if something was not done. So he went out into the forest to seek the only help he knew.
"Oh, great Spirit of the Forest," the boy cried out, "I beg you to answer my call!"
A sudden warm breeze picked up, lifting the leaves from the forest floor in a small, playful whirlwind and gently ruffling the boy's hair. A voice, deep and ancient, spoke from behind him.
"Why do you call upon the spirit of this forest, the protector of all that dwells here?"
The boy spun around in surprise, to find not a soul with him. But then the voice came again and he discovered its source. A tree, that had moments before been like any other tree (it was his favorite climbing tree, in fact), had twisted and changed until it resembled an old man. Its trunk formed a knotted, gnarled face; its branches became bony arms; its hanging moss made an unkempt beard. It leaned toward him.
"Speak up, boy. My time is short. There are miles of forest to watch over. You are lucky I was nearby when you called to me. Now, out with it."
The boy fought through the shock that had frozen him in place, not wanting to miss the chance to save his mother and father.
"If you please, good spirit," he croaked, "I live in a small house a short distance from here. My family has run out of food and my mother and father are so starved that they cannot even raise themselves from their bed. I fear that they will die very soon unless someone saves us."
The tree straightened and considered the boy's plea. It tapped the knot that served as its nose with the twig that served as one of its fingers while it thought. Finally, the spirit came to a decision.
"Though I am not in the habit of fooling with the likes of Man, I have made a vow to protect all of the denizens of this wood. I suppose you humans are no exception," it told the boy.
The child's heart leaped with joy. Had he known what the Spirit of the Forest would say next, he would not have been so happy.
"In a country many miles due east of here there is a castle," the spirit continued, "and in the center of that castle grows a tree that bears magic fruit. You must journey there, pick some of the fruit, and bring it back for your mother and father to eat, and their strength will be restored. The path to the castle is very long and full of peril. You must be steadfast and brave. Only if you can complete this quest will your wish be granted."
At once the boy was afraid. How could the great spirit ask so much of him?
"It is impossible," he told the tree, "Is there nothing else that can be done? No other way? I am but a small child."
"Indeed you are," came the reply, "And yet I sense in you an abundance of courage and cunning. You are not tall and strong, but you possess a power within that has become rare in these days. I believe you will succeed. Now go and prepare for your journey, and before you leave, go down to the river at your father's fishing place and you will find a gift from the forest that will help you along the way."
And with that, the great tree stilled and what had been a face melted back into its trunk. It was once more just the boy's favorite climbing tree.
The boy started walking back to the house, his mind heavy with thought. He was almost sure he could never complete the task set to him by the Spirit of the Forest. But then he came to the front door of the cottage and looked in to see his father and mother lying in their bed, gaunt and pale, and he made up his mind to try.
Once, in a land now lost in a forgotten time, there was a great forest. In this forest there was a small, humble cottage where a small, humble family lived. The father was a tall, broad man with a loud, booming voice full of laughter. The mother was pretty and rosy-cheeked, and often singing songs from days long past. And their son was slender and quick, with hair the color of autumn wheat and a round, smiling face. He was a good boy, prone to mischief but full of love.
The forest gave this family all that they required; they had little, but needed even less. The father would hunt and fish and make repairs to the house, when it was necessary. The mother tended to the garden and washed their clothes in the river. The boy had his own chores, and when they were done we would often explore the wonders of the forest around him.
But there came a day when, for reasons unknown, the forest stopped providing for the family. The father could find neither beast nor bird to hunt, nor fish to catch. The fruits and vegetables in the garden shriveled and died. The family had managed to put away some food for the winter, but it was not yet May and it quickly began to deplete. Out of love for their son, the mother and father began to eat less and less, so that he could have enough to stay healthy and strong. But this began to take its toll on them, so that they became weak and ill from starvation, until they could not even raise themselves from their bed.
The boy was frightened, knowing that his parents would soon die if something was not done. So he went out into the forest to seek the only help he knew.
"Oh, great Spirit of the Forest," the boy cried out, "I beg you to answer my call!"
A sudden warm breeze picked up, lifting the leaves from the forest floor in a small, playful whirlwind and gently ruffling the boy's hair. A voice, deep and ancient, spoke from behind him.
"Why do you call upon the spirit of this forest, the protector of all that dwells here?"
The boy spun around in surprise, to find not a soul with him. But then the voice came again and he discovered its source. A tree, that had moments before been like any other tree (it was his favorite climbing tree, in fact), had twisted and changed until it resembled an old man. Its trunk formed a knotted, gnarled face; its branches became bony arms; its hanging moss made an unkempt beard. It leaned toward him.
"Speak up, boy. My time is short. There are miles of forest to watch over. You are lucky I was nearby when you called to me. Now, out with it."
The boy fought through the shock that had frozen him in place, not wanting to miss the chance to save his mother and father.
"If you please, good spirit," he croaked, "I live in a small house a short distance from here. My family has run out of food and my mother and father are so starved that they cannot even raise themselves from their bed. I fear that they will die very soon unless someone saves us."
The tree straightened and considered the boy's plea. It tapped the knot that served as its nose with the twig that served as one of its fingers while it thought. Finally, the spirit came to a decision.
"Though I am not in the habit of fooling with the likes of Man, I have made a vow to protect all of the denizens of this wood. I suppose you humans are no exception," it told the boy.
The child's heart leaped with joy. Had he known what the Spirit of the Forest would say next, he would not have been so happy.
"In a country many miles due east of here there is a castle," the spirit continued, "and in the center of that castle grows a tree that bears magic fruit. You must journey there, pick some of the fruit, and bring it back for your mother and father to eat, and their strength will be restored. The path to the castle is very long and full of peril. You must be steadfast and brave. Only if you can complete this quest will your wish be granted."
At once the boy was afraid. How could the great spirit ask so much of him?
"It is impossible," he told the tree, "Is there nothing else that can be done? No other way? I am but a small child."
"Indeed you are," came the reply, "And yet I sense in you an abundance of courage and cunning. You are not tall and strong, but you possess a power within that has become rare in these days. I believe you will succeed. Now go and prepare for your journey, and before you leave, go down to the river at your father's fishing place and you will find a gift from the forest that will help you along the way."
And with that, the great tree stilled and what had been a face melted back into its trunk. It was once more just the boy's favorite climbing tree.
The boy started walking back to the house, his mind heavy with thought. He was almost sure he could never complete the task set to him by the Spirit of the Forest. But then he came to the front door of the cottage and looked in to see his father and mother lying in their bed, gaunt and pale, and he made up his mind to try.