The Tale of the Piper

                The forest was buzzing with excitement, birds and butterflies were flitting from place to place spreading the news. “He’s coming,” They would say before soaring the mischievous currents of air to the next soul telling their message there. Even the people of the nearby town had begun to notice a change in the forest. Instead of its usual shadowy sheen, the forest instead seemed alive and bright, a feeling that soon spread to the people giving all who walked in the forest a giddy feeling. The feeling then spread to the town with songs of heroes and dragons ringing through the town and laughter abundant, striking the hearts of any who dare let their guard down.

         The next morning the sun shone bright through the forest’s many branches, weaving its way to light the town below. As the sun’s sterling rays reached the windows of the town, the people woke feeling a strange urge to walk into the sun’s bright attentions. Slowly the people of the town gathered in the square, like flies to a light, and stared onward to the sun as if something was to happen. They heard it before they saw it, a beautiful song, rushing through the trees as swift and quick as a gust of wind. It raised the hairs of the townspeople’s arms tantalizing their ears and warming their hearts. From the forest came many creatures of many shapes and sizes, their body’s called by the soothing song. Bears, wolves and the beasts that are hunted for sport, came as well ignoring their lifelong hatred of man to listen to the enchanting tunes. Soon there stood a mismatched group of souls, many the hunters others the prey. Yet all stayed transfixed on the dusty road, and the horizons bright halo of light.

         For a few minutes the procession stood still listening to the magical notes of the mysterious song. Then beneath the horizon’s halo of light, the silhouette of a figure appeared, a cape flowing behind its sculpted body. As he drew closer to the procession of souls, the music began to grow louder filling the ears of those who were listening with it’s sweet sounds. He soon came close enough so that the listeners of his songs could make out his clothes and possessions.

         He was a man of medium build, a grey cloak upon his back and a red tunic upon his torso. Black boots were on his feet, a ring of dried mud caked on their soles. A grey hood shadowed his head, but not his eyes, which were an alarming green that seemed to pierce the souls of whom he looked on. But what really caught the attention of the onlookers was the instrument upon his lips, it was what seemed to be many pipes sewn together with a red string that glimmered in the suns bright rays. He stopped in front of the group and the music began to die, slowly blowing away with the wind to far away lands. The man removed the instrument from his cracked lips to a pouch at his belt, where he lovingly slipped it into the silk interior.

         “Hello, I am the Whisperer, a traveling piper, famous throughout the Five Forests. Here on my journey to the Kings castle.“ the man said, his voice still echoing with the music he had just played.

         His voice woke the accumulated group from their daze, breaking the temporary truce between man and beast. The people suddenly lost their interest in the mysterious stranger and became focused on the miscellaneous beasts standing side by side with them. The shrieks of blades passing through scabbards became the sound filling the men’s ears. Battle cries echoed through the forest, as the Whisperer’s music had only minutes before. The beasts ran for the forest, an unfortunate few falling to the tools of war in their escape.

         “What was that?” A warrior exclaimed, gripping his blade shakily with both hands.
         
         “It must have been him!” A few warriors exclaimed, their blooded blades pointed at the Whisperer.

         “Stop, do not assume such!” Another warrior blurted, stepping in front of the blades and batting them aside with his own.

         “Shut your mouth Joseph, you of all people should kill this man for the curse he has laid upon us.” A gore-ridden warrior put out, sheathing his red stained blade before Joseph.

         “This man should at least be given the chance to speak his mind before we end his life. Not all problems are solved with death Brutus” Joseph said, refusing to sheath his blade before the grinning man.

         “Fine, speak your mind stranger. But one false move and I will be cleaning your blood off my blade” Brutus said, giving the Whisperer a toothy grin.

         “Thank you, Joseph. Now I admit to you all, the animals were my fault bu-” The Whisperer began, before Brutus charged him. There was no time to speak, just Brutus’ blade bearing down on the man’s head like the shadow of a hawk about to kill its prey. Joseph panicked swinging his blade to block Brutus’. Joseph missed, his blade thudding into ground below. A loud clang echoed as Brutus’ blade was blocked by an unknown source. The Whisperer’s cape fell back to reveal a thin blade, perpendicular to Brutus’.

         “You heard him, He admitted it, he admitted it!!” Brutus cried pulling back his blade for another strike. The Whisperer moved in closer, cutting off the avenue for Brutus’ swing. Instead Brutus’ arms slammed into the Whisperer, knocking him to the ground.

         “Stop!” Joseph yelled raising his own blade to join in on the struggle, but the other warriors grabbed his arms and pulled him back saying ‘This is just him and the sorcerer!’ 

         Brutus swung the blade down again on the Whisperer with unopposed force, but he had already rolled out of the way getting back up on his feet. Brutus and the Whisperer began to circle each other, the watching crowd forming a ring around them. “I am not your enemy, I did not WANT the creatures to come. I don’t want to fight you!” The Whisperer yelled frantically, his knife held before him in a defensive position ready to block any strike that came at him.

         “I don’t believe you or your filthy tongue, sorcerer!” Brutus yelled bringing his blade down on the Whisperer. It was the last thing Brutus would ever do. The Whisperer ducked under his swing and swept out his blade, slicing across Brutus’ chest Brutus fell to his knees, clutching desperately to his chest, the blood beginning to seep through his hands, onto the green grass below.

         “Curse you, sorcerer” He moaned before falling to the ground below, soaked in his own blood. Brutus was dead before he hit the ground.

         The crowd was stunned for a moment as they stared at the dead body, then they broke out in anger. They swarmed the Whisperer, beating him down for killing one of their own. “Stop, Stop, Stop!!” Joseph yelled pushing his way into the dogpile around the Whisperer. The crowd didn’t stop, and they continued to beat on the Whisperer unrelentingly their bloodlust driving their rage. Joseph desperately drew his blade kicking away a few of the warriors pounding on the Whisperer. The rest backed off when they saw Joseph with his blade above them. After the crowd had fallen back, what was left was the Whisperer covered in blood upon the ground. His features indiscernible behind his own cape. Joseph kneeled down next to the body and removed the cape. To his surprise nothing was left, no body nothing, except for a small scrap of parchment lying on the ground.

         “What’s this?” Joseph murmured, leaning to pick up the parchment.

         “What’s what?” Many asked, leaning over the cape to see what he had found, “All I see is that Sorcerer’s body” a warrior piped up, his height allowing him to see above the many people before him.

         Joseph turned confused not knowing what was going on, but his instinct said to grab the paper and pretend he’d never seen it. “Never mind, but we should bury these bodies, as a sign of respect, so get to it men!” The warriors nodded and picked up the bodies, hauling them away to the graveyard. Joseph turned away from the crowd and pulled out the paper, unfolding it carefully. On the yellowed parchment were three words written in a scrawled handwriting that spiraled across the paper.

I’ll be back

         At that Joseph smiled and turned away, leaving the paper to float the drifting currents to the ground. Just above Joseph, in a pine far above the ground floor sat the Whisperer surrounded by the birds of the skies. Watching Joseph walk away, the Whisperer relaxed, his green eyes twinkling in the light and pulled out his pipe on which he began playing his songs, watching the sun descend beneath the horizon far away.


Word Count: 1490 words.