A short story by Don S. Cameron |
Not long ago, a young man was born to a landed family in a small hamlet by the sea. He wasn't given a name, but was known locally as "The Grave One." His Father insisted on maintaining this name for his son so that his son may mature properly, and feel powerful, a feeling his Father never had. The Grave One grew strong, grew tall. Grew outwards, and also inwards. His face became the image of his family, and his body was thick and rough, like a patch of berries. Slowly, he came to take on the role of head of the family, as his Father grew thin. His Mother appreciated him because of his spirit, and he was told by the local oracle to take her as his bride. He refused, causing a small controversy within the hamlet. He excelled in athletic games and soon became the town's strongest man. His father died at age 46, a wise and old man, and his Mother went into hiding soon after. One day, walking by the sea The Grave One found a note containing strange symbols, and images which made him frightened. He took it back to his empty house, where he had once lived with his parents, and fastened it to the wall. That night, he dreamed of a terrible world, one much less forgiving than the one he knew. He waded through this world, walking on an incline, to the top of a hill and stood still. Before him, in the distance, was an endless path, splitting the horizon in pieces. He woke up, and immediately went to the village officer's dwelling. He took the note with him, and on the back of it, wrote "Take my house and make it yours, the items inside will also be yours, and you can also give them to a friend." He slipped the note under the door, and ran out of the hamlet like a real athlete. His frame wobbled as his straight legs pounded the earth. His whole head was rattling around and he couldn't keep his arms under control for more than a few seconds. He reached a river and there stood the ferryman. "Ferryman, where's your ferry?" He screamed at the surprisingly young man. "The river took it with it's current, and holds it at bay underneath the surface." Displeased with this answer, The Grave One pushed the young man over onto the dirt, and stepped into the river. The river blasted his body clean, tore his clothes away, and began tugging at him from below. "Ferryman! Throw me your tools!" He cried The ferryman lifted up a small cloth sack and emptied it out on the ground. There were 5 tools, all larger than normal tools, and presumably used for his ferry. "The tools in this sack are from my family's house in the center of the town." The Ferryman mumbled. "Quick, the tools!" The Grave One sputtered... "These tools are my dads and he gave them to me because he said i was worthy of the task that their nature requires of them." The Grave One's legs buckled under the weight of his soaked skin. His shins collapsed on themselves and his ankles crumbled. He sunk down into the water, slowly, while the current twisted his arms around his torso. His head flung back and his neck dislodged from his shoulders. His entire body wilted, the current pestering the life out of him. The river overcame him and the young ferry man knelt down on his knees, put his head to the ground. The bank of the river seemed so far away. The man who has just pushed him down was gone forever, and the young ferryman realized that he'd never had a ferry. He was just a regular man who had 5 large tools. He looked into his own face in the water, and he saw the face of The Grave One, crying, disgusting and hideous, like a terrible animal. "Don't look at me," the young man with tools screamed into the water, drooling from the ferocity of his statement. "Don't you ever fucking look at me," vibrated again out of his mouth, as his face and body turned red. He was on his knees, lurching over the current, his eyes popping out, his face turning blue, shaking with rage. Underneath the water, terror lay dormant, waiting. But not as long as the young ferryman kept it at bay, not while he stood watch over this river forever. "Don't you fucking look at me, " he whispered, his lips caressing the top of the stream. |