[Update] DragoonHP - The streetjack writer

[debhi]

Wow.....both leave you wanting more.....so please continue........

[DragoonHP]

Thanks titaness, Alika and debhi for supporting this poor wretch.

Here's Chapter 2.

Scholastic Heir

Chapter - 1

"Huh, huh, huh…" I pant, "I will, huh… make, huh… sure you, huh… pay for, huh… it…"

"You may very well, my lord," Rivaski replies, smirking, "Now if you don't hurry up, you will have to spend the day without breakfast."

"Hey that's unfair, Rivaski," I cry out, as my stomach grumbled showing its disagreement with the statement. He just chuckles and continues to run forward.

"I'm the ruler. I order you to stop right there and now."

But he doesn't stop. I grumble and follow him.

Ah, I notice a shortcut, I have used when I was a child. An evil smile creeps over my lips, as I glare at the general direction in which Rivaski has hurried off. It's going to be worth a million Glan, watching his dumbfounded expressions.

Smiling at what's coming next, I speed off, occasionally stopping to decide which path to take.

But it doesn't take me much longer to notice the fact that I'm lost. My skin reddens, not because of any kind of curse or ill effect of my surroundings; it reddens because of my obvious embarrassment. I can hear Rivaski's boom of laughter in my ear. I'm almost ready to cheat this time, but I don't. I'm a man of my word and I have promised Rivaski that I won't use magic. Sometimes I hate myself for my way of living and this is one of those moments.

My stomach grumbles again, demanding food. I give in to its wishes and prowl around trying to find some edible fruits and wild growth.

As I continue my search, my eyes fall on a secluded area. I see a meadow, a meadow of such beauty that it leaves me bewildered. It's quite plain but it has an aura of magnificence and beauty that mesmerises me. A small yet beautiful lake glimmers in the middle of the meadow. There is not even a ripple on its surface and from my point of view, the water looks crystal clear, like it is made of molten diamonds.

It's almost impossible to imagine that such a beauty could exist in the middle of this horrendous forest. I quickly grab some fruits from the low branches of a tree and hurry off to the spot.

I stop just before taking a step in the beautiful meadow because I have noticed a small cottage. Like the whole of the meadow, it has an aura around it, which dazzles my senses. Under normal circumstances, I would be on my guard around this type of area. But for some reason unknown to me, I don't see any need for precautions here; it just feels like home here.

My feet automatically move towards the cottage, but I, applying every single Dren of my will power, stop myself. For all I know, it may be someone's property or a monument left in memory of someone. And though I'm the ruler of this Kingdom; I still don't like using my status to intrude in someone's privacy or property unless it is absolutely necessary.

So, I silently make my way toward the lake. It looks the same as it looked when I saw it from afar. The water is crystal clear and calm.

"Maybe it's a mirage", I muse and drop my hand in the water. Ah, how wrong I was. It is after all, not a mirage for my hand dips straight into it. Ripples surround my wrist, spreading out across the water. I feel guilty for disturbing the calmness of the lake. Using as much deliberation as I possess, I lift my hand out of it.

I shake my hand a little, sprinkling the droplets of water. I grab the first fruit my hands could reach.

"I wouldn't eat it, if I were you," a sweet voice breaks through the silence. Every letter, which comes from the person's lips, seems to be caressed with such deliberation that it feels like a song sung from the very lips of Crizus.

I turn around to greet the person and my neck freezes mid way. A girl stands before my eyes, a girl of such beauty that it turns my eyes to stone, for they refuse to budge from their position. Her flaming red hair sways lazily in the wind, fanning around like they have a life of their own. Her emerald eyes shine brightly than any emeralds have ever dared to. Her peach complexion, her heartwarming smile, the dimples in her cheek; everything about her is perfect.

No not perfect, for it is an understatement. But no greater word exists which can truly describe her magnificence and heavenly beauty. Describing her with the word perfect is a blasphemy, because the word is so meek in comparison to her. It would be better to compare the word perfect with her, for the word can never be as flawless as the girl is.

Sunlight escapes from the clouds and falls on her face. The glow her body emanates surpasses even the sun's magnificence by a large margin. No qualms with Sholastic, but the girl's beauty surpasses the magnificence of every beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life, and believe me, I have seen many.

The girl raises an eyebrow and my heart beats erratically. I don't know why, but it is a sensation I have never felt before. I open my mouth to say something, just anything, but no words come out. It feels like I have lost the power of speech. My stomach churns but not because of hunger, but because of something, something that I have never before experienced in my life.

"What are you staring at?" the girl says, the exasperation in her voice clear.

I still can't look away and without thinking, without missing a beat, my stomach grumbles. I flush beet red and I feel like all of my blood has pooled in my face. The girl laughs at me and my obvious embarrassment suddenly turns into pride. I don't know why I'm feeling this sense of pride, because I've done nothing except making a fool out of myself. Maybe it's because I have made her laugh, for her laugh is as flawless as every other thing is about her. And somehow it is decreasing my sense of embarrassment.

"Hungry, huh?" she asks me, smiling. I find myself nodding, as my ability of speech hasn't returned yet.

"Oh," the girl slaps herself on her forehead. She seems to be in the process of saying something, when her expression suddenly changes. She looks sharply at me and says, "Why are you staring?"

Unable to answer, I try to turn away. My traitorous body refuses. Summoning all of my strength, I finally turn away, my back facing her; all the while my eyes are trying to go in the back of their sockets, to look at the girl from the back of my head.

I hear footfalls approaching me. My heartbeat quickens and a delicate shade of red spreads through my body. Good Crizus! That Rivaski is not here. Otherwise I'd never hear the end of this.

From the corner of my very eager eyes, I see the girl sitting on the grass. She smoothes her clothes, but suddenly looks pointedly at me, as if aware my eyes are groping all over her. I hastily turn my eyes to look at the lake. But all I see is the angelic face of the girl.

I can feel her eyes on me, but I don't turn to look at her, afraid that if I do so, I will not be able to take my eyes off her. But ah, my traitorous eyes, they always seem to find a way to look at her.

And if I'm not wrong, she is very well aware of the brief glances my eyes are taking, because after every glance of her which my eyes hastily take, the intensity of her gaze increases.

Time passes and my brief glances of her continue, and in retaliation the intensity of her gaze increases. It increases to such intensity that I feel holes burning into my skin. I snatch off the first fruit that my hands grab, for my vision is still swarming with the face of the girl, and viciously bite off a large chunk from it. Or I think so.

Because now the fruit is not in my hand, it's enveloped under the girl's hand, which means both of our hands…

My thoughts cease at this moment. I feel the warmth of her skin and my heart starts to pump blood at a demonic pace. My breath becomes ragged, but none of us pulls the hand away. Or maybe I'm the one who doesn't want to leave her hand, as I can feel a little resistance from her hand.

I slowly turn my head to look at her. A red blush graces her skin making her look more heavenly, more beautiful if possible.

Both of us stay in the same position for a long time, for how long I can't say because at that time I didn't care about a thing. Because during those blissful moments, she was the only thing, the only entity that existed for me.

Finally, she uttered something incoherent and hesitantly pulled her hand away from me.

And now, we are sitting, pointedly looking away from each other. My erratic heartbeat hasn't slowed yet, nor has the blush resided, not even a little. But none of us makes a move to get up, and walk again. For me, this is the most beautiful and important period of my life. Today's date, 8th of August, from now on will hold a special place in my heart and in my life. But the reasons for all these things, for all these promises to myself, are unfortunately not known to me.

Time continues to trickle away in silence. During these moments, my mind is filled with many questions and it has made such a mess in my mind that I can hardly think about anything. But the one thought that still makes some sense to me is — except for the thoughts of the girl, is; why am I still here?

As much as I search my mind for an answer, I don't find one. And maybe it's because at the moment, my ability to think has been reduced to a very low level, only encompassing the girl and her beauty. I find myself wishing that the girl should be thinking of me, the same way I'm thinking of her. But I have no way of knowing and it somehow brings me great disappointment.

I sigh, and let my body relax. I should behave like a ruler. What would she be thinking of me now, a ruler who can't even hold his demeanour in front of a girl?

I absentmindedly snatch a fruit from the small pile, because the old one has been thrown away, by whom I can't tell and I don't even care.

As soon as the fruit touches my lips, a hand connects with me cheek, painfully. The fruit is tossed into the air, landing in the water with a soft splash and a series of ripple.

I massage my throbbing cheek and turn to the girl, who stares at me unabashed, looking at me accusingly like I'm the one at fault here. I part my lips to protest, but again words fail me. The girl smirks and my dignity drives me into action.

"Why did you slap me?" I finally ask, in a voice louder than I anticipated or wanted to use.

"I should have let you eat it," the girl mutters darkly, throwing me a dirty look.

"Ah," I say, "You also spoiled a gift by the mother nature."

"Stop now," the girl says, whipping her body around. For one fleeting moment, her hand rises in the air. I quickly place my hands over my cheeks, protecting them from any further assaults from the girl. But she only looks at me with an expression of confusion and mirth, like I have grown a pair of extra heads.

I quickly relax my arm, as a red blush finds its way to my face. The girls laugh at my expressions and I'm left fuming with indignity.

"What!?" I finally ask her, when she continues to roll back and forth, obviously finding my embarrassment very funny.

"So—sorry," the girl chokes out between laughs, "But your expressions…" I snort indignantly. I don't know what was funny in it, but the girl obviously found something really funny in it, because she is continuing to roll around, laughing.

"Stop it," I all but shout when the girl continues to laugh. I snatch another fruit from the pile and bring it tentatively to my mouth. As I suspected the girls hand shoot out again towards me. But this time I'm ready. I instantly free the fruit from my grasp and grab her wrist pinning both her hands together.

"Leave my hands," the girl hisses, all the playfulness in her voice gone.

"Why aren't you letting me eat?" I ask her, trying my best to sound neither too polite nor too stern.

"I should've let you," the girl mutters darkly, wrenching her wrist away.

"And why's that?" I ask her, turning to face her fully.

"Don't mind me," the girl says, "eat your fruits. Don't care if they are poisonous or mot."

"Poisonous?" I repeat, glancing at the fruits.

"No," the girl replies, "don't care. Go on, eat. I swear I won't disturb you. Mind you if you are at it, eat the black one, the one which has rolled over there."

My eyes instantly sweep over to the mentioned fruit. A black fruit, of some unknown name lies there. Its texture and gloss is so fine that it can rival any royal fruit. I lift the fruit, twirl it in my hand, and look at the girl. The girl nods hotly and motions for me to go on, making it look like some kind of dare.

I take a bite of its juicy flesh and the girl shouts. I quickly swallow it. The taste is divine. The right amount of sweetness, with adequate juice and something, something which I just can't name.

Suddenly, the world around me flashes black. My whole body trembles and I loose my grip on the black fruit looses. It falls to the ground with a thud, as the world around me spins and swirls in colour. My heartbeat slows and my eyes water, even without any pain.

I turn to look at the girl. She is hovering over me, an expression of concern on her face. After a while, she runs to back to the cottage, leaving me alone to suffer here.

Suddenly my body looses all its strength and looses its battle with gravity. The only thing I hear before my mind is taken away in darkness is my body falling to the ground with a resounding thud.

I open my eyes, shaking my head a little. I try to get up, but my body refuses and a hand pushes me back, gently. I turn my face to look in the general direction of the hand. A girl is sitting there on a chair, the same girl who I met before in the meadow.

But there's a big difference now. Before her body was glowing, emanating a shine brighter than sunshine, but now she seems to have lost that charm, that shine. It seems that my fainting is the cause of her distress.

I try to get up again, but the girl again pushes me back. I look at her accusingly, "What happened to me?" I demand, as my memory comes back to me. It comes out, harsher than I intended almost like I'm accusing her.

The girl looks sharply at me, and I see a spark of her previous fierceness. I smile; happy to see her getting back to normal.

"Ungrateful brat," she almost spits, and doesn't even keeps her voice down, "I told you it was a poisonous fruit."

"No, you didn't," I reply furiously.

"Oh yes, I did," the girl replies, looking at me sharply. Our eyes meet and I feel like she has looked into my soul with her green eyes.

"I--I won't ca--call it a warning," I say, regaining my composure, "I will rather call it a dare."

"A wise man knows the difference between a dare and a warning," the girl replies.

"Then I'm not wise," I reply stubbornly, crossing my arm over my chest. The girl looks at me, slightly amused.

"You looked like you were," she says airily, sounding as she doesn't care if I live or die.

"Do I walk around," I ask her, "with a sign that says I'm wise?"

The girl smiles at me, actually smiles. I feel like flowers are blooming in my chest and stomach and without caring I smile back at her. Our eyes meet; emerald in chocolate. The sensation that follows is not like before; it's entirely different and one that I'm not even slightly aware of. I have gone through various degrees of pain and happiness, suffered almost all kind of punishment, experienced almost all kind of feelings, but this feeling I haven't experienced before. It is pleasant, and yet at the same time, it is a little unnerving feeling.

Time trickles away in big dollops. But we are oblivious to everything, almost everything except each other. None of us tries to look away; none of us shrinks in the gaze of the other. For me, it's kind of a treat for my eyes and heart, for the latter hasn't stopped beating excitedly since the very moment we have first looked at each other.

Something falls to the floor, and the spell around us is broken. I hastily pull my head away, as the girl rushes off in the direction of the sound.

She comes back after a moment, looking thoroughly irritated. Not daring to irk her more, I lie there, completely silent. I glance out of the window and all but jump from the bed.

"Hey!" the girl says, jumping to her feet.

"Sorry," I reply, donning my cape, "but I have to go. I will drop by sometime later, maybe tomorrow." Somewhere in my heart I know, it's inappropriate to fix an appointment without asking the host, but I don't care.

As I near the door, a question pops up in my head. I turn back to look at the girl, who is merely inches away from me. The closeness makes my blood boil and it is a boon of Sholastic that I manage to find my voice.

"What's your name?" I ask her and the look she gives me, makes me want to run away as soon as soon as possible.

After a short pause, and a pointed glare, she answers, "Rose."

Rose. The name is imprinted in my memory, never to be forgotten. I turn to go back to the castle, even when all I want is to live here, live around her.

"What's your name, stranger?" Rose asks me. So, she doesn't know who I am after all. Good.

"Escor," I answer her question, truthfully.

"Isn't that the name of the ruler of this Kingdom?" she muses.

"I'm sure it is," I say with a laugh, "but names can be shared by two persons. Him being a ruler does not make his name sacred or anything."

"Right," she says, "but you are talking as if you don't like him. All I have heard about him is good talks and praises."

"Every person has different opinions," I reply, "But don't think I hate him, I just pity him."

And before she can ask me any more questions, I turn back, walk out of the cottage and tell her, "I'll meet you tomorrow."

"I never gave you my consent," Rose says to my retreating back as I hurry off to the castle. The fun and mischief is evident in her voice and so is a little sadness. I would console her if I had the time. But sun is already shining over my head and I should have been back at the castle hours ago.

I struggle my way through the trees, occasionally falling on my knees in my haste. I should have asked Rose about the way out. Feeling lost and seeing no other option, I take Zokari out of my pocket. I fling the golden ball up and wave my hand in intricate patterns. The ball burns yellow, and start heading in a direction which I follow.

After walking for an hour, I stand at the edge of the main city of Somar. I extend my hand in midair, my palm stretched upward. The golden ball hovers in the air for a moment and then flies to my extended palm, resting on it gently. I pocket it silently. I look around and pull the hood of my cape over my head, covering it so as to make sure no one recognises me in town.

I hurry off to the familiar lane leading to the castle. People bustle around me, but no one notices me. No guard is out here searching for me yet and that it is a great relief, because that always turned out very embarrassing for me.

I reach the main gate of my castle and walk right through it. The two door guards raise their eyebrow at me in suspicion. Pulling off the hood of my cape, I continue to stride forward. From the corner of my eyes, I see that the two guards have resumed their former position.

"My lord," comes Rivaski's exasperated voice. I brace myself for the coming lecture.

"Where were you?" he asks me, sternly.

"Nowhere," I answer him airily, "Just took some bad turns and got lost."

"You are lying, my lord," Rivaski says, his eyes boring into mine.

"I'm not," I reply, feigning indignity.

"We'll see," he replies and turns around, "You are required in the Assembly."

"I'll take a shower first," I say as I start to march toward my personnel quarters, "Then I'll have something to eat and then I'll come."

"No need of eating, my lord," Rivaski says, turning to face me, "you have come way late. And no use of trying to steal some food from the Kitchen Wing, for it has been closed from the inside."

"I'm the ruler here," I boom at him, my hunger getting the better of him, "I'll do as I please. Am I understood?"

"Yes my lord," Rivaski says, bowing, "but you are not getting any food till evening. So, if I were you, I would be saving as much as energy as I can for you have to attend a tedious Assembly with the Ministers of other Kingdoms."

I sigh in defeat; I can never win against him.

"Didn't I participate in one, just yesterday?" I ask him, my memory vague because of the hunger.

"Yes, my lord," Rivaski says, turning to the Assembly Hall, "And there is one more tomorrow and day after tomorrow."

"What a tedious week!" I exclaim, marching toward my quarter.

"Yes it is my lord," Rivaski says to my retreating back.

After walking for some minutes, I enter my quarter and head toward the royal lake. A servant meets me there and hands me a change of clothes. Bowing, he retreats back to the palace.

I stand in front of a rock, in which various runes have been embedded. I sweep my hand softly over it, tracing some selected runes. The rock glows brightly and then turns back to normal. I smile and enter the rock; ripples forming on the surface as I enter it.

I arrive in a brightly lit cave. Its top is enchanted to show the sky I desire, which is showing a full moon night now, like always. I ascend to the middle of the cave. Small orbs of lights float around me, swaying lazily with the wind. A beautiful lake glitters at the end of the small cave. A waterfall is falling from the sky, colliding with the lake's water with barely a ripple. The scene is magnificent and I have learned to admire it from the very first day I saw it.

But today, something is different. My admiration for the lake hasn't subsided, not even a little, but the lake I saw today, has gotten more admiration in my eyes than this one. It was very plain, just like an ordinary well kept lake, but there was something, something that has charmed me.

With these thoughts in my head, I undress and slowly enter the lake. The water too, like everything in this cave is enchanted. The water temperature automatically turns to the temperature I desire; I don't even need to say it out loud.

I relax in the water, feeling my body's tension seeping away.

I don't know for how long I am in the water. But suddenly, a low humming sound echoes through the wall, reaching my ears. I look to the entrance. No one except the ruler and his wife is allowed inside, not unless one of them grants the permission to enter to some other. And I have only granted it to two persons; Cleo, my childhood friend and Rivaski.

The rock has turned transparent and I see a silhouette of a man. After some seconds of waiting, I recognise Rivaski.

"What happened?" I ask him in a slightly strained voice; I haven't forgotten our little exchange.

"Nothing, my lord," Rivaski replies, curtly, "It's just that you have been here for the past quarter of hour and the Ministers from the other Kingdoms are waiting for you. And it's not appropriate to make a guest wait."

"Okay, okay. No need to lecture me," I say to him, exasperated, "Go on, I will come in a couple of minutes."

"I think I should just wait here," Rivaski answers, "Just to make sure you are right on time."

"No," I say, "You'll go back to the Assembly Room and inform the Ministers that I will be coming, soon."

"But…"

"No, buts," I almost shout, "You are going and it's an order, not a request."

"Yes, my lord," Rivaski bows and retreats to the rock, dissolving in it.

I sigh. I never like to force someone to do anything, but Rivaski… he's a special case. He always winds me up good.

The same humming sound echoes through the wall again. I turn to look at the rock, anger pulsing through my nerves. How dare he defy a direct order! As much as I respect him, he has no power over me.

"What are you doing here?" I roar out as a silhouette forms. The man stops for a second, then takes some steps towards me. I feel like I should just bang my head until I faint. Because Rivaski didn't come back. It is Cleo standing there, looking indignant and irritated.

"Sorry, my lord," Cleo say disdainfully, bowing a little, "Forgive your servant. I just came here to give you something to eat. But if my presence is not required, I may just go back to my wing."

"Don't be stupid," I say, "I didn't know it was you. I thought it was Rivaski again. That man, he gets on my nerves, big time. And I remember telling you to call me by my name when we are not in the court."

"Oh," Cleo says his posture relaxing, changing the topic, "He was at it again. I would have come before, but I saw the bull heading for its mark."

"Now, stop babbling and give me something to eat," I say and grab the tossed fruit.

"You came late again," Cleo laughs out loud, falling on the floor.

"No, he just wants to starve me," I mumble angrily and take a bite of the fruit, viscously.

"I should go now," Cleo says, turns around and hurries out through the rock, not even glancing at me.

I sigh again, tossing the seeds of the fruit away. I head towards the fall, bracing myself for the coming cold. The water of the fall is extremely chilly, almost freezing. But it's a ritual, a Ruler is supposed to follow.

I jump up at the podium which is situated just before the fall and walk straight under the fall. The water hits my body, sending a series of shock waves through it, which makes every single of one my hairs stand straight on their stands. And after that horrifying moment, the water turns warm, soothing the coldness that has spread through my body.

I swim out of the lake and quickly dress. Glancing around for a last moment, I walk out through the rock as well and enter my personal quarters.

I glance around, looking for anyone who may be here. When I'm satisfied, I walk toward a portrait showing the royal items; the Sword of Dragoon, the Armour of Ritz and the Crown of Somar. I walk straight in the painting, muttering an incantation. The portrait glows and swallows me whole. I feel an unpleasant sensation as darkness surrounds me. My body hums with the sensation for a second and then I am teleported back to my room. I look over myself; I'm wearing the armour, the sword is in my right hand. I lift my left hand and trace it over my head. The crown is settled on my head. I could have done it manually, but it's a tiresome job that way. I sheath my sword and fix my crown.

Happy with the results, I head towards the Assembly Hall.

I enter the hall. Every single person present in the Hall bows. I nod towards the selected few and head to the throne. Rivaski gives me a glare, obviously because I'm late. I try to repress a smirk.

After I sit on the throne, everyone sits down on their respective chairs. A deadly silence surrounds the Assembly Hall; all of them are waiting for me to break the silence.

"Proceed," I say, feeling very awkward. Even after nearly four years of ruling over Somar, I still can't shake off the awkward feeling.

"My lord," Rivaski begins, "Rulers from the other Kingdoms have sent some propositions and gifts for the pleasure of my lord."

I swallow and motion with my hand to continue.

"My lord," Rivaski motions to a stately looking person. He stands and bows to me.

"Lord Sikara has come from the land of Picaso. Ruler Nimake has sent you a gift in order to strengthen our — bond."

I motion with my hand again and Sikara snaps his finger. Two servants come into the room, dragging a rectangular object covered in velvet clothing.

"What is this?" I ask, curiosity bubbling inside me.

"It's is a very special gift, my Lord," Sikara says, bowing low, "A special gift our Ruler has chosen himself for you. I daresay you'll be pleased to the extreme."

"Is that so," I say, leaning back, my posture relaxing.

"Yes my Lord," Sikara says, "And without further ado, my Lord, I present you the gift."

The servant pulls off the velvet cloth and a deadly silence follows, occasionally disturbed by the rustling of the cloth. Some women lie on the floor of what appears to be a cage, their bodies barely clothed. I tremble with anger as my hands grasp the hilt of my blade, tightly. Sikara seems to take it as a good sign, as he claps his hand in happiness.

But Rivaski seems to decipher my countenance for its true nature. So, he quickly turns to Sikara and says,

"What is this, Lord Sikara?"

"You don't know, Lord Rivaski," Sikara says, almost jumping on the ball of his feet, "Those are the finest unspoiled women our Ruler has selected for the pleasure of my Lord…"

"Shut your despicable mouth now," I roar, jumping to my feet, "Or I will do it for you. How many times have I told your Ruler that Somar does not advocate these types of tradition and trade? If he wants to develop a friendly bond between us, he would have to stop doing these kinds of disgraceful act."

"But…"

"Have I told you to speak," I roar at him, "And how you even dare to try to give this kind of gift to me? If you weren't my guest, I would show you what you get for trying to spoil the holy land of Somar."

"But…"

"Don't you value your life, Sikara," I hiss at him, pulling my sword out of its sheath.

"No my lord," Rivaski says at once, looking alarmed, "you shouldn't do this. Respect the rules of your elders, my Lord."

"But don't you see him, Rivaski," I shout at him, "How he dare bring that kind of disgraceful and devilish gift to me? Haven't I rejected them many times before?"

"Yes you have my Lord," Rivaski says, and turns to Sikara, "Lord Sikara you should have thought the odds before bringing this kind of gifts. Now, I have to ask you to leave Somar as soon as possible, if you want to maintain your dignity and pride."

Sikara huffs angrily, turns and order the servants to follow him.

"Stop," I say.

Sikara does not stop, behaving as if he hasn't heard my voice. But the guards have for they close the door, halting his progress.

"You are going to leave the women here," I order and motions to the guards. They walk toward the cage and start unlocking it.

I turn to Rivaski

"Go and fix some place for the women to live. Send Mariel here, so she can dress the women appropriately and order the cook to start making some meal. We have guests." I finish motioning to the cage.

Rivaski bows and walks out of the Assembly Hall. Sikara at this, turns to me and snarls,

"My Lord," he begins contemptuously, "you have rejected our gift. So why are you freeing the women, when you have no interest in them?"

"I don't have interest in such worthless gifts," I say, calmly, "But like every Solarion, these women deserve freedom."

"Their freedom has been sold," he says, smirking, "to us. Now we are their masters and their freedom, and as a matter of fact every single cell of their body belongs to our Lord."

"Does it now?" I ask him, as anger bubbles in my chest, "Who gave your Lord the right to purchase Solarions. It's an act of devil, and is forbidden."

"It's forbidden only in some worthless part of Solario," Sikara says, "In the developed part of Solario, it's a blooming trade."

"Preposterous," I say, glancing around the room, daring anyone to challenge my point of view. No one does.

Silence follows; all the while my mind in an overdrive trying to find a solution.

"What's the cost of these women?"

"You want to purchase them?" Sikara asks me, a smile on his face. I nod.

"But I don't want to sell them to you?" he says, sneering.

I smile.

"It was never an offer, Sikara. It was an order. Either you happily take some Glan and be off or get kicked out of Somar. The choice is yours; I'm just letting you choose the way you want that to happen, because it will happen at any cost."

Sikara mumbles something under his breath and glares at me.

"If you wish so, my Lord," he says, a smile creeping on his face, "These women will only cost five thousand Glans. If you still wish to purchase them, I'll be honoured."

A roar of anger and disapproval booms around me. I lift my hand, motioning them to stop; every sound ceases. I turn to Kipaso, the Keeper of the Royal Vaults.

"Kipaso," I say to him, motioning him to come closer.

"Yes my lord," he says, kneeling.

"Give Sikara five thousand Glans from the Royal Vault," I order him. Kipaso heads shoots up at once. He looks at me like I've gone mad or something.

"My Lord," he begins but quickly stops when I shake my head in disapproval, anticipating what he is going to say.

"Yes my Lord," Kipaso says and marches out of the room. Every pair of eyes is fixed on me. I can feel the intensity of their gazes burning hole in my body. But I don't react, knowing the fact that any comment on my part will result in a very heated one-sided debate; me versus all of the others.

Time passes, and the hushed whispers and furtive stares at me continue. It is making me very uncomfortable, but I don't have much choice. After all I called it up on myself.

The door opens and Rivaski comes with Mariel, looking very angry. I have a shrewd idea, which I really want to turn wrong. But by the looks of the things, it's not.

Mariel busies herself with the women and Rivaski marches towards me, looking like he might plunge a sword into me anytime.

He stands next to the throne, leans towards me and say in a angry whisper, "What did you order my Lord? Five thousand Glans for just some women? If you have forgotten my Lord, Glan is the highest unit of money; it is preceded by three units of money…"

"Don't lecture me…"

"Then my Lord, show some wisdom," Rivaski says, "I don't say that we should leave the women in slavery. I mean that we can just kick Sikara out of Somar…"

"Now, now," I say, feeling a little delighted, "Aren't you forgetting the rules made by our elders?"

"I'm not, my Lord," Rivaski says, a nasty smile on his lips.

"You are…"

"My Lord," comes Kipaso voice. Rivaski retreats back with a scowl on his face.

"Have you brought the Glans with you, Kipaso?"

"Yes, my Lord." With that Kipaso pulls a small chest out of his robes. He places it on the floor and traces some runes over it. With a flash, a big trunk materialises out of thin air. Kipaso opens the lid and the room is bathed in the shine coming from the circular cut diamonds. Sikara's jaw drops, as his eyes widens in surprise and greed. He hurries to the trunk and thrusts his hand into the diamonds, looking as if he might eat them.

"Now," I begin, contempt dribbling from every letter of my word, "you may leave the castle and Somar as soon as you can. Neither you nor your Lord are welcomed here anymore."

Sikara nods as he closes the trunk. The trunk does not turn back to its portable size. Sikara turns to glare at Kipaso, who sneers in response.

Sikara summons his servants and orders them to follow him with the trunk.

Soon after that, Sikara leaves the Assembly Hall. Rivaski is so mad with me that he too leaves the Hall, muttering something about indecent Ruler's.

I shake my head and order the Assembly to continue.

After three hours of tiresome conversation with some Ministers, I leave the Assembly Hall. Rivaski still hasn't returned, I can't blame him; he just loves Somar too much.

I head to the court room, readying myself for hearing the thoughts and complaints of the people of Somar. If my luck is with me, it will be like it is everyday. A little bit of fun, showcasing of some weird talents and then departure. But I shouldn't get my hopes up; it always tends to backfire the worst way Solarionly possible.

The door Guards bows, and pushes the door open. Every sound and movement cease as soon as the door is opened. I walk on the velvety carpet; my eyes are fixed on the throne. I nod towards some, whom I know personally.

I sit on the throne and motion for the court to start.

* * * * * * * * * *

After two fun hours, I leave the court room, a smile fixed on my face. At least my day ended well or rather saying my usual routine for the day ended well, for no one knows what might happen the next second.

But my rueful thinking turned out to be just that thinking because the day ended well, really well.

And even before I know, sun light is pouring out of my window. This is one of the facts that I don't like. The castle is positioned such as it receives sunlight one hour earlier than the town and it also gets one extra hour of sunlight in the evening. As much as I respect Sholastic, I don't like what he has done to the castle. It was after all his old castle; he was and is the real master of this castle.

"My Lord," Rivaski says, coming into my room. I quickly snap my eyes shut and feign sleeping, hoping with all my heart that I will be able to fool him.

"No need of pretending, my Lord," Rivaski says, and I can hear the smirk in his voice. Still with an ironclad determination, I continue to feign sleep.

Suddenly, everything goes silent. I take a deep breath of relief but I still don't open my eyes, because I'm a little suspicious. Rivaski is a tricky little man and it's not in his nature to back down from a task and surely not if it even remotely considers me.

So I lay still, hoping that my luck is with me. Suddenly I hear the hiss of the curtains and the next thing I know, I'm drenched in bright light.

No need and as a matter of fact no use of feigning sleep now. So, I get up, feeling a little groggy.

"About time," Rivaski mutters, loud enough for me to hear, "You should have been up and about by now, my Lord."

"I don't find the need to," I answer him airily, but nevertheless I get out of bed.

"You will meet me outside in a moment, my Lord," Rivaski says authoritatively. I hate this thing about him, he always shepherd me like a sheep. Not that I don't like it, but it can be surely annoying at times, such like today.

After a quick wash up and changing into casual clothes, I head to the entrance. Around this time, each one of the Somarians will be dead asleep, but thanks to Rivaski and his insomniac, I'm up and ready for a torturous exercise regime.

"Show haste, my Lord" Rivaski calls to me, as I casually walk towards him, "we've already been late."

I sigh in exasperation; someone would think that I'm going to fight in a war or something.

"It's not much late," I call back to him, "And anyway the grounds are not going to disappear if I am a little late."

"Time is money, my Lord," Rivaski says curtly and motions the guard to open the door. The grand door opens and I'm bathed in the faint red glow of the rising sun.

Rivaski, not even wasting a moment, walks out of the castle, motioning me to follow. I glare at his back, but nevertheless follow him.

We take our routine walk around the woods surrounding the castle and stop at our usual spot from where we are going to teleport.

"So, this is it," I say to Rivaski, "New day, new place."

"Yes, my Lord," Rivaski says and traces some runes, which are embedded on the aging trunk of the grand Wintershine. To normal eyes the runes are nothing but some scratches on the tree bark, but for people like us, who knows a little bit of magic, they are teleporting runes. They were embedded as a security measure for the safety of the royal family, when the times were dark. But now when the peace has been restored in the world, they are pretty much useless. So, one day Rivaski comes with this thought of his and I was foolish enough to accept it. What have I gotten myself into!

The dead branches of the tree sway stiffly with the wind. It's autumn and the beautiful tree has lost all its charm. But I have to wait till winter, when the falling snow will revive it. Then will be the time when it will do proud to his name, Wintershine.

Rivaski says something to me, and I quickly snap my head in his direction. He looks at me with a soft smile and says, "You used to love playing around it when you were a kid, you and Cleo."

It's one of the rare times when Rivaski drops his formal guard and shows that he has a soft heart, that he is a human with feelings.

"But anyway, my Lord," Rivaski says shaking his head, looking as he has done an act of great sin, and knowing him, I wouldn't put it past him to think like that.

"We should go, now," Rivaski says and he touches the trunk. The trunk glows and with a swirl of golden light, he vanishes in thin air. I look at the tree once more, touch the trunk and found myself swirling in a haze of bright golden light.

I land with a soft thud on my bum. I've never actually managed to land on my feet and it was well… an everyday joke for Rivaski which never seems to wear its charm, rather its charm increases everyday.

Burning red with embarrassment, I look everywhere but at Rivaski. I can literally feel Rivaski's stifled laugh.

"Anyway," Rivaski says, with a hint of amusement, "This is a new place we have landed in, my Lord."

Even though I was supposedly looking everywhere but at Rivaski, I didn't see anything. And nor do I indulged myself into it now.

"New place?" I ask him, a little sarcastically, "You know this place like the back of your hand. So, you should rephrase your sentence to say that, 'This is a new place Escor have landed in'."

"Say as you may like, my Lord," Rivaski says, "but I assure you I have no hand in choosing the area as I have mentioned to you many times before."

I highly doubt it. As honest Rivaski may be, I have always doubted that he have a teasing bone in his body. And at times like this, to me, it is highly obvious, like it is shouting at me, calling me a fool.

When I remain quiet, Rivaski says, "Lets start on, my Lord. The early we complete the track, the better it will be for us."

"Okay," I say, half heartedly, hoping that he will stop here, that he will forget to say the trivial thing.

"And," he says to me, and I can feel the ship of my hope, sinking, "you are not allowed to use magic, my Lord."

I shake my head again, half in exasperation and half in amusement. For an old man, Rivaski surely has a very good memory. He always repeats the same line regularly and the most amusing about that is, he always repeats it with the same amount of pause in his wordings.

"I will meet you in the castle, my Lord" Rivaski says, "and I hope to see you before the breakfast is stuffed away. And anyway, my Lord, don't be offended, you can do with a little less meal." He finishes with a smirk.

Little less meal! I nearly growl out the sentence. He is the one who can do with a lot less meal, not me. He has been literally starving me in the morning for about a year already. If it isn't for Cleo and his ingenious tricks to smuggle me some fruits, I would have been reduced to pulp.

"Very well," I say to him, puffing up my chest, "Don't except me until evening then. I am thinking of camping out here. After all as you mentioned, I can do with a little less meal and what's the better place then an abandoned forest patch to do so."

"Very well," Rivaski says, "So, should I except you at evening, my Lord?"

With that he bows and walks fast around the trees. He is soon lost in shadows and I slump to my knees. He knows me very well and I have a suspicion that he even knows about Cleo sneaking fruits to me in the mornings. And he knows too, I'll be back as soon possible for I absolutely adore my breakfast, a privilege he has been so masterfully taking away from me for the past year.

As my resolution of proving Rivaski wrongs strengthens, I look around. Weird, I am getting a feeling of Déjà vu, seeing this area of the forest. I have never been here, I am sure of it. But still there's something very oddly striking about this place, like it is calling out to me. But all around me, all I see is the blankets of trees covering me. Even sunlight barely manages to escape from the trees.

I shake my head as I start to walk aimlessly. Having no destination in my mind for the moment, I let my feet walk of their own accord, all the while my eyes looking for something edible to it. But as my luck usually goes, I have again landed in an area where not even a leaf is edible. And this type of odds makes me thinks, does the teleportation process is random or Rivaski regularly tinkles with it. I will have to check it out later when I'm in the castle, for I cannot stand unnecessary starving anymore. After all me Dad used to say, 'Enjoy until you have, for you do not know where you will be the next second'.

Somebody should tell this to Rivaski and there was none better than my Dad to do that. Rivaski genuinely respected him, even though Rivaski and my Dad were of nearly same age. I can even go to the extent that Dad was the role model of Rivaski. Both of them were friends, very close friends. Rivaski had even nearly died for Dad; he was only saved when Dad summoned the best of the Healers from all over the Solario to tend to his friend, to rip him off the deadly curse.

And anyway, it's not as Rivaski does not respect me, he sure respects me, but he also thinks that I'm immature and I haven't even reached the 1% of my father's wisdom. And so he is training me in that field, to help me attain my Dad's wisdom. I think it is all futile, for Dad also used to say, 'Trudging along the beaten up path is for losers, a warrior makes his own path.'

But it doesn't matter how many times I recite it in front of Rivaski, he does not give it any heed. I suspect he is trying to find his lost friend in me, by teaching me his exact style. He has me following Dad's routine exactly as he liked, exercise in the morning, usually no breakfast or some fruit and yada, yada, yada…

As much as I respect Rivaski's wishes, I don't want to be exactly like my father. But I don't want to hurt his wishes either. After all he has been everything for me, for nearly seven years. I remember the day when my parents were killed like it has just happened moments ago. The nightmares of that day have haunted my sleeps for such long time that even if I wanted to forget the events, I can't; they come back to me as fresh as ever.

I remembered that he had been the one who had dragged the carts to the castle after some renegades slaughtered my family, the guards and the horses. I had seen him as he had dragged the carts down the steep edged mountain as blood oozed from his wounds. I remember how he had enveloped me protecting me from a fatal arrow that could've killed me, taking the blow instead. I remember how he had cried in middle of nowhere when my Dad's took his last breaths and made him my guardian. I very vividly remembered him pulling the carts all the while crying and shouting for help, but there had been none.

After that, he had been in such shock that he had given away all his property to the Royal Charity, stepped back from his title and had started living a life of a hermit. He had been unheard from months, though the local people told that he lived in a cave in Ukasa Mountains, behaving like a maniac. The only thing that had made him comeback was me and my loneliness. When I have gone to visit him, I was just around thirteen, to young to think anything else other than my family had been slaughtered in front of my very own eyes. And the only family which I had at that time was Rivaski, who I used to call Uncle Rivaski at that time, for he was like a brother to my father.

And he had comeback when I have cried I in his chest, questioning him again and again where Mum and Dad were. Of course, he had been speechless, he had nothing to say. He had just held me and said, the words I so perfectly remembered till this day,

"They are up in the skies Esocr, looking over you and me right now. God Sholastic sent for them because he needed good people up in the skies and they had to go, leaving you to me. But you are letting them down by behaving so weak, be strong willed like your father, won't you?"

"So, why are you not living with me, when my parents entrusted me to you?" was my innocent question to him. He had been speechless but from that moment he had never left my side, not until this day.

Of course he had ruled the Kingdom for the three years, amidst the rumours that he had killed my family. But I knew better, for I have seen the mass slaughtered from my very own eyes. And he hadn't even taken an extra Dren from the royal treasures during the period he ruled. Dad had always been very free willed and easy going when it came to money and if it hadn't been for Rivaski, the royal treasures would ha…

BANG.

I bang into something, which halts my train of thoughts. I stare at the object as my eye comes back into focus. All I see is a tree, its wood blackened by the corrosive atmosphere. I rub my head and turn around feeling a little bit of sting in my eyes.

And with a flash, everything comes back to me, as I look at that familiar meadow. So, that's why I was getting that feeling of Déjà vu. How easily men forget!

Now when I have remembered it, I can't help but move in the direction of the lake. After all, the girl, Rose hasn't said no to me. But looking on the other side of the coin, she hasn't exactly said yes too. But now, as my feet moves of their own accord, it matters little, or better, it doesn't matter at all. All I care is to see her again.

Wind howls in the distance, making the tree branches rattle and swish. Still the surrounding around the meadow is extremely calm. Guess the trees do make a really great barrier. I see a lone figure sitting by the lake, splashing its crystal clear water. The water burns in various colours as sunlight shatters through it.

I open my mouth to call out to her, making sure that I have nothing equipped which may give my status of the ruler of the Kingdom. I have nothing on which may even hint so; I could even start a normal life with these clothes on.

"Rose," I call out to her. The world seems to stop for a fleeting moment before moving again, faster than before.

Rose stops, and turns around. I'm just some steps away from her and I can easily make out the genuinely surprised expression, like she hasn't expected me to comeback.

"Hi…" Rose says, looking as she still don't believe what's happening, "Escor. You are back."

"Shouldn't I have comeback?" I ask her, tentatively stopping dead in my tracks.

Silence surrounds us and through this silence she seemed to be studying me. A not-so-comfortable feeling bowls me over and I find myself wishing that the ground shall split half, so I can hide in it.

"Should I go back?" I ask her again, dreading the answer. A feeling bubble in my heart which is very foreign to me, but it nevertheless burns my heart like it has been put in inferno.

Silence surrounds us again, and with every passing moment, its grip on me is tightening, almost choking the life out of me. I can see the rejection in her eyes, so I turn around, with a heavy heart.

"Escor," Rose calls out to me a little too loudly. Before I have time to react, a hand grasps my right wrist.

I turn around and I find myself looking deep in her eyes. Various emotions play through her eyes; so fast that they are almost unable to decipher. But it doesn't matter now for I can understand how she is feeling. Because I'm experiencing the same tide of emotions, and truth be told, it is overwhelming me, big time. But still it's not disturbing me; on the other hand it feels quiet good, like I have managed to find the hidden piece of a jigsaw puzzle, like I have finally found my…

No, no, no… It's too fast. I barely know her. I scold myself. But my traitorous heart seemed to be oblivious of all of the reprimands my mind is directing towards it. If possible, it's rejoicing more and more under my mind's reprimand, behaving as if my mind rejection is all it seeks.

Strange, but true, very true; my heart is feeling that way.

[titaness]

WOW......I'm amazed Dragoon! You certainly have a wonderful gift!! You are indeed a
story teller, and one who will have a great future as such ahead of you!! I have so much
to say and ask, that I'll PM you about it!! But, let me just say here, that you have the innate
talent I've always respected most in a writer.......the ability to make your readers " See "
in their minds what you are portraying!! Well done........and you MUST continue with your
writing......it is certainly your "DESTINY"!!!

[chrome]

I've just read the first part of the story. It's great You're a good writer

[Alikamou]

oooooooooo...yessss!!!!! good job Dragoon Hope you still have more

[DragoonHP]

@titaness: Thanks.

@Chrome: Thanks again.

@Alika: Thanks again.

@DHP:

[zheqianin]

I've read them all now ... that's great . I am exicted for looking forward and wait to your next story . .

[DragoonHP]

Thanks I'm writing Chapter 2 for both and I'm also starting two more stories.

One is called Touch of Sayuri and the other one is called Kiss of Death. More Details later.

[rifle100]

wow! the name is so awesome! hmmm.. i wonder how will be the story

[zheqianin]

really excited to wait them all . .

[chrome]

Thanks I'm writing Chapter 2 for both and I'm also starting two more stories.

One is called Touch of Sayuri and the other one is called Kiss of Death. More Details later.

Looking forward to it!

[DragoonHP]

THE SEVENTH WISH

I smile as I step out of the forest and onto the highway; this time very careful of every passing vehicle. Who can believe that I was a dead man moments ago?

It gives me a bitter sweet feeling. I will be dead again in what… just seven days. Not much of a difference. But if I manage to complete the task he gave me, I will get a chance to live again. How good that sounds!

A vehicle honks and the pain in the back of my head, throbs loudly.

“Git,” I mumble.

So he hasn’t completely healed me, that son of a… I can imagine him smirking at me right now. If only I can get a chance at the pompous idiot, I will let him know… Wait, maybe I will let Christy clear my odds with him; she will be sure to come out as the winner.

I smile at the thought as I step in the familiar street leading to my house. I feel like I’m the center attraction of tonight for I feel like many eyes are watching me continuously. I see a boy running towards me; he is around eight or nine years old, from the looks of his. He charges at me, behaving as I’m not even here.

SLAM.

He slams head first in my chest. Before the boy can run after doing such an act, I grab him by his wrist all the while massaging my chest where that brat had slammed into me.

“Are you blind, boy?” I reprimand the boy, looking directly into his eyes.

The boy in return just stares at me, wide-eyed. Through the dim yellow orange light of the street lamps, I can see that his eyes are blue. I look all around his face and then my eyes wander down and I back away in surprise.

He has got no clothes on his body… he is STARKING NUDE. Maybe he is a ghost… no, no, no… He must be… anyone. He can’t be dead; he is so small and he looks so… so innocent.

“Boy,” I say to him, tentatively and wait till the boy nods. When he nods, I continue, “Where is your home?” I ask him, trying to ignore his nudeness.

“My home?” the boy says, his voice filled with emotions. His eyes take the puppy-eye look and his lips spread in a pout. He looks like he will cry, but no tear escapes his eyes. He looks so pained.

And what pains me the most, is the way that he said those two words. He said them like he was foreign to the word home, like he had been homeless… an orphan for all his life.

“Yes, your home, boy,” I say to him, as the familiar stinging of tears burn the corner of my eyes, “Where does your Mom and Dad live?”

The boy just stares blankly at me. Silence spreads around us, in which the boy continues to stare at me, his eye holding a wistful look.

“Are you like… me?” the boy finally ask me. His voice cracks painfully in the end.

“What do you mean?” I ask the boy, even though I have a good idea about what those four words mean. I just don’t want to believe that somebody so small have been given in the cruel hands of death.

“I mean…” the boy stutters, looking at me fearfully, “Are you d…dead like me?”

“N… ye… No,” I say to him. Why I don’t want to reveal to this little child who I really am will be a mystery to me. His eyes implore to me to take back my words but I don’t. Embarrassment clutches my gut and wrenches it, as his innocent eyes pierce my self pride.

When I continue to stick firm to my façade, the boy backs away, looking scared to death. He shakes his head fearfully, raising his small hands in front of his chest, as if they may provide a good defend if it comes to that.

“D…”

I began but the child interjects me quickly, “Don’t take me with you. D… don’t. I’m a good…”

The boy wails out in terror. His voice is so sharp it forces me to plunge my fingers in my ears. If he wasn’t a ghost, I’m sure he would have woken up whole of the street. He must have had some sets of lungs when he was a h… human.

“Stop it,” I say to the child, shouting, “there is no one to hear you, except me.”

I know that isn’t the best approach but I needed to have him quite as soon as I can, or I will go deaf for sure.

And my approach works; he gets quiet as soon as the last alphabet leaves my lips. He looks more scared of me now, like he has seen some kind of monster. Maybe that’s what he is thinking of right now; me a big, bad monster, stealthily closing in to devour him. I shake my head trying to get these thoughts out.

“Boy,” I say to him, and as soon as I say this, his eyes snap to meet mine. If possible, they look more scared.

“What do you mean?” I ask him. Maybe he knows something about those things, ‘he’ was talking about.

“Don’t take me,” the boy whispers fearfully, curling around a tree as if it is the greatest shield in the world. Maybe that wasn’t the best approach after all.

“I am not here to hurt you,” I say to him, walking tentative steps towards him, “I’m here to protect you… to take you away from here.” I smile at him to show my innocence. His eyes lit up at once as his hands loose heir hold. The innocence in his eyes comes back, how easily a child trusts.

I extend my hand and the child seems to believe me as he completely looses the hold of the trunk and runs toward me as if I’m his father. I lift the child in my arms and he feels so real. He hugs me tight and I’m left stunned. I kiss the child on the forehead and lower myself on the street.

Surges of emotions roll around in my mind. Is this life of the dead so miserable? What did this small kid did to get such a miserable after life?

“Sir…” the child nudges my shoulder lightly.

“Yes?” I ask him, a smile gracing my lips. He grins at me and his grin is so infectious that it turns my smile into a big grin.

“When you will take me from… here?” He says the last word with lots of disdain as he looks around.

I sigh as my head drops down. He has believed me, in a stranger. It leaves me speechless. How can I help him? Am I as powerful as ‘he’ is?

“Some time soon,” I lie to him and I quickly look away, not wanting to look in his expectant eyes.

“I just want to ask you a couple of questions and then I will take you somewhere safe. Okay?”

The child nods.

“What did you meant when you said don’t take me? Is someone abducting dead people… I mean ghosts?” I correct myself hastily.

“Don’t you know,” the child says, and his voice held a soft reprimand.

“I think I don’t,” I reply, laughing a little.

“There are…” his voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper, “people who catches… us. They say that they t — torture us.”

“Who are they?” I ask him, curiosity piquing inside me.

“I don’t know,” the boy says, as he glances around, behaving like ‘they’ may jump out from any where, anytime.

“Okay…” I say to him, “What’s your name?”

“Jake,” the boy answers.

“So, Jake,” I say to him, ruffling his hair, “what’s your age?”

“Eight and a half from hundred years,” Jake replies, smiling in spite of everything.

I, on the other hand, am thunderstruck. Hundred years? If he was alive, he would have been what… the father of my grandfather. And the bigger thing is about the loneliness he must have felt during those hundred years.

“Haven’t you been lonely all those years?” I ask to him. He looks at me and smiles a resigned smile like I asked him a very daft question and maybe I did. Who wouldn’t have felt loneliness?

“I sometime felt very alone, you know,” Jack says, a ghost of faraway look forming in his eyes, “but I sometime was accompanied by big people, like me. Most of them were usually fine to go on with, but some of them were bad too, really bad.”

He pauses, cringing under my hands. His reaction gives me an idea, how bad those big people would have been. I run soothing fingers through his hair and hum a lullaby which Christy and my Mum usually hums to me.

“And when there was none,” he says to him, “I used to go to the park and see small children play.”

“Aren’t you a kid yourself?” I say to him, smiling.

“I’m not,” Jack answers, a little indignantly, “I’m a big boy. My Dad told me that before they took him. He said protect your Mum and your sister, won’t you big boy?”

“You remember it this well?” I ask him between the hum of tune, as I start to rock him.

“Oh yes,” he says, “They were the last words my Dad told me before God called him.”

“Oh…” I say, as his word carves a niche in my mind. Such tender age… and so much pain.

“Anyway…” he says to me, as if he has noticed my looming sadness, “When will you take me away from this… place?”

I don’t answer; in truth I have no answer. Where can I take him? Anywhere I take him, he will feel loneliness. I can’t be with him for much time; I have some things that need to be done and I have some tasks to complete.

“Where do you want to go?” I ask him, evasively as the intensity of his gaze increases.

“I want to go and visit my family,” Jack answers innocently, an expectant and cheerful smile on his lips, “In Heaven. Mum told me that every good person goes to Heaven when God call us.”

“Yes, they surely go there,” I answer him, trying to control the string of tears which have started forming in the corner of my eyes, again. Why life must be this hard? Why, kids like Jack, face the cruel flip of destiny?

Something tugs on the hem of my sleeve. I look in the general direction and see Jack pulling on it. His eyes are looking sole-fully at me. I quickly turn my eyes away for I cannot stand the innocence and the trust in those eyes. He have placed himself in my hands, in hands of an individual who can’t do shit.

Tears escape my eyes as guilt clenches my heart. The whole of the world seems to be crying that I’m a loser, that I’m a person who is just made of lies, nothing except lies. In my eyes, there is nothing more formidable than to hurt a child and that’s the very thing I have done. I have promised him a thing I can never do…

Someone tucks on my sleeve again. I hastily wipe my tears and turn the incoming sob into a cough. I can’t be weak in front of him, not when I’m the sole beacon of his hopes.

“Yes?” I say to him, in a heavy voice.

“I said something. You weren’t listening.” Jack huffs and then pouts, his lower lip poking out. He looks so adorable.

I pinch my earlobes in a manner of apology and say, “Sorry, I will from now on. Please repeat.” I finish with my most innocent smile.

Jack pouts for some more seconds, and then says, “Okay. I was saying that I should have gone with those scary men, who were saying that they had come to take me. But at that time I had to protect my family. I told them to come later, but you know they never came. I have been waiting for them for ninety-nine years and” — Jack’s counts on his fingers — “five months. I have even prayed to God, but no one come. But hey, God send you today.”

“Yes,” I say to him, smiling, “God sent me.”

A thought clicks in the back of my mind. Maybe I will be able to fulfill my words.

“Wait here…” I say to Jake, as I stand up. It’s time to call the... git. My disdain for the man has suddenly increased. How can he and his crooks had left this small child here? Don’t they have a heart? By the looks of it, they don’t even have an ounce of brain.

“Where are you going?” Jack asks me.

“To arrange your transport to Heaven,” I say to him as I stand in the middle of the deserted street.

I can sense the anticipation coming in waves from Jack. I smile as my resolution strengthens. It will be done; I’m a man of words and the trend is not going to be off today… at least not at the present moment.

So… what did he say? Concentrate on him for calling him. Maybe he meant I should concentrate on my memory of him. Yes… that’ the only possible answer. Well… according to me he is a git, no wait, not a git, king of gits… a wanker, a plonker, a blighter and well I should stop now… I’m sure hate waves are generating from my body now.

Yes, let’s concentrate.

…

…

…

…

Nothing happens. Absolutely nothing happen. Did he make a fool of me when he told me about the communication part?

No, he can’t. I’m sure he is a very greedy person and a greedy person doesn’t even give fake currency, if he is not the one receiving profit. And I can clearly see the catch here; the information he seeks. And for it, he must have communication with me.

So it comes down to the way he told me to communicate. So, I presume the way to communicate should be perfect. Maybe I’m the one who is doing something wrong here. Yes, let’s try again…

“What happened?” a worried voice breaks through my solitude. Shit!

“Nothing,” I say to him in the most casual way I can muster at that moment, “Just trying to make some contacts. Don’t worry.” I turn to look at him and try to assure him with a smile. I’m amazed when I see that he actually looks satisfied for I myself feel very much un-assured about my smile. Guess, kids easily trust.

Let’s remember what that git said. Something along the line of just concentrate on me. And how am I supposed to concentrate on a person who is nameless to me.

His face. Yes, that’s seems to be the only available option to me. I should try it. Better try a fluke than doing nothing.

He has black hairs, black eyes, fair complexion and what else. Nothing more, I can remember right now.

So, let’s try out. I close my eyes as I try to create a sketch of his face in my mind. I can see a blurry image of his face. Now what should I do?

As I take a pause to contemplate my next step, his face vanishes from my view. Damn!

I try again. As soon as his face forms in my mind, I cry out, “Get down here, you bloody git.”

I open my eyes and I can see Jack staring at me. Good lord! Did I say it aloud?

I guess so.

“Anyway…” I laugh a little, trying to end the awkward silence which has surrounded the street.

Suddenly, Jack’s eyes widens as he looks at a point somewhere behind my shoulder. He seems to be shaking from head to toe, as if he has seen a ghost. Pretty ironic, if you ask me.

But anyway, I turn and as soon as I make eye contact with the person, I back away several steps at once for the man I have called stands there, positively fuming with unmistakable malice.

Still after some moments of glaring, he puts on a smile, a rather evil looking if I may add and asks, “I’m impressed that you have find information in such short time. So now without ado, what is that you need to tell me? I suppose it’s very important…”

‘And you should pray that it is.’ I complete the sentence in my mind. He is not even trying to hide the blood thirsty look he has on his face.

“I… just… you know,” I stutter as our eyes make contact again. Man, the look he is giving me, is freezing my blood.

“WHAT!?” he shouts obviously realising that it was a fake call.

“I — I have some something t… t — to ask.” I finally complete and release a huff of breathe which I didn’t know I was holding.

“Continue,” he says gruffly, a scowl fixed on his face.

“We — well its, its ju — just that,” I stumble as his eyes bore in mine, “I want you, you to do me a f—fa... favour.”

“Favour?” he snarls and the look on his face makes my blood go cold, “Haven’t I done enough favours on you already. How many dead people, according to you get a chance to live again? And see you here, son of an ungrateful brat—”

“You didn’t gave me anything for bloody free,” I say to him, as his word breaks through the last of my mind defense, “You gave me because you needed someone to do something for you. And don’t behave as you gave me a bloody life to live. You gave a meager life of seven days—”

“People—”

“Shut the @#&% up,” I interject in his interjection and continue, “You gave me a meager life of seven days and you believe that I should be jumping in ecstasy over it. Goddamn it. And even those seven days are not mine; they are supposed to be invested in your task. And you even add a clause that if I fail, I go to hell… And you believe that I’m indebt in your favour. Rot in hell, mate.”

I draw in deep breath as the man continued to stare at me, unabashed. Will it hurt his bloody status to look emotional once in the while? I suppose so, because right now he looks bloody bored to death.

“And…” I began, my spirit downing considerably seeing his calmness, “Don’t you have a heart?”

“Like everyone else,” he says to me, “I do have one.”

“Then it must be made of stone,” I say and he raises an unconcerned or rather saying amused eyebrow. I didn’t mean to get this sentimental, but guess it couldn’t be helped now.

“See that boy over there,” I say, pointing to Jack.

He tilts his neck and looks at Jack, his expressions indifferent.

“Jack McGuard,” he says, rubbing his cheek, “Died around hundred years ago; none of his direct family alive…”

“Stop that ranting,” I say to him, “And how did you remember this much about him?”

“I have a really good memory,” is his vague answer.

“So, anyway…” I say to him, as exasperation starts to crawl under my skin, “Doesn’t your heart cries when you know that a small kid had been alone for hundred years?”

“He was given a choice,” he says to me, his voice an emotionless as ever, “He refused.”

“He is just a child,” I say to him, all but shouting, “He is not supposed to know about such trivial and important things.”

“And still he comes in the odd category of spirits who deny the way to the skies,” he say to me, obviously unabashed of the innocent look on Jack’s face.

“But he is just a child,” I plea to him, as the realisation of what is happening dawns on the child face. The face which moment ago looked solemn, happy now looks sad and scared.

“It doesn’t matter,” he says to me, “A spirit is supposed to reach its maturity when it leaves a body.”

“But apparently not all of them go through the mentioned change,” I say, forcefully than before.

“It doesn’t matter now,” he says and turns to walk away.

“I’m warning you,” I cry out in desperation. And it seems to work for he has stopped his retreat. He turns around, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

“You ‘what’ me?” he asks, looking annoyed.

“I said I — I am w — wa… warning you,” I stumble out the words. What a picture perfect threat!

“Yes, I’m scared,” he says dryly.

“You should be,” I say to him, gulping the lump which has formed in my throat, “Because if you don’t take the child to his parents I’m l… leaving your task, right — right now.”

“Sure about that?” he asks me as his body stiffs.

“Y—es,” I reply, “Just take the child away and I’m again on the work.”

“I don’t think that’s likely,” he says, “If I started to break the laws like this, then who will respect and make people like you follow them. My heartiest apologies, but the thing you asked me is not possible.”

“But there are other ways, aren’t there?” I ask as I see a broken loop in his statement.

“I never said there were other ways,” he contradicts.

“And you never said there weren’t,” I say to him, “I will let you know, in case you don’t know, that I have much experience in these kinds of things.”

“As a matter of fact, I do know all about you,” he replies, “more than you may think I know.”

“Argh…” I say, mortified because of the little morsel of information, “You get my point. So now tell me the way.”

“And why should I?” he asks me, looking uninterested as ever.

“Because you need to keep your employee happy, if you need the work to be done at a good pace,” I reply.

“Well… more happiness can be very traumatising for both; the employer and the employee,” he counters, “So I will rather give my employee a little some than a ton.”

“You never gave me anything to begin with,” I protest.

“Oh…” he says, looking genuinely surprised, “Were we talking about you?”

Damn! This man irks me.

“No we were talking about cute little puppies,” I seethe and continue, “So, anyway what’s the way? If you don’t tell me, consider me out. I’m not doing any thing for you. I may very well enjoy the seven days I have to the fullest.”

“Joking doesn’t suit you.”

“And who said I was joking?” I ask him, my nose flaring with intents of malice.

“You are not?”

“God knows I’m hell serious right now,” I say, jabbing a finger in the air, “Its either you scratch my back and I scratch yours or its, go and rot in hell for all I care. Choice is yours.”

“Am I to assume you are threatening me?” he asks me.

“Assume anything you may like,” I reply, “because I don’t care.”

Silence surrounded us, a much needed silence. My throat is running dry for I’ve been talking and shouting for a long time. I glance at my watch and my knees seem to wobble.

Midnight. Now I am good as dead. I may as very well give myself in the hands of devil right here and now because I’m hell sure he will be softer and more understanding than Christy.

And all of this is because of a single person. I turn to glare in the general direction of the Yamraj-look-alike, hoping that he may feel my non-verbal hatred which I feel toward him.

“Well…” he says after a long pause, “if this is the only thing you are going to ask me, I may very well fulfill it. But remember when I say only, I means only. I won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour anymore and surely not the threats. Try that again and you may very well find yourself being baked in Hell’s fire. Am I clear?”

“Yes.”

I smile. This has gone as I planned.

With a smile fixed on my face, I walk towards Jack, who has hidden himself behind a bush. I carefully approach him and softly tap his shoulder.

He jumps up at once but upon seeing my face, he calms down. Hugging me, he says, “What happened? Why was that man rude?”

“Nothing happened,” I say to him, “And that man was not being rude, it’s just the way he talks. Now be a good boy and go with him. He will take you to God… he will take you to heaven.”

“Will you not be coming?” Jack asks me.

“No,” I say to him, a sad smile on my face, “I have some things to do here.”

“Oh…” Jack says, “Okay. When I will Mum and Dad, I will tell them about you. I’m sure they will be very happy to hear about that you were the one who arranged for my departure.”

“I’m sure they will be,” I say to him, “Now hurry off and if the man blathers, ignore him. Eventually he will run out of steam. Okay?”

The boy nods and starts to walk towards the man. It irritates me to think like that; why can’t I have his name?

“What’s your name?”

To this, Jack and the man turn around. Jack looks at me questioningly and I shake my head, pointing to the man. He raises an amused eyebrow and says, “As I have said, my name is of no importance to you.”

“It is,” I snarl, “Summoning you here nearly gave me a piercing headache.”

“Really?”

“Oh… okay,” I say, disgruntled, “It didn’t but it nearly could have.”

“Could have don’t count,” he says plainly.

“Whatever,” I say, “You are not going to give me a name.”

“Right,” he says.

“So I will christen you right here and now,” I muse, “Let’s see… what about Daniel the Scrooge. Suits you perfectly.”

“Do as you please,” Daniel answers, dryly.

“It won’t hurt you to show some emotions once in a while, you know,” I say to him, as I wave to Jack.

“Keep yourself out of trouble,” I continue .With this I turn around and start to walk towards my house, as tears start to prickle the corner of my eyes. I never thought that I can feel this much connected to someone, whom I have met only hours before

I hear tap, tap of the feet growing closer and closer every second. They should have been dimming, not increasing in intensity.

I stop dead in my track, and slowly turn around. A gust of cold air hit my face, and my hairs block my view. As I fumble with my hairs, something hit me squarely in my chest and one pair of arms hug me tightly, almost making me choke on my breath.

“Be safe,” I hear the familiar voice of Jack in my ear, “I will see you soon…” — ‘I hope not,’ I add mentally — “… don’t go in the old manor.”

“Which one?” I ask him. There are three or four old manors in town.

“The one near the forest,” Jack says, sounding scared. Something must have happened here…

“And why so?” I ask him again as I pull him in my hands.

“Bad things happen there,” Jack answers, his eyes squinting around, “Really bad thing.”

“Okay, I will keep it in mind,” I assure him, even when in my mind I’m formulating a plan to break in the manor. After all it may be the break I’m looking for.

“End your emotional cosy now,” Daniel says, “I have other things to attend to.”

“Okay… okay,” I say to him, a scowl on my face. I turn to Jack, kiss his forehead and say, “Go now. Your family must be waiting for you.”

“Okay.”

With that, Jack runs to Daniel. A smile graces his lips and his eyes are twinkling with unmistakable happiness. He looks so serene, truly like a nine year old lad.

I again turn around and lift my right foot to take a step. A question suddenly pops in my head. Turning in a whip, I rush to Daniel and grab hold of his hand.

“What now!?” Daniel asks me, a frown on his face. His face is slowly turning red and from experience I know, it isn’t a good sign. But my curiosity is getting the better out of me.

“Jack, can you leave us for a second,” I say, looking at Jack. He looks confused, but still he nods and walks away.

“How was he killed?” I say, motioning sadly to Jack.

“Why do you want to know?” Daniel asks me.

“Daniel…” — he scowls — “I just want to know.”

Silence surrounded us again. All the while, both of us trying to stare down the other. But none of us give in.

“He died of hunger trying to stick to his to word,” Daniel answers, “Trying to keep the impossible promise he has given to his father.”

“Oh…” this is the only word I can manage. I thought of him as an innocent and fun to be around kid, not a brave one. I take an admired look at Jack and motion him to join us. He smiles and starts to walk towards us.

Suddenly a execrating pain burns through the side of my head. I look in the general direction of the assault and see Daniel flexing his fingers.

“Why was that for?” I snarl, massaging the assaulted part.

“For wasting my time,” he says, coolly.

Git. This reminds me…

“You didn’t heal me completely before,” I accuse him.

“I never said I did,” Daniel answers with a cold sneer, “And before you ask it was to show that I’m in charge here.”

“Whatever,” I say and as soon as Jack stands by his side, I taunt, “Aren’t you getting late now, Mr. I’m-very-busy.”

With a scowl, Daniel turns around and starts to walk. His body starts to get blurry and after some steps only the blurry form of silhouette remains which soon merges with the surrounding living a blank space where moments ago Daniel was.

I sigh; what a terrific night. One glance at the watch and it shows me that the show has just started. The main event is still to come.

Hanging my head, I start to walk toward my house. I can hear a buzzing sound, a terrible buzzing sound which is making my head throb painfully. Who the hell is doing this? Don’t they have anything better to do?

Clamping my hands on my ears, I shout out as series of piercing pain jolts through my skull. My knees buckle and they come crashing down on the concrete road.

“BLOODY HELL DANIEL,” I shout out to no one in particular. I had enough trouble on my plate today, and you gave me an unwanted gift. I’m gonna make you pay for it, remember that.

“Go and shout your lungs out in your own house,” someone calls from behind, “Or do you want me to call the police.”

“Sorry,” I mumble and without turning around, I start to stumble towards my house. The pain doesn’t lessen with time; if possible its intensity is increasing. How I hate that man!

Soon I stand in front of my house. No light is turned on, except the one of the sitting room. That’s Christy favourite room, I remember with a scared gulp. Trouble time.

My two bedroom shack has always looked very welcoming to me, but right now it looks like a loin dens, and mind me, a hungry loin’s den at that.

My feet have somehow jammed themselves in the ground for they are refusing to budge. Every second lateness is bringing me closer to a more undesired fate.

But what choice do I have? Should I barge in behaving like nothing has happened?

Bad choice; Christy will spear me with a steak and have my genitals for dinner.

The better is, the I’m-at-fault-kill-me-if-you-want approach. At the least, it secures the life of my genitals, if not from a dreadful outcome.

So, with my mind being made I try to take a step toward the door. But my feet refuse to move. Please.

Summoning all of my strength, I lift my foot and all but dash toward the door. Coming to a halt near the door, I brace myself for the outcome.

I can feel my heart beat getting erratic and I can feel my breathing getting laboured. In the deadly stillness, my overactive body functions sound like a alarm to me, like they are saying, ‘Run away, if you have some gram of brain in your empty skull.’

But how can I. This is my house and anyway I love Christy and the bigger thing which I have learnt the early stages of our relationship is; don’t hide anything because if you do the result are extremely painful, to put in kind.

Gulping my fears, I knock. The knock reverberates around like the sound of a gong; it rhythms perfectly with the buzzing of insects and the rustling of trees.

I sigh as I remember that there is a doorbell too, which is unfortunately more audible than a knock. Summoning my unknown strength, I push the little button. A melody starts to play inside and soon I can hear footfalls coming closer and closer every second.

That’s it; judgment time. I arrange my facial countenance in the best pathetic expressions known to the human kind and as a matter of fact, the ghost kind and it isn’t hard, thanks to the Great Daniel.

The footfalls stop and the clicking of door lock echoes around. The world seems to have gone oddly still and also quite cold for I’m shivering from head to toe.

The latch unhooks and the door is slowly but surely pulled away. A disheveled face appears in front of my eyes and the worst thing is, it is of Christy. She looks broke, more broke than I have ever seen her.

Rushing to her, I engulf her in a hug, pushing her face tenderly in my chest. I can hear and feel her sobbing and the wetness of tears on my chest.

“It is really you?” Christy asks between sobs.

I smile. She has been worried about me; how adorable.

“Yeah,” I say, “W… Ahh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Let me know what you think.

[Alikamou]

Hey dragoon....great story! Keep them coming!!!!

[DragoonHP]

Thanks Alika.

[DragoonHP]

Hello. The story you are going to read is not a piece of fiction. It's a true story someone sent me in a form of SMS (text message).

The text message was small, barely 500 characters, but the content in it touched my heart to no end.

So, without further ado, here's the story:

“Jess,” Ronald shouted, his voice drifting in the room, “come out now.”

Jessica sighed; why can’t boys have a little bit of patience. They should know by now that girls need more time to get dressed up than boys.

“Coming,” Jessica said, “show some patience.”

“Patience?” came Ronald’s half amazed and half exasperated voice, “Hadn’t I showed enough patience already?”

Jessica didn’t feel the need to comment on the statement as she continued to work her way through her make-up.

“Jess, come out, now,” Ronald shouted after a brief span of silence, “or I’m coming in.”

Jessica frowned, adjusted her top, took a final glance in the mirror and wrenched the door open. Pushing past Ronald, like he was not of importance to her, she strode forward and slammed the door shut.

“About time,” Ronald seethed, glaring daggers at her back.

“Finished whining?” asked Jessica dryly.

“No,” said Ronald, “And you know, I think I don’t want to go today. We are already around an hour late.”

“And you are only adding in the lateness,” commented Jessica thoughtfully as she strode out of the garden purposefully.

Ronald grumbled but nevertheless after a bit of sulking and glaring at her back, followed her out of the garden to the road.

“Is this up to the expectations?” asked Jessica pointing at Ronald’s bike.

“This is not ‘this’,” pointed out Ronald, “it is ‘she’. And she surely is. And don’t comment on the things you don’t know about. What do you know about where we are going?”

“I have a fluke,” said Jessica.

“Fluke?” Ronald laughed, shaking his head as if he was pitying Jessica. Jessica slapped his forearm and commented, “Some chirping bird told me your dearest bike stopped dead yesterday.”

“Err…” said Ronald, looking like a child caught stealing candy, “It happens. Anyway it was my mistake to begin with… and aren’t we getting late now.”

“We are,” said Jessica, “but you know, I can manage. I am not such cruel hearted. I will let you confess your love to your bike, then dump me here and marry ‘her’” — Jessica gave a deliberate amount of stress on the word — “and lead a happy life. Why care about poor me?”

“Ah…” Ronald cooed, pinching Jessica cheeks lightly, “such sentimental words. And anyway who said I needed your consonant to begin with.”

Jessica shot him a dirty look. Ronald laughed as he donned the helmet. Jessica knocked on the helmet to get Ronald attention.

“Where’s mine?” asked Jessica as Ronald turned to look at her.

“What?” replied Ronald absentmindedly strapping his gloves.

“Helmet,” replied Jessica dryly.

“And from when,” commented Ronald, “you had started to wear a helmet?”

“From today,” said Jessica.

“Wait a minute then,” Ronald said, as he started to walk past her, “I had stacked one of extra here, somewhere. It will just take me a second.”

“Err…” Jessica said, “I wasn’t serious. And anyway show an ounce of mind. I had just yesterday spent a dough on my hair. I am not going to mess them so soon.”

“How was I supposed to know?” said Ronald, shrugging his shoulders in an unconcerned manner, “And anyway I don’t care. Just hop on, and for God sake do it fast.”

Jessica grumbled something incoherent but in the end hopped on the bike as Ronald kicked the engine to life.

Sun now had started to rise above the horizon, as the sky was slowly beginning to be illuminated orange.

Without further comment, Ronald accelerated the bike. Wind whizzed past Jessica ears, making her cuss herself for not wearing something warm. Her black hairs now were swaying lazily with the wind as the background whizzed past.

Ronald took a sharp turn to ride up on the express way.

“Where are you planning to go Ron?” asked Jessica. But she was sure Ronald didn’t hear as the wind whizzing past their ears was creating a lost of noise. The express way was as empty as one could have taken it for; only some vehicles were in the range of sight.

“See this, and hold on tight,” Ronald said as he suddenly increased the speed. As suddenly as he increased the speed, he lifted up the front wheel, making Jessica almost fell off the bike. The rear wheel started staggering as the inclination of the front wheel kept on increasing.

And after a second of the stunt, the rear tire of the bike stumbled, staggering the bike violently. Pushing the tire back on the road, Ronald seemed to take a breath of relief.

“What happened?” asked Jessica as she clung tightly to Ronald.

“No — nothing,” Ronald heaved out, “I just lost control. I’m going to derail from the road soon and with the same speed.”

“Are you mad?” Jessica cried out in alarm.

Ronald tilted his face a little to look at her and said, “Risk is the dessert of life, dear.”

And with that he turned the bike down to the dust track. The bike shook as it hummed on the uneven road, making both of them jump up and down.

Ronald wasn’t slowing the bike, and this was making Jessica worry. She knew Ronald and if she knew him right, then all of this pointed at one of its stupid prank. And if it was that, he would pay for it, big time.

They soon entered a tattered road, but at least it was a road. They didn’t experience anymore jumps as the bike strode on the somewhat smooth road.

Both sides of the road were covered in trees and wild shrubs. There was an eerie silence around them, as they whizzed past the forest, with the same demoniac speed which they have attained on the expressway.

“Ron, care to slow down,” said Jessica angrily, as the bike shook on the uneven ground.

“Just bear with it,” said Ronald.

After some seconds of peaceful driving, Ronald suddenly said, “Do you love me?”

“What kind of stupid question is this?” shot back Jessica.

“Just tell me,” Ronald said again, this time in desperation, “Do you love me?”

“Of course,” Jessica said, in a matter-of-factly tone.

“Then say,” Ronald said, “I love you.”

“Ronald…” Jessica sighed.

“No, just say,” Ronald said, “I love you.”

“I love you, Ronald,” said Jessica, “I really love you.”

A sobbing sound escaped Ronald’s throat, which unfortunately didn’t reach Jessica ears.

“Slow down now, Ron,” Jessica pleaded, as a branch missed her face by a fraction. The road was still deserted, and now Jessica remembered the road. It was the old road which leads to the next city. People had stopped using this road because the express way was made and it was very much faster than this.

“Hey Jess,” Ronald said suddenly, “Hug me.”

“What!?” exclaimed Jessica in surprise.

“Hug me,” said Ronald plainly.

“Why are you doing this Ronald?” asked Jessica in exasperation.

“Just hug me,” pleaded Ronald. His insecure voice drifted past Jessica’s anger and Jessica anger dilapidated as she hugged him. She held on to him for a long time, and she could feel the dread in him.

They continued to drive in silence. As they continued to drive, the road became more and more tattered. But still Ronald didn’t ease the speed. It was scaring Jessica.

“Ronald, for god sake, slow down,” shouted Jessica.

Ronald didn’t seem to hear her as he continued to drive at the same speed, if not more.

“Ronald,” Jessica said, tapping him on the shoulder, “stop the bike right now.”

This caught Ronald’s attention as he tilted his face a fraction.

“What!?”

“Stop the goddamn bike right now,” shouted Jessica as the bike jumped.

“Can’t dear,” said Ronald, “It will spoil the fun. If you are so sacred, take my helmet.”

“No, I don’t want your bloody helmet,” said Jessica in exasperation, “Just stop the bike.”

“Just take my helmet,” said Ronald, “it’s for your own good.”

“What do you mean?” asked Jessica suspiciously.

“You will know,” was all Ronald supplied. Jessica feeling defeated, tentatively pulled the helmet from Ronald’s head and donned it herself, cursing his name up and down during all of this.

“Now what?” shouted Jessica.

“Just wait and watch,” Ronald said and then grew eerily quite Ronald’s behaviour was scaring Jessica; Ronald was never one of them to drive quietly. He always said that he always grew bore if he drove in complete silence.

“Are you all right?” asked Jessica.

“What can be wrong with me?” jested Ronald with a nervous laugh.

But Jessica knew something was really wrong with him.

Suddenly, Ronald turned his face to look at her.

“Jump,” he shouted in an authoritative tone.

“WHAT??” shouted back Jessica, clinging to Ronald and the bike as they were her last saviour.

“Jump,” said Ronald, “for god sake jump.”

“Ronald,” Jessica exclaimed in fear, “Are you really all right?”

“Do you believe in me?” asked Ronald, behaving as if he didn’t heard what she said.

“Of course I do,” replied Jessica plainly.

“Then do what I say,’ Ronald said, “Jump.”

“But what for?” asked Jessica stubbornly.

“You will know,” said Ronald with a mischievous smile.

“RONALD!” reprimanded Jessica, “if it is one of your stupid prank, believe me you will pay for it big times.”

“Yes madam,” said Ronald with a laugh, “Now jump.”

“But Ronald,” Jessica said, “you know the speed. If I jump now, I will be bruised.”

“Hey,” Ronald said, “don’t worry. I will protect you with my life, if it comes to that. So, when I say jump, jump. Okay?”

“Okay,” answered Jessica in a small voice.

“Pull your legs to the left side,” Ronald said, “it will help you in jumping down.”

Jessica didn’t answer; she just complied with what Ronald said.

“JUMP!!!” Ronald suddenly shouted and it surprised Jessica so much that she jumped without even thinking.

She fell on the grassy ground with a painful thump. She was damn sure she had bruised herself and now she was seething with anger. Ronald will so ay for it.

She stood up, tore the helmet off from her head and looked around. Neither Ronald nor his dear bike was in the line of her vision. She looked around and on the road saw tire marks. She started following them but stopped dead when she heard a SLAM.

She was paralysed for a second as the sound registered in her mind. She was still contemplating from where the sound would have come when she heard a familiar shriek of pain. It was of… Ronald.

Breaking into a sprint, Jessica ran with her full might in the general direction from where the sound came. The world suddenly had gone eerily quiet and the quietness was taunting her.

Running like mad, Jessica spotted splotches of blood running down the steep slope of the roadside. Dreading the coming, Jessica slowly trudged down the slope.

By one corner was a familiar bike… Jessica gulped the lump in her throat, Ronald’s bike.

This was all what was required to make her run at her full speed. Stumbling and falling, Jessica soon reached the bike, her eyes sweeping around trying to find Ronald.

He wasn’t there.

She grew worried as her heart started beating at an eccentric pace. Her breathing grew laboured and she could feel the sweat on her skin.

“Argh…”

A barely audible voice broke through the silence, like a hot knife cuts through butter. Jessica whipped her head in the direction and all but dashed toward the point. Her high heels were making it a hard task, but she didn’t have time to spare.

Soon she reached a point from where she could easily see what had caused the noise. And the scene in front of her eyes, made her blood run cold.

Ronald lay there amidst the grass and… blood.

Jessica knees buckled, and her body swayed as the world around her started swirling in colours. She could feel the starting points of a panic attack as her body shook with fear.

“Argh… Jess…”

The insecure voice of Ronald made Jessica unresponsive body, respond. Her feet worked on their own accord as she started to slowly but surely walk toward the mangled mess which was now Ronald.

With every step she took, more and more of Ronald’s body was becoming visible.

Soon she stood in front of Ronald. Ronald eyes moved up to look at her through his bloodied eyebrows. Jessica fell on her knees as Ronald said in a feeble voice,

“I — to…ld you I w…ll prot…ct yo — wit mi l…fe.”

“Hey don’t say this,” said Jessica as tear ran down her face. She tenderly lifted her head from the hard ground and started cradling his head in her laps, her hands pressed on the worst of her head injuries. Still blood continued to rush out of the wound, and with every passing second Ronald’s life was draining out.

Ronald’s eyes started to drop.

“Don’t sleep Ronald,” Jessica cried out in alarm, “Don’t sleep.”

“It hurts,” Ronald said as tears leaked from his eyes.

“Try baby,” Jessica said, tenderly caressing his cheeks, “just try.”

“W—nt o sleep,” whispered Ronald as his eyes closed.

Jessica shook him as she said, “No, Ron, no. You can’t leave me here Ron, for god sake, you promised we will marry. You can’t step down from your promise, you can’t.”

Jessica started getting hysterical, as tears fell freely from her eyes. The world around her was lost in oblivion. Only Ronald was visible to her eyes.

Suddenly Ronald took some stuttering breathes and Jessica smiled a teary, sad smile.

“Love you,” was all Ronald could manage before his body went limp. Jessica howled like a wounded wolf as she looked at her blood stained hands and at the body of Ron. With a final wrenching sob, Jessica lost her consciousness as her head fell atop Ron’s head.

* * * * * * * * * *

“Is this the place we got the call from?” a man dressed in white hospital scrubs asked the other.

“Yes,” the second one said, “The boy Ronald called and said his girlfriend required medical attention.”

“But there is no one here,” the first one said, “These damn annoying teenagers and their godforsaken pranks.”

“Yeah,” the second one said sourly, “But just let’s look around and complete our duty.”

“Hmm…” the first one said, “you are right.”

Hey both stepped out of the ambulance and started to look around. Suddenly, the first one eyes fell on a splotch of blood.

“Jake, come here,” he shouted.

“What happened, Rolf?” Jack asked as he ran to his friend.

“See there’s blood,” said Rolf, “Something must have happened here. Maybe the call wasn’t a prank.”

“Looks like real,” agreed Jack, “Lets’ follow them.”

Both of them trudged down the paths and their eyes fell on the bike.

“Looks like an accident mate,” Jack said, squinting his eyes to get a better view of the bike.

“No one is there,” Rolf said, “Let’s look around.”

Both of them started to walk around aimlessly, but one thing was different this time. Now, they were both attentive.

“Rolf, come here,” shouted Jack, “We have emergency. Drive the amb here and do it fast.”

Rolf followed his colleague’s instruction as he sprinted towards the ambulance.

Jack on the other hand, stood like a stone statue. In front of his eyes, was two bodies; one of a girl and the other one of a boy, amidst blood. He took tentative steps towards them, fearing the unknown.

He soon reached them. Wearing his gloves, he started disentangling the two bodies, when he felt somewhat steady pulse in the girl.

Good, he thought, only unconscious. Rolf too, soon arrived with the ambulance.

“Rolf,” Jack said, “The girl is alive, just unconscious, maybe into panic, but the boy he is dead. He had just lost too much blood.”

“Okay,” Rolf said, “Have you tried to wake the girl up? She could tell us if there are more casualties here and about Ronald.”

“No,” said Jack, “let’s do it now.”

“No,” disagreed Rolf, “First let us shift the boy in the amb. If we don’t do it real fast, the smell of blood and flesh will attract predator. It’s a miracle that they haven’t come to feast till yet.”

“Okay,” Jack said and with the help of Rolf, started to lift Ronald from Jessica laps. They had barely pulled him, when Jessica eyes shot open. She covered Ronald body protectively and whispered,

“Who are you? And why are you taking my Ron? Let him sleep” — she tenderly caressed his face — “See how much weak he has grown. All this because of his stupid bike; I am going to have a talk with him when he wakes up. Don’t pull him, I said.” Jessica added sharply as Rolf tried to pry Ronald away from her.

“Madam,” Jack said, “This boy here, he is dead.”

SLAM.

Jessica slapped Jack squarely on the face.

“How dare you say that?” Jessica hissed, “Ronald is just sleeping, so shut that despicable mouth or I will rip your tongue out.”

“Madam,” Rolf tried, “We know your friend here is just sleeping. We are just trying to help him with the err… sunburn. See how much of his skin had been burned.”

Jessica looked down and saw the blood clotting on her face.

“Yes,” Jessica agreed, “Sure he is sunburned. But I don’t trust you. You will wake him up, I know, you will wake him up.” — She looked at Ronald, as she caressed his forehead — “You sleep tight; I won’t let anyone hurt you, or take you away from me.”

Rolf motioned something to Jack and he nodded. He silently crept in the ambulance and came back with something, which he handed to Jack.

* * * * * * * * *

RIVERDALE TIMES

A NEW NAME IN LEGENDARY DEATHS

Daniel Gold. Litron City

Yesterday morning a name was added to the list of people who will be remembered for centuries. It was not of a minister, neither it was of a religious figure or a war soldier, it was of a person like you and me; a person who was so deep in love that he sacrificed his life to make sure that his girlfriend remains safe.

Ronald O’Brian (19) of Litron city died yesterday due to excessive bleeding. The accident which claimed his life happened because of failure of brakes, as excerpts have revealed. Nothing much is known about the accident except that the boy Ronald and his girlfriend Jessica (19) were heading on a date to some place unknown.

His girlfriend has been hysteric from the period she was found. At the present moment, she had been stabilised using drugs and the doctors hope that she will be more co-operative after she wakes up.

But one thing is for sure, however says that teenager love is just the onrush of hormones, need to think twice before opening their mouth. (Cont. Page 2)

Let me know what you think of the story. If you like it PM it, email it do anything, just to let know to the others that teenagers love does not happen because of surge of hormones, it happens from heart.

And here's the SMS:

A tru luv stry-A gal n guy wr riding on bike..
Guy ws drivin so fst,girl ws
scard,she said to guy to slow down speed, guy said tell me dat
"u luv me ,first".
She said
"i luv you",
nw slow down,he said hug me,gal hugd hm,n said nw slow,he said nw take off my helmet,n wear on ur head,she did so..nxt day it wa in d nwspaper dat a guy died of an accident bt gal is safe wid minor injuries as she ws wearing hlmt. Boy knw dat braks wer failed,he jst wntd 2 knw hr luv n wntd 2 hug 4 d lst time n gav hlmt 2 save hs luv..If u luv sum1 snd it to 8 ppl,if one cums back,sm1 rlly luv u. Evry 1 luv smone special:-(