Goodbye (maybe.)

Witness

“Excuse me, Sir, but which way is Red Grove?”

The grizzled old farmer examined the traveler slowly, from her floppy brown hat and green poncho to the tips of her dusty leather boots, as he leaned against the fencepost the bordered the wildly overgrown path. Finally, he pointed to the upcoming fork in the road with a gnarled finger.

“It's t' yer left, real close t' the Sky Divide river. Y'can't miss it; it ain't exactly small. But,” he paused, sighing, then continued, “I wouldn't go there if I was you. Not the best place t' be anymore. Used t' be real nice, music, food, trade, anything y'could want, but not n' more.”

“What happened?” asked the traveler, curious.

“Well,” the farmer thought for a moment, scratching his balding head, “Lord Ty, he's the guy in charge down there, he had a daughter, y'see, name of Anna.”

“Anna?”

“Yeah, y'heard of her? Not surprising, what with that reward and all. Anyway, Lord Ty was all happy and the like, like any father. So he wanted Red Grove to be a real nice place for 'is daughter to grow up, so he lowered taxes, encouraged th' arts, y'know, that sort a thing.”

“Sounds like a nice place to me.”

“It was, trust me. I used t' live close t' there. Well, when 'is daughter grew up, a bunch a rich pretty boys started tryin' for her hand in marriage. Y'see, Lord Ty had no other children, so whoever won her got the whole place t'boot. Not t' mention she was as pretty as a summer sunrise...” the man's eyes misted at the memory. “I remember this one time, there was a parade, in honor of... I fergit, some noble or another, they're all alike. Anyway, the carriage that Anna was ridin' in passed right by; I could right in, an' the girl waved right at me, she was wearin' a blue dress, it was her favorite color, from what I heard, and smiled right at me. I'll never forget that smile, like all the joy in the world rolled into one little lady.” He looked sad for a minute. “Ah, how I miss those days of livin' near Red Grove, what with th' parades, and th' markets, I even talked like a city folk back then. An' I would still be there if it hadn't happened...”

“What happened?”

“I'm gettin' to that, lemme finish. Well, Anna weren't no fool, she knew what those suitors were after. So she turned 'em down, every last one. Couple of 'em went away real mad, sayin' nasty things, you know the type. Anna was wise to turn 'em down.”

“And?” Impatience tinged the traveler's voice as she edged closer the the side of the path, or at least what of it that was clearly the path.

“Well, one day, three or four years ago, she was out in the little garden 'er daddy made for 'er, or so the story goes, an' when 'e went out t' talk t' 'er, she was gone. Disappeared, jus' like that.”

“Didn't the townspeople see anything?”

“Well, sure they did, but most weren't sure what they saw. Some of 'em were just plain scared t' come forward, the lord was so angry, threatening and arresting people left and right. A few said that it was a dark, mysterious shape from th' shadows that leaped higher than any man over th' wall of the garden and vanished with th' girl; some others said she was lured away, like that could ever happen, she was much t' smart to go off like that. A few crackpots even thought it was the sleepwalkers, wanderin' around in the daytime, an' stealin' her away, but no one believes 'em.” He smiled, smug and mysterious, and said, “But I know what really happened.”

“You mean you saw the kidnapper?” the traveler asked, surprise in her voice.

“Sure did, clear as day. I was takin' my first crop of the year to market when it happened, right before my very eyes.”

“Did you tell Lord Ty what you saw?”

“An' get my head chopped off? I'd have to be crazier than a drunk duck to tell 'im what really happened.”

“Why? What's the worst that he'd do? I'm sure he'd be happy to know what happened to his daughter.”

“I didn't tell 'im because it was a celestia that did it, an' he hates celestia! He wouldn't let 'em in the town, not ever. 'E claimed that it was t' protect 'is daughter's innocence against their savagery, but we all knew that it was jut because 'e hates them.” The farmer scratched his head again. “Never quite understood why, they seem nice enough t' me. Every once in a while a few help out on th' farm, in exchange for food and shelter fer a few days. They're good, hard workers, even if their wings do knock things over sometimes. Anyway, that's when things really started goin' downhill for Red Grove.”

“What happened?”

“Lord Ty, as good an' kind as 'e had been, became desperate to get Anna back. 'E offered a reward t' anyone who could find th' kidnapper, 15,000 gold coins, but nothin' came of it but hoaxes an' mercenaries. 'E even raised taxes to increase th' reward, highter an' higher, til folks like me could barely get by. Th' reward went up t' 20,000, then 25,000, an' even up to 30,000 til 'e stopped raisin' it. Then, 'e made a declaration that surprised everybody, even me, tho' I moved out 'ere before th' taxes got too high.”

“What'd he say?”

“Ty said that whoever brought his daughter back t' 'im would not only get the reward, but 'e would also give 'is daughter to 'em in marriage. I don't think 'e realized the kind of man that was likely t' find her would be th' worst kind, mercenaries and th' like. But then, 'e said that anyone who tried t' claim th' reward falsely, they'd be beaten, tied t' a rock, an' thrown into the Sky Divide to drown. That was proof enough for me that 'e's gone mad; 'e'd never do a thing like that when Anna was around. But I pity anyone who hasn't left Red grove yet. His lordship is gettin' worse.” He look the traveler straight in the eyes, his gaze burning into her with a dead honesty that would have unnerved the bravest warrior. “My advice? Steer clear of Red Grove.”

“Thank you, Sir, but I'm going there anyway. I'll be careful.”

The farmer shrugged. “Your funeral.” He turned to leave, when a thought struck him. “Hey, would y'like t' eat at my house t'night? An old guy like me gets lonely sometimes, no family, no friends, except for th' few that fly in occasionally. A friendly face at th' table is always welcome.”

“I'd love to, sir, but I have to get going. I want to reach Red Grove as soon as possible.”

“Ah, well. I'll see you around then.”

She smiled. “Indeed you will. Goodbye, sir.”

And with that last, enigmatic comment she began down the road again, leaving the man to ponder her words alone.

Quoth my weird life, nevermore. (2)

Spring Break! and a new story type thing!

“And now, once and for all, you die.” The man's twisted, inhuman features became even more grotesque as he grinned down at her. The girl, wisdom beyond her age radiating from her, the result of the long years she had spent frozen in time and flying through dimensions, stared back at him with a calm that defied her predicament. “No running, no hiding, no interdimensional emergency to pull you through a portal away from the justice of my blade; just you, me, and a nice sharp sword.” He chuckled. “Of course, pretty soon it'll just be me and my sword.”

“Justice?” Her voice remained level, filled with peace and knowledge.

“Yes, justice,” the man said, drunken with his victory. “Justice, deprived of blood for so many years, will finally have it's share. You will pay for taking away my son, my only precious son!” His voice became bitter. “How do I know it was you?” Hollow laughter filled him. “Why, your sword, of course.” he gestured with his free hand towards the shining blade that lay on the floor behind him.

“My sword?”

“That sword, that cursed blade...” He held the blade in his hand a little closer to her exposed chest. “You use it to go through the dimensions. I know you do, I know all about it. And you used it to take away my son. The emblem on the hilt, oh sure, it looks innocent enough, but that dark night, it filled the sky as my Andrew went through that portal... you hypnotized him!”

“I did nothing.”

“Stop lying, you murderer! What did you need him for, some horrid ritual? What kind of tragic death did he die at your hands?” Tears filled the broken father's eyes. “You took him from me, you killed him, and you left me, broken and lost without him, to wander the world seeking peace, which I never found!” He smiled, filled with malice and hate. “I've waited for so long to say these words, murderer. When you are dead, I will know peace. Now, die.”

With that, he pulled back his arm and drove the knife deep into her chest. She gasped, choking up blood. Then she fell, still calm, waiting to die.

“Elizabeth!” The cry rang through the bloodstained air, desperate and deathly. The father turned to see his son coming through a green swirling portal and running to the side of the girl he had just stabbed to death. “No, no, this can't be the end, please say something,” the young man said, tears running down his face onto hers.

“Don't worry, Andrew, we'll see each other on the other side,” she said, smiling through the pain. Elizabeth reached up to touch his cheek. “Finally... No more pain, no more friends left behind. We can finally be together...” She gasped again.

“Elizabeth...” He stared down at her with a love that tore his father's heart apart. “You know I love you.”

“You know I love you back.” She smiled again at the sentiment, inadequate and overused, yet still more beautiful than a perfect rose. “See you soon.” Her eyes clouded over as she gave up her life, soaring to meet her destiny.

“Elizabeth... no...” Andrew buried his face in her hair, ignoring his stunned father in his grief.

“Andrew?” The young man's head rose at the sound of his fathers voice.

“Father?” He turned slowly, as if his tremendous grief slowed his every movement. “Father... what are you doing here?”

“Andrew, I'm so sorry...” The man was quaking, afraid and riddled by the guilt that penetrated his soul through the blood on his hands. “So sorry...”

Andrew looked at his fathers shaking hands, as if the blood upon them controlled his mind as it did his fathers conscience. “No, father, why... why...” He turned, staring at the wall as his heart fell apart. He hardly even noticed her blood burning through him, taking him with her. “Why... Elizabeth... father... no...” he gasped, and his final breath broke his father beyond all repair. Then his eyes closed. Andrew was soaring skyward, following his love, and leaving his father to weep alone.

A flash of light illuminated the room as another portal opened, white as snow, staring at the man like an angry eye. Three figures, graceful and terrible at the same time, stepped through, with long white robes that hid their features. They surrounded the two bodies in a triangular formation.

“Go in peace, and be happy,” the first said, sadness weighing in the masculine voice. The two bodies vanished like smoke as he spoke.
“Now, what about their murderer?” asked the second, a feminine voice filled with regret. The three turned to the father, weeping on his knees.

“His guilt is enough. Let him be,” said the first.

“So now the sword will go to a new bearer...” the voice of the third, strange and musical, like an echo across a valley in the mist, but still recognizable enough to be feminine. “Who will fate destroy this time, I wonder...”

Silence hung in the air like a wall of fog, until it was broken by the grunt of the guilty man as he drove the blade into his chest and died.

“So many lives, needlessly destroyed today...” The first shook his head. “This is not our place.”

The portal opened again, twisting like it resented coming to this place of death, and the three stepped through, into a world beyond the small imaginations of those on the mortal side of it. Then, it was gone once more, leaving all in its wake still as death.

The snow fell thick and fast around the town she had come to know as home as Anna once again trudged through the elements to the top of the hill. She couldn't even see the moon tonight.

“Anna, are you daft or something? You can't go out there tonight, you'll catch your death of cold!” Marie's voice called out from the tavern door below. “I'm not dragging your frozen body out of the snow, do you hear me?”

“I'll be fine, Marie, I won't stay out for long.” Anna pulled the thin blue shawl around her as a whirlwind of snow gusted around her feet and continued up the hill. The wind seemed to blow stronger against her every minute, saying 'go back, go back.' On the very top of the hill, she hesitated, searching the sky for a glimmer of the moon. She closed her eyes for a moment, shielding them from the storm. When she opened them again, surprise filled her, surprise that she could no longer see the tavern, the town, even the ground around her. All was a swirling vortex of white snowflakes and the darkness of night.

Anna shook the snow from her shawl and started back down, relying on her footprints to guide her in the right direction. Surprise filled her at what she saw at the bottom of the hill.

Nothing remained, nothing living, nothing dead, just snow, snow, and more snow. “Did I come down the wrong side?” she wondered aloud. She turned to go back up, but the hill disappeared into the swirling tumult, even her footprints had been erased.

“You should have listened to me,” said a voice, much like Marie's, but different somehow, filled with darkness and spite. “I told you not to go. I told you. Why didn't you listen?” The voice sounded like the edge of a jagged blade, cutting into her spirit with every word. “Now you'll never get home. Micheal won't find you, he'll never come for you.” A grinning facade of Marie's face emerged from the storm, leering, with one green eye and one brown.

“No...” she said breathlessly, backing away from the half-familiar face. “No, he'll find me, he will!”

“Stop lying to yourself, Anna, that celestia forgot about you long ago.” She turned to see her father, his face twisted and grotesque like Marie's, with jutting fangs and glaring eyes. “He'll never come.”

“No! He will!” She tried to run from the two, but the snow that blanketed the ground slowed her steps, as the monsters grew closer and closer. As they reached to touch her, she fell. The snow shot up, ropes of frozen crystals binding her arms and legs. The father-monster leaned over her, still grinning, his eyes filled with malice, hate and... what was it? Hunger.

“He never really cared. You knew it all along, but you didn't want to believe your head. You trusted your heart, and look where it got you. Celestia are evil, you know that, I taught you that, but you forgot it for his sake. And now he's abandoned you.”

“No, no...” she murmered feebly, as the snow pulled her further down, further into an airless world of darkness and pain.

“They're right.” A facade of Micheal stood over her with the others, with talons sprouting from his hands. “I don't care, I never did. And you believed me, foolish girl.”

She stared up at him, pleading, as her heart broke into a thousand tiny pieces. “Micheal... why?”

“Because you were a fool, that's why.” Even the traveler had joined the ranks of the demonic figures standing over her. “And now, you die.”

Micheal pulled out a blade and kneeled down, holding it to her throat. A wicked grin filled his countenance as he raised it high above his head.

“Oh, no you don't!” Marie's voice rang through the air, normal, the reluctant compassion and touch of sarcasm that always flourished there returning. “Stupid little sleepwalker, get off of her! Off, I say!”

Anna felt warmth returning to her body, driving out the cold and fear that filled her. She moved her hand to her face; it no longer was bound by the icy grasp of the nightmarish snow. She slowly realized that her eyes were closed. When she opened them and sat up, she saw Marie, standing next to her on the summer hilltop. The older woman shouted insults at something Anna couldn't quite make out and was hitting it repeatedly with a broom.

“Take that, you miniature imp, you misbegotten creature of the night! I'll teach you to mess with humans, you spike-headed little monkey, you...”

“Marie?” Anna asked. “What's going on?”

Marie trapped the creature under the broom and looked over at Anna, who was still rubbing sleep from her eyes. “Oh, good, you're awake,” she said, relief in her voice. “I thought I might have gotten here too late.”

“What's that thing?” Anna asked, pointing to what appeared to be a scaled monkey clawing at the broom, snarling and biting at whatever happened to be unfortunate enough to be near it.

“A sleepwalker,” said Marie, giving the thing another whack with the broom for good measure. “Deadly little creatures, inject venom into you then wait until the hallucinations cause enough stress to kill you. This one almost had you, lucky I came out here when I did.”

“Really?” Anna's eyes widened. “I've never seen anything like it...”

“Surprising. They're all over in the summer. The only thing I know of that can keep them away is celestia feathers, they can't stand the light they refract.” She chuckled. “Well, celestia feathers or a well-built door.” She whacked the thing again, and kicked it down the hill. “You'd better come inside. Where there's one, there's always five or six more waiting to help eat the kill.”

“R-right.” Anna shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the shadows left by the monsters. “So... That wasn't Micheal who said that?”

“Oh, dear. Of course not. And whatever you thought I said, it wasn't me either.” Marie guided her down the hill and into the inn. “Just don't sleep outside again.”

Anna went inside, but Marie lingered outside the door for a moment, staring at the moon.

“Micheal, wherever you are, hurry. She needs you.”