kaolin fire presents :: writing :: fiction

"LostInTheForest.0"

words

----------------------------- * The literary plot, where the critical event takes place at the beginning of the story rather than at the end—the plot does not hinge upon decision so much as fate * person versus nature * The Riddle * Deliverance

unfortunates -- Hahn, Geth threatener -- doppelganger mother rescuer -- the self-said unfortunates nature -- the doppelganger is nature, a solstice, overgrown, cycles, nature is a riddle that must be solved how did nature replace the mother? nature ... she walked into somewhere when she shouldn't have. mother was tinkering, spelling, casting,

mother was out in the forest; raped by a lordling and his men; snapped, ran deeper into the forest, latent magical energies thrashing about. some sense that an actual preganancy occurred, or maybe just afraid that it had; wanting to be comforted, succoured, and raging against the lordlings and the thing inside her. the forest takes her in, replaces her with her "revenge". her revenge is somewhat mad, oddly cognizant of things, but driven. she is--a dryad, mindless, slipping in and out of trees.

the children wander through the forest, not sure where they're going as darkness plunges. Geth fails on his promise of a fire, and for shelter they find a hollowed tree; which, when they enter it, warms quickly, and the wind dies down more than it ought. they sleep.

father, hunting party out looking for them. "revenge" slips out as well. The dryad hides the children from the hunting party. hunting party returns home. father sees "revenge" is not there, and, weary and wary, heads back into the forest.

they wake up to the sound of their mother singing, but she's not there. They wander further into the forest; maybe a little lost, but then there's a trail. they start to imagine they see her, here and there. the ground is getting softer... she wants them close to her, doesn't understand that they will die. And she's helping them find her, because she senses that's good.

"revenge" is on their trail, sees with more intelligence what's happening, and just watches. children see her and flee deeper, which is all to their detriment.

father catches up to see "revenge" chasing the children into the bog. calls on her to stop, calls the children back from the bog... "revenge" turns on him.

children resist dryad to save father from "revenge". of course, "revenge" is more than happy to eat them. dryad intervenes; weeds and trees and whatnot weave around them.

"revenge" is slowed but able to move, while father and children are frozen. dryad then has to defend father and children from revenge directly.

dryad and "revenge" flow back and forth; revenge fades, mother comes out of the bog.





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STORY BEGINS

"Ma doesn't hate us." Hahn ducked under a branch, then held it up for his sister to go through. "She's just--she's just not well, that's all. She'll get better."

"When?"

Hahn shrugged, concentrating on forging a path ahead to keep his own anger in check. "I don't know. But you've got to trust the healer. And Da. And her. She'll get better."

"I don't think she's Ma. Ma wouldn't yell at Da."

"Don't be silly, Geth; of course she's Ma. She's just not well."

"She's different."

"Sure. Some. But we'll get through it."

"How? She's not right!" Geth stomped her foot on the hardpack petulantly; Hahn turned back to her and saw tears trickling down her face.

"I know. But we can't go home, now." He hoped Geth had only heard some of what their mother had been screaming. Half of it hadn't even been words, not that he knew. But the rest--the rest shouldn't have been. He'd run outside and grabbed Geth from where she'd been playing in the waning sun. "Da will take care of Ma. And when she's better--when she's better, we can go back."

"How will we know when she's better?"

"We'll check in on them."

"Promise?"

"Of course, Geth. I promise."

"Tell you what." Hahn took a deep breath, and tried to find strength for his sister. "Let's go to where she fell. Maybe we can find something the healer didn't."

"Like what?"

"Like--I don't know. But it's a good area, better than most; we can camp out there for a bit. It'll be fun."

"I don't like your fun!"

"Just--come on. We've got to get a fire going, and make some sort of shelter. Then we can play... pattycake. And sing songs."

Hahn led them deeper into the forest; Ma had been found near the bog, so that's where they had to head. But the sun had been falling when he grabbed Geth, and it fell more quickly in the forest than without. Soon they were wandering with only a lazy moon to guide them.

He was thankful that Geth didn't complain, but Hahn knew they would have to stop soon. It was getting cold, and he was tired and hungry. He spied an old, hollowed out oak, and bade Geth to stay while he investigated it.

There was no spoor inside, and the oak's walls cut out a chill breeze that he hadn't even noticed until its absence. There was even a dry fungus growing on the outside of the trunk that would have made excellent punk--had he had the foresight to bring flint and steel. It took that half stroke of luck for him to realize he was not going to be able to provide a fire for them tonight.

Hahn called Geth over, and snuggled against the wall of the oak. Geth crawled into his embrace, and was asleep immediately. The air warmed quickly around them, and he felt as if the oak were cradling him, breathing as he breathed. He drifted off to the imagined voice of Ma singing to him.

He dreamed he was playing a game of hide and seek; but he was one hidden, and there were many seekers. But a piper came along and led the seekers in circles around him. Then the piper's pipe turned into a stick, the piper into a tree. And the sun rose over the tree, and the seekers faded to nothing under the sun.

Geth's voice woke him. "I found breakfast, Hahn! A squirrel larder!"

He crawled out of the oak, and stretched. The sun's warmth on his face was comforting, and he was sure they'd find the spot in good time, now. His stomach rumbled to remind him of Geth's proclomation.

Geth had uncovered a shallow pit with cones and nuts. "Nice, Geth! We should get a move on, and eat these on the way." Hahn and Geth each managed a handful of food.

Hahn looked around, trying to decide what direction they'd come from and where they needed to go. He couldn't admit uncertainty in front of his sister, so went with the easiest--he'd been able to see the oak was hollow, so he'd take the hollow as his direction.

He set off, slowed by trying to pick through the nuts. Geth followed behind, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hahn?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear Ma singing to us when you woke up?"

"Just you."

"I wasn't singing."

"I mean, I just heard you, about the squirrel larder."

"I could have sworn I heard her. I woke up, just a little; and I kept my eyes closed, and--and--it was really nice."

"I dreamed that we were playing hide and seek."

"Who won?"

"You woke me up."

He imagined that he saw her, though; in the pattern of foliage, or even just the curve of a branch. And he imagined that that when he saw her, he was going the right way. But he didn't want to mention it to Geth, or she'd think he was crazy. And with Ma maybe crazy, he had to be stable. But he saw her more and more frequently; and as the ground grew softer, he knew that he was right.

"Hahn?" Geth whispered, behind him.

"Yeah?"

She tugged on his tunic, and when he turned around, pointed the way they'd come. Thirty feet away was their mother. And even at that distance, he could see something wrong in her face, something wrong in her eyes. Geth was right--that wasn't Ma. That wasn't someone that would sing them lullabys when they were going to sleep.

That was someone that would scream at Da, scream, "Feed them to the forest!" That was someone to be afraid of. And she was smiling.

Hahn ran, dragging Geth, stumbling, behind him. Anywhere away from that thing was safer than not. And he felt Ma, the real Ma, calling him forwards. But whenever he turned to look, the other Ma was just behind him, casually; as if the forest had no obstacles for her.

Soon, before him was only bog; he could run left, or he could run right. Yet something still called him forwards, as if Ma was in the bog, safety was in the bog. Hahn turned to his sister, and back towards the other Ma, conflicted.

Faintly, then, he heard Da's voice calling in the distance. Da was calling for Hahn and Da was calling for Geth. But the other Ma was between them and Da--and Ma, the real Ma, was somewhere else still. Was she in the bog?

The other Ma advanced towards him, and Geth began to scream, clinging to his side. Da's voice was getting nearer, but Hahn was afraid. He took a slow step back into the bog, felt the bog water seep into his trousers, the mud suck at his feet. It was cold, very cold. But Ma was in there, somewhere. Ma would keep them safe.

Geth's scream cut off in a squeak when she entered the water, but she shuffled back with him regardless.

Da screamed for them to stop--or the other Ma, Hahn couldn't tell. Da was livid, though. And tired, Hahn could see that. Could feel it.

He imagined Ma's arms caressing his legs, holding him tight, pulling him in. It felt so good to have her there. Geth hugged him tighter, saying she was happy Ma was there. There was no question which Ma she meant.

Da was screaming at the other Ma; and she, she was hitting him, scratching him. Hahn couldn't let that happen. Ma had him and Geth safe, but he had to help Da. Da didn't know that wasn't really Ma.

Hahn pulled free of his real Ma, clambered back onto shore. Geth just stood where he left her; or she sank, slightly, as Ma clasped her more strongly. Hahn screamed to his Da, "She's not Ma! She's not Ma!"

Da screamed back at him to grab Geth, but Hahn knew Geth was safe. Hahn punched at the other Ma, but she just backhanded him.

Weeds blossomed where Hahn fell, and twined themselves around his arms and legs. Tree branches reached down and picked Da up, and brambles sought to confound the other Ma. Nothing could hold her, it seemed, yet the constantly changing terrain kept her from progressing.

The more she fought, the more the terrain fought with her; she and it began to blur together, becoming more and more frenzied in action and reaction.

Da dropped down from his tree, and Hahn found that he could move, as well; he ran to his Da and threw his arms around him. Da hugged him tightly, then turned to the bog, where Geth had been.

The water was placid; there was no sign she had ever been.

Hahn tried to run to look for her, but Da held him still.

"But she's in there, she's in there with Ma," Hahn shrieked. He squirmed in Da's grip, but could not break it. "We have to get her, we have to get them!"

Da walked towards the bog, then, pushing Hahn back away from it. Hahn stood still but for the trembling of his anxiety.

His Da strode into the bog, hunched over with his arm trawling the ground for any sign. He took step after stoic step, sinking slowly, searching for his love. Hahn saw him stop and scrunch deeper into the bog, trying to dig something out with both hands.

And then he had them--Ma and Geth, too; covered in grime, Ma was draped in Da's arms, cradling a fetal Geth. Neither moved, but Da turned back to Hahn, and nodded.

"What can I do?"

"Fetch a branch!"

Hahn searched furtively for a branch in the brush around him, and was about to search further afield when one seemed to come to his hand. He ran back to the edge of the bog with it, and held it out to his Da. Da grabbed hold, and reeled himself, Ma, and Geth, back to shore.

"Are they going to be okay?" Hahn asked when Da set them down.

Da didn't reply.

Geth opened her eyes and coughed out brackish water; and then coughed out some more.

Hahn hugged his sister tight, pulling her to his breast, then loosened his grip, afraid he would hurt her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Ma took care of me. But Ma--is Ma going to be okay?"

Ma opened her eyes, then, and rolled to her side. Mud fell out of her mouth as she retched.

Da put his arm are her, and she leaned into him, still coughing mud. "I love you," she managed to get out between coughs.

Hahn smiled weakly at Geth. "She'll get better."

STORY ENDS

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lawn

faerie blown in from the wind

...



Jonathan fidgeted over the gruel,

Jenna

Burb

Fellin

Gelf



Gelf puttered about her rock, smoothing it back into shape. She wanted it to be perfect for the seeding.

A new star twinkled







Chellum flared three nostrils, sensing--sensing--yes, manmeat. It

...............







On nights like these, men shuttered their



The constant throbbing of the men above was a bane to Chellum, but she suffered silently.