PINELIGHTforkindle (13 page)

-13-

PINE LIGHT

My eyes flickered opened to a cloudy night. The moon looked huge in the sky, resting close to the water—it felt almost too close. I rolled to my feet and then shuffled up a sandy hill until it met with grass. I expected to see light pouring from the rose-colored panes of Scarlet Heights, but what I saw was something different entirely. What I saw was
pine light.

It was strange at first—almost frightening. But then it was magically beautiful. A thick forest covered the land for as far as I could see. The trees of the forest flickered and swayed as if they were dancing with sparklers to the wind’s melody.
Pine light
. I walked softly in the velvety grass in the direction of the sparkling forest. I stepped among the trees and stood frozen in awe as the cool, sweet air blew through my hair and around my face. As the wind quickened, the brown pine needles from the elder trees came alive with a sudden, colorful glow. The wind caught the flickering needles and gracefully carried them to the ground as they faded back to their original color. I was left breathless from the light display.

Is this a dream? Am I dead?
I wasn’t sure. As my eyes wandered to the belly of the woods, I noticed that pine needles twinkled from every tree. The random bursts of illumination added to the list of questions that had been running through my restless mind. I needed answers. I decided to push forward into the unknown.

I walked for hours, carefully observing my surroundings. The trees still were swaying, but the wind had turned their soft dance into a vigorous shake. Nevertheless, the bright pine needles continued their float down to the floor of the forest.

As I weaved through the tall shadows and tree trunks, I found a small clearing with a single tree. In this area there were no shrubs, just a bent-over tree with green grass and fading pine needles beneath it. It seemed as if the tree, which shadowed this small place, was inviting me in to rest. I graciously accepted the invitation by dropping my bag on the ground and positioning my head on its roots while extending my legs over the soft grass.

While resting, I studied the woods that had captivated me hours before. Faded pine needles lay all around, carpeting the floor of the entire forest. I automatically reached for the nearest cluster. My fingers slid over the pine needles, igniting the cluster with a brilliant ray of sparkling light. Stunned, I dropped the inexplicable needles. At this point, I was confused beyond reason. With my body still resting against the bark, I reached to my right side and grabbed a whole handful of pine clusters. Just like the first cluster, they all began to glow. I slid my thumb and index finger along the edge of the needles. They felt warm, as if they had been bathing in the sun all day.

I grabbed for my bag, carefully placing the pine needles between my dead flashlight and the book of poems. My attention fell to the gift that Fergus had given me. It was still wrapped in a dusty cloth—still a mystery.

While my eyes gazed up at the tree, I could only think of what Fergus had told me. I rolled to my side and placed the fabric on the ground in front of me. And as my hand traced the edges of the wool, my mind began to replay bits and pieces of the stories that Fergus once told.

His stories had constantly intrigued me. I would spend hours in the library, listening to his every word. They would always begin blissfully and somehow lead to a dark and twisted tale with characters fighting for their lives and their beliefs. He would tell them with such great detail that they had a sense of realness. There had been times when I had felt like I could see everything he described as if I were there. A mild wind swept through the trees and blew my hair into my eyes. With one finger I slid the hair back into place and then reached for the brown fabric. I wanted to know everything there was to know. I gently unfolded the fabric.

Underneath the flap of wool lay a beautiful cross.

I ran my fingers over the aged necklace, carefully inspecting the front and the back. The metal cross in my hand was the same as the one I had seen in the book from the dream. Pine needles wound around the center of the cross, forming the Trinity. The needles lit up as I ran my fingers around the endless knot. The cross was breathtaking in person. As I sat the cross down on the wool, the pine needles returned to their dull state of rest. A thin ribbon wound through the top of the cross, forming a necklace. The fiber, which was similar to twine, had been torn at the ends. An easy fix, but noteworthy nonetheless. I carefully placed the cross on my neck and reached behind to knot the fiber necklace. I could feel warmth radiating from the cross as it fell to my chest.

I lay there in the woods, gazing down at the cross, until I noticed a drastic change in the weather. The nice cool breeze that had once swept through my hair was now a strong gust blowing dramatically through the trees from all directions. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The wind felt much like a warning, almost as if it were trying to tell me a storm was on its way and to seek shelter. I could smell a hint of rain and ash blowing through the trees, eliminating the sweet perfume of the pines. The soft light in the woods grew dimmer by the minute. I needed to find a safe place soon.

I heard the faint sound of branches snapping behind me as I lifted myself from the trunk of the tree. I turned to investigate, but could see nothing in the poor lighting. I grabbed my bag and took to walking. My attention quickly darted above when I heard a loud rumble coming from the sky. Just as I looked up, the sun was blocked by dark blue clouds, which now covered the entire sky. The once bright and cloudless sky looked like a wild sea of deep blue and black, angry clouds. I felt a prickly slap on the back of my shoulder and turned in time to see the branches of the trees slapping vigorously at me. It felt as if the forest was alive and trying to get me to move forward. I heard another snap. This time the noise was much closer in the woods behind me.

An unnerving feeling began to pulse through my veins. I wasn’t the only one out here. Something or someone was watching me. I shifted my body to the right and pressed my back to a tree trunk that was twice my size in width. I heard a sound again. This time it sounded much like rustling in the brush, followed by a low-pitched mumble. I felt my heart pound, almost as if it were trying to escape my body. The pounding made each breath painful.

A single drop of rain hit like a glass bead on the top of my head. I did not move as it rolled down over my forehead and into my eye. I could feel the bark of the tree leaving its impression on the skin of my back as I tried to disappear into its wide trunk. I listened with all of my strength, waiting to hear another noise coming from behind. All I could hear now was the sound of the wind raging to the frantic beat of my own heart. I knew that I could not stay behind the tree all night, so I reluctantly decided to peek around the trunk. If I did not spot anything, then I would make a run for it.

I gradually turned my body to the right so that my side and cheek rested on the warm bark. Before I could tilt my head forward, I felt a sharp pinch on the exposed side of my neck. The spot tingled. As I reached for my neck, my hand landed on something else.

Protruding from my skin was a short, pencil-like object. Without hesitation, I applied pressure to my neck with one hand and pulled the hard tube out with the other. I could feel my skin tear as my whole neck began throb with a sharp pain. I held the object tight as my body began to slide down the side of the tree. Once I was flat against the ground and tree, I opened my hand to observe what had caused my injury. In my hand lay a clear dart, no longer than three inches. One end of this device was a tiny white fluff of feathers, while the other end came to a sharp needle point. In frustration, I jabbed the lightweight dart into the ground. Someone was out there, and they were after me.

I tried to pull my weight back up, but my legs were weak. I noticed that I could not hear the wind anymore, just a soft ringing in both of my ears. Then complete silence. My mouth felt dry, and everything looked blurry and spotted.

In my peripheral vision, I made out shadows to my left and right. Though afraid beyond explanation, my heart was no longer racing, but gradually pounding slower and slower. I allowed my body to fall forward into the soft ground and attempted to pull my weight with my hands and elbows. My knees shook while I pushed them into the earth. I had only crawled a few feet when my entire body turned cold. Then everything faded to black.

-14-

PIRATES

It was dark when I gained consciousness, and I was soaked to the bone. My pounding head rested facedown on what I imagined to be damp rope. I squirmed. My hands were bound behind my back, and my feet were tied and jammed between two heavy, round objects. I was helpless, again. Warm blood pumped through my cold veins to the tear in my pulsing neck. My feet and hands were still frozen and tingling. I was afraid. I never feared death, only the thought that it would be introduced with hellish pain. So in these moments of waking up, I only feared that I would soon experience unbearable pain.

I had to get loose. I shifted my stiff shoulders back and forth several times to push the twisted rope out from under my head. I did the same with my hips and knees, until the rope was no longer underneath my body. I was now lying flat on my stomach against a rough surface, but I felt as if my body was still rocking back and forth. I twisted my bound feet upward so that I was free to rest on my back. I felt the surface of the floor—it was hard, cold, and wet. I could feel tiny cracks and ridges between miniature pools of water. A small prick to my index finger suggested that the surface was wooden. The floor jolted. My muscles tensed as I tried to keep my body from rolling. There was a faint sound of footsteps from above. Another jolt. This time I couldn’t keep my body from rolling to its side. I pressed my ear against the grains of the wood floor and shut my eyes, trying my hardest to focus on capturing another sound. For a moment I heard nothing, but then out of the silence came a roar and a hiss of water knocking its way against my wooden prison. I ran my tongue against my lips and felt the grainy texture and taste of salt left on my skin by the sea. The thought of being imprisoned on a ship filled my mind with terror.

“Everything will be okay…” I murmured to myself. Footsteps interrupted my thoughts again, but this time they were much louder. All I could do now was remind myself to breathe. So I took a breath, then exhaled…then took another…and exhaled…and on the third breath, a wooden door that had been hidden in the darkness flew open.

I was expecting a rush of light to enter, but instead was surrounded by a moist wind filled with the smell of salt, fish, and sweat. Only the flickering light of a lantern, held tightly by a small, aged man. lit the entrance to my cell.

He took a few steps into the room and paused while a much larger and frightening man made his way through the door. Both men stomped in wearing tall, rugged black boots. The dim light was now close enough for me to make out the coil of rope I had wrestled with and the two heavy barrels that had trapped my feet. I still couldn’t make out any of the other shadows in the room.

As the two men made their way closer, they seemed to study me as I was studying them. The smaller of the two wore baggy brown clothing. His long-sleeved shirt, which was much too big, was ripped halfway down the middle and covered in dark stains. His pants matched with similar stains and holes down the side. The only other color he wore was a rusty sash, which tied around his waist, holding a large scroll of paper to his side. His skin appeared as leather around his forehead and chin. The sun had definitely damaged his youth ages ago. He held the lantern a little higher and motioned with a nod to the larger man. As he nodded, I could see his long, stringy gray hair swaying against his shoulders in the small breeze that was still pushing its way through the door. With the new position of the lantern, I could see more of the second man. He was several feet taller than the man holding the lantern. He stood with his shoulders back, as if he were proud. Even with a mere flicker of light, you could see his chiseled shoulders and arms through his beige shirt. His shirt, though torn and dirty, was much cleaner than the older man’s shirt. He was wise in choosing a darker brown for his pants, leaving only the holes noticeable.

He calmly stepped toward the lantern as the older man, seemingly impressed, asked, “This is the catch from yesterday?”

With a hint of a grin, the built man flexed and assertively replied, “I got this one myself…I think he will be pleased.”

I immediately began to push against the barrels with my joined feet in an effort to create more distance between myself, and the very man who had put me in this place.

“Well, well…you’re lively.” The older man chuckled. He held his lantern high and squinted in my direction. “She doesn’t look like the others. You best take her to the Cap’in, see if he wants her with the others.”

As he turned to leave, I pushed my upper body forward with my tied arms and cried, “Wait!”

He stopped and slightly turned his head back to glance. I had his attention for a moment, so I thought I would ask the obvious. “Why am I here?” I forced the words out loudly, so that the quiver in my voice might go undetected. Neither of the men moved nor said a word.