Monday, August 8, 2011

The Second Task

  I know I haven't posted in a while, huh? Not that much of you are listening anyway. For a while there, I stopped writing because, first of all, I've been really fucking busy with this new "friend" of ours, and second of all, I stopped seeing what the point of this was. But anyway, I'd better get on with the post.


  The second task was...Much more difficult than the first. And even then, "much more difficult" doesn't even begin to explain how hard it was. Usually, in books and movies and things, when a character is given tasks to complete, they go from easy, to slightly more difficult, to fairly difficult, and so on. All the way up until the last task, which is most likely life-threatening, and which takes pretty much pure luck to accomplish. But this task was only the second of three, and I already saw my fucking flashing before my eyes.


  It was almost three weeks after the first task and I'd just gotten word that my uncle was in a coma after a terrible car accident, involving a drunk driver who died. Luckily, my uncle didn't. I couldn't go see him...not with Rusalka around and with everything going on. She came to me to tell me what I had to do next.


"You've completed your first assignment well, despite your fear of the water."
"I'm not afraid, it just freaks me out. Bitc-"
"You're second task will be led by a few of my friends."


  Fucking friends. Guess what they were? Goddamn creepy blue, emerald-eyed pixie things. They looked like they wanted to eat my flash right off my fucking face. Yeah right they're leading me...that's what I thought at first. But you really can't say no to a Satyr.


"They will lead you into the forest, where you will find a beast awaiting you. From Him, you must take the knife."
"Sounds easy enough, I guess..."
"Listen, boy. Where you travel, you will find a fortune that awaits you. Whatever you do, you must not touch anything, else you wish to wake the creature."


  That night the fairies arrived at my window, their teeth bared at me like a rabid fucking dog's. I followed them outside, where they grabbed my sleeves and dragged me all the way to the edge of the street behind my hotel. The trees stretched for miles where I stood. The green-eyed mini monsters gave me no time to look, as they continued to pull me through the woods.


  It took about 20 minutes of dragging and stumbling to reach our destination. I brought the key from the first task with me. I had a feeling I would need it soon, and I was correct. In the middle of a dark clearing, there was an overgrown house, almost a mansion. The key unlocked the door, which I had to hold so that it wouldn't fall over and wake up anything waiting inside.


  Rusalka was right about the fortune. Piles and piles of golden coins and diamond rings and stacks of cash raised up to the broken ceiling on either side of the pixies and me. There was a clear path on the dusty floor, leading to a sharp silver knife which sat on a chair made of gold. The fairies flew ahead and pointed urgently at the knife...if I just fucking followed their instructions. But there I was, a treasure hunter, standing among mounts of millions of dollars worth of treasure! I thought one huge diamond would be enough. Then I could grab the dagger and get out of there.


  I reached out and touched the diamond...a shadow fell over the room now. Frozen in place, I heard as five soft footsteps headed towards the pixies passed right by me. Still silent, I heard the...crunching, and the snapping...of their bones and flesh as this monster ripped them apart, then dropped them to the floor. I got the courage to look up when I remembered where the knife sat.


  This thing was huge. With the shape of a man, almost nine feet tall, it wore a suit and a tie. I didn't have a chance to count how many long tentacles sprouted out of its back. And it's face...it lacked a face, only a pale as white, blank spot on its bald head. It came at me, grabbing my arm and tugging at it, while another arm lunged for my head. I pulled free, stabbing it as hard as I could with the skeleton key and running for the dagger. It followed, I dodged. Then, it grabbed my leg, pulling be backwards while it kept approaching, faster, faster. Grabbing the knife in my hand, I hacked away at the tentacle holding my leg. I was pulled up into the air before being smashed down on the floor again. My nose is broken now. It swung me at the wall, releasing, giving me just enough time to jump out of the window, smashing the glass everywhere. I took a big piece of the blood-stained thing while I got up and ran.


  I saw it around every corner. Every tree suddenly became a copy of it, but I kept telling myself it wasn't true. I finally found my way out of the woods after stopping for a thirty-second rest ten times the whole way. Making it back to the hotel, I was still in shock...Which I believe I had full authority to be. Rusalka was there. She grabbed the knife from me as soon as I plopped myself down on the bed, panting. She looked fucking pissed the hell off.


"I told you not to touch anything else! You fool!"
"But...I got the knife...didn't I?"


  That didn't amuse her. But I was right.