To the Forbidden Forest
Chapter fifteen
"Any ideas?" I mumbled half an hour later.
"I was hoping that you might have any ideas." Corindore sighed. "How will we ever get out?"
"I don't have a clue." I shrugged.
We stared at the green scenery and fell in silence. Deep in thoughts.
Then, someone ran toward us. He was very short and was wearing a big clothes. He also had a beard, almost reached his feet. As he got closer with his tiny legs, we heard what was he saying.
"Don't come here!" He shouted. "Go away! Far away!"
"What are you talking about?" I shouted back.
"Don't come here!" He repeated.
"I know what you mean, sir." Corindore said politely. "But why?"
"It's for your own good." The man panted as he reached us. "Please, leave at once."
Corindore and I looked at each other.
"Okay, we'll be careful." I answered, raising one of my eyebrow. "Thanks for the infor--"
"All the travelers! They would come and won't listen!" The man yelled furiously. "That's why they've all gone from this world!"
"Wh, what do you mean?" I asked, shocked. "You mean there were travelers here?"
"And they all died?" Corindore added. Her jaw dropping, horrified than ever.
"That's what they say, yes." The man said, sadly. "Poor things."
"Sir, what's the name of this land, anyway?" I asked.
"It's the land of the Sleeping beast." The man answered, heavily.
"Sleeping beast?" I said. "Why does that sound familiar,..?"
"It's because of the Sleeping Beauty, the fairy tale." Corindore explained. "Is that related to the name of this land?"
"No, not at all." The man shook his head. "Worse than that, I suppose."
"Why is it worse?" I asked. "If a beast is sleeping, then I don't see why it's so bad."
"You don't understand anything." The man sobbed. "The beast is alive. Truly alive!"
"Is it sleeping?" Corindore said.
"Yes." The man answered, sobbing.
"Then why are you so terrified?"
"Forgive me." The man sniffed. "It's not your fault that I'm so emotional."
"It's okay, I forgive you." I said.
"The beast is part of a superstition in the village." The man said.
"What's the village's name?" I asked carefully. "I don't believe in superstitions."
"The village of the killer beast." The man said, trembling.
"The village of the killer beast?" I repeated. "Ha! That's not much of a name, is it?"
"Ellington, don't be rude!" Corndore whispered loudly.
"It's named that way to keep the travelers out." He said. "The beast killed many travelers along the Dark times."
"The Dark times?" I asked. "What's that? You said the beast thing was just some kind of dumb rumor."
"I found out it was neither a rumor nor a superstition. And it was horrible!" The man cried. "Most of the villagers were lost, some of them was caught in the trap of the beast. There were hardly any villagers left in the village."
"How do you know that?" I said, suspiciously. "You just said yourself it's a superstition."
"My great-grandfather, told me." He said. He seemed he was telling the truth. "My great-grandfather was one of the few members of the village who managed to survive from the beast. He told me that. He said it wasn't a superstition, nor a rumor. He said I have to tell the villagers the truth."
"Wow," I said. "It's really is true."
"What happened to the beast?" Corindore asked.
"It became weak, then it perished." The man answered.
"Then why are you still keeping the travelers out? Now that the beast is gone, you can be all 'happily ever after'."
I said.
"I'm not finished." The man continued. "When the beast perished, all the villagers cheered and celebrated all day and night. Many years passed since the day. But now, villagers are mysteriously disappearing. We don't know why, and when this is happening. All we know is that the villagers are disappearing one at a day."
Corindore and I looked at each other for the second time.
From the Beginning?