Another bedtime story. ^-^
The Boatman's Rower
There was a time when children were spirited away. Not taken. They simply vanished into the night. The spirit, it was gathered from a sticken mother's testimony, chose the youngest of children, babes and the like.
Once he had chosen, the spirit would enter into the child's room, take it into his arms, wrap his cloak about it, and disappear once more.
By now all the families safe guarded their children. They would lock them in the room with them, put them in a cellar, send them away to relatives. One of the last families, in sheer desperation, kept their son in the attic day and night with reprieve only to relieve himself and eat.
When the spirit came to the boy's room, he was surprised to find him awake. "Please," he said quietly, for the figure was imposing of stature and dark of feature. "Please, don't take me away. My parents will be sad if you do."
The spirit sat beside the boy. "What is your name?"
"It's Aereon."
The spirit placed a heavy hand on the other's head. "Aereon," he murmured, hand traveling its way down to his shoulder, "would your parents wish you to suffer?"
"No."
"That is why I take the children away."
"So they don't suffer?"
"Yes."
"Is that... Is that the only reason?" Aereon turned his gaze on the spirit. He looked back, and there was such a melancholy in his eyes that its pressure permeated the room. "You're lonely." A solemn nod.
Then, "I shall make a pact with you, Aereon. I will let you stay, but when you so choose to summon me you must tell me what life is like."
"Can I ask something, too?"
"Yes, I will hear your terms."
"I'll be the last child you take from here. I'll stay with you, but when we meet again you have to tell me your name."
"We have an accord."
Aereon passed the years happily until the families who had lost their children came to his parents to demand him of them. The people jostled and fought savagely to be the one to claim him.
The boy disappeared beneath the sea of swinging limbs and crashing bodies. He didn't remember crying out, but there the spirit was. He was lifted carefully, body enfolded in the warm cloak. The spirit flowed through the crowd and toward the road.
Slowly, he bent his head to the child's ear and spoke his name. The boy looked back to him and whispered his answer.
"Life is wonderful."
G'night. wink
Silver Nephilim Community Member 
|
|
Community Member
Beautiful~
I so loved it so!
SOSOSOSO!
<3
I'm still not in full understanding, but I oh so sure I will get it soon... something will tell me.
Funny, I suspect it to be my horribly cased ADHD sugar-fuled insaneity luff James.
He'll prolly say something about a side-boob, and it'll hit me.
Likewham.