The Timid Monster

Monster

Chapter Two -Monster

Wake up. Act like nothing's wrong.

My eyes opened and I was still in the room from before. No one was with me. Right?

I am here for a little longer. I have not hurt you or the baby. Get up and tell them that you don’t feel well and want to leave.

I heard the voice in my head and I tried not to shake. It was in me. But I did what the voice said and asked the man whose name I couldn’t remember if I could leave. I didn’t feel well, I said.

He looked on me with pity, like I was a girl in over her head. He let me leave with a pat on the cheek. He looked happy to be rid of me.

Go out the door to the right.

There was no door to the right of me. The voice said to try it. I pressed on the wall and fell through, a scream ripping out of me as I fell. I seemed to fall forever, air whooshing me this way and then another.

Calm down. You are not in danger. Just close your eyes.

I closed my eyes and my screams died out as I fell. It was all black around me, just a void with no light. What had I done?

You haven’t done anything. It was me. I will protect you, Bolivia. We are simply taking a shortcut to where I want to go.

I didn’t want to talk back to it. I didn’t have to because it was in me and it knew my thoughts before I had them. Diablerie.

We are not going to that place, no. This is another place. One I want you to see and if you have a creative mind I know you will be happy to see it.

I brought my arms around myself, falling at a faster speed, the air freezing me.

Almost, Bolivia. Almost. I will shower you with riches for this. Do not fear.

I wasn’t sure if I should continue to accept things from this creature, but with the way I was up in the world right now, riches would sure help especially with a baby coming. If the baby was even alright.

He is. I promise. I can feel his steady heartbeat. He slumbers.

He! I almost wept for joy, but I did open my eyes and they were burned by the sudden light surrounding me. I screamed in agony and then the pain vanished.

I apologize Bolivia. I forgot creatures like you cannot withstand angel light. They will be fine when we land. Just be still. I will never forget you have done this for me.

Tears dripped down my cheeks but I didn’t acknowledge his words. He had said to close my eyes but I wished he would have told me to keep them closed.

I felt weightless suddenly, but I refused to open my eyes. I felt something circling my waist and I still kept them closed. I was afraid. I hated it but I was.

“Open your eyes, dear Bolivia. We are here.” It said, but it didn’t come from in my mind. I

opened my eyes and gazed around me in wonder. The trees were tall, purple spirals and the sky a milky white. We stood on a boardwalk, surrounded by the lake, full of pink water. I had never seen such strange, vibrant color in a world. I looked up at Tabulas and he did not look like the monster I had met just a little while ago.

He was a commonplace man. Not too good looking, but not unattractive either. But his eyes were the thing that remained the same. They were all seeing, knew too much. I looked down at his feet and saw I was barefoot somehow while he was not.

“They fell off in your fall. Let’s get you inside. I have much to tell you.”

We went inside a large, castle-like house, with large glass doors and I met three people. A woman whose name was Mova, her husband, Keith, and then another man, whose name was Almond, of all the names out there. For all I knew, they didn’t have almonds here. I refrained from smiling. Almond was the most attractive of all three of them, with stunning blue eyes, black curls framing his angular face, and most of all his jaw was so defined he looked ethereal. Mova, the woman, could have been related to him because she had the same icy blue eyes and dark curls. She had streaks of silver in her hair but I didn’t know if that was perhaps a choice or if it showed her age. She didn’t look old enough to have gray hair. Lastly, Keith looking more concerned with glaring at Tabulas than meeting me. His eyes were narrow, his mouth in a grim line as he looked at Tabulas.

“Greetings,” Tabulas said to the three of them. I sensed humor in his tone. He thought Keith’s reaction was funny. I couldn’t figure out why.

“This is Bolivia. I’m naming her my champion.”

What? “Wait a second…Champion?” I interjected. He looked down at me, “You will have to earn those riches I’m afraid.”

“What am I going to do? And I think I did earn them!” I argued. He snorted, “The fall may be difficult but it only earned you a thousand. I suspect you would like much more, wouldn’t you?”

A thousand wouldn’t last me very long. He was right. “What do I have to do?”

“The three of us are having a little game. I’ve almost been forgotten about in my absence, but I have returned and you will enter on my behalf. They have each chosen someone as well. It is simple.

Defeat all the other champions and you will earn riches you have never considered.”

“Kill them?” I asked incredulously. Mova snorted much like Tabulas had, “No, silly girl, make them submit to your power. I sense nothing special in you though. Even if you did survive The Fall.”

I shot a sharp look to Tabulas, “Was there a chance I wouldn’t?”

“Angel light can be tricky.” Was all he said and I saw a minuscule look towards my hand. None of the others noticed and then I remembered. The ring! I refrained from moving my hand to look at it. So I had nothing to worry about.

“I’ll be your champion,” I said finally. He looked happy and I wondered just want I got myself into. He did tell me the child would not be protected but if I stayed safe my baby would be too. I needed to secure a good life for us. Rhyley wasn’t fit to be a father. He cared more about creating than raising and that was not something I wanted around my baby.

“I want to know exactly what riches I will get. And what this place is.” I continued. Tabulas clapped, “Spoken like someone who will be victorious. Right down to business. If you’ll follow me,

Bolivia, I will gladly show you your riches.”

I gave one last look to the three of them and followed Tabulas out of the house. I looked back at it as he led me away. It was a house that held secrets. Many of them and I wanted to explore it. I saw rooms and hallways that held maybe more than the riches were worth. Knowledge was something I was interested to gain as well. What lore was held here in this place? I had never seen a place like this.

Tabulas led me further down the beach to a small home, nothing like the one we were just in. It was humble and taken care of, nothing in disrepair. The steps were high and I fumbled getting onto the first one. Some champion I was. He steadied me, “You are very short. I’ll have the steps fixed so you can get up easier.”

“So kind of you. Why is it you look different now? Why is it I’m not afraid anymore?” I asked him. He sighed, “I should have known you would have endless questions. Come sit. I will get you something to eat and drink.”

My stomach rumbled on cue and I sat down on a sofa in the front room. The house was small, with what looked like two bedrooms and one bathroom. The kitchen was behind the living room. No dining room space. I supposed for one person you didn’t need any more space than this. But I was here now and I felt claustrophobic. I didn’t say that to him though when he returned with sweet smelling food and some sort of juice. I took a sip of that first and my taste buds tingled.

“Wow,” I said and took another sip. It was the sweetest taste, but not overpowering. It didn’t make me thirsty, it quenched my thirst.

“I thought you might like that. It’s nectar. A special kind of drink and before you ask it will not harm the baby. Do not tell anyone here that you are with child. It will just be better for you. Now taste the food. It’s the fruit of this world.”

I took the fork and selected a bright blue chunk and it melted in my mouth. There was no need to chew even though it was hard a second before. I looked at him in question.

“Saliva breaks it down. Do you like it?” Tabulas asked curiously. I c****d my head feeling the substance around in my mouth. It was kind of like an orange and a pear combined. A strange combination but not altogether gross.

“Yes. I like it.” I told him. He beamed. It made his face beautiful and I felt a rush of guilt. I felt loyal to Rhyley. He was my mate, no matter what he did. I just wished he didn’t do the things he did. Could you love someone and still wish they were different? If you wished they were different, did you really love them?

“You have nothing to fear. You will be victorious I am sure. Now, let’s talk strategy. What are your strengths?” He asked, leaning in close, eyes wide with excitement.

I was hesitant to tell him. I was a long way from home, in a new place. No one here knew me. He had been in my mind, didn’t he know what my strengths were already?

“Well?” He asked when I didn’t answer. “I am a quick thinker. My magic isn’t that great, so I don’t know why you think I would be a good champion for you.”

He looked confused. “Warlock magic is unmatched, Bolivia. Did no one teach it to you?”

“No. I was taken care of by my mother…until I was fourteen. My father I never knew. She never spent any time teaching me. Rhyley is who taught me what little I know.”

Tabulas looked at me with pity and I shot him a glare. “Don’t pity me. I made what I could out of my life. I made a life for myself and I want a better one which is why I’m here. I want those riches so I can provide for my baby. I need help. Will this ring really protect me? What sort of powers do these other champions have? Why are we going to fight at all?” I asked and he smiled at my hurried speech.

“I will answer all your questions, but perhaps just ask them one at a time. My friends and I are having a little contest. Just for fun.”

“Liar,” I said with a smile. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his legs as a woman would.

“Prove yourself to me and I will be frank with you. It’s a long terrible story that I hate to tell, but I will tell you if you can do three things.” He said, holding up three fingers dramatically.

“Name them.” I could do three little things.

“There are rules in this fight. One loophole I have found is it doesn’t say you can’t raise an army. It says you alone. No other person can fight with you. Unless they are apart of you. See?” He looked happy and proud of himself for figuring that out. But I still didn’t know how this was one of three things.

“What-

“Raise an army.” He said cutting me off. I glared at him, “How the f**k am I supposed to do that when no one can fight with me? I don’t know enough people to even start an army.”

His grin made me want to grab the back of his head and slam it into the glass table between us.

“Unless they are a part of you. Raise an army. That’s one.”

My fists clenched. I would never figure that out. But I didn’t say anything else, because maybe if I couldn’t do that I could do the other two things and that would be enough for him to tell me the truth. I needed to know everything about this…contest.

“Two is conjure a flame.”

My jaw dropped. “A flame? Warlocks cannot control elements.”

He chuckled, “I don’t think you know what a warlock can and can’t do. Do you even know what made you?”

I thought again of bashing him into the table. That grin! I would smack it off his face if I could. How was I supposed to do that when I had no clue about my powers? I didn’t say anything else, again, and he moved on.

“Three is agree to name that baby what I wish.” He said and I just stared at him for a long time.

“What do you care with this baby?”

“Nothing really. I have a name I wish to pass on.”

I hadn’t decided on any particular name. I just found out it was a boy and things were so hectic at the moment I hadn’t given it any thought.

“I can do number three. Nothing too terrible is it?”

Tabulas looked surprised. “You would gladly let me name your firstborn?”

“I’m not so sure gladly is the right word, but yes. You can name him. What is the name?”

“His name is Moishy Nelo Enterprise.”

I had never heard of such a name before. Moishy Nelo Enterprise. It had a certain ring to it. One

I liked.

“Very well. I did one thing. Now, tell me how I can-

He held up his hand, “You will get no help from me on your army or your flame. You can use anything in my vault or in this house to help you figure it out. Do not take what isn’t yours. I have needs I have to see to. My vault is in the basement, do not let the door close behind you as it will lock you in. I will be unavailable for an hour. The fridge has water and the bathroom is behind that door. You have one day to complete the other two things.”

“One day!” I exclaimed. He only chuckled and disappeared into one of the bedrooms. He said needs but did not go into the bathroom. Perhaps he meant…I didn’t want to know. He was a ghoul and I didn’t know what sorts of things went on in that kind of creature.

I set my plate in the sink and figured since he just named my child he could do it for me. I wasn’t going to lift a finger here. So I went into my room and looked around. The bed was very comfortable and I wondered if he realized I would need some clothes. I couldn’t wear this pair of pants and this shirt forever. I didn’t even want to wear it for another minute. It was stinky with sweat and my shirt had this strange tint to it that it didn’t have before. The shirt was originally white, but now it was gray. Had my fall done something to it? And had it done anything to me ?

The closet held no clothes to my dismay and nor did the dresser beside the window. The room was nice, the carpet soft, the window blinds clean. The bedspread was black and the sheets were as well and I didn’t think anything in here would help me figure anything out.

Tabulas was right about one thing. I didn’t know anything about what a warlock could do. I didn’t know what I was made of. If he could just tell me that! I would know more about what I could do.

On another note, I had always felt like there was something building under the surface of my power. I knew I could jump from place to place. I knew I could have visions of the future and past very rarely. And I could amplify my voice at will. Other than that I have not played with magic. Some places I’ve lived did not want magic flaunted. And I’ve never really needed it for anything. One thing I did know about was spells. I had collected many of them, hundreds even. But I didn’t possess the magic to do them. Or did I?

What I really wanted to see was a library. Surely there was a library here, somewhere. I went out of the bedroom and my feet froze on the tile floor. I missed the carpet already. I didn’t spot anything I could put on my feet, to my frustration. He was not a very good host. Only ten minutes had passed so I still had a while to go before I could get a change of clothes and some socks. Maybe even shoes if I was lucky. I went past the bathroom and his room, further down the hall behind the kitchen. It was a hall I

hadn’t seen initially. There were strange pictures on the walls.

The one before me on the right was a picture of black smoke curling out of a fire. I didn’t know why but I knew there was significance to this photo. It wasn’t a drawing or painting. Further down there was another photo, and it was of a child, a woman, and a man. None of them looked anything like Tabulas. I didn’t know why he would have a photo of them. The woman was a beauty, long red hair, green eyes, and a full pouting mouth. She looked like one of those women.

You know the kind that sells their bodies. Her lips were painted red and she had this seductive, come hither look to her. The man next to her was older than her by far, graying hair, blue eyes, and he looked sick with a pale color and there was hardly any life in his eyes. I looked at their joined hands and thought they were total opposites. She practically glowed and he looked ready to drop dead. The little boy, maybe seven, was standing off to the side as if not wanting to be in the photo. His eyes….that was Tabulas. He did not look like a boy who would grow into the man I met just hours ago. Not at all. The hair was long and white, the most brilliant white. His eyes were black with white centers just like Tabulas’s. His skin was pale like the man’s but he didn’t look unhealthy. He looked angry like he hated the people beside him. Were they his parents? It seemed unlikely.

I moved on down the hall to the basement door. I recalled that he said not to let it close behind me or it would lock me in. What could I prop it open with? I saw a wooden block in the corner by the door and grabbed it. A spider scurried away when I picked it up and I muffled my little scream. I hated spiders. They were the worst creature God ever made. I watched it travel down the hall and then it did something strange. It turned back. It wasn’t the biggest spider I’d ever seen, but it wasn’t small either. I straightened up when it drew closer and closer. I was prepared to step on it when I remembered I had no shoes on. I wasn’t a child, I told myself. I didn’t need my mommy to kill it. I grabbed the wooden block and smashed it when it came up to me. I pulled the block back and the spider still lived. I didn’t have time for this. I smashed it again and still, it lived. Were spiders here indestructible?

I opened the basement door and propped it open with the block. The spider still sat there in the doorway before me. Unmoving. The only sign of life was its two pinchers rubbing together. It made me shiver. I turned away and took a step down. It was total darkness into the basement so I felt on the side walls to find a switch. I had so little time to figure this out. I would need a month to raise an army and I still didn’t understand how I could when no one could fight with me.

I found the switch on the right of me and light shone on the treacherous steps I would need to tackle to get down there. They were one simple piece of purple wood, from the purple trees I would assume, and one nail on each end. And I was barefoot.

Still, I took a cautious step and then another. They didn’t give way to my weight so I kept going further and further. The stairs turned into a spiral the more I went and I wondered how far I was going underground. I smelled metal, like iron, but I couldn’t see anything that would produce that smell.

The walls were black and the one light in the room was dim when I finally got to the bottom of the stairs. The smell was getting stronger and stronger the more I stepped into the room. When I stepped into the center of the room lights flashed, once, twice, and then a third time and then they stayed on. The smell remained mysterious, but I gazed in wonder at all the gold, all the books! Trinkets and intricate wooden carvings scattered bookshelves and each bookcase had candles, the most beautifully carved candles adorning them. Riches that might be mine when this was all done with.

The light overhead flickered and I wished it were brighter so I could see all the details in these carvings. What could they mean? I turned my attention to the books. Some of the titles were in languages I didn’t know, but Latin, Spanish, French, and English I did know. I grabbed three of the titles I

could read and sat down at the rickety desk that quaked when I set the books on it. I looked at the desk more closely and saw it wasn’t made of the purple wood. It was brown like the wood in my home. Maybe it was old and they used to have wood like that here.

I opened the smallest book and checked the back for the number of pages. Only three hundred. I skimmed through the table of contents and found one marked as Conjuring. I didn’t know exactly what that was, but I’d heard it was similar to Creating. I knew Creating was taking a natural element and making something out of it. Could Conjuring be making something out of nothing? I wasn’t sure if I could do either, but I turned the pages until I got to the chapter.

It was what I assumed. Conjuring was making something out of nothing, but the catch was you needed a particular magic and I didn’t have it. Or at least I didn’t know if I did. Also, you couldn’t conjure any of the elements. Not a creature like me, again, as far as I knew. When would the hour pass so I could ask him to tell me what I was? The light flickered again threatening to go out.

I skimmed through the book but found nothing I could use. I moved onto the next book, this time in English. The table of contents was helpful thankfully. It clearly listed Elements, Scrying, Spells, Conjuring, Creating, Incantations, Charms, Bewitching, Hymns, Enchantments, Castings, Hexes, and Necromancy.

I turned to the elements section first and started reading. It talked about fire first, and that was what I was looking for anyway. It said fire is an all the time force. It is constantly going. In any world, fire always burned, somewhere. I didn’t get the redundancy, but I kept reading. Then I understood. Fire is everlasting. It could be taken from nothing because it always is.

But how could I do it? I read on. It said particular creatures have access to the threads of magic. Some more than others. What were the threads? It seemed like I needed to know about those before I could do anything. I looked at all the titles I could read on the bookcase but none said anything about threads. I decided I just needed to read some more. Maybe it would come together with context clues. The next thing I came across was what I thought. It broke down what creatures could do with the threads. I was made of a witch and a demon. I never knew my mother was a demon. Why had she kept me in the dark? My father had been a witch. I knew what witches could do very well. I saw my mothers body when I discovered her mutilated that day. Her skin had erupted into bursting boils, and s***h marks covered her entire body. He left her naked. Her groin had been completely destroyed and when I found her I had vomited in the corner of our makeshift home. I shook off that memory. My head started to feel strange like it was…lengthening. My vision blurred and then my throat closed, I couldn’t breathe! The book fell from my hands and I flopped onto the cement ground, clutching at my neck, trying desperately to breathe. He had to come! I couldn’t die like this! Then I remembered a spell I once read. It was an anxious spell, for those who became overcome with emotions. I moved my fingers in a circle on the ground and then cut it in half. I drew two small circles on the halves and closed my eyes drawing the magic I now knew I possessed. The circle caught fire and I rolled away just in time to avoid being burned and then I gasped a painful breath. Thank the heavens! I laid on my back for about fifteen minutes, regaining normal breath. What in the hell had that been? Tabulas would be finished soon I thought and I got back into the chair after blowing out the fire. Demons had a gift or a specialty. Could fire be mine?

I picked up the book again and read on. My chest and lungs ached still, but at least I hadn’t suffocated. The book said I had access to all 11 threads as a warlock. That would certainly give me an advantage but these other champions would know their abilities very well and I was a novice.

It said the eleventh thread was one that could conjure all elements. Hallelujah! Now I just needed to figure out how to draw on the eleventh thread. It didn’t say how to do that. What if I could just wish it?

I stood up and felt foolish as I placed my palms up with my arms outstretched. I closed my eyes and thought of bright flames dancing. I opened my eyes when I felt warmth caressing my face and arms.

I pulled in a sharp breath and gazed in wonder at the yellow and orange flames flickering on my palms. I blinked and the grew larger. I gazed at the wall in front of me and decided it was brick and it couldn’t catch fire. I pulled my hand a few inches apart and formed a ball. Then I threw it by pushing out from my chest and it collided against the wall with a boom. Well, that would disturb him for sure. Good, he could get me some damn clothes and shoes.

Conjure a flame, checkmark. And he had named my child. So all I had left was conjure an army. What if I could make creatures out of the elements? I knew of a spell that might be able to do that. I searched for some blank paper and found a notebook on the shelf of one of the bookcases. I spotted a pencil, made of purple wood.

I chewed on my lip as I tried to recall the words. This was a spell that needed to be said aloud, which I might not have time to do that if I was to fight. Was I fighting them all at once? Or one at a time? He should be helping me with this stuff if he was concerned about winning. Forty minutes had passed so I stood again and held my palms up again, not feeling foolish any longer. I had power I was sure of now.

I imagined water this time and thought of it being shaped like a small child. Small might be easier to manipulate. I opened my eyes when I felt a mist. Five small forms of water stood before me. Not exactly as I envisioned but it would do. But what could they do? I made them freeze. I could hurtle them at the others. Yes, a big ice block hitting you hard enough would cause some damage. Fire could burn them! It was all coming together in my brain, racing into a plan.

I sat back down at the desk keeping the ice blocks there. I needed to be able to do it without much thought. I recalled all the unique spells I could and wrote them neatly on separate pages. I would need to ask him if they were allowed. I didn’t even know the rules of this contest or if certain magic would disqualify me. One spell I knew, disturbed me to consider doing, but if I would win with it I would do it. It was a spell to thicken blood. It could cause a heart attack if I wished. Another spell I had memorized was one to blind you. I could use the fire to burn their eyes, but this spell was permanent. Should I use that? There were healers that might reverse it, weren’t there? I would ask Tabulas for his input.

An hour passed and then I put all the books back where I found them and trudged back up the steps. When I sat down on the couch he walked out of the bedroom and sat opposite me.

“Make any progress?” He asked hopefully. I nodded, with a small smirk.

“Well, did you conjure a flame?” I nodded again and didn’t demonstrate.

“I need to see.”

I held up one hand and a flame roared to life, blazing hot. It didn’t burn me though, which I was thankful for. His jaw dropped and he was obviously floored.

“I can raise an army too.”

“What army might that be?” He asked after a moment. I conjured five small flames, shaped as small people. Then I made the water people too.

“Will they do?” I asked with a grand smile. He grinned back at me, “They will do just fine.

Wonderful job, Bolivia.”