ABLAZE
Harsh Y Thakar
Copyright 2011 Harsh Y Thakar
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
In the village of Greenbrook, lived Roy, the miller. The village was sleepy and work was less, yet Tom could makes ends meet for him and his daughter, Mia. Mia was blessed with beauty and a natural flair. Despite her being the belle of the village, the miller was unable to find her a match for her, for no good family would accept a girl without dowry. Being his precious child and the only family he had, he wanted to marry her into one of the noble rich households of the village, Alas, poverty prevented him.
The days were passing and neither he nor Mia was getting any younger. He approached the noble Royella household. He dressed in his best attire and Mia in her most pretty dress and presented himself at the Royella manor. Mrs. Winy, the old family maid opened the door. She ushered them in and made them wait in the drawing room while she summoned Mrs. Royella. Mrs. Royella, the matriarch of the richest family in Greensbrook, was a very formidable woman. Despite being widowed for a long time, she had managed to hold the family’s ground and made sure that money kept flowing into the family’s coffers. She entered the room wearing a purple satin dress, her half moon spectacles propped on her nose in such a way that it gave her the appearance of an eagle searching for its prey. Roy and Mia got up to acknowledge her presence and she made them sit again with a stern nod.
“What brings you here Roy?” she asked.
“Mrs. Royella, this is my daughter Mia. She is
the prettiest thing found in this county. She is loving, caring, a
wonderful cook, a sweet daughter. She sings like a nightingale and
her words are like sugar. She….”
“Get to the point Roy. If I
wanted to hear you praise your daughter, I would have come to your
house myself”, she interrupted.
“Oh yes, yes”, said Roy chastised, “I wanted you to make my Mia, your daughter-in-law.”
“Surely, you must be joking Roy. How do you intend to pay for her dowry?”
“Please Mrs. Royella, you already have so much,
why do you need more?”
“Who says we need? We want more. If I
am binding my family to your daughter for her entire lifetime, there
should be some tradeoff.”
“But my lady, you will not find
anyone like my daughter Mia. Her presence makes flowers blossom. Her
words bring the rainbow. She can cook the most delicious meat. She
can weave the most beautiful cloth. She can spin the finest threads.
She can even spin straw in gold. She can…”
“Wait. Let’s see if your daughter is really worth the Royella family name. She will stay in our cellar tonight. We will give her with a cartload of straw and she must spin it into gold by the morning. If she succeeds in doing so, she will be the daughter-in-law of the Royella family; otherwise you will work for us for a year to clear your name.”
“But my lady, does she have to do it?”
“If she refuses, I will assume that you were lying about the whole matter and the consequences will be bad.”
The poor Roy, caught in his own trap had to return home dejected and alone. Mia was brave. Braver than most girls her age, yet she shuddered at the thought of having to face Mrs. Royella when she would find out that Roy was lying all along.
“Come child”, ordered Mrs. Royella and grabbed Mia by her hand. She started dragging Mia across the hallways of the house. Mia only got a glimpse of the grand rooms of the house and in her heart she thought how amazing would it be to live in this majestic manor. As she was being pulled across the hallway, she caught glimpse of a figure staring out of a room but she passed the room before she could get a good look at it. She was sure that the figure was staring at her and something about it made her uncomfortable. She and Mrs. Royella came to an abrupt stop before she could gather her thoughts.
In front of her was an old wooden door. “You
will stay here till tomorrow morning. I will have a cartload of
straw brought in. When I come in tomorrow morning, I want to see
mounds of gold here instead”, said Mrs. Royella. She led Mia into
the room and locked her in. Mia looked around the room. The room was
a store room and like all store rooms was dark, dingy and dusty. But
according to the grandeur of the house, it
was spacious and well-decorated by store room standards. She pulled
a stool lying on the corner and sat down. All weird thoughts were
running through her mind.
She started thinking of her father,
planning her escape, cursing her luck, wishing ill on Mrs. Royella.
Her thoughts wandered to the mysterious figure she had seen. She
couldn’t fathom as to who or what she saw. Her thoughts were
interrupted my servants bringing in the straw, a mattress, a spindle
and food. As the servants locked her and left, she saw the straw and
burst into tears.
Time passed away. She had cried her life out. The food was eaten and the plates were lying in a corner. She sat on the stool staring idly at the spindle. Suddenly she felt as if something was staring at her. She looked around and saw a pair of red eyes staring at her from a corner. She shrieked and stepped back. The red-eyed creature came forward. He had a human like appearance. But his ears were pointed, teeth unnaturally sharp and red pupils. He had white hair which reached down to his knees.
“Good evening, fair lady”, said he in a serene voice and suddenly there was a flash of light around him.
Mia was brave. Braver than most girls her age, but she was scared of this creature. However there was an air about him that made her feel that he was a friend.
“What are you?” she asked.
“I am a will-o-wisp”, he answered in his serene voice, “and I am here to help you”.
“How do you intend to do that”, asked Mia, despite her fear. She was beginning to feel a bit at ease.
“I have the magic needed to spin the straw into gold.”
“Pray, tell me. Why would you do that for me?”
“I do not know. Such a beauty makes even the strongest of sprites weak”, he said and stroked her hair. Mia felt weak in his arms and succumbed to his charms.
Mia woke up the next day to find will-o-wisp gone and a huge mound of gold near her feet. Suddenly the door burst open and Mrs. Royella came in. If she was shocked to see the huge pile of gold, she did well to hide it. Keeping her promise, Mia and Mrs. Royella’s son Theodore were married in a grand ceremony within the next three days. Life was all set for Mia now.
A year passed. Mia and Theodore had a beautiful three month old boy, Raph. He had this mysterious charm about him. Both Mia and Theodore adored him. Everyday Theodore would go about his business and Mia and Raph were left alone at home (Mrs. Royella had passed away a month back). One day when Theodore was out, Mia felt ill at ease. She decided to check on the baby. She entered Raph’s room and screamed. The room was empty and the baby was missing.
“Good evening, fair lady”, said a serene voice from behind the door. Mia turned around and her heart skipped a beat. She remembered his voice since the night she was locked in the store room. For days, she would go to the room and call out to him, the will-o-wisp. It always amazed her that it had slipped her mind to ask him his name, something she regretted.
Mia was brave. Braver than most women her age yet she was still scared of him. As he moved into the light, she saw that he was holding Raph.
“Give me back my baby”, she said in a very firm voice, despite her apprehension. He just laughed.
“My baby? My baby?” he mocked her. He burst into another laugh. “This is not just your baby. This is our baby.”
Mia’s feet gave away. She collapsed on the floor. These thoughts had entered her mind but she never let them get to her. In fact she had managed to have created a resistance against such thoughts. “You are lying. This is not true”, she screamed.
“I am a will-o-wisp” he said, the mirth in his voice now gone, “I can identify my kind. This child is part will-o-wisp and he is coming with me.”
“I will not let you take him”, said Mia getting to her feet, the strength in her body returning.
“I would like to see you try”, said the wisp sinisterly and started laughing. Suddenly, there were flashes of lights all around Mia. Blinded by these flashes, Mia stumbled. She screamed. The wisp laughed harder, his laugh overpowering the scream. Mia was getting dizzy because of the lights. Just when she thought she could bear it no more and was about to pass out, the laugh suddenly stopped and the lights vanished. She rubbed her eyes and blinked. As she got her vision back, she saw Raph lying on the floor, peacefully asleep and a woman standing in the doorway.
The woman was dressed eccentrically. She wore a multi-coloured floral dress with beads all around. She had brown curly hair which went well with her wheatish complexion. She had an assortment of rings on both the hands and both arms were full of bangles.
“Are you ok?” she asked gravely.
“Yes, a bit shaken but fine. Who are you?” asked Mia.
“I am Ursula. I am a travelling fortune teller. The bones told me there was an abomination here and I hastened to investigate. I saw the abomination holding your offspring and summoned spirits to drive him away. Pray tell me, why was he with your child.”
Mia held Raph close to her and broke down. She narrated the entire story to Ursula. If Ursula felt any emotion throughout the narrating of the story, she hid it well. When Mia finished Ursula gently got up and stroked her hair. “Don’t worry child” she said, “We’ll get rid of him. The abomination shall not trouble you.”
Suddenly they heard footsteps. It was Theodore. He entered the room and froze. His eyes widened and he face flushed. “How did you get in, gypsy?” he bellowed, “Get out before I have you thrashed.” Ursula left the room in a huff without saying a word. He turned on Mia. He saw the tears on her face. For a second he hesitated and then smack. He slapped Mia. She looked shocked and then started crying again. “How dare you let a tramp like that come near our child? You may have been raised amongst such tramps but you are now a Royella and Royellas do not mingle with the trash of the society. If I see that woman anywhere near you or Raph again, I leave you at your father’s doorstep.” He grabbed Raph and stormed out of the room. Mia went to her room and cried.
Mia was brave. Braver than most women her age yet she could not muster the courage to tell her husband the full story. All she could do was cry and cry she did. Amidst her tears, she never realized when the comforting hand of sleep lulled her into a slumber. Only when the sunlight hit her face next morning did she realize she had fallen asleep. As she got up, she realized that the bed on Theodore’s side was still made. Her heart sank. She ran out the room calling out Theodore and Raph’s names. She burst into Raph’s room. The sight in the room made her knees weak and she collapsed.
The room was burnt. It was completely destroyed. Not a thing remained in the room, except a lump in the centre which was giving out a weird smell. As she got closer, she realized that the smell was of burnt flesh. The charred lump in the centre was Theodore, burnt like a piece of wood. There was no sign of Raph. Mia felt nauseous. She couldn’t stand in the room any longer. She ran to the bathroom and threw up. She splashed some water on her face. She looked in the mirror. Her face was sunken from all the crying. Her hair was a mess. But she did not care. She had to find her child. She had to save him and there was only one person who could help her.
As
the sunlight fell on Ursula’s desk, she woke up from her sleep. She
had spent the entire night reading about will-o-wisps, the
abomination that she saw in Mia’s house. Though she felt insulted
by Theodore, she knew that in matters such as this, her aid would be
required. She wasn’t happy with what she had found though.
Apparently there was only one way that the abomination could be
killed. It was complicated but not impossible. The only thing that
would be difficult to get…
Her thoughts were interrupted by
frantic knocks on her door. It was Mia. She burst into the room, fell
into Ursula’s arms and broke down. Between her sobs she told Ursula
what happened after she left. Ursula was stone-faced throughout the
narration.
“Don’t worry child” she said, “We may still save your offspring. I have found a way to destroy the abomination. But…”
“But? But what?” asked Mia. She stopped crying.
“I need the name of the abomination. Without the name I cannot finish the spell.”
“But? How will I find is name? Can’t it be done otherwise?”
“I wish it could my child. I wish it could”
Mia got up. She went to the window and stared outside. She said in a thick voice but with affirmation in each syllable, “Then I’ll go and find his name.”
“I’ll start the preparations. May the Holy Guardian guide you.”
Mia ran from the gypsy tavern towards the woods. Something told her she’d find her answer there. She ran into the woods. From tree to tree, clearing to clearing, she ran. No sign of anything. It was as if something was stopping her, something was hindering her. Suddenly she heard music. It was the sound of the flute. It was so wonderful, so brilliant, and so ecstatic that she was mesmerized. She stood there rooted to the spot and got lost in the music. Suddenly it hit her. This was the same feeling that the will-o-wisp induced in her. She ran towards to source of the music. It seemed to come from a clearing behind the bushes.
She snuck up behind the bushes and took a peek. It was the will-o-wisp. He was dancing around a bonfire and Raph was in his hands. He was singing some song.
… for those who don’t seek worldly fame,
Let them know Nu-aharai is my name
And all the elements, I command thee,
O heavens take this child from me…
Without a second thought, Mia burst out from the bushes. The wisp was taken aback. Mia charged at him. She brandished a knife and slashed at the wisp. She made a wound across his back.
He staggered. He put down Raph and charged at her. She was strong for her. He knocked her down.
“You don’t know what you are doing.” He growled.
“Return my child to me,” Mia said.
“You shouldn’t meddle in things that you don’t understand”
“All I understand is that you want to kill my child and that is all that there is to it.”
“Haven’t I told you already, he is my child as well?”
Mia’s eyes widened with horror. She could see
the sense in his words though she did not want to. But none of this
made any sense. If he was his child as well, why does he want to
destroy it? No. It was a trick. She shouldn’t let her guard
down.
“You liar” she said and charged at him with her knife.
Ursula
had finished all the preparations for the ceremony. While she was
waiting, she decided to read up a bit more about the will-o-wisp.
Suddenly she realized she had overseen one small detail. Mia had to
be stopped. The wisp had to be found. She ran to the woods. She ran
screaming out Mia’s name.
After a long search, she saw smoke
coming out from a clearing. She ran towards the clearing. She saw Mia
with Raph in her hand standing over the corpse of the wisp.
“Mia. You must listen to me” she said
“It’s all over Ursula. It’s all over” said Mia.
“No it isn’t, Mia. No it isn’t”
“You lie! You all lie! You all want to take my precious child from me.”
“Mia.
That child is an offspring of a human and a will-o-wisp. Humans are
not supposed to mate with these creatures. If at all an offspring is
born, it will be a catastrophe.”
“You lie, gypsy! You lie!
Stop your voodoo or you’ll meet the same fate.”
“You don’t understand. That child might explode any second. The wisp did not kill your husband. You child did. He is a walking fireball that may burst anytime. We must destroy him or he will destroy all of us.”
“No. You lie gypsy” screamed Mia and she ran towards Ursula and slashed her leg.
Mia ran away from the clearing as fast as she could.
The villagers were running around the village in alarm. There was a massive forest fire and it was spreading. No one knew how it started. All they did was feel a tremor and the forest was on fire. As the norm was, the gypsies were suspected of the entire catastrophe and a hoard of angry townspeople marched to the gypsy tavern. It was abandoned. No one was there. All they found were tire tracks leading away from the village and a half burnt baby cloth with the Royella family crest on it…
About the author:
Harsh Y Thakar
The author is a student of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India and is pursuing his undergraduate in Computer Science.
He can be contacted at:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/harshthakar002
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/thewaterstone
Email id: crazydeveloper017@gmail.com