I, Ben Gordam, am a simple man. My life, though not as hard as others was definitely not an easy cruise. My parents were farmers, working in the fields for petty change, barely having enough to feed my 7 siblings and I.
Our small village felt so small and boring to a kid like me. The world outside the wooden fence seemed so fascinating, yet so out of reach.
I was the oldest of the bunch. And so with that, came all the expectation.
"He'll expand our farms and help us become rich"
"He'll invent some contraption and change the world", they said.
Though it was all jokes, a kid like me felt weighed down. I just wanted to get out and explore the world. But I didn't want my parents to feel disappointed in me either.
One summer's eve, a group of knights designated as soldiers came into town. Their armour glistening to the little sunlight left in the sky. My eyes were drawn like magnets to their gear, a boundless curiosity held within my gaze. Their mighty steeds leaving me in awe. I couldn't help but sit and watch from afar.
I had found what I wanted to do, I wanted to be like one of them.
They spoke of monster sightings. Their numbers growing each year. They asked us for food and shelter as they vanquished the beasts in the forest near our village.
The villagers complied, providing what little they had to help. An empty stomach was better than falling to the hands of some monster.
The days soon passed by. Every morning I'd head to the village gate, welcoming the soldiers that arrived from a full night's work. Though they mostly ignored me. Understanding their fatigue, I simply kept gazing at their shiny swords.
Fighting monsters must be so cool.
- - - - -
It was the last day of their stay. Tomorrow they would be heading out to the next village.
"Come on Flint, today's the last day we'll be able to watch them fight those monsters", I wasn't the only one interested in them, so too was my youngest brother. "If you're not going, I'll just go myself".
"But mummy and daddy will scold us if they find out", even though he was only 5, he was somehow more mature than I, an 8 year old. "And I'm scared of the monsters".
"They won't hurt you, there are the knights, and me... mum and dad won't even notice we're gone".
And so we ventured out. Past the fields, past the wooden fence, past the livestock.
We had left in the dead of night. With only a lantern to use as light, stolen from our father's drawer. And soon... We found ourselves in front of a dense forest.
Large trees from which branches sprouted like arms, waiting to snatch us up into the air Their trunks forming pattern that looked like faces, grinning with malicious intent. Bushes that could hold monsters behind every leaf, waiting to pounce on their unsuspecting prey. Flint was pushed up against me, his grip held firmly on my hand.
I had to remain calm, I had to show my brother there was nothing to fear. Though on the inside, I was just as terrified as him. And all the while, a sick feeling in my stomach kept building up.
"The monsters won't hurt us right?", his small eyes looked up into mine, again asking the same question as he had before.
Though this time, for a second, I couldn't even utter a word.
"Right?", his voice pulled me out of my stupor.
"No, if they do, I'll pin them down to the ground, and punch them till they can't hurt us anymore", I punched out into the air.
As we continued our walk, the sound of loud clicking as well a roaring grew louder and louder. Just as expected, we noticed the faint glow of a lantern.
We had found the knights. Their gallant figures drawing their swords and slashing them towards the monsters. Every hit, slowly killing the enemy before them.
The monsters screeched in rebellion. Their claws scratching away, only to be met with nothing but a dodge or parry of a shield.
Our eyes sparkled, like the little kids we were to our heroes. It seemed as though the whole world around us had stopped, leaving us in our own little space. Though this moment didn't last long.
Through the bushes, a soft snapping of branches and rustling of leaves came within earshot. A tall, humanoid monster, with multiple arms and no face, except for its singular large mouth, appeared to our side.
It's mouth parting in 2, to show off its large rows of razor sharp teeth. The beast almost looked as if it were giving off an eerie smile.
I immediately tugged on my brother's arm, pulling him behind me. My short legs ran in a desperate attempt to flee from the beast. The sudden surge of adrenaline providing me no room to think. Only the simple command: Run!
Flint started bawling his eyes out, but I couldn't let myself do the same. I was the big brother. I had to protect him.
Though what can an 8 year old kid do in front of a monster?
Finding a tree to hide behind, I looked at Flint's small face, red and filled with tears.
"Hush, shhhhh it's gonna be ok. I'll distract the beast by drawing away it's attention. In that time, you run", I gripped my 2 hands firmly on his shoulders. "Can you do that for me?".
My seriousness managed to stop him from crying more. He nodded slightly, wiping away his tears.
"Ok, on my count"
"1"
"2"
"3"
I should've never let myself take him with me that day.
A loud squelching, as if something soft and slippery had been torn through. I looked behind myself-
...
"F-FLINT!", I screeched.
The dead body of my little brother was held 2 metres in the air. A long, black and boney claw pierced right through his stomach.
My mind blank, all I could do was cry. I fell to my knees, tears racing down my cheeks.
The reaper pulled the pierced body of my younger brother to its mouth, crunching down on his bones.
Tears overflowed as my heartbeat skyrocketed.
The reaper was taking its time savouring the taste of him. It looked like it knew I wasn't going to run. Not anymore.
It's long body finally took a step towards me.
Yet in the next instant, a sword slashed down as its crimson blood spewed onto the grassy floor below.
"Hey, are you okay?!", one of the knights shook me back and forth. "Are you ok?!".
Yet I continued bawling my eyes out while crying incessantly. And all I could hear, was an ever loudening ring.