The forest was quiet and eerie. One could go into a panic if he was let alone to explore. A slight ruffling in the bushes would catch my attention. I was on my toes, scared for my life, while Smoyashi was dancing and singing as we sauntered through the ghostly forest. Having a laid-back sprout was comforting. It made me believe that maybe this wasn't that bad even if it was.
"Smoy smoy smoyashi, shi shi~"
It twerked its small butt side to side. It was walking ahead of us. The plants along this desolated road were shriveled and languished. The dried leaves made a satisfying crunch once our weight pressed down.
Trees with brittle barks were rich with fissures. Their thin and bald branches extended skywards as if they were agonized. The mist was almost as opaque as a cloud. I was starting to regret pushing through, but I didn't have anything to lose. If I had any, I already forgot about it.
I carried the bindle and made sure to keep close to our escort. A faint cry of a woman stopped us all on our tracks. The three of us stared at each other and gulped. The grieving ceased and left a long line of uncomfortable silence. Her sobbing was replaced with the humming of a lullaby that I was familiar with. Since I was the only one who could speak in a language that could properly negotiate things, I initiated.
"Hello?"
Is it me you're looking for?
"What do you want from us?"
If she asked for an eyeball or two, I doubt I could give mine. Aki was hissing and growling but jumped into Smoyashi's arms in case we needed to run, and he couldn't use his four legs to save his fur.
The hairs on my nape and arms stood. Cold sweat rolled on the side of my head. She was there. I could see her figure. She was like a shadow that managed to stand on her own.
The woman sharply gasped. An ear-piercing scream hit my knees like a gong mallet and left them trembling. The silhouette of the woman was dark in the midst of the thick smoke. It then disappeared.
The dense mist cleared away and gradually revealed a slim figure with antler horns on her head. I almost stole the two from the ground and bolted, but her feminine voice raised a white flag.
She was a beautiful woman wearing a white and long gown. Flowers and green vines ornamented her from head to toe. She sparkled with purity and strolled with grace barefooted. Her delicate features soothed me yet did not gain the trust of my two companions.
"Are you lost?"
"We...we are!" I blurted. My voice cracked. I finally met someone who I could understand.
Her aureate and flowy hair nearly grazed the ground. She was wearing a flower crown that had white roses sprouting with ebullience.
"Please, come to our village. We have clean clothes, warm food, and medicine," she invited.
"Smoyfu!!!" Smoyashi cried out. It was glaring at her. Aki sprung from its arms and snarled at the lady.
Flustered by their response to her magnanimous offer, I immediately shushed them and stood in the middle. I wouldn't pass this up. They shouldn't pass this up. No one in their right mind should!
"Come on, what's the matter with you two?"
The lady giggled. "They can catch up. The village is not far, Ori," she assured. She wasn't at all upset with their attitude.
"How did you know my name?"
I did not remember mentioning it. I haven't even told it to these two.
The lady beamed. "There was a young man who looked like you but more mature. We welcomed him into our village, fed him, healed him, and dressed him. I assumed that you were Ori, the younger brother he talked about before departing to his next destination. It is a shame you missed each other."
My chest thumped like horses in a race. My lips stretched into a wide grin. I have a brother!
"What's his name?"
She glanced up in thought. "Let us ask the matriarch. She was the one your brother spoke to the most."
I eagerly followed the lady and looked back to signal my acquaintances. I jerked my head and mouthed 'come,' but none of them twitched a muscle.
"Smoyashi, Aki, come on."
"Smoyie..." Smoyashi whimpered and shook its head. Aki glanced away.
I clucked my tongue and glowered at them.
"I thought...we were in this together?"
I waited for a few more seconds, and so did the woman. The more we waited, the more I felt like the offer would get withdrawn.
"You really won't come?"
Seeing that they were firm with their choice, I forced myself not to look back. They didn't want to survive but I did. I have a family to go home to.
If only they could tell me in a relatable language about why they were so hostile.
The woodland progressively became liberated by the mist. The forestry's corpse-like scenery wilted and was reborn.
"My name is Matina. I hope that you find our humble village suitable for your taste."
"I'd taste anything but the giant bear that chased us this morning."
She gazed at me with worry. "You made contact with Bergelmir?"
Burger-what? Burger-meal?
"Yeah, the bear. I don't want to see it again."
She gave a curt nod. "Bergelmir wasn't always so vicious. He aimed for peace, not mayhem."
I was hesitant to ask the cause of his evil, but it looked too personal for Lady Matina. She had a deep frown. If what she said was true, Burger-milk did not deserve to walk in a destiny where he was a malefactor in a holocaust.
The village only had a small-scale population filled with women. Half of the trees' trunks had gotten converted into houses with the upper leafy parts serving as the roofs. The general shade ruling the village was a warm purple. It reminded me of a grapefruit, not just the hue, but also the smell. The sunlight was much appreciated here. A wooden bridge arched over a crystalline stream and the walkway was pebbled. Yellow lights gleamed inside the houses. The populace of fireflies was denser in the green grass and gradually dispersed above.
"Matina, who is that young boy with you?" a fair and freckled redheaded woman warmly greeted.
"This is Ori. He and his friends fled from Bergelmir."
Motherly concern possessed the stranger. She gently yet quickly grabbed my face with her pale hands to fuss over any wounds.
"Oh son, are you okay? That must have been so horrible. You must have been scared, my dear. You have wounds on your body! Are you in pain?"
I teared up and nodded. Now that she mentioned pain, my body reminded me that my wounds were not healed yet which caused them to throb for more attention.
"Matina, make sure the child gets bathed, fed, and made comfortable. Put some medicine on his skin as well."
It was safe here. I frowned at the thought of leaving like my brother. He should have stayed and waited for me, but he could have been worried sick that he couldn't merely stay put.
"Of course, Maja, I will give him the best possible care."
I set foot inside one of the cozy houses. Even flowers and other flora weren't ashamed and grew in between the planks of the flooring. Every detail was aesthetically pleasing.
"This is Matka," Matina introduced.
"Hello there, what a fine young man. He looks like the other one. I didn't catch his name, he was in such a hurry."
Matka was the only woman with olive skin in the village who I saw. She was exceedingly charming yet seemed familiar. Trying to remember was impossible at the moment because I had no memories to backtrack.
Her honey-colored eyes were homely. She carried a smile of openness. She had more tattoos than flowery jewelry.
Wait…was that?
There were black ribbons tied to her neck, wrists, and ankles. It really couldn't be a coincidence. I should ask her later. Maybe she knew how I got here but for now my stomach needed nurturing.
"Are you hungry, sweetheart?"
"Yes!" I replied with much childish enthusiasm to Matka's pleasure.
"Well then, I should get to cooking, shouldn't I?"
The mouth-watering scent of savory pirouetted in the air. It wafted through my nose that triggered more tummy growling.
While I waited, Matina had peeled me a purple apple that tastes like mango and pineapple. There was a finely carved and polished medium- sized white box filled with wooden toys that I was given to play with on the floor. I felt like I was too old for these toys, but I had nothing else to do. Matina was putting whatever slimy white paste she smashed on my wounds. It instantly soothed the aches.
The toy box had a bear, a woman with a nest of snakes on her head, a dragon, two angels, and a whale. The other two toys were broken; it was a man who seemed to dress like what I imagined God would dress like and a Princess. The man only had a blanket draped over his body and that was it.
Matina took the two broken toys from my hands and sneered.
"You shouldn't play with the dead, Ori."
"What do you mean?"
"Ori, time to eat!"
She looked like she wanted to say something. However, Matka was hollering like a broken parrot. I sprinted to the table. A drool shamelessly escaped my mouth.
"Maple roasted brussel sprouts, green bean casserole, and fresh garlic bread!" she announced her dishes as she laid them on the table. Warm food. I couldn't remember the last time I tasted freshly home cooked meals. Was my mother even a good cook? I hope she was.
I picked up the wooden spoon and fork, having slight trembles because of hunger and anticipation. My first bite was the brussel sprout. I didn't regret it one bit.
"It's so good..." I moaned. The flavors exploded in my mouth. Were vegetables even allowed to taste this good?
My high spirits abruptly plummeted when I remembered those two. What were they eating now?
"Go on, eat. Is something wrong with the food?"
I beamed at her, faking a smile. "I'm just grateful, that's all."
She patted my head and said nothing more. She piled more food on my plate. I pressured myself to finish the food prepared for me. Feeling this glutted wasn't comfortable. Matka told me to walk it out.
Matina showed me around the town, introducing me to the villagers. Their names always start with M. They were all motherly and warm. She took me to their chieftess in the biggest tree at the center of the town. I was eager to ask about my brother. Upon entering, the ground was congested with thick green roots. The ceiling had dangled vines and a golden chandelier.
"Mother, I am here with a guest."
The roots rose in a twirl and intertwined to form a woman's figure. Once fully merged, the features showed. She had light green skin, emerald eyes, and forest green lush hair. White daisies grew on her tresses that pooled on the roots. She instantly exhibited a smile on her oval-shaped face. Her cheekbones were wide, and her jaws were prominent. A flimsy and slightly tattered chiton covered her body. A shiny silver crown fitted perfectly on top of her head.
"Welcome to our village. I hope the ladies provided you with hospitality."
I bowed my head and returned the smile.
"They did, thank you so much."
"I heard Bergelmir gave you and your companions some trouble."
"He did but we managed to escape thanks to my other companion. I wish they were here with me."
Chairs were built on the spot. I was poured with hot tea and served with a plate of biscuits. I really couldn't eat anymore. Maybe I could ask her if I could grab some takeaway.
"So, your companions, are they like you?"
"Like me?" I tried to clarify. I was blowing the steam from my small ceramic cup.
"A good amount of meat on bones, young, and healthy?"
All of a sudden, my tea got cold.
"Bergelmir has an insatiable hunger that none of us could help him with. He is starving...and so are we."
The chieftess' eyes reddened; blood oozed out from her tear ducts. They were still smiling, and their smiles were growing wider.
"You have to help us...Ori..." Her voice grew from silky and smooth to raspy and scabrous.
Matina's healthy physique began to dry and wither into scorched timber. Her pink lips stretched and thinned into a gaping circle; her hair thinned out and her eyeballs melted and left voided sockets. Her delicate hands elongated into claws. Her clothes turned into a long skirt of dried leaves. The chieftain underwent the same transformation.
I now understood why those two refused to come.
"oRi yOu lOOk so deLIcIOUSSs!" They screeched in a demonical outburst.