Part VII (finally!

"Are we there yet, Papa Smurf?" Branwen asked the little man. He looked back at her with concern.

"My name is not Papa Smurf," he answered, "And no, we are not there yet."

"Never mind," Branwen mumbled. "Just trying to be funny." Spooky was running in and out of the woods, ecstatic at the long walkies. Branwen had left the gate open so Lumpy could forage, but the stubborn sheep was following them at a distance.

"Tell me about the creepers," Branwen began. "The green monsters that explode."

"Creepers? An excellent name for them. Like the zombies and skeletons, the creepers are what remains of our ancestors. Our dead do not sleep easy."

"Those are your dead?" Branwen repeated, horrified. "They turned into zombies? Skeletons? Strange green things that blow up?"

"When our people were young and foolish, we experimented with many sciences. Some of the results were... less than optimal," he downplayed.

"I'd say," Branwen grumbled.

"We were searching for immortality," the man explained. "We had many failures. But eventually, we succeeded."

"Excuse me?" Branwen asked in disbelief. "You're saying you're immortal?"

"Not exactly. We do die, but we don't stay dead. Our bodies dissipate into miniscule particles, and reassemble back at our home hearth, several minutes later. Death still occurs... and it is still painful, and can be terrifying. But it isn't permanent."

"How do you go about getting that skill?" Branwen asked.

"We've perfected the draught. You simply need to drink it. We gave it to our children, when we still had children. Now, since we no longer die, we no longer have children."

"So, if I drink it, will I not be able to have kids?" Branwen asked.

"We're not sure," the strange man answered her. "Only a few of your people have tried it. We don't know how well it works on humans."

Spooky started barking furiously at something in the bushes.

"Look down, at your feet," the man hissed, stopping abruptly. "Do not look up."

"Why not?" Branwen asked, glancing over at her wolf cub. That's when she saw it; a tall, slender, black figure with glowing amethyst eyes. Her eyes locked with the creature's eyes, and she couldn't look away. The creature glared at her with hatred and bared its jagged teeth. It dropped the stones it was holding, and disappeared in a swirl of lavender sparks.

"Look out!" the little man cried, pushing Branwen to the ground. From behind her, she heard an angry hiss. She rolled over to see the black figure bending over her. The man moved with lightning speed, slashing at the creature's spindly legs with his staff. Spooky, too, was giving him aid, barking and nipping at the creature's ankles.

"Begone, Enderman! Back to your realm of shadows!" the man bellowed. The creature hissed again, and disappeared in the same swirl of sparks.

"You don't follow directions well, do you, human?" the little man asked, helping Branwen to her feet.

"Not particularly, no," Branwen admitted.

"You'll need that draught right away then," he told her. "Follow me please, we need to hurry."

More Blogs by creeperCaroleView All