11
' The Fiend of Blocky Hollow '
An Original Short Story by LordTrillToke
'Spooktober' Community Event Submission
Notes For Reader: It looks like a lot but doesn't take all that long to read. Dimensions measured LxWxH. Also, forgive the dialogue format as it is difficult to properly configure for PMC. With that said, I truly hope you enjoy the tale. <3
- ◊ - - ◊ - - ◊ - - ◊ - - ◊ - - ◊ -
Within the quiet village of Blocky Hollow, blades of grass had begun to turn brown, and occasional gusts of wind would loosen amber color leaves from the surrounding oaks. A village of 200, tucked away within a fertile valley, Blocky Hollow gained its name from the path through which its original settlers carved in order to discover it. Now that Spring had ended, it was time for the inhabitants of Blocky Hollow to gather together, take up their scythes, hoes and their shovels to reap this year's harvest. This year's 'harvest master' was to be Jon Nether, an intelligent, charismatic, brave, and promising young lad of only 18 - born and raised in Blocky Hollow. In his village, it was not uncommon for people to take up last names based on their professions. Jon's father was a vigorous explorer, and he ultimately lost his life while traversing the treacherous terrain of the underworld. Though, rather than despising or fearing the fact, Jon took it up and wore it like armor; a constant reminder of his father's dedication, bravery, and heroism.
The harvest master had a great number of responsibilities when Fall came around, as there was much at stake. If the harvest was not carried out properly, the village would lose a significant portion of their crops. Aside from simply botching the crop harvesting though, there was always the potential risk of attack by marauders, bandits, wolves - or even the mythical fiend of the valley itself. Though, as even the children of the Blocky Hollow would tell you, there was surely no such thing - merely a tale to dissuade any goofing around by the younger harvesters during seasonal work hours. After all, the whole village must come together and collectively pitch in if the harvest season is to be a truly prolific one.
"You really ought to be reconsider this, Jon" said Eva, Jon's girlfriend. Jon ignored the comment, and continued to button up his work shirt as he prepared for the first day of harvesting. "You remember last year's harvest, don't you? We lost three of our own to that forsaken group of bandits! And you know they always target the harvest master first!" In a relaxed manner, Jon finished with the uppermost button and turned to her; "Eva please calm down, it is far too early in the morning for this and besides, this is work that needs to be done - or there will not be a village for us to live in." Eva looked at him, eventually nodded, and Jon proceeded out the door toward the wheat fields of Blocky Hollow.
"Hey hey, look who it is! Good morning Mr. harvest master!" shouted Arthur, a close friend of Jon's. Jon smirked, and proceeded toward the 5x4x4 stripped oak log toolshed that Arthur was standing outside of - with a big smile residing on his face. The two exchanged a firm and hearty handshake, picked up their shovels and proceeded toward the wheat plot. The wheat was grown on 20x1 strips of tilled grassland, leaving an equal sized irrigation canal in between rows. The harvesters utilized slabs which they placed over the water to navigate the fields without damaging any crops. Jon and Arthur made their way to the beginning of the wheat, and started to harvest. "So, how are things with you and Eva?" Arthur asked. "Good.", replied Jon. Arthur Inquired; "Good?.. Just 'good', then?". "Alright, great. Things are going great between us. Truly, we spend a lot of time together and are more open with one another than we've ever been before.", Jon replied as he sank the shovel into the ground. With a smirk on his face, Arthur said "I'm just messing with you man, I'm glad to hear it. You try and make the most of it while it lasts, regardless of how long, because love in these parts is rare, yea?". Jon looked over at him and nodded, "Very much so, brother. Now come on, this wheat isn't about to cut itself."
Following 10 hours of labor in the wheat fields, Arthur and Jon retired their tools and began on their way back toward the village square. "Spooky out, eh? Perfect time of night for the fiend to emerge." Said Arthur. Jon laughed; "Haha! Oh come on now. You don't actually believe in that rubbish, do you?" "Rubbish?!" Replied Arthur; "I've seen it with me own eyes! A creature 10-feet tall, as dark as night, claws longer than the blade of a harvesting scythe - and the way it moves on its two-feet!", Arthur shivered then continued; "I've never seen nothing like it. Spine more crooked than a mountain ridge, thing is pure evil I tell you! I thank the lord I wasn't a foot closer. Caught a glimpse of it one evening as I was out training with me sword. Bugger dashed off into the woods quick but I'll tell you it was him alright." By now, Jon's smile had completely faded from his face. In its place was a look of genuine concern, for as goofy as Arthur's personality may have been, Jon saw in his unblinking eyes that there was nothing humorous regarding the subject of which he spoke.
Jon and Arthur bid one another goodnight, then both went on their way home. Jon's house was a structure constructed primarily of spruce logs, dimensions 10x13x6, and as he walked through the door that evening Eva was patiently awaiting his return. She had prepared dinner for him (although that was typically his thing in the evenings prior to harvest season) and was now practicing her painting. "Hey, you!" Shouted Eva as she leaped off her stool, away from her easel and over to him so that she could give him a kiss. Jon smirked; "Hey there". "So how'd the day go?" asked Eva interestedly. "Uneventful, though that's always a good thing. Got about three-fourths the wheat harvested and no incidents thus far - knock on wood." Jon replied. Eva smirked; "Knock on wood is right. Last thing you need is one of the boys deciding the scythe would be a fun toy to play with.". "That's for sure.", said Jon. Eva interlocked her fingers and stretched her arms up into the air and yawned; "Alright darling, I know I'm not the one who should be tired but I think I'm gonna get headed to bed. Guess what though? I made you dinner! It's on the table, should still be a little warm too." Jon smirked, motioned for her to come over to him then gave her a kiss. "You're the best. You know that, don't you?", whispered Jon. "Goodnight." replied Eva with a smile and a wink. After finishing his dinner and cleaning himself up a bit, Jon headed to join Eva in bed.
The couple must have gotten no more than two hours of sleep before awaking to a horrifical shrill. Jon and Eva both quickly got dressed and exited the house, where nearly a dozen other residents of Blocky Hollow were making their way into the cobblestone streets after being awoken themselves. Torches and swords in hand, the mob proceeded to the source of the sound, only to find a pile of bloodied items scattered amongst the flattened tallgrass. Because of its size and age, the village of Blocky Hollow did not have a formal guard unit, but instead a village militia, so several members (some of which heard the initial squeal, others who were later woken up and informed of what had happened) came out to investigate and guard the scene. They told the remaining residents to return to their homes, as this was a matter of the militia and that they would update the rest of the public first thing in the morning when they had more information as to what happened. Afterward, Jon and Eva returned home together, where Jon proceeded to put a chair up against the door, then took Eva's hand and headed to bed. Because Blocky Hollow was a small place where murder was rare, the denizens of the village were especially devastated by this heinous act. "Who could do such a thing, and what on Earth would they want with keeping the body?!" whispered Eva in a disturbed voice as she snuggled with Jon. "I've no idea, Eve. I've no idea. We'll see what information the militia has for us in the morning, okay?".
Following a sleepless night, Jon and Eva headed directly outside to see if the others had gathered for any potential updates on the events of late last night. They found that the entirety of the militia had been activated and had setup a staging area by the scene of the brutal event. The couple arrived just in time, as Hadrian Kadir, Blocky Hollow's militia leader, was stepping up onto the stage to deliver the community briefing. "My fellow citizens, it is with a sense of deep, and genuine sorrow that I must inform you of such news; we have experienced a loss of one of our own. Ms. Isabel Ria was taken from us by an unknown assailant in the latter hours of the night. Her pendant and remaining items that were left behind have been given to her family, and we are actively searching for more clues as to the whereabouts of this monster. We plan to double militia patrols through the village and ask that citizens please remain inside their homes for all hours of the night." Jon turned to Eva; "C'mon, best I get you back home before we get too behind on today's harvesting." Eva nodded and took Jon's hand as the two walked back to the house.
After securing Eva inside the house, Jon met up with Arthur at the village square. "Ready for another day of work there, boss?" Arthur said. "You really going to pretend like it just didn't happen, then?" asked Jon. "Like what didn't happen?" Jon sighed then responded in a whisper; "I get that she wasn't the biggest person in the world, but to drag her off like that? I mean, what if the fiend really does exist?!" Arthur stopped walking and grabbed Jon's shoulder abruptly; "Now you STOP with that! My father used to terrify me with stories of the fiend just to get me to work harder! I don't believe it exists and I never will." "But I thought you said you saw it run into the wo-" Arthur interrupts; "Nope. Never." "Well, alright then, whatever helps you sleep at night." said Jon. The pair were now at the toolshed, where the other harvesters of Blocky Hollow were waiting to begin a long day of work. Jon unlocked the wooden door and they all grabbed their tools for the final day of wheat harvesting. "Agh, my back is killing me!" said Arthur. "Would you do me a solid and take that huge row in the center there? I'll get the one by the edge of the field, less crop." Jon replied "Yea I can do that, go and finish up, then you get some rest for your back. We've got a long day of melon harvesting tomorrow my friend." Arthur looked at Jon and smirked, nodded, then headed off to the far row where the field met the forest, and there was just enough sunlight for the wheat to grow.
Arthur chopped away at the base of the wheat crops, as did the dozen and-a-half other workers in the field. Jon stood up for a minute to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and as he did so he looked over at Arthur harvesting away about 40 blocks away from where he was. Arthur stood up as well to adjust his trousers, and after doing so he peeked Jon gazing at him from afar. Jon smiled, then put his right hand in the air and waved. Arthur smirked too and then waved back. Then, almost in slow motion, something emerging from the woods behind Arthur caught Jon's attention. It had a sort of shine to it, an almost metallic surface joined by a rough, reptilian-like skin. Jon began to lift his right leg to step forward, but before he could even set it back down, the thing in the woods grabbed Arthur with two hands, each of its claws more than a foot long. Arthur, unable to turn his neck in a bearhug position, and with his back still turned to the beast, let out a horrifical, high-pitched scream, before disappearing with the creature into the woods behind them. As the other villagers in the field exclaimed in shear horror, Jon and two other men drew their hatchets and sprinted toward the tree line. When they reached Arthur's last location, they stumbled upon an all too familiar site - loose items and blood. Jon identified a blood trail, and motioned for the others to follow.
Hatchets at the ready, the trio crept slowly through the dense and misty forest. After nearly a hundred blocks of tracking, the trail stopped in front of what appeared to be some sort of animal den. It was a sloped cave with a large mouth. Jon wasted no time in proceeding to enter the cave, while the two men with him looked at one another, exchanged disconcerting looks, then quickly followed behind Jon into the bowls of the cave. As they progressed further and further through the cave's tunnel system, a crunching sound grew ever more audible. Having believed to arrived at a dead end in the cave, Jon lit up a torch, illuminating the ten-foot beast standing not 15 blocks in front of them, bones at its feet. Immediately, the creature let out a loud and wicked scream. Without hesitation, the trio charged at the beast and swung their hatchets. The demon swung back, striking one of them fatally across the face and neck with its vicious claws. Jon and the remaining man managed to strike the beast and bleed it, causing the unholy spawn to wail out in pain. The thing then violently spun around and transformed this pain into rage, directing it into a blow back toward Jon's remaining companion, tossing him sideways against the cave wall before hitting the floor unconscious. In the process, Jon is knocked down by the creature's tail, though is able to regain his balance. Now about 7 or 8 blocks from the wicked creature, he looks down at his weapon, then back at the creature, raises his hatchet over his head with his right hand, winds his arm back, and at the same time the creature lets out one more hideous roar, looses the sharpened blade directly toward the fiend.
*THUMP* The blade stuck right in its forehead, and the fiend's corpse hit the cave floor with a heavy thud. Jon was left standing there, breathing heavily amidst two fallen (and one unconscious) countrymen. He dropped to his knees, and tears began to stream down his face. He quickly caught himself though, as sorrow was no stranger to him. He knew there was still a man alive, and this man probably needed medical attention. So, Jon hoisted the man up and swung his left arm over his right shoulder so that he could transport him back to Blocky Hollow, and return later for Arthur's belongings. When Jon got back to the field, the workers were still there, all gathered, waiting. When they saw Jon and their injured countryman, they dashed over to learn of what had transpired. "Harvest master! What was it that took him, sir?! Is it gone!?" shouted a village youth. Jon replied; "It will be addressed at the village hall tonight. All you need to know is that the threat is no longer. Now, get this man to the doctor promptly. He's taken quite a beating." The men nodded and dashed off. Jon, still physically shaking from recent events, continued on his way home to see Eva. He walked slowly through the cobblestone streets of Blocky Hollow, the ones he had known all his life. Though now, they seemed far less familiar, and far more lonely. When he arrived back home, he opened the door, expressionless, and Eva shouted out to greet him. "You're home early, forget your lunch?" Jon said nothing. Instead, he walked over to Eva and embraced her. After what to Eva seemed like an eternity, Jon pulled away and said; "I love you". Eva giggled nervously; "Jon, is everything alright?.." Jon replied "It's okay now. Everything is okay now."
⫸ The End ⫷
Author's Note:
While this piece (with borrowed inspiration from the legendary tale of 'Sleepy Hollow') was authored purely for entertainment purposes, I feel as though there is also somewhat of a message in this story; that - even in times of conflict, when many big things seem out of control, - we must not lose focus on the people and things we love that are right under our nose.
P.S.
The image is of Jon and Eva's home in Blocky Hollow
Have a very safe and happy spooky season y'all. <3
- LordTrillToke
An Original Short Story by LordTrillToke
'Spooktober' Community Event Submission
Notes For Reader: It looks like a lot but doesn't take all that long to read. Dimensions measured LxWxH. Also, forgive the dialogue format as it is difficult to properly configure for PMC. With that said, I truly hope you enjoy the tale. <3
- ◊ - - ◊ - - ◊ - - ◊ - - ◊ - - ◊ -
Within the quiet village of Blocky Hollow, blades of grass had begun to turn brown, and occasional gusts of wind would loosen amber color leaves from the surrounding oaks. A village of 200, tucked away within a fertile valley, Blocky Hollow gained its name from the path through which its original settlers carved in order to discover it. Now that Spring had ended, it was time for the inhabitants of Blocky Hollow to gather together, take up their scythes, hoes and their shovels to reap this year's harvest. This year's 'harvest master' was to be Jon Nether, an intelligent, charismatic, brave, and promising young lad of only 18 - born and raised in Blocky Hollow. In his village, it was not uncommon for people to take up last names based on their professions. Jon's father was a vigorous explorer, and he ultimately lost his life while traversing the treacherous terrain of the underworld. Though, rather than despising or fearing the fact, Jon took it up and wore it like armor; a constant reminder of his father's dedication, bravery, and heroism.
The harvest master had a great number of responsibilities when Fall came around, as there was much at stake. If the harvest was not carried out properly, the village would lose a significant portion of their crops. Aside from simply botching the crop harvesting though, there was always the potential risk of attack by marauders, bandits, wolves - or even the mythical fiend of the valley itself. Though, as even the children of the Blocky Hollow would tell you, there was surely no such thing - merely a tale to dissuade any goofing around by the younger harvesters during seasonal work hours. After all, the whole village must come together and collectively pitch in if the harvest season is to be a truly prolific one.
"You really ought to be reconsider this, Jon" said Eva, Jon's girlfriend. Jon ignored the comment, and continued to button up his work shirt as he prepared for the first day of harvesting. "You remember last year's harvest, don't you? We lost three of our own to that forsaken group of bandits! And you know they always target the harvest master first!" In a relaxed manner, Jon finished with the uppermost button and turned to her; "Eva please calm down, it is far too early in the morning for this and besides, this is work that needs to be done - or there will not be a village for us to live in." Eva looked at him, eventually nodded, and Jon proceeded out the door toward the wheat fields of Blocky Hollow.
"Hey hey, look who it is! Good morning Mr. harvest master!" shouted Arthur, a close friend of Jon's. Jon smirked, and proceeded toward the 5x4x4 stripped oak log toolshed that Arthur was standing outside of - with a big smile residing on his face. The two exchanged a firm and hearty handshake, picked up their shovels and proceeded toward the wheat plot. The wheat was grown on 20x1 strips of tilled grassland, leaving an equal sized irrigation canal in between rows. The harvesters utilized slabs which they placed over the water to navigate the fields without damaging any crops. Jon and Arthur made their way to the beginning of the wheat, and started to harvest. "So, how are things with you and Eva?" Arthur asked. "Good.", replied Jon. Arthur Inquired; "Good?.. Just 'good', then?". "Alright, great. Things are going great between us. Truly, we spend a lot of time together and are more open with one another than we've ever been before.", Jon replied as he sank the shovel into the ground. With a smirk on his face, Arthur said "I'm just messing with you man, I'm glad to hear it. You try and make the most of it while it lasts, regardless of how long, because love in these parts is rare, yea?". Jon looked over at him and nodded, "Very much so, brother. Now come on, this wheat isn't about to cut itself."
Following 10 hours of labor in the wheat fields, Arthur and Jon retired their tools and began on their way back toward the village square. "Spooky out, eh? Perfect time of night for the fiend to emerge." Said Arthur. Jon laughed; "Haha! Oh come on now. You don't actually believe in that rubbish, do you?" "Rubbish?!" Replied Arthur; "I've seen it with me own eyes! A creature 10-feet tall, as dark as night, claws longer than the blade of a harvesting scythe - and the way it moves on its two-feet!", Arthur shivered then continued; "I've never seen nothing like it. Spine more crooked than a mountain ridge, thing is pure evil I tell you! I thank the lord I wasn't a foot closer. Caught a glimpse of it one evening as I was out training with me sword. Bugger dashed off into the woods quick but I'll tell you it was him alright." By now, Jon's smile had completely faded from his face. In its place was a look of genuine concern, for as goofy as Arthur's personality may have been, Jon saw in his unblinking eyes that there was nothing humorous regarding the subject of which he spoke.
Jon and Arthur bid one another goodnight, then both went on their way home. Jon's house was a structure constructed primarily of spruce logs, dimensions 10x13x6, and as he walked through the door that evening Eva was patiently awaiting his return. She had prepared dinner for him (although that was typically his thing in the evenings prior to harvest season) and was now practicing her painting. "Hey, you!" Shouted Eva as she leaped off her stool, away from her easel and over to him so that she could give him a kiss. Jon smirked; "Hey there". "So how'd the day go?" asked Eva interestedly. "Uneventful, though that's always a good thing. Got about three-fourths the wheat harvested and no incidents thus far - knock on wood." Jon replied. Eva smirked; "Knock on wood is right. Last thing you need is one of the boys deciding the scythe would be a fun toy to play with.". "That's for sure.", said Jon. Eva interlocked her fingers and stretched her arms up into the air and yawned; "Alright darling, I know I'm not the one who should be tired but I think I'm gonna get headed to bed. Guess what though? I made you dinner! It's on the table, should still be a little warm too." Jon smirked, motioned for her to come over to him then gave her a kiss. "You're the best. You know that, don't you?", whispered Jon. "Goodnight." replied Eva with a smile and a wink. After finishing his dinner and cleaning himself up a bit, Jon headed to join Eva in bed.
The couple must have gotten no more than two hours of sleep before awaking to a horrifical shrill. Jon and Eva both quickly got dressed and exited the house, where nearly a dozen other residents of Blocky Hollow were making their way into the cobblestone streets after being awoken themselves. Torches and swords in hand, the mob proceeded to the source of the sound, only to find a pile of bloodied items scattered amongst the flattened tallgrass. Because of its size and age, the village of Blocky Hollow did not have a formal guard unit, but instead a village militia, so several members (some of which heard the initial squeal, others who were later woken up and informed of what had happened) came out to investigate and guard the scene. They told the remaining residents to return to their homes, as this was a matter of the militia and that they would update the rest of the public first thing in the morning when they had more information as to what happened. Afterward, Jon and Eva returned home together, where Jon proceeded to put a chair up against the door, then took Eva's hand and headed to bed. Because Blocky Hollow was a small place where murder was rare, the denizens of the village were especially devastated by this heinous act. "Who could do such a thing, and what on Earth would they want with keeping the body?!" whispered Eva in a disturbed voice as she snuggled with Jon. "I've no idea, Eve. I've no idea. We'll see what information the militia has for us in the morning, okay?".
Following a sleepless night, Jon and Eva headed directly outside to see if the others had gathered for any potential updates on the events of late last night. They found that the entirety of the militia had been activated and had setup a staging area by the scene of the brutal event. The couple arrived just in time, as Hadrian Kadir, Blocky Hollow's militia leader, was stepping up onto the stage to deliver the community briefing. "My fellow citizens, it is with a sense of deep, and genuine sorrow that I must inform you of such news; we have experienced a loss of one of our own. Ms. Isabel Ria was taken from us by an unknown assailant in the latter hours of the night. Her pendant and remaining items that were left behind have been given to her family, and we are actively searching for more clues as to the whereabouts of this monster. We plan to double militia patrols through the village and ask that citizens please remain inside their homes for all hours of the night." Jon turned to Eva; "C'mon, best I get you back home before we get too behind on today's harvesting." Eva nodded and took Jon's hand as the two walked back to the house.
After securing Eva inside the house, Jon met up with Arthur at the village square. "Ready for another day of work there, boss?" Arthur said. "You really going to pretend like it just didn't happen, then?" asked Jon. "Like what didn't happen?" Jon sighed then responded in a whisper; "I get that she wasn't the biggest person in the world, but to drag her off like that? I mean, what if the fiend really does exist?!" Arthur stopped walking and grabbed Jon's shoulder abruptly; "Now you STOP with that! My father used to terrify me with stories of the fiend just to get me to work harder! I don't believe it exists and I never will." "But I thought you said you saw it run into the wo-" Arthur interrupts; "Nope. Never." "Well, alright then, whatever helps you sleep at night." said Jon. The pair were now at the toolshed, where the other harvesters of Blocky Hollow were waiting to begin a long day of work. Jon unlocked the wooden door and they all grabbed their tools for the final day of wheat harvesting. "Agh, my back is killing me!" said Arthur. "Would you do me a solid and take that huge row in the center there? I'll get the one by the edge of the field, less crop." Jon replied "Yea I can do that, go and finish up, then you get some rest for your back. We've got a long day of melon harvesting tomorrow my friend." Arthur looked at Jon and smirked, nodded, then headed off to the far row where the field met the forest, and there was just enough sunlight for the wheat to grow.
Arthur chopped away at the base of the wheat crops, as did the dozen and-a-half other workers in the field. Jon stood up for a minute to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and as he did so he looked over at Arthur harvesting away about 40 blocks away from where he was. Arthur stood up as well to adjust his trousers, and after doing so he peeked Jon gazing at him from afar. Jon smiled, then put his right hand in the air and waved. Arthur smirked too and then waved back. Then, almost in slow motion, something emerging from the woods behind Arthur caught Jon's attention. It had a sort of shine to it, an almost metallic surface joined by a rough, reptilian-like skin. Jon began to lift his right leg to step forward, but before he could even set it back down, the thing in the woods grabbed Arthur with two hands, each of its claws more than a foot long. Arthur, unable to turn his neck in a bearhug position, and with his back still turned to the beast, let out a horrifical, high-pitched scream, before disappearing with the creature into the woods behind them. As the other villagers in the field exclaimed in shear horror, Jon and two other men drew their hatchets and sprinted toward the tree line. When they reached Arthur's last location, they stumbled upon an all too familiar site - loose items and blood. Jon identified a blood trail, and motioned for the others to follow.
Hatchets at the ready, the trio crept slowly through the dense and misty forest. After nearly a hundred blocks of tracking, the trail stopped in front of what appeared to be some sort of animal den. It was a sloped cave with a large mouth. Jon wasted no time in proceeding to enter the cave, while the two men with him looked at one another, exchanged disconcerting looks, then quickly followed behind Jon into the bowls of the cave. As they progressed further and further through the cave's tunnel system, a crunching sound grew ever more audible. Having believed to arrived at a dead end in the cave, Jon lit up a torch, illuminating the ten-foot beast standing not 15 blocks in front of them, bones at its feet. Immediately, the creature let out a loud and wicked scream. Without hesitation, the trio charged at the beast and swung their hatchets. The demon swung back, striking one of them fatally across the face and neck with its vicious claws. Jon and the remaining man managed to strike the beast and bleed it, causing the unholy spawn to wail out in pain. The thing then violently spun around and transformed this pain into rage, directing it into a blow back toward Jon's remaining companion, tossing him sideways against the cave wall before hitting the floor unconscious. In the process, Jon is knocked down by the creature's tail, though is able to regain his balance. Now about 7 or 8 blocks from the wicked creature, he looks down at his weapon, then back at the creature, raises his hatchet over his head with his right hand, winds his arm back, and at the same time the creature lets out one more hideous roar, looses the sharpened blade directly toward the fiend.
*THUMP* The blade stuck right in its forehead, and the fiend's corpse hit the cave floor with a heavy thud. Jon was left standing there, breathing heavily amidst two fallen (and one unconscious) countrymen. He dropped to his knees, and tears began to stream down his face. He quickly caught himself though, as sorrow was no stranger to him. He knew there was still a man alive, and this man probably needed medical attention. So, Jon hoisted the man up and swung his left arm over his right shoulder so that he could transport him back to Blocky Hollow, and return later for Arthur's belongings. When Jon got back to the field, the workers were still there, all gathered, waiting. When they saw Jon and their injured countryman, they dashed over to learn of what had transpired. "Harvest master! What was it that took him, sir?! Is it gone!?" shouted a village youth. Jon replied; "It will be addressed at the village hall tonight. All you need to know is that the threat is no longer. Now, get this man to the doctor promptly. He's taken quite a beating." The men nodded and dashed off. Jon, still physically shaking from recent events, continued on his way home to see Eva. He walked slowly through the cobblestone streets of Blocky Hollow, the ones he had known all his life. Though now, they seemed far less familiar, and far more lonely. When he arrived back home, he opened the door, expressionless, and Eva shouted out to greet him. "You're home early, forget your lunch?" Jon said nothing. Instead, he walked over to Eva and embraced her. After what to Eva seemed like an eternity, Jon pulled away and said; "I love you". Eva giggled nervously; "Jon, is everything alright?.." Jon replied "It's okay now. Everything is okay now."
⫸ The End ⫷
Author's Note:
While this piece (with borrowed inspiration from the legendary tale of 'Sleepy Hollow') was authored purely for entertainment purposes, I feel as though there is also somewhat of a message in this story; that - even in times of conflict, when many big things seem out of control, - we must not lose focus on the people and things we love that are right under our nose.
P.S.
The image is of Jon and Eva's home in Blocky Hollow
Have a very safe and happy spooky season y'all. <3
- LordTrillToke
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