Battle focus

I was sitting under a tree watching the rain. Gentle water drops fell from the sky, pattering against the land, the thin, green leaves danced and shook from the wind and rain.

            I stayed in a meditative state for several hours as I focused on sight of the lush field, the trees that dotted the land and the rain that fell upon it all. I listened to the raindrops, the wind and the shaking of branches. I felt my breath, I felt my hands grip my sword and I chose not to feel the wound in my abdomen.

            The blood was staunched, the wound was dressed and I continued to draw breath. The pain would have been unbearable if I was not meditating.

This was not the meditation of a monk or holy man lost in prayer, this was a kind of meditation that I taught myself after years on the battlefield. Years of pain and self discipline showed me the way to focus on every little detail of life, take it all in and feel everything except the pain. During this focus, I could not move, I wouldn’t feel hunger or thirst and if I broke my focus, the pain would rush back like a tidal wave.

            I observed the sun rise and set, I watched the moon and felt the insects of the field land on my skin and clothes, then fly off, completely unaware of my existence. When someone chooses to ignore their own suffering, others will often ignore it as well. One does not ask a tree about the day, or consult a sleeping man on the weather.

            Time was lost, it fell away with the rest of life. I awoke in the dead of night, confused, and in pain. I had stayed meditating for so long that I had collapsed from exhaustion. I have no way of knowing how long I slept or how much time had passed since I had been stabbed.

            My wound was dried and scabbed, my sword was still stuck in the ground but it was leaning in a pile of uneven dirt. I was hungrier than I had been in a very long time and my throat was dry as sand.

            I pulled on a thin chain, one end was connected to the bracer on my arm and the other was connected to my traveling bag. I dragged my travelers bag to my hunched form as I lay on the ground. The bag was easy to open but hard to steal. Nothing had been stolen from my bag but there had been times when I would awaken to find my sword stolen along with contents of the bag. Knowing I couldn’t protect my bag at all times, I chained it to my arm and built a secret compartment on the bottom of it. Anyone who stole from travelers would do so quickly and take the path of least resistance. They stole trinkets and extra clothes and blankets but never looked hard enough to find my secret compartment.

            The compartment held emergency food and water and all of my most valuable and sentimental possessions. I always needed food and water as soon as my meditation would end and I could not risk awakening to find I was weak, in the wilderness and without food or water.

My energy improved as I ate and drank. My wound was a dull ache and I had the energy to walk again. I continued my journey forward. I had survived another war, another dance with death and those who left me for dead will see me walk back into town with two working legs and the strength of a healthy soldier.

I am a mercenary, the indomitable swordsman and the survivor of over a hundred battle wounds. I am Virtus.

The Window Tree

A gentle breeze blows in through the open window. The old-fashioned windowpane opened inward, it opened like a small door and the wind was causing the windowpane to tap gently against a kitchen chair. Small gusts of wind rustled the sheer silk curtain and caused the wooden windowpane to sway. The windowpane and the lining was painted white and the wall color resembled a cup of coffee with only a dab of cream in it.

 

            The window was part of an old, country house, it was well maintained but had been built over a hundred years ago. The land was peaceful and folks never locked their doors and on a nice night, would leave their windows open, windows free to sway in the breeze. The breeze rustled the curtains like leaves on a tree, the window pain swayed like branches and the cool spring air could be felt inside the house just as easily as it could outside. The wood that built the house and the wood from the window used to be a tree, multiple trees made up the house. Trees that all had a history of their own before being cut down and since the day that the trees were used to build a house, the wood of these trees gathered even more history. Time leaves its mark on everything in this world, alive or not. When the window was still a tree, it had one of its branches fall off in a storm. The Window tree was the home for a family of birds, a group of squirrels and more bugs than any human would care to think about. The tree had life of its own, but was also apart of the great web of life, woven together with all things.

 

            Now the tree is a window, this is not good or bad, it just is. The wood is not considered alive anymore but it still served a purpose within the woven web of life. The window had been built, painted, fixed, repainted, slammed shut and left open to blow in the wind. The window had a notch on the bottom corner where a young boy was testing how sharp his knife was. It was a little knife meant for whittling and cutting tangled fishing line and apparently also used for cutting a little slice into the wood of a window when no one was looking.

 

            A window doesn’t have memories and wood isn’t alive but the history of the house and the trees that came before it should give you pause. It is important to stop, even for just a moment, and think about where things came from and ponder the stories that a window or house might have ‘seen’.

 

            When going to an old house many people might think, “I wonder if anyone died here”. Instead it is important to ask yourself “Who lived here?”.

The World through the Magic lens

            I don’t know how everyone else sees the world, but I don’t think many people see it the way I do, the way I used to. I see things with vibrant colors, a person’s personality shines brightly from their eyes and some even have an aura around them that is as wondrous as fireworks or stars. Every tree has hidden secrets, the more unique in shape or size something is the more life I see in it. Once I saw large tree standing taller than all the other trees in the forest and my mind came alive, I saw the tree built into a giant tree house, then suddenly wooden planks and pathways spread out to the other trees and soon there was a whole town built up into the treetops. Or I might see it as a mystical tree, the guardian of the forest, a great elder tree with a face that is connected to everything in the forest and protects it from harm.

            I see something with my eyes and my mind puts a layer of imagination, possibility and emotions over that image. When a person genuinely smiles, when they experience a moment that catches them off guard and makes them feel that happiness, if I see that moment I am filled with my own happiness and so my emotions mix with the moment. I see a person smile and my mind shows me the light of the human soul. Even if its just for a brief moment and even if the light is dim, I see and experience something real for that second.

            I don’t think other people see the world like this, because if they did then smiles, rain, sunshine, trees and coffee and little things like that would be valued so much more than celebrity gossip, sex or money. I have nothing against sex and money but if offered the chance to either have infinite days of sex and money or infinite days of tranquil rain, tall trees, coffee, peace and stories, I think I would choose the latter.

            I see the colors of a person’s personality, I see the light of a soul, the possibilities of a large tree the bliss of the falling rain, except for when I don’t. I live off of imagination and creativity and it makes me whole. The day I do not see the rain as magical is the day I do not want to live anymore.

            My problem is pain, I have said it once and I will say it again. I am so familiar and intimate with the experience of pain that we should probably get married less we get struck down for living in sin. When my intestines aren’t being twisted like a pretzel then I have back pain, and if not back pain then joint pain. There is always pain. I can’t speak for the whole human race but I can say most Americans don’t live with the level of pain that I live with and certainly not at such a young age. When I talk about pain I am not complaining about a headache or a tummy ache, I am talking about the feeling of glass grinding in my bones and a knife twisting in my guts. The kind of pain that makes you not want to be alive or get out of bed. Luckily not every day is like that and I get to enjoy my coffee and rain and be content. The is also the double edge sword of pain medicine.

            Pain meds are these magical pills that wash over you and wipe away the pain, they make you feel good and the world seems right. That feeling does not last, but the numbness does. The pills numb the brain so you don’t feel the pain, but it also makes it hard to feel everything else. Taking my pain meds makes me loose my filter, my magical lens that I get to see the world in. Without the pills my pain slows me down and sometimes I lose whole days of my life to the pain, but without taking meds I can see the world in a more magical way. I get to see the world through my own imagination lens. Everything in the world seems more wondrous and the good start to outweigh the bad. Sure I am in pain but look how beautiful the sky looks after it rains! Its like the heavens opened up and you can see a glimpse of the afterlife.

            When I take the pills it keeps the pain at bay, the rabid dog that is pain gets put on a leash and told to behave. The rabid dog is still there but its calmed now. Then I start to see the world as I suspect others see it. A tree is a tree, rain is water that falls from the sky, it makes traffic more dangerous, coffee is only for waking up in the morning and when people smile its their happiness, not mine.

            I am always the same person but without the magical lens the world seems like a darker place. I am a better version of myself whenever I can manage to go a few days without my medication.

            Sometimes it rains while I am on my pain meds and I look outside and see only rain, I don’t feel the serenity or the calm that rain brings. I look outside and I remember how much joy rain used to bring me and I know there is a magical world of peace and tranquility right outside my window at that moment, but it is slightly out of reach and I just can’t see it yet.

            When it rains I see water fall from the sky, but one day the rain will take me back to that magical place. The place were water, wind and fog swirl through the air and the cool breeze refreshes the spirit, a place where anything could be waiting over the horizon. The best stories start on a dark and stormy night and the best adventures happen on a cool foggy afternoon.

Autumn Carnival part 4 - The Clock struck 12

            The night rolled on as the family of three continued their adventure in the Autumn Carnival. Wyatt and Felix enjoyed their time so far, the grand opening of the carnival, reflecting back on their childhood, winning the cider drinking contest, getting delicious snack and then their father got them the coolest souvenir of them all, a seed from the Carnival tree. The large Autumn tree that had green, yellow, orange and red leaves evenly throughout its branches, the tree that towered over almost every ride. That tree had produced a seed and now Wyatt’s family owned that seed. Wyatt could just picture the tree in his back yard, towering over their house with every autumn color on its branches.

            Nathan yawned loudly. It was getting close to midnight had he had been walking around with his family since sundown. His kids, Wyatt and Felix still had plenty of energy. “whose excited to ride the Ferris Wheel?” Nathan said trying to sound more enthusiastic than tired. “ME!!” Both children said at once. Nathan chuckled and then yawned again. He took a small flask out of his pocket and took a swig. The flask had jack-o-lantern on it with a devilish grin. Under the grinning pumpkin symbol the words “Grinning Jack” was inscribed. Grinning Jack was a specialty liquor store that stayed in business thanks to Nathan and a few other loyal costumers. Normally the flask had maple scotch or pumpkin rum in it, but since he was out with his children, Nathan was filling the flask with the apple cider that Wyatt won.  The sugar from the cider and the maple candies was keeping him awake.

            The family slowly approached the North root. They could see the giant Ferris wheel towering over everything else in the carnival. It was not only giant but also covered in lights that twinkled like stars. As soon as Nathan, Wyatt, and Felix got the North Root entrance they noticed the Ferris wheel before anything else. As they walked more into the North root, that is when they saw all of the adult rides. Wyatt and Felix were in their late teens so they could ride any ride in the North Root. Nathan missed having little adorable children but was happy he didn’t have to go to the East Root anymore, if he had to spend another night watching small children slowly circle around a plastic tree he would need something stronger than apple cider.

            Nathan saw a ride called the cake mixer, which looked like a giant cake mixer, but instead of blades there were seats. “You kids wanna ride the cake mixer?!” Nathan said in his most excited voice. He loved the ride because it spun you around and scrambled your guts, also Nathan liked to pretend he was being mixed into cake batter.

“No thanks, We are going to keep looking around” Said Wyatt. “Alright, just don’t ride the Ferris wheel without me. Remember it’s the last thing we do before we leave” Nathan said then ran toward the cake mixer ride, child like excitement in his eyes.

            As Wyatt and Felix walked around they saw many new and exciting rides, like the screaming pumpkin. a giant pumpkin shaped ball that people would climb into, trap themselves in and then the pumpkin would spin incredibly fast. The sounds of the screaming people came from within the pumpkin shape, thus the name. Wyatt wanted to go on the battle boats ride, like Bumper cars but on water and the sides of your boat could fire water jets. That ride was sadly taken away, maybe the cool autumn air discouraged people from enjoying water rides.

           

            Wyatt and Felix decided on riding the Balloon ride. Wyatt and Felix excitedly ran toward the ride, Wyatt remembered this was a new installment from last year and it must have been popular enough to stay. The ‘balloons’ were solid plastic and shaped like hot air Balloons. The basket part had four seats. Two on either side of the basket, so if four people got into this ride they would be facing each other. The balloon part was just sculpted plastic and painted a bright color. There was a blue, purple, red, orange and yellow balloon. Wyatt and Felix chose the orange Balloon and were buckled into their seats. Each balloon was attached to a flexible metal arm, which was hidden as much as possible to give the illusion of riding in a hot air balloon. The ride started and all of the balloons were lunged into the air. The balloons shot straight up into the air one at a time, as if being thrown by an invisible giant hand.  Wyatt and Felix felt a rush as they were thrown straight up and wind rushed over them. The rush of moving quickly upward and the cool autumn air was exhilarating. When the balloons reached their highest point they stopped and began to gently drift to the ground. The sudden and exciting rush mixed with the slow and peaceful descent was a surprisingly fun combination. The Balloons did this three times in total. Quick and sharp rocketing skyward, then a nice drifting pace as they sailed toward the ground.

            Wyatt and Felix enjoyed their ride but couldn’t wait to go up even higher when they rode the Ferris Wheel. It was a higher height but much slower and steadier pace. It was perfect for a relaxing end to a beautiful evening.

            Wyatt and Felix decided to go find their dad before it got much later. The Carnival closed at 1am but the night was considered over at midnight. That gave the workers an hour to close everything up properly. It was almost midnight and Wyatt couldn’t find his father. Felix spotted him talking to a familiar looking man. Nathan and the man were grinning and shaking hands. When Nathan spotted his kids he introduced them to the man. “Oh Wyatt, there you are. Wyatt, Felix, this is Mr. Orchard, the Carnival owner. We were just discussing the new seed and how to raise it carefully” Nathan said. Mr. Orchard was a pale, slightly plump man with a big smile and a white hair. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and an old fashioned bowtie, which was orange. He held his top hat in his hands and fiddled with the brim as he spoke. “Good evening Young Sirs. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mr. Stephen Orchard. It is nice to meet you. Mr. Orchard said with a kind smile. Wyatt and Felix smiled and both shook his hand. The family had a nice chat with Mr. Orchard but had to cut the conversation short as it was getting late. “Well I had lots of fun taking with you, but I should go. I believe you kids have a Ferris Wheel to ride before the night is over, right?” Mr. Orchard said knowingly. Old people often spoke in such way that was mysterious to Wyatt, as if they were always hinting at something that Wyatt couldn’t understand yet.

            It was eleven forty-five and the family stood in line for the Ferris wheel. The night was almost over, which was both exciting and sad at the same time. Wyatt, Felix climbed into a ferris wheel seat and Nathan sat in the one right behind them. Instead of letting a stranger sit with him, he stretched out to get more comfortable.

            The ride started. Soft music played but Wyatt couldn’t figure out from where. Ferris wheel slowly climbed higher and higher. Wyatt and Felix scaled upward, passed the people, over than the food stands, above the adult rides and then finally, higher than the wall.  For the first time in hours Wyatt was looking outside the Autumn Carnival and for the first time in a year he was looking at it from such a soaring height.

            The blanket of night covered the autumn forest. Cold air rushed through Wyatts hair and passed his face. Everything was dark out there in the wilderness and the small towns. Everyone was either at the autumn carnival tonight or home asleep so the only light for miles was the carnival. The carnival shone bright like a beacon, like a burning star alone in the sky. Autumn trees, which were once such vibrant red and orange, were now veiled in darkness, making each tree look the same. The view from the top was extraordinary as well as peaceful. Wyatt enjoyed the Ferris wheel but he would have loved to just stay at the top for hours, gazing out into the distance, feeling the cold air on his face, being above everything even the tallest walls of the Autumn Carnival.

            Wyatt and Felix reached the very top of the Ferris Wheel and as they started to descend Wyatt saw something in the distance. Over by the haunted woods, where light never glows, where only the dead walk and no one ever goes. Wyatt saw a light, a bright orange light burned brightly and something was being raised up passed the treetops. Something, like a spire was raised up out of the Haunted Forest near Hallows End, light glowed brilliantly around it and then something began to move on the spire. Something large and dangerous looking, spiked and moving was on the spire. Wyatt only saw this for a few seconds before the Autumn Carnival wall blocked his vision. Wyatt tried to sit up or even stand up to see better but knew he couldn’t and didn’t want to fall out of his seat. He went lower than the wall, under the adult rides, down to the food stands and eye level with the people. Everyone on the Ferris wheel was smiling and having a good time, but what Wyatt saw was so strange he was upset that he didn’t get a better look.

            Then the Ferris wheel started to go back up again. Wyatt remembered that he only went around once and the Ferris wheel usually goes around a few times before stopping. Wyatt and Felix were lifted up again, higher and higher till they got to the very top. Felix had a large smile on his face and was enjoying the view just as much the second time as he did the first time. Wyatt was busy scanning the landscape for any sign of that glowing spire. He looked toward the Halloween city of Hallows End but it was dark. No lights, no orange glow, no spire. In the short time it took for the ferris wheel to go down and come back up around the spire was either taken down or vanished. Wyatt knew he wasn’t imagining things but he also knew no one would believe him. He decided to not let this bother him. He would enjoy his night and worry about Hallows End another time.

            The Ferris wheel went around a few more times and by the end Wyatt was already feeling better. The cool air, the gentle rocking of the ferris wheel cabin and the view all put his mind at ease. The ride stopped and the people slowly were let off. When Wyatt, Felix and Nathan finally met up again they was talk about how much fun they had, how cool the Ferris wheel was but no mention of spires or strange lights. Wyatt decided to forget it and figured he was the only one who saw it.

            The family began to leave the park. They slowly walked toward the center tree as the clock struck twelve. A clock tower bell rang out twelve times. Nathan looked all around for a bell and finally spotted one. A large clock tower with a bell attached to it was hiding behind the giant Ferris wheel. Nathan, Wyatt and Felix both started to laugh, they had all heard the bell and no one knew were the sound was coming from.

            After the bell stopped ringing the Carnival was silent. People had either left of were leaving. Only low murmurs could be heard as people talked quietly amongst themselves. Wyatt and Felix pretended to whisper to eachother to mimic the people around them. “Psst pssstssst” They both made these noises at each other and then began to laugh.

            The walk home was nice, quiet and peaceful. They were all tired and couldn’t wait to go to bed. Excitement still buzzed in their minds as their bodies slowly walked home. The autumn forest was dark but lit up in spot by people holding lanterns as they made their way home. Nathan held his lantern up so his kids could see the trail home. As they approached the town they smelled wood smoke. The delicate and rustic smell lingered and mixed with the cold autumn air. Nathan took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. It was the perfect ending for a perfect night in the Autumn Carnival.

Autumn Carnival part 3 - Tricks and Treats

The family of three continued on their journey to the Western Root. The west root was home to the gift shop and food stands. The smell of cakes and pies filled the area, roasted meat was served on the bone to the more adventurous customers and hot and cold cider stalls were everywhere. Wyatt was still sick from drinking too much cider and didn’t even want to look at another glass of cider. Some of the other food looked good though and he was starting to get hungry. He hoped that eating solid food would help settle his stomach.

 The food stalls were set up on the grass all along the west root’s cobblestone path. They were all fairly small in size and only had the necessary equipment to make one or two dishes. So everything had its own food stand. Apple cider, candy and Carmel apples, fresh pie, various meat dishes and so on. At the end of the cobblestone path was the gift shop “The laughing pumpkin” the only slightly spooky thing in the whole carnival. The laughing pumpkin was a large building that looked like an old fashioned house, almost like a haunted house but with a wooden Jack-o-lantern sitting on the roof. The laughing pumpkin Jack-o-lantern was painted orange and had its mouth open like a laugh, which Wyatt thought looked cool but Felix found it unsettling. “You know sometimes that pumpkin comes down and eats kids” Wyatt told Felix. “S-shut up! I’m not a kid! So it doesn’t matter to me!” Said Felix. Nathan just laughed. The three went into the gift shop.

Inside the gift shop was not spooky at all, in fact it looked like a regular store. The store sold snow globes with miniature autumn settings and red and orange dots instead of white dots, to simulate leaves instead of snow. They were called Autumn Snow globes because leaf globes wouldn’t sound right. Wyatt found a small wooden model of the laughing pumpkin, which looked exactly like the pumpkin on the roof and Wyatt thought he might pick that as his souvenir. Not only was it cool but also Felix was scared of it, Win-win! Wyatt continued to look at the items, laughing pumpkin model in hand.

 Passed the carnival miniatures, the apple scented candles, the autumn landscape pictures and the plush toys of soft animals was a shelf that had an entirely different kind of product. In the back of the store Wyatt stood staring at a sign that said “Ready for Halloween? Come to Hallows end for a night to die for” The sign was hung above a shelf, the shelf was covered in spooky, scary and sometimes disturbing items. Wyatt had found the Halloween section in the gift shop, a section he had never seen before.

He stared fascinated at the Jack-o-lantern models that were painted to look like they were bleeding from their eyes, a painting of witches flying past the moon and a severed hand reaching up out of a potted plant, Orange and Black Candy canes, a mysterious box that screamed when you opened it and a ceramic doll that looked very ordinary but Wyatt was too afraid to touch it and find out why it was on the Halloween shelf.

Nathan found Wyatt at the back of the store. “Come on, champy. Time to go. Don’t start getting too fascinated with this stuff, remember what happened to those two boys Nyx and Poe from Harvest town. Went to Hallows end by themselves and were never heard from again” Said Nathan. Wyatt quickly turned to his father and nodded.

Felix was waiting at the front counter for Nathan and Wyatt. “I found what I wanted to get” Said Wyatt holding up the laughing Jack-o-lantern. Felix squinted his eyes and scrunched up his face to show he was annoyed at Wyatt’s choice. “I thought of something you would like better” Nathan said. “Excuse me miss” Nathan said to the young girl behind the counter. The girl turned to greet her customers “Yes sir?” She said. Her voice was soft, her skin was milky white and her hair was black like raven’s feathers. Wyatt was in love. Wyatt was seventeen and fell in love with every pretty girl he saw, so this was normal for him. Wyatt stared and was unable to talk.

 “I would like that bag of pumpkin seeds. I plan to plant a small pumpkin patch in our back yard” Nathan said to the girl. “Very well, anything else?” Asked the girl. Nathan smiled slyly. “Yes, I also want that seed there” He pointed to a small pouch containing one single seed. The pouch was behind glass and was locked in a box. “Sorry sir, that is the only item in this store that money can’t buy. The owner Mr. Orchard won’t sell it to anyone unless they have the purple leaf.

“Why do we need a purple leaf to buy a seed?” Asked Wyatt who was more curious than nervous. “Well cutie, its because this seed is from the Autumn tree at the center of the carnival. Only someone who has a purple leaf from the tree can buy this very special and very rare seed. Also no one is allowed to climb the tree to get the purple leaf. So they have to just hope the leaf falls from the branches and lands on them. So by getting the leaf, its like the tree chose them” Explained the cute cashier lady. Wyatt was still stunned when the girl called him “cutie” and couldn’t reply.

Nathan smiled “Yes and after coming to this carnival since I was a kid and bringing my kids almost every year when I was an adult, after all of this time, I found it. I waited and the purple leaf landed in my lap. On my face actually” Nathan said and pulled a bright purple leaf from his pocket. It looked like a purple maple leaf and was brighter than any color Wyatt had seen on a tree. The girl looked in amazement. “I thought the purple leaf thing was made up to get people excited” Said the girl. “Well its not, and I think you owe me a rare seed” Nathan said as he bobbed his head side to side in excitement. The girl unlocked glass case and the box the seed was in. She handed Nathan the rare Autumn Carnival tree seed along with the pumpkin seeds he bought. “Don’t leave the carnival until you have had a chance to talk with Mr.Orchard. He will want to meet you” Said the girl. Nathan took the seeds, smiled, nodded and said “Thank you”

Wyatt could hardly believe his Fathers luck. It explained why Nathan stared at the tree for all of those hours while his kids were off playing games. With the seeds safely tucked away Nathan left the store with his kids. “Aw man, I forgot to get a souvenir!” Wyatt said. I got you a souvenir, the tree seed. I got it for you kids. I want us to plant it together and grow it as big as it will get. The tree will belong to you kids and it will remind us of the good times we had here” Nathan said. The two boys were speechless. “So whose hungry?” Nathan said as he slapped his hands together.

Wyatt’s appetite had returned and he was able to enjoy a nice roasted sweet potato with cinnamon sugar. Felix got a Carmel apple and Nathan bought a whole bucket of Maple candies for himself. This trip to the Autumn Carnival was already the best one yet, but the night was still young and the family of three still had one final destination, The Northern Root and the giant Ferris wheel.

Autumn Carnival part 1 - Grand Opening

            Deep in the autumn forest was a sleepy little place called Maple town. Maple town was famous for two things, Maple syrup and originality.

            In Maple town there was a man named Nathan. Nathan was an old drunk who had two sons who he loved even more than he loved his Maple flavored scotch, which was a lot. Nathan’s children were named Wyatt and Felix. The two boys were seventeen and fourteen. Wyatt had shaggy black hair, was tall and lanky and had olive toned skin. Felix had light brown hair, short but athletic and had similar skin tone. The two boys had different hobbies and interests and while Felix preferred to be active, Wyatt likes to take things slow and easy. One of the things the boys always agreed on was their love of autumn and the Autumn Carnival.

            The Autumn Carnival was unusual because many carnivals took place in spring or summer. Autumn usually only had harvest festivals but once a year the magical and rare Autumn Carnival was open for a week and only a week. The owner of the carnival didn’t advertise or try to build hype, he just set everything up and people came. The carnival became popular through word of mouth but was kept a secret from the other lands.

            It was the day of the grand opening of the Autumn Carnival and there was already a crowd at the entrance. Nathan and his two sons walked up over a large hill to get a better view of the carnival before they went in. Pale green grass stretched out for miles, the Autumn Carnival sat in the open field with a forest of colorful trees behind it. Red, orange and yellow trees swayed in the pleasant breeze. The carnival sign stood tall over the grounds. “Autumn Carnival” was written in bright lights. The sign itself was orange and brown with tints of yellow. Orange, red, yellow, brown, black and purple decorated the various rides and signs. From the view on top of the grassy hill the Father and his sons could see a giant Ferris wheel along with many strange and exciting looking rides poking out from behind the Carnival gates and went up past the main entrance sign.

            Nathan had a sparkle in his eye as he approached the Carnival. He remembered when he used to visit when he was a kid and now he was overjoyed to be able to take his kids to the same place he enjoyed so much. Nathan had been to the Autumn Carnival almost thirty times in his life and his children had been more than ten times, but every year they were just as excited, as they were the first time they visited.

             Wyatt and Felix ran ahead when they saw the carnival gates, which had large metal gates with a pumpkin symbol on each gate door. Outside of the carnival walls was a variety of snack stands and local businesses selling their homemade and home grown goods. Homemade pie, fresh apples and of course more maple syrup than any one man could drink. Wyatt and Nathan always got fresh Maple lollipops before they went into the carnival but Felix insisted that he get an apple cider donut instead.

            The three nibbled their treats as they waited for the Carnival to open. The rolling field and fall colored forest looked beautiful during the day, but the carnival wasn’t open till night. Waiting for the grand opening was half of the fun. While people waited they sampled various foods and listened to musicians play soft melodies and festive tunes.

            Wyatt and Felix walked around the outside of the carvival. As they walked the talked about the rides they wanted to go on and tried to guess what new attractions the carnival would have. Every year the carnival added new rides and shows. The least popular attractions would be taken away or temporarily retired and the fan favorites would stick around. In the fifty years that the Autumn Carnival in business the only attraction to stay every year was the ferris wheel. It was a central attraction and the shape of the ferris wheel towering up above everything else was iconic. When people thought of the Autumn Carnival they always remembered how it looked from the outside, big bright sign, colorful banners, big walls and a towering ferris wheel.

            Night crept in and as the light from the sun dimmed and flickered out, lights from the carnival began to glow brighter and brighter. The chattering and music quieted to a hush. Everyone sat in silence as they waited for what happened next.

            A man in a black suit and black top hat stepped up onto the sign about the Carnival entrance. “Hello good people of the autumn forest!” Called the man. Just as he spoke a spotlight was turned on him. “For those who are new, I am Charles Orchard the owner of the Autumn Carnival. And to those who have been here before, Welcome back my friends I think this year will be the most exciting one yet” Said Mr. Orchard. The crowd cheered. Then fireworks lit up the sky. Booming explosions in the night sky, sending out colors of every kind. When the fireworks stopped a band began to play and the doors to the carnival opened.

            People rushed in, excitement was on the face of every adult and child. Wyatt and Felix had been off walking to pass the time so when the gates opened they were just barely getting back to their father. Nathan smiled “Ready boys?” He asked. The two boys nodded and they all walked toward the carnival. Already a long line was forming. People in the front bought tickets and then were let into the carnival. There were many ticket sellers but there were so many people that some people had to wait.

            Wyatt looked at the towering ferris wheel as it stood motionless. It was covered in white lights that twinkled like the stars. The ferris wheel wasn’t moving yet but the lights rotated in such a way that it first glance it looked like the ride was already in motion. Wyatt loved how the darkness of night contrasted with the bright lights and colorful rides in the carnival. Felix just liked looking at pretty colors.

            Soon the lines moved along and the family of three got their tickets and entered the carnival. Immediately they saw autumn tree in the center of the carnival. On just that one tree there were shades of green, yellow, orange and red. The green started at the bottom and changed gradually as it went up. Wyatt doubted it was a real tree because it was so big, it was almost taller than the large walls around the carnival and also he had never seen one tree with so many colors so evenly spaced. Yet the tree did look real and leaves occasionally fell off when a strong wind blew.

            The tree was in the center of the carnival, the carnival was broken up into sections and called ‘Roots’ because they all led back to the tree. The carnival entrance was in the south root, the ferris wheel and the adult rides were in the north root, the west root had the food and souvenirs, and the east root was children rides and games that give out prizes.

            Nathan stood under the tree and marveled at the beautiful sight. A large autumn tree so full of color surrounded by bright lights and soft music. “We are going to go on some rides” Said Wyatt to his father. “Oh ok boys, have fun” Said Nathan as he stared up at the tree.

            Felix and Wyatt shrugged and walked off to the east root. Nathan was always a weird guy so his fascination with the tree didn’t phase his two boys. “What do you wanna do first?” Felix asked excitedly. “Well first we need to win some prizes. Its been a whole year since last time, and this time I am going to win something! I just know it!” Said Wyatt sounding very determined.

            Wyatt and Felix always used the excuse of trying to win prizes to go to the east root and while Felix might honestly want to win a prize, Wyatt always went because he missed the days when he got to ride the child rides. Wyatt never won any prized but he always tried his best and always got Felix excited in the process but while he took his time ‘deciding on a game’ he was actually feeling nostalgic when he saw old familiar rides and felt a little jealous when he saw cool new rides that he would never be able to experience.

            While some would say the east root was filled with kids rides and cheap games, Wyatt would say the east root was filled with memories.

Watch for part 2 as the boys explore the East and West roots.

Starlight Tree

In a port side city that bustles with activity from trading and fishing stands the Starlight tree. At the top of William hill, next to a small worn gravestone, is a sparkling silver and white tree. It even produced its own light, as if it was a star in tree form. The city thrived off its own merits, as it was full of skilled fishermen and crafty merchants, the it got a little push in the right direction from the Starlight tree. Once grown into a full tree, people from all over the land came to see it. This steady increase in visitors allowed the town to take advantage of the extra income in the town and build itself into one of the best portside towns in the land.

So the story goes, that a boy named William caught a star as it fell from the night sky and decided to plant it like a seed. For years nothing happened, until one day a tiny sprout came up from the ground. Most of Williams’s life had pasted by before anything grew from the starseed and it took another fifty years before it grew into a small tree. It was now one hundred and fifty years after the seed was planted and the Starlight tree has reached the size of an adult tree. The story about the tree and the man who planted it is still told in the portside city, yet no one knows why he planted it, or what the purpose of the tree is. Most people just figured it was a beautiful tree, but didn’t have any more of a purpose than any other tree does, others believe that there will be a time when the tree grows into its true potential and finally the mystery will be solved.

The portside city thrived and continued to grow for years. Time marched on, the seasons came and then were gone. The world changed, cities changed, people were born and they died, but the tree stayed the same. It stood on the hill, shining and undisturbed. People went to go see the tree, but no one ever bothered it and certainly would never cut it down. Its beauty inspired artists and attracted tourists. It was one of the biggest mysterious of the world and the more time that past the more of a legend it became.

The tree grew and took up most of the hill. At this point the tree was ancient and still stood after lifetimes. One day, on one summer afternoon, the tree sprouted fruit. Apple sized spheres that grew in a few days and then dropped to the ground. The fruit grew and fell in such a short amount of time, no one even noticed it had happened. After another day the little spheres began to open and crack like eggs, until finally something emerged. A strange new life from another world, born on earth. The little creatures had blobby translucent bodies, with a core that made them shine from the inside out. These new baby creatures cried out as they flopped around on the ground. As if protecting the small children, it leaned its branches down, covering the crying blobs of light. The whimpering stopped and the tree branches returned to their normal position. The little blob babies crawled onto the tree, seeing it as a protector. The tree swayed in the breeze and the alien children cooed. As the night went on, the tree began to fade. Its light and its shine all began to fade, feeding into these new life forms that were hatched from its fruit.

By morning the tree was nothing more than a metal tree. The Starlight tree was simply a metal transport that was filled with energy to create new life and continue a species if disaster ever fell. It took the form of a tree to blend in with the area, but the surging energy made it stand out. After hundreds of years, the tree fulfilled its purpose, to save a race of creatures, nurture them and send them back into space. As the tree fed its last remaining energy into the blobby aliens, it sent them out into a pod. A tiny spaceship that would keep them alive for years, letting out a signal as it floated through space so that one day it would be picked up by hopeful survivors of the species.

So after all that time on earth, becoming the center of attention and the inspiration behind art and legend, without anyone noticing, the Starlight tree fulfilled its mission and quietly sank into the earth, never to be seen again.

Fallen Star

Wind whipped through the night sky, the sound of the ocean could be heard from across the town. William looked out his window and sighed, there would be a storm again. His father promised they would go fishing tomorrow, but if the weather didn’t get any better they would have to cancel their plans. As he looked out the window he saw a sparkling light shine through the clouds and fall into the water. It was the most brilliant light he had ever seen, even at a distance. Something urged him to go out and investigate. The storm was approaching and the waters would turn treacherous. If he wanted to find the source of the light, he would need to hurry.

William put on his boots and hurried out of his house to the docks, which were close. William was 17 and lived with his father, he had no siblings and his mother died from disease. He had gone fishing many times with his father, so he knew how to sail a boat and navigate on the ocean. Once at the docks he untied a little boat and paddled his way out into the open water. He was in a landing boat or a lifeboat, so he was careful not to go too far out. He decided to be careful, but if he was truly cautious he wouldn’t even be out in the water, at night, with a storm approaching in the first place.

He paddled out to where he saw the light drop and hoped it didn’t sink to the bottom of the ocean. With luck, he saw a faint glow and brought his boat closer to it. Whatever made the light was close to the surface of the water. William reached his hand into the water and tried to scoop up the object. He felt something and pulled it out of the water. It was a ball of light. Warm in his hand, solid enough to hold onto, yet at times it felt as if he wasn’t holding anything at all. As if it were light in solid form, but it couldn’t decide if it wanted to stay solid. Once out of the water, the ball of light started growing brighter.

Holding onto the ball of light the best he could, he made his way to shore. The whole time wondering what he had found and what he should do with it. Once on the beach he held the light up to get a better look at it, grasping it with his thumb and first finger, it was the size of a large coin and almost didn’t seem to weigh anything at all.

Suddenly images flashed into his mind, images of far off places and distant worlds. It was like his mind was taken over by a dream. He saw the night sky, but all around, surrounding giant floating structures. The word ‘space’ flashed into his mind. He was a simple son of a fisherman and the most advanced technology his town had access to was a fishing boat. Single shot guns were a new thing in this world, so William was having trouble grasping the concept of space, planets and spaceships. The metal structure was important for some reason, it had humans of all kinds living in it. As William stared at it through his vision, the space ship, or large structure exploded. He heard the cries of a hundreds of people all at once, then the next minute they were gone. This light flew from the blast and crashed to his world, into the water.

William snapped out of it and realized he saw all of this by looking into the light. The problem was he didn’t know what any of this meant, what the light was, or what he was supposed to do with it. Maybe nothing, maybe he wasn’t supposed to be meddling with things beyond his grasp. He wanted to keep it safe as it seemed important, but didn’t know how or even what he would keep it safe from. “what am I to do? I am only a fisherman!” William asked the ball of light, frustrated and emotional from seeing such grand sights and all the death from his vision. The light pulsed and the image of a tree appeared in his mind. “A tree?” he asked. Then thought instead of looking at the light as a star or something used as a light source, what if it was just a seed. He didn’t know what it would grow into, but he was determined to help.

William ran home and got a shovel. Then tried to think of a spot this little light seed wouldn’t be disturbed. He got an idea, then ran off into the fields. There was a grassy hill that overlooked the town, it was empty and people rarely went up there. It was perfect. He ran up the grassy hill, the night breeze blowing in his face, cooling the sweat on his forehead as he ran. He stopped to catch his breath, and then started digging. As he worked he heard the storm growing closer. Thunder cracked and lightly rippled through the clouds. He finally finished digging and planted the seed, then covered it with dirt. The rain started just as he was done. The rain came down hard and soaked the earth. William laughed with satisfaction at a job well done. Now the cold rain cooled him down from all the work he did for this little seed. He thought about how lucky it was that the light found him that it landed near someone that could help it. He wondered what would have happened if no one took it out of the water. Would it have washed up to shore or simply sank to the bottom of the ocean?

His mind ran wild with thoughts of what might happen next and could have happened if things had been different. The storm was getting worse though and William had to get home. He had a hard time sleeping that night and the next morning ran up the hill to check on the little seed. There was no change, so William went about his day. He had a hard time sleeping that night too and again checked on the seed the next morning. He knew seeds didn’t sprout up overnight, but this wasn’t a normal seed and his excitement kept getting the better of him. For a week he had a hard time sleeping as he was so excited and every morning he would check on the seed. This became part of his morning routine everyday. Though he luckily was able to sleep fine after a week or so.

Williams life went on, the average simple life of a fisherman’s son became the average life of a fisherman. He grew older, got married and had kids and every morning went up to the top of the hill to check on the seed. But the seed never sprouted and no one ever knew why William went to the hill each morning. As William got older, he told his children the story of the glowing seed from the sky, and told them that when they grew up to keep an eye on the hill if they ever got the chance. Time passed still and he told his grandkids the same story. The town grew and the story slowly spread. The story became a local legend and had some that believed the story and others that just thought it was a silly story told to children. Soon other parents told their children this story, but just told as a fairy tale, not told the way William told it, which was more like a set of instructions.

One day, William slowly made his way up the hill. He had gotten old and tired and didn’t know how many more times he would be able to visit his magical seed. He laid out on the grass and looked at the spot where he planted the seed all those years ago. He sometimes wondered if it was all a dream, but hoped more than anything that it wasn’t. He felt so tired, so tired from life and so tired from walking up that hill and began to close his eyes. Before he did, he saw a little sparkle in the grass. A glowing sprout sprang from the earth and shined as bright as a star. William at the age of eighty-five closed his eyes and smiled. The seed was growing and the town legend would live. To see the seed sprout was the only thing left he wanted to do before he died and now he could finally sleep at last. William closed his eyes and dreamed.

The sprout stayed a sprout for years more, but even such a little plant created great excitement in the town. It glowed night and day and the villagers finally had proof that Williams story was real. The town protected the little plant and put up a memorial for William on the same hill. It became William’s hill, home of the starlight plant. Which soon became the Starlight tree…but that’s another story altogether.