Touching Treasure

Jestin awoke with a start. The first thing she heard were screams. She jumped up and ran out of her room, out of the house and into the centre of the village. There was chaos. Everyone was running around trying to escape. The village was burning to the ground. Jestin stared around, watching as everyone ran as fast as they could to the next village. Why was the village burning? Everyone had always been extremely careful with fire. She looked around, searching for the source of the fire spreading wildly through the village. There were men starting the fires. They rode through the village on horseback, setting the houses in the small village alight. Why would anyone hurt this tiny village? Jestin couldn’t understand it.
Jestin’s mother appeared beside her. “We have to go!” she shouted. “We have to go to the next village.”
Jestin shook her head. “I know a faster way.”
Jestin’s mother disagreed. “We don’t have time for your forest adventures. This is an emergency. We have to go with everyone else – the usual way.”
Jestin’s mother was soon swallowed up by the crowd of people running towards the next village. They did not wait for Jestin. She was knocked to the ground, and lay there unconscious.

When Jestin woke up, the village was overrun by the men on horseback. Jestin could not escape to the next village – the usual road was blocked. If the men saw her, she knew they would kill her. No one was left in the village beside her, and the only way left unguarded was the path to the forest. Jestin ran into the forest, comfortable in its environment. She knew a quick way to the next village from there. Unfortunately, some men saw her.
She ran as fast as she could, and eventually the sound of the horses’ hooves faded into the distance. She had lost them in the trees. But now she too was lost. She did not know this part of the forest. Her clothes were ripped and torn by the trees as she had run blindingly, desperate to escape. The trees hid her, but their branches had scratched at her face and ripped her clothing. She had to find her way to the next village.

Jestin sat down to rest for a few minutes, and then stood up again. She moved forward, tripping on a large branch and falling face down. She shook her hair out of her face, and stood up slowly. She looked at the branch she had tripped on. It had broken as she tripped over it, and noticed something wedged under the large branch. She lifted the decaying branch and threw it a few feet away. The object she had seen was buried in a mass of dried leaves. Jestin scrambled through the leaves, looking for what she had seen. She found it again and studied it as it rested in the palm of her hand. It was a fragile, extremely old piece of parchment.

Jestin instinctively knew that this was what the people on horseback had wanted. She was determined that they should not get it. She tried to rip it to shreds, but it would not tear. She guessed that it would not burn either. She then tried to read the words etched into the paper. It was a note that someone had made to remind themselves of where a prince had hidden his greatest treasure. “This must never be lost. To be safe, it is hidden in a secret panel in the statue standing in the centre of the smallest village on the east coast of the land.”
The men on horseback were suddenly all around Jestin. They took the piece of parchment she had been holding, and forced her to follow them, throwing her onto a horse.

The statue that stood in the village had not been destroyed by the fire. The men clustered around the statue, looking for the secret panel. They could not find it, and threw Jestin before the statue, demanding that she find the panel. Jestin had no choice but to try. Besides, she was curious as to what was in the secret panel. There had been stories of the royal people. They had enormous wealth and treasure. The prince was said to have fallen in love with a maiden from the village Jestin lived in. The maiden was killed by the prince’s father, as the prince had to marry a princess, or lady of high stature. The prince, in turn, had run away from the kingdom, never to be heard of again. It was believed he had died in the forest. The royal empire had slowly crumbled to the ground thereafter. It was a tragic story, and Jestin had always hated the ending.

Jestin found the secret panel without much difficulty. The statue was of a lady carrying a sword, holding it in front of her chest, pointing it heavenwards. Jestin had been thrown to the ground beside the statue, and so she had a perfect view of the top of the hilt of the sword. There was a little button on it. Jestin pressed the button, and a scroll slid out of the hilt. Before she could open the scroll, the men pulled it away from her. They read the scroll with murderous expressions. They threw it to the ground, and then rode away from the village, never to be heard of again.

Jestin picked up the scroll and began to read. The scroll was a letter written to the prince by his beloved maiden. It told the prince that she was not dead, as he was lead to believe. The poison his father had given to her was cured by the village healer, her brother. She was hiding in the village so that no one would know she was still alive. She told him to meet her in the forest, and they could start a new life together, far away.

So that was the prince’s greatest treasure. The letter sent to him by his beloved that pulled him out of his misery and grief and gave him happiness and hope. The prince wanted to know that the cause of his greatest happiness was safe and would never be lost. Jestin clapped with joy. So there was a happy ending to the old tale after all. The prince and the maiden had run off together, to start a new life, probably in some far away village.
Before running to the next village to tell everyone what had happened, Jestin rolled the scroll up, and pushed it back into the secret panel. The panel sprang shut, holding the scroll once again.

We're Watching

It was always darker in this part of the island. Shera couldn't figure out why. The sun was almost always shining beautifully. Clouds were rarely seen in the sky. Yet it seemed much darker than in other parts of the little island. A chill breeze blew here that never seemed to come from any general direction.

Shera sat down on a large rock that overlooked the ocean. She had been given the responsibility of keeping watch over the sea. Creatures from the ocean liked to roam onto the land. Certain creatures were not allowed to come ashore. If Shera saw any creature come ashore, she was to report it immediately to the Head Watcher.

The Watchers were a team of islanders that worked at keeping the island safe from the ocean creatures. There had always been Watchers – for thousands of years. Shera was not as experienced as the other Watchers. She was new to the Watcher ways. She was still a trainee, and she still had so many questions. Why was it darker here? What were the creatures lurking beneath the surface of the ocean? Why were they so dangerous?

Shera squinted into the far distance, watching the still, calm waters. There might have been ripples – she wasn't sure. Then a lone figure rose up from the waters. Shera stared, her breath caught. She had never dreamed that she would see anything at all emerge from the sea. She sat, too stunned to move. The figure had a human form till the waist, and then its body curved out into a tail similar to that of a seahorse. It stood suspended above the water, staring straight at her. It was too far out for her to discern any features of its face. It beckoned to her, slowly curving one hand. Shera stood, pulled by a sudden urge to find out more about the creature. She began to walk, and found herself on the sandy shore of the island coastline. She gazed out at the creature. It began to move closer. It was beautiful. Shera could not believe that anything that beautiful could be harmful.

“Do not come any closer,” the creature spoke, its voice drifting musically towards Shera. Shera stopped dead in her tracks – so to speak. The creature did not move any closer. “Are you a Watcher?” the creature asked.
Shera nodded in awe, not trusting herself to speak.
“You must be new. Any other Watcher would have tried to harm me or kill me by now. This is good – the sea creatures may have a chance for a better future.”
“Better future?” Shera found her voice. “What do you mean?”
“We may be allowed to come onto the shore one day.”
“That is not allowed,” Shera stammered.
“I know. But we have the right to be able to come ashore – it is our island too. It is not fair for us to stay hidden.”
Shera did not understand. “You are forced to stay hidden because you would harm us.”
“Have I harmed you?” The creature paused. “The Watchers are a force created to rule the island with false fear. We will not harm any of you. The Watchers know that.”
“I don’t believe you.” Shera turned to walk away.

The creature spoke again, stopping her. “Speak to the Watchers. They will tell you the truth.”
“What do you want from me?” Shera asked, not sure what the purpose of this was.
“Convince the Watchers to let us come ashore.”
Shera bit her lip. “I can try.” She ran quickly to the Watcher Headquarters. She explained everything quickly to the Head Watcher.
The Head Watcher shook his head firmly. “The creatures are not to be allowed to come ashore.”
“Why?” Shera asked, pressing the issue. “Why? What have they done?”
“What have they done? They are evil creatures, Shera. Do not let the beauty and sweet, musical words fool you. They cannot be allowed to come onto the island. They would destroy it – pull it under the ocean.”
Shera froze in horror. “Then why do you continue to let them live beneath the ocean water? Why have you never tried to drive them away somehow – or destroy their home?”
The Watcher frowned. “I don’t have time to explain this to you. Meet me tomorrow, and I will tell you.”

Shera, however, did not believe the Watcher. She found the creature still waiting in the ocean. She told them that they could come ashore whenever she was Watching. She would not tell anyone. The creature smiled widely. Suddenly the sky lightened up – it was no longer dark. The chilly breeze turned warm. Shera smiled too.
When she explained what she had done to everyone on the island, they believed her a hero. There was no more fear of the evil creatures of the ocean, and the Watchers were forced to stop ruling the island – everything seemed perfect.
Things were too perfect. The sun never set now throughout the whole island– the sky was always clear. It never rained, and the breeze was always stuffy and hot.
The islanders had always been a peaceful kind of people. Now, however, they seemed to become confused about what was right and what was wrong – what was good and what was evil. Fights erupted regularly, and the islanders began to take everything for granted – they were fearless and violent.

Shera realized something was wrong. She found the former Head Watcher and asked him if he knew what was happening. The Head Watcher rested his head in his hands. “You destroyed our island. I told you that was what would happen. The island needed those creatures to be evil. Now there is no evil. If ‘evil’ doesn’t exist, then how do you define ‘good’? If there is no darkness – then what is light? When the islanders had something to fear, they knew what was bad and what was good. With nothing to lose and nothing to fear, they take risks – they care about nothing. They have no leader – and will accept no leader.”
“How can we fix this?” asked Shera in anguish. “This is entirely my fault.”
“You invited the creatures onto the island. You can tell them to return. If they cannot set foot on the island shore, they will show their true colours, and that side of the island will return to the way it used to be. The islanders will be forced to listen to the Watchers again. It may not work – the islanders may remain the way they are – but it’s the only solution I can think of to fix this mess.”

When Shera told the creatures to return to the ocean, they did. They screamed and cursed and turned into horrible ferocious things, but they returned to the ocean. The islanders watched the whole scene, with shivering silence. How had they let such creatures roam their island free?

As the Head Watcher predicted – things began to return to the way they had been. The chill breeze returned, and the sky grew darker. The islanders, however, did not change. They accepted the Watchers as their protectors, but would not follow any of their laws. Finally, the Head Watcher called a meeting. All the Watchers joined forces and erased the memory of the last few weeks from the minds of all the islanders. The islanders reverted back to being pleasant and cheerful, and the Watchers were relieved.
“How did you erase the memories of everyone?” Shera asked the Head Watcher one day.
The Head Watcher smiled slightly. “How long have I been Head Watcher?”
Shera frowned. “For as long as I can remember.”
“Over thousands of years,’ The Head Watcher smiled the same smile Shera had seen on the beautiful creature that had hovered over the ocean waters. “All Watchers go through what you went through, Shera. Watchers become part of the ocean. What did you think the creatures of the ocean were called? We watch over the islanders and make sure they are safe and content. Now you can join us.”

To Touch the Stone

The sun was at its highest point on Friday afternoon and there was not a cloud in the sky.  Karl was sick of this weather. He was a not a normal boy and he did not get bored very easily, but lately every day seemed as though it was the same as the one that had come before it. He wanted something different. It was not as though he just wanted it to rain – he wanted a different sort of day – something new – something fresh. He wanted to smell the damp freshness of the earth after a thundershower. Instead all he could smell was the musty and stuffy air around him as he sat in his biology laboratory at school. It was his last class for the day and as usual, none of the children were paying any attention.

The bell rang – it was always the most pleasant sound to the class on a Friday afternoon. To Karl, however, it was the sound of doom. The school was the only place that he could be normal – just like everyone else. At home, things were different. He lived alone and it had to stay that way. A special stone lay in his home. His job was to guard that stone with his life. Everyday there were people who tried to steal it – people who had special abilities. But he was trained well, by his father. A lump formed in his throat as he thought about his father’s death. His father had died protecting the stone. His mother had died a few moments after Karl’s birth. He shook his head and threw his bag onto his shoulder, striding out of the school and out into the street.

After walking a few streets, Karl noticed that a girl was trying, rather clumsily, to follow him. He stopped and turned around. There was no one there. 
“I know you are there,” he called out. “So show yourself.” 
The girl cautiously came out of her hiding place, looking very nervous. “I need your help,” she said.

“So you decided to follow me?” Karl raised an eyebrow. “Why do you believe that I can help you?”

“You have the stone.”

Karl narrowed his eyes. “How do you know about the stone?”

“Ask me no questions. I just need the stone”

“You will not get the stone. No one gets the stone.”

“If I do not take the stone to my step sister, she will kill me.” The girl was desperate. “If you do not give it to me, I will be forced to take it from your home.”

Karl laughed. “That is not possible.” He paused. “What is your name?”

“Cassy.”

“What does your sister need with the stone?” Karl asked.

“I do not know. I did not ask as I feared for my life.”

“What kind of person is she?” asked Karl, studying her.

“She has a strong need to know and control everything.” Cassy said simply.

“Very well, then she wants the stone for knowledge; so she may have it.”

Cassy gaped at him. “What?”

“Tell her I will give it to her freely. However, you must warn her that when she touches the stone, it will destroy her.”

As night approached, Karl heard a knock on his door. Cassy stood there, next to a frowning woman. Karl smiled. “Come in,” he said, and they entered.

Karl walked to his fireplace and stood there a moment before he disappeared completely. He emerged into a small dark room that held only one object, the stone, a tiny beautiful thing, hidden in the deepest and darkest corner of the room. He picked it up carefully, holding nothing but the will to protect within his mind. He returned to his home, appearing in the exact second he had disappeared, so it was as if he never left. He turned to face Cassy and her sister.

Cassy’s sister held a stony expression as she glared at him. “The stone?” she demanded of Karl.

Karl inclined his head and held out the stone, but did not hand it over. “Did Cassy warn you of what would happen if you touched the stone?”

The woman nodded impatiently. “Yes, just give me the stone.”

Karl did not give it to her, but he unclenched his fingers from around it.

The woman reached out and grabbed it from his open hand. As her fingers touched it, her eyes went wide. Karl watched as what she desired was given to her, knowledge flowing into her through the stone, flowing so swiftly and quickly that only he could see what was happening. He watched understanding of what she had done and what would happen to her dawn on her with the power of the stone. A blink later, she gasped for breath and threw the stone to the ground, but it was too late. She held her hands to her head, but the gesture did nothing to help. She scrunched her eyes tight, dropped to her knees, and with the softest of sighs, she fell.

Karl smiled at Cassy as he picked up the stone again, covering it in his fist. “The best way to defeat and destroy people that come after the stone for knowledge is to give it to them,” he said. “If the seeker requires knowledge, then to touch the stone is to touch all the known secrets of the universe. One person cannot know all there is to know. It would destroy them. Your sister’s mind could not withstand under the pressure of all that knowledge.

So, remember this: knowledge is the most powerful of things – the more you have, the more powerful you are – and too much knowledge can destroy just as easily as too little knowledge can.