The Man, the Myth, the Storyteller

Seeing Jake was not part of the plan, unfortunately, we needed a way through the Forgotten Woods, and he was our best shot. My team and I tramped through the brush, stomping on piles of leaves that had landed on the forest floor.

It was mid-autumn and rather cold. A sharp wind pushed at our backs, almost as a reminder of how quickly and desperately we needed to succeed. Zebulon led the way, slicing away tree branches and batting away bushes. I followed behind him, constantly looking through the trees and past the undergrowth. Zebulon's brother, GK followed me, barely making a sound. Finally, Marelius brought up the rear, stomping behind us in his heavy armor.

"Are we getting any closer?" Marelius asked, as he trudged behind us, guarding our backs with his large broad sword.

"I don't know." Zebulon said. He paused, trying to find the path buried beneath the leaves.

"So, we could be going in the wrong direction?" I asked, keeping an arrow on my bow and glancing around the woods for any danger.

"Well, no." GK said, he kept a hand on the pommel of his sword. "Jake should be close by. It's just a matter of finding his cabin. Some of the villagers said that it moves with the stars. But I don't know how that's possible."

"Didn't they say he was a wizard?" Marelius asked. I heard him stomp impatiently.

Zebulon turned to look back at the strong, big-boned man, "Well, no. Not exactly." Zebulon started forward again, hopefully closer towards Jake.

The sun was beginning to set and we still hadn't found the cabin.

We followed a river for a mile or two, before it did eventually lead to a small field with a wooden cabin at its center.

Zebulon dropped to his knees behind the brush, and we all followed suit.

It was a cute little place. It had a small porch with a single rocking chair. There was a stack of wood by the side of the house and a pile of logs that still needed to cut. The cabin looked quite cozy.

It seemed to have two floors. The top floor had a single window, but I couldn't see anything in it. There were two windows facing the porch, but again I still couldn't see anything. There was a chimney with smoke coming out of the top, which meant someone had to be home. Unless Jake just left fires unattended in his wooden home.

"That's got to it." Marelius said, "Right?"

Zebulon nodded.

"What now?" I asked.

"We go in." He said, "I don't see anyone, and I don't know when or even if he'll be coming out. So, we'll have to go to him. Just stick to the story and we'll be fine."

Marelius brandished his sword, and GK unsheathed his.

Zebulon led us out of the bushes and towards the house. If Jake looked out one of his windows he'd definitely see us, but I doubted he'd be able to out run us. We made it onto the porch. Zebulon took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

There was silence for a moment.

Then the door opened just slightly and a brown eye peeked out, "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Prince Zebulon Katz, and I've come to seek help from Jake the Storyteller."

The brown eye looked Zebulon up and down, before turning to me. I felt a chill go through my body, as if something had reached inside and grabbed my soul.

"Is it just you?"

"No." Zebulon stepped aside, "This is my brother, Prince Gonzaga Katz. Akeyla and Marelius. We have all come to seek your help."

The brown eye looked at Gonzaga and then at Marelius. The eye glanced at all of us multiple times, before the door abrutly shut. There was a scraping of metal, before the door opened wider this time to reveal a tall, brown eyed, pale-skinned young man. He had messy, brown hair and wore pants with a warm looking jacket and shirt.

"Come on in." He said with a sigh, "Since you've come all this way and it would be cruel of me to leave you outside in the dark."

We all walked into the small cabin. Jake sat on a stool next to the fire. "Sorry, I just have one other chair." He said, pointing to the one next to the small dining table.

"Thank you, but we just have one question to ask Jake. So we won't be staying long." Zebulon said.

"Well, I'm Jake. And I'm here to answer your question." He said.

"All we have come to ask you is how to make it through the Forgotten Woods."

Jake glanced towards the fire. The cabin seemed to get colder and the fire seemed to dim. I felt an icy wind blow throughout the cabin. I was sure my team could feel it too.

"There is no way through those woods. You'll have to go around." He abruptly stood up, "Will that be all?"

"No." Zebulon said, pushing Jake back down. "We don't have time to go around. Someone told us you could get through those woods. How?"

"Well, first," Jake gave him an irritated look, "I don't know who told you that. Second, it's probably not worth the risk going through those woods, anyways. I'd take the extra time to go around, especially if it meant saving my sanity."

GK stepped forward and said, "What can you tell us about the woods? Is there anything that you can do to prepare us?"

"No." Jake said, "Now, please leave!"

"I won't leave until you give me an answer!" Zebulon shouted.

"Who are you to come into my house--!" Jake started.

"Please." Marelius said, "We're trying to save my dad."

Jake's eyes widened. He stared at Marelius as if trying to decide whether he was telling the truth. No one moved until Jake slowly sat back down. I breathed a small sigh of relief. The story. Just stick to the story. I was greatful Marelius seemed to be thinking straight.

Jake sighed, "Marelius? Right? I--Would you feel comfortable explaining?"

Marelius paused, "No, I don't. Please, just give us the information and we'll be on our way."

Jake made a painful noise, "Please, tell me. . . . please. Do that and. . .I'll tell you how to get through the woods. Deal?"

Marelius paused as if thinking, then he nodded, and began:

"I was born on the outskirts of a poor town. I was poorer than dirt poor, but my dad, he worked hard. Each and ever day. He worked hard to bring in food and money for me and my little brother. My mom, she did her best. She tried to make us clothes, but fabric is expensive. And so we were always barefoot, wearing short shirts and tight pants. We didn't really have a choice.
"I tried not to complain, but even the poorest people seemed to have clothes that fit. My dad was a carpenter. He would go out to the abandonded barn and carve out walking sticks, yokes, and whatever else people asked for. He was there for hours on end. Sometimes he wouldn't even come home to sleep. He'd sleep out in the cold barn surrounded by wood shavings and partially finished products.
"He would go into the village and sell them for whatever he could get. It wasn't much. Sometimes I would go out and help him. He showed me how to smooth out a piece of wood, how to shave down a piece of wood without it splintering. He would let me hold the hammer so I could hit the nails in.
"One day, he grabbed his things and told me he was going to start a living elsewhere. Someplace where he could make a real living. He said he would try to write to me whenever he had the money. Until then I was in charge of the wood working shop. He handed me a small wood carving kit. 'Just for you.' he told me, before walking out of the door.
"I did what he said, and kept up the wood carving business. I woke up early to do my chores, then went over to the woods where I chopped down trees to get more wood. I carved out as many pieces as I could carry, before hauling it all towards the barn. I would pick out a good piece of wood and chop at it. Carve it. And wittle it into something I could be proud of.
"I would do this as many time as I could. Reusing as many pieces of wood as I could, and always making sure I used every bit of the felled tree. Eventually, I was able to build a nicer house for my mom and little brother, but my dad still hadn't come back. And he had been gone for seven years now. The last letter was five years ago.
"I went into town one day, and word was going around that my dad had found himself in a situation. He was accused of attempting to harm someone. Somehow. The details were vague, and everyone was coming up with some kind of rumor or twist to the story. I know my dad would never hurt someone. So, I grabbed my things and left home. We're going to clear my dad's name and to bring him back home."

All while Marelius had been telling the story Jake had been staring intently at him. Once he had finished, Jake leaned back and took a deep breath as if relieved, "Quite a sad story." He said, "A noble cause. I am curious though. How were you able to convince princes to join you?"

"It's a long story that we don't have time for." Zebulon cut in, "Now, tell us what you know about the Forgotten Woods."

Jake shook his head, "Please, just listen to me. I'm sure you care about your dad, but surely he's not in any real danger."

"Marelius's father was accused of murder." GK said, "That crime is punishable by death. We don't know when the execution will happen, but Zebulon and I both know the rulers. We're hoping to get there and speak with them before he is killed. That's why we need to go through the Forgotten Woods."

Jake pursed his lips, and started poking at the fire with a stick. He was silent for a long time. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if trying to decide whether to keep his word or not.

"Fine." He spat out, as if it pained him to say that, "I did promise you. . . ." He took another long pause before continuing.

"The Forgotten Woods is a place where only the fools go. It is overflowing with monsters that nightmares dream about. The entire woods are choked in this black goop that sticks to everything. The air is stale and dry. There is no wind, just a constant heat with bugs biting at your skin. It is filled with decaying creatures that walk around searching for a living body to attach itself.
"Very few people survive. And very few people come out sane. It doesn't just destroy you phsyically. It destroys you mentally. The sticky black goop, the overbearing heat, the constant stinging of bugs, and the ever present fear of something watching you. It takes a toll. Those who have survived, they don't tell happy stories. They don't tell stories of great valore and bravery. They don't tell stories with courageous heroes. They tell stories of regret, loss, and grief. They speak of unneccessary pain. They talk about forgetting who they are.
"The Forgotten Woods doesn't just destroy your body. It destroys your identity. It destroys you. You are no longer a bold prince. A brave soldier. A daring hero. A compassionate friend. You are lost. Alone. Terrified. Disgraced. You. Become. Nothing. The Forgotten Woods will pick you apart until there is nothing left. Physically. And mentally."

A deep fear became rooted in my chest once Jake had finished speaking. Zebulon stood up and said, "Thank you." I saw straight through him. He was just as terrified as I was. I could hear it in his voice. See it in the way his hands shook. I saw the biting fear in Marelius's eyes and could feel the stabbing doubt in GK's heart.

"Stay the night." Jake said, "It would be inconsiderate of me to tell you things like that only toss you out. You'll have to sleep on the floor, but I think I have some blankets you can use."

Zebulon nodded, "Thank you for your hospitality" He glanced towards us.

Marelius nodded, "We'll have to leave before breakfast though."

Jake nodded, "I understand."

I followed Jake upstairs to help gather blankets and pillows, while the rest stayed downstairs rearranging the furniture trying to make room.

As I was grabbing some blankets Jake said, "Akeyla, I hope this mission of yours succeeds. I understand how important relationships, especially familial ones can be."

"Thank you." Was all I said.

I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my skull. He didn't know we were lying. I was fine. Just need to make it through the night. I took a deep breath and turned to him and asked, "Have you been through the Forgotten Woods."

He quickly shook his head, "No, never been through it. Only heard stories."

"So, the things that you told us, could have been false?"

"True or not. I'd rather not risk it."

The next morning, we all woke up before the sun. Jake handed us each a bag of food and wished us luck.

"If you can, if you survive, come visit me again. I would love to hear your stories."

"We'll do our best." Zebulon said.

We all thanked Jake again and left the clearing, then headed towards the Forbidden Woods.