Next Time

After that last frightful incident at Redwood, I decided to take some time off from the fast deliveries and only accepted normal delivery requests. I didn't go back to the old trail, choosing to reach Chalkbarrel via the most used longer route instead, the New Chalk Road.

But I barely had any cargo to take through the new road. There was a lot of competition going around my village for regular deliveries, from Sweeny Buckle, owner of the biggest and fanciest wagon, to old Doyle's son, who had just acquired the newest and more modern carriage model. The two hogged all the packages, leaving me with almost nothing.

Money quickly began to run low in my pockets without having the emergency fees to collect. Thankfully, all the people from my village and even from neighboring towns kept insisting that I do more fast deliveries to Chalkbarrel. It started to get hard to ignore all the requests, especially all the extra payments promised for it. Some folk even raised prices to a very persuasive amount to convince me to take their orders.

It didn't take longer for me to cave in and accept their packages. The scare from my last encounter had dwindled from my memory and going back to Redwood started to feel not as frightening as before.

The wagon had been full of packages and I couldn't postpone this trip any longer. I owed carpenter Roy many new parts for the wagon and he had come to collect his payment a couple of times already this week. The extra coins from this fast delivery were going to come in handy and pay a lot of debts.

So, by the end of the afternoon, I set off to the Redwood once again. A few hours later, I reached the beginning of the old trail.

"Let's see what we will find on this road this time…" I said to Wooly as I urged him into the old trail. There was a strange feeling buzzing inside my chest, something I couldn't quite describe or understand… But the chance of meeting Erebus again made my heart beat a little bit faster… of fear, apprehension, or excitement, I couldn't tell.

Deep down, I think I was hoping he'd show up again, but I wasn't sure why I'd hope for something like that. I knew how dangerous he really was… Perhaps I was starting to get addicted to the rush of escaping danger. That was the only explanation for all the conflicting feelings I was having boiling inside of me.

Soon, the narrow passage where our last encounter had taken place drew near and it was with a mix of dread and anticipation that I saw yet another tree laid across the path, blocking my way.

"You've got to be kidding me. Again with the same trick?" I hissed under my breath as I pulled sharply at Wolly's reins. "First time around was already so lame, why does he think I'm falling for this again?"

I stepped down from the wagon, grumbling in annoyance.

Unlike last time, he didn't wait to reveal himself, he was already standing by the edge of the woods, looking my way. But I didn't even acknowledge his presence and just stomped to the back of the wagon to get my ax to cut down the tree, so I could get back on my way as soon as possible. I couldn't waste a single minute on this delivery or I was going to have to say goodbye to my so-awaited bonus fee.

It was a much smaller tree blocking the way this time, it wouldn't take much of my time to chop it all off. It'd be just a minor delay that I could make up for by pressing Wooly to go a bit faster than usual for the rest of the way.

I took a few quick peeks in his direction from time to time as I hacked down the tree, but made no mention of going his way. He sagged down his shoulders, looking defeated and sad, but I had no intention to go over there to console him if that's what he intended with that act. That 'poor sap look' he was giving could be just another one of his tricks to make me go near him and if he was trying to play with my sympathies here, I wasn't going to let him fool me again.

He stood there, waiting patiently for a while, but his patience could only go so far and then he was done with the waiting.

A strange change in the weather began to unravel. A slow breeze started to blow over the trail, so light I almost didn't notice at first, but the wind quickly turned into a violent gale, slashing at the trees at the edge of the forest, making them groan loudly under the force of the wind.

Even though he was far away, I could tell that Erebus was somehow behind this sudden change in the weather. He stood there, glaring at me, arms folded, crossed over the chest, sulking in silence as his dark mantle billowed in a frenetic dance played by the wind.

A few tall trees now bend dangerously over the trail, threatening to break under the heavy hand of the gale swatting relentlessly at them.

A violent storm was brewing at a fast speed, getting ready to fall under my head. One of the tall trees let out a scary cracking sound as the gale pushed hard against it. It was barely holding it together, one more blow like that, and it would break in two and fall right across the road.

Only then I realized some new time-wasting obstacles were about to be soon thrown my way again.

Who knew how many more trees were going to fall down, broken by the hand of this sudden storm? And how many of them I was going to have to chop off to clear the way? How much time could I still lose here, before my deadline for the deliveries ran out?

I glanced at Erebus and he was still standing there, glaring at me. He made a very subtle tilt of the head, his way of telling me to come closer, or else…

I let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, yeah. I know what you're doing." I grumbled under my breath and tossed the ax on the ground, before raising both hands in the air to signal my surrender. "Alright. You win. I'm coming." I shouted as I walked towards him. The gale subdued almost immediately, the second the words left my mouth.

I made sure to stop before the shadows cast by the trees on the ground. I sure wasn't going to make the same mistake of getting too close again. The wind had vanished completely now, leaving only dead silence around us.

Erebus wasn't portraying himself as a helpless man anymore. He seemed cautious and a little defensive, with a shade of suspicion casting over his eyes, dimming their usual unnatural glint.

He wore a heavy-looking cloak over his shoulders, which he wrapped around himself, encased in it like his protective armor. The cloak was as dark as a moonless night and very long, stretching behind him until it merged into the shadows of the forest at his back.

And he too, had taken a safe distance, standing further away from the shadow limits of the forest. I guess crossing that line had caused him more harm than I accounted for.

Purple dark bags showed prominently under sunken tired eyes, shallow cheeks marked his face more prominently and there was a weight on the shoulders that was never there before. All the annoyance and irritation I was feeling vanished instantly when I realized the frail state he seemed to be in.

"Are you okay?" I asked in genuine concern. "You seem… unwell."

He didn't answer and just glared at me, a hint of accusation and resentment lingering faintly in his stare as he wrapped himself around his cloak a little bit tighter. A pinch of guilt stung inside, which made me wonder if I could have been in some way responsible for causing him this kind of hurt.

"I didn't know crossing the forest's limits would have this effect on you," I said, watching him attentively. "You really can't leave, can you?"

He shrugged his shoulders as if that was just how things were and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

"I'm sorry for that. Everyone should be able to go wherever they wish. It's not okay to be held captive like this." I told him in all honesty. "But I'm not apologizing for you being hurt, though. I wasn't the one hurting you. And you did try to eat me, you know." I was trying to sound playful, but a hint of accusation still escaped my voice.

He glanced down and his eyes got concealed by the dark locks of his hair that fell softly over his face. He didn't reply to anything though, choosing to remain in silence.

I stood there in silence for a moment, watching him, and then I decided I was done with this interaction. I had nothing more to say to him and he didn't seem in the mood for talking. I didn't know why all that 'racking up a storm' thing was all about if he didn't plan to say anything to me after all.

"Well… that was a nice chat," I muttered, trying to bite back on the sarcasm. "Guess I'll be going. Still got a tree to chop over there." I was about to turn and leave when I heard his voice for the first time in the evening.

"I wasn't trying to eat you," he blurted out.

I stopped and turned to him.

"I don't… that is not what I want." He continued, a bit more softly now.

I eyed him with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out his intentions.

"And what is it that you want?" I asked.

"I… want to get you to this side." He answered, sounding earnest.

"Why? So you can serve my fresh corpse to the forest? Make me push some daisies in there and such?"

"No," he muttered grumpily.

"Why then?"

"So you can see."

I hesitated before I asked. "See… what?"

He tilted his face up so our eyes could meet again and said, "Come". He gave quite a scary-looking smile, before adding, "Come and you will see."

"Yeah, I'll have to take a pass on that," I said with a laugh. "You are very persistent, I'll give you that. Never met someone as diligently determined to trick me as you." I took a small, polite bow, to show him how impressed I was and he let out a huff of annoyance, like a child pouting over some silly problem, which made me chuckle in return.

"It was considerate of you to pick a smaller tree to toss over the trail this time. I appreciate less work, this tree is no doubt way easier to chop it off." I told him, still watching from a safe distance. "But I'd appreciate it even more if you could, you know, not toss any more trees over the trail if you could? Please?"

"I will not stop." He affirmed, raising his chin up in defiance. "It's the only way to make you pause your journey and come talk to me."

He crossed his arms over his chest, the movement causing a small gap to show on his cloak, and I was able to see that the once immaculate marbled skin of his arms was now charred and marked with nasty-looking dark burns.

"You're doing all of this to talk to me?" I said, eyebrows raised in surprise.

He didn't respond, just stood there quietly sulking.

"I guess I would've passed through without stopping if it wasn't for the trees across the way…" I conceded on his behalf.

"Yes. I had no choice. Those trees had to be sacrificed." He countered and another strong gale swept by us abruptly, making me give a couple of steps back in fright.

"The forest is not pleased with what you are making me do. Not pleased at all." He let me know with quite a dark glare. "It doesn't like me tearing down its trees."

I was taken by surprise at this reveal. I've never thought of the forest as an entity in itself, something that could have feelings, that could hurt, hunger, or be angered. "I supposed the forest wouldn't like that very much." I agreed with his reasoning.

"But what else could I do? It was the only way!" He said, turning slightly back as if talking to the forest now. "He wouldn't have stopped any other way!"

I would have laughed at the absurdity of this situation, but I couldn't. I was too stunned by the sight of him, by the graceful way he moved and how his cloak floated in a fluid motion, until it settled down on the ground, merging into his own shadow.

The mantle seemed to be made of darkness itself… perhaps it was even a part of himself, like an arm, or his hair? He was The Dark after all… It could very much be.

He certainly defied all reason and many natural laws, that was quite evident.

Erebus was a mixed breed of good and evil, imperfect in his perfection, childish and ancient, a strange contradiction who could be both deadly and vulnerable at the same time. He was the most extraordinary thing… something that, I suspect, I wouldn't have the chance or privilege to witness ever again in my lifetime.

"I'll tell you what… how about we make a deal, you and I?" I proposed and he perked up at hearing that. "What if I say I'll stop to talk to you, for a little while, whenever I pass through this trail? And in return, you don't cut any more trees or try to block the path any other way. Redwood won't lose any more trees. And I come to talk to you. No one needs to get hurt this way. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

He turned slowly to me, wrapped in his dark flowing mantle.

"I agree," he said after a while and extended one charred hand for me to shake.

It was such an instinctive response, born out of habit, that I didn't think before I took one step ahead and almost walked up to him to shake his hand. But the memory of our last encounter was still vividly engraved in my head and I hadn't forgotten what would happen if I ever got too close again.

"Persistent, persistent…" I admonished, shaking my head at him and taking a step back, while a tiny smug smirk showed at the corner of his lips. "Whatever it is you want me to see there, I ain't interested," I told him firmly. "Coming here to talk to you doesn't have to be unpleasant, you know. If you'd stop with the hostile attitude and all the tricks, I could even start looking forward to coming here, instead of trying to avoid it altogether. Just… some food for thought. I'll let you think about this while I'll go back to chop off that tree over there."

I turned around and took a few steps to the road, but then I stopped and turned to him one last time, just to say, "It was a nice talk we had here, by the way. I'm glad we could work things out. For the next time I visit."

I went back to my ax in a much happier mood than the one I'd started the night with.