Pathway Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The slice of a blade piercing flesh rang through David???s ears. He awoke with a start, his breathing labored in the warm, damp air. His heart drummed as he listened attentively to the still morning. Had he dreamt the sound? Or had it been another sound entirely, only his foggy mind had misconstrued it?
No, he didn???t think so. Everyone else was sitting up too, bodies unmoving, their eyes alive with anxious anticipation. Father held up his pistol, pointing it at the entrance. The outside world was a battle of contrasts, with the sunshine slanting through the trees and illuminating the forest in a heavenly glow, but with the thick morning shadows intermingling with the light, competing for dominance. It was as if a giant had splattered ink in long ribbons in an effort to blot out the sun.
Besides tiny particles of pollen and debris that floated in the golden rays of sun, no movement or life was evident except their own.
David was amazed at his father. His face showed no traces of fear, but his eyes were hard and challenging, beckoning danger to come just so he could have the opportunity to blow it away. His gun hand was outstretched, as motionless and sure as a sturdy tree limb.
With disciplined slowness, father rose and made his way to the front of the shelter, keeping low to the ground. He squinted with a cold calculation, trying to penetrate the secrets of the giant???s inky ribbons, lest within them a malicious entity prowled. The back of his red and black plaid shirt was caked with dirt from the ground, and David thought maybe his father should stain his skin with dirt too, thus camouflaging himself. He should have some sort of camouflage, anyway. But just as David was going to voice his idea, father slipped outside and around the lean-to???s right side.
David crawled to the opening, drawing protest from his mother. ???Honey, get away from there,??? she hissed.
David???s ears heard her, but his mind was elsewhere. Subtly, his head moved back and forth, seeking a glimpse of his father in the ominously calm forest. David expected father to be staying low, sneaking surreptitiously from one spot to another, with the stealthiness of a trained soldier. The noble image was shattered, however, when he spotted father standing only a few yards away, right out in the open, his gun lowered. His mouth was agape as he stared dumbly at something that eluded David???s sight.
What was he doing? Why was he letting his guard down?
David inhaled so hard that the pine-like scent of the lean-to stung his nostrils. The earth underneath him was moist with morning dew. The T-shirt father had given him last night clung to his skin, as wet and damp as the dew-covered ground. David???s curiosity made him wish he could leave the moist, uncomfortable ground and join father in his senseless staring.
???What is it???? Tim asked as he moved up to David???s side.
???I don???t know,??? David answered. ???He???s just standing there.???
David thought he heard a branch snap nearby, but he couldn???t be certain. Ever since yesterday, his brain had become a virtual thesaurus of imaginative scenarios.
Everyone waited, their thoughts no doubt lost in a faraway place, fantasizing a bizarre or unpleasant outcome to father???s escapade outside of the lean-to. At least, that???s what David gathered from their grave expressions. He himself envisioned some peculiar beast barreling out at father. Something massive and unbearably ugly, straight from the pages of Tolkien???s Lord of the Rings.
To David???s surprise, after another moment of watching the forest, father motioned for them to come out. David and Tim exchanged glances. Then they both rushed out together, eagerly joining father to see what had so grabbed his attention.
Everyone else cautiously emerged, slowly looking about, like storm victims hesitantly arising from their cellars after a fearsome tornado. Before long, all six of them were lined up next to father, gazing as one toward the unreal sight before them.
Everyone struggled to process what they saw. Several yards out from them, in a small clearing, an animal the size of a large deer lay dead on the ground. Some scrubby bushes grew around it, obscuring most of its body. A long, gold handled sword protruded from its side. Where had the sword come from? Simas certainly hadn???t been carrying a sword. So whose was it?
Behind the body, a person stood in the shadow of a tree. David could tell right away it was Simas.
Funny how impenetrable the shadows had seemed upon first waking. Now, with the adjustment of David???s bleary morning eyes, the shadows were slowly unveiling what hid inside of them.
Simas stepped up to the body, his face wrinkled in contempt. David thought the sneer was over-the-top, especially for someone who was supposedly filled with so much goodness. But what did he know? Chances were, the animal deserved such contempt.
Another man, hidden from view by a tree wider than the rest, walked into the clearing. He was a towering man, standing over seven feet. His glossy, silverish tunic flashed refulgently in the sunshine. The man???s head was shaved bald, as a monk???s would be, only his was pocked with numerous battle scars ??? definitely not the telltale sign of a peaceful monk.
The bald newcomer didn???t look repulsively at the animal like Simas did, but thoughtfully considered its dead form. With a startling quickness that shattered the quiet scene, the man bent down and yanked out the sword.
David blinked, rubbed his eyes. Then blinked again. Everyone murmured in astonishment, except for father, whose face was still locked in a daze.
Nobody could believe what they???d just witnessed. The stranger now held a small dagger in his hand, not the mighty sword it had been a second ago. He sheathed it in a metallic looking belt cinched tight around his waist.
Next, he glanced over at them. His face was round, plain, and quite unattractive, his nose crooked from being broken perhaps many times. His was the face of a hardened warrior. Yet his sapphire eyes told a whole different story.
David???s belly turned light. Those eyes made everything around him fade away, become nonexistent. Only those sapphire pools of compassion existed. Time came to a standstill, and even David???s heart seemed to stop beating, seemed to seize at the sight of those eyes???those eyes. They were the most beautiful and intense eyes David had ever seen. They spoke to him, telling him he was feeble yet cherished; undeserving, yet attaining full protection; frail yet capable of so much more. It was as though the stranger knew him, could see into him. It was scary.
Yet strangely wonderful.
The man strode towards them, his gaze never breaking away. For a reason unknown to David, everyone around him became unglued. Mark and Belinda urgently backed away, and David was certain they were ready to bolt. Mark tripped over a tree root and fell hard on his rump. Mindy had her head shamefully turned away from the approaching stranger, though David saw no shame on her face, but pure disdain. Tim had backed into a tree, acting the part of a cornered animal. The only explanation that David could think of for everyone???s exaggerated discomfort was that they were not as receptive to this man???s searching gaze as he himself was.
David looked to his mother, who regarded father with worry and surprise. When David noticed why, he felt a cold sickness in the pit of his stomach. Father held up his pistol, aiming it directly at the stranger. As if an electric current were passing through him, father???s arm twitched and shuddered badly. His eyes were wild and primitive.
David was prepared to lunge at father and knock the gun from his hands. This stranger coming toward them had to be Yeshmuel. The one who would lead them home.
And father was ready to shoot him!
The man stopped in front of father, whose maniacal pupils had grown even wider. The shaking gun was right in the man???s face. Father???s finger curled and uncurled around the trigger, as though his finger possessed a warring conscious torn by indecision. David desperately wanted to do something ??? anything ??? but the White Witch of Narnia might as well have petrified him with her magic spell, because he couldn???t do anything. Not even turn away, as he so wanted to.
What was father doing? What had gotten into him?
Surprisingly, the stranger seemed unconcerned that, at any moment, his head could be blown off. He merely placed a reassuring hand on father???s shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. David???s father lowered the gun, appearing to relax and regain most of his composure. Though he still acted leery of this bald, hulk of a man looming over him, father appeared to have broken out of his crazed stupor.
With great relief, David felt a heavy weight lift off his shoulders.
Wearing an expression of delight at being in everyone???s company, as though the incident between him and father had not transpired, the well-built stranger went to each of them, putting a hand on their shoulders, displaying the affection of a man among old friends.
Most of them didn???t respond, but continued to stare like frightened animals. When he touched them, though, their fear seemed to be allayed somewhat.
Mindy was one of the few who pulled away from him, doing it with the revulsion one would have towards a dirty bum on the street.
He came to Mark last, who was still sitting on the ground. Mark looked like a frightened child as the man reached down, took his hand, and helped him to his feet. Mark didn???t thank him or wait for further proof of the man???s geniality. Instead, he scrambled away and hid behind Belinda.
Nobody moved. They were locked in a state of awe over this otherworldly stranger, who demonstrated kindness toward them, yet scared the bejeebers out of them. But why? Why were they all so afraid? Perhaps because in the company of pure goodness, the human heart couldn???t tolerate the conflicting opposite of its own warped spirit.
After a minute or so, Simas joined the crowd, his attitude somber and reflective. He didn???t even acknowledge them, and David wondered if he had bad news to bear.
The stranger took Simas aside, and for a minute or two, Simas spoke rapidly in a rich and soothing dialect, with inflections ranging from deep to very deep. To David, it sounded like a cross between Hebrew and Spanish, engendering a feeling of warmth and???righteous power. David wasn???t even sure what he meant by that; it was the only phrase he could summon to articulate his feelings.
Whenever Simas went quiet, he appeared to be listening closely to the stranger, though no words ever proceeded from the big man???s lips.
After their puzzling discussion came to an end, Simas put on an encouraging smile and addressed everyone. ???My friends, I must now leave you in the hands of Yeshmuel. Do everything he instructs you. Our time is growing short, so you must get a move on at once.???
???Why doesn???t he say something???? David???s mother asked. ???If we???re to follow him, shouldn???t he at least be able to speak????
???Because of your unhearing ears, you cannot discern his voice. But in time, you will. That I can promise you.???
Belinda began to cry, and Mark held her close. She was obviously not enthused by the upcoming journey. She whined like a hurt little girl.
???Please, don???t be afraid,??? Simas spoke not just to her, but to everyone else as well. ???Yeshmuel will take care of you.???
???Why can???t you come with us???? David asked Simas, having already become attached to this chivalrous character who supposedly learned their language in a single day.
???Yeshmuel has informed me that the shedim have dispatched several trackers. I must find them and deal swiftly with them while you make a quick getaway. If they find you, legions of shedim might soon be upon you. Besides,??? Simas ruffled David???s hair, ???you will be in much better hands than my own.???
???I???m not going with him,??? Belinda pointed to Yeshmuel, her face red with tears.
???What are you scared of???? Said Mindy. ???He???s just a stupid mute.???
???You would be unwise not to follow him,??? Simas cautioned.
A light wind kicked in, and sinister clouds rolled over the sun. The clouds had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, an omen of oncoming peril.
???Everyone, what else can we do???? Mother said.
???Find our own way,??? Mark suggested.
???And risk running into Lord knows what out there????
???My mom???s right,??? Tim said. ???You can all risk wandering around and running into those shedem, or whatever those flipping things are called. But this bald guy???s got the sword, so I???m placing all my bets on him.???
???Yeah, but Carl here has the gun,??? Mark argued. ???And I don???t know bout??? you, but I???ll trust a gun any day over a sword.???
???Dad, your going with Yeshmuel, right???? David asked.
???Yeah, what about it, daddio???? Mark said.
???Carl, you might not have enough ammunition,??? Mother worriedly pointed out, knowing he might distrust Yeshmuel enough to go his own way.
Father???s bland expression was hard to read. He was like a computer, storing and processing each opposing voice for analysis. Silently, he weighed each option. But David didn???t care which road his father chose. David would trust his own heart, which told him ??? screamed to him ??? to follow Yeshmuel.
Finally, father looked at them, his eyes still unreadable, the stress of the situation appearing to have aged him by ten years. Without comment, he sauntered over to the lifeless corpse a few yards away. He examined it up and down, pursing his lips. The gun slipped from his tremulous hand, and with a detached nonchalance, he stooped over and picked it back up.
When he walked away from the body, his face was pallid and stricken. David was ready to rush up to him and see if he was all right, but as he returned to them, father clenched his jaw and stood straighter, a fiery determination consuming his eyes.
He looked to each of them, building the suspense the way a cliff-hangar did in one of his novels.
His voice trembled. ???We???re following Yeshmuel,??? he said.
Having made his decision, father tucked the gun into his belt and casually walked toward their new guide. Yeshmuel immediately turned on his heels and strode away, not wasting another moment.
???Hurry,??? Simas urged, ???you must get a move on.???
???Will we ever see you again???? Inquired David.
Simas crouched down to David???s level, taking him by both arms, their noses only inches apart. ???I don???t know, my young friend,??? he said in a fond voice. ???But I can tell you truthfully, I hope we will be together again someday. Then we can get to know each other better, and you can teach me more regarding you race.
???At first, I thought you humans were just as revolting as the shedim, but I see now that even through your many follies, there is a little bit of my people in you as well. You and your family have taught me something new about love and mercy during our hours spent together, and I will cherish it always.???
Simas gave David a strong farewell hug, then stood and confronted Mark, who, with great uncertainty, watched Yeshmuel head further and further into the woods.
???Well???? Simas said in a parental tone.
???Well, I??????
???Your time is running out.???
Mark paced back and forth. ???Okay, fine, fine. We???ll follow him.???
???Marrrk,??? Belinda protested.
???Well, what are we supposed to do? We???ll never make it on our own. We have no choice. Not a stinking choice!???
???But??????
???Look, Carl here has a gun, so if Frankenstein there even makes a hint at violence, he???ll pump him full of lead. Now let???s go.???
Still sobbing, her head hanging in defeat, Belinda let Mark enfold her in his arms and usher her in the direction Yeshmuel was going. David turned to say some parting words to Simas, but the man had already departed on his assignment, whether by natural or unnatural means was anyone???s guess. For all David knew, Simas had teleported himself to his next destination.
Tim suddenly popped out of the lean-to, the sack of leftover meat flung over his shoulder. He looked uneasily at the building storm clouds. There was a dread in his eyes, as if he believed the storm was coming just for him, and him alone. ???Come on, bro,??? he said, eyes never leaving the clouds. ???We???d better hurry.???
As Tim hurried past him, David glanced behind, unwilling to leave until he caught a detailed glimpse of the unknown corpse. Walking at an angle from which he could see better, David still had trouble seeing beyond the bushes. However, he could still make out a few essential details of the creature: The skin was scaly, lumpy. The back of its head was well-rounded, appearing to have a primate-type cranium. And, most disturbing of all, one of the thing???s outstretched arms contained a human-like hand with vicious claws, long and hooked, much in the manner of a bear???s.
David just stood there, pondering the corpse???s identity, its origin.
???David, come on,??? Mother yelled. Everyone was several yards off already.
???David,??? father repeated sternly.
David broke his attention away from the body and ran to catch up with them.
The wind picked up, kicking up leaves and blowing them into frenetic swirls that encircled David with an air of menace.
The shadow of the looming clouds ate up the forest, their murky presence matching the mood of David???s heart.