Monday, August 22, 2011

Chapter 5 -- Clinic


          The agony and the pain, Lancet was just a young 14 year old boy. No one could have imagined such a tragedy would befall on such a young boy’s life. The unconscious Lancet was lying on the cold rocks beside the cliff, his injuries were severe, his wounds were opened, and blood was still flowing out bit by bit, it was truly an eerie sight.


          “Hey! Come over here! Look!” someone shouted.

          “Oh my goodness! Is he dead already!?” gasped the other one.


          Two youthful explorers with their heavy bags and equipment were shocked to find young Lancet in the middle of the forest. They quickly threw their heavy belongings aside and carry Lancet off the edge of the cliff and they are very relieved to find signs of life from the boy, at least he’s still breathing. The kind explorers took out their first aid equipment and tended to Lancet’s horrible wounds, but they knew it was not enough if the boy would ever want to live again. Thus, they carried Lancet together back to the nearest town, Engeve.


          (Cairo….Cairo… where are you?)

          Cairo was grasping on his hand and suddenly she slipped, her screams tearing through Lancet’s heart and she was nowhere to be found. He searched frantically, shouting for her, running around like a madman. Suddenly, her beloved sister appeared and he was so happy to see her! He ran and tried to hug her, but he ended up running into thin air, he couldn’t touch her sister and his biggest fear became true.


Did I really killed my own sister...?
(Brother…why did you released my hand? Did you not love me? Why did you not pull me up when I was about to fall? Tell me….brother…why did you do that to me…?)

(No…no! It shouldn’t have been like this! I love you, Cairo! You are my only sister! I wanted to pull you up! I want to save you!)

(It is you who killed me, brother! I hate you! I HATE        YOU!!!!!)

********************************************************************************* 

          “CAIRO NO!!!!!!!!  ARRRGH!!!!!”


          Lancet literally sprang up from a comfy bed as he shouted, but immediately slumped back onto the soft cushioning. The pain on his back was intense, but the traumatic experience was no match for his back. He stared up to the ceilings and tears were flowing down from his eyes again.

          Tump! Tump! Tump! Tump!

          The door swayed open, a doctor and a nurse appeared. They were shocked to hear Lancet shouting on the upper floor and thus rushed up to his room. When Lancet saw them, he knew he was in a clinic, which explains his white linen robe, comfy white bed and clean bandages on his back.


“Boy, you’re awake! Thank God! You’ve been unconscious for 4 days!” the nurse smiled.

“Yes, yes, luckily the explorers found you in the woods and send you in just in time. I must admit that it’s quite a miracle that you survived with that injury soaking in the rain! Boy, what are you doing in the woods and what happened?” the doctor inquired as he examined Lancet’s back.


          For a second there, Lancet had completely forgotten about the raid of  his village, his parent’s death and his sister, but when the doctor asked him, Lancet’s heart was once again struck. He panicked and sprang up again which surprised both the doctor and nurse, they pushed him back onto the bed, preventing him from escaping. Lancet was eager to escape; he struggled and shouted like a mad man.


“Let me go! LET! ME! GO! I NEED TO SAVE MY SISTER!!!”

“Boy! Listen to me! Boy! You can’t move! Your wounds will open again!” the doctor demanded.

“MY SISTER NEEDS ME! LET ME GO! I NEED TO FIND HER!! IT’S MY FAULT THAT SHE FELL DOWN FROM THE CLIFF!!” Lancet struggled hard.

“BOY! Don’t waste your energy anymore! Boy! She is dead! DEAD!” at last the doctor shouted back at him.

“YOU’RE LYING!! SHE NEEDS ME AND I MUST GO AND FIND HER!!”

“No one! NOT A SINGLE HUMAN SURVIVES THAT FALL! Your sister is really DEAD!!”the doctor took out a syringe, filled with powerful tranquilizer.


          Lancet was jabbed quickly by the doctor, and he gradually stopped struggling, he felt, heavy and sleepy. Deep inside, he knew his sister would never survive that fall and he blamed himself for her death. His eyes felt weary, the tranquilizer was forcing them to shut. Tears once again overflowed his eyes, he fell into deep slumber with a sad countenance.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Chapter 4 -- Separate


The tingling pain on his back, his dampen shirt, and blood oozing out of his wounds, Lancet can feel it all. He looked at his panic-stricken sister, he can’t let her have the same kind of experience as he was having now.


(It is too much a child like her to handle! I must protect her!)


Lancet knew they could never outrun such a monster; however he had no choice but to run back to where they came from. The beast saw his intension and growled deeply. When they ran, it chased them from the back. They arrived beside the cliff and starting to climb.

 With incredible speed, the beast lunged itself towards them and knocked them down. Cairo who was already on the side cliff was knocked from the slippery and narrow route, before she could fall all the down, Lancet, with his quick wits, grabbed hold on her hand as tight as he can. The panther slipped after knocking off Cairo, and it fell down deep into the gorge below. It roared pathetically as it fell, and nothing was heard after a few seconds. At last, the children were free from its attacks.

Lancet was very relieved and tried to pull up his sister using all his might, but to no avail. The pain on his back was extreme, searing with immense pain, as if fiery-red hot horse shoes are pressing against his back. Everytime he try pulling up Cairo, he could feel his muscles torn away, tissue by tissue. He fervently hoped that someone would come to their aid which was very unlikely because no one would dare to cross this forest after knowing the village was attacked by bandits.


“ Brother! I don’t want to fall down there! Save me!” Cairo cried.

“Hold on to my hand! Don’t let go!”


He remained this pose for several hours until the goddess of luck abandoned them. All the birds on the sky returned to their nests on the trees all of a sudden, a gust of strong wind suddenly blew, whipping through Lancet’s hair and streaming it out backwards like a horse’s mane; the branches of trees swaying alarmingly heralding an approaching storm. It was significantly the lull before a storm.


Soon the sky became darker and darker until heavy tonnes of rain poured down from the sky. The water flowed down into Lancet and Cairo’s grasps making it frictionless, causing Cairo unable to hold onto Lancet’s hand any longer……


“Brother, I cant make it…” sobbed Cairo.

“ You will and you can!”


Finally, her hand slipped off Lancet’s tight grasp. Lancet could feel his heart missed a few beats and blood was drained from his forehead.


            “CAIRO!!!! NO!!!! CAIRO!!!!!”
         
ARRRRRGH….BROTHER……”
           

First his parents now his sister! All his family members were gone! He was now left all alone… alone in this world. These harsh realities nearly crushed him. His tears flowed down and he wailed and wailed. He continuously punched the ground with his fist until it was covered with blood and dirt. He felt helpless and his heart broken into smithereens.


 

“ ITS MY FAULT! ITS ALL MY FAULT!!! I DID’NT PROTECT CAIRO!!! I CAN’T DO ANYTHING! I’M USELESS! USELESS! I’M PATHETIC!!! I…I…I… ARRRRRRRGH!!!!” he shouted and shouted until he fell unconscious.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Chapter 3 -- Panther

~The Demonic Panther~
            After two long hours which seems like eternity for the two of them, they finally crossed the side cliff and arrived safely on the opposite side from the previous one. Lancet helped Cairo to sit down so that she could take a rest.

 When he let his guard down, a thunderous roar exploded behind him followed by total silence from other living things in the forest. A terrible stillness had fallen; it was so profound that the whisper of the breeze was loud through the rocks of the wall of the cliff which they crossed just now. The only movement was the flutter and swirl from the green and lustrous leaves.

            Before Lancet could react, a black and monstrous animal pounced onto his back with incredible speed.


            “ Arrrrgh!!! Cairo! Get away!” shouted Lancet in pain.

            “Brother!  No!”


            Cairo quickly stood up but fell again. Although she wanted to make a run from the monster, her fear too overwhelming, and this turned her knees to water. Her tears streamed down uncontrollably, her body shivered tremendously.

"RUN!!!!"

            “ Cairo!!! Run!!!”


            With great trepidation, Cairo seized a stone with the size of an adult man’s fist and threw at the monster’s head. She missed the target, but her actions shocked the monster. The huge monster released its grasp on Lancet’s back, and this gave Lancet a chance to escape from its claws. Lancet swung his hand hard and hit the monster. The beast was astonished by his fight back.



Lancet quickly went and reached his panic-stricken sister. They attempted to run away but it had cut them from any escape routes except for the side cliff which he would not escape to because it was too dangerous. He looked around again, there were no trees nearby. There were no means of retreat.


“ Brother! Your back is bleeding!” gasped Cairo.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Chapter 2 -- Before

"Where are the children?!"

The door slammed open when Lancet was going to open it. A huge and ugly looking man stepped in and pushed him aside with a very rude gesture. His mother quickly helped him to get up and hug him and Cairo.


" Where's the children!? Spit it out, Glaive!I know you're hiding them!" roared the stranger.

His father looked utterly shocked and tried to bargained with the man for the sake of his family members' life. His action were useless and this angered the man. The man pulled out his sword and slashed Lancet and Cairo's unarmed father's shoulder. When he tried to slash Lancet, Glaive threw himself in front of him, using his back to block the sword. While the sword was stucked in his spine, Glaive resist the unimaginable pain and shouted at Lancet.


" Lancet! Bring Cairo and run! Run away from here! Their after the two of you!!!"
" No! Father!!!"

"Run!!! I said Run!!!"


Lancet had no choice but to pulled his sister's hand which was clinging onto their mother's arms away and dashed out from the house.....

.........................................................................................


(Why are the bandits after us?)

He climbed up to the attic which was burnt into half. Their larder was located there, where they store their food. He took a bag and pushed all the food into it. He climbed down again and looked at his parents again. He noticed the necklaces his parents wearing were of the same. The silver necklaces are of the shape of a javelin. He knelt down and remove them. Before leaving, Lancet wanted to give his parents a goodbye kiss but hestitated because their bodies are rotting away and he would not fancy the feeling of kissing a rotting body. He then only used his forehead to touch theirs.


Lancet ran out from the house and brought his sister down the tree. He then helped her to wear the necklace which belonged to their mother. He too wore the other one which belonged to their father. The silver surface of the necklaces glittered as the moonlight shone on it.

 

" Here Cairo, have a bread,"


"Thank you, brother Lancet," Cairo smiled.

After they had their dinner, Lancet and Cairo walk back into the forest again. Their destination is the neighbouring town which required them to cross the forest.


Chapter 1 -- Fear

~The Demolished Village~

Silence and darkness... The children could hear only the chirping of the crickets. There was not even a leaf rustled. They could feel the cold finger of fear gliding down their fragile spines. The children huddled together, not because of the cold, damp virgin forest but their overwhelming fear......


They hold tightly together, afraid that they might accidentally fall down deep from the steep cliff. The children laid their backs on a moss-covered rock and sat down carefully.


"Nothing's gonna happen, Cairo..." whispered the boy.


The girl nestled more closely beside her brother. She was trembling... Her brother felt for her sister's hand in the dark, held it up and pressed hard on his lips.



"Trust me, I'm here..." whispered the boy again



The boy felt for his sister’s hand again, the tension had ebb away, the trembling had stopped. When a girl was only 10 , a big brother of 14 could be wonderfully comforting.

“Brother Lancet, I’m hungry…” mumbled Cairo.

Lancet looked at his sister and sighed, he search for his pockets but found nothing. He thought hardly for a while and pulled his sister’s up.


“Follow me, we’ll find something.”
“Really?” Cairo looked at her brother with hopeful eyes.

It was a brother’s duty to take care his own younger sister. He gazed back towards the thick smoke which torched up to the sky. He decided to go back to their demolished village to search for food. Lancet took Cairo’s hand and started to walk carefully back to the cliff’s surface and ran back to the village.

The nauseating stench of blood, rotting corpes and burning houses stung the children's noses. Lancet dared not bring his sister into the village because he knew that the scene of the village would not be pretty. They hid behind the thick bushes in the outskirts of the village. Before Lancet started his search for food, he carried his sister on his back and climbed up a tree. He reach the second highest branch which was the strongest and carefully seated Cairo on the branch.

"Wait here and don't come down until I'm back." ordered Lancet sternly.

Lancet took out his little dagger made from rough marble and ran straight into the destroyed village. He ransacked every house which was not burnt out completely by the merciless fire that was set by the horde of bandits, who raided the village a day ago. He found a loaf of bread which had its edges burnt.

( I need more food!)



Finally, he reached the last house. He dared not to step into it. He shut his eyes tightly and pushed the cracked door open. Lancet was afraid of looking at his parents....... both dead. A man and a woman laid on the floor. One was stabbed to death and the other had her throat cut. Their face are twisted black ; their eyes are widely opened, staring up towards the ceiling.