Chapter 3

The Mess I Created

I've been glued to the book ever since I found it and it has been my morning routine to go back reading to where I left off. It is always hidden under my pillow since I am not sure what they will do if they catch me with such an odd book. However, I still go about my day normally as If it is not in my possession just to not look suspicious. I also discovered pages I missed—starting right after the herbs. It discusses the symbols I saw the other night which, from my understanding, 'rune magic'.

The first page of the content talks about its history—mainly the founder who constructed this formula of what he calls 'artificial magic'. It was made to give more opportunities to technological advancements, it said. The rest was just his life story I found too bothersome to read. As the book concludes that it took several days to read, the trees outside are going bald and my room feels a lot colder.

I am now left with ten blank pages of the book to stare at the end while hearing loud chopping sounds outside. With the sounds grabbing all my attention, I can't hesitate but hide the book and go downstairs to check. I dress up in a hooded cloak before leaving, made from the hide of a hanres usually hunted by imar for food. The edges of the hood and placket are made from the fluffy fur to protect me from the very cold breeze.

As I go downstairs, Imar is knitting in the living room in front of a lit fireplace with a basket of yarn on the ground beside her. I continue straight to our door to exit by reaching the door knob. The ground outside is scattered with golden leaves while I still feel the slight cold of the breeze despite wearing a cloak. There is barely any light in the sky, just a light when the sun rises and sets. I walk to the right side of our house where the chopping sounds are. The chopping noise gets clearer as I walk closer until apar appears at my sight in front of a stump beside a three foot pile of small chopped logs.

"Apar."

"Oh, what is it, boy?"

"Just saying hi."

"Well hi there too."

We are staring at each other for a while as he holds his giant axe that is a similar length as my height.

"Is there something you want?" He said.

"Well...." I said while staring down at my feet.

I do want something from him, but I am not sure if he is willing to accept my request.

"Can I help you, apar?"

"Hmm...? help me with what?"

"Your work."

"My work?!" he said as he burst out a huge laugh. "You're going to need a body like mine to do my work."

"Well... it doesn't have to be a heavy load.. like... chopping small woods like you are doing right now."

He then brushes his thick beard with his hand as he tries to think.

"All right, try grabbing that smaller axe by the house."

As he instructs, I approach the axe that is only half my size compared to apar's and attempt to carry it with both my hands. My nerves are showing as I try to lift it, so I instead drag the axe all the way to the stump that is also half my height. Apar grabbed one of the remaining small logs and placed it on the stump—matching my height.

"Chop it," Apar said with a chilling voice.

I swallow and slowly lift the axe up high above my head with my clenching teeth; The axe is trying to pull me further back so I tense my arms and bring it down with a swift in front; However, it lands on the stump's edge—missing the log. Apar burst out a huge laugh again while watching me struggling to pull the axe out with a furious face.

"That's enough, boy," He said while swiping a tear out his eye. "Do you see my point now?"

All I can do now is look down at my feet again with my eyebrows down and both of my hands glued onto the axe.

"If you're really that bored, then I want you to do something."

I quickly lift my head up with a sense of hope on my face.

"I am all ears!"

"I want you.. to get us buckets of water from the river for the rest of the winter."

"Ah...?"

"Is something the matter, boy? didn't you say... you wanted to help me?"

"I want to help with your work."

"I told you, you cannot with that body of yours."

"Then how can I gain that body I need.. i...if I don't do your kind of work."

"You can't even do it to begin with, boy."

"Then what can I do?"

"Like I said, get us water."

"It's not your work though."

"Well... consider it as your own work."

I look down at my feet again with my brow lowering combined with more closed eyes.

"Prove me your capability once I see you carrying water to the house."

"...Fine....."

I let go of the axe as I sigh and walk away like a zombie.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

{-Ω-}

The sun is about to set while carrying a bucket of water that weighs a ton, even making a trail from all the spills. Apar enters the house but is unaware of my presence. I am able to make it in front of the house—giving me the ability to hear my parents talking.

"Has Rafyr come home?" I heard from the deep voice of apar.

"Huh?!.. Did he go out?"

"He came to me earlier.. you didn't notice him going out?"

"How would I know?... and, dear.. what did you do this time."

"Well..."

I swiftly open the door and enter the house while carrying the bucket with both of my hands. My parents' attention is all on me as I walk towards the kitchen.

"Boy, washroom's over there," Apar said as he pointed beside the stairs. "I might need a bath first before dinner."

I put down the bucket, turn around and pick it up—proceeding to the washroom while catching my breath.

"Dear! How could you!" Imar said, "Rafyr, here, let me help."

"Don't worry... Imar... I can do it."

Imar's face frowns and transitions to anger as she looks at apar—scratching the back of his head.

While the season is passing, I continue supplying water for our needs. Even with snow covering the land I am walking or even the river being frozen solid. I once tripped and fell trying to fill the bucket with water after breaking a hole in the frozen river; The water was so cold, it even got me a fever and Imar was furious but I still kept going after feeling better.

After all the hard work, the winter ends and all the snow starts to melt. Apar just finished getting rid of the snow from the roofs and then proceeded to his lumber work again. While he's busy peeling the logs, I approach him and wait until he turns around, and looks at me. He settles his axe by the log and walks toward the stack of small logs beside the house.

"Grab your axe," He said.

I approach the axe, still settled by the house and attempt to pick it up again; This time, I am able to pick it up with a bit of effort without any nerves showing at all. Apar has placed a small log on the stump and I approach it with the axe on both my hands. I am now towering the small log as I lift the axe high above my head. Even further back until I bring it down with all my strength and shout it out with all the air in my lungs. The axe strikes all the way to the stump, separating the small logs into two and falls on the ground.

I stare at my axe while drawing in a breath and look up at apar—smiling at me with his mouth closed.

"Well done, boy."

My eyes shine and my mouth smiles wide as I nod my head, and pull out the axe with no effort. Apar carries the stack of small logs, drops it beside the stump and proceeds his own business. I take out a small log, place it on the stump and chop it again. This has become my daily routine of spending time with apar, a kind of father I couldn't have back then.

{-Ω-}

A few winters went by, and my height is now reaching Imar's shoulder. I am also now aware of their concept of time here such as calendars which helped me figure out my age. The time I started helping Apar's lumber work, I was about five, and tracking the same season that went by, which makes me eight years old by now. Their concept of calendar is the circular object they arrange every morning all along that resembles a pie diagram but made of wood.

Today, it is the 41st day of Embral Hamelia, the second and last month of winter. Today I am now peeling logs, while apar right now is resting on the stump of a nearby tree he chopped.

"Hey, boy."

"What is it, Apar?"

"I've been willing to ask you this," Apar said while stroking his beard. "Why have you been so eager to help me with work?"

I stop midway with my axe underneath the log's bark and look up as I think.

"I don't know myself either, Apar, why?"

"Well.. boys your age will prefer to play outside... even I was like that when I was young."

"And.. my grandfather perhaps did not allow you."

"That is correct, boy... you seem to know that."

"Uhh.. well.. it's got something to do with you looking old i guess heh."

Apar bursts out a heavy laugh and says, "Talk all you want, you'll be looking like me one day."

"Probably..." I grunted while trying to force the axe through the bark with my foot and right hand, "but not as early as yours—"

I shouted out of pain as my thumb got a cut when the axe slipped right through the bark.

"Boy!"

Apar rushes to me and quickly holds my bleeding thumb.

"Mmm.. well.. that's what you get for making fun of me, go rest for now.. got it?'

"Got it."

"Go wrap it with a thick cloth in your room now... I appreciate your hard work today."

I nod my head and sprint all the way to my room. Imar, while knitting in the living room, sees me opening the door and rushing upstairs. As I get in my room illuminated with only the cold light from the window facing the bed, I search for a handkerchief inside my wardrobe beside it; I grab a white one to wrap it around my bleeding thumb, tighten it with my teeth and breathe out a sigh then a knock behind my door startles me.

"Hey, Rafyr.. Are you all right?" I heard Imar's voice.

"Yes.. Imar.. I'm all right"

"I am just downstairs if you need something."

"Sure!"

Her footsteps and creaking sounds of the stairs fade away until it's gone. I lay down on my bed and stare at the sloped ceiling. There are shadows of insects on the ceiling that came outside the window. I close my eyes and turn to my right side then my hand touches something under my pillow. It is the odd book I hid after I finished reading it, which kind of takes me back. I grab it out just to have something to distract my boredom.

My memory seems to forget the contents inside the book so everything seems like a new experience again until I turn the page to the artificial magics. It is the one with the description of 'burst of fire', then an Idea forms inside my mind. I rip out the page and a blank one then hide the book again before I quickly rush into my personal desk below the window. There's nothing but an unlit candle and dust spreading everywhere after placing the papers with a thud on the desk. As I take out and stare at my right thumb, I pull out the cloth and wince in pain while it continuously drips blood.

It is sliding down my elbow, but it didn't stop my curiosity as I placed it onto the blank page. I am redrawing the picture from the page beside me—displaying a circle hugging a larger circle and some round elements. The drawing finishes with one last line with my eyes shining. Nothing happens while just staring at the paper until it sparks and bursts out a huge flame. I fell off my chair as the flame towers over me—turning my ceiling colour to black.

The paper is burning alongside the page with the picture. It lights the candle nearby and rolls off beside me. The flame slowly extinguishes itself until all it is left is the two burning papers.

"Rafyr!" Imar said as she rushed inside my room, "What happened here?!"

I stand up from where I fell and back off as Imar approaches the burning papers. She grabs both of them and drops it to the floor, gritting her teeth from the burn. Imar pulls up her skirt and stomps them with both of her feet until no flame is left. A sweat slides through her face while trying to catch some breath, staring at the extinguished papers then looks at me with a wrinkled angry look.

"You better start explaining, young man!"

She grabs my right and sees my bleeding thumb.

"What is this?!"

Her head turns to the burnt papers and looks at me again.

"Did you do this to yourself?!"

My mouth stutters, making an attempt to release some words.

"Speak!"

"Honey!" apar said from the door, "He got it.. from my work."

Her angry look disappears and the light from the candle on the floor flickers. Imar looks at it and turns to me again with her eyebrows down.

"I'm sorry." Imar said.

"I think you should rest too," Apar said.

"Yeah, you're right, I am pretty exhausted."

Imar walks out of the room with her hand to her forehead and Apar closes the door with a hint of a smile at me. Leaving me in my room, standing and staring into nothingness with the mess I created beside me.