The Jixies

Introduction:

Over the hills and through the valleys, across the stony river of Avandale, deep in the heart of the Redwood forests, there dwells a creature that is quite mysterious, indeed, for they are often overlooked and seldom understood. Not many have happened upon them, for they are very secretive and cautious. They have chosen a life of elusiveness, tucked away and hidden safely from the world, or so they would like you to believe.
Do not let their appearance mislead you. They may be small, no more than two feet tall on their tippy toes, but their wit is not. Judging by appearances and a passing glance, jixies are quite like your typical woodland animal, but appearances can often be misleading. Like animals their bodies are covered with fur, bountiful fur, thick, fluffy and surprisingly soft.  Their eyes are big and bright, full of mischief, set right above their little snouts. Their ears peak out from underneath their mane, alert and watchful. Their legs are indeed short, coupled with their big feet it really is quite a comical sight.  They somewhat waddle when they walk, and this has been enough to fool many a foe who have tried to capture them, but they are very good sprinters, this ensures that the element of surprise is always theirs.
They never tarry too long, as soon as they appear, they disappear just as quickly. Usually the only glimpse you’ll ever get of them is out of the corner of your eye. Some say that they hide themselves by some dark Gnomish magic of old, but they are simply polished in the art of cleverness and trickery. Honest trickery of course, they just don’t want to be bothered, for they have no time for acquaintances, only friends, and they already have plenty of those.
They are playfully deceptive and love to play games, for no one’s amusement but theirs of course. They are quite good at riddles, so think twice before you riddle them this or that, they could probably beat you tongue tied.
In the north the jixies dwell in the mighty Redwoods, in the south they have made their homes in the giant Cypress trees. The black oaks in the east were once an oasis for the Jixies, but because of the growing rarity of these trees some have migrated to the red oaks. In the far, far west they have taken shelter underground, the cool earth protecting them from the heat of day. These Jixies in the west dwell in tunnels and chambers and are a little different than the others. Their eyes have adjusted to life in the dark and their hair is much, much lighter. Their moods are a little less pleasant but they have managed to stay friendly, athough can come off as rude. But overall they are silly fun loving individuals that laugh often and rarely will you find one not smiling. Contrary to popular belief, the tree dwelling Jixies also live underground as well, beneath the tree where they are safe and hidden. The reason I tell you of this is because this is a story of one Jixie in particular, a Jixie by the name of Jeru.

 

Chapter 1:

Jeru was one of the Northerners who lived in a giant redwood; he had lived there all his life and had no plans of leaving anytime soon. He was comfortable, he had everything he needed, and Jixies need little more than that. Unlike most Jixies he lived alone, though others lived in big families with sometimes 4 generations under one roof. The reason why he was the only occupant of his cozy little abode doesn’t matter, all that matters is that he was. But loneliness was never a concern; he had family and friends among the other redwoods and hobnobbed often, as Jixies tend to do. There was little to be concerned about in these peaceful woods and nothing unfortunate had happened in almost eight hundred years, but that was about to change…

He sat there quietly smoking the pipe his grandfather had given him on his 100^th birthday and he enjoyed it thoroughly. With each puff it was as if he was drawn deeper into thought, the thought of what I’m not sure, he himself sometimes wasn’t sure. But he sat there daydreaming, dreaming about anything, about life beyond the redwoods. His contemplation was interrupted by a knock at the door, he was not expecting any company but he never begrudged the arrival of a friend. He lopped towards the door to invite whoever it was inside for some freshly brewed mint tea and a pleasant smoke from his old pipe. The knock sounded again, this time a little louder.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” He bellowed.

He opened the door and there stood, who of all of people? It was his dear cousin Jada, son of his Aunt Tissy on his mother’s side; he was the uninhibited one in the family and had a reckless streak. Many times had Jada gotten him into trouble, but then again he was always there to bail him out as well.

“Hey there, you old scraggly fur ball, come on in, I was just fixing some tea and it’s your favorite.”

“Don’t mind ifa do” He made himself comfortable while Jeru fetched the tea.

Jada looked around admiring the décor and the space; he chuckled every time he thought about how cleverly his people lived. Their homes were simple but brilliant, disguised to hide the fact that anyone might call it “home.” The entry at the base of the trunk was carved out of the tree itself, you couldn’t even tell there was a door there until it swung open, when shut it seemed to practically disappear, hiding any sign of anything different than giant redwood. Only the eye of a Jixie or those who knew them well could spot a Jixie tree. At about that time Jeru toddled in with a wooden tray upon which sat the kettle, two clay cups and some sugar.

Jada was happy, he loved Jeru’s tea, “Thank you, I have been craving some of your tea for a while, you brew the best” he exclaimed as he sipped his hot tea.

“Care for a smoke too?” Jeru offered.

He declined explaining that he was trying to cut back. “Grandma Brilly doesn’t like it and I promised I wouldn’t.” he whimpered as he looked at the floor and shook his head wishing he hadn’t promised anything.

Jeru took his pipe in hand “Fair enough,” he puffed to light the sweet smelling tobacco “you’re missing out though, this is my best batch.”

You could see the longing in Jada’s eyes, his mouth began to water, oh, how he wanted to taste of the smooth honey flavored smoke with a hint of berry. Jada sighed and again declined.

“Your willpower will fade,” Jeru chuckled “so what’s the point?”

“No, I can quit smoking whenever I wish, and I have.”

“I give you two more days, three at most and then you will be begging me for some tobacco.” Jeru began to laugh for it had happened countless times. He now looked curiously at Jada, “Why do you place yourself in such discomfort knowing it will all be for naught in the end?”

“Every time I make a promise, I actually have the mind to follow through.”

“You do know what the definition of insanity is, right?”

“No, what might that be?”

“Picking barries from the same bush repeatedly and expecting a different taste”

They both began to hoot and howl almost falling out of their seats; everyone knew that Jada had always been a couple honeybees short of a beehive.

Author's Note

This is only the beginning, I am still in the process of writing this piece.

Reviews

[Larry Dyson]

are you still here and writing?...Laury

[Petals & Pearls]

I've been away for a while... I need to pick my pen back up ;)

[Larry Dyson]

lovely piece ..please read my submission also..? oh ..good luck! Sir /nitsuki1