Borderline

A rough story of the thin line between reality and imagination, though oftentimes they tend to overlap.

 

          Crystal pools of liquid grace collected at the base of the grand old oak as the heavens poured forth the last of its overburdened treasures. Shadows lingered long after the sun had left her perch and although the air smelled fresh and clean, corruption haunted even the friendliest of sanctuaries. Darkness reigned at this hour with power only the brightness of daylight could penetrate. However, daylight and darkness rarely crossed paths for each reigned in contrasting hours as the earth rotated and twisted about to shift the powers. This very hour was sold to darkness.

          Far from home and quite unaware, a daring toddler chased after his new collie with innocent delight. Isaiah scampered through the fresh dampness, curly hair bouncing, and dove into a pile of rye grass his friend had just entered. “Farren, my silly doggy! Where’d ya run off to dis time?” His high childish voice echoed across the meadow, penetrating the eerie silence. Echoes rang throughout the meadow. Suddenly aware of his loneliness, Isaiah quickly jumped to his feet and shouted for his collie. “Farren! Farren! Farren!” Despite Isaiah’s heroic shouts, Farren was no where to be seen. “Oh Farren!” he whimpered. “Why’d ya have to hide from me?” He gave his surroundings a better glance but only cowered further into the shadows. “I don’t even know where you led me. And it’s dark now. I ain’t never been out of the house this late. How’sa boy like me supposed to git home now?”

          Crying, Isaiah crawled towards a nearby elm and curled his pudgy body into a tight ball. His curly blonde hair was caked in dust and grass and his hands and knees were crusted in fresh blood from recent scrapings. Rocking back and forth he murmured to himself for company. The silence only heightened the few sounds he made and the toddler knew he had gotten into a serious situation that was far worse than breaking his mother’s sterling tea set.

          “I was only havin’ a bit of fun,” he had told his mother after swinging his blue baseball bat around the house. “Mark McGwire had to practice all the time so he could hit all those baseballs over the field, Momma…but I ran out of baseballs…and you never used that tea set, Momma. The cups were small and round…and about the size I’d been practicin’ with. I didn’t think you’d miss them, Momma…” Only later, after he had suffered several whippings from his father and had witnessed his mother’s tears, did he fully realize the value of the broken tea set. He’d sworn to be a better kid after that.

          “So much better…” he whispered aloud. “Look at me. Lost the dog…and lost myself. What would Momma say?”

          “Who said you were lost?” A soothing voice answered his whispers. “One is only lost when one is not found. So then, since I found you, that does not make you lost. You are found.”

          Isaiah lifted his head and immediately wiped the salty tears from his dirty face. Wide eyed, he tried to calmly evaluate the situation. “This voice sounds friendly,” he thought to himself. Bravely, Isaiah puffed out his chest and spoke as deeply and steadily as he could muster. “But I’m still lost to my Momma. She ain’t found me…only you have. I don’t even know who you are neither. And where’s Farrren? Do’ya know where Farren went to?” His voice shook on the last few words but he was more alert now that he was no longer alone.

          “I could take you to your mother.” The voice was calm and inviting and Isaiah longed for its promises. He slowly unwound himself and climbed to his feet, placing innocent trust in the friendly stranger.

          “Hmm, ok. I guess so. You sound nice enough. But, umm, have you seen my doggy? His name’s Farren. He’s brown with whitish clumps. And he’s real furry.” As his mind raced with worries, he began walking towards the voice that came from the distant shadows.

          “Your little collie is safe with me. I found him earlier this evening when I awoke. Come and I’ll show you.”

          “You found Farren!” Isaiah happily clapped his hand and gave a little shout. “Now when I get home Momma won’t be mad at me! You found Farren and you found me too!” He leapt the final steps towards the stranger and was rewarded with the site of squinted yellow eyes glowing in the shadows. A familiar growl erupted behind the yellow eyes, and Isaiah halted. “Farren? Farren don’t growl at nobody! Wait a minute! Who…who-are-you?” he stammered. Fear immediately suppressed his growing delight as the voice stepped from the shadows into the moonlight. A tall cloaked man approached Isaiah, replacing the faceless voice he had come to trust. Long greasy black hair tumbled from his hood and sharp and inhuman features stuck out sharply against his pale skin that reflected decades of sunlight invasion.

          “I am Cyran. God of the Darkness. Ruler of night. But what would that mean to a meager child like yourself who has wandered too far from the men of the Sun? You have entered the realm of the hour of darkness and are now bound to my will.” His yellow eyes glittered maliciously as he lifted his scaly arms towards the swollen moon.

          “Cyran? God of the…Darkness? But…I thought…Hey, you promised to take me to my Momma!” Fear clutched at Isaiah’s chest as his limited mind tried to process the situation. “What am I supposed to do now?!” he wondered.

          Just as Cyran reached for his newly won prey, a bright fluorescent light penetrated the darkness and a loud rumbling drowned the silence. Strong warmth enveloped Isaiah as a pair of arms swept him away from danger and gathered him close. The motorcycle beneath him gathered speed and Isaiah soon found himself back in familiar territory. As the blanket of safety and warmth washed over him, Isaiah slowly drifted into unconsciousness only to be awoken hours later with warm cider tickling his throat. Slow, steady breathing emerged from his feet, and Isaiah looked down to see Farren calmly sleeping.

          “Farren?” he muttered groggily. Blinking, the room came into focus and he saw the cheerful, familiar figures of his beloved mother and father. “Papa? Momma” How’d ya…”

          “She…” His mother’s sweet, musical voice quickly soothed Isaiah, and he stopped. “You’ve been ill, dearheart. Hallucinating…doctor worried you wouldn’t make it.”

          “But…it seemed so real, Momma.”

          “I know, dear, I know. The doctor wants to see you again now that you’re awake. Also, make sure to finish your cider!” Coming from the shadows, a figure with bright blonde hair and a hooded cloak crept forward into the lamplight. Seeing Isaiah’s fearful expression he leaned over and whispered into his ear.

          “The borderline between reality and imagination is only as strong as you make it, Isaiah. Only you can know what you believe. Only you can decide what you think is real. But beware. Not everything you see or hear is what it appears to be.” Friendly blue eyes glittered under the hood and a crooked smile beamed back. “Your secret’s safe with me.” Leaning back he cleared his throat. “Well,” he said, turning towards Isaiah’s parents, “It seems as if he’s all better. Just make sure to keep him warm and get plenty of fluids in him.” Turning once again, he gave Isaiah a subtle wink as the toddler gazed back at him with wondering eyes.

         "God of darkness...and a god...of light?"  Isaiah could only wonder between the true separations of fiction and reality.  Life seemed to be one big puzzle ready for him to put together that only he could discover. No one else could make him believe one thing. But he did know one thing: experiences are only as real and believable as he himself believed them to be. Things happen how they happen and he wouldn’t ever forget that memorable night.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading! It's a bit lengthy. ^^

Reviews

[Lena M. P.]

Good character building. Felt the child's fear and his joy. Eerie and dark. Not too long. In fact I would have liked to have seen it fleshed out even more. Good piece

[Bear]

No, didn't seem lengthy at all!! Nothing better than a tale about a boy and his faithful dog and this story had me "speed reading" through the lines in hopes for a happy ending. Thankfully it ended with things in normal order... boy safe home with loving parents and faithful Farren at his feet. You composed a fine tale!! Thank you for sharing it with me!!
Sallie Bear

[The Grammar Nazi]

Very good story, and very well written. Although, I don't know if you've done it intentionally, or in error, but the text changing is a bit weird..lol Great write, though.

[Daniel]

"corruption haunted even the FRIENDLESS of sanctuaries." I don't know if you wanted it to say Friendless or Friendliest, so i thought i'd throw that out there.

"Life seemed to be one big puzzle ready for him to put together that only he could discover." I LOVED this line! It's so true.

Great story! One minor detail, the dialogue of the toddler seemed a bit too mature him. As far as I have noticed, most toddlers can only get certain sentences pieced together and they use very small words. Also, his comprehension of what the hooded man was saying is not natural for a toddler. Unless he is a super-genius or something, he probably wouldn't have understood most of what the man said.
Overall, I loved the story!