Gift of the Phoenix * completed*

This is a short story about a boy who is destined to save the world.

The Gift of the Phoenix

He watched the old women cross the grounds of the Tower Hall, home to a clandestine group of elders and their pupils. Unknown visitors were uncommon, but she drew his attention for more reasons than just that. He had been collecting the shells that that were scattered underneath his feet in a woolen bag; but the appearance of this women caused him to stop mid movement. He stood under a hickory tree, the bag lying forgotten at his feet.

She drew near, her brittle hair flowing past her as she glided towards his direction. Now he noticed her eyes. One was brown, the other blue. He found it uncomfortable to look at her, as if he were staring impolitely at her oddity, but neither could he look away. She shuffled under the canopy of the tree, her frame darkened by the shadow, and stopped. She was here for him, a fact he somehow knew the moment he saw her.

“Corren of Landsdowne” She said.

Just as this strangers presence was out of the ordinary, so too was this greeting. It had been years since he was “Corren of Lanndsdowne”. No one from that village would know to look for him here. Memories flashed through his mind: Corren watching his Mother collapse in front of the Tower Hall on their way home to Landsdowne; people swarming over her body and ushering him inside their stone halls...their voices echoing as he heard phrases like “ what do we do with him?” and “who would take an eight-year-old boy?”. Even now Corren was amazed at how sharply he could recall the memory of himself, orphaned for the second time in his life, huddled on a narrow bed in an empty room.

So why was this women calling him “Corren of Landsdowne?”

“You know me?” He asked, unable to tame his eagerness.

“The women nodded. “ Once. Long ago”.

He took a step forward. She was too aged to be his mother, but perhaps... “Are you my grandmother?”

Her strange eyes saddened. “No, boy. I bring you news of different sort.”

Her answer stung and he realized the yearning for his family had never lessened; it had only been buried. He regretted his rashness. It was not like him to be so unguarded. “What news?” he asked, trying to recover a sense of formality.

She did not reply, only stretched out her frail hand. In her palm was a small piece of paper. “Take it,” she said. As if there were nothing else he could have done, he did.

The paper had writing and numbers that he didn’t recognize. He traced his fingers across its smooth surface and everything fled from his consciousness. All he knew was the paper and himself holding it. A jolt raced up his arm. As abruptly as it came the feeling fled. He opened his hand. The paper looked harmless enough, but his palm tingled and his heart pounded. Something inside him was different. Something he did not know had been sleeping, started to awake.

“Show it to know one,” the old woman said, and he startled. Her voice pulled him back into the world. “Tell it to no one, and trust no one The paper will show you where to find me.” she said.

“What is it?” he did not mean to whisper.

She did not answer, only gave him directions to her home...in Landsdowne.

“How do you know me? Who are you?”

She was already turning to leave. “You will know more than you want to soon enough.” She left the shadow of the tree and slowly crossed the grass with the concentrated walk of the elderly.

“And how am I supposed to trust you?” He shouted. But the old women was already too far out of sight to hear his loaning questions.

His vision drawn to the paper, he felt as if a part of him were sliding into its depths. Securing the in the pocket of his jacket, he went along to where he dropped his large bag of shells on the ground and continued what he did before he was interrupted.

It was weeks, almost months after Correns strange meeting with that old women he still didn’t know the name of. He knew he should embrace caution...but he feared neither the woman nor the paper given to him. Did that make him a fool? But he began to consider that this was all some kind of a twisted game she was playing with him.

“You know you won’t stay at this orphanage forever. Someday you would be found a lovely home to be taken care of in”. He looked over to Aradia, the house keeper, who was reaching over his shoulder to dust the desk he was sitting at. “I'm not saying this place is a complete disaster, but I’m sure a boy like you would deserve a much better home.”

Aradia was one of the people Corren enjoyed spending time with. She would always have a positive attitude towards anything you may say to her; which he appreciated very much.

“I don’t mind staying here the rest of my life if I had to. I understand you all do your best.”

Aradia smiled his way in response. Soon after she left the room Corren decided to take a walk outside in hope of finding that old women once more. Although this time he wouldn’t let her go so easily without answering his questions.

The cool air brushed the sides of his cheeks as he stepped outside the building. Above him he recognized the familiar sky full of myriad stars which dotted the inky canopy like a dark mantle sweeping across the sky, studded with pulsing diamonds. A low, waning gibbous moon hovered tenuously in the twilight firmament, shining a very dim light upon the land. The swaying of the trees and rustling of the leaves could be heard but not seen, as the encompassing darkness has blotted out all but the faintest light. Briefly, a dark wispy cloud eclipsed the crescent moon. For a few shadowy moments, it looked like there was a halo around the cloud, a dull aura of lunar luminescence.

Corren walked along the edge of the stone path that lead to the river that gleamed in the moonlight ahead of him. As he was kneeling down in front of it, he reached out his hand and brushed the back of it against the icy water. He felt something touch his fingers as he glided them across the water once more.

“What’s this?” he questioned as his hand suddenly grabbed onto a rock-like object from beneath the water as if his palm was a magnetic force connecting the two things. He leaned in closer to examine the object he was grabbing onto. But it was impossible for him to see in this lighting. Was it just a regular rock? But something inside of him knew that it was far bigger than that. Carron got his other hand to reach for it and push it out of the soil that it was deeply buried into. With all of his strength he pulled it out of the river and onto the grass. The size of the thing was almost as large as any human head, and it was far too heavy for him to pick it back up again.

It took Carron only a moment to realize that he was staring at an egg the color of gold itself.

Millions of thoughts seemed to be running in his mind at once as he kept on staring at the gigantic egg beneath his feet. He bend down and touched it at the tips of his fingers, not sure of it been real gold.

“What kind of egg can this possibly be? But whatever it may be, I can not just leave it here laying like this.” He slid the jacket that he was wearing of his arms and safely wrapped the egg around in it. Deciding not to tell anyone about his peculiar discovery. He started to drag the heavy object back up the pathway he came from to his orphanage. He had then placed the egg just underneath his bed, covering many blankets over it to conceal it more thoroughly in its hiding.

From all the events that had happened so far have oddly frustrated Corren in finding out the answers to them. Perhaps that old women knew something about the egg. He began to consider how he would sneak away to Landsdowne, without anyone knowing the reason why.

To say that the old women lived in Landsdowne was not quite accurate. She lived past the boundary of the village with no signs leading to her location, not even a path snaking through the oak and elm that grew here. Corren made his way as swiftly as the aches in his legs would allow. He had only a few landmarks to lead the way south - a tree stump, a creek bed, and a ridge - until finally he reached his destination. Corren turned his attention to a cabin on the other side of the clearing; a structure so vine-covered it seemed just another outgrowth of the forest. He crossed the clearing and knocked on the front door.

“Come in, Corren.”

He stepped inside. A bed ran along the wall to his right. Opposite him stood a loom in one corner, a rocking chair in the other, and between the two a wooden chest. The old women sat to his left at a table under the only window. Crowded behind her was an alcove serving as a kitchen with its stove, worktable, and shelving. The only decoration hung above the chest, a tapestry so aged it looked ready to disintegrate...like the old woman who owned it. He looked at her with exasperation.

“ Tell me what the paper is”

Before she could answer, she glanced out the window, her brows coming together. “Did you hear that?”

Suppressing his irritation at another delay, corren listened. A breeze rushed through the forest, rustling leaves somewhere far from them, but nearby everything was still. “I dont here anything.”

She sat, her eyes searching. He felt sympathy for this women, living alone without anyone to look after her, fearful of the sounds of her own world.

“Look, please..sit down,” Corren said, trying to calm her, though he did not feel calm either. Circling the table to his own seat, his legs were loaning to rest.

“There is so much to tell,” she said. 'Where to begin?”

He took a breath. “why don't you begin, by telling me your name?”

*****

When the flame that had been burning for the last ten centuries of our time fell to a sudden wisp and winked out of existence, the group of women and men knew they were about to witness something rare. They stood in one of the many rooms of a dungeon that was shewn out of a rock, circled by small frail windows open in every direction to the sky beyond. A chill wave of air slowly crept into the room, past the circle of the cloaked figures and into the ashes left by the flame. One by one, the figures each departed from their standing position to place the gift of remembrance upon the stone where the flame was once burning.

Ahmed, the head of the council, gave Leila a warning glance. She was the youngest and the remaining out of the group to deliver her gift of remembrance. She took a deep breath and forced herself to control her shaking hands. Just don't drop it. She thought. Even a minor scratch of one of the spheres would mean that the council would have not succeeded.

All awareness in the room turned to Leila. Suppressing her nerves, she focused and withdrew into herself. Her vision withdrew too until all she saw was the remains of the eternal flame in front of her. As she started taking steps towards it, she felt the sphere warming up against her skin; reverberating with sparks of electricity.

Before she knew it she was standing directly in front of the distinguished flame. Her eyes looked down at the sphere in her hands. It was shaking more vibrantly then ever. The electrical sparks were pinching at her already trembling hands that were burning of the spheres agonizing heat. She felt tears welling up inside her eyes as she bit on her bottom lip to take her mind of the pain coming from the sphere. She had the odd feeling of eternity pausing and claiming this one moment that would engrave its mark on history. You can do this. She let out a deep breath and started to sing the chant as she placed the crystal in its place.

Leila felt the song begin within her; and sang it with more than just her voice. The magic carried out the song across the entire land to every soul in it. Leila felt immersed with power; her body pulsating with the sphere. But when the last note had been sung, the magic and the power had gone away with it leaving Leila to open her eyes again. Her gift of remembrance was remaining still in its place after she tore the palms of her hands away from its surface. I did it. The sides of her mouth curled up into a smile as she looked back over her shoulder and met the eyes of Ahmed who gave her a returning glance. The room was then filled with joy and triumph from the rest of the council as they cheered in glory and success.

“I am proud to say that we have succeeded our master. And we will forever pay tribute to our ancestors that have prepared us for -” A scream from one of the women stopped Ahmed in his speech.

Leila stared in confusion at the sight before her. A veil of darkness swept over the land concealing every bit of light. A spark of fire landed itself in the middle of the room leaving the only light anywhere in the land to be in the dungeon. Realizing the uncontrollable flame started to grow, the people backed further away from the center circling around the magnificent sight.

The fire had now started to mold itself into a gigantic pair of wings that rose high up into the ceiling. Leila’s eyes were glued by an unpredictable force on the dancing flames of fire as she watched the mighty creature emerge right before her eyes. The Phoenix. A gasp escaped her mouth as she told herself those words.

The glorious bird.

Leila saw now why the Phoenix was so called. Its feathers were so brilliant they appeared still to be aflame. Its eyes shone and danced as if made of glowing embers. The magnificent bird filled the windows with light as it flew in and dwarfed all the members standing week-kneed in front of it. She could feel as much heat from the phoenix then as she did from its void left by the absence of the flame.

Surrounded by its kneeling worshipers, the Phoenix gracefully planted itself on the ground in the center of the room.

“ My master. It is a pleasure to have your presence at this time” Ahmed spoke in a smooth and a gentle manner towards the Phoenix as he bowed down to the bird. The rest of the members followed.

The bloodcurdling melody of the birds roaring voice echoed a thousand miles throughout the land. “I have not come to devour myself into this celebration. For there is no celebration for me to devour to”

“What could have possibly then caused you the trouble of coming here at this hour?” The room felt into sudden silence, as the members waited for their masters’ reply.

“You have failed Ahmed. You have failed to deliver the gift of remembrance”

Ahmed looked like he was about to say something, but he knew better then to question his master. Leila couldn’t bare to see him in silence like that. She looked around the room and everybody seemed to be too calm for her liking. Have they not heard the words of the Phoenix? Do they not have a single care? But she knew that couldn’t have been true knowing the fact that their earth may be on its edge of existence.

“You can't get away with this!” Leila screamed and stood up from the ground to face the bird.

“That’s enough!” said Ahmed as he pulled Leila back to the ground clutching at her wrist.

“You are not even the slightest bit concerned in why we have not succeeded? After all, we have done everything we possibly could!” She said; snatching her hand from his forceful grip.

“ That is not for us to decide” Ahmed looked into Leila’s eyes, but she tore her gaze away from his the phoenix once more as it spoke.

“You will only need to know one thing. And one thing only. From this day forward, the human race will never see the light of day ever again. As I will seal the sky above with a veil of darkness for eternity still to come.” The Phoenix continued his vow as he picked up a golden egg from underneath his wing.

“In ten centuries time, this egg will be hidden amongst the great lands of our earth. But do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things it is not what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside that counts. The person who is destined to open this egg will be the key to permanently restore light back into your world. But until then, the egg will remain sacred”. And at that, the bird hovered over the pillars and flew out of the windows. As the members straightened out back onto their feet, the bird was already in the distance. The darkness retreating with it. Leaving only the moonlight in its wake.

*****

Corren felt it must be approaching midnight, But he was too indulged story to care. “The egg... It cant be...It's all just a myth. How could I possibly consider it to be true?”

Leila returned a smile in response of his words. “ You are the one.”

“What do you mean?” Correns face shriveled up in confusion.

“You are the one we have been looking for. You are the remaining ancestor of our council, the keepers of the eternal flame. But most importantly, you are the key to the worlds survival”

His eyes stared in disbelief. Stomach turned to ice, frozen to the sport. The feeling of terror held in a vice-like grip. “ You must have the wrong person. I am nothing of any sort.”

“May I see that egg you spoke of earlier. Hopefully you have brought it with you” She asked, eagerly to get his approval.

“ Yes, it's just in my bag over there” He stood up and dragged the bag from one of the corners and placed it on the floor beneath Leila’s feet. He forcefully pushed the heavy egg out of it and lifted it on one of the stools next to him.

“Would you care to show your hand to me?” She asked as she reached over and gently grabbed him by his wrist, turning it to face her. As if she exactly knew where it was, she examined a mark that was the shape of a small singular flame, tattooed on his pale skin.

“How did you...” Corren stared in discomfort.

“A very interesting mark you have got there. Mind telling me how you got it?”

“I am very sure had it ever since I was born.” He replied.

“ The egg, turn it around, look at the bottom of it.” As if that was his only option, Corren couldn’t refuse. He rolled the egg over on its side, and closely examined it from the bottom. To his surprise he saw a small marking engraved onto its hard surface.

“ The flame”. He said.

“Yes. It is the exact same marking that’s printed on your wrist, and the exact same marking that is printed on mine.” Leila rolled up the sleeve of her jumper, showing him a mark of the flame.

“ I don’t know what game this is your playing, but it surely is going way to far.”

“ It is a Mark representing our loyalty to the eternal flame. Everyone one of us would have had it. But I have not come here to tell you just that. I had come here to search, and deliver a message for the one who would put an end to this curse. And you see Corren, I have come here to deliver that message to you.”

“But how am I supposed to know how to open it? There must be some kind of mistake. ”

“Follow the pathway in your heart, and it will lead you to the answer you seek.” She answerd. But before he could even open his mouth to question her, she disappeared in a sudden blink of an eye, leaving him sitting alone in her small and empty cabin.

His gaze searched around the room, but no trace of the old women was to be found. What was he to do? His attention turned towards the egg, gleaming brightly back at him; reflecting the yellow undertones of the lamp in-front of it. Suddenly, he had remembered what Leila had said.

“How could of the council failed if there was nothing that could of failed them?...except for maybe...a lie.” His mind was as if it were figuring out where to put the next piece of a never ending puzzle. “ All the Phoenix ever wanted to do was always be in power. Always be in control. And always have the power to bring torture into our human world. But, with the council succeeding he couldn’t of put a curse on this land without the proper excuse, no matter how in control he was. And he would have been perfectly sure that nobody would of been able to break that curse once it was made. ”

Corren reached over to his side where the egg was laying, placed both of his palms on its sides, and started to feel something begin within him, something that was begging to come out. To his surprise a song had escaped his lips, as if it were someone else singing it. He started to sing with more then just his voice. The song carried out through the entire land, to every soul in it. Corren felt in power, in complete control. But when the last note had left him, the song died away, and the magic went away with it. He was only Corren again, aware of all around him. He felt mournful. He would never sing that way again. He looked down at his hands to find the ashes from the remains of the egg.

Suddenly all the lights in the cabin had dimmed down to darkness, leaving him to only wonder how could the window possibly be gleaming in such brightness. Exploring his confusion, he headed towards the front door, taking it by the cold handle, he opened it. He found himself standing before the most beautiful sight anyone’s eyes could ever witness. For what seemed like a glowing medallion above him was blazing like Titan’s fiery wheel in the sky. It was a-dazzle with splendour and it was a soul-swelling experience. Between gaps in the forest’s canopy, lances of its molten-gold beams splashed onto the floor. In places, the dead leaves seemed to be a-fire with an inner glow.

''You did it” He Turned around to face Leila, smiling in his direction. He felt her hand placed on one of his shoulders. Together, they watched the beautiful scenery evolve right before their eyes.

Author's Note

This story may sound a little cheesy ( I am 14 years old by the way), it's the best i can do for a short story! Comment and tell me what you think. Kind regards, Anjelika.