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Dana's day out

War beneath the surface

By Alan JohnPublished 3 years ago 9 min read
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Dana's day out
Photo by Jenny Salita on Unsplash

"Dana! Dana, stop!" Brian yelled to her.

"Why, B, what's gonna happen?" Dana teased, stepping further out onto the ice. "Is a big ol' fish gonna gobble me up?" Brian stood with his arms crossed at the edge of the pond, uncomfortable with his big sister's daring. Dana knew he didn't like it. Brian never wanted to have any fun. It was all she could do to get him to climb a tree, and even then he needed help getting back down. Brian lived his life cautiously, constantly on the lookout for anything that could go wrong. That was fine for him, she supposed, but when there wasn't another kid for thirty miles except weird Ed Hooper the next farm over Dana got bored. She tried playing with Ed a few times but he liked doing things like burning ant farms or throwing rocks at squirrels. He was just too weird, and Brian told her he had a bad feeling around Ed. Brian was a scaredy cat, but Dana trusted him. He was always right about danger, sometimes she just liked the danger. The iced surface of the frozen pond creaked beneath her feet, and the snow crunched. She glanced back at Brian, biting his finger nails. What was Brian concerned about now?

Dana fell backwards with a scream as the surface of the lake broke upwards and a giant fish monster came roaring and growling onto the ice with her. The creature looked like a catfish, except it was the size of a small car and had large scaly legs with clawed feet. It growled as it approached her, yellow eyes narrowing as yellowed jaws opened slowly. Before she could say "Brian! You were right all along!" A whooping war cry filled the air as a grey-skinned man in a loin cloth leapt out of the new hole in the ice with a spear, jumping between Dana and the catfish.

"Ay ay ay!" The stranger cried, brandishing his spear. The creature growled at him and attacked but he fended it off with his spear. He rolled to dodge a bite and then threw his spear, burying itself in the creature's neck. It cried out, a strange, fishy cry, and keeled over and gurgled. The man checked his kill before turning to help Dana to her feet.

"Are you alright, little Osycoly?" He said with a funny accent.

"My name's Dana," she responded, unsure what it was he called her. He bowed to her with his hands at his side.

"Osycoly Dana, I bring grave news. The barrier between the surface world and the lower world are fatally wounded! I was just passing by when I saw this Gruber break through, and I heard you scream. Forgive me if I frighten you, I meant you nothing but good will."

"What's your name?"

"Briogi, honorable one, is your servant's name. I hate leaving you alone and unprotected like this, but I must return to the Master Man to tell him about this break in the barriers. He must know before it is too late to resuscitate it, but more unsavory creatures will be drawn to the breach. I cannot leave you alone like this."

"Take me with you!" Briogi's eyes grew wider at the suggestion. "We won't be gone very long, right? It could be fun!"

"I would not presume to suggest it, but I will confess the thought occurred to me. Perhaps it is to be, if we both had the idea. Alright then, Osycoly Dana, hold on tight." He crouched down and she climbed on for a piggy back ride. Briogi retrieved his spear from the Gruber's neck and approached the edge of the breach. "Now, hold your breath, little Osycoly. At first the transition will have the effect of passing through water, but in a only a moment you will pass through the other side completely dry." Dana nodded and took a deep breath. The man stepped off the edge of the ice and Dana was shocked by the rush of cold water passing her head.

True to Briogi's words in only a moment there was air around them again and Dana was aware that Briogi was standing on solid ground. She opened her eyes and her mouth followed quickly after, gaping wide.

"Welcome to E'neath, little Osycoly." Oh brother, this wasn't Kansas anymore. The world was made of mountains and valleys, all covered in rocks with glowing patterns on them. There were forests full of trees with grey trunks and dark, dark green leaves. The sky was clouded by a constant thunderstorm though it never rained, and the grass beside them waved with a mind of its own, absent of any wind. Briogi set her down and she wondered how he was wearing so little; it was still as cold here as in Kansas. "Come on, Dana, I'll take you to the Master Man, but we have to hurry." Dana nodded and fell into step beside the grey-skinned hunter. They continued at a steady pace, descending the mountain, for miles without seeing another living thing. Briogi passed the time by telling her about various types of foliage and flowers, but they still didn't see any animals or any others of Briogi's people.

"Briogi?"

"Yes, Osycoly?"

"Where's everybody else?"

"These days most people stay indoors. There's too much risk, with the barrier being hurt and with so many foul things about. That Gruber was just the tip of the ice burg; we're lucky it wasn't a Japjap."

They finally made it to a place called Sitdel, some kind of fortress. Inside there were lots more people like Briogi, all with grey skin and none of them wearing very much clothing. Dana tried not to stare. Most of the people seemed interested, or surprised to see Dana, but very few looked at her very long. The children stared longer but their mothers would scold them for it. Briogi led Dana into a tall building at the center of town, past guards who politely stepped aside and opened doors at the sight of them. Dana and Briogi walked up a long spiral staircase to a long rectangular room.

"Master Man!" Briogi called out, bowing on one knee. Dana got nervous and followed his example. From across the room appeared a man dressed in a cloak made from animal skin, his hands folded behind his back.

"Rise, child," the man said. "This is a surprise. An Osycoly, here? Briogi, what is the meaning of this, how did she come to be here?"

"Master man, there is a breach in the barrier."

"A breach? Where?"

"Not ten miles from Sitdel, Master Man." The Master Man shook his head slowly.

"You did well coming to see me, Briogi." The Master Man said. "This can only mean--" Whatever it meant was cut off as the sound of drums and horns appeared. Master Man's face grew concerned. "Briogi, go and rouse the other hunters. Have them dress for battle. Child, come with me." The Master Man put an arm about her shoulder and led her to the balcony. "I knew this day would come. Look down there." Dana looked and saw an army approaching. There must have been hundreds of them, armed with all kinds of weapons. Over their heads they had dark red banners covered in skulls and bones.

"Who is that, Master Man?"

"That, young one, is the Blemish plaguing E'neath. A foul group of witches intent on tearing the barrier to shreds. I'm afraid my powers are the only thing stopping them, so they've come to vanquish me once and for all. But, I will not be so easily... Oh no." Dana looked back at the Blemish and saw a monstrous bird flying over them, its face vile and stained with dark and sinister colors. Fierce eyes pierced the clouds as a shrill cry pierced the air. Dana covered her ears and yelled to the Master Man.

"What is that thing, Master Man?"

"A Japjap, child, and very bad news for all of us!" He pulled her away from the windows and ran over to the bookshelves lining the room. "If only my powers weren't tied to preserving the strength of the barrier, I could end this battle before it even begins! They've planned this too well!" He glanced at Dana with intense eyes. "Child, I may have a plan, but I don't know if it will work. I need your help."

"What can I do, Master Man?"

"It is possible, though I don't know how likely, that you can use magic too. Can you read?"

"I can read English fine, but I don't know if I'll be able to read whatever it is you need me to--"

"Millenia ago the Osycoly passed through the barrier and gave my people reading-- here!" He handed her a book. Written across the cover was 'Moby Dick.'

"You want to fight them with literature? I didn't even like this story!"

"Story? What are you-- of course! To you its a story, but to us? To us it is words of power! Here, let me show you." The Master Man took the book back and flipped through it, showing her the contents. Many of the pages were stained and torn, so that a lot of words weren't visible. Finally he flipped back to the first page and read aloud. "Call. Me. Ishmael." The breath of each word passing his lips turned into light, little wisps in the air darting and whipping back and forth. With the final word the lights darted across the air and out the open door into the sky. Dana ran to the window and saw the light quicken and spread out, raining down onto the approaching Blemish. The soldiers cried out and covered their heads as light descended on them, causing pandemonium and blasting them around.

"Wow! Let me see!" The Master Man chuckled and handed her the book back.

"It can be any unbroken passage from the book, and you have to mean it!" He told her, heading for the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to help the defenders. My magic is needed for the barrier, but I can carry a spear still. Good luck, Osycoly, you are our only hope now." The Master Man disappeared down the stairs and Dana gingerly approached the balcony again, flipping carefully through the weathered pages. A cry from the Japjap broke her concentration and 'Moby Dick' went tumbling over the edge, Dana's cry catching in her lungs.

"Dana! Come on, let's go home!" Brian called to her from the safety of the snow bank. "We can play checkers, and drink cocoa!" Dana stood motionless on the icy surface of the pond, her eyes frozen to the spot where the Gruber broke through, though in reality still frozen solid. She let out a sigh.

"Okay, checkers sounds fun."

Short Story
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About the Creator

Alan John

I'm a Virginia based writer/musician looking to find my place in this wild wild world.

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