Selfless Sir Samuel and the Spirit's Secret

Multicolored leaves crunched beneath Sir Samuel’s shoes as he walked along the edge of the southern forest. He held his brand new sword in his hand (it was merely a stick he’d picked up from the ground) and gave it a few playful swings as he strolled. The sun dipped low on the horizon behind him, casting his shadow a good distance ahead.

“Well, smelly Kelly leapt and swayed, leapt and swayed,” he sang. “Well, smelly Kelly leapt and swayed, and his stench surely did slay.” He held the last note as he skipped along. It was an odd song. He’d heard it sung by older kids in the village. They’d never explained it to him, though. He shrugged and continued his merry skipping along the treeline.

The trunks grew so close together at the edge of the wood, they kept Sir Samuel from seeing inside further than a few trees. He knew of an exception to this, though. He stopped skipping as he arrived at a gap in the trunks, where vines formed an arch overhead. Berries clung to the vines in crimson dots among the verdant green of the leaves. The vines always changed color last, but the wait was worth it. Sir Samuel pictured the brilliant hues of orange and red that would turn the arch from fern green to the glorious colors of suspended fire.

He glanced around to spot any curious onlookers from the village, then stepped inside. Thrill bumps covered his arms as he passed below the canopy of vines. The short journey through the natural tunnel recalled to his mind the monk’s garden. He hadn’t seen Mary Gold since that night, but he hoped he would this evening. His mother worked at the Happy Hideaway again, so he had plenty of time to explore.

The tunnel moved straight along for a dozen or so footsteps before it opened up to the forest’s interior. The evening sounds of autumn insects paraded among the trees in a cacophonous chorus. Sir Samuel smiled, recalling Mary Gold’s mention of the other music in the world.

This was surely what she meant, wasn’t it?

He picked his way between trees, avoiding large roots that would trip him, and before long he found a trail. It led him on a winding path so that he didn’t quite know which direction he faced. The sun didn’t reach here, and the trees loomed in the darkness like giantfolk.

Sir Samuel remembered his satchel. He’d slung it across his shoulders to keep his movement free, but that meant he’d forgotten it completely. He carried very important things inside. He pulled the strap to bring it round to his front. He opened the flap and looked inside. A candle, a half-dozen cookies, and a fire striker rested on top of a folded cloak. The cloak for the cold, the cookies for Mary Gold, fire striker to strike fire (of course), and the candle for light.

He laid his sword (still a stick) on the ground, then retrieved the candle and set it on a fallen log beside him. He turned to reach into his satchel once more and paused. His hands looked green. He scrunched his eyes up in confusion and looked around.

Through the trees, he saw a green glow. Too distant for Sir Samuel to see the source but close enough to cast a viridescent shine over everything.

Sir Samuel shoved the candle back in his pack. He charged directly toward the source of the glow, leaving his sword behind.

Sir Samuel rushed through the trees, his confidence growing with every step. Sir Samuel stumbled over a dead log, landing on his satchel in a bed of yellow leaves. His candlestick snapped beneath him. The crunch echoed loudly in the quiet darkness of the woods. Sir Samuel sighed and struggled to his knees. He glanced around, embarrassed despite the lack of an audience.

The illumination shifted smoothly up ahead. Shadows drifted across his vision as the light brightened beyond the trees. Sir Samuel had never been this far into the forest before. Wonder struck him at the thought of clearings hidden inside. He got up and brushed the leaves from his clothes (missing a couple in his hair) and picked his way forward with more care.

Eventually (finally), he found himself at the edge of the clearing. What he saw astonished him into several seconds of silence. A dancing globe of emerald light bobbed as it floated around the clearing. It dazzled Sir Samuel’s vision as he watched it lazily drift in a circle. It paused here or there for some inexplicable reason and then continued its circuit.

Sir Samuel hunkered low at the edge of the clearing as the green glowy globe neared. The poky edge of a leaf jabbed his jawline, and the tiny red bud of a wild strawberry met his gaze. He grinned and checked the flowers to make sure they were white. He plucked a strawberry and popped it into his mouth. It was juicy and sweet, just bordering on overripe.

“What are you doing?”

A whisper, very close to him, made his bones try to jump from his body. He whirled to see the frail boy who had saved him from the minotaur (bull). This close, Sir Samuel noticed the boy’s curious monolid eyes and silky black hair. His khaki skin looked sickly in the sphere’s green light, though Sir Samuel was certain his own tawny skin looked downright diseased.

He nearly blurted out his thanks for when the boy rescued him, but instead he just answered the question. “Watching the floaty thing. What are you doing?”

“Following you. Didn’t know if you’d need saving again,” the boy stated simply.

Sir Samuel wasn’t sure if he should be embarrassed. He chose to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Thank you for saving me from the minota— err, bull, before.”

“Minotaur, huh? That’s fun. It could have killed you.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Did you see me get away, though? I was like, ‘Yeah!’ Then like, ‘Whoa!’ And finally, ‘Splash!’ You know?”

The boy’s lips curled in a smile. “Yeah, I saw you from the hill. It was cool.”

“I’m Sir Samuel, by the way.”

“Oh, like a knight?”

“Yeah! Exactly!” Sir Samuel didn’t realize he’d shouted until the bright emerald light raced to hover before him and the boy. His eyes widened in horror, unsure of its intentions.

“Hi, Potter,” the small kid said. He waved to the glowing globe of malachite light and stepped into the clearing.

Confused Sir Samuel stood up and followed the frail-looking boy. He watched as the ball of green energy dimmed and brightened at different speeds and intensities.

“Yeah, this is Sir Samuel.” The boy moved to one side and gestured for Sir Samuel to come forward.

Sir Samuel didn’t know how to act in front of a glowy green orb. He took a couple of tentative steps and sort of bowed his head a bit while waving. “Hello, uh, Mr. Glowy Potter, sir.”

The light faded and intensified quickly before flashing several times in quick succession. Sir Samuel’s eyes widened, and he glanced to his new companion.

The boy smirked at Sir Samuel. “He says, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’”

Sir Samuel stood dumbfounded. He attempted to speak a few times, and all that came out were nonsense syllables.

“I was friends with an onibi back home. We learned how to communicate. Somehow Potter knows the same code I taught Hito.” The boy shrugged. “I’m not sure how that works, but it does.”

“So, this is an oh-knee-bee?” Sir Samuel tilted his head as he studied the energy ball.

“Maybe. Hito was blue, but otherwise looked exactly the same.”

Sir Samuel suddenly stopped and turned to the boy. “What’s your name?”

“Akira.” The reply came easy and immediate.

“Nice to meet you, Ah-kee-rah.” Sir Samuel sounded out the unfamiliar name and repeated it once more, faster and more sure. “Akira.”

The boy smiled and nodded.

Sir Samuel turned back to Potter. “So, Mr. Glowy Potter, is there anything we can help you with?”

The globe brightened twice and darkened once. Then the light wavered for a few moments, like a flickering candle shining through green glass.

“Yes, I don’t know how to leave here.” Akira translated and sucked in a breath. “Oh, Potter, I’m sorry! If I’d known, I would’ve helped you out of here already!”

Sir Samuel heard Akira’s accent. It was unusual, though he’d heard it once before. A trader came through with bottles of a rich, salty brown liquid for sale. His mom bought one, and the grateful trader had bowed several times in thanks.

“I’ll lead the way!” Sir Samuel said confidently. He turned around and stepped back into the woods. Mr. Glowy Potter’s light lit the woods up from behind Sir Samuel like a bright lantern. Sir Samuel wanted to skip the whole way out, having just found two new friends, but he held himself in reserve. He wouldn’t want to trip over an errant log and embarrass himself. Especially with an audience. His cheeks burned as he thought about his previous fall. He hoped Akira hadn’t seen that one (he had seen it and had even giggled about it and would probably go on to laugh about it again later).

Sir Samuel led his two new friends to the path and out of the tree tunnel. Once they’d left the woods, he turned to his followers. “Here you are, Mr. Glowy Potter. It was really nice to meet you.”

The glowing globe lit up brighter and brighter, not stopping this time until it blazed like a green sun.

“He’s saying, ‘Thank you,’” Akira confirmed to Sir Samuel.

Sir Samuel nodded and covered his eyes against the powerful shine. The orb rose straight up into the air, and Sir Samuel and Akira watched its ascent in awe. The burning viridian sun shrank smaller and smaller as it climbed into the clear night sky. Finally, after several long minutes of watching Mr. Glowy Potter, it became indistinguishable from the stars spread across the heavens above.

“Wow.” Sir Samuel’s voice contained every bit of the awe in his heart.

“Yeah,” Akira agreed. He stood beside Sir Samuel for several moments. “You sure like to help people, don’t you?”

Sir Samuel looked at his new friend. “Of course. Don’t you?”

“I’ve known Potter for almost a week now and never thought to ask if he needed help with anything. You only just encountered him and knew to ask.” Akira’s voice seemed tinged with regret.

“I wouldn’t have known I could talk to him without you, Akira. This was a team effort.”

“You’re selfless, Sir Samuel.”

Sir Samuel had never heard that word before. His sister called him selfish when he wouldn’t share his dessert with her, but selfless sounded a lot better to his ears.

“And you’re helpful, friend Akira.”

“At home, you add a word behind a name to honor the person.”

“What word would I add to say that you are my new friend?”

“You can call me Akira-kun, if you like.”

“Yeah, I like that. We’re going to be good friends, Akira-kun. I just know it.”

If you enjoyed Sir Samuel in this story, read the next in the series:

If you'd like to support me, please heart my story, and consider sending a tip my way. Thank you!