Tell Me a Secret

“I’ll sell you a secret.”

Red leaned forward at the tone of the man’s voice in front of her. Not really a man, she supposed, but a young boy on the verge of manhood. He was practically trembling before her.

“Oh?” She questioned.

He nodded once, sharply. A quick jut of his chin.

“For a price, of course,” he responded nervously.

She nestled against her chair once more, bringing the small melon in her hand to her mouth. A wicked grin curved her lips.

“Tell me a secret, boy, and I will offer one in return.”

He swallowed, and she saw his adam’s apple bob in his throat at the movement. She could hear his heart rate pick up as he shifted in his seat on the other side of the table.

He leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table, and laced his fingers together.

“On my travel through the west coast, California, or what’s left of it, a merchant sold me a bit of information. I paid a hefty price for it.”

Her interest was piqued, but she didn’t let on.

“And?” She drawled.

“And-,” he continued, briefly looking over his shoulder before he turned back to her. “-he said that long ago there was a prophecy, written in the old language.”

She hummed quietly in response. His heart skipped in his chest.

“He said that evil would come again. And our world would be more ruined than it already is.”

Red tilted her head at his words, considering.

“Would you like my secret now?” She asked.

Another swallow. Another dip of his chin.

Red leaned forward, tossing her melon to the side, and laid her hands flat against the table.

“Two will come

One will fall

Past the waters

A sirens call

A chain loops through

It’s heart entwined

Destiny prevails

Back through time

Keeper of keys

Lock of locks

A snake in the bush

A thorn in the rocks

The heart is set

Its journey splinted

Look past the fog

The chain has ended”

The boy looked disgusted.

“A riddle?” He spat. He stood, knocking his chair back as he did so.

Red only tilted her head back and laughed at his rage. His heart had once again picked up its pace.

“Death marks you,” he hissed.

Red stopped laughing and met his gaze.

“No, darling. Death has marked you.”

She stood. He took a fool’s step backwards. He didn’t miss how her gaze followed his movement.

Red lifted her hand, stilling his movement, and stepped around the table. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump. His heart was like a hummingbird’s.

“Such innocence,” she crooned as she stood before him. She curled a finger around a lock of his hair, tugging lightly.

“The world will be taken by evil,” she continued. “Your merchant was right. Though, he should have specified who brought the evil.”

She waited a moment, staring up at him. Fear flecked his eyes.

“You will, of course, need help. And I, being gracious, have deigned to offer you some.”

She flicked her fingers, and he took a great heaving breath before stumbling backwards. Red turned towards the table as he gulped down air. She oftentimes forgot that they couldn’t breathe when she stilled them.

“It’s a shame,” she said. “A shame your world will end.”

“You are speaking as if you know how to stop it.”

Red shook her head and turned around, leaning against the table.

“I don’t.”

“Then why-,”

“I don’t know how to stop it,” she interrupted. “I didn’t say I didn’t know when it begins.”

His brows furrowed. “You’re saying you know when everything happens? You offered help. How can you help if you can’t stop it?”

Red rolled her eyes. “Your brain is so small,” she sighed.

She waved her fingers once more, and a small box appeared in her hands. She looked up at him as his eyes drifted to the box. Curiosity. It practically rolled off him in waves.

“Your world has to end,” she said. She lifted the box for him to take.

“The only way said prophecy can begin, is by the ending of this world. Once the events leading up to the prophecy happen, this will become of use to you.”

“What is it?” He asked warily as he took the box.

“Think of it as a beacon,” she said. “There are others like me in the world. Others who can see what has not yet happened. This will lead you to one.”

He held the box up but did not open it.

“And what happens when I reach them?”

Red smiled.

“You die.”

He jerked back.

Red laughed again, shaking her head.

“One of you. I’m not entirely sure which one. I can’t even see their face.”

“That’s-,” he started. “That’s not fair!”

“Who will you choose to become?” She asked.

When he didn’t answer, she stepped forward.

“I shall tell you this. By the next full moon, your gift will glow, leading you in the direction you are supposed to take. By the end of your next day, the world will begin to crumble. Your journey is long, tracked by death every step. Time is your friend and enemy.”

An incredulous look sprung upon his face.

“Riddle this, and riddle that. How is any of this going to help me when everything goes to shit?”

“Do you think I give my words lightly?” She asked, anger coating her words.

“You are a boy, barely a man, and yet the world has seemingly fell upon your shoulders. I gave you a gift and a secret, but what you do with them is entirely up to you. I can help no further.”

“None of this makes any sense,” he protested. “Everything was fine a year ago. The world was fine. And now there are strange creatures roaming the streets. Cities aren’t even cities anymore. A million people are dead, thousands more are dying, and it seems as if it’s all up to me.”

“I had just started out,” he said weakly. “I hardly know how the world works, and now it’s all falling apart before my very eyes. How am I supposed to fix a world I know nothing about?”

Red raised a brow.

“You have given up before you have even started. Shall I take my gift back?”

He swallowed but tightened his grip on the box.

“No,” he said quietly. “No, I think I will take it.”

She crossed her arms.

“I will give you one more gift,” she said, her tongue burned at the words. She was already giving too much.

“They are not here, but there. They are neither living, nor dead.”

She stopped, closed her eyes, took a deep breath.

Her tongue felt like lead in her mouth.

“Anymore, and your fate will be changed,” she sighed. “I cannot say anything else.”

She opened her eyes. He was staring at her.

“What are you?” He asked.

Red shook her head and flicked her fingers once more. The curtain behind them opened, a sign for him to leave. He briefly looked at it, before he turned his gaze to hers again.

“I have a feeling I will meet you again,” he said. “Am I correct in this feeling?”

“Yes,” she replied simply. “Now go.”

She didn’t watch him as he left, but she heard his soft footsteps as he passed by the curtain and out of her house. The box in his hand rattled as he dropped his arm.

A fool’s gift, she thought. One she had given too lightly. But even as she thought it, she heard the scrape of him opening it outside. Heard his sharp intake of breath and how quickly he closed the box.

Step, step, step, and she could hear him no more.

She closed her eyes briefly, the image of the locket imprinted behind her lids.

A heart it was shaped by. A human heart. And only a human heart could it be wielded by.

A fool’s gift.

For a human heart it would break