[Flash Fiction] The Solitary Wanderer
This story is a part of the November 2018 issue of Transcendence Magazine. Click here to download the full magazine for free!
Yesterday was the mountains before that was the woods, but tomorrow… tomorrow is the ocean.
He found it strange, he has been here for only a day, just like any other place he has been to recently, but still, it all felt so unnaturally familiar: the gushing ocean waves, the roaring wind and the occasional squeals and hoots of nightlife. Yet, he didn’t feel afraid to be in this strange place in the depth of twilight. Nowadays he didn’t feel afraid at all.
* * *
The thoughts of men and beasts that roamed the darkness around here were alerting but never scary enough to make him run back into the safety of his tribe. The tribe always came at a price, he will lose his freedom. Freedom is the only this he craved for all he can remember, to lose the chains and be able to wander the lands on his own is what he was born to do, not serving the chieftains who cared nothing for people like him. Finally, he got what he craved and was set free to roam the lands, but that too came at a price: it was his own safety. He was alone in the wild, as vulnerable as a newborn child. He wasn’t trained in warfare or weaponry but he was raised as a hunter and that skill was his only hope for self-defense. The creatures in the wild bothered him very little. At the top of his concerns was just a single creature — man.
The tribes down here were constantly at war, they fought under the sun and the moon, and no time of the day was safe to roam alone in the woods. Yet here he was, doing just that. ‘What a stupid boy’, was all his tribesmen could say.
It has been days since he left his shelter. Where he is heading, he doubted so much. All he knew was that he had to cross the mountains to reach the river, and follow the river to the city of paradise. Legends praise it as the happiest place in the world, as a land of abundance and peace. But what drove him towards there were not any riches. Two years ago men from that land came to this side of the mountains. It was the stories they told that captivated him.
They said they were explorers and have crossed the ocean. They said that the world is round and they have been around it. The ideas of great lands beyond the mountains and the ocean was so exhilarating that he would risk his life to see them, to be there, to be an explorer, and to cross the ocean. But will he ever make it across the mountains, he had no idea. It was as unsure as a dead man’s return. But still he had his hopes high and he saw a way. He eyed the mountains and paced forward.
He got out of the woods without much danger, except for a few leopards and wolves. But the mountain ahead will never be the same. The terrain wasn’t the only danger, he has heard of the men living in the mountains, more savage than beasts and said to eat each other when food is scarce. Will they let him pass if they ever saw him? No, never. That part was clear. Being eaten raw had a much bigger probability. But there had to be a way, for the men from the city came here, unscratched by the mountain savages.
He was feeling afraid now. But is it because of the thoughts about failing his quest or because of the gore of these savages, he couldn’t tell. A little part of his mind longed for the safety of his tribe, but going back was not an option, not after he had come so long. So he gathered his courage and moved forward, eying the pass between two cloud-kissing mountains.
He kept moving forward. The air was cold, and snow had begun to cover the ground. The way to the mountains seems so much longer than he had thought, or maybe it was because of that part of his mind pulling him back. After hours of walking through the open, he reached the foot of one of the mountains and hid behind an enormous rock. He had not seen any savages yet, but even if he had, he doesn’t know what to do. His sword and dagger would be of little use and all he could do was to run for his life.
He clutched his sword in both his arms and moved out from the shadow of the rock. The feeling that he could die anytime now was making his heart beat at an abnormal rate, but he won’t leave his quest midway. He tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turned white, and his fear made the blood drain out of his face. But his steps were firm and he kept moving as fast as he could to reach the pass in-between the mountains. Once he was there, he can look for the river, which will take him to the city. But the pass seems so far, and he was running now.
But then… then he froze. His heart stopped beating. He was being rounded from the front and the sides. He looked at the men standing at a distance. They were as tall as giants and covered in fur coats. The only way out was to run back, but for some reason, he found it unable to do. He didn’t know whether it was the fear of getting killed or the determination to not abandon the quest that rooted him there. He stood there, completely still.
And then it happened, he felt an arrow miss him by inches. It bought him back to his senses and he began running for his life, he started running back, not to leave but just to find a place to hide. He saw the men closing on him from the sides, their skin as white as marble, and faces the nonhuman he had ever seen.
He was running so fast, faster than he had ever run before, aiming the huge rock which was his last hope for a hiding place. But then he skipped on a stone and fell face down on the floor. He tried to get up but an arrow already pierced his shoulder, when he felt the pain, he screamed in agony and felt his eyes losing their focus. Now all he could do is try to crawl, but there wasn’t any hope, the attackers have already closed in on him. He looked at them through unfocused eyes. Their roars filled his ears, shouting in some illegitimate tongue.
He felt one of them lift him off the ground and carry him on his shoulder. His eyes were closed and he was sure of death. Finally, it was true he thought as his hopes continued to drain — the success of his quest was as sure as a dead man’s return.
After what seemed like a long time, he felt himself being dropped onto the ground. He could feel death closing on him from all sides. They were ready to eat him now. But then he heard their screams, but it seemed like those of agony now. Holding onto the last bit of hope he had, he opened his eyes, which were still unfocused. He saw about half a dozen men dressed in black fighting the giants and felt a hand on his left cheek, shaking his face to check whether he was still conscious. But before his eyes could focus on the man in front, he passed out.
When he opened his eyes after what seemed like a long time, he was on a bed and his shoulder was still in great pain. On his side he saw a man, sitting on a chair and polishing his sword. It didn’t take him long to recognize him, the man from the city, the explorer who had crossed the ocean. The man smiled at him and he realized the meaning of it all… his quest was finally a success. And after all, it wasn’t as impossible as a dead man’s return. Despite the pain, he felt that this was the happiest moment in his life.
* * *
Now he has healed completely and was ready to go. They were leaving tomorrow on their quest for new lands and he could feel deep in his heart that feeling of excitement, very similar to the one that he had when he left the tribe. The adventures of his life have just begun and there lies a long journey ahead for him.
“Yesterday was the mountains before that was the woods, but tomorrow… tomorrow is the ocean”, he said to himself as he watched the silver moonlight dance over the ocean waves.
This story first appeared in the Transcendence Magazine:
