Question

Okay, I know I mentioned posting two chapters from another story.  I do have one of them ready to go, but I discovered I need help with that story.  The main character will be a fifteen year old girl and I don't understand how they think to make it believable. :)

So, I could post the first chapter to that story or I could post a few more chapters to the two I already added.

If you want more of the current story and chapter one of the other story, I would be willing to do that as well.  

Please let me know.

New Story Chapter 2

Okay, here is chapter 2 as promised.  Again, it is very very unedited. :)  Let me know what you think.

2

            Flit screamed as the demon howled with rage.  Both of them scrambled back away from the wall of fire at the same time.  As soon as the Demon retreated far enough from the flames into the forest, the wall of thorns returned.

            The demon’s eyes burned red with a flame of their own, staring Flit down.  The beast it rode roared, snapping its jaws at him.  Then the demon spurred its mount and road away.  The monster’s massive body, causing the ground to shake with each bound. 

            Flit’s heart continued to pound for several minutes after the demon disappeared.  He remained on the ground starring at the opening in the thorns.  How am I to get home? Am I trapped here? A prisoner?

            It wasn’t until after the sun had set and darkness began to settle in that Flit realized he had sat motionless for quite some time.  He rose to his feet and the crying started again.  The ghosts! His anxiety returned.  He glanced around searching for any hint of the white specters but nothing moved except the water in the fountains. 

            Flit decided to find a spot to wait out the night.  I just wish the sobbing would stop.  How am I to sleep with that crying?  Please let those spirits stay way. He found a spot under one of the fountains where it would protect him on three sides.  He crawled into the opening and curled into a ball, wrapping his arms around his legs.

            The darker it grew the louder the wailing grew.  Every now and then Flit made out a word or two. 

            “Why?” the voice would ask.  “I loved you,” it bemoaned. “You betrayed me,” it lamented.

            Flit started to tremble.  The constant crying began to wear on his nerves.  He wondered if the man was a ghost or something else. 

            As night continued to take over, the gardens grew increasingly darker and darker.  The gardens had a strange glow Flit had never seen before.  He could make out the shapes of trees and shrubs better than he had ever done before.  He couldn’t distinguish colors but definitely trees and bushes.  Every now and then a small flash of light would blink, traveling across the gardens.  They appeared to be floating slowly in all directions. There was also an abundance of the usual night time insects making their normal racket.

            What are they? A trick of some kind to lure me out of hiding? 

            He adjusted his position to relieve some discomfort and gain a better view of the area.  The wailing continued to come and go, but seemed distant with this new development to hold his attention.  He checked for anything else moving about the gardens, with no results.

            The strange silvery light that covered everything in the gardens seemed to be shifting at a very slow pace.  It had originally been about three feet or more away from him but was now only a foot or so.  With each passing moment it inched closer. 

            Flit’s heart started to race and his mouth grew dry as he looked for anything waiting out in the darkness.  After not spotting anything, he nervously extended his hand out towards the strange sliver light.  He paused a moment before finally pushing his hand out into the glow.  He didn’t feel anything unusual on his skin.  There was no warmth or coolness to the light’s touch.  He noticed his hand created a shadow on the ground telling him it was a type of light source.

            “It’s moonlight,” a female voice spoke in his ear causing Flit to jump and smack his head on the stone above him.

            He wrapped his hands around his head and gritted his teeth.  Tears formed in his eyes and it took several moments for the pain to subside.  He fought the urge to vent his pain with any noise, hoping to avoid any more interaction with the unseen. 

            He tried to wet his lips with his tongue while his eyes danced around. “Please leave me alone,” he whimpered.

            “You will need us if you want to get past the demon,” another voice spoke and the ghostly form of a blond woman in a white dress swirled around in front of his hidings spot before disappearing.

            “T—the d—demon?” Flit stuttered and the image of the black creature flashed across the front of his mind.

            “He controls the boarder of these gardens.” A redheaded apparition materialized for a brief moment and then dissipated. “You won’t escape him without our help.”

            “Y—you want to help me?” Flit’s voice was barely a whisper.

            “Yes,” several female voices spoke at once and two different female ghosts glided in and out of his view.  “You are very special, Flit.”

            “Me?” Flit started to gain a little courage, speaking a little louder.  “I’m nothing.  Not even for a malo.  I don’t even have any real friends.”

            “You have a good heart, Flit,” the original blond spoke, appearing and then fading. “You can come out, we will not harm you.”

            “I’m scared,” Flit acknowledged. “What if you are just tricking me? Luring me to my death?”

            There were several giggles.

            “We have been waiting for you for centuries.  We need you,” the redhead stated.  “Our father needs you, Flit.”

            “Your father?” Flit questioned, thinking he hadn’t seen any male ghosts.

            “Yes, he is the creator,” another female specter appeared and zipped by his hiding place.

             “Creator?” Flit poked his head out a little farther to follow her until she vanished.

            “He created this world,” another female mist appeared right in front of Flit’s face and then floated backwards away from him.

            Flit flinched but recovered quickly.  Curiosity tugged at his mind and he wanted to know more.  “Of this garden, you mean?” He slipped out of his hiding spot to sit cross-legged on the ground in front of the fountain.  The strange silvery light descended on him from a strange beautiful white orb in the sky.  “What is that?”

            “It is one of the moons of Eilisor.  It is only seen from these gardens anymore,” the redhead materialized for a few moments. 

            “The pollutions of Hadder, hide many beautiful things from the eyes of Eilisor,” a different spirit flew by. 

            “Haddar!” Flit shivered.  Everyone living in the world of Eilisor feared the name.  He controlled Eilisor with blood and dark magic.  The malos told terrifeing tells how their people where used as entertainment in Haddar’s arenas.  Hundreds of malos ripped to pieces and gobbled up by horrifying creatures.

            “Yes, Haddar’s evil covers all the lands.  Only this garden is safe from his influence,” the blond spoke.  “He is not strong enough to enter here, but he guards our borders with the demon you saw.”

            “To keep you in or to keep others out?” Flit swallowed, realizing he was now part of the first equation.

            “Both, but more to keep anyone from leaving,” several ghosts responded at the same time.

            “Then how am I to get home?  How am I to get back to my people?” Flit felt panic starting to spread through his body.  “Why didn’t he stop me from coming in?”

            “He didn’t see you as a threat.  But he does now,” the redhead spoke.  “You have eaten the fruit.  Your eyes are open a little.”

            “What?” Flit shook his head.  “Why would that matter?”

            “All the fruit of these gardens have magical properties.  We were trying to talk to you before you tasted it, but your eyes were shut and you couldn’t see.  It wasn’t until after you had eaten the fruit that we could appear to you.  The same with the demon.  He knows you know and will hunt you wherever you go,” the blond stated.

            “So, I’m trapped here…forever!”

            “No, we can aid you.  Besides our father has a great work for you to do,” the redhead said. 

            “But I don’t want a demon hunting me.  Why would anyone want me, a malo, to help them?  I’m a nobody,” Flit protested.  Goose pimples spread across his body at the thought of that terrifying demon running him down.

            “You heard the father’s voice and you see the gardens.  You are the first,” a brunette ghost swirled around him.

            “I…I what?  I didn’t hear any man’s voice and how could anyone miss this beautiful garden’s.  That is if they get through the thorns.”  Flit held out his arms in the moonlight, searching for scratches and puncture wounds, but his skin was smooth without any marks.

            “You heard him crying,” a couple of ghosts stated together.

            “T—that was your father?  And why is he crying?” Flit questioned.

            “Because all of his creations are corrupted and evil,” another spoke, doing a pirouette in front of him and then dancing away.

            Flit now marveled at the beauty in these strange misty creatures.  He noticed how he felt a strange joy being in their presence.  “His creations?”

            “Yes, he is the father of all.  Even you Flit,” the blond stated rolling over and over as she zipped by. 

              “But his son rebelled against him and uses his powers to control and conquer life everywhere,” another woman appeared right in front of his face and then dissipated.

            “Who is his son?”

            “Haddar!” they all hissed.

            “Hadder is the father’s son?” Flit tilted his head to the side.

            “Yes, he was destined to rule Eilisor in peace and justice, but he is evil.  He abused and twisted his powers,” still another spirit spoke.

            There were so many flying around, Flit had trouble tracking them all.

            “And what does the father need me for?” Flit questioned.

            “To kill Haddar,” they all spoke at once.

            It felt like a huge weight had dropped onto Flit’s shoulders and he struggled for air.  “Y—you w—want me to k—kill Haddar.  He will have me drawn and quartered and then let things start to eat me alive before I die. How can I, a single malo, take on not only Haddar the most powerful being on Eilisor but his vast armies which are as great as the sands on the sea.”

            “You already showed great promise.  Others have entered these gardens but have failed to see them.  Only the pure in heart can do so.  If your heart wasn’t pure, you would have only seen a decaying overgrown garden with no fruit or working fountains,” the redhead told him. 

            “Did any of them leave?” Flit swallowed.

            “None survived,” a couple of spirits stated. 

            “What happened t—to them?”

            “The demon killed them.  The demon killed them.  The demon killed them,” the all repeated.

            “And you want me to k—kill Haddar.  I’m not going to make it out of these thorns.” Flit rose to his feet and waved his arms at the thorny walls.  His fear of these spirts vanished faster than the ghosts themselves and he paced around the area.  The pressure of being trapped or slaughtered by a demon squeezing his thoughts.  “And poor Jett.  The camp must be wondering what happened to us.”

            “I will help you,” a deep calming voice spoke, stopping Flit in his tracks. 

            Flit glance all around but could only see the gardens and the swirling female specters.  “Who was that?”

            “The creator,” the soft female voices spoke. 

            Fear of being asked to do something he didn’t want to do, forced Flit to stop asking questions.  He slunk back to his hole and crawled inside, wrapping himself into a ball.  He lay on his side watching the female ghosts come and go until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

###

            Flit awoke to birds chirping.  He was rather annoyed at the chatterers as he was having one of the best night’s sleeps he could ever remember.  Their song carried a happy tune which seemed strange to Flit.  “Where did those buggers come from?” he grumbled and then his eyes snapped open.  The Gardens.

            His heart started to thump inside his chest.  He lay motionless, using his eyes to search for the ghost or anything else.  He stayed still until the pain in his hip and shoulder became unbearable, so he slowly crawled out of his hiding place.  He took a long drink from the fountain after verifying he was alone.

            The hunger pangs in his stomach led him to the fruit trees where he ate his fill once more.  He discovered he still had one of the sacks he and Jet were to use for gathering berries and loaded it full. 

            “It will not survive beyond the borders of the thorns,” a female voice spoke in his ear, causing him to drop the bag, spilling fruit all over the ground.

            “It will rot,” another stated from a different location.

            Flit glanced around after regaining his composure.  He recognized the voices from the night before.  In the daylight, he couldn’t see any ghosts or spirits.   A sudden knot in his stomach replaced the light feeling he had after convincing himself that last night had been a dream.  It wasn’t the fact the ghosts were real that bothered him, but if they were there and the demon would be too.  This also meant the desire they had for him to kill Haddar remained.

            “I just want to go home,” Flit pleaded after a few minutes of silence.  His chest heaved as if he struggled for breath. 

            “And so you shall,” the deep male voice responded. “You will need help.  I do not expect you to defeat Haddar on your own.” I brilliant flame appeared, burning in the air.  It hovered above the ground about two feet and rose up in a pillar of fire.  It consumed no fuel to feed its flames.

            “But I’m a nobody.  Friendless.  Even my own people don’t like me,” Flit stated, trying to make a case for avoiding this responsibility.  “I can’t even defend myself, let alone win some battle.  I won’t make it past the demon.”

            A brisk wind whipped through the trees, causing Flit to turn his head to keep loose flying debris from getting in his eyes.  The wind flew around him and then disappeared.  When Flit opened his eyes a beautiful white flower with five large pedals spun around as it floated down from the air above him.  Flit caught it out of the air and then noticed it belonged to the tree the wind had started from.

            “Take this flower and keep it safe.  It will hide you from the eyes of the demon,” the deep soothing voice stated.  “You must never let it out of your possession.  If you should lose it, the demon will know where you are and come for you.”

            “How can a flo…”

            “It is a special flower.  It will stay alive for several weeks.  You must return before the last pedal falls.  For a dead flower will have the same results as losing it,” the creator spoke.

            “Why do I need to come back?” Flit asked.

            “To stay alive and to learn,” the voice stated and the pillar of fire started to die.

            “What am I to learn?” Flit asked.

            “Patience.  First you must learn patience and to follow instructions.  Return before the last pedal falls,” the voice grew fainter and the flames were almost gone.

            “WAIT!” Flit stretched forth his hand toward the disappearing fire.

            “Show the flower to no one.  Thieves will be drawn to its beauty.” The pillar vanished.

New Story

This chapter has NOT been edited and is subject to change.  You will notice I make a lot of errors when I write.  Homophones being a big one. :)

Please let me know what you think.  I will post the second chapter in this story next week.  Then I will post 2 chapters of a different story.  I am letting you decide which one you would want to read first.  I will finish that story first.

1

A twig snapped under Flit’s foot causing him to recoil before Jett shot him an angry look.  Flit hated having to go into the haunted forest and his company made it even worse.  Flit knew Jett didn’t like him and would do everything to make his day miserable.

            Maybe if the forest was thick he could stay close but out of Jett’s sight, but the tall trees grew yards apart.  Only the new growth grew tightly together until one tree eventually dominated the spot and the others would die off.  The best cover seemed to be wherever large bushy shrubs gathered around the base of a tree.  Still they had to be careful these locations weren’t the home of some unseen beast.

            At only fourteen years of age, Flit was small, even for a malo, at four and a half feet tall and a skinny build.  Jett stood at least a foot taller and outweighed him by about forty pounds.  Jett had reached his full height and already had facial hair and tuffs of hair covering his ears while Flit’s skin was smooth and golden brown.  A mop of untidy black hair sat upon his head just like all the other malos with deep blue eyes.  They both wore ratted ragged attire and Flit barely had what could be called shoes.

            “If you give away our position again, I’ll gut you and leave you for the monsters of the forest,” Jett hissed angrily.  “It’s bad enough I have to come into this dangerous place, but I have to bring you with me.”

            “I’m sorry, Jett,” Flit tried to apologize.

            “Shut up.  If I want to hear from you, I’ll say so.  Otherwise, keep your trap shut.” Jett left their place of cover hurrying across the open space between one set of trees for another in a hunched over run. 

            Flit waited until Jett arrived at the new spot, looked for any sign of danger, and then bolted after Jett.  Flit, like all the races, feared the haunted forest.  He hated when their leader would move their camp next to its boarders, because that would mean he would have to venture in to find food.  Most who stepped within its borders were never heard from again.

            As dangerous as the forest was, the malos used it for protection and food.  Being one of the smaller races made them easy targets as slaves or prey.  Camping near the forest gave them a little peace. The need for food drove them into the woods whenever they couldn’t steal what they needed in their nightly raids. 

            Flit wished life was different.  He seemed to always be stuck with whoever was assigned forest duty.  It wasn’t that he liked stealing for a living either, but there were usually more malos involved and it felt safer.  They never let him carry a weapon and he didn’t think Jett’s short sword would protect them from any serious danger.  Instead of a knife or his sling with some stones, Jett forced him to carry all the empty sacks. 

            The farther they went into the forest, the longer they paused before moving out into the open.  It had been quite some time since a malo disappeared in the forest.  Only partial remains were found along with their shredded clothing.  Everyone knew some monster had eaten them.

            “There’s our target.” Jett pointed to large patch of berries growing on a slight slope about a half mile away. 

            “It’s a little out in the open?” Flit stated, pointing out the scarcity of trees and shrubs. 

            “Just stay low in the berry bushes.  The sun rarely makes an appearance.” Jett cast a look at the smoke filled sky which gave the land an endless dim hazy light.  “And what did I say about speaking!”

            They continued their darting from one large tree to another always pausing to make sure nothing had spotted them.  Nothing moved.  No small animals or birds in the sky.  They crossed the distance in a matter of minutes and then crept out into the berry patch.  Flit passed a couple of sacks to Jett and they began filling them with berries.

            A gust of wind swept through the area, causing the trees to creek and leaves to rustle.  Flit and Jett froze, listening while sinking a little lower into the bushes.  A strange cry from over head grabbed their attention and an uneasy feeling spread through Flit. 

            “Stay still,” Jett whispered.  “If you move, it might spot us.”

            The call came again, closer this time.

            Flit’s heart started to race and he wished he could crawl inside one of the empty sacks. Sweat started to form along his brow and annoying biting insects initiated an assault on his ears.  The urge to swat the pests became unbearable and he used his mouth to angle breaths of air to keep the little devils out of his eyes and nose.

            A loud slap indicated Jett gave into the desire to rid himself of the insects.

            The strange call took on a higher pitch, volume and repetition as a massive black bird with beady red eyes landed on a branch of the nearest tree.  The bird continued with its non-stop chatter, rotating its head to stare at them with both eyes.

            “That thing is going to give us away,” Flit whispered.

            “Shut up,” Jett hissed.

            “It knows we are here.  We need to get out of here before it attracts the attention of something larger and more dangerous,” Flit warned.

            “Shut…”

            A hair rising roar off to their right scared them out of the bushes.  They raced away from the roar but another closer to their left stopped them in their tracks.  The black bird appeared to be following them yammering away, as if it was calling the beasts to them.  Before they had a chance to head back towards their camp, a third call drove them deeper into the forest.

            They ran wildly dodging trees all the while the howls of the beasts continued to grow louder. 

            “There!” Flit pointed towards a massive tree about a quarter mile a head.  “Maybe we can climb higher than these things can grab.”

            They arrived at the tree only to discover the lowest branches were just out of their reach.  Flashes of black beasts appeared through the trees rushing in their direction.

            “Quick give me a boost,” Jett ordered and Flit clasped his hands between his knees.

            Flit almost buckled with Jett’s weight but managed to hold him as he stepped from Flit’s hand to his shoulders.  Jett snagged the lowest branches and swung himself up.  Then no matter what Flit tried he couldn’t grasp Jett’s outstretched hand.

            “RUN!” Jett screamed as the beasts roared with delight on finally spotting their prey.

            The bird continued to caw excitedly.  It landed a couple of branches above Jett.

            Flit sprinted through the forest, adrenaline and fear pushing him on.  His heart pounded in his ears and his lungs burned inside his chest.  The grunts and growls of his pursuers grew closer and closer until the thudding of their feet hitting the ground joined the other noises. 

            He reached the top of a hill and risked a peek over his shoulder.  His change of focus caused him to trip and fall down the steep slope on the other side.  He rolled at an accelerated rate, bouncing off rocks and bushes until finally falling off a twelve foot drop into a group of thick bushes which helped break his fall.

            Flit groaned against the aches and pains in his body.  Two hideous black hairy heads with red eyes and long sharp yellow teeth peered down at him from on top of the cliff.  They swung back and forth as if searching for a way down.

            Flit eyes jumped both ways to see another way down wasn’t too far off.  He scrambled out of the center of the bush while broken branches and thick structure scratched and snagged his clothes and skin, making him use a lot of time and energy. 

            The beasts’ call told him they were heading towards the path he had spotted while lying in the bush. 

Ignoring the pain in his back and legs, he started running once more. He searched for a possible place to hide when a horrible scream momentary stopped him.  He turned back towards the hill.  Jett! Oh No, They got Jett!

He exploded forward once more at full speed but his energy started to wane fast.  The calls of the creatures began again and steadily grew closer and closer.  Fear threatened to consume him and tears began pooling along his lower eyelids.  He didn’t see any way out of the situation.  These monsters would ripe him to pieces and devoured his flesh.

The louder their terrifying calls sounded, the harder Flit’s heart beat inside his chest.  He began blubbering in his desperate search for a solution.  Tears rolled down his face and his legs became heavier and heavier. 

Hopefully they will kill you quick, Flit.  I don’t want a lot of pain.  Through the trees ahead a strange gray wall like structure appeared.  A building?  The image sparked in him hope at the chance to escape.  He sprinted as fast as his tired legs would work.  What he thought was a wall of stone that was part of a larger building turned out to be a wall of gray thorns about twenty feet high.  The dried bushes were knitted so tightly together they looked impregnable. 

The thudding of the monsters’ large paws told Flit he was out of time.  He dove straight into the dense wall of spikes, which punctured his skin and clothing.  Gritting his teeth, he dug deeper into the painful thorns.  He managed to get several feet into the thick structure when the ravenous creatures slammed into the wall.

They whimpered and wailed after attempting to snatch Flit in their snapping jaws as the thorns jabbed their faces with each attempt.  The thorns seemed to drive the hideous beasts mad.  The howled with pain but would dive into the thorns again and again.  With each try, they got closer and closer to their prey.

Flit had no choice but to continue to endure the painful bushes and force his way deeper into the stabbing plants.  Bloor ran from every part of his body.  His fingers hurt so badly, that he turned his back in the direction he wanted to go and pushed his way through.  Flit screamed from the pain.  For every inch of progress he made, the beasts gained the same amount of ground.

He closed his eyes and drove his backside into the wall until he broke through the other side and fell on his back, driving in some of the broken off thorns.  He cried out but sprang to his feet so he could flee again, when something odd happened.

The enraged monsters stopped their assault all together and acted as if an even more terrifying monster had shown up.  The lowered to the ground with their tails between their legs and acted as if they didn’t know what to do.  The shot lofty looks at Flit and then at their air all around them before yelping and darting away. 

Their reaction caused the hair on the back of Flit’s neck to stand on end.  He didn’t dare move.  It felt like he was incased in ice and the world around him grew completely silent.  A cold chill brushed across his cheek like ice had touched his face.  

He cocked his head slightly to the side and strained his ears listening for anything noise at all.  A very soft sound reached his ears.  He couldn’t tell if a breeze blowing through the thorns created the noise of if it was something else. The noise was there one moment and then gone the next.

Taking a deep breath, Flit forced his muscles to move.  The effort shot pain all through his body as the thorns still stuck in his body made their presence known.  “Ahh,” the sharp protrusions took his focus away from his surroundings and he began plucking the dagger-like objects out of his skin.  

He had just cleared all the objects from his backside and was trying to reach some in the center of his back when the sound came again.  He held his breath to hear more.  A soft moan or something like it traveled with the wind.  Is that someone…crying? Or a wounded animal.

The sight that met Flit’s eyes filled him with wonder.  While the beasts and the thorns held his attention, he failed to see the spectacular gardens in which he now stood.  There were beautiful flowers of all colors, fruit trees and bushes, marble fountains with running water and immaculately trimmed hedges and lawns.  Bees and butterflies busied themselves about the flowers and tree blossoms. 

“Wow,” he whispered to himself.  He took a step which caused more thorns to reveal their presence in his skin.  He paused to pluck out the last of the sharp devils before returning his attention to the beautiful gardens. 

He took a couple of steps forward and the eerie soft crying returned, stopping him.  How could this be in the middle of the evil dark forest?  Wait a minute.  His eyes darted around the strange world inside the forest and realized the sun was shining.  It was moving toward sunset quickly but it was still giving off more light than he was used to.  He put a hand over his eyes to deflect the glare and took in how blue the sky appeared inside this place. 

Swallowing the lump that had pushed its way up into his throat, he called, “Hello!”

His voice carried a little louder than he would have liked and a colorful array of birds took flight, chattering with fright from the disturbance.  They circled the gardens and then Flit before returning to their hidden perches within the trees.

The moment the birds calmed back down and their chirps died away, the crying sounded again.  More prominent.

“Hello!” Flit called a little louder with the same response from the birds and few deer materialized out of the bushes and hoped away, deeper into the gardens.

It took a little longer for the birds to calm down, but once more the crying started.  The sobs were deep like it was a man wailing. 

Flit waited, not knowing how to proceed.  The moaning and sobbing continued to float around on the breeze but Flit could not determine from which direction they came.  Soon the allure of the fruits and water overpowered what fear he had felt. 

He limped to the nearest tree.  Without any adrenaline to drive him, his body hurt everywhere.  Blood oozed from all the cuts created by the thorns and his back ached from the fall.  When he reached the tree, he pulled a few pieces of the lower hanging fruit and began devouring them.  They were unlike anything he had ever tasted.  They were sweet and juicy.  A deep calm spread through him and all his aches and pains seemed to disappear.

He continued to eat until he was satisfied and then went to a fountain and drank his fill.  He used the water to wash of all the dried blood from his face and hands.  The crying continued.  It ate at his mind, speaking of great pain and loss.  Whoever it was could find no comfort.  A deep sorrow started to creep into Flit’s mind as he browsed the gardens sampling other fruits.  The place seemed to go forever.  How is it now one has found this place? It is a paradise in a dangerous world. What do I tell my people? 

Flit checked for a bag to take some fruit back with him for proof.

“You will tell no one,” a soft female voice whispered in his ear and a white wisp-like mist passed at the edges of his vision.

Flit felt like ice had touched his ear and he flinched then stopped dead. His heart started pounding in his chest and ears and his mouth turned dry once more.  Ghosts! Goose pimples spread up his back and over his arms and it felt like he was incased in led. Fear replaced his will to move.  Ever since he was a small malo, the elders of his camp had told horror stories about the evil spirits who lived in the woods with powers to deceive the mind.  And lead people to their doom.  What if this is all a trick.  The sun. It wasn’t shinning on the other side of thorns.  It’s an illusion. 

The image of the frightened monsters flashed through his mind.  What did they see that I didn’t?  He closed his eyes tight and opened them again in an effort to clear his vision but the garden remained. There must have seen something to scare them off.  Some evil more terrifying then themselves.  What did they see? He shut his eyes once more and shook his head this time, but he didn’t notice anything different.

His stomach started to tie itself into knots and an uneasy feeling crept over him.  He tried to remember how he had reached this point.  It took all the effort he had to make his muscles respond.  He kept glancing in every direction, looking for whatever lay hidden within this vision.  You need to get out of here.

He started to retrace his steps in order to find the whole he had created to get in.

“Where are you going?” the soft voice spoke into his other ear, freezing it with its icy touch and another white mist danced at the corner of his sight. “You can’t leave.  It is getting dark.  The demon will catch you?”

This time Flit’s terror launched him forward at full speed.  He raced back the way he had come. 

“Where are you going?  It is not safe outside the wall.  You have eaten the fruit.  You will see him and he will see you,” a different female voice spoke and the transparent mist floated across the front of his vision in the form of a beautiful woman. 

“Leave me alone,” Flit screamed while swatting at the mist by waving his arms wildly through the air. 

“You can’t escape him.  He will peel the flesh off your bones while you still live,” a third female voice stated and another ghost zipped in front of him.

Flit closed his eyes and raced blindly forward with his hands extended to make sure he didn’t run into anything.  He cried out as he smashed into the wall of thorns cutting his arms and hands again.

His eyes snapped open and he searched for his exit.  He didn’t want to squeeze back through the thorns but he had to escape before these evil spirits led him to some horrible fate. He located the spot he had entered and started to ease his way out.

“You cannot leave,” yet another voice spoke as if it were right on top of him in a distressed tone.  “Watch out.  He is coming!”

Heavy thuds shook the ground, dropping loose thorns and branches down on Flit’s head. On the other side of the thorns, a giant black demon with curved horns and fire dancing all over its muscular body, road a giant monster with scales and spikes all over its body.

The scaly monster roared a deep guttural sound they almost caused Flit to lose control of his bodily functions.  The demon’s eyes locked with Flit’s and an expression of rage took hold of its face.  It swung a massive double axe at Flit, who just managed to jump out of the way before it cut a gash in the thorns. 

Flit scrambled backwards in fear and stumbled to the ground.  The demon coaxed its mount forward but the second it crossed into the thorns, the thorns disappeared and a wall of fire took their place.