Old Phil’s time was up. The next day he
would be leaving for the countryside. “I am already dreaming of home. It will
be the new start to the life I have always wished to live. It will be a heaven
every night. A man is for himself, but God is for us all.” Old Phil was once
again seated on the log outside the hut.
“Yes.
You are right.” Nihu was straddled next to him. He nodded. “God is for
everyone.”
“Even
me. Surviving the perils in this Lonely
Forest
“I
expect that of you. God is a tough mogul. We need to be worthy if we hope to
find His favor.”
“But which god do you think I’m
talking about, Nihu?”
“The
god of our forefathers.”
“Does
he really exist?” He brought his hands together, making recitations as if he
was praying. Then he stopped and turned to Nihu. “Any result in that? Nothing.
I will say my prayers facing heaven henceforth. My deliverance must have come
from there.”
“Are
you sure?”
“I
don’t know. I just want try new things since my past had not yielded any result
other than troubles. However, I have prayed throughout my life. Good moral
conduct must be trapped somewhere in my heart ever since I set my foot into
this world of beauty and terror. Do you believe me, Nihu?” He looked deep into
the boy’s eyes.
“I can’t find falsehood in that, at
all. But I think it is too late to start finding perpetual faults in your
life.”
“Oh,
faults? They are gone. In the past, I had many. My life was no better than a
rat’s, which is left to struggle for survival in the heart of the red sea. My
weaknesses brought me a hard knock life. Macques would tell you my odds of
survival if he were here with us. He tells my story more accurately and with a
lot more feeling than I do. However, he had a talking impediment. Often, his
tongue added more excitement to every word that walked out of him. One would
think his words drop like wind-blown rain.”
“That’s
a terrible burden to carry.” Nihu thought of something else Phil had said. “Do
you derive much pleasure in mediations?”
“Yes,
oh yes. My meditations have yielded results. The last time I was under the
influence of morning mediation, I saw dwarf angel. It looked like a green
mallard. It told me all would be well with me. I am sure it had come to give me
hope of returning to glory after the truckload of the misfortunes I have
experienced here. I will hold a holy service of songs when I return home. That
is the first thing I will do when I get there.”
“But
you have nothing now. The King now owns your house.”
“Of
course. I expect to join my brother right away. He will be very happy to see me
alive. The celebration will carry to the next
level.”
“What
does he do for a living?” Nihu shifted on the log.
“He
is a farmer. And his well is deep enough to swallow ten of your stature.”
“Then
you will be well. I thought you were just like every journeyman whose heaven is
the street inn or corner. After every blessed day, he seeks comfort in a wonder
of unholy women. When the police come to raid, you will only see his back.”
“This journeyman has
served his time for offending others.” Old Phil removed his old hat that
revealed rivers of sweat that were carefully gliding down his hollow cheeks.
With the back of his hand, he rubbed them off his face and slapped the hat back
on his head.
“I have a dream, a big
one indeed. My survival means I was not guilty at all. There are people who believed
in me because I have had a positive effect on their lives.” Old Phil
straightened his shoulders, raising his chin.
“Things will be different for you now.
Your travails are over.” Nihu sighed quietly, chin in hand.
“Surviving the Lonely Forest
“That will be a grand
accomplishment for an old soldier like you. I can not hope to follow you.” Nihu revealed a trail of discouragement on his face.
“I will be well into my years by the time I am allowed to walk out of here. If
I survive to that day.” He gazed desolately at
the old man.
Old Phil looked straight
into the eye of the disenfranchised youth, “Nihu, there is always hope. God has
made sure of that. I believe you can survive just as I have survived all these
years. Live bravely, your day will come.”
He
rose to his feet, “Let’s go out together to hunt for the last time. The animal
we bring in will be my parting gift for you.” He smiled at the boy. Nihu
returned it weakly. Old Phil would soon be gone for good.
“I will be with you in a
moment.” The old man said. “I want to bring my old Dane gun that has always hit
its mark.” He entered the hut as Nihu lowered his head between his thighs
scratching in the Earth with a stick.
In
a few minutes, Phil emerged, fully dressed in his hunting attire. “Boy, you
must get ready. The forest awaits our ambitions. So it would seem. But it is a
beginning that brings us closer to the end.” Nihu
got slowly to his feet, as if he was being forced to go against his principles.
He went into the hut to get all he would need for the hunt. He took the spear
that was in the doorway and returned to Old Phil’s side. “I am ready,” he said
quietly.
“Look,
Nihu, upon our return to the cabin, we shall have a long swim in the river, you
hear me?”
“Okay.”
“And
I remember you told me you have a flute and that you can play very well. You
must play for me. I will dance like a man celebrating in triumph before leaving
for the countryside.”
“I
will play as well as I can. May the gods find favor.”
“You
will engender favor by celebrating with me. It is well that a body casts doubt
and fear aside so that he might honor another’s good fortune. So, Nihu, I want
the best from you.” He coughed and his hat fell off his head. He went for it
and added, “I will send prayers for you every day that your sojourn here will
be as uneventful as possible.”
They walked down the path in silence
for a while. Presently, Old Phil inquired if Nihu had his flute with him.
“No,
I left it in my rucksack in the hut.”
“I
was tempted to ask you to play now a dreamy song of the countryside.” Old Phil
sighed. “Oh well, it will wait until we return.”
They trampled the dry
leaves, heading for the interior of the forest, Old Phil leading Nihu who
followed slowly behind. Phil was almost skipping in happy anticipation as if
heading to a glorious alter. After some time, the forest swallowed them up, as
if wanting them to become a part of the Lonely Forest
By
sunset, the two had not yet found a single animal that Old Phil could have
gotten with a clean shot. The evening was beginning to stare them down and
there was no animal in sight. The day had finally surrendered to the coming of
the evening powers. Both were tired and had little strength left. Old Phil’s
shoulder has sagged and Nihu could barely lift his feet. Without speaking, they
stopped to rest under a tree. Old Phil broke the long silence that had stood
between them. “Nihu, what shall we do? We cannot remain here like stagnant
waters on the street of the local district. I wanted to celebrate properly, not
in such a weak manner. The fun must start right away.”
“What
shall we do?”
“Just watch me. You may
learn the way the army of the countryside celebrates their victories after a
hard fought battle.” The old man got to his feet and sent bullets from his old
Dane gun into the air. As excitement within him grew, he let more bullets into
the air, chanting old spirited songs of victory that every soldier of the
countryside sings when the mission has gone the right way. Old Phil let go more
bullets until he had none left in his gun.
Satisfied
he turned to Nihu, “Boy, let’s return to the hut. The bullets have served their
purpose. I feel as good as if they had brought down a tasty beast. What is more
exciting than forest life? A forest where even the trees now believe in my
prowess and wits?” He caught Nihu’s eye. “I can see you are glum. Lively up,
Nihu. No need to bury your head in discouragement. We can get one of the
monkeys near the hut to fill our bellies. I will show you the stores of
provisions I have made and of course, the hut is yours to live in. Tomorrow, I leave you to your life. A
solitary life is not such a bad thing. I
have new-found confidence after I have eaten and lived with the jungle devils
that never cease to arrive at my doorstep.”
“At
least, I was able to get to know you for a little while,” Nihu was resigned to
his fate. “Living with you was not written into my banishment order. It was
luck that I met you here and now circumstance is now setting us apart. Your
time here is done. The providence that kept you alive all these years can also
deliver me from painful claws of death.”
“It is good to hear you say
such things. Nevertheless, be careful. Macquesemis had much faith in
providence, but today his remains rest under the shade of an old oak tree. Let
us go.” Old Phil put his hand on the boy’s shoulder as they set off in the
direction of the hut.
The
light was waning and they went along quietly. The dry leaves crackled under
their boots. Nihu’s eyes spied a walnut tree; the ripe fruits among its leaves
spoke to his stomach. Up the tree he went. With a hand on one of the tree’s
fruits, he called out, “Phil, I will be along presently. No need to wait but a
moment.” He went for another as Old Phil continued alone.
“I will
wait for you by the river. Just be careful.” His voice carried back as Nihu
faded into the tree.
“Who would find me up here?”
Nihu wondered in a whisper. “I will pluck some walnuts and catch up to him
before the river.”
Old
Phil waved his left arm into the air by way of farewell as he went down the
path, suffering the dry leaves and grasses under his worn boots. Just as he
pursed his lips to whistle a tune for companionship, a lion leapt onto his
path. Seeing the old man, it charged without hesitation. Old Phil had less than
two seconds to face the animal with his Dane gun, ready with his finger on the
trigger to dispatch the animal to its grave. In a twinkling, it dawned on him
that the gun was empty and he had no other option but to flee. As he turned to
run, the lion pounced.
Nihu
heard the roar and knew Old Phil was in peril. An agonized cry from the old man
and another roar from the beast set the forest ablaze in the quiet night. Nihu
jumped from the tree, took hold of his spear that he had left leaning against
it, and hurried to the scene where Old Phil was battling to stay alive
underneath a wild lion. The lion had the attack advantage and had Phil pinned
to the ground. Old Phil was trying his best to roll away from the lion’s claws
and teeth, but he cried aloud and panted for air.
Nihu
raised his spear above his head and raced into the melee to save Old Phil from
becoming a meal for the wild beast. He struck the lion in the neck, a little
below the mane. The spear stuck deep in the neck of the lion, but the handle
came apart in his hand and Nihu could only hope that a second strike would not
be necessary. He stood back, as the lion, knocked off his feet, struggled with
fate. Old Phil, battling hard to overcome blackout, made a final effort to send
his foe to the world beyond. He drew his jackknife from his boot, sat up and
slit the lion’s belly. The lion lay still at last.
Old
Phil sank back and began to gasp for his life in the pool of his blood. Nihu
rushed to him in a horrible fright, to see if he could save the old man from
dying at the brink of his release. He knelt by the old man’s bloody head, took
it onto his lap and tried to encourage the old soldier back to life. “Phil, you
are strong. Stronger than the willows in the brook. You must not die.” Tears
flooded his eyes. “I will care for you in the hut for as long as it takes.”
Old
Phil struggled valiantly against the incoming blackness. “No, Nihu, it is too
late already for medicine. I have met my fate today. A soldier never travels
through the woods with an empty gun. Had I remembered that, I would be worthy
to see my home again. Former deeds cannot insure survival in hell. My life is
tragedy and I hope you might learn something from it. I advise you to take your
own life, my boy. Do not wait for the devil of beast or disease to ravage you.
You must find a way out of here . . .” He gasped and choked as speech left him.
His head rolled to one side as the last of life faded from his lips.
Nihu
stroked Old Phil’s face and wept bitterly as he recognized that the old man’s
ghost had gone. “No, no, Phil. No! You cannot leave like this. This is not how
it’s supposed to be!” He fell on the dead man and wept, harder than ever before
in his life. He wailed aloud in the dark until he could cry no more.
Somehow,
he managed to drag the remains of the old man back to the hut where he found a
shovel to dig a grave. After he finished the mound, he built a small fire and
went in for his flute. Returning to the graveside, he began to pay Old Phil his
last respects. The melody was a dirge, played for fallen heroes in the
countryside. It was equally good enough to move one’s feet. However, Nihu
remained seated on a log as he played out his despair.
Presently,
a deer came out of the woods into the clearing. It made few steps toward the
fire and transformed into a white dwarf that began to dance to the melody.
Nihu’s heart jumped into his mouth. He stopped playing and watched the
creature, fear gripping his heart. In the absence of music, the dwarf continued
to dance. The flute slipped from Nihu’s grasp as his grip relaxed and the
dwarf, cloaked in animal skins, laughed. The eyes in the sockets of his skull
were incredibly large and yellow and quite terrible to look at. The dwarf
skipped forward a few steps and laughed a terrifying laugh in Nihu’s face,
revealing a crooked set of yellow teeth.
“You
are good. You play well. If not, I would have had to eat you.” The dwarf stared
into the boy’s eyes. “I have watched you bury your dead countryman and when you
pulled out your flute I forgot everything to dance. I don’t get much chance for
festivities anymore.”
Nihu’s
eyes widened. He plucked up his spirit to ask, “Who are you?”
“I
am Magonda, the god of the Lonely
Forest
Cold
jitters ran down Nihu’s spine. The bravery that had come to him in the face of
the lion had gone. Nihu could only wait for the kind of consolation that old
Philominenges got or the slow death that swallowed Macquesemis. Yet something
the dwarf had said prompted an inquiry to the quick-thinking boy. As if probing
a weak spot in the dwarf’s reply, Nihu crossed his arms over his body and threw
out his question. “If you rule here as you say, why didn’t you prevent the
lion’s attack and the snake bite that killed the men that lived here for so
many years?”
The
dwarf was unfazed and laughed, covering his mouth with a hand as rough as the
back of a turtle. This protected the dismal sight of his teeth from the eyes of
the boy. The laugh bowed his body to the ground. Then he stopped abruptly, and
threw a wicked look at Nihu. “Why didn’t I save your countrymen from their
deaths? I ordered their deaths. It was as I wished. Your friends caused me no
end of trouble since the day they arrived here.”
“So
you killed them?” Nihu could not take his eyes from the proud creature’s
face.
“Yes.
Moreover, I can end you, too, with a devilish zap such as this. He drew a short battle-axe from his cloak and
threw it at a tree. The piercing not only ravaged the tree, it destroyed other
trees in a wide swath behind it. When Nihu turned to see the ruin, his eyes
widened, for the battle-axe had cut down over ten trees with that one hit. The
dwarf raised his hand to catch the axe that flew back to his grasp.
Nihu realized his peril, and
his knees knocked ferociously together. “Please, let me go.”
“Yes,
indeed. Your fancy flute playing has saved your life. I will let you go on one
condition. I want you to go to the western mountain.” He pointed with his left
hand into the gloom beyond Nihu’s fire. “It is at the far end of the forest and
is a home of evil powers; a place of frequent volcano eruptions that has cost
this forest and other areas their natural beauty. When you get there,” he
brought out a smooth, round stone, “you will drop this stone in the pit of
fire. If you do that for me, I will spare you forever.”
“Where
is the pit of fire?”
“It
is right there in the mountain. Your intuition will lead you to it.”
“Can’t
you tell me the way?”
“You will
have to find it yourself. That is my price for your freedom. If you fail, I
will kill you as I did to a thousand-man army that came to war with me many
years ago. I am sure they are from your land. Look here and you will see.”
Magonda opened his cloak and raised his arm as if forming a
large wing. Nihu saw a scene of a bloody war revealed in the cloth. A battle
was being fought between the wood demons led by Magonda, and country army sent
by his own king, who had believed the powers in the Lonely Forest
* *
*
Men
approached the Lonely
Forest
Seeing
the zombies readying themselves for attack, the invaders roared and charged,
raising their weapons above their heads. As they were about to close in, the
army halted as if sizing up their opponents. The leader stepped forward. A man
of a considerable height, his neck was as thick as the handle of his
battle-axe. He instructed the soldiers handling the bows and arrows to step
forward and then commanded them to shoot. A thousand arrows were let loose,
which descended like night rain on the wood demons. They received the shots as
if there was nothing significant about them at all. If an arrow pierced
anywhere in their bodies, they drew it out and bit off the point, as if eating
from a plate at a banquet. When the country army saw that their shots did no harm
to the wood demons, the leader cried out to attack right away. The soldiers
roared, raising their spears and axes to high heavens and raced across the
field to the clash. Likewise, the wood demons ran down the plain to meet their
adversary.
Heads began to roll and
blood flowed like a river. The zombies had the upper hand and the army fell
like a pack of cards. Suddenly, the zombies began to vanish, disappearing into
the forest as if they had lost all lust for battle. Greatly encouraged the survivors
pressed their advantage and advanced into the woods.
The battle took a new turn
when they got to the forest. The soldiers stood in amazement as they discovered
that the demons they had chased were nowhere in sight. They seemed to have
mixed with the air. As the armies were still
looking confusedly to every side, strange cries like wild wolves filled the
air. The howling grew and the men stood in fear, holding their weapons in an
iron grip.
A rumble shook the ground
and moments later a pack of giant wolves leapt upon the men from every
direction, sending a host of them to early graves. The soldiers did not give up
in the face of the massacre. They fought gallantly and were able to overcome
the wolves that turned to ashes when a capable soldier’s lance made good its
mark. After a ferocious onslaught, the wolves retreated into the wooded forest.
The
men were still lamenting the huge number of deaths to their camp, when they
noticed trees around crackling. They fixed their eyes on the developing cracks.
Mythical zombies like the ones they battled earlier began to come out of the
trees. Immediately, they pounced on the remaining army and another round of
breathtaking battle ensued. These zombies
were even more horrible than the first contingent was. They were cannibals
whose fingernails skewered their prey as they feasted on all they could lay
their hands on. This completely demoralized
the remaining troops. They took to their heels. As they ran, trees began to
vomit arrows after them. At every turn, men fell and died. The zombies
increased their numbers and made many meals out of the corpses. They were still
in frenzy when Magonda, the ruler of the Lonely Forest
* *
*
Nihu watched the
scene fade with a heavy heart.
“You are but a gnat in my teeth,” said
Magonda. “A wolf would make short work of you.”
“That
is what I want. Kill me now. No need to send me to a place where I will die
like a poor dog. And now I know I am not meant to return home from this place.”
The
dwarf laughed, “So you prefer to die, Nihu?”
“Yes.
It is better. I am ready now.”
The
white dwarf opened his mouth. A whirlwind came out of it and transformed into a
great gorilla. The beast roared, beating hard on its chest. Without thinking of
his prior resolve, Nihu took to his heels with his feet almost touching the
back of his head like an antelope broken loose from the snare of a desperate
hunter. The beast had the speed of ten men and chased Nihu around the camp.
They went past trees and bushes with amazing speed. Nihu was no match for the
agile beast who finally pounced, crushing him to the ground. He roared with the
roar of a rampaging river that has broken free of a dam. He grabbed hold of one
of Nihu’s legs and suspended him in the air. Magonda came forward.
“STOP!” the dwarf ordered. “I have no
reason to want you dead, Nihu. You did not disrupt my home like your
compatriots. You did not upset my animals, you did not hurt my trees, and you
did not make noise. I am pleased with your playing. Those countrymen of yours
got what they deserved.”
“Will
you free me?”
“I
will. Are you ready to do as I asked?”
“I
will, if you let me go.”
The
dwarf signaled to the gorilla. He dropped Nihu on the ground and stalked off
into the dark night. “If you do as I instruct, the powers in the mountain will
not destroy you. However, if you try to outsmart me, you will never come back
alive. The trail to the mountain is as difficult as walking on the wheels of
fire. However, the quest must be completed. I must confess, even if I knew
where the pit was, I could not tell you. I will give you this battle-axe. Once
you cast the stone into the pit, it will start work for you.”
“If
I may ask, why can’t you cast the stone yourself?”
“You
will find out when you get there.”
Magonda
handed the stone and the battle-axe to Nihu. He took them gingerly. “The axe
will work for you immediately upon accomplishing the task before you,” repeated
the dwarf.
Nihu
was still contemplating the Herculean task that was ahead of him when the dwarf
became a black panther and bounded beyond sight of the glowing embers. Nihu
shuffled through the dark to the hut and sank onto the wooden bed, covering
himself with a cover of animal skin he found on the bed. The darkness grew as a
giant troll, making it dangerous to venture out for a night hunt, as hunters
would do in the bush tribes. Stars refused to smile, starving the Earth of
brightness.
Nihu
had yet to put the day behind him. He kept thinking of the white dwarf and
could not sleep. The days ahead held so much uncertainty. There was no lamp in
the hut and it was pitching dark. As the night sunk into every crevice and
corner, Nihu threw the cover off his body. He got hold of the battle-axe and
the stone and began to run his hands over them in the huge darkness. After some
time, he sank into sleep. An old soldier like Phil or Macquesemis might have
been wakeful, knowing from experience what things he might face by embarking on
such a journey, a mission full of danger and with little hope of success. Nihu
however was only a boy and he began to snore very hard in the quiet hands of
the night...
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