he walked up a slight incline towards the setting sun. He would have to stop soon, although the way he felt at the moment, making a fire in the middle of the narrow path would attract the attention of whatever there was out there, and that was the last thing that he wished to do!
The light was really beginning to fade now, and he would be forced to stop soon as he could barely see where he was going, even thought his eyesight was extremely good being an Elphin Rabbit. It was not just the fact that it was getting difficult to see, physically, he just could not go on for much longer.
He felt more alone now than at any time in his life, and even the Faery seemed to have deserted him. She had guided him and told him that she would protect him, which she had done so far, but that was cold comfort in a place that looked as though even her powers would be useless against the creatures his imagination was conjuring up.
The transition from light to dark was almost complete now, and everywhere began to take on a very eerie feel. Every sound seemed to echo around him, and there were strange scurrying noises in the bushes, and even stranger cries from the birds who inhabited them.
Roggie became unsteady on his feet as he neared the top of the slope, jumping at every strange sound that he heard. He was not paying attention to where he was walking, and did not notice a tree root that protruded out onto the path. Without warning he stumbled over it, and fell flat on his face.
The sound he made startled some birds in a nearby tree, who flapped their wings hurriedly ascending into the sky. This in turn startled Roggie, who lay there in the grip of fear. He just could not move, and as he looked up he noticed a strange light in the distance. At first he did not know what it could be, and then a single thought gripped him. It must be some wild creatures alerted by his fall coming to get him!
Roggie could not move a muscle, being hypnotised by the light, which began to sway as the evening breeze blew through the tree tops. Maybe it was not a light at all, but a creature with one large luminous eye?
Perhaps it was a Man eating, or maybe even an Elphin Rabbit eating Cyclops, that only emerged at night, and was on the hunt for its prey?
Roggie knew that feeling as his stomach began to rumble, although food was the last thing on his mind. Maybe he should just lie here and hope that it would not discover him?
Roggie began to tremble at the thought of becoming the creature’s dinner, and wished more than ever for the safety of his burrow. After staying as still as he could for several minutes he realised that it had moved closer towards him. The more he looked at it, the more he convinced himself that it was coming to get him. He strained his ears to hear if it was making any strange noises, but there was nothing apart from the sounds of the forest, and his heart beating loudly. With a great deal of effort, somehow he found the courage to get to his feet. He still had his spear clutched firmly in his hand and, against his better judgement, he advanced slowly towards it.
The closer he ventured, the more hypnotic the light became, and it was as though it was pulling him towards it. Straining his eyes, he could see that it seemed to be some sort of a lamp, swaying gently in the hand of a cloaked figure. Whether that was going to be better than an Elphin Rabbit eating Cyclops, was hard to tell. Roggie was absolutely terrified, but like a siren, it was luring him to his fate, and it seemed as though there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it!
The light was glowing stronger all of the time, beckoning him towards it, and he could see the cloaked figure swaying slightly as it rested on a staff. The light from the lamp cast a large shadow on the trees behind the figure, which made it look like an awesome giant. Roggie was now more convinced than ever, that he was going to end up being the Giant’s dinner, and try as he might, he could do nothing to break the trance.
Closer and closer it drew him, and he became more anxious with every step. Soon he would be within its grasp, but there was no use struggling, as his limbs would not respond to his commands, only to the hypnotic light of the lamp.
Roggie was now only a few paces from it, and as he drew near, the figure reached up and pulled back the hood of its cloak…
Eighteen
The tales of the eerie forest brought terror into those gathered around the village fire, as the elder told of strange creatures who lurked within its midst. The younger ones looked with terrified eyes, hanging on every word, and huddling together for comfort. When he was younger, Roggie was one of them, and had suffered more than one sleepless night, afraid to close his eyes, in case one of creatures should suddenly appear. Now he was much older, but the same feeling returned to him, as his eyes widened, and the same childhood fears gripped him like a vice.
Terror knew no bounds, as every fibre of his being froze, rooting him to the spot. Never before in his whole life had he been so scared, and the sight of what greeted him sent a shock-wave cascading through his rigid body.
He nearly fainted as he was met by a terrifying beaked head!
It was more disturbing than anything the village elder had spoken of, and even more disturbing that his worst nightmare, as the thing stood there right in front of him.
It had piercing eyes that seemed to stare right through him, and the beak looked vicious enough to tear the flesh off his aching bones. The light from the lamp seemed to amplify the feeling of terror that ripped through him, just like he imagined the cruel beak was just about to do.
The beak opened, and Roggie waited for it to suddenly dive into him, followed by the searing pain of his flesh being torn apart.
“Welcome!”
Roggie was even more startled by the softly spoken words, which emerged from the beak. They were something that he did not expect to hear. It would have been less of a shock if he would have heard a blood curdling scream!
“I have been expecting you!”
It was cold comfort to know that his presence had been detected, and even though the voice was reassuring, he was not convinced, as he still expected the beak to suddenly lash at him with all of its terror.
There was then the roar of laughter, which made his bones shake. This was a cunning enemy, and one which was playing with him, like a Cat does with a Mouse, before finally finishing off the poor creature.
“Don’t be alarmed, I mean you no harm!”
An alarm was something which was ringing in his head, as the blood pumped, making it throb.
“The Wise Old Griffin at your service.”
Roggie breathed out a huge sigh of relief, as he realised that the creature who stood before him was not going to tear him limb from limb after all!
It was his imagination that had been his real enemy, and had been playing tricks upon him. It really was the place where nightmares reigned, particularly at night!
The forest had been creepy right from the start, and the further he went into it, the creepier it had become. Now that it was almost totally dark, it had taken on a completely new perspective. Every sound and shadow seemed to have been amplified, which had in turn, raised his level of trepidation. Now that he thought about it, the light from the lamp had cast a shadow, and the Griffin was no giant at all.
He actually looked quite frail, and had to use a staff to help him as he walked along. If he would have seen him in the daylight, then he would not have been scared by him at all. Now, he could see why this place had not been claimed by anyone. It was somewhere he doubted that anyone would feel comfortable in, and yet the Griffin appeared to be quite at home.
His greeting had been warm and friendly, and a very welcome one indeed, particularly after his journey alone, along the never ending path.
“Thank you!”
That was as much as Roggie could say, as his mouth was still dry with fear.
“This forest can play more than a few tricks with your mind, if you are not used to it.”
That was an understatement, but the Griffin’s voice had begun to calm and reassure him, even though his heart was still racing, and his nerves were still way out of control.
“Would you l
ike to follow me?”
The Griffin asked politely, and Roggie nodded as he turned to lead the way back down the path, in the direction that he had come.
The light from the Griffin’s lamp seemed to make all the difference, and although he still felt quite nervous, Roggie began to feel a little more settled. He also felt a little more energised too, as he walked along the path behind him.
“We will be in the safety of the clearing soon, and then you will be able to relax.”
Roggie had forgotten what that felt like, and wished that he had a tankard of the Bear’s ale in his hand, to settle his nerves. If he had, then he would surely have downed it in one, not giving a second thought to the drummers who would have undoubtedly awakened him the next morning, by pounding away inside his head!
The light from the lamp guided their way, and the trees did not seem quite as dense as they had done before. There was also some moonlight shining down on them from the night sky, which had some wispy white clouds blowing gently across it.
In no time at all, they were approaching the edge of the clearing, and the trees began to thin, revealing what looked like a welcoming fire. Shards of light penetrated the gloom, sending shadows dancing all around them. They were now almost out of the trees, and Roggie could see what appeared to be a small log cabin illuminated by the light of the fire, which was obviously where the Wise Old Griffin lived. It all