The halfling looked up at the bright blue sky framed as it was by four towering earthern walls.
He giggled.
Its ironic, a gravedigger trapped in a grave that he dug himself
He giggled again.
Irony, iron, and i am underground too, i must be a dwarf to make a pun like that
He decided that was worth another giggle and did so. He was clearly distressed. He closed his eyes.
"Hoi down there, whats the joke?"
The halfling opened his eyes and looked up from his very limited vantage to a very hairy very human face that was intruding upon his very distressing view of the very bright very blue very free sky.
"I sort of fell down here, and now i cant get up, lend a hand will you" the halfling said as he stood up and stretched out a hand to the stranger. The stranger wordlessly and effortlessly snatched him out of the grave almost pulling his arm from its socket.
The halfling yelped as he gained his freedom, and a few feet more of view than he was used to. He tumbled to the ground.
"Your welcome" said the stranger. "Now buy me a drink".
The halfling obliged insofar as he led him past the two rather short, recently dug graves next to the one he fell into, and into a large and quiet burrow, and gave a him a drink at the conclusion of the journey.
The stranger stared at the halfling.
The halfling stared back.
They continued staring.
The stranger burped then spoke. "A nice burrow you have here, the nicest I have ever been inside, offcourse it is the only one i have ever been inside as well" He smiled, seemingly at his own joke.
"It was my parents" the halfling said. He then burst into tears.
The Bird that Pecks
The Bird that Pecks
12.August.2015: Never forget.
The stranger watched patiently, stroking his ragged brown beard with one hand.
The halfling cried himself dry.
"Finished yet?" the stranger asked in between refilling his mug from the pantry of the halfling.
The halfling just sniffed and nodded.
"So your parents are dead, and yet there were three graves outside, who is the last one for, do you have a dead sibling as well?"
The halfling just sniffed and pointed at himself.
"Ah, so you cant live without your parents I take it, pity that, well since you are going to kill yourself i assume, may i have your house, or burrow, or whatever you would call it?"
The halfing frowned up at the man and spoke but one word. "No"
The stranger just laughed. "A second pity, i have no home of my own".
The two just stared at each other. The stranger grinning and drinking, the halfling snivelling and pouting.
The halfling not suprisingly looked away first.
"How do you earn your crust little friend?" the stranger enquired, examing the contents of his mug before lifting it to his lips.
"I dig graves" came the reply.
The mug paused in its journey.
Then it resumed, taking the liquid to dark oblivion.
"I think it is both yours and mine lucky day today my most hospitable host" spoke the stranger lowering his mug tot he floor then lifting the chin of the halfling, forcing the small brown eyes to meet his own.
"You are in need of guidance and help, and I am in need of lodging, and drink as well" the words echoed around the room.
And faded.
The halfling looked up in terror which softened into resignation. "What will you do?, how will you guide me, and help me?" he spoke quietly between sniffles.
"I will give you the tools you need to survive" answered the stranger in a deeper than previously spoken voice, lifting a necklace of wooden beads over his head, folding it once and placing it over the head and around the shoulders of the halfling.
The halfling cried himself dry.
"Finished yet?" the stranger asked in between refilling his mug from the pantry of the halfling.
The halfling just sniffed and nodded.
"So your parents are dead, and yet there were three graves outside, who is the last one for, do you have a dead sibling as well?"
The halfling just sniffed and pointed at himself.
"Ah, so you cant live without your parents I take it, pity that, well since you are going to kill yourself i assume, may i have your house, or burrow, or whatever you would call it?"
The halfing frowned up at the man and spoke but one word. "No"
The stranger just laughed. "A second pity, i have no home of my own".
The two just stared at each other. The stranger grinning and drinking, the halfling snivelling and pouting.
The halfling not suprisingly looked away first.
"How do you earn your crust little friend?" the stranger enquired, examing the contents of his mug before lifting it to his lips.
"I dig graves" came the reply.
The mug paused in its journey.
Then it resumed, taking the liquid to dark oblivion.
"I think it is both yours and mine lucky day today my most hospitable host" spoke the stranger lowering his mug tot he floor then lifting the chin of the halfling, forcing the small brown eyes to meet his own.
"You are in need of guidance and help, and I am in need of lodging, and drink as well" the words echoed around the room.
And faded.
The halfling looked up in terror which softened into resignation. "What will you do?, how will you guide me, and help me?" he spoke quietly between sniffles.
"I will give you the tools you need to survive" answered the stranger in a deeper than previously spoken voice, lifting a necklace of wooden beads over his head, folding it once and placing it over the head and around the shoulders of the halfling.
12.August.2015: Never forget.
The halfling expressed himself with all the dignity and vocabulary that circumstances and ability would allow.
"Wow"
"What are these" he asked fingering the beads around his neck.
"Isnt it obvious?" replied the stranger. "They are your ancestors, your spirit, your strength"
The halfling stared up at him in wonderment.
"Or they are just beads" laughed the stranger.
"Wow"
"What are these" he asked fingering the beads around his neck.
"Isnt it obvious?" replied the stranger. "They are your ancestors, your spirit, your strength"
The halfling stared up at him in wonderment.
"Or they are just beads" laughed the stranger.
12.August.2015: Never forget.
Some time later the halfling stood watching the stranger. It was growing light as it does before dawn. The stranger took a stance that seemed off balance.
"Like this" the stranger said.
The halfling copied him.
Then fell over.
Then rose again and copied the stance, this time staying upright.
The stranger inhaled deeply then punched into the morning air with an explosive shout.
The halfling let out a yelp of fear and fainted.
"Like this" the stranger said.
The halfling copied him.
Then fell over.
Then rose again and copied the stance, this time staying upright.
The stranger inhaled deeply then punched into the morning air with an explosive shout.
The halfling let out a yelp of fear and fainted.
12.August.2015: Never forget.
Months passed.
The halfling grew under the tutelage of the stranger.
Not in height, but in muscle tone, agility, flexibility, even in confidence.
He thought back to his first unarmed sparring sesion with the stranger. He had run straight at him, fist punching and swinging towards the strangers vulnerable area as he had been taught. He was stopped short when the stranger put his hand on the halflings head and kept him and his hands a full foot away from his breech cloth trousers.
The stranger laughed, shrugged his powerful shoulders and sent the halfling tumbling back.
Months later it was still the same. Offcourse, the halfling could rush in faster now, rose quicker when he was thrown or tripped, but he had yet to land a single blow upon the stranger.
Perhaps today.
"come at me" said the stranger.
And the halfling did. Exactly as the stranger thought he would. Only this time when the stranger went to put his hand on the halflings head, his fingers were bitten by the gnaahing teeth, mounted in the angry face, on top of a now very mobile neck.
The stranger yelped and withdrew his hand. The halfling surged in and made a furious grab at the genitals of the stranger. He twisted, pulled, and tore at the unprotected apendages.
He did not see the blow that knocked him senseless. Nor did he have the strangers view. That of a sprawled halfling, lying crumpled in a head, with a huge purple handprint on the side of his face. Oddly enough, or perhaps not so oddly, even in his unconcious state.... he was smiling.
The halfling grew under the tutelage of the stranger.
Not in height, but in muscle tone, agility, flexibility, even in confidence.
He thought back to his first unarmed sparring sesion with the stranger. He had run straight at him, fist punching and swinging towards the strangers vulnerable area as he had been taught. He was stopped short when the stranger put his hand on the halflings head and kept him and his hands a full foot away from his breech cloth trousers.
The stranger laughed, shrugged his powerful shoulders and sent the halfling tumbling back.
Months later it was still the same. Offcourse, the halfling could rush in faster now, rose quicker when he was thrown or tripped, but he had yet to land a single blow upon the stranger.
Perhaps today.
"come at me" said the stranger.
And the halfling did. Exactly as the stranger thought he would. Only this time when the stranger went to put his hand on the halflings head, his fingers were bitten by the gnaahing teeth, mounted in the angry face, on top of a now very mobile neck.
The stranger yelped and withdrew his hand. The halfling surged in and made a furious grab at the genitals of the stranger. He twisted, pulled, and tore at the unprotected apendages.
He did not see the blow that knocked him senseless. Nor did he have the strangers view. That of a sprawled halfling, lying crumpled in a head, with a huge purple handprint on the side of his face. Oddly enough, or perhaps not so oddly, even in his unconcious state.... he was smiling.
12.August.2015: Never forget.
The stranger stood over the sleeping halfling. He moved to sit on a fallen log, wincing at his bruised and battered vulnerables.
He had tarried long enough, it was not good for the little one. The halfling was developing a dependancy upon him, making him out to be someone he was not. In truth he was just a drifter with a past that he did not like.
The stranger left.
He had tarried long enough, it was not good for the little one. The halfling was developing a dependancy upon him, making him out to be someone he was not. In truth he was just a drifter with a past that he did not like.
The stranger left.
12.August.2015: Never forget.
... and the halfling awoke.
Alone.
He shed tears when he looked for the stranger at his house, in the stand of trees near his burrow, and even sttaring in all directions from the top of the hill the burrow was burrowed in.
What now?
He reached for the security of the wooden necklace the stranger had given him. It was gone. The halfling shed more tears. Gathering his things, locking his door, visiting the grave of his parents one last time...
the halfling left as well.
Alone.
He shed tears when he looked for the stranger at his house, in the stand of trees near his burrow, and even sttaring in all directions from the top of the hill the burrow was burrowed in.
What now?
He reached for the security of the wooden necklace the stranger had given him. It was gone. The halfling shed more tears. Gathering his things, locking his door, visiting the grave of his parents one last time...
the halfling left as well.
12.August.2015: Never forget.
Three miles north, the halfing wandered to close to a female bear nursing her cub. Or perhaps the other way around.
The end result was the same nontheless. The halfling was killed. Brutally.
It was doubtful if he had time for last thoughts.
And thirty miles to the south the stranger walked on, confident in his own ability to protect himself.
END!
The end result was the same nontheless. The halfling was killed. Brutally.
It was doubtful if he had time for last thoughts.
And thirty miles to the south the stranger walked on, confident in his own ability to protect himself.
END!
12.August.2015: Never forget.
i suppose it just makes the ones who live longer that much more special)
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Frostfather
- Kobold Footpad
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2004 3:54 pm
- Location: Gothenburg Sweden
