Pond of the Deep
Flash Fiction Story
by Ethan Trapolino
There was never a problem she
couldn’t handle—that is until she fell for someone she thought she’d never
meet. A world full of beasts and environs so deadly they swallow you twice
over, she didn’t think she saw anyone. But Bonny was okay with that. Never
really liked people all to much. Grew up raised by her Pa, learning to kill
what wasn’t her or him.
Eventually,
he died. Everything around her became the enemy.
In her
cabin home, she heard about societies from long ago. Whole cities—castles, stone
towers, and bold flags reaching the sky. From what Pa said, all those fell down
one way or another.
So,
she remained, shot anything making noise, and managed to cut down and hunt
enough food to survive off of. Even if most of the creatures weren’t safe to
eat.
One
day, a knock came.
She
drew her crossbow and prepared to fire at the creature.
Another
knock came.
She
bared back the bow, lining her right eye towards the door frame.
Crash.
The door opened.
A
woman dressed in silver armor. Hair, just as silver—long and braided, too. To
Bonny, she was both the shiniest thing she had seen and the prettiest.
“Hark!
Who lives here.” The armored woman drew her blade towards Bonny.
“Only
me. Now, you better get before I kill you, you shapeshifting beast. I know your
kind.”
The
armored lady laughed, stowing her blade in its sheath. “I see. So, you are the
resident of these woods?” One more step into the frame of the door.
“You
take one more step, and a bolt will pierce your neck like a fork through a
Sunday egg.”
With
honey slowness, the woman in armor let her feet rest near each other, her arms
falling limp to their slides. “I mean you no harm. I am only here to find the
Pond of the Deep.”
Confusion
took over as Bonny lowered her weapon slightly. “The Pond of the who-now?”
“A
pond deep within these woods. Supposedly, it may contain a gem which can ward
off the evil creatures now plaguing our land. I must claim it and bring it back
to my village. Their numbers are dwindling.”
Hoisting
up the crossbow back to its original position, Bonny replied. “I ain’t never
heard of no such pond in these here woods. Now, you better go on and get before
I think twice about it, you hear?”
Kneeling,
the woman in armor laid her head down. Her hair fell across the silver
pauldrons. Among the strands of hair, two shining drops fell from her face splashed
into a puddle. “I am sorry. I know you are afraid. We all were after the
Crystal Cracking of the Sky, but now. . . all I desire is that crystal, and I
believe,” she continued as she turned her face back up to Bonny, “you could
help me find it.”
Bonny
took in this woman’s face. Pa had told her how versatile the unnatural
creatures had become. Some learned how to look like people, talk like
people—even think like people. Her bones of more than three decades told her
this woman wasn’t one of those creatures. And the only other thing Pa told her
above all else: trust your bones, because they carry you through this world.
“I
know.”
The
knight clad woman stood up, gesturing out her hands. “You know? That’s great.
Can you—”
“I
think I know. There’s a pond over yonder that sparkles at night. Always thought
it was some trick of the moon or a creature luring its prey. I can take you
there.”
“Thank
you so much. I just—”
Bonny
pointed her weapon at the head of the other woman. “But I see you move such as
an inch out of the line I draw, I will put an arrow so square in your head, you
won’t know it happened.”
“Alright.”
The
two sat in silence a while, as Bonny slowly gathered a map she had drawn up
with her Pa while he was still alive. It had the pond marked with notes in a
secret code not to go there.
“I
will take you to the pond, but I ain’t going in, you here?”
The
silver woman nodded. “I do.”
“Follow
me.”
Bonny
began leading the strange woman into the woods, showing all the places where to
avoid the traps Bonny and Pa had laid, as well as those laid by nature
herself—some laid by the more unnatural.
“So,
what’s your name, stranger?”
The
woman coughed for a brief moment before saying, “I am Tylwyth Teg. And you?”
“You
ain’t getting my name.”
She
quickened her pace behind Bonny. “Why not?”
“I
heard some of these creatures get more power over you if they got your name in
their head. I ain’t giving you nothing, nor any creatures who might be
listening in.”
“Please.
Trust me. I am no creature, and I see none around. Please, just let me know
what such a beautiful woman such as yourself is called.”
Beautiful.
Bonny had never been called beautiful. Her Pa called her quick and witty, and
even called her dangerous once—best compliment she ever received, by her
standards. Never anything like beautiful.
And
that’s the thing. Bonny thought this woman was beautiful. As beautiful as she
imaged beauty was in the few books Pa left her. She always thought she was
different. She always found the stories about women being saved by the manly
knights. She wanted to be the knight. Now, before her, this person who seemed
both—she just didn’t know how to feel. Seen, maybe. But more simply, she felt
something there that wasn’t her and that she didn’t want to kill.
“I’m
Bonny.”
After
a moment or two of silence, she turned around.
Silver to scales. Sword to
bone.
No comments:
Post a Comment