After the Thunderstorm

 

-There are no one living in the cities any more. We all left, fled into the wilderness up here, hid in our deep caves. Our city is now a ghost town, empty, dead. Waiting for the next time he’ll come around.

That day was today. The rain had stopped, the thunder was far away. They knew the One of Two Trunks would come looking for them,  looking to harvest their bodies, just like it had done for the first time so many years ago.

-We were unaware, unready. The storm was fierce, vicious. Lightning and thunder breaking  at once, just over our heads. When it calmed down, people walked out, to continue their shores. The clouds were moving, the sky could be seen between them.

Father silenced. Painful memories tormented his mind. That’s when it had arrived. A god, there to destroy them.

-He came  down on the city with terrible force. His trunks were everywhere, killing everyone in their way. Made us run, made us flee. Only a few survived, a few who managed to escape into the wilderness.

-Now it is back, Father said to his son.

The clouds spread again, like it always did after a thunderstorm. Between them a figure took shape, bigger than the mountains, big as the sky. It moved like the clouds, seemingly slowly from a distance.

-Father, I’m scared!

-So am I, little one, but we’re safe up here. The caves are deep and long, and there are many exits in many places. If it comes too close, we’ll hide, but I’ve never seen it come up into the mountains.

They stood in silence. The monster hovered over the abandoned city, searching, waiting. It turned its head towards them. Pil could have sworn their eyes met. He could ha sworn it knew who he was.

-Run! Father grabbed him by the arm.

The Two Trunk God moved, his eyes staring at their location.

-Run for your life!

They reached the entrance to the caves. Others were waiting for them. Pil turned around. The monster was over them, looking down at them. He had found what he was looking for.

-Close the gates!

Big rocks fell, blocking the entrance. They ran down the tunnel. Outside the monster screamed. Anger. Triumph.

The rocks were being moved. The tunnel was opened, something was coming in. A trunk, splitting up at each tunnel crossing, shrinking to fit where needed. Pil heard people scream as they were sucked in, thrown away, ripped to pieces.

Father grabbed a spear by the wall.

-Run Pil! Run! Run as deep as you can, run into the smallest tunnels. Run!

The trunk came down the tunnel like a snake in a mouse hole. Father lifted his spear, charged. Stabbed it. The trunk pulled back. Came again. Grabbed father.

-Ruuuuuunnnn!!!

Father stabbed it again. The trunk surrounded him. Screams of pain and terror echoed between the walls. The young boy ran down the tunnel, into the smallest parts, where only he and his friends could fit, their secret playgrounds, forbidden for the grown-ups.

Sinister gurgling sounds was heard as the trunk sniffed its way behind him.

Pil ran into dark cracks in the wall, cracks only he knew. The trunk followed.

He jumped down an abyss, hurt his leg, crawled into another crack. Came out in a bigger tunnel. He was lost. He heard the trunk come out of the crack. Over his shoulder he saw it coming closer.

Pil recognized the tunnel. He had been there before. He was close to an exit, on the other side of the mountain. He could see day light. He felt the trunk sniffing his legs. He came out. Jumped off the cliff. Fell. Kept falling until he met water. He sunk down, swam towards the bottom, swam as far as he could without breathing. Went up for air in some weed between big rocks.

The trunk was gone. He could hear the monster bawl far away. He pulled himself up on the side of the lake. Rested, caught his breath. The Monster’s screams became more distant as it moved down the valley, back to where it had come from.

Tears started running. Between the sobs one thought flashed in his mind.

It was him it had been looking for.

 

Natural Enemy

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