Walk and Meeting (Part 1)

        I had been walking with my companion for most of the night, and my

eyelids were becoming very heavy. He had been lecturing me for sometime, but

I was having a hard time paying attention. My mind was elsewhere.

        The woods were beautiful at night. I looked at the trees as they

glided silently by, and noticed how the full moon cast eerie shadows over

everything. It seemed as if the world was in black and white. Just like a

dream.

        "Are you paying attention? This is very important," my friend asked.

        "Of course I am," I replied quickly, but I wasn't. The sounds of the

forest lulled me and dulled my senses. It became increasingly hard to listen

to my companion. He just seemed to blend into the background.

        I began to wonder how much farther we were going to walk. The path

seemed to go on endlessly. I noticed that my friend had stopped talking. Were

the woods getting to him, too? Was he finished with his speech? Was he

irritated because I wasn't paying attention? It was hard to tell, and I

wasn't about to ask for fear he would begin to drone on again.

        He stopped walking abruptly and grabbed hold of my arm. Pointing

ahead, he said, "There it is," he said in a voice that was not his own. There

was a small opening set into the hillside. The earth lining it was bare.

There were no trees, shrubs or grass within a few feet of the entrance.

        "You must go inside, but I cannot go with you. I've taught you all

that I know. I hope it's enough. Remember what I have said," He explained. I

started getting very nervous. What did he say? I ran through my mind

searching for anything, but I couldn't recall a single word.

        "Just remember, don't get too close until it's time, and don't tell

it your name," were his last words before he turned away and started back

down the path.

        I stood for what seemed like hours, just staring at the entranceway.

The path I was on continued inside. So, with my heart threatening to leap out

of my chest, I stepped inside. It was very damp and cold. The earthen walls

were made moist to the touch, and torches were hung at regular intervals.

I didn't like the shadows the fire gave off as much as the moon's shadows.

These jumped and moved all too often, giving me the impression that someone

(or something!) was there.

        After a short walk through the winding tunnel, I came to a large oak

door. It didn't have a window, and was marked with a strange carving. I

wished I could remember what my companion had told me, but nothing came to

me.

        I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. When I stepped

inside, the creature leaped up. For a moment, I thought it would attack me,

but it soon relaxed. Perhaps it realized I wasn't trying to nurt it. I had

very nearly run screaming from the room, but somehow managed to stand my

ground.

        "I must apologize," said the creature, "but you startled me from my

sleep. I would not have killed you had I gotten a hold of you."

        "That's not very reassuring," I thought to myself and nodded. "What

is your name?" I asked the beast.

        "My name? I am merely the monster in children's stories, the

boogeyman in your closet, or the ghost in the haunted house. I have no name."

        "What should I call you then?"

        "Perhaps you could give me a name?"

        "Perhaps," I said and stood quietly for a while. Its voice struck me

as odd. It definetly looked the part of a monster, but its voice was

beautiful. It seemed to fill the room whenever it spoke.

        I was not so terrified as when I first entered the room. So I began

to feel more comfortable in talking to him. He seemed almost depressed, or

almost human.

        "Why are you here?" I asked.

        "I am always here. This is my home."

        "You're locked up in your own home?"

        "The sign keeps me here. The door is not locked. Surely you know the

'myth' about me?"

        "Of course," I answered quickly.

        "Did you come here for a purpose or for idle chit-chat?" he said.

        "I came to ask a favor of you . . ."