Gothgora was ill.
As we made it into the weasel infested forest I knew that
there was something wrong. She let out a soft moan that turned into a fit of coughing.
I turned; she definitely wasn’t her usual chipper self. She looked pale and was
hunched over. I realized that her stomach was bothering her but she usually
didn’t feel pain, so I knew that it must have been very bad.
“This isn’t good.” I said.
“She must be sick from the green fumes that she ate.” Chris
noted sadly.
We had to sit and take a rest because Gothgora couldn’t go
any farther. She found a long flat slab of stone and lay down on it trembling
slightly.
I took her pale enormous hand in mine, she felt as weak as
an overcooked noodle but thousands of times more massive…
“I’m afraid,” Gothgora said in her quiet voice. “That this
is where we must say goodbye.”
“Don’t say such things.” I said tears welling up in my eyes.
“The great circle in the sky only has so many rounds in it
for each person on the face of the earth. And if today is my last round then
there is only to accept it…”
She was so wise I realized and so very quite. Though I
thought we had a mutual understanding of the world and everything in it, I knew
that she had a much deeper understanding of things that I could never quite
contemplate. Though she was my invisible friend I knew very little about her.
Who knew that the fumes binding us were toxic? El Stinko
must have known that people might have tried to escape by consuming them and
made them accordingly.
“There is something I need to tell you.” Gothgora whispered.
“When the red tomatoes falls from the vine look for the man in purple at
midnight. When the crow caws at dawn, look under the cube of wastes. And when
things look more hopeless than ever find the fountains of purity and find what
you need in their depths.”
“What…?” I asked more confused than ever. She sometimes had
a very cryptic way of saying things but this it seemed was just nonsense.
"Just remember." She said her voice growing ever weaker.
I nodded. And then noticed something disturbing Gothgora’s
hand seemed to be growing lighter in mine. And not only that, but as I looked at
her white hand it also was growing noticeably smaller like a
marshmallow in the microwave, only in reverse.
“No. No. No. You can’t go now I need you with me.”
“I must,” she said. “But remember what I told you. You were
destined to destroy Lord El Stinko and vanquish his evil ways and that is why I
have stayed with you for all of these years, to protect you until you could
defend yourself. But now that you have begun your journey, you are free, and so
my time is done on this earth.”
Gothgora was no bigger than a child at this time and she continued
to shrink.
“But what’s happening!” I yelled in alarm.
But she didn’t answer only smiled and closed her eyes. She
was gone forever.
I watched as her body continued to shrink smaller and
smaller. Until she grew so small that I could no long hold her hand in mine and
then she shrunk from my view all together.
My childhood invisible friend was dead. But even as I
thought it my mind would not accept that, but that still couldn’t stop the
tears that were welling up behind my eyes from streaming out.
Chris stood behind me solemnly and there we stayed for
hours, until the light of the sun began to fade.
“We should go.” Chris said as quietly and sensitively as she
could. “El Stinko will be looking for us, we should try to find someplace more
obscure.”
I nodded in agreement, but my legs it seemed were unwilling
to leave the place of Gothgora’s final resting place.
“Wait,” I said. “There is something that I need to do. Do you
have something to write with?”
Chris looked in her purple purse and pulled out a sharpie
marker.
I took it thankfully, and began to write over the smooth
surface of the flat rock.
Here lies the Giantess Gothgora the strong.
May lasers continually shoot from her eyes upon her enemies from above,
And may she Rest in Peace.
"She was very strong." Chris said, as we walked together in
the forest.
I couldn’t bring
myself to respond…
No comments:
Post a Comment