"A Touch of Rust" - Free Short Story

Hey folks,

I've been posting a lot lately. I've been working on that high you get after you've busted your butt for so many months on a project and finally completed it, in this case Issue Number 9 of the If - E - Zine(tm).

I appreciate all the comments and communications I've been sharing with many of you as of late. Feel free to keep them coming.

For today's post I offer the first two parts of "A Touch of Rust", one of the three free short stories found in If - E - Zine(tm) Issue Number 9, this year's Special Halloween Edition.

If you'd like to read the full story, you can find it at TheLordShen.com

Much love and respect,

~ charles, ed.-in-chief

“A Touch of Rust”
© 2007 by Charles Shaver. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be stored, copied or used without written prior permission from the author.

The world had turned to rust long ago. Few saw it happen, yet everyone felt it. Rust was simply too difficult to find in a city of concrete and plasma. The city was home to many things, but vegetation was not one of them.

Little Koji, however, knew of the one unique spot within the vast, sprawling city that held such rare life.

Koji exploded from the school, running through the asphalt playground into the arms of his waiting grandfather.

“Grampa! Grampa!”

“Heya, kiddo!”

They hugged.

“Are ya ready?” Grampa asked.

“Yeah!”

They were suddenly in a small, battered old truck speeding down the road, pressed on by zooming traffic and sounds of Shostakovich drowning out the world.

They passed through valleys of concrete wrapped in two-way plasma screens each stretching several stories high. From the inside they acted as windows, but from the street-valleys every building was a towering, mountainous billboard playing one channel or another, flashing some commercial or another.

They ignored the psychologically designed brilliantly flashing colors. Grampa drove, windows down despite the thick, heavy smog. Winds whipped at their hair. People stared at them from other vehicles, from behind closed glass.
Little Koji smiled at them all.

The old truck turned, diving underground, searching for a spot in which to park. Koji watched, counting row after row of vehicles. He thought they looked like sticks of gum packaged tightly, only their wrappings each different.
They found a place to park, slipped in and were off to the elevators.

Once again Koji watched, counting the floors as they passed on by. Up, up, ever up they went.

Koji spilled out of the elevator, his grandfather in tow, on the 132nd floor.
With the swipe of a card, a beep and a whoosh Grampa’s condo door burst wide.

Koji ran in, peeling off layers, spraying himself and his accessories everywhere. Here landed a jacket, there a backpack, as the little boy ran around furniture undaunted and heading for another door.

The door was made of glass and slid open. Koji could see his destination through the door as he drew near.

With a slide and a bang the door made way for the little boy. Koji came at last to stand center-stage of the big balcony, reaching high overhead to touch the golden leaves and bark of a tree all aglow with the fires of Autumn. The tree chattered at him with happy refrain, its leaves rustling on self-made winds.

* * * * *

Later that afternoon Koji and Grampa sat at a small table beneath the tree eating snack cakes and drinking apple juice.

“Grampa?” Koji kicked his feet.

“Kiddo?”

“Teacher says there’s not just one kinda tree in the world, but all different kinds!”

“That’s right.”

“What kind of tree is this one?”

“Oh, a glorious maple.”

“Glorious maple,” Koji repeated. “We read about maples in school.”

“Oh? What’d you read?”

“They’re called Acers and there’s even different kinds of maples!”

“That’s true. This one’s a sugar maple. Did you read about them?”

Koji shook his head.

“The western hall of the palace of one of the dragon gods is filled with sugar maples, all turning gold. Maples also keep bats away from your home.”

“Like vampires?”

Grampa smiled. “And vampires, too, I’m sure.”

“Grampa, why do trees change colors?”

“Well, not all trees change color, but maples do. Did you learn about chlorophyll?”

Koji nodded, smacking his lips over a small cake. “It’s what makes plants green.”

“That’s right, and when that chlorophyll breaks down in some plants, like in maples, the colors start to change.”

Koji snatched up another cake and drank his juice.

“Everyone needs a little rust in their lives, kiddo. It makes us old but… it makes us humble… a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Koji kicked his feet. He smiled up at the tree. “I like comin’ here, Grampa.”

Laughing, Grampa said, “It’s just another place to live, kiddo. Just another box.”

“A box with a tree!”

Again Grampa laughed. “I like you comin’ here, too, kiddo.”

Koji gulped his juice.

Grampa smiled.

* * * * *

Read the rest of the story within the pages of If - E - Zine(tm) Issue Number 9 at TheLordShen.com!

How-To Halloween: Ideas to Help You Celebrate The Holiday

Here's some how-to videos with ideas to help you celebrate Halloween. Enjoy!

How-To Halloween Spooktacular with Madeline Merced - Part 1


How-To Halloween Spooktacular with Madeline Merced - Part 2


How-To Make Your Own Tombstones


How-To Make Your Own Floating Head Effect


How-To Make Monstrous Eyes in Your House


Brought to you by If - E - Zine(tm). Remember Issue 9, The Special Halloween Edition, is NOW AVAILABLE and it's FREE!!!

RIP Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L'Engle Camp Franklin, 88, of Goshen, CT and New York City, died Thursday, September 6th. Born November 29, 1918, in New York City, to Charles Camp and Madeleine Barnett Camp, she was educated in Switzerland and South Carolina, before graduating from Smith College. She was the author of over 60 books, including the award-winning A Wrinkle in Time.



RIP Madeleine L'Engle


OFFICIAL SITE

a mind full of things spilling out of the mouth and dying

I've been tired as hell lately. Writing and editing have been on my mind but I've not had the energy really to do either. Money matters weigh heavily on me. So much to do.

Luckily the writing bug is infecting me. Or so it seems. At least, that's what I'm hoping. My mind has been on two tales in the last 2 or 3 days. Those tales include a throwback hardboiled pulp noir set in the 1940s-ish in a traveling freak show. The other story is a neo-noir futuritic cyberpunk mafia deal.

As for reading, I'm doing a little. I'm struggling through Something Wicked This Way Comes by Bradbury. I'm struggling through it not due to the material, but due to my lack of energy and concentration. The book itself is beautifully written and had I read it at another time I'd probably be voraciously flying through it.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to return Hamlet to the library and I've got another book to pick up, waiting for me. The book that is waiting for me is Look Homeward, Angel. It's Thomas Wolfe's first novel first published I believed in 1929.

Very, very tired.

"i laugh and cringe and vomit and die all at once"

copyright 2007 by charles shaver. all rights reserved.


watching the tube
last night
there was this chick
this dame
this broad
talking with letterman
about her tat of a bluebird
on her wrist
and he asks
"so do any of these tattoos have any meaning
or are they just pretty?"
and she says the bluebird on her wrist
was inspired
by a poem
by charles bukowski

i laugh and cringe and vomit and die all at once

here's this porcelin goddess
even has the brit accent
expounding upon
the birdhouse of bukowski's soul
the bird in the heart of a dead drunk
what the fuck
what the fuck did she know
i wanted to cheer cuz someone on the grand stage
of our times
knew who the hell he was
i wanted to throw a red card
throw a red card
of foul, foul
irony
for what could this chick
this dame
this broad
with the brit accent
truly know about creativity
drunkenness
down-an'-outedness
with her multi-million dollar movie contracts
at such a young age

i can't say im closer to buk than her
or any other
no holier than thou's from me
he was a prick at best
but im not flaunting
my bluebird soul
on my wrist
for forty million viewers
while promoting my million dollar movie

i got up from the couch and came in here to my computer
and began to write

AFTERWORD: "Drawing Down the Sun, Uplifting the Stars"

Here is this week's offering of a short story or essay. This essay is number 13 of 13 weekly essay or short story posts.


"Drawing Down the Sun, Uplifting the Stars"
by Charles Shaver. Copyright 2007 by Charles Shaver. All rights reserved.


AFTERWORD: Wherein Charles discusses the major themes, purposes, influences and references within the fairy tale "The Children of Gods".



********************************************************************

Part 1


BILL MOYERS (BM): What happens when a society no longer embraces a powerful mythology?

JOSEPH CAMPBELL (JC): What we've got on our hands. If you want to find out what it means to have a society without any rituals, read the New York Times.

BM: And you'd find?

JC: The news of the day, including destructive and violent acts by young people who don't know how to behave in a civilized society.(1)


When first I heard these words they were revolution to me. In the infamous interviews conducted by Bill Moyers with the late Joeseph Campbell the condition of modern society and importance of unifying ethos became apparent. As Campbell spoke those words "What we've got on our hands" I knew them to be true for I was living proof.

I am an American and like many Americans I was taught I come from a place besides the United States. I am an American and like many Americans I was taught the United States is my homeland. I was taught that I and my ancestors are German, yet if I venture to Germany I find myself a foreigner. I was taught that I and my ancestors are Hawaiian, and thus Native American/American Indian/First Peoples, yet if I travel to Hawai'i I find I feel as an outsider. It took a great deal of time, observance and humbling quietude to feel at home on Maui where my ancestry dates back some 500 years. When finally I did feel at home, I was torn away from the island viciously by economy.

What I see in myself is what Joseph Campbell so simply and precisely described within these few lines quoted above. What I see in myself I see in my friends and family who grew up or old around me and with me. What I see in myself I see on the front page of the New York Times. What I see in myself is an odd mixture of backgrounds; a conglomeration of histories; a mutt gone astray in the neighborhood of his owning family and, while still near his home, unable to find his way back to his master.

What's more, as early as 1994 I began to see this in other parts of the world as global industrialization was expanding at a mad pace. On January 1 of that year, indigenous farmers took up arms in Chiapas, Mexico in a struggle against the industrialization of their land-owner heritage. They called themselves Zapatistas.

I see within continued global industrialization the threat it poses against regional cultures and people. This is not necessarily a negative criticism against industrialization, at least not for my purposes. It is an observation made about the difficult process of industrialization, difficult most of all for the people that live within the region that is being industrialized. Their lives and the rules of their society are being completely changed, sometimes over night. I can only imagine that such a process would leave a person feeling quite new and different from what they once were, an alien within one's homeland.

Yet regions currently going through industrialization are not the only ones to produce such feelings of alienation. For example, look what I wrote above about being Hawaiian: "I was taught that I and my ancestors are Hawaiian, and thus Native American/American Indian/First Peoples..." In many cases such as this we don't even know how to refer to ourselves. This is not unique to me. Having spent time at powwows and other indigenous gatherings it can be a difficult task for even the veterans of such events to speak articulately about who they are.

It was with these observances and this line of thought I set forth to writing tales of new gods, the children of old gods, to create a new mythos and perhaps reintroduce old ethos to a society fractured and broken in this area of understanding. Thus was born Xiao-tep, the fish-god both Egyptian and Chinese yet truly neither for he is not pedigree. He is uniquely American in this, or American-like, or post-industrialized-like.

Within this essay I will discuss the origins and purposes of Xiao-tep. I will break this essay into three major parts: a discussion of origins and analysis of themes within the fairy tale "The Children of Gods"; a listing of names and their root meanings, as well as other notes pertaining to original characters; and a point-by-point breakdown of the tale with underlying notes, references and trivia.


********************************************************************

Part 2

JC: People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. That's what it's all finally about, and that's what these clues help us to find within ourselves.

BM: Myths are clues?

JC: Myths are clues to the spiritual potentialities of the human life.


In 2000 I began working under the flag of the ideas of shifting global economies, a shrinking global village and regional cultures being threatened. Since then I have been working on what J. Ho dubbed my 'pirate epic'. It's a collection of fantasy tales that indeed have pirates and is ultimately closing in on the epic scale, but it's so much more. I wanted to use the words of Joseph Campbell as my battlecry and pick up the banner of the now fallen Tolkein and carry his quest further, but where Tolkein was attempting to create new tales for the future generations of the United Kingdom to latch onto, I want to do the same for the whole world. Therein lies the purpose of the 'pirate epic'.

Anthropomorphic characters play a major part in the 'pirate epic' and at one time I thought about introducing a talking koi fish to act as advisor to the main character. I felt the koi had little use in the 'pirate epic' and didn't quite fit the make-up of the rest of the cast of characters. I loved the idea of the talking koi, however, and stored him in the back of my mind for future uses.

Once more I was speaking with my good friend J. Ho. He is an illustrator by trade and has a blog wherein he posts different pieces of his art on a regular basis. He once asked if I would suggest something for him to draw and thinking of my little koi I said "mystical fish". From that was born 'ankh-fish'. I loved the idea of a fish with an ankh embedded into his forehead and asked J. Ho if I could write up the background to the little guy. He agreed.

I mixed J. Ho's ideas with my own and wound up with five Acts, 134 pages and some 30,000+ words of the fairy tale "The Children of Gods". I made the fish once more a koi and kept the ankh on his forehead. Seeing this fish in my mind, I knew I had the makings of a modern mythology that could express the odd feelings of displacement and, at the risk of sounding cliche, disenfranchisement so prevalent in the United States and areas of the globe being industrialized. I was intentionally creating a mythology for today. I was also cutting my teeth for further work on the 'pirate epic'.

I named the fish Xiao-tep.

As much as I am a fan of Robert E. Howard, I didn't want Xiao-tep to be a typical nor stereotypical brute slaughtering the evils of the modern age blindly. I wanted him to feel every death, to take in every breath, to be as much a thinker as a warrior. I didn't want him necessarily enlightened, but struggling to achieve whatever he deemed was right and just in the universe. I wanted him to be lost, unwanted, depressed even. I wanted him to feel every last emotion every single one of us, his readers, experience on any given day through the course of our own lives so that in future times we can look back and say, "What did Xiao-tep do here?" and then read or re-read part or all of his tales and appreciate them.

I wanted readers to look at Xiao-tep and, though he may be a god and a koi that can speak and fly, feel the very human struggles he was having.

I also used mythology and religion from all over the world so that no matter where a reader may be from the chances are they could find a character or something within the tale they could associate with on a cultural level. I'll discuss the specific origins of characters and such in Parts 3 and 4.


********************************************************************

Part 3

Here I will discuss the original character's names, the meanings thereof and give other assorted facts about characters. I will discuss only the original characters and not the gods or goddesses of the mythologies I pull influence from.


Xiao-tep: 'Xiao-tep' is a contraction of 'xiao', Chinese for 'little' (amongst other meanings), and Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian priest of Ra and the architect for the first pyramid (Step Pyramid at Sakkara aka Pyramid of Djoser). This, of course, means that his name could be roughly translated as 'Little Imhotep'. Xiao-tep is a koi fish, a symbol most commonly associated with Japanese culture. His mother is Lei-zi, the Chinese Goddess of Thunder, and his father is Hapi, the personification of the Nile River. In this, Xiao-tep represents three cultures: Egyptian, Chinese and Japanese. I wanted his name to reflect something amiable ('little') and intelligent (hence the reference to Imhotep).

Wu Chan Chu: I once more have to give thanks to J. Ho for he helped me translate 'battle toad' into Chinese. 'Battle toad' is a reference to the late-80's early-90's video game heroes Battletoads, a semi-generic rival for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Wu Chan Chu roughly translates as 'warrior toad' and, as it is discussed within "The Children of Gods", is a misnomer since Wu Chan Chu is actually a frog. She is the daughter of Hapi, the god of the Nile River, and one of the many mortal frog attendants within his harem. She is largely Egyptian in origin, but her later name suggests a Chinese influence. Wu Chan Chu was originally named 'Kat Depet' by the slaver Kem Seqdew. 'Kat Depet' translates roughly from ancient Egyptian to English as "Ship Work" (please note within the original tale I wrote 'Kat Depet' translated as "Work Servant", I was wrong there and the story will be changed to reflect the correction in later versions). Wu Chan Chu is a demi-goddess, meaning that she is part mortal and part goddess.

Comet Fox: Comet Fox is the child of Coyote, the Trickster God of the Plains People of North America, and the Zorya, three sister Goddesses of Light from Slavic origin. Comet Fox is a god and is named thusly because he was born as a fox but can fly and when he does trails behind him a streak of white light like a comet's tail.

Ketsueki Sato: The Great Horned Demon of the Cottonwood Chamber. I wanted this demon to be truly vile and, taking a note from Been Eter (discussed below) I thought of calling the demon something along the lines of "Blood Drinker". I came up with 'Ketsueki Sato' instead. 'Ketsueki' comes from 'ketsueki-gata', roughly translating from Japanese as 'Blood Type'. It is often associated with a theory that one's personality may be predetermined by type of blood. 'Sato' has many translations, including as a Japanese surname or family name. It is also a Puerto Rican parlance for 'mutt'.

Kanaka Nui: The mortal fisherman that catches the large carp for Lei-zi to send in place of Xiao-tep for Hapi's meal. 'Kanaka Nui' roughly translates from Hawaiian as 'Big Person'.

Aileas: The Bean Nighe captured by the Dwarf brothers Brok and Sindri and bound to the Spear of Sorrows, the weapon that becomes Xiao-tep's trademark. She acts as a catalyst for Xiao-tep to receive the pains of the deaths of those he kills so that no death is simple nor without consequence to him. 'Aileas' is the Scottish form of 'Alice'. Bean Nighe are closely related to Bean Sidhe (most commonly written and pronounced 'Banshee').

Been Eter: Pronounced 'behn et-ur', he is the troll that becomes the first creature killed by Xiao-tep. 'Been Eter' roughly translates from old Dutch as 'Bone Eater'. I would be remiss to not include a mention of Tolkein's trolls from The Hobbit. Within that book I gained my first real exposure to trolls as characters and I'm sure my ideas of a troll are close to those depicted by Tolkein.

Awiti: The priest that prays to Hapi to discover the cause of the recent quakes. 'Awiti' is generalized as African in origin and means something to the effect of 'a child thrown away'. I used this to re-iterate the theme of this tale.

Kem Seqdew: A slaver that purchased Wu Chan Chu from her father with the intent of selling her. However, he could never bring himself to selling her and kept her instead under his watchful eye. 'Kem Seqdew' translates roughly from ancient Egyptian to English as 'Black Sailor'. That doesn't necessarily reflect his skin tone but his trade. Kem Seqdew's ship is called Mew Khet, which roughly translates from ancient Egyptian to "Water Thing".

Yannick: The Briton that Wu Chan Chu (as Kat Depet) spoke with aboard the ship Mew Khet. 'Yannick' is Breton and French for 'John'.

King Kleos: The Imp King and lap-dog of the demon Ketsueki Sato. Kleos is the ancient Greek concept of honor and renown, something that is hereditary and is meant to be a goal. For ancient warriors in Greece, it was an abstract concept that brought respect and was fought for. It is similar in may ways to the concepts of honor found within the samurai class of feudal Japan. Kleos was often a major theme for Homer, the epic poet of ancient Greece.

Hermit Snow: I borrowed the imagery of Hermit Snow from the classic kung-fu movie The Bride with White Hair, but also the general and stereotypical idea of what an old master hermit should look like. He is the essence of the element of snow and, as such, cannot be destroyed but instead turns back into snow from his human-looking form when Wu Chan Chu finally defeats him.

Master Liu: I named Master Liu for the venerable Gordon Liu, also known by many as Master Killer. He is most recently known for his portrayal as Johnny Mo, the leader of the Crazy 88, from the movie Kill Bill Vol. 1 and as Pai Mei, Uma Thurman's master, in Kill Bill Vol. 2.

Moon Maiden: The goddess that Master Liu convinces to make weapons for Comet Fox. I had originally wanted to make this the Inuit moon god Alignak to support the background of Comet Fox's weapons as being Inuit in origin, (he fights with dual ulus) but I liked the idea of a Moon Maiden better and the name seemed to fit. I simply created this goddess for my purposes.

King Spyridon: King Kleos' father, killed when bitten in half by a wolf. 'Spyridon' is Greek and Russian taken from the Latin 'spiritus' meaning 'spirit'. I wanted the imps not only to have Greek-like names (since imps are often credited to Greek mythology, though it is often assumed the concept of imps existed prior to the Greeks) but names reflecting their closeness to nature as well.

Demetrios: The imp soldier that finds the fishing village of mortals. 'Demetrios' is the original form of Demetrius which comes from the goddess Demeter, the 'Earth Mother'.

Georgios: The mortal fisherman met by Demetrios the imp. 'Georgios' is the Greek form of 'George' which translates as 'Earth Worker'.

Ipiretis: The Seneschal to King Kleos. His name translates roughly as, if I remember correctly (I cannot find my own source now... my apologies), 'one who sees' or 'overseer'. It may also be translated as 'aide'.

Sam and Tom: The two boys within the Epilogue of the fairy tale. Sam gets his name from Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain. Tom is named for Tom Spaulding, Doug's younger brother in Ray Bradbury's novel Dandelion Wine.

I should note that I gave no background for the villains in this tale. I think such things are often done in complete error as they are often not handled correctly. For instance, the three prequels to the original Star Wars movies above all else takes the character of Darth Vader, an otherwise icon of evil within our everyday language and society, and humanizes him. A background presented incorrectly takes the sting out of a villain's villainy. I refuse to do that with these tales. That does not mean that knowing the background to a villain will instantly make him or her likable. The creation of a villain can actually add to his villainy, but in many cases storytellers wind up doing the opposite by portraying their villains as victims and victims are almost always sympathetic characters. Sympathy and villainy can mix, but rarely do they not take away from one another. The only care an audience should ever have towards a villain is the care to see them stopped.

The villains in "The Children of Gods" are simple. They kept the heroes from doing the tasks they wanted or needed, most specifically the villains kept Xiao-tep, Wu Chan Chu and Comet Fox from escaping the Cottonwood Chamber.


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Part 4

Herein I will go page by page through the story and point out bits of trivia and relate notes concerning what went into creating the fairy tale "The Children of Gods".


ACT I - PART 1

First, a note about style. I move back and forth between a narrative voice that appears omnipotent ("Few know of the Celestial Garden...") and a more contemporary voice similar to that found in novels and short stories of our time. The omnipotent voice brings attention to the storyteller and is popular amongst those that tell tales at powwows or other live forums. It can be more engaging as it brings some focus onto the teller of the tale. It is similar, also, to the written tales of Homer whose epic poetry we know so well, at least by reputation. It is also a voice similar to that of the narration in All Men Are Brothers, a classic epic from China about 108 warriors battling tyranny. Besides Pearl Buck's translated version, All Men Are Brothers has also been translated under the title Outlaws of the Marsh. If you like wuxia (high fantasy martial arts) you'll definitely be wanting to read about the Mountain Bandits found within All Men Are Brothers or Outlaws of the Marsh. Also be aware that Gandhi wrote a book called All Men Are Brothers. Make sure to get the correct book.


ACT I - PART 3


The concept of the willow branch acting as a carrier of tears is relatively common in many regions of the world.


ACT II - PART 1

Of course, I used legends from Norse mythology and even some influence from R. E. Howard's tale "The Frost Giant's Daughter" to imagine the 'hoary hinterland' that Xiao-tep comes into at the top of Act II after having fled from his father in the Celestial Garden.

It was important for me to show what happens to Xiao-tep without his willow branch. Here in Act II, Part 1 i separated him from the branch. Eventually, Loki, disguised as Brok and feeding Xiao-tep lies, practically cripples Xiao-tep with sorrow. I needed to show the enormity of the sorrows Xiao-tep has the capacity to feel. As long as Xiao-tep has his branch, he still feels the sorrows but not to the extent of being unable to do more than double over and sob. I also used the moment to build up the villainy of Loki.


ACT II - PART 2


I needed to deal with some logistics of a fish handling a spear as a weapon, so I added Loki presenting the elixir from the Morrigan Hags that allowed Xiao-tep, once he drank it, to grow to any size up to his full size and morph his fins into arms. In my mind's eye, Xiao-tep's full natural height is about fifteen or so feet and I knew, too, he would one day travel to the mortal realm and would need to be able to grow smaller so as not to appear so monstrous to mortals.

My main purpose of introducing the troll Been Eter was to incorporate the element of fighting. These tales, above all else, were from the very beginning meant to be adventures filled with both emotional drama and combat. I looked at Act II as I was writing it and realized there was no real element of fighting to it, plus I needed to show Xiao-tep performing with his newly acquired Spear of Sorrows.


ACT II - PART 3


Coyote stars in some of my favorite tales. Long ago, I want to say 1987, I came across the book American Indian Myths and Legends. It's a great resource for anyone interested in such subject matter as the title would suggest. At the start of Act II, Part 3 I talk about Coyote being full of summer strawberries. It's a small reference to a tale within the aforementioned book. Coyote sees several beautiful women picking strawberries and he desires them, so he goes to the end of the long row of strawberries and buries himself completely except for the tip of his penis which sticks out, looking somewhat like a strawberry that's on the ground. The women come to the end of the row of strawberries and see this one lying on the ground. Try as they might they cannot pick it from the ground. They pull at it and pull at it until it excretes a small bit of milk-like substance. They move on and Coyote digs himself out of the ground. ;)


I named Comet Fox prior to researching his mother, so I had to find a goddess (or in this case three goddesses) that represented traveling light. The Zorya fit the bill.

There are many layers to Hell ruled by the Yama Kings, but I really liked the name Chamber of Dismemberment by Sawing. The other layers are: Chamber of Wind and Thunder, Chamber of Grinding, Chamber of Flames, Chamber of Ice, Chamber of Oil Cauldrons, Chamber of Dismemberment by Chariot, Chamber of Mountain of Knives, Chamber of Tongue Ripping, Chamber of Pounding, Chamber of Torso-severing, Chamber of Scales, Chamber of Eye-gouging, Chamber of Heart-digging, Chamber of Disembowelment, Chamber of Blood, Chamber of Maggots, and Chamber of Avici. (2)


ACT III - PART 1


I wanted my faun unlike those protrayed within recent movies(Mr. Tumnus in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and the faun in Pan's Labyrinth) so I did some research on fauns and discovered Lupercus the epithet of Faunus, the god of wilderness and fertility. I wanted him friendly and wise.


ACT III - PART 2


The kappa is another favorite legend of mine. I first learned of it in Obake: Ghost Stories of Hawaii by Glen Grant. It's a book I purchased in the first month or two after moving to Maui. I then came across the legend again while reading the graphic novels Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. In one Usagi tale he battles the kappa demon.


ACT III - PART 3


I currently live in an area of Michigan that becomes practically infested with cottonwood puffs every spring. It can be quite pretty, but also signals allergy season for me. In a discussion I remember with J. Ho long ago, I told him it makes the area look like I'm caught up in a wuxia tale. It was only natural I add cottonwoods to this tale and eventually call Ketsueki's realm The Cottonwood Chamber.

It was important that I did not have Xiao-tep out-and-out tricked to go into the Cottonwood Chamber. Having him actively seek it out and the aide of Ketsueki shows his desperation and hate towards his father.

Imps are often associated, some would argue incorrectly, with Wiccans. Some claim them tiny demons acting as familiars for witches. The truth is that imps have a history separate (largely) from that religion. But I drew upon this misnomer and portrayed the imps as having the once-perceived familiar-like quality of suckling blood from the third nipple of another's body. I understand fully I was playing on false beliefs developed by ignorance, but the legend has come into mainstream consciousness and felt it fit my needs. I took great care not to associate Ketsueki, Kleos or anything having to do with them with Wicca. My respect and love goes out to Wiccans everywhere.


ACT IV - PART 1


I needed to incorporate more fighting into the tale, hence my choice to incorporate flashbacks showing Wu Chan Chu's and Comet Fox's training and attainment of weapons as well as their fights with Xiao-tep.

The nose flute is a common musical instrument within Polynesian culture.

The idea of Wu Chan Chu watching the hawk comes from a quote in the Hagakure and recited by Forest Whitaker on the soundtrack to the movie Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. The quote goes: "According to what one of the elders say, 'Taking an enemy on the battlefield is like a hawk taking a bird. Even though it enters into the midst of a thousand of them it pays no attention to any bird other than the one it has first marked.'"


ACT IV - PART 2


I wanted the entirety of the Cottonwood Chamber to appear alive and organic, hence my incorporation of spriggans. I got inspiration for them in the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game. With gratitude to Kevin Siembieda.


ACT IV - PART 3


There is a brief reference to the tales of All Men Are Brothers here. In those classic Chinese tales, the character Black Whirlwind must take up residence with a school of monks. Black Whirlwind is the polar opposite of what a monk should be: he eats meat, does no chores, loves luxury and wealth and violence. As such, he does not hold sacred that which the monks hold sacred. One night, after sneaking away to a nearby village to eat and carouse, Black Whirlwind returned drunk and needing to pee. He winds up peeing behind the statue of the Buddha in the temple. Of course, the monks are outraged and a small moment of hilarity ensues. Here Comet Fox, drunk and needing to pee, urinates upon one of the hand-carved stone dragons of Master Liu.

While not necessarily the comic relief of the story, I did want Comet Fox to have a sense of humor about him and wanted humor to enter into the situations he found himself in. For instance, Master Liu reminiscing about watermelons while Comet Fox rages about plums. One of the things I find endearing about the Coyote tales that inspired Comet Fox was Ciyote's sometimes simple nature. Coyote wants what he wants and he'll do as he needs to get what he wants. I wanted Comet Fox to be much the same.


ACT IV - PART 4


Strategy and forethought is quite important in combat as is in life. The observation of nature is also important, most especially in kung fu. I wanted to portray that with this flashback-within-a-flashback from Master Liu's younger times. Most martial arts are also based upon basic principles and I wanted Master Liu to express those principles in his own way and portray them as he had learned them in life.


ACT IV - PART 5

From almost the first I wanted Comet Fox to brandish ulus as his weapons of choice. The problem I found was inspiration for how they were made. These heroes are in many ways quite plain and simple, but I wanted them also to have certain uniquenesses to them. Their weapons is one area I chose to make extravagant. Xiao-tep's Spear of Sorrows was made by dwarfs and has within it a bound Bean Nighe; Wu Chan Chu's brass knuckles were made by a master craftsman especially for her; Comet Fox's ulus needed, I felt, a mystical origin and since ulus look so much like half-moons I thought it only appropriate they come from the moon.


ACT IV - PART 6


I love Drunken Style. It looks so comical yet can be quick and effective and even graceful.


ACT V - PART 1


When it came time to write the final Act of this tale, I realized I needed to add a background story to the imps since they were to have a part in the usurping of Ketsueki Sato. I didn't want them to be the calvary riding in to save the day and all that schtick. They needed a reason, a purpose, and a stake in the outcome. Sadly, I went forward with this background in the final Act. I say 'sadly' because I felt that by the final Act the stage should have been completely set so that we could concentrate on the final battle. This did not happen. When I edit this for future readings, the background story of the imps will go in Act 3 just before the imp (you later discover him to be King Kleos) visits Xiao-tep and tells him to escape the Cottonwood Chamber.

I drew heavily upon ancient Greek culture for inspiration for the imps. It would seem that, while imps may have existed within the minds of humanity prior to Greece's heyday, the ancient Greeks were the first to truly adopt them into their culture in some way.

The separate bog-kingdoms I loosely based upon the Greek idea of city-states, with King Kleos' bog-kingdom being somewhat like Sparta in that they are the most war-like and most successful at war.

The wolf is a common character within ancient Greek tales.


ACT V - PART 2


I wanted to incorporate some level of political power within the imp's part of the tale, which is lacking elsewhere.


ACT V - PART 6


I also wanted the power struggle to last a bit to add a parallel level of the rising tension of the fight in the courtyard. I didn't want the finale to be one-dimensional where everyone was just fighting and things become more bleak by the minute as the enemy increases his troops and pressure. I wanted to express that rising tension through a feeling of emergency and emotion. Herein we find King Kleos not wanting to see his people slaughtered, yet wanting to fight for their freedom. I pulled inspiration for this from Homer's The Iliad
. In The Iliad the hero Achilles must make the decision to join an on-going war. He does not desire to do so, thus Homer creates an emotional trial for Achilles as his friends and countrymen die while he sits at home safely. I am not the world's biggest fan of The Iliad because it takes so very long for Achilles to join the war and, quite frankly, the ending is not without flaws. But had Homer made Achilles join the war far earlier within the tale, I might like The Iliad a bit more. Nevertheless, I borrowed the idea of having a perplexed character deciding to go to war from The Iliad.


ACT V - PART 7


King Kleos tells Ipiretus and his people to hack at the heels of the toad demons to sever the tendons within. For those of you who don't know, that tendon is often called the Achilles Tendon and if it is not in tact, a person will fall, incapable of walking or standing on that foot. Why is it called the Achilles Tendon? Once more I reference you the The Iliad
.


ACT V - PART 8


I wanted Ketsueki to be practically impenetrable. I also wanted the heroes to work together to defeat him so that no single character could say they did more than the rest. Lastly, Xiao-tep, being our main hero, needed to be the one that delivered the final blow. As a result, Comet Fox severed the horn of Ketsueki that would be used as the death-weapon, King Kleos gave the horn to Xiao-tep with the information that Ketsueki was weakest in the pit, Wu Chan Chu broke the knee of the demon which made him raise his arm and finally Xiao-tep drove the horn into the demon's pit. None could have succeeded without the other.



CONCLUSION

When all is said and done, I am simply writing a fairy tale (often associated with children's entertainment) about a flying, speaking fish. A certain amount of levity and light-heartedness must be taken when approaching the subject matter. I do approach it in this way, no matter how much heaviness of thought or philosophical background I may put into these stories.

But the backdrop of culture and ideas of post-industrialization are there. If you can latch onto them, by all means please do. If all you get out of reading this tale is a kick-in-the-pants kind of fun, that's great as well.

Thanks to everyone who has read and supported this work.

One last note: the title of this afterword is "Drawing Down the Sun, Uplifting the Stars". It is inspired from two sources. One is the Wiccan ritual of 'drawing down the moon' wherein a coven requests divine guidance. The other comes from, once again, All Men Are Brothers wherein the 108 heroes are released as spirits into the world and they fly through the sky like shooting stars. Hence, the title of this afterword could mean a calling upon divine guidance coupled with the releasing of heroes. The title could also mean banishing the light so that heroes can be raised in the hours of darkness.

With much love and respect,

~ charles



Here is a quick picture I did in MS Paint of Xiao-tep.

"The Children of Gods" - Act V

Here is this week's offering of a short story or essay. This short story is number 12 of 13 weekly essay or short story posts.

Entitled "The Children of Gods", this tale appears here on my blog for the first time anywhere as a 5-Act fairy tale. Act 1, 2, 3 and 4 have already been posted and the fifth and final Act will be posted today.

The Children of Gods

(C) 2007 by Charles Shaver. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author(s) and/or artist(s).

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Act V of V: The Final Battle

RIDING THE OX HOME: Wherein Xiao-tep, Wu Chan Chu and Comet Fox Battle the Demon Toad Army; Kleos Must Decide the Fate of His People; The Cottonwood Chamber Fills with Blood

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Part 1

In a land made green by heavy rains and dark soils, at the base of a mountain and along a seashore, there was a small fishing village. The people there were industrious and loved their life, having little to do with the outside world. They lived in peace and though some rivalries existed amongst fishermen families, these rivalries were always friendly and no one would ever think to ignore another's superior skills, catch or luck. They were a happy people and they were proud and good.

Beyond the mountain the sea wrapped itself inland to become a brackish estuary and beyond the estuary was a collection of bogs.

The bogs were wide and wet, spreading everywhere. All manner of insect lived here as did the red and purple people called bog imps. Frequently the imps would make war with one another, the borders of each bog serving as unofficial national boundaries.

In the center of one such bog was a mound of dirt packed down. It was green with soft mold and lichen. Within the mound was an entire community of these imps. They were lead by King Spyridon the Brave.

Unlike the other imp kings, King Spyridon had personally lead his army into every battle, blooding himself upon his enemies on numerous occasions. He was well respected by his own people and feared by everyone else.

Though they were an agricultural lot, the imps found the bogs difficult to farm. Nothing more than the lichen and moss that grew there naturally could be cultivated with ease.

But imps cannot live upon moss alone. They enjoy the blood of other living creatures and often suckled at the skin of frogs and vermin that lived within the bogs. This blood, though abundant, was sour and weak with energy.

In all his wisdom, King Spyridon assigned select members of his army to be trained in stealth and sabotage. He sent them out on midnight raids to other imp kingdoms to steal fresh foods from them and spy to ferret out their sources of blood.

On rare nights, these stealthy warriors would explore the lands beyond the bogs.

On one such rare night, Demetrios the Quiet discovered the fishing village filled with mortal men beyond the mountain. He had been gone for several days when he finally returned. Intrigued by Demetrios' tale of abundant fish and foods and a supply of fresh mortal blood, King Spyridon immediately sent forth his whole stealthy squad to raid the mortals.

They returned a few days later with more food than the king or his people had ever seen! They had loaded their clay jars to the brim with frothing blood. The other foods were exotic and good and fresh, except for the fish which had to be preserved in salt on the return trip.

King Spyridon ceased his campaign of raids against all other imps and concentrated in full his stealthy few to continuously raid the fishing village.

To the mortals, relatively little was being stolen, but enough for the villagers to take notice. What's more, they noticed the small bites they were developing overnight as they slept.

"It is some new insect!" one of the fishermen cried.

"No," said another. "It is wounds from the gods. Perhaps we have been too greedy with our fishing as of late."

Uncertain, the mortal Georgios remained awake all night, only pretending to sleep. On this dark night, Georgios heard the small pattering footsteps of Demetrios in his act of thievery. Georgios slammed a small glass jar around the imp, lit a candle and stared down at his prisoner.

"Why do you steal from me?" asked the fisherman.

Demetrios said nothing.

"What manner of creature sucks blood from mortal men? We are good people. Are we being punished for something? Are you a demon?"

Demetrios fell to one knee and spoke, "I am no demon. My people are good and fair, as are your people."

"Then why attack us so?"

"We are hungry and we live off the blood of others. It is a curse and an aspect of our nature. We meant no harm."

The fisherman sighed. "If you truly need the things you steal, you could have simply asked. We of this village know of the value of aiding others. Does your family need food?"

Sensing truth in the fisherman's words, Demetrios said, "I steal for my people. We live in the bogs beyond the mountain."

The fisherman smiled, lifted the jar and gave the imp some sliced and preserved fish. He then made a small wound on his arm and bled into a jar for the imp.

That day the imps of King Spyridon and the mortals of the village made friends. The imps would sometimes play pranks on them, but then only on their children and always with good hearts and in fun. The people of the fishing village enjoyed their new found acquaintance with the spirit folk of the land and felt it an honor to sacrifice blood to such spirits of nature. The imps, in turn, were proud of their friendship with the mortals and brought to them luck in their fishing.

King Spyridon grew fat and old and soon he and his wife had a son. They named him Kleos. This son grew and was loved by all as a fair imp with a wily mind. It came as no surprise when King Spyridon relinquished his throne to his son.

More time passed and a new threat came to them. A wolf, wounded and hungry, began raiding different imp mounds in other bogs. Word of this came to King Kleos and he prepared his army for war. It was to be his first battle. Spyridon, now old and weaker than he once had been, requested of his son a sword to fight off the wolf raider alongside the army.

"No, father. It is foolish," said Kleos.

"I may be old, but I can wield a weapon. I would like to see you conduct your army on the field. I will remain behind and watch, only fighting if I have to."

King Kleos agreed, having a soft spot for his father, and the imps marched from the mound to war.

They found the wolf sleeping in the trunk of a fallen cypress.

"We should challenge him," King Kleos thought aloud. "We cannot possibly fight such a brute. We will challenge him to leave and seeing our numbers he will do so."

"He will not," spoke Ipiretis the Seneschal. "He will attack. We must attack him first before he awakes and kill him in his sleep."

King Kleos shook his head. "There would be no honor in that."

"We are imps, it is our way. What is honor to us?" replied Ipiretis.

"It is something in me and as long as I am commander it shall be something in you."

It was decided to wake the wolf and challenge him to leave.

"Wolf!" cried out Kleos. "Awake and leave! We imps will not have you here! Leave now!"

The wolf awoke in a rage and ravaged the army. Though they were finally able to put him down, it was not before Spyridon ran into the fray, sword in hand, and sliced at the wolf behind the paws. Angry and in pain, the wolf turned on Spyridon and bit him in half, killing him. Though Spyridon's death was tragic, his people quickly pointed out had it not been for his attack, the wolf would not have bled so much nor been in so much pain with every step he took, would not have slowed as he had and would possibly have slaughtered the whole army. Though Spyridon's death was tragic, it was also claimed heroic. Kleos was claimed a good commander as he had orchestrated everything from afar, yet he also gained some criticism for he never once raised his blade during the fight with the wolf.

After this, the army under King Kleos was hailed the best in every region and arms were put down in other imp kingdoms. Kleos was declared King of All Imps and the other former kings were made lords over their region. Peace settled over the bogs. The armies grew small.

Years later on a moonlit night when it happened not to be raining the imps decided to gather and dance atop their mound. By order of King Kleos a festival was held. The mortals donated food. Poles were erected and adorned with string and flags. A fire pit was made. Tables were set out and rocks were polished and set around for seating. Ipiretis, the new commander of the meager imp army that was now more full of ceremony than war, oversaw the event and made sure all was properly prepared.

At midnight, when the sky was its most clear and the moon its highest over the land, the imps gathered and played music and danced and ate and drank. All were merry.

Ketsueki Sato came through the bog disguised as a sage carrying a long staff. Embedded into the staff's head was an immense emerald. His robes were long and plain. His face, though aged, was friendly and smiling and full of hair.

The imps stopped their dancing as he approached. Some whispered they should get away. Others planned mischief. King Kleos planned to allow the stranger to draw near and speak to him.

"Is he from the village?" some asked.

"He does not look the same," said others.

"If he be here in this bog," spoke Kleos, "he knows his way. Either he is a hunter or a magician. One with mystical abilities is close enough to kin to us and we should welcome him and hear the tale explaining his presence. If he be full of malice, we can easily deal with him in our own lands." Though Kleos' words were strong and calm, he feared he would have to make war once more in his life. He feared another atrocity.

The imps watched as the sage approached.

"Ho, friends! I come in peace!" called Ketsueki-as-Sage.

"Draw near, friend," called King Kleos to the creature larger than he. "Tell us why one such as yourself would draw nigh this night?"

"I am Ketsueki the Sage and I look for help in making potions. In return I will reward all who aid me."

"What sort of reward do you offer?"

"The whole make of my alchemical knowledge."

King Kleos remained unsure. "We are imps, cousin to the faes. We've little use for such things."

"I know this full well, but can you make gold of the lode? I can!" exclaimed Ketsueki-as-Sage.

The imps murmured with shock.

"It is a generous offer, but we've little need for gold," Kleos responded.

"Perhaps the mortals of the village do," Ipiretis whispered into Kleos' ear. "They occasionally use gold to buy goods from other regions. We could trade them food and repay them our debt of gratitude."

Kleos nodded. "What need you in return?" he asked the sage.

"A mere few imp tears."

More murmurs followed.

Ipiretis tugged at King Kleos' elbow and whispered in his ear once more. "The price is so small and with gold we can barter with mortals for anything, including their souls should we want them!"

King Kleos looked at his advisor and saw in him goldlust, but he also heard wisdom in his words.

The other imps saw this and hoped King Kleos would be persuaded in making a deal with the sage.

King Kleos took the words of Ipiretis to heart. He turned back to Ketsueki-as-Sage and said, "We've a deal. How would you wish us to deliver these tears to you?"

"It is a rather simple matter," Ketsueki-as-Sage said. "I've made things quite simple for you. All you have to do is look at the gem here at the head of my staff. You need not even be crying at the moment. The tears will be removed without effort or pain and will magically fly up into the gem. Will you look into my gem?"

Before King Kleos could speak, his people spoke out in agreement.

Ketsueki-as-Sage smiled. "Good, and I thank you." He produced from inside his robe a scroll and laid it upon the mound, making certain not to actually touch the ground there. He dropped the scroll and said, "Therein that scroll is all my wisdom. Now look up, all of you!"

The imps did as he asked.

He twisted the staff so the moon reflected in it, creating a beam of soft white light that lowered itself onto the mound. With incredible quickness, Ketsueki-as-Sage turned and rocked the staff, aiming the beam of light at each imp one after another. As the beam touched their flesh, not their tears but their entire bodies were lifted and placed inside the gem. Each became a prisoner within the emerald.

King Kleos and Ipiretis were the last to be trapped. Ketsueki-as-Sage proved too quick for them to escape.

Once the mound was empty of imps, Ketsueki reverted to his demonic form. He looked into the emerald and laughed at the imps trapped within. "Your crispy flesh will make a fine meal," he spoke to them.

Laughing, Ketsueki Sato disappeared in a puff of red smoke.

The bonfire slowly died atop the moonlit mound.


Part 2

A small red and purple imp ran through the Cottonwood Palace with haste. The winding corridors and sprawling halls slowed and confused him at times. When finally he found the single room that served as sleeping quarters for all the imps, he ran directly to King Kleos, the lap-dog and personal assistant to the demon Ketsueki Sato. The rest of the imps were huddled around him, filling the room to bursting.

With panting breath did the running imp say, "King Kleos, Ketsueki Sato has now set his entire demon toad army upon the fish-god and his friends."

"That's it!" screamed Ipiretis. "Now is the time! We must fight!"

Rumbling murmurs flowed through the collected imps.

"Ipiretis, calm yourself," spoke Kleos to the imp crying for war. "If we were to lend aid to these creatures that now make war with Ketsueki and win, we would most assuredly regain our freedom. The fish-god and others have shown no indication they desire our enslavement. We would be free to return to our homelands.

"However," Kleos raised a finger to emphasize the following point, "Should we aid the fish-god and his friends and lose, our lives would be moot and Ketsueki would most assuredly allow the Chamber of Dismemberment by Sawing to live up to its name using our bodies. Imagine, gathered friends, an eternity of your frame being sawed upon. Imagine the horrors we would bear witness to as blood flowed endlessly from our wounds. Imagine the terror of never dying, only living as others set blades to biting our flesh."

Again the crowded imps erupted in discussion at each other.

"We must fight!" cried some to King Kleos.

"We must hide!" cried others.

"We must flee!"

The crowd argued back and forth. Fighting broke out here and there. All were distraught.

"Quiet!" King Kleos commanded. "I am your king and with your faith I will decide our fate." King Kleos allowed the passing of four breaths before he spoke again. "We will not fight."

Many in the crowd cried out in anger, most bowed in agreement.

"And if you do nothing," Ipiretis put forth, "We will remain as we have. What know you of war? You, unlike your father, have yet to be blooded. He earned the right to lead us through his heroism. Your backside rests upon the seat of power by chance of birth alone."

"Enough!" King Kleos yelled. "What brought us here? Trickery and deception. Need I remind you all who convinced your king to trust the Sage Ketsueki?"

Many eyes went to Ipiretis.

"Ketsueki brought us here for his food and entertainment," continued Kleos. "It was I that convinced him we could serve higher purposes as servants, thus sparing us all from the blade and his tooth."

King Kleos challenged, "If you deny these facts, then defy my command and go to war. If you wish to live with some peace, then remain and ignore the war that rages outside these walls."

To both Kleos' consternation and relief his people bowed in obeisance.

"When, O King, do we plan our escape?" Ipiretis asked in defiance.

"One day," King Kleos answered.

"Not today?"

"No," Kleos shook his head. "Not today."


Part 3

The demon toad army marched into the courtyard of the Cottonwood Chamber.

"They are four or five thousand strong," said Xiao-tep.

"Easily," replied Wu Chan Chu.

"You think there's time for me to switch sides once more?" Comet Fox asked.

Xiao-tep and Wu Chan Chu looked at him harshly.

"And miss your opportunity for revenge upon Ketsueki Sato?" Xiao-tep asked.

Comet Fox shook his head. "I still seek that."

"We have to fight an entire demon toad army and baby sit Comet Fox," Wu Chan Chu said. "I am not pleased."

The demon toad army filled half the courtyard with their numbers.

"Brother Xiao-tep," Wu Chan Chu said. "I've been thinking. Like myself, these toads will be grounded, moreso than you and Comet Fox at least. I say we use that to our advantage. I'll attack them from the ground while you two swoop around overhead and pick them off one by one."

"It is a good plan," Xiao-tep said.

The toads formed rank and file as a massive wall staring down upon Xiao-tep and his two cohorts. Each toad was armed with some manner of weaponry: halberds, lion swords, and axes were common. Many had longbows made of beautiful yew. A few others had articulated weapons. All gleamed with armor and steel.

In unison they raised and slammed their weapons on the ground, on shields, rattling the walls of the courtyard, their mad croaking deafening the heroes with resounding clatter.

Xiao-tep winced.

The demon toads charged.

Xiao-tep and Comet Fox took to the air.

Wu Chan Chu jumped high and at the oncoming demon toads, leaping into their middle, her fists swinging with ferocity and power. She knocked first one then another to the ground, catching them off guard. She squared off with a third as more closed in on her. Nerves tingled in her body, her mind grew cloudy. She swung with madness, making contact but with little damage done. She breathed deep, leaping backwards to the flank of the army, trying to clear her mind and think once more of the hawk. She landed and the toad army turned sideways. Their uniformity broke from necessity. Their numbers were ultimately too many for the courtyard as they all tried to press in, pushing one another, looking for a chance to strike.

Xiao-tep dived headlong into the madding crowd fraught with ignoble strife. His speared swirled into the fray, slashing and biting. With every cut came a death. Aelis would scream. Xiao-tep would feel the dying. The willow branch would shed tears.

Weapons reached out, toads croaking, and cut his arms and body. He flew away, thinking of his half-sister that had no such escape. Blood trickled from his wounds as he surveyed the madness of war. His eyes searched for Wu Chan Chu and found her near a wall battling toad after toad crushing in after her. She could concentrate on the few in front of her, but the rest sent her mind into confused chaos. They reached out with weapons and cut at her. She swatted blades away and crushed the chest of a toad with her fists. Comet Fox swooped down again and again near Wu Chan Chu, his ulu blades parting flesh, separating limbs from their host bodies. He acted as the meat grinder, untouchable and deadly.

Arrows were launched high, aimed at the floating Xiao-tep. He heard the twang of the bows, the hissing of the arrowheads. He swirled as he dived. His fins trailed behind him in flowing, watery motion. The willow branch shed tears that were flung into the air. He swirled and dived.

The archers were able to take aim once more before Xiao-tep came close to them. Three arrows bit into Xiao-tep's arm, sticking there painfully. He cried out, but did not stammer in his attack.

The demon toad archers broke rank into two groups, stepping away from the attacking Spear of Sorrows. Xiao-tep came to the ground and rotated his shoulders, swinging his spear to slice open the chest of one demon toad. He followed through with a launching attack, extending the spear its full reach and sinking it into the chest of another demon toad. The willow exploded with tears as the heart within the toad's chest exploded from the invading blades. Xiao-tep quickly removed the spearhead and the wound geysered with blood. He launched the shaft of the spear backward to parry an attacker there, swinging his bow weakly like a club. Xiao-tep lifted the butt end of the shaft up, knocking the toad below the chin and sending him reeling backwards in pain.

Xiao-tep spun his spear round and brought it horizontal before him. The toad archers hesitated. Xiao-tep stared them down.

Wu Chan Chu grabbed a demon toad by his arm and pulled him towards her, extending her free arm to clothesline the demon toad below the chin and send him to the ground. Comet Fox dived, sinking both his ulus into the chest of the downed toad. He freed them, parried an attack and flew back into the air.

Slowly Wu Chan Chu collected wounds on her body. Blood ran from each limb. Six, ten, twelve cuts adorned her body where it was unarmored. Her armor, too, collected wounds in the form of dents and scratches. Each blow to the armor weakened it.

Seeing the progression of the fight, Comet Fox yelled, "Xiao-tep!"

Hearing the plea, Xiao-tep lifted into the air and came to Comet Fox's side.

"I think it's best we concentrate our attacks near Wu Chan Chu. She can fight those in front of her while we dive in on either side."

"What of the archers?" Xiao-tep asked.

"Their comrades are battling us hand-to-hand. If they sling their arrows at us they risk hitting their own."

"They may not care."

"Maybe, but we'll deal with that if it should be their choice."

Xiao-tep dived over and over as did Comet Fox. He became a white and orange streak to one side of Wu Chan Chu while Comet Fox was a red and black streak to her other. The numbers of the demon toads dwindled, but not without waste. They attacked Wu Chan Chu, Comet Fox and Xiao-tep each. Each one bled and grew slow and tired with the fight.

Finally, the demon toads ceased their attack and backed away a mere step, their weapons ready and aimed.

Xiao-tep and Comet Fox landed near Wu Chan Chu.

"Is the fight over with?" Xao-tep asked.

"Cowards!" Wu Chan Chu smiled at the demon toads.

Cottonwood puffs fell silently and transmogrified from white cottony fluffs into spriggans. Their hard shelled bodies were brown and they had faces like mortal men. They could grow to any size and they chose to grow larger than even the demon toads. They filled the army's ranks to a number greater than it had been before the fighting even started.

"This is our realm as well as Ketsueki's," one called out. "We will defend it with our lives!"

Xiao-tep and Wu Chan Chu looked on in horror.

Comet Fox said, "I think we'll be dead before this sees an end."


Part 4

Again a red and purple imp ran through the halls of the Cottonwood Chamber. He burst once more into the sleeping quarters of the imps and went directly to King Kleos. He bowed and said, "My Lord, the fish-god and his friends have fought valiantly and were nearing victory only to have the spriggans join to aid the demon toads."

Speculation and banter shockwaved through the crowded imps. Many spoke in horrified tones. Others called for action. Many still called for neutrality.

It was Ipiretis who declared his feelings loudest. "Damn it, Kleos! Now is the time for war! Now is the time for action! Now we must fight for our future and our freedom!"

An uproar filled the room.

King Kleos raised his hands and called for silence. The imps obeyed.

"Ipiretis, if you should ever call me by a familiar name again without my proper title, I will sink the blade into you chest with my own hand!"

"Ha! You? A murderer? You could not even kill the fish you ate from the villagers back home! You are a coward and your cowardice keeps us bound in servitude!"

"My rationality keeps us alive!" raged Kleos. "We've no part in this war. We will fight only when we have to, only when there in no other option. This is not our war, it is theirs.

"I may not be a warrior as my father had been, and I may have simply inherited his army, but it was under my command that we unified the imps of all the bogs and bring peace. It was also under my leadership that we made peace with the mortals of the village and doubled our food supply."

Kleos pointed to Ipiretis and said, "Bind him, complete with gag. We'll have no more impudence."

As two imps tied string about the wrists and ankles of Ipiretis and gagged him, one spoke softly in his ear, "Many are with you. We will ferret out a plan and free you to lead us. This old king shall soon be usurped."

Ipiretis grunted in reply.

Kleos surveyed his people and wondered at his decision.


Part 5

The spriggans could fly and as such shifted the tempo and strategy of the battle. Xiao-tep and Comet Fox now found themselves fighting in the air while Wu Chan Chu fought the entire remainder of the demon toad army alone on the ground.

Xiao-tep streaked through the brown blurs made by the spriggans, slicing at each with the Spear of Sorrows. Wicked clawed hands reached out for him and cut his flesh. Scales fell away. Wounds were made.

Comet Fox soared around the spriggans, but he was not untouchable. Fur was cut and fell from his body. Blood poured from wounds to mat the rest of his fur to his body.

The two found themselves near one another.

"Xiao-tep!" Comet Fox called.

Xiao-tep parried an attack with his spear. "What is it, Comet Fox?"

"I fear my fighting abilities are weaker while I am sober."

Xiao-tep scoffed as he fought. "Fah! How can that be?"

Comet Fox lopped off the head of a spriggan and said, "I don't know, but my abilities are weaker. Before, when I was drunk with rum, I gave you and Wu Chan Chu a good fight. Now I make many mistakes and cannot react quickly enough." Comet Fox bent backwards as a spriggan's clawed hands reached for him. The claws ran through his fur and he erected himself to counter the attack. His ulus swung out and ran across the chest of the spriggan. Blood sprayed from the wounds into Comet Fox's face and he spit it back out at the now falling, dead spriggan.

Wu Chan Chu battled toad after toad on the ground. She grabbed one by the arm and flipped him into another. She pulled a lion sword from a third and placed it in the chest of a fourth. Spears and blades reached for her, eating her flesh, opening fresh wounds and carving on old ones. Blood flowed from her, spilling into the courtyard. Her jaw still ached from the wound Comet Fox had given her and she quietly cursed him for it.

Her tongue whipped out and relieved a toad of his spear. She spit it back out and into his chest. The toad screamed a gurgling scream before falling backwards, dead.

Bodies piled high near her and made getting to her harder for the toads. She stayed near the fallen enemies, using their obstacle to her advantage.

Xiao-tep created another whirlwind with his body, this time mid-air. His spear struck out here and there, stabbing at flying spriggans.

Once more the numbers of the enemies began to dwindle, this time much slower. Once more the heroes began to tire of battle, this time much quicker. Though sore and wounded and possibly dying, all three battled on.


Part 6

Several imps returned from the kitchen wielding knives, two-handed like swords. They ran into the sleeping quarters in a rage, grabbed the king and placed a blade to his neck and demanded Ipiretis be set free. Unsure what else to do, the other imps unbound Ipiretis.

The seneschal rubbed his wrists as he approached Kleos.

"Now we fight," he said.

"We will not go with you," spoke one imp.

"What?" Ipiretis raged.

"We desire to fight as do you, Ipiretis," said the imp. "But Kleos is our King and we remain loyal to him."

"You will all fight!"

No one responded.

"How many feel this way? How many are with me? Come to me if you are!" Ipiretis demanded.

The few that had helped Ipiretis escape were all that came to stand at his side.

King Kleos struggled to release himself from his captors' grasps. "Your foolishness has lead you to dishonor and disloyalty," he said to Ipiretis. "Bind him once more and this time his followers with him."

The same imp that had spoken out against Ipiretis spoke once more, "Please, dear King, we beseech you! We remain loyal but we wish to fight! In all our time here we have not ever seen anyone challenge Ketsueki as the fish-god stranger does now. We can only believe this is our only chance. Please! Allow us this opportunity! Allow us to fight!" The imp bent down to one knee and lowered his head, raising his clasped hands above his head towards King Kleos. "Please, sire! We ask for this chance!"

King Kleos stared at the imp. He took great care not to look at Ipiretis. He asked of those crowded in the room, "How many feel so?"

One by one the entirety of the gathered imps went to one knee and raised their clasped hands towards Kleos.

Kleos sighed. "Where is our spy?"

At that moment the red and purple imp ran into the room, eyeing the activity within. He ran to King Kleos, bowed and spoke, "Sire, the spriggans have changed the tide of the war. The fish-god and his friends are vastly outnumbered. I fear them dead already."

"Do you hear?" Kleos called out. "The fight will soon end. It is better to stay here and ignore all else."

"Now is the time to raise arms!" Ipiretis cried out. "Now is the time to make our stand, to decide our destiny! If we do not fight now, we may never gain another chance! Stand with me now!"

Many imps stood and came to the side of Ipiretis, though more remained declaring their loyalty to King Kleos.

Ipiretis said, "Bind the old king. We've a new ruler now."

"Bind him and die!" someone declared.

Ipiretis' men readied their weapons.

"Stay your blades!" cried King Kleos. He looked hard at Ipiretis. "Would you spill the blood of your own for a chance to fight?"

"I would!"

"How selfish you are!" Kleos challenged.

"I do it for all of us! I wish to fight for our people!"

"By spilling their blood yourself?"

Ipiretis understood the illogical solution of slaying his own people to free them. He said, "I am no thinker. I am a general and a seneschal. I was born for the fight, nothing more. Now is our time to fight and all I can see is our future, our freedom. King Kleos, you are right to point out the errors of my thinking, but I will still fight and those who wish to follow me may."

"If you fight and lose, we will all suffer whether we raise a blade with you or not," Kleos said.

Kleos surveyed his people. Though most remained loyal to him, they looked at him with pleading eyes. "Failure in this war would mean a fate worse than death. We all know the horrors that occur outside this chamber's walls. We hear the screams at night as we sleep. You know what the future may hold. I ask once more: Do you all wish to fight?"

Every imp nodded to their king.

Kleos sighed. "Wish that I could spare you such a fate. Wish that I could whisk you all away unharmed and free to our homelands. Wish that I were a better man. If you wish to fight, then we will fight and I shall lead you."

A small cheer was raised, though most understood the somber occasion and merely raised themselves to their feet, ready to follow their king.

"Ipiretis," King Kleos said. "Amongst us you are the best trained for war. You are my general and seneschal. Will you lead us to war as I know you can?"

Ipiretis nodded. "It is my duty and destiny."

Again Kleos sighed. "To most of you this palace is this sleeping quarters and perhaps one other room filled with duties that have been set about for you. For me, I have served as faithful servant to that vile demon Ketsueki our entire stay here. While humiliating, it has allowed me the opportunity to become intimate with every corner of this palace." Kleos' eyes scanned the crowded imps. "I know where the armory is."

King Kleos lead his people on a mad march through the halls of the Cottonwood Palace, turning at this corridor and entering the door at the next. Finally they came to the armory and they flooded in, picking and choosing small knives to wield as swords, bucklers to be used as body shields, arrowheads to be used as spears. Every weapon was enchanted and every weapon that could be used by the small imps was picked up.

Armed and ready the red and purple imps marched once more through the labyrinthine palace until, at last, they came to the main doors.

King Kleos paused. He looked first to Ipiretis who stood at his side, then to his people. He felt the occasion merited words, though he knew none that could bring them any further knowledge than what they already had. They all understood that most of their numbers, if not all, would die this day. They knew a loss meant a fate worse than death. Instead of grand orations or wisdom, King Kleos simply said, "Do as Ipiretis says. I trust him. And know I am proud of you all."

The double doors of the Cottonwood Palace burst wide. The imps flooded into the courtyard of the Cottonwood Chamber.

Part 7

Xiao-tep swung the Spear of Sorrows, catching a spriggan in the side and slicing off an arm. Another spriggan came from behind him, grabbing the fish-god and sinking stinging claws into his flesh. Xiao-tep cried out before he pulled his spear back and pressed it against his attacker's chest, using leverage to pry the creature from off his frame.

Xiao-tep turned on his attacker and sank the spearhead deep into his belly. Blood from the spriggan and tears from the willow branch rained on the courtyard. Xiao-tep pulled the spear free and the spriggan fell away, dead.

"Xiao-tep!" called Comet Fox. "The courtyard!"

Xiao-tep looked to see the imps joining the battle. "We don't need any more enemies this day!" he called out.

Comet Fox stabbed a spriggan twice in the chest and let him fall away before he flew to Xiao-tep's side. "No," he said. "Look closer."

Xiao-tep did and saw the imps leaping, wielding blades and stabbing at the legs of the demon toads. He knew then he could call them allies.

"I know not their motives," he told Comet Fox, "but I am pleased they are here."

Wu Chan Chu spun and delivered a wicked haymaker to the gut of a demon toad. The creature flew backwards into the unsuspecting arms of his brethren. They fell away from the battle and more toads pressed in on her in their place. Noticing some small movement, she looked down to see several imps attacking the calves of the demon toads.

"Why are you here?" she demanded of them as she punched another toad.

"We fight for our freedom as do you!" called back one of them.

"Welcome to the fight!" Wu Chan Chu laughed.

Left and right, hither and thither the imps were trampled on or kicked away. They proved no match for the much larger demon toads. King Kleos served as witness to the deaths of many of his own people this day. Anger and sadness filled him. He questioned his decision to allow them to go to war, but knew it was too late for such thoughts. Emotion carried him swiftly into battle, his voice growing hoarse with battle-cries. He lead an attack on a toad only to be kicked away.

Rolling on the ground, King Kleos lay there and watched his followers trampled into oblivion. How frail their bodies seemed to him. King Kleos thought of his father and wished he had his skills for war. He thought of his father's last battle, the one with the wolf and how he so bravely ran after the creature to slice at its paws. He wondered what his father would do on this battlefield Kleos now found himself on.

Instantly, he knew.

King Kleos got to his feet and charged after the nearest demon toad's foot. He circled round behind it and with all his might dug his blade deep into the heel of the creature.

The toad cried out.

The tendon within snapped.

As Kleos removed the blade he was covered with a spray of red ichor.

The toad fell.

King Kleos looked around and found Ipiretis nearby.

"Ipiretis!" he cried.

Ipiretis turned to find King Kleos covered from head to toe in blood and dodging a falling demon toad. Never would he have thought he would one day see his king covered with such gore.

"The heel!" King Kleos cried out to him. "Attack the heel!" He then showed Ipiretis by stabbing at the heel of yet another demon toad. Once more blood sprayed over his frame as another tendon snapped and another toad fell.

Ipiretis understood immediately and began attacking in the same manner. Together they spread the word to their people and soon the imps were sawing, hacking and stabbing at the heel of every enemy they could find. One by one the toads fell, the mighty pillars of strength crumbling.

Wu Chan Chu, who had the best view of all this, watched in awe of her little companions. She thanked them over and over for their battle strategy as she fought alongside them with pride, attacking those the imps did not or could not immediately attack.

There soon was as many demon toads rolling on the ground in pain, incapable of attacking and useless as there was still standing and fighting.

The battle shifted once more. The spriggans dived on the imps, clawing and killing them in an effort to save their demon toad brethren. Xiao-tep and Comet Fox chased after them, their blades slicing at the spriggans and felling them swiftly.

Wu Chan Chu felt the pressures of the battle ease from her and she fought on with greater fury and skill.

Once more the heroes gained a foothold on the battle. Once more victory came within sight.

"Grah!" the roar echoed throughout the Cottonwood Chamber, shaking every wall and every limb of those held within. With a puff of red smoke the demon Kestsueki Sato appeared.

"I'll kill you all!" he declared. He began growing in size. He grew and grew until all within the Cottonwood Chamber ceased their attacking and defending to watch in horror the size Ketsueki was achieving. He grew until, at last, he was a size ten times greater than even Xiao-tep could grow to. He grew until he could cross the entire length of the courtyard with a single step. He grew until he could grow no more.

Only Comet Fox remained attacking. He sat, straddled across a spriggan he had downed, punching the creature repeatedly in the chest with his ulu blades. With a final breath the spriggan looked to something high overhead and smiled. The creature's head lolled and dropped to the ground in death.

Comet Fox stood and looked up to see what the spriggan had been looking at. He found the demon Ketsueki there. Comet Fox looked up and up and looked up some more until at last he thought he could make out the head of the demon.

"How are we supposed to fight that?" Comet Fox asked himself.


Part 8

Xiao-tep was the first to attack. He spiraled round and round, the Spear of Sorrows extended, Aelis screaming, until the quad-bladed spearhead sank into Ketsueki's breast and did no damage. Xiao-tep immediately knew the problem: his spear was not deep enough to sink into Ketsueki's now immense frame to satisfy its design. It now only pricked at the skin of the demon and, with a laugh, he swatted Xiao-tep away like a mortal does a mosquito.

The courtyard surged with battle. Xiao-tep fought off the attacking spriggans and occasionally stabbed at Ketsueki in an attempt to decipher a weakness. The demon toad archers shot arrows into the air at Xiao-tep as he flew.

Wu Chan Chu battled with the remaining demon toads in the courtyard alongside several imps.

More imps gathered at Ketsueki's heel. With determination they chopped and sawed and stabbed at the demon's skin, but it proved futile. Blades were bent and broken against the thick skin. They could do nothing, but they tried and carried on in their attempts.

Comet Fox circled the demon, fighting off the flying spriggans and searching for a weakness.

A spriggan came alongside Comet Fox who attacked the creature, his ulu blade whistling through the air. The spriggan dived, dodging the blade, and quickly raised back up in a counterattack. Claws dug deep into Comet Fox's gut. Another spriggan joined the first and sunk its claws into Comet Fox's leg. A third came and grabbed an arm of the fox god. Together they flew down into the courtyard with the struggling Comet Fox under their control. He cried out to Xiao-tep for help, but the fish-god could do nothing as he was being attacked at the same time.

It was Wu Chan Chu that came to his aid. She jumped high and over her attackers to come to where the spriggans were setting down. She punched first one then another. Their claws slipped from the fox god's flesh and he was able to wrestle himself away from the third spriggan, stabbing at its throat with an ulu as he once more took to the air, thanking Wu Chan Chu as he did.

Wu Chan Chu turned her concentration onto Ketsueki. She jumped again and again, landing on one of his many horns each time, until she came level with one of his knees. Remembering her training with Hermit Snow, Wu Chan Chu attacked the knee over and over with her double-fisted punch as she had done with the boulder. She punched and punched in the hopes of shattering the knee. She cried out, "Break, you damn fool knee! Break!"

Finally the knee shifted just a bit, though it did not break. It shifted enough to make Ketsueki take a step to maintain his posture. She knew then she may have a chance of crippling the demon.

She continued her punching. Over and over again she punched. She screamed with every punch. Sweat poured from her tiring body. She flung the damaged armor from her body to make punching easier for her. She punched and punch and punched but the knee gave no more.

Wu Chan Chu cried out in anger. Hope slipped from her heart and for the first time she considered the possibility that she and Xiao-tep and Comet Fox may lose this fight and have to face a fate worse than death.

Xiao-tep was circled by several spriggans. His spear flung out, nipping their flesh. When he fell one, another would take it's place. They seemed content to keeping him occupied and away from Ketsueki Sato. They did not press their attack, they simply circled him in every direction and defended themselves. Xiao-tep wanted desperately to attack the demon Ketsueki, but he could not break free from the spriggan prison. His heart sank, at a loss for what to do.

Ketsueki happily jumped and squashed dozens of imps at a time. He bellowed with laughter as he accidentally killed his own demon toads.

Comet Fox rose high, flying as fast as he could into the eye of the demon. He knew the eye may prove to be a weakness. He came in with a long tail of white streaking behind him. At the last moment Ketsueki saw the streak of light and winced, closing his eyes and protecting it from the attacking Comet Fox.

Comet Fox cursed in frustration and weariness. He delivered blow after blow at Ketsueki's head in hopes of finding a weakness. He struck at the temple. He reached up and stabbed inside the nostril. He tried to stab under the chin as he had done with Wu Chan Chu. He found no weakness. He struck everything in blind frustration, the demon Ketsueki waving at him in an attempt to knock the pest away.

"It is hopeless!" Comet Fox cried to no one in particular.

Finally, he flew as quickly as he could, swirling round and round the head of the demon, both arms and ulus extended before him. He dived at one of the large horns atop Ketsueki's head. To Comet Fox's surprise, the horn came free, split in two by his blades.

All gathered watched, ceasing other activity, as the horn fell away.

All watched the horn spiraling towards the ground.

All watched as the horn tumbled to the courtyard.

As the horn fell hope appeared as a small, lone candle on a moonless night.

Angered, Ketsueki reached out to grab and fling Comet Fox into the courtyard. Comet Fox hit the ground so hard he was buried beneath the courtyard's dirt and dust was flung into the air.

Imps came running to his aid, using their weapons to dig him out. Comet Fox coughed in agony, his body twisted in pain.

"O great fox god," one of the imps said as they cleared dirt from around his face. "Are you alive?"

Comet Fox coughed and breathed and groaned. "I'm not sure," he said. "You wouldn't happen to have any rum, would you?"

The imp shook his head, "No."

"Then I am dead."

The imp laughed with the aching Comet Fox.

Xiao-tep spun, creating another whirlwind. His spear struck out in every direction at the spriggans, killing and maiming at will until at last an opening was discovered and he escaped their numbers.

Wu Chan Chu returned to her attacks upon the knee of the demon.

King Kleos ran through the courtyard, blood raining from the sky all around him, making his way towards the fallen horn. He struggled to pick up the large horn, discarding his weapon, and held it with incredible strength and will high over his head towards the flying Xiao-tep.

"Fish-god!" he cried out.

Xiao-tep looked down to see the gore-covered imp with the horn.

"His pit!" cried King Kleos. "He is weak in the pit!"

Understanding, Xiao-tep swooped down, grabbing the massive horn and flying high once more. He waited and watched. He flew around the face of Ketsueki, taking great care to avoid his waving hand and holding the horn tightly in his hand.

Wu Chan Chu punched and punched at the knee until, at last, it exploded. Bone fragments tore through the red flesh of the demon that cried out in pain. Wu Chan Chu jumped away as Ketsueki fell to one knee.

The demon raised his arms to balance himself. Xiao-tep spared no moment. He flew faster than he had ever flown, the Spear of Sorrows in one hand while he held the horn out in the other, extending it as far as he could reach. A trail of tears fell from his willow branch. Xiao-tep cried out in desperation.

With ferocity and precision he struck the pit with the horn. It was long and twisted and strong. The horn sunk deep into the pit, splitting open the nipple there. Blood exploded from the wound and pushed Xiao-tep all the way to the ground.

The demon cried out in pain.

Xiao-tep's willow branch mixed tears into the falling, spewing blood.

Ketsueki's eyes melted and blood pooled in the sockets. His teeth fell from his mouth and into the courtyard. Ketsueki's roar echoed, rumbling the foundations of the Cottonwood Chamber and sending tremors through the rest of the Chamber of Dismemberment by Sawing.

The Yama Kings took notice and knew that Ketsueki was dying. They decided to remain neutral and ignored the demon's cries.

Ketsueki Sato's skin melted into blood, his flesh below erupting into fire that was quickly put out by the blood flowing from his mouth and pit and nose and ears. He melted until there was nothing left of him but blood.

Blood filled the Cottonwood Chamber until the imps could no longer walk and had to swim. Comet Fox safely floated, the imps that had dug him out still at his side and watching over him.

Wu Chan Chu stood watching the melting demon.

Ketsueki was gone.

The gates to the Cottonwood Chamber flung open and his blood poured out into the universe. Several bodies and imps and still-living demon toads were swept away with it. Wu Chan Chu grabbed the floating Comet Fox and kept him from falling to the same fate. The imps guarding him climbed atop the fox god and thanked Wu Chan Chu.

Everyone and everything was covered in blood.

Xiao-tep joined his friends at their side.

"Will Comet Fox survive?" he asked his half-sister.

"That depends," Comet Fox answered before Wu Chan Chu could. "If I can never get these imps from off my chest I may never breathe again."

The imps climbed off the fox god's chest. He stood, feebly and with great effort. He walked over to a wall and leaned against it. Xiao-tep and Wu Chan Chu joined him.

The remaining demon toads left through the gate without looking at the heroes.

The spriggans turned back into the cottonwood puffs. A final one approached Xiao-tep and his friends. "You have defeated us," he said. "And stained our home. Go, please, and never return." He, like the others, turned back into a cottonwood seedling and floated to the ground.

King Kleos gathered what few of his people remained. Ipiretis walked up to the king and, with a great deal of effort from the wounds he had suffered and not from a lack of desire, he bowed to King Kleos, giving him his respect.

Together the imps approached Xiao-tep.

"Fish-god, we thank you," spoke Kleos.

"the name is Xiao-tep," Xiao-tep bowed, "And without you our battle would have ended in defeat."

"I am King Kleos. Without you," King Kleos responded. "My people would not be free." He looked at the meager numbers gathered round him and wanted to cry. He looked again to Xiao-tep. "Farewell, fish-god. And should you ever find yourself in the bogs that is our homeland, know that you will find friends there."

Xiao-tep bowed deeply to the imps as they passed by and through the gates of the chamber.

Xiao-tep, Wu Chan Chu and Comet Fox were left alone int he courtyard of the Cottonwood Chamber.

Xiao-tep, with help from Wu Chan Chu, removed the three arrows from his arm.

They each were sore and riddled with wounds.

Xiao-tep looked to her and asked, "What will you do now?"

"I will seek out our father."

"He is in an arid land," Xiao-tep told her. "His people are beautiful and bold."

She nodded. "Will you accompany me?"

Xiao-tep thought a moment before he shook his head. "No, there is nothing more for me there."

"What will you do?"

Xiao-tep closed his eyes. He felt the last few tears fall from the willow branch onto his chest. An image of the Buddha sitting beneath the Bodhi tree came to him. He opened his eyes and looked to his sister. "I will travel to the realm of mortal men. There I will ease as much suffering as the Cosmos will allow."

Wu Chan Chu looked to Comet Fox. "What of you? What will you do? Where will you go?"

Comet Fox groaned and rubbed at his head filled with pain. "I think I should try sobriety for a while."

Xiao-tep and Wu Chan Chu looked at one another and smiled.

"Then," said Comet Fox, "since it would seem the Cosmos have plans for me to fight in this life, I shall seek a new master and learn a new form."

Xiao-tep nodded at the wisdom of the fox god.

"We each have quite a bit of traveling ahead of us. Perhaps we should travel together for a ways before we have to part," Wu Chan Chu suggested.

"I would like that," Xiao-tep agreed.

"Why not? You two have brought me nothing but fun times so far," said Comet Fox.

The three laughed.

Together, they stepped through the gates of the Cottonwood Chamber.



EPILOGUE


The sun was shining all day in the countryside. It was summer and children of all ages were running, playing and enjoying the day, enjoying being alive and well and under the happy, smiling sun.

Two boys, Sam and Tom, ran through the countryside. Each trailed behind them a kite, one adorned with the design of a fish, the other painted like a bright star.

They launched the kites high and giggled and ran and played.

The sun baked their fresh skin and it felt good to them.

Their faces grew wide with smiles.

The leapt over streams and ran through wide open fields.

They stopped to moo at cows and chase after butterflies and cats.

Their day was full of the business of being alive and young.

As the sun set, they came to a river and washed themselves until they felt fresh and clean and new. They laid down in the grass growing along the river. It was soft under their bodies. They placed the kites at their sides and Sam picked a stem of grass, placing it in his mouth to chew on. The grass tasted sweet and was wet inside.

They laughed and told tall tales to one another as they watched the sun slowly descend.

The sun shimmered on the horizon before saying its last 'goodnight' to the boys and disappeared. The sky soon after sparked with fire as stars awoke with life all aglow.

As the two boys lay in the grass, three streaks of light crossed over the horizon.

"Are those falling stars?" Tom asked.

"I dunno," said Sam, propping himself up on his elbows. "Falling stars don't usually fall together, side-by-side, like that."

They watched the three lights streak across the sky and disappear.

"Huh," said Sam. "I wonder what that was all about."

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Thanks to everyone for reading. Be sure to check back next week for a breakdown of notes from me on the entire tale "The Children of Gods".

Enjoy life,

~ charles