'The Land of Raiden', Chapter 11.2 from the Irish Fiction novel: We Come Back: Vol. 1
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Starling loved flying, but it did wear him out.
We still had quite a bit of a journey left to go before we would reach our destination, and knew we needed to stop and eat, as I had packed a lunch for the occasion. The land that lied just outside of LarkGlen consisted mostly of a crystal clear, dark lake, surrounded by tall gnarled juniper trees. It was known as Baren, and was a portal that was very rarely used, as one never knew where it would send them. A celestial light reflected in the water, though you could not see it in the sky. This was because the light was uncontrolled bridge, and the bridge was exactly what lied underneath the water. Those who had been warned about what lied underneath however, stayed near the trees, and not for long. The lake had quite an alluring effect, and those who entered the lake, typically were never seen again, having been transported to unknown worlds.
“Come on Starling, to the trees,” I whispered.
The trees were beautiful of course,
and the lake resembled a reflection of the universe, creating quite an atmosphere. When we landed, I had Starling lie down next to me, to keep him from wandering to closely to the lake. It was said that within the trees lived a creature known for luring in all who landed, and those creatures in turn were never seen again.
I pulled out apples and carrots for Starling, and ate the lovely bread, cheeses, and grapes that our cook had given me, my eyes and ears open, listening for any sounds that seemed unusual. The longer we sat there, the harder it was becoming to leave.
The lake had an eerie effect
of drawing one in, almost as if adventure sent the most persuasive thoughts to one’s mind. Starling could feel me being overpowered by the illusive distraction, and whinnied loudly to catch my attention. I could hear it as I walked towards the lake, but it seemed so far away. It was as if I was in a trance. Starling whinnied again, and seeing me not react to him, he stood up and ran directly in front of me, blocking my path. I snapped into reality, and started breathing heavy. For a moment, I had felt lost, and coming to, I had a small panic attack, and I held on to Starling for support. I reassured him I was going to be fine, before climbing on his back.
Just as we started to leave, the sounds of joyful music floated around us. It sounded as if a celebration was coming from within the trees. I could hear my inner battle, trying to decide not to go into the woods, but I quickly lost it.
“Come on, Starling. Let’s find out what’s happening?”
He pulled back trying to back up, away from the trees. I patted him and whispered, “It’s alright, we’ll leave as soon as we know where it’s coming from.”
I led Starling into the trees carefully,
“The sounds are so cheery, it can’t be all bad.”
“Do you see those lights ahead of us, Starling?”
He whinnied softly, quietly approaching them. A clearing in the trees came into view, and I could see creatures, fairies, dancing and singing together in a group. The light had come from their bodies, illuminating under their skin. In the middle, stood a rather odd creature. It appeared to be a satyr, with beautiful red fur. He was cheering them on, clapping and dancing to their music. Three fairies of various shapes and sizes stayed very close to him, keeping a hand at least on him at all times. It was as if he was a god to them. They kissed on him, and never even noticed us approaching them. I couldn’t understand why they were so drawn to him, until he turned around and made eye contact.
Like a blast from a cannon, a force hit me,
throwing both Starling and I backwards. Suddenly I couldn’t speak, or see anything but the satyr. His blue eyes pierced my heart, and pulled it towards them. Starling tried to stop me as I climbed off him, but I didn’t want to be stopped, all I wanted in that moment was him. I watched him reach his hand out for me. My feet had felt so light as I had walked towards him, but now, like lead they refused to move. Most of my being told me to take his hand, as I felt on the brink of a high like no other, while this tiny voice whispered, ‘Jack.’ The longer my hand didn’t land in his, the louder the voice got, until I erupted, “Jack!”
I quickly stepped backwards as the enchantment broke. Suddenly, I could see this satyr for who he was.
He was a beautiful satyr,
but not my love. He stood for a moment, in shock, having never seen any creature pull back, once they were so close to fulfilling such a deep pleasure.
“Who are you?” his voice rang out melodiously.
“I should ask you the same question. If you care to answer it, so shall I.”
“You don’t know who I am?” he retorted, confidence dripping from his tongue.
“I know of the tales of the creature that lies within these woods. Are they about you?” I kept my hand against Starling, just in case.
“Yes, I suppose they are about me. You see, I believe that we should never stop celebrating, stop staying high on life, and all it can offer, in all it’s beauty. Creatures never return to their previously dull lives after meeting me, Pan, here to please them. Why would they? Why would you?”
He reached his hand out and gently rubbed it against my arm, breathing on me, teasing me, like a cat with a mouse. It was alluring, but not as alluring as it had been perceived to be only minutes prior.
“I have somewhere to be, and someone to be there with. So, I must be on my way, Pan.”
He stepped right up against me,
a bit intimidatingly, and yet still airing allure. He brushed my hair back from my face, and kissed my cheek, pulling away with the speed of a snail. I don’t know what he thought would happen, but me turning around and climbing on to Starling’s back to leave, was not it. He reached out and grabbed my ankle.
“He must be a very, very special someone; for you resist this temptation purely in your subconscious. You see how you shake, when I touch you?” he slid his hand gently up my leg, “your body wants me, just like all of theirs,” he gestured to the fairies dancing and staring at him, “but your subconscious does not. I can see within you that you don’t know where he is, you have no idea, but you are searching, and therefore I hope with all my heart you find him.”
He removed his hand and reached into a pocket within the vest he wore. He pulled out a tiny vat filled with an amber liquid, and handed it to me.
“Drink this, if ever you find yourself in need of a little enchantment. If you ever find you need to feel satiated by desire, a drop of this will do,” he grinned and winked at me.
I smiled and put it in my pocket,
within the folds of my dress. I thanked him, and allowed him to kiss my hand, goodbye.
“Shall we be on our way then, Starling?”
He ran at the trees, and as we reached the water’s edge, and began our ascension, we could still hear the sounds of merriment within the woods, and the words ‘Come back anytime, Rae’ hanging on the air. I hadn’t told him my name, I realized as we flew. I felt tears begin to flow down my face like a broken dam. The farther away we flew the more I felt the effects of the enchantment crashing away. All I could see was Jack, his face, his eyes tearing through my soul like daggers, shredding my heart.
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