Stories Outside The Looking Glass: A Collection of Random Tales Read online



  Stories Outside The Looking Glass

  An Anthology of Random Tales

  By, Pierre Gilson

  Stories Outside The Looking Glass: A Collection of Random Tales

  Pierre Gilson

  Copyright 2017 by Pierre Gilson

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  Muoma

  A Stone Heart

  Why Do Fools Fail

  About the Author

  MUOMA

  From a bird’s eye view, the kingdom of Vuur trembled as the blistering echoes of horns

  and wails alerted the king’s men. Tips of spears pointed skyward as every warrior searched for the fiend that assaulted their dear princess. The weeping of mothers and daughters angered the men as the reports of their princess weighed on their hearts.

  Vuur’s citizens gathered in front of the Palace to await news on the princess’ condition. A

  young man, no more than fifteen, hair cut in tribal angles and arches to honor his lineage, walked out to meet his fellow people. With a burden, so heavy, he said to all looking with unmoving eyes, “The flower has lost her charm. She has fallen from grace…”

  “Noooo!” Other voices of denial and anger filled the palace’s steps.

  A burly man trudged his way up the steps, furiously meeting the young soldier face to face. “What are we going to do now? The storms will approach and kill us all!”

  “Please, my brother, calm yourself. The king will handle this, I am sure,” the young warrior replied with an ounce of sweat sliding down the back of his neck.

 

  “My dearest daughter, please come out!” The king stood outside of the princess’ room

  accompanied by the finest healers, shamans, and doctors in the nation. His personal guards stood behind them all to make sure he was always protected.

  “No! I’ll never come out, father! I’m a monster!” The shatter of glass came from inside

  the room. The king nodded for one of the guards to take down the door after he tired of begging his daughter to let them inside.

  Boom!

  The door flung open to reveal a silhouette wrapped in a gold and crimson gown with sage

  threads weaving through the silk linen. Her father rushed to his daughter, who now had her face hidden by a veil so that no one would dare see what evil has befallen her and her kingdom.

  He placed his war-torn hands on his daughter's face. “My greatest daughter, why has this kwaad, this curse plagued you?”

  The princess’ tears fragranced the royal carpet in her room. She sobbed in her father’s

  hands as she replied, “Eshu, father. It was Eshu that has placed his magic on me. I am no longer blessed by the seasons.” She screamed to the top of her lungs, “My beauty is gone. I am nothing…”

  The king’s dark skin twisted to a boiling red. He commanded his men to send out a

  message to all the greatest warriors and all who believe that they are worthy to bring the trickster god, Eshu, on his knees in front of his throne. He then said to his daughter, “We will find a way to return your beauty, my child. I promise you.”

 

  The seas surrounding the kingdom were the most brutal of all the waters of the known

  world. Vuur’s borders were always protected because of the remorseless tides and crushing

  waves. More and more volunteers went to fulfill their king’s call to arms and adventure in hopes of a reward given to no other. Every man that set sail, itching to capture the conniving god, were filled with regret and fear as their deaths came swiftly and without purpose. As the king continued to receive news that more of his men were lost in either the depths of the sea or from wild beasts, he soon ran out of options.

  ###

  In the late afternoon, as the sun peacefully set itself behind the mountains and grasslands, the young man with the unique haircut crept inside the palace’s main hall. A sheathed shotel

  hung from his side as he held it to keep it from clanging against him. Two guards watched over a door that gained entry to the princess. The boy took a deep breath as he came out of hiding and walked over to the hulking men with confidence.

  One of the guards saw him walking up. “Muoma, what are you doing here, you should be

  cleaning the dishes with the women.” The other guard laughed, knowing that young warriors had to go through a hazing process before they could be true warriors.

  “I’ve come to relieve you of duty until you return,” Muoma then turned his truth-telling

  to a lie, “Commandant sent me himself.”

  The guards looked at each other with pleased expressions. One guard took Muoma by the

  shoulder and tossed him to his position by the door. “Stay right there and do not let anyone

  inside. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I understand, ibutho,” Muoma responded with his hands bracing himself against

  the wall.

  “Good. We will be back in the morning before our shift ends.” The guards walked off and

  out of sight, giving Muoma more time than he needed to do what needed to be done. Muoma knocked a special kind of knock that he’d done countless times before when no one was around. He soon heard weeping from inside, the soft whimpers of the girl he once called his best friend.

  “Kalisha, open the door. It’s me Muoma.” She said nothing to him as her cries started to

  bounce off the walls in the halls. “Please, Kalisha. I want to help you. Let me in, or at least come to the door.” The shuffles of sandals came to the door and stopped once he heard the latch release its lock. The princess slowly cracked open the door. Muoma could not see anything in the dark room; the princess blocked all light from entering her room.

  “Kalisha, I—”

  “It is all my fault, Muoma! If I gave him what he wanted, he wouldn’t have turned me

  into a freak!” Some light laid on the princess’ hand allowing Muoma to see the decayed flesh and flaking skin that was once flawless and never without radiance.

  “What did Eshu want?” Muoma moved closer to the crack of the door; his eyes shone a

  shimmering brown.

  The princess’ let out a held back groan. It sounded guttural and abnormal. “I did not take

  him to be my husband. I told him that my heart lies elsewhere,” her hand slid down the door, her finger hesitantly inched over to Muoma’s hand. Muoma could not take her sadness any longer and pushed open the door and reached over to grab her hand.

  “Do not freight, my princess. It is I who will restore you to your true self. I may not be a

  ibutho, or rich with many jewels to blanket you with, but I am your friend, and I will do every and anything to make sure you are happy and well.” Kalisha ran into him and gave him an

  unmistakable hug of gratitude.

  “Thank you, Muoma. Please let don’t die because of me. You are my dearest friend, you

  always have, even if I didn’t show it.”

  Muoma gently pushed her off him as he made his way back to the door. “I will return as

  soon as I can, Kalisha. Please keep the kingdom safe and your king calm.” He gave her a smile from the heart that would give her the belief that his return would be swift as his blade. The door shut and Muoma made his way to his boat awaiting him on the shore.

 

  After Muoma had got onto his small boat, he gave the palace one last look
as he drifted

  into the far islands, where it was said that the God used them to sleep after his mischievous

  deeds. He thought of the princess and how even though her face was shrouded, he could see her, he saw her for who she truly is, Muoma grabbed his oar and started to row into the Sea of Beyond.

  ###

  Muoma’s boat floated above the water, calmly sailing to his first known location. He

  headed to an island that travelers said bird-like creatures lived. He sailed until morning and

  decided to rest and let the currents do all the work. He took a pear out of his bag as he looked up into the blue sky above. The clouds formed various animals; he supposed that maybe his journey would not be like the others that never made it back to Vuur. As he looked out into the infinite royal blue, a small dusky cloud drifted into his view. Another cloud came, this one bigger than the other. Soon, dark clouds appeared, all going to the direction of his kingdom.

  “It is starting, the storm approaches my people,” Muoma said as he clenched his oar.

  There was no time to waste; he had to bring the god of trickery back to his king so that his friend can be made well.

  ###

  An island approached. Sand covered the entire island, all but a handful of trees stood. His

  boat rocked as it came to a stop. Muoma hopped off the boat to get a look around. The island looked deserted at first glance but a strange feeling as if he were being watched caused his body to numb.

  From above a voice regarded him. “It is only a boy, only a boy.” It sounded like a parrot

  but much bigger. Muoma was overshadowed as he looked above to see huge feathers swoop down and land behind him. Muoma fell back at the sight of this, man-bird beast. Red feathers covered it from head to toe, but its body fit that of a human. “Hey, boy. What are you doing on my island, my island?”

  Muoma wrapped his hand around the hilt of his blade as he replied, “I’m looking for Eshu, the God of Trickery. I was told that he comes to the islands to fill his belly and sleep.”

  “Eshu isn’t here; he isn’t here,” the man-bird replied.

  “Do you know where he is?” The man-bird’s feathers sprawled after Muoma asked his

  question. Its beak opened, and it gave a shriek that immediately caused Muoma to pull out his shotel. Its sharp blade angered the bird as it kicked dirt behind it. Without a second to analyze his situation Muoma dived out of the way out of instinct as the beast somehow flew straight at him without him seeing it coming.

  “Calm yourself. I do not want to hurt you,” Muoma said as he returned to his feet.

  The feathers of the bird quivered as it slowly stalked Muoma. “You want to slay my

  master. You want to harm him; you want to harm him.” The bird took flight and swooped down at Muoma. Muoma swung his blade as he somersaulted out of the way, piercing the beast's hindquarters,

  It tasted the sand as it crashed. Muoma’s sandal forced it back down as it tried to get up to surely attack him again.

  “Please. I do not want to harm anyone. All I want is to talk with Eshu and have him cure

  my princess,” Muoma placed his sword back in its sheath and removed his foot after the manbird calmed down.

  It looked at him, breathing in the air around him. “You are noble, very noble. I don’t

  know how long it is going to last you on your journey.”

  “If I am alive then it serves me well,” Muoma then asked, “Now, can you tell me where

  your master is?”

  “He is on the second island. You must traverse pass the Leviathan, the Leviathan.”

  Muoma thanked the bird as he helped it back on its legs. He walked it beside his

  boat so that it could drink the fresh water. “Please take some food to help with your wound,” he ended as he got on his boat. The bird graciously accepted his offer. Muoma pushed off the shore with his sturdy oar and drifted on his new route to the second island.

  ###

  The winds roughly blew Muoma’s topsail as his boat tried to stay on course. The storm

  clouds twisted the sky and as time went by, the peaceful sky from before faded away. He rowed with every muscle he had in him, almost giving up from exhaustion. A wave came and tilted his boat to its side. Muoma rushed to the opposite side and shifted the weight back to the side in the air before it sunk. He hanged on the side of the boat as he legs dangled. To his good fortune, the boat fell back on its haul. Muoma, relieved, looked out into the sea to see that he already arrived at the island, a puzzling mystery as to how it came to be. The black sky did not help him to get a look at his surroundings. Muoma took out his blade as he slowly left his boat. He did not like the feeling he got when the man-bird stalked him, and on this island, he sensed more than one set of eyes following him as he walked on the sand and grass. He faintly made out the enormous vegetation and tree growth as he continued into the island. Muoma walked blinded inside the jungles of the second island, his hand embracing his blade. He thought of Kalisha, their friendship, and the promise he made to her. Even if he did not want to go and face whatever lied in wait for him, Muoma swore an oath, and he would never go back on his word.

  Muoma continued to walk for miles in search of a leviathan. He had yet to see it, and besides the eyes that glowed in the darkness, he doubted if it still lived on the island. Strange light started to appear up ahead; he ran to check what promoted such a welcoming guest. He stopped in his tracks once he saw a blossoming tree glimmering around a small moat. On the trees, branches grew the most bizarre and rare fruits that no man had ever set their eyes on in this lifetime. He walked over to the moat and peered inside to see luminous fish swimming around. Muoma leaped over them effortlessly and focused his attention on the tree. He reached for one of the many fruits and picked it off the tree.

  Thoom!

  The ground beneath his feet started to rock everything left and right. The eyes in the woods fled as the island rose from the depths of the water. Muoma did the only thing he could think of doing; he ran as hard as he could back to his boat. Muoma slashed away at the vines and branches in his way until the island titled, as the boat did, to the left. He fell, hitting himself against trees and flailing into thorns. He saw the island’s edge approaching, and before he could fall to his death, he clenching on a free vine. The vine let him swing off the island until he lost momentum, and hung placidly.

  “What—” Muoma’s words fell into the sea below as the island true form stood in front of him. The Island was not an island at all but a creature only from fantasy. It had to be the mightiest beast in the entire world. To Muoma, the giant beast looked like a shark and a serpent, but whether if it did or did not be the least of his worries.

  Rrrrrrrrr!

  The beast shook Muoma off the vine, letting him fall. It caught the young warrior by a finned claw and brought him to his wide and intimidating face. Muoma sat on the claw of the beast with nothing to say. The fruit, remarkably still in his possession fell on his side. The beast’s slit eyes looked at it and then back towards Muoma with a snarl.

  Muoma took the fruit, investigating it. “Does this belong to you, my friend?” The creature snorted, blowing a tempest that caused Muoma to slide back. “I apologize for my thievery. I did not know this belonged to you.” Muoma extended his hand, “Please, take back what is yours. I do not mean to be untrustworthy and to take what is not mine.” The beast looked at him, unsuspectingly lowering his claw. A leopard pounced down from the island that is the beast’s back. It snatched the fruit from Muoma’s hand and climbed back up with the assistance of its landlord.

  The beast then started at him, as if deciding his fate. Muoma figured that he had no other

  options but to ask, “Are you this leviathan that the man-bird as sent me to see?” The beast shook its head as if shaking water off or confirming his question. “Well if you are can you please help me find Es
hu, God of Trickery. I am sorry for waking you from your slumber and stressing you out. I do however need to keep a promise I made to a friend, she and my kingdom are in trouble if I don’t find him. He is the only on that can save them both.” The beast lifted its claw in the air, giving Muoma a look at the world around him. He could see another island nearby. “Is that where Eshu is?” The beast snorted, he took it as a yes, this time.

  The beast placed Muoma’s boat on the route to the last island as he also sat his claw next to the boat for him to walk on. Muoma thanked the best for forgiving him for stealing its belongings. The beast ignored him as it fell back in the water, creating a massive wave that knocked Muoma’s boat high into the air, covering much distance.

 

  Muoma passed through the building storm without a problem, thanks to the Leviathan, or whatever the creature was called. The island was now in view, and he could see an overly decorated hut made of gold and fine gems near the shore. As his boat slid against the sand, he did not take any moment to rest. He launched himself out of the boat and ran to the door of the richly built home. He stopped at the door and prepared to knock, and once his fist hit the door, he lost control of his body. Muoma paused, his eyes erratically looked everywhere as he tried to figure out what caused this predicament. If Eshu slept, it would be hours before he would wake. A seagull flew on Muoma’s stilled should, pecking at his head. He grumbled for it to get off, and it did, but not without leaving its lunch behind.

  ###

  “Where’s security when you need em, am I right?” The voice of someone coming to the

  door woke Muoma out of his nap. He did not recall falling asleep, but fortunately, someone came to the door. The door opened to reveal an impish-looking man with an elegant robe and jewelry.

  The man looked up at Muoma, “Oh, it’s only the human you told me about.” Inside the home, the man-bird from before was eating seeds off a table made of pure silver. “Yi Pue,” Muoma immediately fell at the man’s small feet. His body felt heavy and stiff as he stood on his knees, still taller than the imp in front of him.

  As he heaved away, Muoma said, “Eshu, God of Trickery, please save the princess—”

  “Stop, stop, stop. You are making me feel bad. I already know what you want, I’ve been watching you, Muoma.”