To Pierce the Shadows – Part 2
Hector stood before the Millwood Town History Museum on a Thursday afternoon. It was a small, shabby building, and was squeezed between a run-down burger king and an aging fireworks display. The museum was unassuming. It had taken Hector some time to find the place. Yet it had become familiar. Hector stared at it, and the memories of those twisting hallways were almost banished from his head.
Hector stepped inside the building. There were no attendants, no curators. Hector liked to think that it had been forgotten. He stood before dozens of shelves holding hundreds of objects, each with their requisite plaques. It was an eclectic mix. But most artifacts were either related to the town’s history or the natural sciences. Each object was interesting, capable of drawing Hector’s attention: A doll whose hair was made from that of an early mayor, a chess set from colonial times, a coral skeleton, and sketches of different deer antlers. There was a story, a secret, hidden within each one.
But Hector couldn’t linger. He was searching for some clue, some physical evidence that might point him toward the Fae. He found something while pursuing the 7th item on the 3rd shelf of the 6th case. Secluded in a cabinet, and covered by dust, there was a statue. Hector’s heart began to race and he tensed up. It was a very close depiction of the Fae he had seen at the end of the hall. And, for a moment, he could hear that enchanting music again. But the moment past. A smile forced its way across Hector’s lips. Here it was, a hint of confirmation.
Hector dusted off the statue. The light was dim, and its features were hard to ascertain. But he could make out a tall, slender figure with bent, knobbly knees and an open mouth. This statue wasn’t complete confirmation that the Fae was real, but it helped validate him. Perhaps, somewhere, there would also be a depiction of the knight clutching their arcane orb.
In any case, the statue was quite interesting. It rested upon a pedestal with strange symbols carved into it. Hector couldn’t divine their meaning. Already his curiosity was stoked. He picked it up, gingerly turning it around. There were small carvings on the bottom of it, intricate designs. Took pictures of the statue from every angle. He would peruse them later.
Hector rested the statue back inside the cabinet before looking at the plaque. Yet more dust coated it. He wiped it away. Now revealed was cracked gold lettering. This statue was recovered surprisingly recently, in an area somewhat close to his house. It seemed that there were scattered reports of otherworldly, being from early in the town’s history. Excited, Hector left the museum, heading back to his house. He would have to look into the legends further.
Throughout the next few days, the statue; the Fae; and the knight were all lingering mysteries in the Back of Hector’s mind. Wisps of thought that struggled for his attention. Yet they were merely wisps. Information on the Fae and on local legends had been scattered and discredited. He would look into them further of course. His encounter prompted such exploration. Yet there were also other things vying for his attention.
NHD increasingly drew Hector’s focus. The previous year, he had placed somewhere in the top 50 for his state. Hector had been quite proud of his accomplishment and planned to go even further in the competition. His exhibit, on the role of Archeology in the Americas, would hopefully help him go further.
The County competition was nearing. Scattered images of the statue and books on local folklore lay in a heap at one side of Hector’s desk. A few had made their way into more central locations. Hector looked into his encounter at least a little bit each day. It was tantalizing. There was the idea that there might be something more out there, that which he didn’t know and couldn’t explain. But it was only an idea.
“How is your project going?”
“It going pretty well. The exhibits done-ish. But, none of its polished yet. There been some problem tying everything together. Most of its there, its just… But once I figure it out it’ll be good. I’ve just gotta work through it.”
“Do you need any help?”
Hector sighed. “I don’t think so, its just working out all the kinks. I just need to stay focused.”
“Alright, keep it up. Its looked good so far. I do think you’ll make it too nationals.”
Hector’s gaze hardened. “Yeah. I’ve got another shot. Just gotta make everything work.”
There was still a good deal left to do. Hector needed to double down on his work. And yet still the faint memory of the Fae lingerd, pacing inside his head.
Hector set yet another book aside. There was a small pile of books on the Fae that he needed to take back to the library. None of them had provided any solid hints of information. There were tantalizing tidbits, little more. Hector was being forced to confront the fact that maybe there wasn’t something out there. He wilted slightly at the idea
Hector was on a school field trip. It had snuck up on him, his attention ever being fixated NHD. And yet, in a coincidence that could only be the result of some supernatural occurrence, the trip was to the same section of Virginia where the statue had been found. Yet just when he’d begun to discard his ruminations of the Fae in favor of the ever-looming NHD competition, he was presented with this.
Yet still the trip was somewhat of a disappointment. Here he was, the exact point at which the tapestry was painted, (the tour guide at the living history site even mentioned the tapestry by name), and yet the landscape was completely different. The forest was cleared away. Mock colonial buildings covered the scenery. There was no hint of wild nature. It seemed that not even the memory of a forest still lurkers there, only historical mundanity. Hector felt crushed.
Although, there was something, someone, that rekindled Hector’s hopes. He saw her, with another guide, on a tour of the same site. At first, Hector didn’t recognize her, and then Hector was sure that he had misidentified her. But no, it was she.
When she was alone, Hector summoned his courage and approached her. Although she looked average, nothing about her seemed particularly majestic or powerful, Hector knew who she was. He could still picture her, armored and shining.
She was wearing a name tag that said her name was Erica.
“I saw you last Friday, at my school.” Hector paused for a second.
“You’re mask fell off towards the end.” He could see her realization and decided to press on before she stopped him.
“You didn’t see me. But I was hiding in one of those strange classrooms. What was that place? The hallways seemed to stretch on forever, and it was all caused by that thing, that Fae?” He was beginning to ramble.
“But, please, you have to tell me what’s going on. I need to know about magic, about the Fae. There’s a whole other magical world out there that I can’t be a part of. It’s like a piece of me is still trapped in the school. Please, I’ve done nothing but search for it.”
The girl took a step back, then straightened herself. “You can stop searching,” She said, forcefully calm. “There’s no need to look any farther. I’m sure your search has been stressful and frightening. Stop worrying.” There was still a slight quaver in her voice.
A feeling of calm began to ripple through Hector, as he looked toward her eye, now gleaming azure blue. Perhaps he did need to worry less, to pause his search. But, no. The image of the Fae– with teeth stained copper; and the knight– holding the azure orb– stuck firmly in his mind. He fought against the sense of peace and rest that began to flood over him. And, though he wavered, he stood straighter. The knight paled slightly. Her eyes shone brighter, a violent swirling blue, and she opened her mouth as if to speak.
“Alright, you can act like that if you want to.” Said Hector, bitter anger coursing through him. “I’ll find it, despite you.”
Speaking to Erica, meeting her, solidified Hector’s resolve. Anger gave way to hope. Before, Hector had been searching for the answers to a vision he had seen. His faith in it, and in himself, had started to wane. Yet meeting Erica, meeting the knight, reaffirmed his suspicions. There was something out there.
Hector paced in his room. There was too much energy, too much excitement, coursing inside him with no outlet. His eyes shone. Hector decided that if he had found evidence of the supernatural twice by happenstance, he could do it again if he worked at it. That meant that there were answers out there somewhere. But he’d need to find them. Hector loathed the idea of needing to wait yet again for answers to come his way. So, he set off for he library.
Hector was back in the museum, staring at the statue. There was something there, he knew that there had to be something there. The Fae were real, he had seen the knight. Hector sat before the statute. He thought that it was mocking him, grinning at him. Again, Hector picked up the statue, looking at its bottom, trying to divine the meaning of the carvings at its base. He couldn’t see well in the dim light. It was 10:39 and the sun had set. He had been there for over two hours, as day time turned to dusk turned to night. Still it gave no answers.
—–
The glow from his computer illuminated Hector’s face. It was another day, another early morning, with Hector pouring over his research. Scattered books lay atop discarded documents from NHD. Some were opened, displaying depictions and illustrations of the Fae. Taped to the wall were a few sketches that Hector had done, trying to recreate the image of the Fae. None of them looked quite right.
Hector felt slightly dazed. It had been a late night, and he’d woken up early. But, there was time before school for him to work, to search for answers. He’d spent so long looking for this, and yet he’d found little of substance on the Fae. Hector couldn’t help but worry that he wouldn’t find much on the Fae. Perhaps he needed to search for the secrets of the knight. Surely there would be legends or depictions of a knight in azure armor. He’d have time that morning before the competition started to work.
“Are you all right Hector?”
He wasn’t alright. He’d found nothing on the knight, and was still nothing concrete on the Fae. But he couldn’t tell his teacher that. Instead, he gave a swift upward jerk with his chin.
“I know hard you worked on your NHD exhibit. I’m sorry you didn’t get farther.”
Oh, that. The fact that his exhibit had been kicked out had barely registered to him. Results had been published, and yet he’d barely glanced at them.
Hector replied, “I guess I just sorta lost the plot.”
But internally, he could only think about the knight, and the Fae. NHD was done, and he would have more time to spend researching them.
Hector spied Erica on the street. He didn’t know why she was in the area; she certainly wasn’t there to talk to him. Giving into his impulses he followed her, cursing himself all the while. But she was his only remaining lead, his only remaining hope. So, he trailed her on that late autumn evening. He was supposed to head home after school so he could attend a youth group. And his parents would be sorely disappointed and angered when he didn’t show. Yet, even shivering in the frosty autumn air, Hector couldn’t bring himself to regret his current action.
So, he continued to follow Erica, vainly hoping that she would lead him to the secrets of the Fae. She hadn’t noticed him yet, which was lucky. Although, the crowd was beginning to thin as people entered their houses for the night and as Erica made her way further from the town’s heart.
Erica left the road and turned onto a forest trail, one of the prominent hiking paths in Millwood. Her actions were casual as if she were only taking an evening stroll. Hector knew better. He was giddy, sure that this would be the time when he finally found some sure lead to the Fae. Perhaps he’d be able to divine the secrets of the fae otherworld. Perhaps, he’d be able, once again, to taste the faintest hint of magic.
So Hector followed Erica as she continued along the path. He was careful, making sure no stray leaf gave away his presence. The both of them went farther along the trail such that the sun began to set. And soon, they even diverted from the main trail itself. There was a path, barely, through the woods that diverged from the main trail. Hector thought that he could feel something, perhaps the beating heart of the woods. In any case, he was all aquiver and was sure that finally, finally, he would find that for which he had sought.
But Hector was worried he would lose Erica in that dark half-light caused by the setting sun. He had to trail ever farther behind lest she spot him. As a result, Erica became a shadowy figure at the edge of his vision, barely visible against the darkness. And then there was a blaze of azure blue.
They were far removed from even the trail, and Hector supposed that Erica felt she had no reason to fear detection. Still, Hector was quite surprised by Erica’s transformation. She was cloaked in shining armor, which glinted brilliant azure blue, even though there was no moon that night. There it was: confirmation of what Hector had seen. It served as evidence that he wasn’t crazy, assuaging fears he hadn’t let himself admit that he carried. Tears trickled down his cheek.
He stood still for a moment, collecting himself. During this time, Erica got further away until she was but a glimmering mote of light in the distance, like a will-o-whisp. Once Hector felt fully ready, he followed her. There were still more secrets to uncover. Although, she was further away than Hector had first thought. It took quite some time for Hector to approach. And when he did, he heard the heavy beating of wings. He broke into a run. Until he was there, at the edge of the clearing, beholding.
And there was Erica atop a dragon. She set upon its head like a crown, and the dragon’s scales seemed gilded in the moonlight. For a moment, Hector could neither move nor speak and was unable to call out— to ask for the answers he so desperately sought. But then, the moment passed, and the dragon beat its massive wings. It moved quickly for a creature of such a size, and soon, it vanished from sight. Tears welled up in Hector’s eyes. Something inside him had cracked.
Hector knew that he would likely never partake in the fantastical world again. It wasn’t meant to be. He didn’t know what to do. As if in a daze, he wandered to the clearing where the dragon had once been. And the clearing was empty. It was almost as if such a creature had never been there, never existed. All traces of magic were gone.
Hector rooted through the dirt, hands clawing at the soil, trying to find he knew not what. By happenstance, something of azure blue lay in the grass next to him. He could barely make it out through his tears. He reached out for the object. It burned a brilliant shining blue. He pressed it close to his chest; it was all that he had left.
