Thanks, folks.
Chapter 34
Oh, boy. I look back now and realize that if it had been just this one ghost, I wouldn’t have minded so much.
I apologized to him, but he grunted and called me a miserable mudokon who should be working in a factory somewhere.
I told him what I was doing out here, and he scoffed, and said I was only fit to scrub out slog kennels.
I ignored him -- this guy had nothing positive to say, and offered no support. I walked off into the forest. Many of the trees were nearly as old as the one I had trashed, some slightly younger, but all looking quite frail.
The spirit didn’t give up. He followed behind me, shouting his taunts and curses louder and louder, waking up more spirits. Each of them climbed up and soon caught on, and joined into the chorus of jeers and booing.
I thanked the Odd that these weren’t the mean kind of ghosts that wanted revenge on the living.
It took me a while to finally get fed up with all the chattering and pestering. And finally ...
“Would you ghosts just shut your mouths and leave me alone?!”
And for a wonder, they did.
I took a deep breath.
“Look, guys, it’s been a long day. The sun looks like it’s about to set, and since last night I’ve lost an arm, been shot, drowned, revived, sent out, from the only native mudokons I’d ever seen, faced darkness, huge thunderstorms, a scrab war, being taken by sligs, narrowly avoiding being shot, taken hostage by steefs and grubbs, facing a big fiery demon thing, nearly falling into that lake of blood, and you’re pissed at me for knocking over an already dying tree!”
The spirits looked at me.
“YES!” a cry in unison.
Unbelievable. There was no mercy from these guys.
Clog, the ghost I had upset in the first place, moved forward. “Look, buddy. If you’re looking to be the Savior of the Mudokons, I have news ... that post is taken. By a guy named Abe. You heard of him?”
I rolled my eyes and began walking again. “Duh. But I’m no savior. I just need to do what’s right.”
Sarcastic cries and moans of phony sympathy greeted me. They thought I was full of crap.... stupid old spirits.
Forget them, I figured. I would find the next place on my own. Lufk, I think it was called.
Somebody upstairs was ready to cut me a break, though. I stumbled over a fallen log. When I went to see what it was, it turned out to be the BigBro totem.
Grateful, I removed the earring, and heard gasps from the chorus of spirits.
“That is a cursed item,” whispered Clog. “A curse on you for bringing it to these woods! A curse, I say!”
And the spirits retreated. Sheesh.
|