Flash Fiction: Obi Travalar, Chapter II

by Peter O'Keefe
CHAPTER TWO : Rumors

Later that night, the family began to settle down. Herb left to return to his own home, and all the girls had gone to bed by now. Obi got to stay up later because it was his birthday, and Aaron was down here because he'd snuck down to get some leftover cake. Obi was on the porch, sweeping his gaze over the countryside, daydreaming. He was a big thinker, and often got lost in thought, about things like the festival, cities, all the traveling he hoped he would do when he was older, the magnificence of the famous people he would meet, the heroism of the soldiers in battles he would witness. All the greatness was hogged up by the wealthy and their families, and ordinary people like him would never be able to live the life of greatness.
       Then he decided to go to bed. He headed for the door, but as he did he realized that his parents were talking. They sounded hushed up, as if not wanting anyone to hear them; they had evidently forgotten that Obi had stayed up. Now, Obi didn't want to disturb them, but he couldn't stay here all night. Maybe they would go to bed soon, and he could sneak back upstairs. This was Obi’s first mistake. Or second. By now he should have realized that listening to others’ conversations was not the best idea, but he doubted that his parents would be sneaking around and holding sneaky conferences.
       “I can't do it anymore!”objected his father, Zachary. “We keep losing more money each day. Last month the Harnisch’s were just as wealthy as us, doing fine and all, now they're in the streets! It's all the mayor’s fault! He’s the one who started accepting the currency fraud, and now
I'm not even sure which money is from the Capital and which is from the thief’s basement!”
       “Did you speak to Seb?”asked his wife. “He can speak to someone important from the Capital. He has connections up there.”
       “No, he won't help us. He doesn't understand that it's hard work for one guy to provide for six kids.”
       “Five,”reminded his wife. Obi wrinkled his brow. That couldn't be right. Not counting Herb, who provided for himself, there were indeed six of them. How did any of this make sense anymore? His parent’s weird talk droned on for what seemed like centuries, but none of it reached the boy’s ears. He was still trying to understand his life, and why his entire family seemed to be acting weird on this day in particular. Usually he went to bed on his birthday feeling satisfied, but today he was just confused. Maybe all these weird chats he was overhearing made perfect sense, but were just out of place to his ears; if ever this birthday night confusion was to happen, his thirteenth was the right timing.
       Eventually, his parents went to sleep, and he scrambled upstairs to his bed, to ponder the meaning of all the day’s occurrences. He crawled meekly into bed, thinking strange thoughts in his mind. After an hour or two of uncomfortable uncertainty, he fell asleep.
       His dreams were weird. It was actually the same as the one he'd had the previous night, with the scary man with horns, the fire, the festival. But this time, the candle that had originally lit the world on fire was actually his birthday candle, the one that had stayed lit. It was a weird dream.        The next day, the entire family was working hard. The festival was in three days, October the 17th, the Feast of the Fiery Heavens. On that day two hundred years ago, there had been a terrible fire show in the sky, where brilliant colors collided into horrible yet beautiful shapes. Most had been convinced that this had been the end of the world coming, especially the folks of Coperna, but thankfully it hadn't come to that. Obi wished he had been there. His family said that it would have been too terrible a sight to behold, and may have cursed all who saw it, but he disagreed. He thought it would have been a sight worth seeing, a monument in one’s life; how could it not be if it were still celebrated two hundred years later with a huge festival?
       In order to be able to take off for the festival each year, they had to accomplish a lot of work beforehand. The entire family had to work hard, either in the fields or at home. Obi had gotten the 6:00 shift for field duty, lasting until 9. By the end he was thoroughly exhausted, and he and Aaron trudged home from the field. They were to send over their sisters Dara and Cyna to help with the field duty, and then take their place drawing water, preparing food and clothing and such for the journey that lay ahead, as well as check up on the cart that they always used to drag their cumbersome baggages of food and water with them. Last year, their mule had died of old age, and so they had bought a new, young one, and the Travalars were excited to see how much faster they could come to their destination.
       But Obi had important business to attend to- maybe even more important than the festival. When they were halfway home, he turned to Aaron and said, “I'm gonna go have a quick talk
with Teff. It won't be long, so I'll be home in time to help you with the chores.”
       “Okay, but what should I tell Dara about you being gone?”asked the younger boy dubiously.
As Obi briskly strolled away he replied, “You're a smart kid. You'll think of something.”        Even though this had been said due to Obi’s laziness of thinking up an excuse, it was perfectly true. Aaron was one of the smartest kids in town, and had a real knack with words. Him and Obi never got in trouble because Aaron always had an excuse that made perfect sense and was delivered with such a smooth, confident manner. True, none of the Travalars had ever been educated formally, but Aaron had picked things up from all the educated merchants who passed through. For some strange reason, though, most of his intelligence had actually been picked up from Obi. Oddly enough, Obi had always known how to write and read basic sentences, even before his parents had taught him.
       Obi stalked down the dirt streets carefully. It was a freezing day, the sun barely breaking through the clouds. The whole town was either at home or in the fields, so the streets were empty. Obi felt the coldness seeping through his thin coat, like a hand of ice grabbing for his soul. A violent shivering seized his entire body suddenly, and he longed for the warmth of Teff’s fireplace, and perhaps the hot chocolate she always had on cold days (she was actually the only person in town who had such delicacies, besides maybe the mayor; that made Obi one of perhaps four people in Coperna who'd ever tasted it, including Aaron). Obi's thoughts drifted away from the cold, to his utmost relief, and towards the mysteries of Teff Tekkler.
       She didn't appear to have any job. She was unmarried and only seventeen years old, and she owned her own house. On top of this, she seemed richer than anyone else in town, able to afford many delectable foods on a regular basis. Nobody in town had anything to do with her except him (and now, he realized, Herb and Cole). And nobody knew where she had come from. It was said that she had first come to Coperna ten years ago, and judging by her accent, she most likely came from the middle of Milandria, near the Capital, perhaps. Anyway, the point was that Teff Tekkler was one of the most peculiar people in the town, and was wrapped up in mysteries.
       Obi arrived at her house. It was, from the outside, a humble cottage. The walls were built of bricks that looked old and worn, and her door was, oddly enough, made to look like wood but was actually a solid iron material. That was the thing about her house: it looked normal enough, but it was so tough that it was nearly impossible to break into.
       Smoke rose from her chimney gently. He smiled, hoping this would mean hot chocolate. He attempted to sniff the smoke for clues, but it was impossible to tell from that high up. He mounted her porch, gazing with wonder at the flowers that decorated her house (the harsh winds had killed all other flowers in town) and finally knocked on her door briskly. He heard a sudden bang inside.
       “Teff!”he called. “Teff, are you okay?!”
       A minute later, the door flung open, a frazzled Teff Tekkler appeared at the door. She was wearing her magician’s cloak, as usual; she had won the multicolored robe years ago at the festival, when she had still went. Now she stayed at home for the festival, an act that made her even stranger in the villagers’ eyes.
       “Hey Obi!”she said cheerily. She seemed somewhat nervous. “I was thinking when you knocked. I got so startled I kicked down my chair. I'm a klutz, I know. Come on in! Don't stand in the freezing cold and let all my warm air escape! You don't know how long it took to get the place this nice!”
       Obi was happy to oblige her. He ventured into the cottage. Now, the outside had looked modest and normal enough, but not so the inside. It was filled with antique furniture, colorful pots and accessories, a wide variety of delicious food products, beautiful mosaics and paintings, and above the fireplace, a huge moose head mounted on a plaque. Once a Obi had asked her if she had killed the moose. She had informed him that she had not. He had objected, saying that such trophies were supposed to be placed on the walls only if you had caught them yourself. She had told him he got no hot chocolate.
       “So, is there anything on your mind or did you just come here for the cocoa?”asked Teff as she shut the door. Obi shrugged and said, “A little bit of both, I suppose.”
       They sat at two comfortable chairs near the fireplace. Teff had snatched the cocoa from the counter, and poured them both some. Obi took a deep breath. It wouldn't be pleasant confronting one of his best friends on something like this, especially while he was drinking her cocoa and enjoying the warmth of her house.
       “So, did you hear about the Vikings?”he asked her. It was probably best to start with something a little less… dramatic, for lack of better words. Teff sighed and said gently, “Yes, I have. It's all because of their leader. When he first came to power, people thought that maybe he wasn't bad, just wasn't good compared to his predecessor. Now… the whole world knows he's a psychopath.”
       “The town guard told me that they're in the area. I'm kind of worried. You don't think they have any reason to come here, do you?”
       He expected her to say there was absolutely no reason why they should come here. But instead, she shrugged and replied, “They do as they please. And small towns are easier to loot than gigantic cities with hundreds of soldiers. Who knows?”
       Obi was silent a moment. Then he questioned, “Who's the leader of these rogue Vikings?”
       At this Teff seemed to be full of contempt. She answered, “You might have guessed who it is.
None other than Ru Gaffa.”
       The boy actually had no idea who Ru Gaffa was. He told her of his predicament, and she looked surprised. “Never heard of Ru Gaffa? He's one of the most notoriously evil people in all of the world. A large Viking, one of his leader’s top commanders. But he makes the viking-lord look like an innocent baby.” (A weird comparison, Obi thought.) “To tell you the truth, Ru Gaffa was in power long before the viking-lord was. The former viking-lord, amazing as he was, could not keep Ru Gaffa out of power. Nobody can.
       “Rumors of the Vikings are spreading through the land. A rumor can be very deadly. For a while now, an entire section of our country will live in fear of an assault. Fear is a powerful tool, Obi. As long as we fear the Vikings, we will do nothing about them. They're free to do as they please.”
       “Then why doesn't the king do anything about it?”countered Obi. Though he was a loyalist, he too could not understand what the king was doing to help them. Teff gave a wan smile and said, “King Gerald does much more than anyone gives him credit for. His men were sent out from the capital not long ago to hunt down any Vikings. They'll be swarming this part of the country soon enough. But the main reason he doesn't act hastily is because we have spies in the Viking Village, and if they're discovered and the viking-lord is angry at us, the spies are as good as dead. He waits for them to return. With all these troubles with Vikings and spies, of course, he is way too busy to get too involved with less significant things, like currency fraud. Understand?”        When Obi nodded, she added, “To be a leader is hard enough. But to be a good, honest, just one who looks out for his people closely, that is an altogether much more difficult job.”        That made sense. Obi always felt better after speaking with Teff. She seemed way too wise for someone only seventeen. Obi shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was time to tread on the ice.
       “So, where did you go yesterday?”he asked her casually. Teff, seeing through him right away, answered, “I was in the next town over for the morning. Then I came back here to grab some of my stuff in the afternoon, and I had to go to that inn they have over in Urgon. Why?”
       Obi felt better now. He at least knew she wasn't lying, since she had indeed been in town the around the time he had seen her, in the afternoon. But he had to make sure.
       “I just thought I saw you in the woods yesterday. You were far away, and with some other people. Who were they?”
       “As a matter of fact, I was talking with your brother, Herb. And that wanderer, Cole Seb.”        “About what?”
       “What is this, the third degree? Can't I have a little privacy?”
       She said this with a grin on her face, but he knew not to ask her any more of these questions. She had told the truth; that was good enough for him. Now it was time for him to steer the conversation to more comfortable topics.
      “You know,”he ventured to say, “I've been having really weird dreams lately.”
       Teff looked concerned. She set her cocoa down and said, “Explain yourself. What were these dreams like?”
       Slowly, Obi began to reveal the weird dreams, explaining in depth the vividness of them, and how each of them was ingrained in his mind. It was a weird feeling, and he wasn't sure he liked it.
Teff seemed to be very concerned about it; should he be too?
       Finally, when he was done with all the details, including some he hadn't revealed to Aaron, she said, “That doesn't sound good. It sounds as if you have been working too hard. Which is weird, because I didn't know you ever worked.” An evil grin spread itself on her face. Obi was relieved that she didn't think it was serious after all? He shrugged and said, “Well, what does it mean? It was so realistic. What's going on?”
       “This is normal,”she assured him. “It simply means that you are worried about something. The man with horns is probably a representation of the rumors of Vikings. You are probably more worried about them than you think. And as for the candle, I think you should realize that superstitions are simply in your head, and that you shouldn't put too much stock in them.”        “But my older siblings…”Obi began. Teff interrupted him, saying, “They only had bad things happen to them because of their fear for them to happen. Their beliefs clouded their view of the world. By seeing the darkness they refused to see the light, and when the night came it was completely hopeless. Don't become them, Obi. You are a smart, incredible boy, and superstitions can stop you from becoming your fullest potential. I believe that you can be brave, famous, and adventurous. But do you?”
       Obi didn't know how to respond to this, so he nodded noncommittally. Teff smiled, and went back to her hot chocolate.
        “So,”he ventured, “why don't you come with us to the festival this year?”
       “I'd love to,”admitted Teff, “but I can't. You know that. This is the only time of year I can visit my family now.”
       Obi had known she would say that. He had asked her every year, and every year he got the same answer. This soothed him, though; that meant that this year was just another ordinary year. Maybe Teff did have something to hide, but it would be resolved, and it would all turn out to be fine. The same could not be said for his parents’ weird conversation last night, but maybe they had misspoke.
       “Obi,”his friend ventured to say. “I'm afraid I have been keeping something from you.” His heart filled with dread. With a shaky breath, the girl continued. “I can't say much, but… your life will change soon. Very soon. Tonight I have to leave for my family, and I'm afraid I won't see you again for a long time. But I promise you, Obi, we will see each other again soon enough.”        “I don't understand…” Obi began, but Teff interrupted him, saying, “I can't say another word.
Just promise me you will be brave, okay?”
       Obi was confused. The scene seemed unreal to him, an ordinary day drinking cocoa with his friend in front of the fireplace, and the conversation was so mysterious. Something was definitely going on in town, and whatever it was, it involved him. But in the strange serenity of Teff’s house, it all seemed unreal. It seemed as if this would go on forever. How could danger and mysteries and Vikings and all those horrible things exist in the same world as Obi and Teff, sitting before the fire in thought?
       He realized that she was still waiting for him to answer. Obi quickly nodded and replied, “Of course I'll be brave.”
       They talked a little more about random things, but Obi was a little uneasy, so he didn't stay as long as usual. And he suddenly realized that he needed to go help Aaron with the chores. His possibly last meeting with his friend and counselor was adjourned.
       The next day, October the 15th, was spent basically the same way as the day before it. On the third day, October the 16th, however, only one day until the great festival, it was so windy and rainy that not much work could be done. Also, during these few days, Obi kept catching sight of the mysterious Cole Seb watching him, and it really freaked him out. He kept remembering what Teff had told him, and how Teff had been speaking with Cole in the forest. Somehow, he believed that, despite the things he had seen, Cole was actually the bad guy; he certainly acted like one. Especially now, since his watchfulness had become even more intense and creepy. He could tell that something would happen soon, and judging by Cole’s expressions and moods, it wasn't going to be good.
       It was the day before the festival. The wind and rain thundered down on the tiny village, so much so that everyone feared that the festival would be cancelled. As far as anyone could remember, only once had the festival been cancelled, due to a raid of criminals thirty six years ago. Now, Aaron had told Obi that morning he had dreadful news. Upon further investigation, Obi discovered that Aaron had lost his birthday present from last year. It had been a beauty, a handcarved wooden box with dragons, castles and battle scenes engraved into it. Aaron had won it at a raffle a merchant had done to help business, and his present had been a ticket to the raffle (last year, the family had been struggling more than usual).
       “How could you lose that?”growled Obi, annoyed. They were patrolling the streets, looking for the box, the thick rain seeping through their coats and hats. Aaron, frantic and upset, replied, “I don't know! I definitely left it in my bag yesterday after showing it to that snooty merchant’s son. He must have taken it!”
       Obi would have been angry with his brother, but he looked so upset, and Obi doubted all the water on his face was rain. Obi pretended he didn't notice Aaron’s mournfulness. This was also an odd thing to happen. Aaron had always been a very responsible kid. This was unlike him.
Maybe it really had been stolen.
       Suddenly, they saw a man walk quickly out onto the road in front of them. He was already almost right next to them. He was old, with flowing white hair and beard, a traveling staff, and green and blue robes. The strange thing about him was that his clothing, even the little cap that sat on his head, were barely wet despite the downpour.
       “Hello there, my lads!”he called in a friendly tone. “May I ask you if you know a place I can find food for the night?”
       Normally, Obi didn't speak to strangers- and this man was definitely a stranger. He did not look familiar to Obi at all. And yet, something about him did seem familiar… anyway, Obi was kind of big headed, so he believed that he and Aaron could take on this old fellow if the case demanded it. So, he answered the man, “Yeah. We have a butcher’s mart up the road, even though it's a little pricey. But you might not even get anything from them. We're saving up our food for the festival.”
       “Ah yes, the festival,”said the man, stroking his beard. “I will be going myself. Oh, do you think it will be alright if I travel to Osêria with your town? There's safety in numbers, you know, and with the Vikings and all, safety and protection is needed more than ever.”
       “Uh, yeah, I think that would be okay,”said Obi uncertainly. He knew he did not have the power to make such a decision, but  one little man couldn't possibly be any trouble for them. The man nodded with a smile, and said, “Thank you, lad. Wait a second…” He scrutinized them for a minute, then asked, “Aren't you one of the Travalars?”
       That had Obi worried. He knew he shouldn't tell strangers his name, but he trusted this man completely already; he had a soothing effect on the soul, it seemed. Apparently, he didn't have to answer, because Aaron spoke first.
       “Yes, sir,”he said meekly. “How did you know?”
       “It's hard to miss a Travalar,”said the man with a laugh. “I know your parents. Would you mind telling them that Argen Malonaca said hello?”
       When Obi assured him he would do just that, the man (Argen, now) smiled and said, “Okay! I suppose I will see you tomorrow then. Oh, and I saw something under that bench.” He pointed to a bench on the side of the road. “Investigate, will you! Thanks, boys! And good day!”
       Argen Malonaca left them, disappearing into the torrential weather. Obi stared down the road after him, marveling at how strange the man was, and the fact that he was barely wet at all. Aaron, on the other hand, went straight over to the bench, and took something out from under it. He got up, and shoved it in Obi’s face, forcing him to concentrate on it. The object was Aaron’s carved box.
       “Do you think the stranger stole it?”Aaron asked him. Obi was quick to reply, “Of course not! If so, why would he return it to you? Come on, I'm wet and I want to go home. Let's hope the festival isn't cancelled.”
       Aaron hastily agreed, and they hurried back home.
       Over dinner that evening, Obi mentioned Argen to the family. All at once, his parents and older sisters became silent. His father was visibly angry for no obvious reason, and his mother was upset for, predictably, the same reason.
       “Did he mention why he was in town?”asked his mother.
       “Just to come see the festival,”said Obi. His parent didn't look too convinced with this explanation. But Obi truly could not give them a better one, so the issue was dropped. After a while, his father and sister Dara got to talking about the Vikings. The rumors were spreading, and they made it sound as if an attack could (and would) happen any day. About halfway through, Obi interrupted them, saying, “I heard about the Vikings coming. They're supposed to be really close now.”
       His dad gave him a stern look. He never liked to be interrupted. But Dara asked him,
“Really? Who told you that?”
       Obi couldn't lie. “Teff Tekkler told me the other day.”
       “I told you to stay away from that girl!”his father growled. “She's a lunatic, and can't stay out of anyone's business!”
       Obi was furious at these claims, but with some struggling, he managed to say something not totally horrible. “I saw her in the streets. She started talking to me. I couldn't ignore her. And besides, she seems just as normal as any other person in town.” In his mind, he added, ‘except for Cole Seb. And Argen Malonaca.’
       “What else did she say?”inquired Dara, who cared more about news of the Vikings than Obi talking to a weird girl. Obi, glad the heat was passed, said, “She said it's a powerful group of Vikings, under the orders of the viking-lord. And their leader is some important, psychotic evil dude called Ru Gaffa.”
       His mother took in breath silently. Dara was, for once in her life, speechless. And his father was livid.
       “She said that?!”he boomed. “That's it! You can never speak to that girl again for as long as you live! Understand?!”
       Obi was silent. Then he said, “Why is that so bad? Is Ru Gaffa a bad person to be talking about?”
       Before his furious father could reply, his mother said sternly, “That name will bring us bad luck. We'll leave it at that.”
       The meal was finished in silence.
To be continued...

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SUMMIT TO RECIEVE NOTIFICATIONS OF NEW ARTICLES!