Chapter 3: Confrontation with Hirst

The Elder walked outside to see Salte, Price, Claude, and Calthes resting under the big tree next to the Elder's house infront of the village party space. Calthes sat with a look of pain on his face as he held his leg and Salte looked at it. "Calthes are you alright?" The Elder asked anxiously.
"I should be alright since we made it back," Calthes said grunting at the pain.
"What happened?" The Elder asked.
"We'll tell you tonight," Salte replied, "Right now it's going to take Sara, you and me to purg Calthes' leg.
Simon watched worried and tearing at seeing his father in so much pain. His eyes were black of course, but there was nothing he could do. Love walked up with a wash rag and gave it to Salte.
"What did he do?" Love asked.
"It's getting a little of its real color back," Salte said.
Love looked at the leg. It was a dark blue from the knee down.
"Elder I need you to take my place," Salte said, "I'm completely wiped out."
The Elder rushed to take Salte's place and put his hands on Calthe's head and heart. Simon looked on in fear. Clair soon arrived and rushed to Calthe's side.
"O honey!" She cried taking his hand.
"I'm going to be fine," Calthes replied. He grunted again as the rush of invisible energy flooded his body and reached his leg. Clair began to wipe the blue part of his leg with a wash cloth. Price and Claude walked up to Simon.
"He'll make it," Claude said.
"What happened?" Simon asked.
"Hirst," Price replied.
Everyone looked up at them.
"You saw Hirst!?" The Elder said.
"We'll tell you all about it as soon as we finish helping Calthes," Salte said.
The Elder continued to give energy to Calthes. Simon walked away and sat down and Price, Claude and Love joined him.
"So?" Simon asked.
"It was bad," Price replied.
"Hirst is definatly a massive threat," Claude continued, "More so than we thought."
"How so?" Simon asked.
"It will take a while to explain," Claude answered, "But I'll say he's not going to do anything direct right now. He's got all the power he needs and he's waiting for the right time to use it."
Love looked at the three men. "What are we going to do?" Love asked them.
"We don't know yet," Price replied, "It was all we could do to make it back here alive. If not for Salte, all three of us would be dead."
Love turned away and looked into the woods.
"It's okay, Simon," Price reassured, "Your father is not going to die."
Simon nodded his head.
"Okay move him into my house," The Elder said, "Into the room next to Silas'.
"Silas?" Salte and Calthes said together.
"You'll meet him. He's one of the three that went into the Southern Land.
"Hirst spoke of them," Salte said.
The Elder looked at Salte with intense worry.
Silas sat up in bed when the big rustle came up the stairs. He watched Salte carry Calthes to the room next to him followed by The Elder, Simon, then Price, then Claude.
"Hey," Silas said to Love when she came to the door.
Love stopped. "What's going on?" Silas asked.
"A hurt man," Love said walking into the room, "I guess there's not much I can do." Moments later Faith and Sara rushed past Silas's room.
"Who was hurt?" Silas asked.
"Simon, the guy who found your sword, his father."
"He found my sword?"
"Yes," Love answered," Does it mean a lot to you?"
"Well, yes, kind of," Silas said, "It was my guardian's or my mentor, whatever. It's the only thing I've ever owned for myself."
Love nodded in understanding.
"Is his father going to be alright?" Silas asked.
"They all say he is. But he's in a lot of pain right now."
"How was he hurt?" Silas asked.
"Something to do with Hirst," Love replied.
"Hirst?" Silas said, "Oh no." He flopped his head back on his pillow."
"They're not going to blame you," Love said.
"I know, but I still feel responsible," Silas said.
Calthes groaned in the next room. "I'm gonna go over and see him," Love said.
"Okay," Silas said. He layed his head down to go back to sleep.
Silas couldn't sleep though. He thought about what had happened and how he should have done more to stop Titus, one of his few true friends. He wished he had stayed to help Mica, even though it would have ment his life. He lay there staring at the ceiling without moving. The talking in the other room could be heard in Silas's room. He listened to the murmur of voices discussing whatever. Eventually, the voices stopped and people began to walk past Silas's room. Then the Elder came into his room. "How are you feeling," He asked Silas.
"Better," Silas said, "Much better."
"You should be ready to go anytime you wish after today," The Elder said.
Silas nodded. "Thankyou very much," Silas answered.
"There is something I need to tell you," The Elder said.
Silas looked at the Elder curious at his statement. "What?" He asked.
The Elder walked into the room and sat down in a chair in the corner oposite of the side Silas was on. "The treatment we gave you has sideeffects besides healing," The Elder told him.
Silas looked at the Elder seriously. "They are not physically harmful, but they can damage you in other ways if you are not careful," The Elder continued.
"Okay," Silas said waiting for the Elder to continue.
"When we treat illness, we treat more than just the illness. We treat everything. Every weakness your body has, every flaw."
"What do you mean," Silas asked.
"You are going to live for a long time, Silas," The Elder said, "You are going to live for a long time with very few illnesses. Your senses have been enhanced slightly, and your body is more effecient at healing itself. Not as much as us, but somewhat more than a normal person. You're not any stronger or quicker, you're still normal as far as that goes."
Silas sat shocked at the news. He looked down at the cover over his legs and took the information in.
"Sara was very gratefull, for you saving her child. She did not know how else to repay you. To her, it was the least she could do. We have never treated a foriegner before, not even those in this village."
Silas remained silent. He thought of what this could mean and tried to decide if living for a long time was a good thing or a bad thing. Enhanced healing sounded nice.
"What is the disadvantage?" Silas asked him.
"None physically," The Elder said, "But how you chose to live the life you've just been given can be a great disadvantage to others and to yourself." Silas nodded.
"If I were you, I'd settle down, and start a family, because you will be able to experience the joy of fatherhood, grandfatherhood, great grandfatherhood, great great grandfatherhood, and possibly a little longer."
"What the heck would I do if I had a family," Silas said laying back down.
"The same thing everyone else does," The Elder said getting up. Silas looked up at him waiting for him to finish.
"Learn to deal with it." Silas looked at the Elder thoughfully and then looked at the wall still thinking. The Elder walked out and walked down stairs to speak with Salte, Price and Claude.
They were in the living room of The Elder talking with Simon, Love, Faith and Sara. The Elder made his way down the wooden stairs and walked over to join the group in the center of the room.
"Regardless," Salte said as the Elder approached, "I'm not sure we can heal his leg. He won't die thankfully, but I'm sorry Simon." The Elder stepped beside Simon and put his hand on Simon's shoulder. Everyone looked at the Elder gravely.
"This is sad indeed," The Elder said, "I'm very sorry Simon." The Elder looked at everyone. "Calthes is in his room with Claire. They wanted to be alone. I suppose now would be a good time to recount your story."
Salte, Price and Claude nodded and they all found chairs to sit in. They heard a creak on the stairs and turned to see Silas walking down.
"May I listen," Silas asked. They all nodded and Silas sat down on the steps.
"Okay, Salte go ahead," the Elder said nodding.

Dark

I was told by a personality test that I was suseptible to easthetics. I suppose that is why this is one of my favorite poems, if easthetics is what I think it is.

Dark

"You're dark and mysterious,"

She said, "You need to be brighter."

Those words clouded his mind

for the rest of the sunny day.

He walked home

wondering what she ment.

What made brightness so much better?

It was easier to see in daylight for sure.

He could see a long sliver of light streak down a silver,

newly polished hand rail on some steps.

He watched flames of shade and flames of light

wrestle in the swaying sycamore trees tossed

back and forth by the wind. He looked both ways before

crossing the road to get to his street.

He turned a corner and walked by crowded woods.

Some of the trees were bent and twisted

trying to receive the sunlight, which,

by now, was fading with the setting sun.

He remembered the sunrise that morning,

when the clear red and orange woke the day.

The sun began to set,

and he let his search for her meaning set with it.

And he walked to the beach to reflect further

on his disrespectable feature. The boy

sat down in the white shadow-spotted sand

to watched the darkness

he embodied slowly put the day to sleep.

As he watched the sun set, stars caught his attention.

One by one, they each appeared like shiny pins far away

stuck in the darkening red and blue sky.

When the sky turned black, it became a sea of little

sparkles watching the earth. Beyond the black sky

were millions of galaxies each standing alone,

swirling like cosmic hurricanes made of swirls

of white, yellow, and blue light. The shiny pins that

filled the sky were connected by beams of gravity

constructing their own galaxy.

He thought of the nebulae, illuminated by stars,

painting volumes of space with blends of

soft red, blue, and yellow.

He looked to his left to see a casual astronomer,

who had waited for night when the sun was not

forcing the sky into a monotone of blue.

The boy admired the stars until he caught the moon

modestly peeking a quarter of her face from

behind the earth's dark veil to shower her

white-blue light on the water and white sand around him.

The splashes of light flickered on the water

as drops of moon rays pelted the gulf.

He focused his attention on the waves,

each a long splash of brush strokes parallel to the shore.

Each wave charged onto the beach to capture

its portion of sand and carry it into the gulf.

When the waves washed up, emerald lights of

plankton appeared and faded in the sheet of

water over the sand.

Then he jumped at thunder from a coming storm.

He looked to see complete darkness sliding

in with lighting that danced on the sea

illuminating the dark with bright blue light

for moments at a time. Each tounge of light took its turn

and tasted the gulf. He smiled, and let the wind of the coming storm

blew her remark away. The breeze stroked

his face and hair, and he lay down to rest for just a minute

before getting up to escape the storm.