Heart Holding Hands
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
The world was a single bright candle, and the world was a dark room. It was the way it had always been.
There were only two places in the world that he could call home: the palace at the edge of the woods, and the other place, the castle in the valley. They were the only two places where he knew he would be safe from his enemies. But he hated to leave either of them.
He loved the woods around the palace. There were no people there; they lived far away in the city, and their voices sounded strange to him. The palace was filled with the smell of flowers, and birds sang from the branches overhead. He liked to sit on the balcony, looking out over the gardens. Sometimes he would go for walks through the woods.
It was hard to get lost in the woods, but sometimes he did. It wasn’t too dangerous. The woods were full of animals and trees and paths and little streams, and when he found himself wandering aimlessly, he knew how to find his way back again.
He liked to walk along the paths, stopping to pick berries or flowers, and then take a swim in the stream. When he got tired, he would lie down on the ground and watch the clouds in the sky. Sometimes he would play his flute. The woods were full of things to see and hear and feel, and he didn’t want to ever leave them.
But there was a time when he had to leave the woods behind. He was seven years old, and he was going to live in the castle in the valley. That was why he had to leave the woods behind.
His father, King Eldric, was very ill. He had been sick for a long time, and the doctors couldn’t make him better. They said that he was dying.
King Eldric’s brother, Prince Zane, was angry about this. He thought that the king should have died instead of his own son. He wanted to kill his father, but he was afraid that someone might stop him. So he decided to send his son to the castle in the valley so that he could be killed there.
Prince Zane was a cruel man. He was tall and thin, and he always wore a black cloak. His skin was pale, and his hair was the color of ashes. He never smiled. When he looked at you, it made your heart hurt.
He didn’t like children much. When he saw other people’s children, he would turn away and pretend not to see them. He had a lot of servants, but he didn’t like to look after them. If they got sick, he would just send them away. He didn’t care if they died.
The servants in the palace were afraid of Prince Zane. They wouldn’t say anything to him, even if he spoke to them. They kept their heads down, and they didn’t answer when he called them. They only did what he told them to do.
When Prince Zane came into the palace, the servants would go out of their way to make sure that he was unhappy. They would hide things from him or make mistakes.
That was how he found out about the boy who lived in the woods. He saw him playing on the balcony, and he hated him for being happy. He wanted to make him unhappy, too.
One day, Prince Zane came into the palace, and he said, “I want you to go to the castle in the valley. I want you to take the boy with you.”
“Why?” asked one of the servants.
Prince Zane said, “Because I don’t want him here anymore. You know what happened to the last servant who took him. He was killed.”
The servant looked at the prince’s face. He didn’t believe him. Prince Zane had never smiled before, and now he was smiling. It made his eyes look funny.
“Do you think I’m lying?” asked Prince Zane.
The servant shook his head. “No,” he said. “You’re not.”
“Then go and get him,” said Prince Zane. “Bring him back here tomorrow.”
The servant left the room, and Prince Zane went back to his room. He didn’t like the look of the servant’s face. The man looked as though he might cry. That frightened Prince Zane.
That night, he had a nightmare. He dreamed that he was walking through the woods, and then he saw a little boy sitting on the ground. He was crying. Prince Zane sat down beside him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
The boy shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t remember.”
Prince Zane laughed. “Well, we’ll find something for you to remember,” he said. “We’ll find it together.”
The next morning, Prince Zane sent a messenger to the castle in the valley. The messenger was supposed to take the boy and bring him back to the palace. But when the messenger got there, he found that the boy wasn’t there.
Prince Zane was furious. He ordered the messenger to go back to the forest and bring the boy back. When he got there, the boy wasn’t there either.
Prince Zane was so angry that he was shaking. He sent another messenger, and this one brought back a note from the boy. It said, “Don’t come here. Don’t try to find me. I won’t let you hurt me again.”
Prince Zane was still angry. He told the messenger to go back into the forest and bring him back. When he got there, the boy wasn’t there.
Prince Zane was even angrier than before. He called his servants together. “What are we going to do about this?” he asked.
They all shook their heads. They couldn’t think of anything.
“I think we should kill him,” said one of the servants.
Prince Zane nodded. “Yes,” he said. “We should.”
“But we can’t just kill him,” said another servant. “If we kill him, who will look after us?”
Prince Zane laughed. “There are plenty of servants here,” he said. “Why would we need to kill him?”
The servants didn’t answer. They were afraid. They knew what Prince Zane was like. If they told him no, he wouldn’t listen.
That night, Prince Zane had a dream. He dreamed that he was walking through the woods, and then he saw a little boy sitting on the ground. He was crying. Prince Zane sat down beside him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
The boy shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t remember.”
Prince Zane laughed. “Well, we’ll find something for you to remember,” he said. “We’ll find it together.”
Prince Zane woke up. He lay in bed, and he thought about the boy. He was so sad. He wanted to go to the boy and make him happy again. He wanted to make him forget about the palace and the servants. He wanted to make him feel safe.
He got out of bed and went into the hall. He saw his father, King Joffrey, standing in front of a mirror. He was shaving. His face looked as though he might cry. Prince Zane went over to him.
“Father,” he said. “I want to go to the castle in the valley.”
King Joffrey looked at him. He didn’t smile. “Why?” he asked.
Prince Zane said, “Because I want to help that boy.”
King Joffrey shook his head. “You can’t do anything about it,” he said. “He’s just a boy. You shouldn’t go there. It’s too dangerous.”
Prince Zane took a deep breath. He knew he was right. He also knew that if he said it, his father would have to listen. “I’m going,” he said. “And you’re not stopping me.”
King Joffrey shook his head. “I won’t let you,” he said.
Prince Zane reached out and touched his father’s hand. “I know you won’t,” he said. “But you can tell me everything you know about the boy. Tell me about him. I want to know.”
King Joffrey nodded. “All right,” he said. “But I think you should be careful. That boy is dangerous.”
Prince Zane smiled. “Yes,” he said. “I know. But I’m not afraid of him. He doesn’t scare me. He scares you.”
King Joffrey didn’t answer. He stood there, looking at Prince Zane. Finally, he said, “Very well. Go with God.”
Prince Zane took his father’s hand. “Thank you,” he said. Then he turned and went out of the room.
He walked down the stairs, and he didn’t see anyone else. He went outside and stopped in front of the palace. He looked around. He had never been alone like this before. It was quiet. He could hear the wind moving through the trees.
He wasn’t afraid. He knew he’d find the boy. He knew he would bring him back. He knew he would make him happy again.
***
When I was young, my father told me that the world was full of monsters. I didn’t believe him. I thought he was joking.
But one day when I was about ten years old, I met a monster. I was walking along the road, and suddenly I heard something behind me. I turned around, and I saw the monster coming toward me. It was big. Its skin was as dark as the night. It had claws for hands. It had teeth in its mouth. I ran away from it. I didn’t look back. I didn’t want to see what it looked like.
The next morning, I told my father what happened. He laughed. “It was just a bear,” he said. “That’s all. They’re common, you know. Just watch out for them. You’ll be fine.”
But I wasn’t fine. When I went outside, I saw the bear. It was standing there, looking at me. It was watching me. I looked away. I didn’t want to see it. I was afraid. I ran into the house and hid in my room. I didn’t come out until evening.
I didn’t tell anyone else what happened. I knew they wouldn’t believe me.
In the evenings, I’d sit on my bed and stare at the wall. I didn’t like it. I wanted to go outside. I wanted to play. But I didn’t want to see the bear. I didn’t want to see anything.
One day, I went outside. I didn’t see the bear. I didn’t see anything. I walked down the road. I walked by the river. I walked by the forest. I kept walking. I didn’t stop. I didn’t even look around. I didn’t look behind me. I didn’t look at the sky. I didn’t look at the trees. I didn’t look at the flowers. I didn’t look at the grass. I didn’t look at anything. I didn’t even breathe. I didn’t move.
I went over to the bridge. I didn’t see the bear. I didn’t see anything. I sat down on the edge of the bridge. I looked at the water. I watched the fish swim. I felt the wind. I listened to the birds. I listened to the water. I thought about nothing. I was just sitting there, watching the fish.
Suddenly, I heard something behind me. I turned around. I saw the bear. It was standing right behind me. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t do anything. I just stood up. I didn’t look at it. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe. I just stood there. I waited.
The bear looked at me. I knew it was looking at me. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to look at it. I didn’t want to see what it looked like. I didn’t want to see its claws. I didn’t want to see its teeth. I didn’t want to see anything. I didn’t want to see anything.
I closed my eyes. I waited. I heard the bear moving. I could hear the sound of its paws. I knew it was coming closer. I opened my eyes. I looked at the bear. I knew it was going to hurt me. I knew it would bite me. I knew it would kill me. I didn’t know why. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know where. I didn’t know when. I didn’t know how. I didn’t know anything.
The bear came close to me. I saw its mouth open wide. I saw its claws sticking out. I saw its teeth. I saw it coming toward me.
I screamed. I couldn’t stop myself. I tried to get away from it, but my legs weren’t working. The bear was coming closer to me.
“No!” I yelled. “Go away! Please don’t touch me! Don’t eat me! Please, please…”
It was too late. There was no bear. There was only me and the sky. The sky was blue and the sun was shining on the ground. Everything was so bright.
I started running away from everything, trying to hide. My eyes were closed tight. I kept running. I ran down the bridge. I ran by the river and past the trees and into the forest. I didn’t stop. I didn’t slow down. I didn’t look back. I didn’t see anyone or anything except for the ground rushing up toward me as if it was chasing me.
The ground rushed up to meet me, and then it stopped.
The End