Nathaniel Benedict and the book of Doom

As we drift along the ice-cold river, fed by glacier water from the mountains up north, I feel the weight of the book on my shivering back. I consider it to be my luck of the draw that I ended up with this burden, but I do thank the forces of nature that I am not alone on this journey. Though solely responsible for the safe return of this precious cargo, I have by my side my trusted ally and friend, Sunny Deveraux. Courageous, smart, elegant, and sophisticated, she is the driving force behind my will to succeed; she has been since I was first tasked with this mission. But now, alas, I feel not even she can help me succeed. This beautiful, yet treacherous scenery has left us underfed and slightly dehydrated but also freezing and exhausted. To drink the water is to live, but also to lose heat, fast. As I contemplate departing from this mission, my mind drifts off like a leaf being left to the mercy of the current.

  “Mr. Benedict, Mr. Benedict, stay with me, I cannot lose you now, sir. We are almost at our next destination.”

I look up from the bottom of the boat and see Sunny, seemingly vibrant, and full of life as ever. She makes me long for a world ruled by women. Strong and full of hope, that is what mankind needs. Not the greedy, power-hungry old-timers that run this new world. 

“Please Sunny, I asked you many times before to refrain from addressing me with sir. I am your friend, and under these circumstances, it should be me admiring you, my young friend, not the other way around.

“We can discuss the desired etiquette later when we reach a safe haven. But for now, it seems our situation has become direr than I feared.”

“Whatever do you mean, Sunny?”

“Well, there seems to be an end to this river, one that we had not planned for, sir.”

Sunny was right, this river was ending quite soon, but I was prepared. In all fairness, this was not the situation I had pictured us to end up in, but one must play with the cards one is dealt with. Up ahead, the river had decided to take a vertical plunge into a deep ravine, one that Sunny and I were not willing to follow. We both knew leaving the vessel behind and swimming for the riverbank was our only option at this point. We also knew that the cold, fast-flowing water might take our lives before we could reach safety.

“We have to try and swim for the riverbank; if we can make it, we can try and find the village on foot from there,” I said. The idea seemed to have come to her before my suggestion reached her ears; she was already preparing to leave the boat behind.

“If we make it, we should keep heading south. There are people there who might be able to assist us in our quest,” she replied.

Without apparent hesitation, she looked at me, grabbed my hand and we jumped. As soon as the near-freezing water engulfed our bodies, we felt the life being squeezed out of us. It took our breath away, but we had to keep fighting. Struggling to fight the current, we made it to safety. Albeit more with the help and perseverance of Sunny, than mine that we are now able to continue our quest.

We took off most of our clothes with the purpose of having them dry in the sun, and to prevent hypothermia. I checked my backpack: the book was still intact and dry. I had expected nothing else; this book was not of this world. This is also the reason why it must be brought back to where it came from: the ancient library of Longuatu.

“We have to keep moving, sir. I mean, Nathaniel,” Sunny said. She looked at me with refreshed energy, even though not ten minutes ago she and I were battling the freezing cold river, she had somehow regained her strength already.

“You are right Sunny, and I appreciate you standing by me for so long. Having risked life and limb to make sure we complete our mission. I do, however, feel that nature itself is trying to prevent us from reaching Longuatu.” The cold ground I was sitting on did me no favours, it merely drained the heat from my body faster. Sunny made me realise this. The beautiful surroundings of this deadly place, it makes me think of the desperate lengths we went through to reach this point. You see, we have faced snow-covered mountains, the dry and deadly heat of the desserts in the south. Swamps filled with more deadly creatures than the nightmares of children and adults alike could ever contain, and yet: we are still here. We are still going strong to make sure this book of doom is delivered.

As I contemplate the arduous journey that lies behind us, Sunny and I make our way down the mountain, into the ravine where our trusted vessel undoubtedly has found its final resting place.

Twenty-four hours have passed since we jumped ship, as we find ourselves being surrounded by thick bush. It scratches and burns our skin as we wrestle through it, fighting it every step. Somehow, guided by the feeling that what we are doing is not only right but also necessary, we move on and survive. But then the situation changes. When the shot rings, several things happen. Birds shoot up from out of nowhere, the eerie sound makes me drop to my knees. As I turn my head to my right, a wave of panic rushes through me. Jenny didn’t crouch down as I did, instead, she dove swiftly. The reason became clearer as the red spot on her left shoulder grew bigger; she had been shot.

  “Don’t worry about me; it’s just a graze. We have to get out of here,” said Sunny with obvious pain in her voice.

  “You have just been shot, of course, I am worried about you. Can you still move?” The red stain on her shoulder grew bigger still. I was worried the bullet was still in there. But Sunny assured me once again that it was nothing but a graze, the bullet barely hit her.

“It must have been Greystone; it simply has to have been. He has been on our heels since the desert. But how did he find us again?” Sunny asked.

“I wish I knew, but we can worry about that later. It’s best you go first; I have the book on my back and Greystone knows it, he won’t shoot the book.”

“Is the book not utterly indestructible?”

“It may well be, but I am not ready to tests its limitations on that matter, not while it is still on my back.”

Greystone must have lost track of us after he had managed to slightly wound Sunny, but I knew he was still chasing us down. He wanted the book more than anything. We made our way through the thick bush and stumbled upon what seemed to be an animal path. It definitely made it easier for us to navigate our way to a clearing where I could attend to Sunny’s wound. After the bleeding had stopped, we made our way to the village. Weary but friendly, the people living in the primitive village welcomed us after Sunny spoke a few words in their native tongue. Where would I have been without her? They took care of her wound and fed us. Knowing we were exhausted; they took it upon themselves to take care of us.

Later that day we sat around a fire in the middle of the village where we listened to a story told by the chief. Sunny translated for me. The chief spoke of the ancient people who had lived there before them, and how their ancestors had encountered them. They had learned from them and their secrets had been passed down from generation to generation. This made me curious, so I asked for details.

“He cannot say, if he shares this knowledge with an outsider, it will be lost,” Sunny said. Then the chief turned to me and said in his best English: “Only those who seek to return, may find what they seek.”

“What does that even mean?” I asked. But he backed away and gestured everyone to turn in for the night. Sunny made it clear to me that we should as well.

A restless cold night ensued, fearing I would not be able to rest until this burden had been lifted, I took it upon myself to find answers. Only those who seek to return may find what they seek. I can still hear the words of the chief, mysterious as they were, they were not entirely meaningless.

Before the sun came up, Sunny and I were already up and ready to move on. Before Greystone was back on our trail. We didn’t want to rely on the protection of the locals, fearing they would lose their lives in the crossfire, should a confrontation take place. We thanked the chief and his people and made our way into the thick forest, following the direction the chief had suggested.

“Sunny, what do you think the chief meant,” I asked.

“The chief is a smart man; he seems more in touch with what goes on around him than anyone I have met before. I cannot say exactly what he could have meant, but I feel you already know.”

She was right, I already knew. The path would reveal itself to me. I let my mind go blank for a moment, feeling a ray of sunlight making its way through a small opening in the thick foliage above us. I closed my eyes to shield them from the light, but it wasn’t enough. An image appeared in front of me, like a path through the woods. I knew where we had to go.

“Sunny, this might sound weird, but I think I know where we have to go,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

“To be honest, no, but I have a feeling that it will be alright.”

From then I took the lead and had Sunny follow me for once. I knew she had my back, that is why it was so hard to do what I did next. I stopped walking and turned around to look at her.

“This is the end of the line for you Sunny. You have been a great help, and I could not have made it this far without you. But this task is going to take more from me than I can ask of you. This is no longer your burden to bear. She looked at me with a type of despair in her eyes that I had not seen before. She was resolute in standing by me until the end, but I knew I would not be able to find the library with her by my side, the library would not allow it.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, a gunshot made us dive to the ground once more. But this time Sunny’s movement was not as determined as before. It was as if she fell.

“Sunny!” I yelled. “Are you hit? Please talk to me!”

No response. I made my way towards her, crawling on my hands and knees. There was a lot more blood this time. She had been shot in the back. I felt a pulse, but it was weak. I knew this could be the end for her if I didn’t get her out of there, so I dragged her into the undergrowth. I looked around and as I felt Sunny’s pulse getting weaker, I saw a small path open up in the undergrowth. It was as if the forest was guiding me. I grabbed Sunny and tried to make my way to the path, but as soon as I did, it closed up.

“What is happening?” I spoke softly. I let go of Sunny and the path reappeared before me. It was telling me to leave her behind.

“I can’t, she’ll die!” I yelled. Not knowing who or what I was yelling at.

Something must have heard me because the plants started moving to cover her body. I knew I had to move; Greystone could not be far off anymore.

“I’m sorry Sunny, I swear I will come back for you.”

From then I made my way through the small path on my hands and knees, making sure to keep a low profile. After about twenty yards, the path ended. The surrounding bushes and trees started moving in an elegant manner, completely counterintuitive as it seemed, I knew I was in no immediate danger. Walls started to appear around me, trees were bending and formed a roof. Before I could realise what was happening, a palatial room surrounded me. The marble floor I sat on felt warm to the touch. The walls were covered with thousands of books. I thought I was dreaming.

“Your companion will be safe for now, my young friend,” a gentle voice spoke.

“Where am I?”

“You know where you are Nathanial, look around you.”

“Is this the library?”

“Yes, it is. I believe you have something of mine …”

I grabbed my backpack from my back and took out the book. Its black appearance was completely unscathed. As I held it in my hand, it turned to dust and disappeared completely, before reappearing in the hands of a tall dark stranger standing before me.

“Thank you for returning this to me. You have fulfilled your task. This means you will be granted safe passage home,” the man said.

“Wait, who are you?” I asked.

“I am the guardian, I protect that which is ancient and sacred, like these books you see around you.”

“What about Sunny? Will she be alright?

“I am afraid sunny has moved on from this world.”

“What do you mean, she has moved on?”

“She passed away; she had lost a lot of blood. Although, it takes a long time to make the journey from this world to the next,” he said. He looked around him as he spoke as if he saw more than just books.

   The guardian knew more than he was telling me, but I also feared he would not tell me how to save her. Despite my fear, I had to try.

“But there has to be something I can do!”

“Her body can be healed, but the spirit cannot find its own way back. Therefore, you must choose. Either accept that you have fulfilled your duty and find safe passage home or follow your friend and try to bring her back. But remember, every soul needs a guide.”

The next moment the library was gone; Sunny was lying beside me in the undergrowth of the forest. She had passed away.

“Follow her, find her, return her…” a voice whispered in the wind.

I put my hand on the ground next to me, there was a small golden book. I picked it up, opened it, and read the words carefully. Only those who seek to return may find what they seek.

Now I understood what it meant. If my intentions of returning her were true, I would be able to find her. I lay down on the ground next to her, holding the book close to my chest with one hand, and holding Sunny’s hand in the other.

“Now it is time for me to guide you back home, Sunny, now it’s my turn. And I am quite ready for another adventure,” I whispered. I closed my eyes, let my spirit drift away through the little golden book, and woke up in the most beautiful world you could ever imagine. I knew our new adventure had begun.