Mythical Rising

1

Mythical Rising 1

The air was still but cold as I sat in my little rowing boat. Rod propped on the side. A light mist over the lake in the early morning light. Nothing ever bites at this time of day, not even the insects. It’s not the fishing that brings me out but nature. It’s like it talks to me.

On days like this, I know that the trees are happy. Flowers will bloom. Bees will collect the nectar and plants will get pollinated. No matter what people do to the world life will go on.

Nature has always been a huge part of my sixty-five years of life. My dad used to bring me into forests and leave me. From the age of eight, I was able to hunt kill gut and cook a squirrel. I could tell you what animal made what tracks and how long ago with a glance by the time I was ten. At eleven I was making weapons and shelters. By the time I was fifteen I was able to live for days in the wild with nothing but the clothes on my back to start.  School was never a priority. I went but my dad said it wasn’t everything.

I guess these things are the reason I live as I do now. Alone away from civilisation a deep-rooted hatred for mankind. People always want to know what you’re doing or if you will do something for them.

Being on the lake for me is heaven. The silence. The clean air. The pure water. Put me out here any day of the week and you will see a happy man. The rod didn’t twitch as I knew it wouldn’t.

The lake had thick forest lining the steep bank of the lake.  It was rare to see any man around here but it happened from time to time. Today was one of those rare times. What made it more strange than unusual today was the man looked to be on a horse. He was shirtless and had a bow in one hand. I held up a hand and gave a wave.

The man didn’t return my wave. He looked in my direction but didn’t show any sign of seeing me. I couldn’t be sure at this distance the horse didn’t look as though it had a head and the man no legs.

What the fuck was I seeing. I must be spending too much time on my own. If I didn’t know better I would have said he was. He was no it can’t be possible. A Centor. They are not real but here I am looking at one and it looking back at me. I gave my face a hard slap. Hard enough to make my eyes water. When I blocked the tears away he was still there. I pulled my rod in and started rowing in his direction.

I might be tall and skinny but I was strong and quick. With long smooth strokes of the ores I moved across the water with ease. The man horse didn’t move straight away. I kept glancing over my shoulder to make sure he was still there. He didn’t move. It was like he thought I was a t-rex. If he didn’t move I wouldn’t see him.

A loud crack of a rifle boomed out. When I looked back the man was riding off at a speed I would have said was impossible for a horse to move at. Any normal horse would have struggled in the thick bracket and over growth. Not this man thing. He was moving like I would on a paved street. Again a crack sounder. This time I was watching and saw bark splinter off a tree by the horse. Then the horse was out of sight and so was the man. Then the gun man appeared. He was wearing a suit. No tie and not the clothes of a hunter but a black suit and with shirt. He was shooting at another man on a horse. He must have thought he was a deer. I called out to stop him making a bad mistake.

“Hay stop that’s a man on a horse. Not a deer.”

The man stopped and looked at me. I was close to the bank now. This strange man turned to me. Instead of answering my call he raised his large black gun and shot my boat. A hole splintered open in between my feet. Water bubbled up filling my little boat. I wasn’t far from the bank so in an attempt to get out of danger I leapt from my boat and splashed into the cold water.

I resisted the urge to go to the surface and gasp in air. I swam down but it wasn’t deep here. I could stand if I wanted but the water would help me. I swam further down the bank. I can stay under water for two to three minutes normally but I was scared and cold. I was only able to stay under a minute or so before I had to come up and breath. I stayed in a prone position and clawed my was on to the shore. Hoping my low position would keep me out of sight. I looked to where I thought he was.

He wasn’t there. He was in front of me. Not far away he was directly in front of me. He put one shiny leather shoe on my hand that was still in the water.

“You just fucked up my bounty. Elf. You will have to do. Don’t try anything stupid.”

Elf? What the fuck is he on about. I’m a man. I don’t act like most but that’s the way I was brought up. My family have always lived long lives but nothing unusual. I’m a man. Aren’t I? Elves don exist. Neither do Centor's. Well I didn’t think so until a few minutes ago.

“Stand up Elf. Your not going to make me rich but you will do.”