Harmonies Of The Night

Originally conceived as a standard novel , this project has expanded into the form of a graphic novel series. This new form is a hybrid of the two mediums being essentially a novel with multimedia elements.

The book itself is in the form of a myth. Its intention is to convey certain spiritual and psychological principles in the form of a story which takes place inside the protagonist's dreaming imagination. Its style is one of a fantastical nature with decidedly dark overtones as the main character , Gabriel , grapples with the hidden recesses of his subconscious mind. The art is a hybrid of digitally manipulated photographs and more traditional rendering. The first book is written and all the pages have been laid out. Only the drawings and paintings are left to be done. The story is presented below along with the first two pages of the book. Perhaps my grandson's grandson will finish it one day.

 

Part I

     Along a rocky dirt path Gabriel walked as he did everyday after leaving school. His mind settled on thoughts of the revolving planets and their bright sun  (having studied his astronomy lessons dutifully he had become keenly interested in the wondrous expanse of space). As he lost himself in thought, staring at the sky above, he continued his daily trek homeward over the stone bridge and passed the old tattered farmhouse. He stopped briefly at the small stream there, looking at his reflection in its shallow water. His dark hair mixed with the shady mud bottom of the stream and he laughed slightly as the tadpoles swam in and out of the reflection of his ears. He got up and jumped across the trickling water, landing smoothly on the other side. He ran a few more steps and hopped the rickety wooden fence as he usually did , one hand on the post, legs swinging up over the rotting shafts of wood and imagining some action packed heroic scene with him as the star. Upon landing on the other side (and completing his mission) he began to lose himself in another of his daydreams. He decided to lie back on the grassy hill and gaze up at the shifting clouds which took on the forms of his imaginary foes. One by one they fell to his might, vaporizing into thin air, some only to reform into another ghastly fiend yet to be slain.

     For quite some time he entertained his heroic fantasies, besting one infernal creature after another, fulfilling some noble quest concocted in his own seemingly endless imagination (that thing which makes him both endearing and annoying to his teachers). As he lied there half dreaming and half awake the sights and sounds that entered his head became one with the fantastic scenery he had built in his mind. The calling birds became shrieking bat winged beasts. The slightly whispering wind became the voice of ghostly apparitions. All of these things came and went in his little overactive brain and none were any more less outstanding than the next until one shrill scream caused his ear to actually flinch at the noise . A bit startled, Gabriel snapped out of his typical daze just in time to catch a glimpse of several small dark figures speeding over the nearest hill. He listened more closely and heard what sounded to be several small yet angry sounding voices. His heart sped up for a moment wondering what it could be as his mind raced with images of the imposing beasts from his daydreams. Despite his initial fear he crept up to the top of the hill and peered over into the field below. There were several small dogs there pulling and fighting over something that he could not quite make out. As he watched, it was clear they were not fighting as much as arguing like greedy children over the last piece of candy. Suddenly one of them pulled free and began running toward the farmhouse that Gabriel had passed a bit earlier on his walk. The other dogs quickly pursued and Gabriel felt his feet working underneath him following suit. He fancied a thought of having four legs and imagined himself running, tongue flailing, across the warm summer field behind his canine friends.

 The dogs ran directly at the old weathered farmhouse, which looked as though it could fall at any given moment under the stress of the slight summer breeze. All three of them dashed head first through a small opening at the bottom of the large, decaying double doors. The farmhouse had the appearance of wood, but looked as if it had been painted every color conceivable over its long life. Now it was a sickly gray with an odd multi colored texture that filled in the cracks of the decaying planks. As he approached the doors he could hear the animals inside with their high-pitched yelps and tiny growls.

It was obvious that these were just small pups and , after catching his breath for a moment , he decided to stoop down and poke his head into the hole that the little dogs had so recklessly navigated. Gabriel leaned over and fitted his head into the small space at the bottom of the doors. He could still hear the dogs inside but he didn't see them anywhere near the entrance. So he got up, brushed off his dirty knees (his knees and elbows were always filthy, so this was nothing new) and pulled one of the large wooden doors back with a long unsteady creek.

The inside of the farmhouse was well lit from the holes that plagued its failing roof and the floors were littered with old bits of hay and layers of dust that rivaled the furniture in his own bedroom (which was no small feat indeed). There were old rusted tools laying in various places and it was clear that no one had been around here to use this place in a long time. He had never before ventured inside the farmhouse and wondered if it even belonged to anyone any longer as he could not see any houses in the general area. Curious he thought to find such a place considering every great hero needs a secret base of operations, and if this one weren't already in use it would do nicely. Who would be his arch nemesis? For a moment Gabriel lost himself again imagining the old building as his secret underground lair but was sharply interrupted by a loud crashing sound in a room off to the right , followed by the yelping of those dogs he had impulsively chased here. He half laughed at himself for being so absorbed in his own fantasies and then followed the sound into the next room. It was considerably darker than the main room but was still granted enough light to see by the spaces that had formed between the twisting planks that made up the walls. It appeared to be some sort of place where animals had been kept. There were large basins along the floor that looked as though they were used for feeding and the dogs were all in one of them chewing away on something that Gabriel still could not discern. They seemed oblivious to him until his foot ran into one of the metal tools the pups had knocked over on their way in there.

Their small heads darted up alarmingly and immediately they began to bark at him, each time getting progressively more and more excited until they all began howling in unison. Gabriel laughed at their song and he too howled along with them , again imagining himself to be one of their canine brothers. He practiced getting the pitch of his voice to match theirs, shaping his throat to make the sound, but his final howl (and his most authentic sounding one yet) was cut short by another unsteady creek from the other room. He gasped for a second thinking how silly he would look howling at some dogs all alone out here and he turned around to see who might have found him in this awkward moment.

Gabriel's sense of embarrassment was quickly shed however as the low grumbling tones of a much bigger growl than the pup's emanated from the other room. He could feel himself begin to sweat and the hairs on his neck moved of their own accord , standing on end. He backed up slowly toward the far wall. All the while the pups continued their distress signal throwing shrieking howl after howl up into the air. The padded footsteps drew closer and a large head entered the room turning the corner with a wicked grimace and threatening growl. The dog came slowly into the room and stared directly at Gabriel , he felt as if his heart would burst straight out from his throat and he gulped to try to keep it down. He could feel the dog, which was easily as big as him, getting closer and more threatening and he felt as if he had been standing there staring at this beast for eternity. The bass of the dog's voice reverberated inside his chest as he continued to back up slowly away from the entrance. Finally his back made contact with the wall creating a small ruffling sound with the impact of his clothes. It was not the kind of sound that would, under normal circumstances, bear any significance at all, but in this moment is was as if time had stopped completely and all ears were attuned to the sound of his retreating back against the unflinching wood. At that moment the dog lunged forward with a vicious growl. Gabriel dove headfirst over the large feeding vessels that separated the room just in time to hear the gnash of teeth shutting together behind the cursed curious feet that had carried him there. He landed hard into the dirty wooden floor but managed to follow through and roll over to the opposite wall. The menacing dog barked again with a deadly tone and jumped over at Gabriel with its mouth wide. He scrambled to his feet and darted toward the door but first came upon a ladder mounted against the wall. In that fraction of a second he decided that the jump to the door might very well be his last, and instead jumped up a few rungs on the ladder and tried to climb.

As he desperately pulled himself up the ladder the dog leaped at his dangling legs, clasping its jaws around the bottom of his shoe. Gabriel's arms burned from the strain and the weight of the animal. Luckily the beast's teeth had not sunk into his foot but into the shoe itself. He squirmed his way out of the doomed footwear and scrambled as fast as he could to the second floor while the animal raged below. Pulling himself up to the next level he rolled over onto the creaking boards. Half of the upper level had been built up with a floor and there were some old wooden boxes and things that sat up there covered with cobwebs and dust, but he had no time to wonder about their contents right now. Looking around he noticed that the wall of the second floor had a large enough gap for him to slide under to the next room. He moved cautiously over to it while the dog , still barking angrily , followed underneath and the boards between them creaked , threatening to splinter under the stress. Stuffing himself beneath the shoddily constructed wall he slipped over to the first room's second floor and stood upright. The dog underneath had followed him from room to room , continuing his hostile vocalizations and circling around in a most agitated manner while Gabriel slowly creaked and cracked his away across the floor. For a moment he was able to catch his breath but he could not stop the ceaseless pounding of his frantic heart. Now that he had managed to get up there he wondered what he might do now. He certainly could not go back down the way he came up and , although he was certain he possessed super-human powers (though which ones had alluded him up to this point) , he did not think that jumping down there with that agitated animal was going to turn out in any way that could be described as good.

Gabriel looked around frantically for an answer and settled his sights on the rickety old roof. He decided that if he couldn't go down then maybe he would just keep going up. There were several spots that were wide enough for him to fit through and this side had a wooden rail that he could balance on to reach the top. He thought for a moment about his predicament and before climbing up to the roof he grabbed some pieces of small metal parts to some unknown mechanism that were left laying on the ground. He quickly pulled himself up and the dog beneath began to bark at him again as he wavered on the creaking post. He jumped up to the roof , wedging himself between the splintered wooden frame , nearly taking the breath right out from his exhausted lungs. The chorus of barking dogs called out for his doom as he slid out onto the roof of the farmhouse. He carefully shifted his way down to the edge of the slanted roof where the large doors met. He leaned his right leg over the edge and felt around for one of the doors. His foot landed on the edge of the open door and he swung the rest of his body around to balance on the top of it. As he did this he could see the animal inside waiting for him to come down and barking continually at him all the while. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out one of the smaller pieces of metal and hurled it, unsteadily, at the dog below. It whizzed passed it's head and landed with a thump to the side of the animal which startled it enough for it to jump sideways , tucking its tail in the way dogs do. Seizing his moment, Gabriel hurled another piece at the dog hitting it square in the side while it was looking for what had just landed. His attack confused the dog and it spun around quickly lashing out and biting into the air. Gabriel produced his last two pieces of ammunition and threw them both at once. One , again , struck the dog in the side, causing it to yelp in distress, while the other landed a few feet behind it. It was enough to make it dash into the other room for cover and Gabriel slid down the door, grabbing the top with his hands, and dropped the rest of the way down.

He crashed down on the dirt, and despite the pain, lunged forward to slam the farmhouse doors shut. He could still hear the pups inside , all yelling at top volume , and he sprang to his feet just as the large dog's head came shooting out of the hole he had first peeked into, snapping inches from his shoe-less foot. He spotted an old latch in the middle of the doors and switched it over while the beast tried to force them open. Gabriel turned and dashed as fast as he could away from the old farmhouse hoping that the latch would work long enough to keep the beast at bay. He never looked back but kept running, with his one shoe still on, all the way home. He could not tell if his heart or his mind were racing faster. He was more frightened than he had ever been but also exhilarated in a way that made his overactive imagination practically split at the seams. As he finally came upon his house it settled on his mind that he would now have to explain why he was completely filthy, sweaty and did not have his schoolbooks.
"Mother!", Gabriel called out. "Mother!"

He burst through the back door to his family's small mountain cabin and rushed to the kitchen where his mother was preparing a stew for the night's meal. Before she could even get one word out Gabriel began spouting out the details of his extraordinary walk home from school that day. Normally she would half listen to his stories and half continue on about her business as he was in the habit of exaggerating the facts (if not outright making some of them up). This time however she could not dismiss his dirt covered body, not to mention his one bare foot, and she started wiping the smudges from his face as he blurted out his tale.

"Well then you are a lucky boy aren't you," his mother said as he finished. She was instantly worried but also relieved that he appeared to be in good shape despite a few small cuts and bruises. "Lucky and brave," she said smiling. Gabriel's eyes widened and he smiled as she led him in to clean himself up. "Get ready for dinner," she said. "You'll have to get your father to help you go out there and find your books in the morning." Gabriel nodded as she closed the door and he went about cleaning his tired and sore body.

The rest of the night was uneventful and Gabriel went to bed replaying the scene over and over in his head , sometimes adding parts in, building the story in his mind until it developed into an epic struggle of good versus evil. He wasn't sure where those dogs had come from, but he was sure that he had just had his first adventure in his secret headquarters. He was well on his way to becoming a hero now. He laid there for a while entertaining himself, imagining his heroic deeds and saving the world many times over , until he began to feel the aching and tiredness of his overworked body setting in. His eyes became heavy and he started to fall deeper into relaxation as the darkness crept up around him , blanketing his bedroom. He breathed in deeply and exhaled . He felt his body had become twice as heavy as before yet still somehow lighter, as if he were breathing himself right out of existence. Gabriel could feel himself sinking. Whether it was into sleep or the bed he did not know or even care. These kinds of thoughts drifted into his mind and out again as his body slowed down. With eyes half closed he felt as if he were no longer separate from his room and he was subtly aware of feeling very hazy. The contents of his room waved slowly from side to side, their edges becoming soft and fuzzy and Gabriel swayed in unison with them as he sank even deeper still into his trance. Bits of his day's adventures crossed his mind mixing with sights and sounds pulled from inside and outside making a floating collage that twisted and turned, dancing about in his mind. His breathing slowed and became heavy as his eyes shut, submitting to the array of patterns playing behind them.

The constant pulse of his beating heart repeated over and over in his head and his breathing created a slow, steady pattern under the repetitious rhythm in his ears. Like sacred drums they initiated him into their ceremony. Again and again they played until Gabriel was lost inside the sound and for a moment was no more. The shadows continued their spectral dance and moved from side to side , spreading out in all directions , until all things were colored with their ambiguous haze. They swayed to the beat of the invisible drums and, spreading like a spider's web, wrapped the child inside their silky tendrils , joining them as one. The shadows coalesced above Gabriel's head swirling about each other and joining to create a black so deep and dense that no light could exist inside the onyx ether. The thick circle of ebony distorted and began to give birth to a form. Arising from the bottomless blackness arose the shape of a man draped in the same dreary substance that spawned him. His legs disappeared into the void and his head was concealed with a large, ominous hood. Gabriel stirred as the form emanated from the shadows. It began to hover over the child , drawing near to his unconscious face. Slowly the apparition's arms rose over the boy's face and closed together , rubbing its pale palms back and forth against each other. Its skin began to rub off , falling in slow motion like tiny snowflakes into the child's eyes and covering his face and hair. Again Gabriel stirred in his sleep but did not open his eyes. The shadowy figure began to move one of its hands over the child's forehead, carving an invisible symbol with its pale finger several times into the space between them.

He moved closer still to the sleeping child, stopping only a hairs width from the boy's skin. The apparition slowly opened its mouth from which came an airy, breathy wind. The softly pulsing air began to take the shape of words that came in like cold winds at the dawning of winter, and without moving its spectral lips the form whispered :

Under blanket of night
In the womb of sleep
Beyond day's light
In silence creep
From darkness born
And shadow bound
A promise sworn
Thy child is found

Gabriel breathed in deeply as the ghostly form exhaled these words into his mouth, sinking into his lungs as easily as the air. It did not disturb his slumber but instead put the child into a deep sleep and his body became limp as he receded further from the waking world. The strange visitor produced a black shawl from within it's own body and quickly wrapped the boy inside of it, making only the slightest whispering sound. He lifted Gabriel from his warm bed and began to slowly rise. The impenetrable darkness began to gather around the two shadowed figures. Slowly it cocooned them in a solid mass of the blackest hue and began to silently condense in upon itself until it had disappeared completely.

Part II

The mysterious figure appeared, hovering above an old blackened wooden boat, with the still sleeping child tucked away in its arms. It placed him inside the small vessel and then lowered itself in as the cold wind began to spin about their heads. It howled in unpleasant tones as the tiny boat moved onward through the darkened river, propelled by the will of the ghostly ferryman. The river narrowed as high cliff walls closed in them, towering far above their heads, and the whistling wind escalated to high shrieks inside the bleak cavern. Their boat moved silently through the passageway and drifted ashore inside a small cave. The dark ferryman lifted Gabriel from the boat and placed him on the cold gray sand. Again he leaned in close to the child's slowly breathing mouth as he began to open his own. The whispering wind of his voice began to take shape once again.

Beyond your first and final breath
Beyond the veil of life and death

Gabriel again inhaled his words deeply and his eyes began to move around chaotically behind his closed lids. The figure rose up and resumed his place at the helm of the boat. He turned and guided himself silently back down the black river, vanishing into a thick mist that had formed at the cave's mouth.

Gabriel began to rock back and forth on the discolored ground, mumbling something under his sleeping breath. He sprang upright and opened his blurry eyes, blinking several times to clear image. Leaning back on his hands he surveyed his dim surroundings, which seemed to be slightly illuminated by a gray haze. His head felt as unclear as his environment but he also felt comfortable, as if he were familiar with this bleak, empty hole in the wall. He gathered himself up to his feet, dropping the black shawl to the ground before him. The soft crushing of his footsteps on the dismal beach reverberated off the cave walls.

"Hello?" he called out. To which answered the echoes of his voice over and over again as it seemed to go out in all directions. The sound was everywhere and mixed in thick layers to create a violent wall of noise. It quickly built up upon itself, layer upon endless layer, and pierced into his head like nails. He ran blindly into a nearby corridor, trying desperately to elude the deafening sound of his own reverberating voice. His pounding footsteps shot off the walls like thunderous drums, unforgiving in their tireless assault. The sounds engulfed him as he held his hands close over his ears, running as fast as he could. As the chaotic tones built to the peak of their crescendo he felt the ground beneath him give way and the sickening sensation of weightlessness as he plummeted downward.

As he fell he instinctively screamed at the initial fear, a primal shriek of mortal terror. Or so it should have been. Gabriel wailed as loudly as he could but, oddly, found no sound issuing from his mouth. He realized then that not only was there no sound coming from his still screaming mouth, but the previous tonal assault was gone as well. He stopped screaming as he had this curious epiphany. He wasn't afraid anymore. He felt light and free  For a moment he felt as if floating amongst the stars in space. It was only a fleeting feeling however, as it was punctuated with a very hard and very loud thump as he landed firmly on a patch of thick green grass. Somewhat shaken by the previous few moments, Gabriel stood up and tried to collect himself, brushing the grass from his knees. He was a little surprised that he was not hurt and fancied himself to have just taken his first lesson in super-human flight. He imagined striking an impressive pose, chin out and arms outstretched, as he circled the skyline, protecting the innocents. Looking around as he thought, he found himself standing outside in a darkened wooded area lit up by the face of the full moon (which seemed to be staring down on him the entire time).

Gabriel stared back at his nocturnal spotlight for a moment, suddenly realizing it had gotten very cold. His bones began to quake under his skin as he shivered with his arms crossed over his chest. For a moment the idea of just where in the world he was came into Gabriel's mind but just as easily slipped back out as he spied on the ground in front of him the same black shawl he had discarded back in the cave. "What a very strange thing," he thought. "And how lucky indeed!" He grabbed the black cloth from the ground and wrapped it around his goose-bump laden arms.

As he wrapped the shawl around his frigid body he looked up and saw the shadow of a large animal on a cliff not far above his head. It looked much like the dog he had encountered earlier and he wondered if that thing had been following him the whole time. The silhouetted form lifted its head back and began to howl at the glowing moon. As it did another voice joined in with it, and another and another. It seemed that the howling beasts were all around him and he began to get a very uneasy feeling standing there all alone. The creature came out a bit further and the light shined down on its large head. Gabriel had thought that it looked like the dog from earlier but it had somehow grown even larger and standing there on the edge of that cliff it appeared to be the most imposing animal he had ever seen. "This is no dog," he thought. "This is a wolf! " and a slight gasp escaped his lips. As he did, the wolf peered its head in his direction bearing its long white teeth and growled in a voice that seemed even larger than the animal itself.

Gabriel turned and dashed as fast as his legs could manage away from the rocky wall behind him. He heard the wolf jump down from its cliff and land on the grass where he had been standing. He pushed himself harder, feeling a burning sensation in his legs as he pushed them into the ground. He turned and looked over his shoulder and saw that several other wolves had joined in his pursuit. He raced along the rocky dirt path beneath him. It stretched out in front of him like a giant snake and ended inside a distant black forest, which seemed as though it blanketed the ground beneath it in eternal night. He did not care about what kinds of things might be awaiting him there and pressed his feet harder into the ground, trying desperately to put distance between himself and the wolves.

 Though he felt as if he were running as fast as he had ever run before, he saw the ground under his feet slowing down. He again glanced over his shoulder and saw the wolves gaining ground on him, their hot breath forming into smoky clouds in the cold air. His legs were on fire, pushing harder and harder, but feeling as if he were slowly trudging through some unnatural liquid. He could feel the hot breath of the wolves on his back. His neck was moist with the damp air from their open mouths. Their threatening voices slammed into his head as if they were fists and he felt sick from the fear that exploded from his pounding chest.  The road ahead of him appeared to stretch out. The distance distorted. He shot his arms forward in a desperate attempt to pull it back toward him, reaching out for something to hold.

Just then, out of the dark forest, a voice emanated. "Gabriel," it called. It sailed over the sounds of the beasts and his deafening fearful heart and settled on him like a calm breeze. "Gabriel," the voice beckoned again, and he regained his momentum, speeding along the path toward the disembodied sound. The wolves continued to chase him but he ran as if he had four legs himself and whipped up a trail of smoke behind him as he raced along. The voice was oddly familiar to him. It sounded strangely like the voice of his mother, and he ran straight toward it, entering the blackened woods.

Though he had put distance between himself and the wolves they were still determined to make a meal of him and they followed Gabriel into the darkness. He frantically raced along the path but as he got further into the darkened wood the path, and indeed all his surroundings, became enshrouded in the deep shadow of the trees above. He pushed forward with the sound of the hungry animals behind him. The branches slapped across his face and arms as he tripped through the thick growth of the forest. "Gabriel" the voice beckoned again, calm and serene amidst the chaotic mixture of growls and snapping twigs (and the ever present pounding of his heart). He followed the sound further through the web-like vines that surrounded him and stumbled out into a clearing. The beasts were getting closer. He could hear them coming through the slight path he had just cleared. Sweat trickled down his face and stung his eyes and he breathed heavily as he turned to run.

Spinning around blindly, Gabriel slammed head first into something he could not see. His arms flung outward a little too late and he felt (with his face) that it was a wooden wall of some kind. He held close to it as the animals grew ever closer, picking up his scent. Following it along he came to an edge and saw that there was now a dim light emanating from around the corner. The large wolves came out into the clearing and lunged for Gabriel as he turned the corner. He spotted the frame of a door and hurried to it. Luckily it was not locked and it flung open as he quickly tucked himself inside. Gabriel turned and slammed the door behind him. The pursuing wolves crashed into the door, scratching at it with their claws. Gabriel held it shut with his back to the door for several minutes as they angrily protested outside. After several fearful minutes (which seemed to him like days in themselves) the wolves gave up their game and he heard them all scatter off back into the dark forest. Gabriel sunk down to the floor, exhausted, and tried to catch his breath.

He appeared to be in some sort of small cottage. Someone obviously lived here but he did not see anyone inside. A candle on a small wooden table in the middle of the room dimly illuminated the place. The dancing flame gave the impression that the room was alive itself with the movement of its shadows. There were rows of books along the wall to his right side and to the left was a large metal pot which was sitting atop a fire of its own. Gabriel got up and crept around the room, looking over his shoulders, catching glimpses of movement from the tireless shadows. Inside the pot water boiled up and it smelled like some kind of broth or soup, like his mother would make. Was that really her voice he had heard, he wondered?

"Looking for something?" a strange, raspy voice inquired. Gabriel spun around quickly with a gasp and saw the shady form of an old woman standing at the entrance. The shadows danced around her skinny form. She was clad in a drab gray robe and leaned on a knotted old cane. Despite her frail appearance she appeared strikingly frightening to the child. Her long white hair hung loosely over her shoulders and the deep bony structure of her face was accented by the dancing shadows. Gabriel slowly backed up and stuttered out a response.

"I..I…" he stammered. " I know why you are here child," interrupted the creepy old woman. "I see you have found my shawl," she said with half a toothless grin. He looked to the ground and saw that the same odd black shawl he had discarded earlier was at his feet once again. Gabriel looked back up at the old crone with a blank expression on his face. "Bring it to me boy," she said eerily. She stretched out her long bony arms, eying the child up and down. Gabriel reached over and grabbed the strange cloth, nervously inching toward the ominous figure by the door. She snatched the cloth from his hand sharply and he recoiled, surprised at the unnatural speed of the old bag of bones.
The old woman smiled an empty grin as she wrapped the shawl around her frail frame. "Sit down child," she said softly and motioned him toward the table, pointing with her crooked cane. Gabriel was unsure of her intentions but moved along over to the table and sat down on one of the two small wooden stools stowed away beneath it. The old woman had gone over to the boiling pot and prepared a bowl, setting it in front of the boy with a wooden spoon. She sat across from him at the table and breathed a sigh as she peered over at the confused child with her slightly bulbous eyes.

"Where am I," Gabriel asked meekly. The old woman giggled slightly (as if such an unsettling sound could even be called a giggle) "Must we go through this again," she said amused. "You have been here before. Many times in fact." Gabriel didn't understand what she was talking about but still could not shake the sense that this place had a familiar feel to it. "A better question might be," she continued, "who am I?" and she grinned again at the boy with her toothless smile. Gabriel stared at the aged woman trying to make sense of what she meant and why this all seemed so familiar to him. He suddenly felt somewhat light headed and the shadows began to distort around him. The flickering light across the old hag's face seemed to momentarily transform it into the face of his mother. Gabriel shook his head and blinked his eyes hard to clear up the confusion and all returned back into sharp focus. "What's going on," he said cautiously. "Well you of all people should know that. Shouldn't you Gabriel ?" queried the woman, almost mocking his desperate voice. "I want to go home," he said, standing up. "Home? And where might that be," she questioned. "Where is that Gabriel? Tell me." "Where is it?" she said again, raising her voice. "It's…It's…," Gabriel sputtered out. And nothing followed. A sudden jolt of fear shot up through him as he could not remember or even begin to describe where home was.

Gabriel's head swooned and he slumped back down on the stool. "Eat this," the old woman said, motioning to the bowl. "You may sleep here when you are through. There is much you will need rest for," she said, raising one unkempt eyebrow. Gabriel picked up the spoon unsteadily, looking at it quizzically. He felt oddly entranced by it yet somehow repulsed as well, but soon began to eat the soup the old woman had prepared. As he did he began to feel more relaxed and the dizzy feeling in his head subsided. The old woman got up as he ate and grabbed a jar from a shelf along the back wall. She pulled some roots out and stuffed them in a small satchel. "This will keep the wolves away," she muttered, shuffling her feet along the dirty floor.

"How did you know my name," Gabriel asked. "Oh, I'm quite aware of who you are young man," she responded. "Indeed many are wise to the name of Gabriel here boy. Why, you yourself told me your name the last time you happened through these woods." Gabriel still could not recall exactly when he had been here before but the familiar tone of the place resonated in him and he now felt somehow at ease with the odd old woman. "In a short time you will begin to understand why you are here child. You will understand a great many things about the nature of this place, and yourself."

"You are still but a babe," she added with a grin, "A babe in the womb."

"In this place anything is possible," she continued, "and although these old eyes of mine can see beyond the folds of night, I cannot show you where the path leads. That is a thing you must unravel for yourself."

The old woman again took the seat across from Gabriel and slid the small brown pouch across the table to him. "There are far worse things in these woods than wolves, child, but this will keep them at bay."

"There is one other thing I must give you now," she said, pulling her withered hand from under the table and placing it palm down on the surface. "Keep this close to you boy, for there are those that will seek its destruction," she dryly intoned as she slid her hand back revealing a small circular gem. "Take this to the tower. You will know what to do with it when the time comes." Gabriel picked up the stone and gazed into it. Inside the stone he could see his reflection staring back at him. It was as if the image he saw in the stone had a life of its own. It stared back at him with a look of determination and the stone itself felt as though it were slightly pulsating. Gabriel felt the pulsing of the stone synchronize with the beating of his heart. He was entranced by it. He felt as though he had vanished from time momentarily, absorbed in the gaze of his mirrored self. He suddenly had the feeling that many eyes were upon him. He could not pinpoint this odd sensation but felt as merely an actor playing a role for some hidden audience. He watched this scene unfold in front of him as though he were also a spectator to this peculiar drama. Although he did not fully understand any of what was occurring before him he did not feel the need to ask any questions. He was caught up in the strange sensation he had of watching himself. The feeling passed over him like a wave and he regained his focus, placing the gem inside the pouch and tying it together.

The old woman leaned across the table slightly and said in her raspy voice, "Sometimes child, dark is light. Sometimes left is right. Don't be afraid Gabriel. The path always leads to home," she paused slightly with a small sigh. "Now finish your soup," she said smiling and got up from the chair. Gabriel finished off the remainder of his meal, feeling very heavy from the thick stew. He lifted his head to say something to the old woman but realized she had vanished just as quietly as she had appeared (and none of this seemed at all out of the ordinary to him at this point). There was a feather pillow and an old blanket which he had not noticed before, sitting by the door. He put the pouch into his pocket and sprawled out on the floor of the cottage, curling up next to the small fire. He lied there with his eyes closed thinking about the old woman's words. Thoughts drifted into his head about the stone. "Why is this thing so important, " he wondered to himself aloud. "Who would want to destroy it?" His overactive imagination began to take hold and he lost himself in thought, battling an array of imaginary creatures in his mind.
He seemed to lie there for hours watching the scenes in his head unfold but no heroic deed was satisfying enough to rest his ceaseless brain. He had grown accustomed to difficulty falling asleep. It sometimes seemed to him that his own brain were a traitor that enjoyed watching him toss and turn. It was like a pet that demanded to be played with. As he tried to find a position comfortable enough to quell his unrest, the words of the old woman again entered his head. 'The path always leads to home' He could not get this idea out of his mind. It repeated over and over again in an endless loop and he decided that perhaps he would venture outside again and see just exactly where that path led.

Gabriel picked himself up from the floor and grabbed the pouch from the table. He fashioned the long string that held it together to fit around his neck and he loosely hung it there. "I hope this thing works," he said to himself, not entirely sure what it would do. He picked up the candle and its small metal holder from the table and listened for a moment behind the door. All seemed quiet and calm outside and he slowly opened the door, peeking his head around to inspect the scene.  He crept out from inside the small cabin and the candle threw light onto the pitch black of the forest. The shadows flickered with the flame's light against the backdrop of an insectoid choir. Odd bugs of all sorts were instantly attracted to the dancing fire. They fluttered and buzzed and flew in every direction, swarming around Gabriel and the candle. Gabriel put his hand up in front of his face to block the annoying (and sickening) onslaught. The insects flew blindly into the flame of the candle from all sides. Some would die instantly, some would fall off to the ground and others still would pop and fizzle as they flew through the fire, igniting themselves. Gabriel sat the candle on the ground and watched the macabre spectacle for a moment until he spotted an odd, twisted stick propped up against the wall of the cabin. It seemed the perfect size for a walking stick and might make a good weapon if any fiend were so foolhardy as to cross his path. It was a deep brown and twisted up in a spiral from end to end getting slightly larger at the top. He picked up the candle in his left hand and with the stick in his right he carefully walked back around the corner of the cabin.

He could now see the path he had cleared on his way here through the vines and bushes. There was also a natural path leading from the clearing, going in the opposite direction. Gabriel was very curious about the dirt path but could not resist going back through the twisted passageway he had carved out. He took a few steps into the thick growth, snapping twigs and branches underfoot. His eyes darted around looking into the overgrown woods as far as he could see, hoping his noisy footsteps had not disturbed any sleeping beasts. He continued on for a few more steps and came back out to his original path. All he could really remember about the outside of these woods was his being chased by hungry wolves. This did not adequately fulfill his sense of exploration and it would be much easier to see what was around with the aid of the moon, he thought, instead of the unsteady and tricky lighting of the candle. As he walked the narrow dirt road the howling cry of wolves began to pop up in the distance. Gabriel swallowed, mustering up the nerve to continue onward. He believed the old woman's words about the pouch but still couldn't shake the fear of being hunted down by a pack of bloodthirsty animals. Despite his uneasiness he forged ahead, a lone pinpoint of light in the velvet blanket of that unnatural darkness.

The candle had burned halfway down and had almost gone out several times from the burning insects it devoured. Gabriel had to pick them from the hot wax a number of times, stopping momentarily on the eerie path to make sure the flame did not die out. He seemed to have been walking for quite some time along this dirt road but still did not see any sign of the edge of the darkened wood. The distant cries of wolves still loomed in the air. Now and then something in the dark would scatter in some random direction, always sending cold shivers throughout his body. He thought of turning back but was certain that he had only run a short distance through these woods before running into the thick brush. The moonlit field was surely not very far from here, he thought, and pressed forward.

There was a thick mist that had formed along the ground. Its smoky tendrils wrapped around Gabriel's legs. It was damp and somewhat cold and obscured the ground in a silvery haze. Gabriel held the candle out further from his eyes but could not see very far ahead through the thickening fog. The candle's light created shimmering colorful patterns in the flowing mists. Slight rainbows and twinkling spots of lights created a strange magical glow over the dreary blackness of the forest. The water landed on him softly, feeling like a fine powder. He tried to keep the candle closer to him while going further through the damp fog to avoid it becoming too wet. He could still make out the path beneath him through the shimmering wisps at his feet and he picked up his pace.
Gabriel determinedly marched onward, finally navigating through the thick fog. Wiping the moisture from his face he noticed that the candle had burned dangerously low. The flame itself was now nearly as large as the candle wax that remained. He knew he needed to double his efforts and get to the clearing quickly. He felt like an ancient explorer braving untamed wilderness. 'One day,' he thought, 'they will write a story about me,' and he imagined twisting a long moustache into a point with his finger and thumb as he laughed. As he entertained himself he noticed that the path seemed to have gone on for far too long. He was sure there was only one path. He was positive that he was going in the right direction but had found nothing to point his way. There was no sign of any light other than that of the dwindling candle. Gabriel again quickened his pace, feeling a bit more desperate. The path seemed to turn to the right in a slow arc and he saw up ahead what appeared to be a clearing of some kind. As he approached he saw that the path bent sharply to the left, continuing into the dark and also opened up to the right further behind a patch of large bushes. He stood there for a moment and felt his mind pulling him to the left but the path looked long, longer than what was left of his candle certainly. He decided to try to gather up some loose twigs and sticks and construct a torch of some kind while he still had some fire.

Gabriel laid the candle on the ground along with the large staff he was carrying (for by this time in his head it were a magical weapon, a staff of power) and began looking around for the proper kinds of sticks and things he needed for his clever plan. He grabbed some long branches that were thicker than his fingers and found some stringy vines he could use to tie them together. As he searched the ground he wandered over into the clearing area to the side of the path. His jaw dropped open in disbelief as he lifted his head. He was standing in front of the old woman's cabin again. Dropping the sticks to the ground he stood there in silence, wondering how he could have walked in a circle back to this same spot. He was somewhat disappointed at this surprising turn of events but also oddly relieved. After a brief time spent in slack-jawed awe he retrieved the stick and candle and decided to go back inside the cabin to look for better materials there.

Gabriel was confused at his misdirection. He was ordinarily quite adept at finding his way around in unfamiliar places. He was no stranger to adventuring in overgrown woods, having lived in a small mountain town since he started schooling. With a furrowed brow Gabriel walked around to the front of the small cabin. 'Perhaps the old woman had returned' he thought as he leaned the walking stick against the wall. Gabriel pulled on the door but found it locked up tight. He pushed and pulled it back and forth harder trying to force it open but it would not permit him entrance. He dashed over to the window and realized that there was no light coming from inside. The windowpanes themselves appeared weathered and dirty. Their images were blurry and uncertain. He squinted to try to discern shapes but could not see or hear anything from beyond the clouded windows. He leaned his ear against the wall and still heard nothing from inside. For a moment it occurred to him that perhaps this wasn't the same cabin at all but a similar one. Covering the flame with his right hand he dashed around the back of the cabin once again. Sure enough he found the same beaten path in the thick growth that he had now passed through twice. 'Leave no stone unturned,' his mother had once said to him.

Satisfied, and now determined, Gabriel marched back around to the front of the cabin. He grasped the handle firmly and yanked with as much force as he could manage with one arm. The door flew open easily and he stumbled, loosing his balance unexpectedly. Holding the candle out in front of him he walked into the room. A dizzying sensation shot through his head and down the back of his spine as he gazed in. The entire area was covered with thick cobwebs. They draped from the walls and ceiling in every direction. Some dangled loosely, swaying in the slight breeze created by the swinging door. Stunned, Gabriel slowly walked into the room. Webs melted away from the heat of the flame as he passed through them. They parted like a thick smoke. Everything was in the same place as when he had left, only now it was all entirely covered in dust and webs. It looked as if it had been abandoned a hundred years ago or more. The bowl he had only very recently left was still sitting on the table. The blanket and pillow were still lying on the dirty floor.

Gabriel didn't know what to do. The stillness of the room made him nervous. He grabbed his staff and shut the door, wedging it closed with the walking stick braced between the floor and the door's handle. He pushed the candle out in all directions, burning up the webs as he pushed them aside with the long stick. He moved quickly and nervously around the room, obsessively brushing away the dusty webs from the furniture. The candle was nearing its inevitable end and Gabriel cleared the area around the pot to make a fire. He placed the candle among the remnants of wood there and held some of the smaller pieces into the flame. The urge to sneeze was almost unbearable in the clouds of dust that whipped around the room but he fought it back, concentrating on lighting the wood. After a bit of preparation the fire began to take hold. The room bathed in a warm light that gave life to the dead atmosphere of the place. All was silent in the room except for the slight crackling of the small fire.

Gabriel stared at the dancing flame. Its perpetual movement pulled him into its mesmerizing performance.  The popping and crackling rhythms were accented by bursts of hot color. He laid his head down on the floor, fixated on the pure blue-white of the innermost flame. The pulsing of the stone at his chest slightly emanated from within the pouch, still in time with the beating of his heart. The steady sound absorbed Gabriel and each beat left his eyelids closed a hair more than the previous one until they rested together.

Part III

Red patterns began to swirl around in the black void. Spiraling and twisting about themselves, they danced in slow waves. Streams of orange gathered at their intersections. Spots of faintest yellow appeared and grew larger as they mixed with the display. A bolt of white suddenly pierced through. Gabriel's brow arched downward. His eyes squinted, unable to open or focus on the bright white intensity. Holding his left hand up over his tensed face he cast a shadow across his timid eyes. The sun shone down brightly on Gabriel. He was bathed in its warm light. Slowly his tired eyes adjusted to the sun bleached surroundings and the light gave way to images.

He sat in a field of tall green grass. The sun shone down on him from a sky of the purest blue. In the distance clouds drifted passed, lazily sailing the azure sky. His skin tingled. The slight heat of the sun's light mixed pleasantly with the slowly rolling summer breeze that gently blew by. The tall grass waved oddly in slow but ever graceful waves and fluttered over him. It had the feeling of fine hair as it brushed against his legs. The air itself moved slowly. It felt thick and smelled of sweet honey. All around colors coalesced in the air into tiny spheres revolving around small shimmering white lights, only to dissipate again as effortlessly as they formed. Faint twinkling sounds like tiny wind chimes sparkled in the air accenting the colorful visions.

The field was beautiful and quite unlike anything he had ever seen before. Gabriel sat back again and smiled as he basked in the warm light. The place felt comfortable and safe and he imagined that he could live here for a long time without ever wanting to get up from his grassy bed. As he sat there enjoying the lazy scene the stone at his chest began to pulsate more intensely. It vibrated inside the pouch and into Gabriel's chest creating a quiet humming noise. He opened the pouch curiously and looked inside for the gem. It sparkled brilliantly inside the small bag, reflecting the rays of the sun into every direction and every color he had ever seen . The stone itself appeared to glow with a warm golden light as it gently pulsated. Gabriel's eyes opened wide at the spectacular display inside the pouch. He became a bit excited staring at the magnificent spectrum of color and wondered exactly what this thing was for. His heart rate increased slightly as he thought of the old woman's warnings about the stone and as it did the pulsing of the stone increased just the same. Gabriel became even more fixated on the thing, completely blocking out the sights and sounds of the world around him. "What are you," he wondered aloud.

"Neehd-chuh," answered a most peculiar disembodied voice. Gabriel jumped back with a gasp, startled at the sound. Tiny voices emanated from the air around him. The sound of laughter mixed with the slight chiming of bells all around. "Wha ..What ..," Gabriel emitted in short bursts, trying to understand what just happened.

"Neehd-chuh," came the odd voice again from behind. Gabriel spun around quickly, expecting to see someone there, but was met again with only the tiny laughing voices.
"Neehd-chuh ah kimoru," came the voice again, this time only a few feet in front of his face.  Gabriel's grip tightened around his staff and he held it in front of him. "Show yourself," he said in his most authoritative voice (which was surprising even to himself). The tiny voices giggled again, zipping off in many directions. Gabriel stared straight ahead and the yellow light of the sun began to shimmer in front of him. Something was standing there and it slowly began to materialize in front of his eyes. The sun shined off the outline of a form. Its hairs first reflected the light creating a glowing aura around an invisible body. Its colors faded in mixing with the background and slowly an image of a child began to form like smoke in the air. Though the figure was roughly the same size as Gabriel it became clear as his features became distinguished that this was no ordinary person. His hair was somewhat course and dark and he had a short tuft on his chin. His reddish-brown tanned skin gave way to thick woolly hair at his torso. Gabriel watched in astonishment as the creature then formed a pair of goat like legs that ended in two black hooves. He looked back up into its eyes, which had no pupils at all. It had small horns atop its head and slightly pointed ears as well and looked to Gabriel like some sort of demon.

"Neehd-chuh ah kimoru," the creature said again with a sly smile. Its voice had a very strange quality to it. It was sharper and a bit higher pitched than a human voice and seemed to have some sort of underlying humming tone to it the whole time he spoke.
"I don't understand you," Gabriel said cautiously, still gripping his knotted staff. "What do you want?"

"I don't understand you. What do you want?" the creature repeated in its odd voice, playfully mocking Gabriel's stance and tone. Again an eruption of tiny laughing voices came from all around. They seemed to come from the very small white lights that fluttered about and had gathered around the two of them. The creature smiled again, beaming a broad grin at Gabriel as he sat down in the grass in front of him. "Pecku," he said pointing to the ground at the boy's feet.

"I don't understand you."

"Pecku. Neehd-chu ah kimoru," he said again, grinning. He motioned with his arms for Gabriel to sit in front of him. "Sit."

"So you do understand me!" Gabriel was slightly irritated with the creature's behavior thus far, though he didn't really know why he should be so bothered by this silly thing. It just smiled at him, with its head tilted to one side watching the expressions change on Gabriel's face. The tiny lights flew closer around him, still giggling as they circled his head. He could feel a slight heat emanating from their luminescent bodies as they brushed close to him on their ever changing paths. Gabriel swatted at the whirling little beings but they whisked around his arms as he cut through the air. "Stop that laughing ," he said, frustrated, and slumped to the ground with a thump.

The creature stared back at him with its solid black eyes and a smile that warmed his otherwise devilish countenance. "The trees spoke of your coming," he said in his odd inhuman voice. "They whisper to me the secrets of the forest. The wind carries your name."

"Who are you?" Gabriel stared into the shiny black orbs in his tanned face.

"An imaginary dreamer born of a dreaming imagination, neehd-chu ah kimoru."

"What is that? Why do you keep saying that?"

"It is you," remarked the creature, tilting its head to the other side.

"But what does it mean?"

"The rustling of the leaves spells out your name and the wind carries it to my breathing lips. It is the mirror that reflects upon itself."

Gabriel wasn't sure what he meant by all of this but the creature seemed to emanate a sense of calm from his very presence and it reassured and comforted him. Although its eyes were bottomless black orbs they seemed to smile at Gabriel. The two stared at each other in silence momentarily and all felt as pieces of a grand puzzle, each fitting perfectly aside the other.

"My name is Gabriel. What's yours?"

The creature paused for a moment. "It has been quite a long time since someone has asked me that," it said with a sly grin. "The trees do not normally speak in such vulgarities."  Again the tiny laughing voices danced around in the air. "Why not call me Leirbag ? Yes! Yes! That's it!"

Gabriel could feel an eruption of laughter bubbling up from his stomach for a reason which he could not understand. He tried to suppress it but could feel his lips quivering from the strain and the silly grin on this creature before him did not seem to be helping his cause. Despite his best efforts at remaining calm he started to sputter out in short bursts of restrained laughter. The creature started to grin wider and giggle to himself at the boy's struggle. Gabriel desperately threw his hands up to his mouth but could not stop the persistent giggling from coming through. Finally he erupted into a full on belly laugh which sent the tiny lights into frenzied flying patterns as they laughed at him. The creature laughed as well in its strange high-pitched voice as Gabriel doubled over, wiping tears from his eyes. "I have no idea ….. what's so funny," he stammered out in short breaths. As he collected himself and sat upright the pouch at his chest turned itself upside down and spilled its contents out on the grass between them. The gem reflected the sun's light even more brilliantly outside the pouch and bedazzled the spectators with a display of shimmering rainbows and a warm pulsating yellow glow. They all seemed to gasp in unison at the beautiful patterns of dancing lights that had so quickly interrupted their revelry.

Gabriel quickly snatched up the glowing stone and stuffed it back into the pouch. He had wanted to keep it a secret because of the old woman's vague warnings. His  body felt a rush of heat as he nervously secured the roots inside the pouch atop the stone. The creature tilted his head to the side watching Gabriel's change in behavior while fumbling the contents of his small bag. "Why would you hide such a beautiful light away? Why do you clutch it so close?"

"I don't know," replied Gabriel. "I have to protect it. The old woman who gave it to me told me to keep it safe."

"Yes, Gabriel, keep it safe. It resonates with your being. It will shine its brilliant light on your road to home. Always remember that the dark cannot destroy the light, it can only hide it away."

The odd creature's voice and demeanor radiated its peaceful aura outwardly and reassured Gabriel that this place was like a sanctuary, free from harm. He felt safe and completely at ease again in the warm gentle breeze of the sun drenched field. "In all directions lay an assortment of paths on which you could walk to reach your destination. Every one is obscured in the shadow of the forest. If you listen closely enough you will be guided in the right direction. There are no wrong decisions, Gabriel. Only obstacles overcome."

Gabriel put one hand above his brow and surveyed the expanse of the field. The lush, peaceful landscape was encircled on all sides by thick forest. An island of light in a sea of shadows. There were no paths, no dirt roads or cobblestones. Every direction appeared to be identical to every other. Even the sun gave no indication of direction. It seemed to glare down at them from the exact middle of the clear blue sky.

"I am looking for a tower," declared Gabriel. "The old woman told me to find it."

"The answers you seek shall reveal themselves in time child. When you are ready to enter the tower you will find yourself at its doorstep, no sooner, and no later." The strange being smiled a crooked grin at Gabriel and gestured a sweeping bow. "And now I must depart."

"But ….," Gabriel protested as the creature's form began to dissolve into the scenery. "Which way do I go?"

 "You will always be exactly where you are meant to be," responded the disembodied voice. "Our paths shall cross again my friend. You are never alone." The voice trailed off with the sounds of hoofed footsteps in the tall grass until only the whispering of the soft wind remained.