~ Walk Back ~

by

Peter Cosentino

A noise distracted them. It became louder and louder, becoming a roar as it approached. They both dropped to the ground and waited, fearful that they had been discovered, hoping beyond hope that whatever it was, it would not devour them. The object responsible for creating the noise came into view as they peered through the bushes.

“Look! It’s not a creature at all, it’s some form of motorised vehicle winding its way down the pathway.” Its size meant that it was accommodated within one half of the width of the path and as though guided by some unforeseen force, kept neatly to its side of the white line. Idris was fascinated by it.

As it passed by they were shocked to see its inhabitants.

“Did you see what I think I saw?” asked Lorcan.

“What? That both of them looked alarmingly like the old sketches we have seen in museums of what our own human ancestors were reportedly like? How can humans be settled so close to our city without us ever having been aware of their presence?” gasped Idris. “Why is it not common knowledge, and why hasn’t my limputer shown them in the same way it has all other creature types when we have approached their settlements, warning us of any particular dangers that we need to be wary of?”

Lorcan shook his head pensively but did not respond.

They continued to move slowly along, the hedgerow safely hiding them. Other vehicles also passed by. They decided that they would be safer moving further back from the pathway, well out of sight of any other vehicles.

“Our best option would be to skirt around the settlement below. Even though this will take us longer, I feel it is by far our safest option,” suggested Lorcan.

“Perhaps we should wait until the next period of darkness to make our way through in order to ensure we are not discovered,” replied Idris, who was at a loss to understand how it could be so cold. “I can hear my own teeth chattering,” he said, wrapping his own arms around himself in a futile attempt to keep warm.

“What was that?” asked Idris, who had heard a frightened, pleading small voice. “I can’t locate where it’s coming from.”

Lorcan heard nothing until they drew closer to where Idris thought it could be coming from. They peered over the hedge that surrounded an open grassy area. They saw what appeared to be a number of young human creatures, all of differing sizes though one of them was particularly small in relation to the others. He was being pushed around within a circle made up from the larger ones. He was clutching a ball tightly to his chest, but it was suddenly wrenched away from him and kicked far and high into the sky. The others all laughed and jeered. He ran after the ball with the others chasing him like a pack of baying hounds trying to run him to ground. It was obvious even from where Idris and Lorcan looked on that he was very frightened... then suddenly he disappeared as though he had simply dropped off the end of the world. The chasing pack stopped just as suddenly, paused briefly, then turned to scatter and disappear into the settlement beyond.

Lorcan and Idris stood there for a few moments pondering what they had witnessed. Then they heard the same small, pleading voice coming from close to where he had suddenly disappeared from.

“Help... help me... Please. Please help me,” the little voice spluttered.

“Can you hear the sound of splashing water?” asked Idris, his head cocked at an angle as he listened intently.

Although they were well aware of the potential danger they were placing themselves in, they nevertheless went to investigate.

“No wonder the young human just ‘disappeared’ from sight,” said Lorcan once they were closer. “There is a huge pit of over one thousand yards in diameter. It is filled with water and surrounded by walls with a sheer drop of some thirty feet. “Look! There he is, trying in vain to scramble from the water. It is impossible for him to escape from this pit.” The youngster looked close to exhaustion. “I dread to think how numbingly cold the water must be.

“We have to do something,” said Idris. “The small human will die of hypothermia before long if not sooner by drowning.” His ball bobbed aimlessly on the surface, well out of his reach.

“What are you going to do?” asked Idris as Lorcan moved up to the edge. The youngster saw them and stopped calling for help. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him for it appeared that he was now being chased by werewolves!