Suki's Fear

Suki's Fear

Suki was lost in the woods
Though she had been gifted the ability to speak with animals
It did little to help
Most of the residents of the woods
Did not trust her
Or feared her

Her first night as a ghost
Was miserably alone.
She sat beneath a tree
Counting her sorrows.

"After all you've been through,
You still weep?"

Ariel had taken rest on Suki's antler.

Suki wiped her tears and said,
"I'm still human.
I can cry when I'm sad,
If I wish."

To this, Ariel said nothing.
She allowed the girl to cry.

Soon Suki ceased.
And with a great sigh she said,
"I thought you were a dream.
Why did you leave me?"

Ariel laughed
"Oh Girl,
Of course I'm real."

"Then why did you leave me?"

"I'm here to guide you, not hold your hand.
You need to find your own way, Girl."

"My name is Suki."

Ariel laughed.

"Of course, Suki."

"Well what do you want?
Why revive me from death
Only to torment me?"

"Come with me.
I want you to see something."

And with that the bird flew off.

Suki stood up and debated whether or not to follow
This bird was quickly becoming an annoyance
And not at all a reliable friend.

Ariel perched on a bush and called out
"Come on!"
And was off again.

Suki decided to follow.

In the twilight it was difficult to follow Ariel
And at times Suki was sure she had gotten lost.
But when the panic began to creep in
Ariel would always announce her presence
Usually by pointing out how slow Suki was.

Suki's frustration mounted
"I'm getting sick of your games bird
Perhaps I would of fared better at the brothel!"
Suki whined.

"Well, good news then!" Said the bird.
It landed gently on a dying bush
At the edge of a cliff.
Suki stepped foward and looked below.
The lights of candles and lamps shone up at her.
"Welcome home." said Ariel.

"It's Balien's Brothel.
Right there,
Right there is where I was caged.
Why have you brought me here?"

The bird stared
"To give you purpose."

Suki glared.
"The first thing you have to understand,"
Began Ariel,
"Is hopelessness.
Tell me Girl, what do you see?"

Suki gritted her teeth at being called 'Girl'.
"I see the brothel."

Ariel did not remove her eyes from below.
"Let go of your anger and look,
Suki,
What is it you see?"

Suki crossed her arms and looked down.
The brothel was alive.
The evening suitors were strolling through brothel
As if they were at a zoo.
Mercenaries and suitors gathered by the pub
The girls were being picked.
Or serving drinks.
Or following suitors.

"I see..I see the brothel. Nothing unusual.
It's all the same."

Kanji and Shuni were drunk and stumbling about.
The Mistress was speaking to a tryst of suitors
Introducing them to a girl.

Tears began to well up in the Suk's eyes.

Ariel saw.
"What is it Girl?"

"Nothing changed.
They murdered me only today,
And nothing has changed.
Kanji and Shuni
Mistress,
They have already forgotten."

It was quiet on the clifftop.
Ariel only sat watching.
"The Universe does not weep for anyone.
No sin means more than another.
Come, there is more to show."

The bird flew down the cliff, beckoning Suki to follow
Suki feared the descent would be difficult,
And struggled with her first steps.

Her fingers bled and her grip was sore
She made it halfway down
When she had to stop
Pressing herself against the stone
She cried for Ariel to help her.

"What's Ariel?"
Asked a tiny voice.
Suki turned her face to meet the many eyes of a spider.

Suki breathed heavy
"Ariel..She's a bird..."

"Ariel is a bird!"
exclaimed the arachnid.
It scurried backwards into stone
"Where is she!" it called from safety.

"She has apparently...left me...again.

The spider poked it's head out.
"Oh good. What are you doing up here?"

"I was trying to get down..."

"With useless fingers like those,
You will never be able to climb these walls."

The spider crawled above Suki
Clinging to the wall upside down,
It looked down at her.

A stone slipped out from beneath Suki's foot
She yelped and gripped tighter to the wall
She was paralyzed with fear.

"Help me! Please, help me get down safely!"
She pleaded with the bug.

The spider crawled on her face
"You need help?" it asked

"YES!"

The spider scratched his chin.

"Let's make a deal.
It's cold and windy up here
I need to find a new home.
I will help you descend now.
But if you find me a new place to live
I will share with you the secret of the Spider.
Then you will be able to climb up and down cliffs like this one
With ease!
What do you say!"

"YES! Just help me down!"

The spider crawled off her face.
"Grab my line."

The spider spun it's silk and knotted it around a heavy stone.

"It will break!" screamed Suki

"No it won't.
Spiders only ever have to thread for their own weight
But if we want,
We can make thread strong enough
To even carry your fat body."

And the spider leapt
And disappeared down the cliff.

Suki desperately grabbed the line.
And leapt.

She swayed for a bit,
Her eyes closed in anticipation of her fall
She opened them slowly
To see that in fact
The line was strong enough to support her.
She thanked the strangeness of the day
And rappelled down.

At the bottom the Spider waited for her.
"You took your time." it said.

Suki scratched her antlers.
The Spider crawled up her and on to her head.
"What are you doing there?"
"I will follow you till you find me a new home.
Now go."

1. Art courtesy of Katherine Dinger, who I have been unable to contact, but if anyone can, please let me know! I hate using other persons work without permission.