“I will help you,” spoke a disembodied voice from out of the mist. The boy still struggling upon the ground was stunned. Where had this voice come from? Out of the swirling mist appeared a very tall man, with a frame that any dancer would envy. He was not pale but was somewhat diminished and he had a slight green tinge to his skin. He had emerald green eyes, like that of a shimmering ocean. He stood looking down at the boy. He raised his hands, and the roots of the plants retreated down his leg and the plant returned back into its colourful innocent form.
“Who are you?” asked the boy, tentatively.
“That is neither here nor there,” replied the spectre.
“No, who are you?” the boy repeated. The bright green eyes were fixed on the boy, the man’s head was bent slightly at an angle, as though he was examining the boy.
“Can you not tell me?” the man answered.
“Tell you what?” said the boy, impatiently; this man was starting to get on his nerves.
“Say, tell me boy, have you experienced any strong emotion lately,” inquired the man, with a hint of smile.
“I don’t know, not really, why do you ask?” the boy questioned.
“Think carefully now. Have you not felt any strong emotion towards, anyone, a friend perhaps?” said the man temptingly, ignoring the boy’s previous question. It was as if he knew what the boy was thinking.
“Well, I have, there’s this boy in my class and he’s got… No it doesn’t matter, it’s nothing,” said the boy hesitantly.
“No, tell me, don’t feel embarrassed, you can tell me anything,” the man spoke in a somewhat persuasive voice. The boy looked at the man for a few seconds, pondering what the man had just said. He then said,
“Well, there’s this boy in my class at school and he’s really popular and got all these friends, and, and I wish I was like him.”
“Ah, so you’re jealous,” stated the in a hoarse man.
“No, no not jeal……” said the boy, but was interrupted by the man.
“Don’t worry jealously is a natural feeling and let me tell you something, there is an easy way to overcome it,” prowled the man.
“There, there is?” asked the boy, astounded.
“Yes there is,” hissed the man, who now started to walk towards the boy, with an odd, almost conspiring look on his face. His pupils bored deep into the boy’s eyes. “I can get all you want but all you need to do everything that I tell you,” whispered the man.
“Um, ok,” said the boy uncertainly as the man approached the boy and laid a cold, pale palm on his shoulder.
“We need to hurt this boy. We need to make him feel pain and make him learn not to mess with us, I mean you,” he said, correcting himself quickly.
“I don’t think I want to do that actually,” he said slightly disturbed.
“Oh you want to, I know you do, otherwise you will regret it,” whispered the man, into the boys ear. The man had surprisingly cold breath that sent a shiver down the boy’s spine.
“No, no I don’t, I can’t, violence won’t solve anything,” spoke the boy, now feeling a sense of temptation.
“No – one will ever know it was you and you’ll be as popular and have hundreds of friends and then you can have anything you want,” growled the man, stretching one arm out in front of the boy as though he were showing him a beautiful landscape.
“That does seem pretty good, but there must be an easier way,” inquired the boy. The man let go of the boy and walked a few paces away, snarling,
“Oh, forget it. They’re always the same, too weak to do anything, always asking so many questions.”
“I’m not weak!” the boy spoke in an offended tone.
“Then do what I say, prove that you’re not a small weakling!” jeered the man.
“Ok then I will…” but the boy was cut off by another voice, however this time it came from behind him and this time it was not a hoarse voice like the man’s but a gracious and warm hearted voice. It said,
“No, wait.” The speaker was a woman of such breath-taking beauty that she lit up the dark and mundane surroundings. A faint glow emanated from her skin and her flowing blond hair flowed like a waterfall.
“What a travesty is this!” shouted the tall man.
“Quiet,” the women scowled at the man, in a surprisingly distasteful tone. Despite, her tone of voice she turned and looked at the boy and smiled and said, “My dear, don’t listen to him, you can have anything you want, and there is no need to envy anyone.
“Don’t listen to her, remember what I have told you, pain is the answer,” the pale man insisted.
“How can I really have whatever I like?” the boy asked the woman, ignoring the man completely.
“My dear, all you have to do is be kind and generous to people and they will be the kind to you, there is no need to be jealous,” she said in a warming voice.
“Don’t listen to her,” the man scowled, swooping like a bird once again onto the boy and whispering in his ear. “Remember, you must trust me, it was I that saved you, without me you would have died. My way is quick and easy, however her way requires patience,” the man said speaking quickly and quietly. The boy stood confused facing the pale man whose green eyes were still fixed on the boy and the beautiful women who was smiling at the boy, not knowing what he should do.
“I think I am going to go with you my good lady,” he said rather uncomfortably as the man looked mortified. The boy quickly rushed to the smiling lady. She placed her warm palm on the boy’s shoulder as they watch the pale man glare at the boy and walk back into the mist from wenst he had come.
The boy was walking through the wood, with a sense of happiness inside him. He felt much better after he had had the talk with the women who advised the boy kindly and lovingly on how to overcome his dilemma. He was walking when voices started to fill his head. It was the voice of the pale man, he spoke of betrayal and how the boy would pay for his sins. Suddenly, out of nowhere the tall man materialised in front of the boy. He was more ragged than before and his hair hung down in curtains over his gleaming green eyes. He looked furious and he shouted, “I saved you. You did not choose my advice but betrayed me and went with that cursed woman, Generosity. Now I will show you pain!”
“No, no I’m sorry, please don’t hurt me,” the boy squealed. The boy looked in horror as the man raised one shaking hand and brought it down through the air like a whip, striking the boy hard on the head. He fell to the ground and everything was black…
