Natures Gift - Chapter 1

And as night falls upon every little alien city fragment and
insidious fragrant outhouse, there is but one place that never loses
its sleep and the forest was sure fire alive tonight. Only a simple
toned lullaby will ease the mind that closes no doors tonight.

An Actors Furrow

Bring back all my good old days, so that I may see what truly can be
seen.

What had he missed in this life? Everything and nothing. There, surely,
at this moment in time was nothing worth more in his life than the time
he was spending with her. Come to think of it where was she? This was
her idea!! Where was Helena? He felt like an idiot, they had come from
the brightly knit city, which seemed like an eon away to this woodland
area of the small town, what was it called? He couldn't for the life of
himself remember?Caplan? Mayfree? No, they were the towns they passed
on the long journey way up here?ahhhhhhh that was it!!!!

"Southern Crest Seer!!" he exclaimed pounding one right fist into an
empty left hand.

Now he felt like a real subway idiot, shouting aloud in a deserted dirt
forest in the middle of the nowhere plains. There was nothing here, a
hero to the zero, this town was pretty much dead. He missed the vacant
stare of the city and fact that you could eliminate hunger at any time
with 24 hour pizza delivery and rent any sort of ousting porno to ease
that mind that thinks so very fast and clever. 'Griffin Snare' missed
the city. Porn and pizza. I mean there, his name was sheared skilfully
into every pulp theatre light bulb and tacky billboard d?cor in that
place, big time stage actors don't lose much sleep, especially Griffin,
there was no time to not be reading his next big hit part or rehearsing
with a friend lines from various comedies of sorrow, before a riotous
night on the tiles. But now his up and coming act seemed like a part he
was not ready to take. A part in?'Life, The Golden Misery key'.
Ha!

Upon a personal reaction he noticed his hair was in place and his
well-toned body an asset, if not to his girlfriend but to the others
who would eye him up. He could almost smell their need for a piece of
this cake and certainly?there was enough to go round. Ahem. Cough.
Splutter.

He had agreed with Helena to leave the city and visit her shitty home
town in a vain attempt to propose a life of marriage, with him in the
driving seat, sure she wasn't single but what the hell, this is what
fuels a media mind and a textbook heart. How could he resist that red
hair and freckled smile? He had the over crusted ring in his pocket and
her face on his mind, in his head she was beautiful as he thought about
her, her flowing red hair mingling with a new day, that pale skin that
reflects only truth, that makeup could not smear and those endless blue
eyes that wanted he look into till the end of time. Now that's a little
too romantic he thought?may be a little cheesy too, this wasn't some
part he had to act out. Jerk. He had to get her to be his, forever. So
Griffin stood in this forest in the middle of nowhere, a yellow logo
emblazoned t-shirt, tight blue jeans and a baseball cap. He felt like
an idiot. It was nearing summer sure but it still was damn cold. He
pushed a flake of jet black hair back behind his ears and checked the
tan on his arms for fear of wear from the elements?where was she? It
was the right time, right place because he's checked the map. Suddenly
his mobile went off in an annoying reprise of an old 60's song, a
subtle ring tone, nothing to grand for this place and certainly not
blacker that the yard. He answered.

"Hello?"
"Whezzzzzzztttttt Can Youzzzzzzzzzzttttt" the voice screamed
robotically on the other end.
"Helena?"

The quality was awful and he had paid over four hundred for this thing,
satellite tracking the lot and look at this thing now.

And with that the forest comes alive as branches snap and the graceful
nature of the night is sent into a hurtling refrain.

Then he is thrown to the floor as this howling thing latches onto his
back and sends him screaming to the floor, he lashes out a sweeping
fist and catches whoever/whatever directly in the face.

"Oh fucking great!!!!!" the howling thing blurts.
"Helena?!?!?!?" Griffin enquires naturally afraid of the court will say
or what the papers will read when they hear about his lashing
out.
"Yeah, Helena!!!!!" she crossed her arms.
"Christ I'm sorry I didn't know what?or?who you were!!?"
"So hitting out really makes the difference you fuckin
arsehole!!!!"
"Honey please I'm sorry!!!!"
"Hmmmmmm, yeah right!!!!!" she snubbed.

She then went into a sulk, fell to the floor and crossed her legs
placing her chin on the hands and turning that smile upside down.

"Honey?? I didn't know!!" he pleaded
No reply.
"Honey?? come on???" he simpered.
a crack in the smile.
"Honey you know how tough I am?..?" he giggled.

A grand smiles departs her lips as she jumps to her feet and wraps her
arms around him, wrestling him to the floor.

"Forgive me then huh?" he said but thinking the words 'Moody
Bitch'.
"You know I would."
"Why do we have to be so clandestine bout all this then?"
"Ohhhhh big word actor boy!!! Look?I just get paranoid ok?"
"Hmmmmm, and there was me just thinking you wanted?.y'know?.somewhere
quiet so we can?"
"Don't even??not tonight??."
"So why are we out here?"
"Because??well its romantic of course."
"And that's its?"
"Yeah, you want to live in a movie don't you."

And with that she runs off into the forest.

"Chase me then?.chase your true love ha ha!!!"

And with that they run, wildly, dancing between the trees, back and
fore, in and out until they hit the clearing where Griffin catches her
and wrestles her to the ground. She giggles and screams aloud as he
tickles her sides and then they lie, side by side facing the stars and
the black sky. The clouds wisp by and cover the moon, for mere seconds
then it is shown for what it is. Its just the moon, cant you
tell?

"Come on get up." Griffin whispers into her ear.

She does so and as they look round they realise they have hit upon
someone's campfire. The clearing they are in is luscious green and rich
in plant life and upon closer inspection it appears that the clearing
is man made as the trees have been burnt back to make way for this
space. Griffin shouts a whimpered hello to the darkness of the wood but
there is no reply and Helena laughs at him for being a pussy, he scowls
and trumps around in an actors stride.

Around the fire there are a few objects strewn about, a small heap of
small broken twigs and branches, a small toolbox that contains a pair
of pliers and a scalpel blade, but takes Griffins eyes is the patch of
grass that is oddly coloured.

The patch of grass is approximately a few metres in length and on
touching its milky surface, appears to be flesh like in scent and
fabric.

"Weird, what do you think it could be?" Griffin enquires.
"Looks hollow, check out the black squares." Helena says.

And on checking them there appears to be seven black spots of about
baby grave size and shape. The first six seem to be empty as there is a
slit right down them and when Griffin puts his arm into them all he
feels is moist dirt and a hollow gap. But the seventh is bulbous and
has not been cut. Yet. Griffin puts his hand upon the tool box and then
places the retrieved scalpel gently at the top of the fleshy mound and
cuts deep from top to bottom, a mere spillage is announced to the air
and the scent is unsightly and vile. Helena steps back and puts her
nose to the forest edge to absorb some green scent to replace that vile
odour. Griffin stands back and scans the cut area.

A green slime is now emitting smoothly from the slice and Griffin looks
at the other graves. There must have been something else in those
graves and with an ounce of bravery from the heart piece he crouches
back down and rolls up his sleeve. He pushes his hand forth into the
slice and the slime is cold, goose bumps rise upon his flesh and he
shudders as he touches something warm in the grave. He it appears to
have the shape of a long branch but a little thicker and as he runs his
fingers up it he reaches a soft mass of flesh at the tip. With courage
at his side he wraps his hands around the branch thing and yanks it out
of the grave.

"What is it?" Helena enquires.
"I don't know, I just don't know." He says as he places the thing on
the ground beside the grave.

It is a metre in length and has a bulbous mass of flesh on the top of
it that is about the same size as a football. After the slime has run
off and Griffin has inspected it more closely he realises it is a spine
and on top, a head. A childs head. The eyes are covered with flesh and
the mouth is filled to the brim with the slime. He rolls over the head
and the slime pours out in a flurry of greens and browns.

"It's a child." Helena says.
"It's horrendous, who would do this?"
"It looks peaceful I'll give it that."
"Aren't you afraid."
"This is just like a movie, how can I be afraid."

And with that the child thing opens its mouth.

"My god!" Griffin says.

At first the sound coming from its mouth is a gurgle but after a few
attempts the noise that hits the night is that a beauty. A strange,
harmonious beauty. Notes are hit that birds could not mimic.

"That is beautiful. What song is it?" Helena bleeds verbally.
"This is something wonderful, I'll give it that."

Then the tune goes a little flat as a new noise has entered the fray.
Its deep bass loathing the air and corrupting insignia sounds from here
and there.

"That sounds awful!!!" Helena gasps.
"Its not coming from the child, its coming from the trees."

They both look up and catch a glimpse of the lanky figure dodging the
moonlight and forest in the distance.

"Grab your things." Griffin demands.
"Why? It might be someone who can help."
"GRAB YOUR THINGS! THAT'S THE WHERE THE OTHER NOISE IS COMING
FROM!"
"But??"
"DO IT!!!!"

As they turn to leave the figure has reached them, the noise is
unbearable, a low baritone. The figure is around seven feet in height
and is green all over, it has no eyes, and only its jawless face can be
made out. It breaks through the forest edge in a low scream and within
two bounds of its feet it has smashed into Griffin. He splits into
pieces and flies through the air. Helena falls onto her back and starts
screaming. The green man raise his left hand as he looks up and down
the spine child, the grass comes alive, longs vines pierce the air and
lash around each piece of Griffin as he flies through the air in a
series. Helena watches on as the vines of grass tighten around the each
piece of him and begin to suck the energy, blood and purity out of each
chunk. The green man bows down at the spine child and strokes the head.
The singing had stopped. The green mans voice has stopped. Even Helena
has stopped screaming through fright and loss of breath.

The air hangs quietly and all that can be heard is the vines retracting
back into the ground with each piece of griffin, which is now empty and
black. The vines disappear into the ground. The green man places the
spine of the child neatly into a hole in himself. Helena watches on. He
scans her up and down then turns around. He places a long grass like
hand into the seventh grave, cups some slime and throws it onto the
fire before stretching to the sky?that's when the his voice becomes
baritone and violent again. Helena screams and begins the run.

She bursts through the forest edge and breaks any branch or twig in her
way, screaming as she does so. She turns back and sees that the green
man is coming full pelt at her, she enters top speed as he legs burn
and he heart bangs at the sides of her chest.

"What do you want!?!?!?!" she cries.

But the only answer is that of the baritone mess that hails from his
lips. Suddenly another clearing is seen and the sound of water can be
heard aloud. As she hits the clearing the green man catches up with her
and smashes her full force in the back of her head, this send her
flying out of the forest, beyond the clearing and into the river
ahead.

And with all the splashes in the world we ride, oh we ride.

She hits with an almighty splash and descends to the bottom of the
water, smashing her face on the rocks. She spins over like crocodile
prey and the current tears her downstream. The green man is left
screaming at the waters edge. Screaming and screaming and screaming
until the sound of rushing water elevates the noise from within.

End of chapter 1