The Stone Figure

This is a story that I sent into an adult short story contest, I tied for second place. The funny thing about it though was I was able to send up to three entries, so I sent another one before this. The other one had so much thought and time put into it, and this one I wrote in an hour (starting from scratch, to sending it in, in one hour) and this was the one that I got a placing with.

The Stone Figure

Deirdre

The pain seared through my whole body as I was rooted to the spot. Every part of me screamed to run away, to hide from her, but I couldn't move. The agony seeped into every corner of my body and my mind screamed silent pleas.

It had been too many years to count since the enchantment fell on me. I still remembered that day as though it had happened yesterday. I could almost still feel the searing pain race through my veins when memory of it came. But, of coarse I no longer had veins.

I was stone.

I held the same position while seasons came and went for many years. Deep in the forest I sat, always watching, always waiting. My deep brown hair, long and wild, my pale beautiful skin, my curious brown eyes, and even my long flowing skirt was now stone.

All on me was stone, all but the red scarf around my neck.

I could not turn to look at it, no, but others have. Sometimes a young girl or boy would wander into the small clearing and stare at me with wonder. None of them knew me I suppose, for it had been many years that I'd been here. Most of them just walked up and looked at my shoulders at the strange scarf. Some of them would try to pull on it to take it, but it wouldn't move. And the curious thing was though, whenever one tried to take it, a crow would come and chase them off. This crow seemed to be a guardian of sorts.

I knew the scarf held the clue to releasing me, for I had never owned a red scarf in my life. The biggest mystery was not how it came to be there, but why none could lift it.

None could, till he came along.

Tomas

“Tomas, get your nose out of that book of yours and come help me.” My older brother Rowan startled me. I looked up at him from my spot at the base of the tree.

“What do you want now Rowan?” I asked with a small sigh. Because he was older, I always seemed to have to be his shadow helping him all the time. I didn't mind most of the time though. Being as shy and hesitant as I was I could not do much without him.

“We are supposed to start on the wood pile. Its not going to be long before we will be needing it.” He walked towards me and handed me an ax. Without another word I followed him into the woods.

The tree's near our cottage produced wood that burnt too fast. This was now to be our second winter away from court, and we wouldn't make the same mistake again.

We went further into the forest looking for good wood. It wasn't long until we came to a grove of strong solid trees.

We then started to work on the hard task of chopping down some these large trees.

“Put your back into it Tomas!” Rowan said angrily. Then he mumbled, “I bet your mind is off into one of those books of yours. The boy more than likely would not know an ax from a tree if his precious books did not tell him.”

His words stung, but as usual, I tried to ignored them. I wasn't as strong as he was, so it stood to reason that I could not do as much as him.

Today though, I felt a bit of anger well up in me, but not enough to do something. I just mumbled under my breath about how I, at least was not a simpleton and could read.

“What was that?” Rowan peered at me questioningly

“Nothing.” I had to let it go. There was nothing I could do but continue to ignore his hurtful comments. “I am going to take a break for a little while. I will come back soon.”

Without waiting to hear his reply, I turned on my heels and walked quickly towards what seemed to be a clearing.

My father, mother, and even my older brother always were disappointed in me for not being what they had wanted me to be. I was always expected to be either a fighter or a farmer. My father was once a knight of the king, but after many years of faithful service, and a newly made wound to his knee, the king granted him a small lot of land in which to farm with his sons. My eldest brother was not Rowan, no,there was another older yet than him. My eldest brother was now away taking up the place of his father as a knight. Rowan was always more a settled one though, so he chose to take up farming his fathers lands. My grandfather was also a farmer, and my parents found no shame in the hard labor of the large task of farming lands.

I was different though, I had not shown qualities of either.

Life back in court held many opportunities to read, write, and learn from scribes and learned men. There were libraries filled with stacks of books in which to learn more from.

My favorite books to read always had something to do with history of these lands, or the legends of the former people who dwelt in them.

I continued on, not being far from where my brother was still chopping wood. A small clearing seemed to be ahead, so I walked on a little longer.

I snapped back into the present as I walked into the clearing. There, in the middle of the clearing was a statue of a fair young maiden. So intricate were the details of this statue, it looked as though she could, at any moment, get up and walk towards me.

Small creeping plants twined around her, and moss also grew on her. Though, as old as it seemed, the stone in no way was crumbling or cracking. The strangest part of this statue though, was the vibrant blood red scarf laying on her shoulders. Not a single stain or blemish was upon the scarf.

I heard someone coming up from behind me in the woods.

“Tomas, look, I'm sorry. You need not get so upset about it!” When I didn't respond for a long time, he let out a small exasperated sigh, and sat on the ground near the statue. “Might as well eat now, good time as ever...” He mumbled.

“Rowan, look.” I pointed towards the statue. My brother had paid no mind to it. Clearly he didn't think anything unusual about it.

“Yes Tomas, its very nice.” He spoke as if I was a young boy showing him something simple.

“Do you not think it odd? Look, it surely must have been here many years, and yet on the statue itself shows no sign of age or blemish.And look at the red scarf on her. It is without any stain.”

My brother looked mildly annoyed with me now. “I'm betting that the scarf was just placed there by a wayward child.” To prove his point he walked up to the statue and reached for the scarf. Suddenly, a crow darted out of the nearest tree, and stood defensively on the scarf. Every time Rowan reached and got near it, the bird let out another screech.

Even with the bird there, Rowan still tried to take the scarf. The scarf did not come off, it was as if the scarf too was stone.

I walked up to the statue too, and after Rowan decided to give up on trying to retrieve the scarf, I reached up and touched it.

“Its no use Tomas, the thing is stone too. Besides, the bird will probably give you something to think about.”

When I got near the statue, the crow took one good look at me, then flew away. Rowan's eyes must have mirrored my own shock, for upon my touch, the scarf fell to the ground. It was as if my touch released it from the statue.

“I must have loosed it when I tried to take it off,” Rowan stood up and snatched the scarf off the ground. “Mother will be happy to have something to keep her warm this winter.”

“Rowan, give it back.” Something in my voice must have shocked Rowan, for immediately he obeyed. I did not know why I had reacted the way I just had. It confused me more than Rowan.

The scarf was blood red, with intricate patterns on the side that we had seen. I turned it over to inspect the other side. This had a riddle on it, and it read like this:

The scarf has been taken, the guardian you passed

To break this spell, I give you one last task.

For stone I was, and stone I will be.

Until the day, when you can release me.

The verse was confusing. A spell? What was this about a guardian? Then I thought of the crow that had given my brother such a hard time.

I continued reading message on the scarf.

Travel over lands you've never seen before,

travel over hills, through forests and more.

Retrieve my sister scarf, and put her on stone,

still though, my dear brother, your task is not done.

Though questions come in many a call,

to break this spell, do not answer at all.

When you've kept your secret, I promise to you,

this girl will be released, and all will be true.

Happiness you will have and joy a plenty,

but not, my dear sir, if you come back home empty.

My mind whirled with the enormity of what had just happened. This was no statue, no, it was a fair young maiden trapped in stone. I looked at the figure again, it was no wonder she seemed so lifelike.

I had a decision to make, would I do what was asked of me? Would I go searching over hills, through forest, and in foreign countries to free her? Would I be able to keep this secret? And would the promise that was given me that this figure of a maiden would become flesh be true?

I turned to look at Rowan who was lazily asleep in the shade of a tall oak. I would leave them, I would leave them all and make my own fortune in traveling, and in breaking the spell set upon her.

I would leave at first light tomorrow.

Deirdre

And so, he came. He spoke not of it to his companion, which I later found out to be his elder brother.

All through the long days of waiting after that, I always thought of his dark brown hair. I thought of his bright, kind blue eyes that looked upon me with awe. The same eyes that read the scarf with understanding, became full of fierce determination.

I also remembered how his brother looked down on him and ordered around like that of a servant, and how the one with dark hair always obeyed.

My fate now rested in the hands of the one that was called Tomas. With all my heart I wished him to succeed.

Tomas

It had been hard to leave without any explanations. My mother was distraught, and my brother confused. But I was sure that soon they would forget me. I would be gone a long time, for I had not much basis on where to go to search for this twin red scarf.

I had read alot in my youth about legends and myths, and one of them contained a magical red scarf. The storyteller swore that it was true. I remembered little to none of this story, but it was what I had based my journey on. I had to, for there was nothing else I could do.

Rowan -2 years later-

“Is that dear Tomas?” Asked my mother getting up from the seat by the window. “Oh, Rowan! Rejoice, for my son has come back home!”

I looked up bewildered from where I was by the table. Tomas? Back here home? Why, that fellow had been gone almost two years now. It couldn't be him. He'd vanished without any explanation.

I remembered how my heart had been heavy with guilt, for I thought it had been because of me that he had left. I always played over and over in my mind all things I had said to him, and all the times I looked down on him because of who he was. The day he left was the day I found out how much I really loved him. He was my brother, and had always been there for me, whether it was to help with chores, for advice, or if it was to get out of trouble when we were young.

I hastily went to the window to see an older version of my brother walking towards the cottage. I broke into a big smile, and my brown eyes misted over. I ran towards him, shouting his name.

Time seemed to slow down as he looked up at me. His eyes seemed to be filled with new knowledge, and his once akward smile was now confident. The rolled up sleeves of his tunic revealed a new large scar. I could only imagine what a journey he had to have changed from an insecure youth eight of ten to a young confident man of twenty.

As soon as I reached him I pulled him in a fierce hug, I held onto him tight, not wanting to let him go.

“I thought you were dead. When you left and we had no news of you, we thought you had died.”

“Oh Rowan, I missed you all so much.” As I pulled away I saw Tomas's eyes mist up.

Just then I noticed that behind my brother was the figure in the forest. She was not stone though, no, she was breathing and alive. Her deep brown hair that was once locked in stone, now fanned around her in a wild way and framed her beautiful face. Her large brown eyes looked curiously up at me from the spot behind my brother. She was a young woman, and looked about seven of ten. Her long flowing dress was the color of the stone she had been imprisoned in. And the scarf that seemed to only be fit for a queen rested upon her graceful shoulders. She wore it well, and with pride.

“This is Deirdre, the statue in the forest,” his eyes grew brighter and his his smile lit up as he looked back at her and winked. Deirdre blushed and smiled shyly back, her eyes full of adoration and trust. “There is plenty of time for explanations and stories later, but right now I think I can smell some of mother's good cooking from over here. And trust me, I've waited a long time to eat that good food again.”

I could not help but notice as we were walking towards our home how different Tomas was, and how his eyes always softened when he looked at Deirdre. They looked at each other as though there was no one else in the world but them two. I didn't know what had happened, and how Tomas had released her, but I knew from then on that they would always be together.

Tomas

It had been many years since the long journey. And now me and my wife, Deirdre, had two children, and a third on the way. I never forgot the magical way she had turned from stone to flesh when I placed the much sought after scarf around her shoulders.

The moment she looked at me for the first time, and I at her, I knew the promise that was made was fulfilled. I had not known such happiness and joy as I had since then.

I would always remember what Deirdre told me of the long years of waiting for someone to come along that could lift the scarf, and so lift the spell. She told me of many who had tried to take the scarf, but always the crow would scare them off, for they were not the right one.

I also had many memories that I kept to myself of the long, hard journey. Most of it still at times made me wake in the night with terrors. Things had happened that I would always be scarred with. Deirdre helped me heal some of the wounds. And now I once again could say I was a happier man because of her.

When I came home though, not everything was as happy as I had wished it to be. My father's chair by the hearth was empty, and so it had been for a not even a month before I came home.

I had known sorrow that day, and I did grieve over my father, but I had my whole life ahead of me. And I was sharing it with with my angel.