The Flute
Gomes Jean Michel S Pranto
I was the only surviving scout of my tribe.
This war I am to talk about had taken too many of our own people, including my parents. They used to be just simple farmers who lived inside the secured stronghold and desired nothing in return. My tribe’s chieftain, too, got tired of losing and at that moment only wished a truce in any way possible before all was lost. Peace is what we proposed but the Universe seemed to dispose our naïve prelude to redemption.
I was given the scroll of capitulation by a soldier, who didn’t even know the burden he just bestowed upon me. I was hoping that my king would give me this mission himself. I guess my significance in this was not as appreciated as it should be.
It could sound obnoxious to some, but I was taught numerous skills and languages my whole life that in time, managed to turn me into an efficient scout. All these extensive trainings and studying really made me feel like an important asset to the tribe, but at the end, it was only my loyalty that held me close to this dying civilization especially when I had no one to call my own other than the tribe itself.
I had decided this to be my last mission. After this journey, I intended to travel far away and explore the creative side I felt hidden inside, aspiring to be someone greater than what I was back then.
I was sent off to my mission by foot. Even though we had horses, they rather invested in my running skill loosely based on the assumption that they could make more use of those horses than me. I guess this was one of their odd ways to show that they cared.
The journey was of two days and two nights. I was barely given enough food, as the food was scarce because of the war. More and more all the skills I had learned back in those days turned out to be crucial for my survival, especially during the war. I knew I would have to rely solely on my hunting skills once my ration ran out.
The journey started quite uneventfully. The sun was still too shy to show up and the thick forest covering the main route was still grim and silent. My clothes were still wet from the morning dew. I felt like I could be warmer if I was naked; and yet, I embraced all uneasiness, for this was my last mission.
Few moments passed by and the sun finally declared his kingship over the deserted land, clearing the fog and drying everything that felt his royal warmth. The single drawback of my profession, apart from the fear of being killed by animals and enemies, was the sensation of time being stretched to its utmost length. I felt like I was moving at a snail’s pace even if I was the fastest person in my tribe. Time itself also seemed to pursue that painfully slow child-step. Nevertheless, I continued because it was my final mission. So, I would better start moving towards my objective without being distracted, or else it would be the end of my tribe.
I was getting quite tired of running, so I stopped for a moment, raised my hand into the horizon and placed my index fingers in parallel to the sun so that I could make an approximation of the time left for the sun to set. I was able to fit two fingers in the distance between the sun and the mountains that created the horizon, which meant I had about four hours left before it got dark. Even though I didn’t feel like running anymore, I improvised a shortcut with the knowledge that I had about this area and started walking through it. The shortcut was through the dense forest. It was already very dark inside this impregnable fortress of foliage. I had grown quite used to that place, as most of my training like gathering, hunting, crafting, and luring animals by imitating their sounds took place over there. Civilians back home believed that there is a demon in this forest that was said to have killed our chieftain’s only son, who came to hunt in those woods. I personally never saw a demon or anything mystical in that matter and I didn’t even believe in such things, anyways … ‘till things took a different turn.
I lit a torch with whatever material I was able to procure and with the charcoal that I brought with me. Never did I once doubt myself getting lost, which was either because I was extremely confident of my navigational skills or because something instinctive was leading me through this path.
More or less an hour passed by and I was suddenly stopped by a shimmer of light piercing through the dense forest. An immense surge of curiosity took the better of me. I quickly but stealthily sneaked towards the source of the light. As I moved closer to the light, its blinding intensity started to fade until I was just close enough for it to miraculously dissipate into thin air, revealing a giant lake. I felt that to hide the scroll of truce of my tribe in the ground before I moved towards the lake would be a good idea, as the light could be coming from anyone, even my enemy.
The lake was completely calm and quiet under the sky which was still offering a last glimmer of sunshine. I kneeled close to the lake to wash my face. Surprisingly, the water was crystal clear and clean enough to even drink. But I decided not to drink it and store some in a dried gourd for later. I heard a sudden splash and quickly stood up as the survival instinct kicked in. I looked at the source of the sound which happened to be right in the middle of the lake, only to locate the apparition of a small boat out of nowhere- a boat with a pale, but very attractive woman who was singing with two strange birds that were chirping along with her at the two ends of the boat. The woman’s lifeless gaze was fixed on nothing else but those birds. Her white robe, her bright leafy green hair, and eyes pierced my thoughts; I felt a strong surge of a nameless emotion inside me. Now all I could think of was grabbing her attention. I tried to call her, tried all three languages I knew to communicate with her, tried splashing the water and even waved my torch. But, in vain! She only kept singing with the birds and her voice caught my very soul off guard. These birds that I had never seen or heard of before chirped in such a peculiar sound that one could not help paying attention to it and the lady was imitating their tone as well, if not the other way around. For some unknown reason, to me, it seemed that the only possible way to get her attention was to imitate their musical notes.
Unfortunately, this strange ethereal sound was not something I could create with my mere mortal lips. I needed some sort of an instrument, and a special one at that which would dare produce the unearthly tone the woman and her birds were giving life to. As the pale woman kept hymning in the dark, I decided to work through the whole night, drafting and crafting, trying to create my desired item.
That had been my only priority during the night; even sleep escaped my body for the sake of my determined ordeal and its completion. The sun was about to rise and the fruit of my invention was about to come out. I finally crafted the perfect tubular structure to mimic the celestial melody.
I went back to the lake where the woman was still singing with the birds. For a moment I tried to listen to the rhythm they were performing and then started to imitate them with the help of my instrument. They still didn’t seem to show much interest and my heart started to sink into itself. I started to play the instrument even louder until all the air from my lungs was being pushed inside so the sound would reach their ear. And it seemed like it actually worked as they stopped singing altogether. To my surprise, she looked right at me and the birds began to slowly fade away while her eyes and hair started to turn bright red. The entire world stopped at that moment and so did I, as all I could do was stare at her and think of nothing but her. I do not know what happened afterward because I lost my conscience with the last image of that strange woman smiling at me.
When I woke up, it was morning, and I was struck with excruciating hunger and thirst. The pain was intolerable. I quickly reached out to the lake and drank as much water from it as I could while trying to see if the boat and its residents were still there. Neither the woman nor her birds were to be seen. Why didn’t they come to me when I fainted? Or, did they? Did they move upstream? The first woman that I ever fell in love with left me here all alone? It all seemed truly bizarre, too strange to put in words.
I took one final sip of water and then went back to my contents to see if I still had the instrument that I made for her. It was still there, and so was the scroll that I hid beneath the ground. Seeing this my heart sank in fear, my senses finally started to refresh. Did I just waste my time not focusing on the mission but rather on a woman I would never be able to see again? I quickly understood the depth of my grievous mistake. But how did the scroll get there? Did I actually forget to hide it?
I made no delay any longer. I picked up all my contents and went back to the main route. The morning light illuminated the road for me to reach the mainland. But soon terror tried to grasp me all over again. I saw the soldier of the warring faction returning from the direction of my tribe.
“No! This was not possible!” I screamed in my head. I, for sure, knew I still had few days left for submitting our letter of truce. It would be dishonorable for them to attack so soon like this! I’m trying to reason with myself while trying to hide in the forest.
As the whole army gradually disappeared from the road, I knew there was no need of my mission and I had to return home, praying to our many gods for making sure my village was safe.
As I looked into the horizon I saw the village appearing slightly.
The closer I got the harder it became for me to look directly at it. All I saw was my mistake shamelessly flashing in front of me as I stared at the burning ruins of my village. I shook my head, wiped the tears from my eyes and ran towards my village as fast as I ever could in my life.
As I entered the demolished gates, I saw nothing but fire and crimson blood. I had to cover my nose because of the smell of burning flesh all around me. As I looked towards the town hall, I saw someone in a giant chair in the middle of all the carnage. I ran towards that person because it seemed that he was still alive. He was none other than our very own king. I came close enough to see that my king was looking right at me.
His hands and feet were nailed to the chair by the wrist and the ankle. His bloody beaten-up face still resembled a faint hint of royalty in him. He spoke to me with all the strength he was able to muster before he took his last breath, ‘Oh, it’s you, while from a distance I saw you as a bright light coming towards me, thought our god of death has come to receive me,’ He choked on blood as he struggled to speak, ‘How did you survive if our truce was not accepted by them? Why did they let you live?’ Before I could reply, the man had already left for Valhalla. I dropped on my knees and started to cry. So, this is how my gods have punished me for my sin?
When I went back to that tribe that slaughtered my home, I learned from their conversations indirectly that it had been full four days since I left home. Their king thought our tribe played a joke on him and that the truce was a lie. More and more the burden of my fault got heavier. Yet, what could I do but repent for my sins ..
When the enemy king knew of my arrival, he wanted to behead me, but I was called to meet him first. He said, ‘Tell me one good reason to not to kill you for your mistake- the mistake that caused thousands to die on both sides.’ I knew my death was well-deserved but deep down, I still wanted to survive.
Suddenly, a female voice behind me whispered very close to my ears, ‘Play your flute.’ It seemed that subconsciously I brought out my instrument of music and started to play it before my new king…
Time diluted my grief as I began to perform as a royal jester, if you will, for the new king and the newer ones to come. I was even given land and a noble wife due to the popularity I gained by performing with my instrument, widely known to everyone as “the flute.” My life for better or for worse had never been the same since I played this first. I had everything I ever wanted, but something inside me still yearned for something, which was slowly coming to my realization, like a light feather-stroke lost in airy nothingness. I needed her, the woman I met in that forest. I did not know if I would ever be able to find her again, but my heart would not listen to any reasoning. It craved to go back there and so did my soul. But somehow I knew that lady by the lake was never to found again, meant to be visible once in a lifetime and lost hereafter.
Therefore, I have decided that this story I’ve written to you my son, will be the last remnant of my existence among you. I also bestow upon you my most precious item, my flute. May you read this story and find forgiveness when you grow old enough to understand, and I hope you understand why I had to abandon all of you, for I’m an empty vessel and my soul is trapped in that mysterious lake, in that ancient forest, in that wooden boat, in that woman with her birds, in that wonder of a flute ..