Thaj and the Storm

He walked along the place he called home. He placed his hand upon the trunk of the tree whose bark was a deep rich brown the same as his eyes and smooth skin. He sat down and place his back to the old oak where his parents met and breathed in the earthy smell of familiar. He heard the chirping of the papa bird building his nest for his family in the branches of the oak and tilted his head back against the trunk to watch. He ran his tongue over his full lips and tasted the sweet blueberries that he picked from the bushes along his favorite trail leading to this spot to snack on not too long ago. “Oak; what is it I’m missing?” His deep voiced matched the thunder that sounded as a response. Thaj looked up to the sky and saw the storm clouds approaching. He didn’t attempt to move; this was is most comforting spot in this world, his domain.

This was the spot his parents met the Goddess of the Earth and a King of this realm. “Oak, shall I tell you the story of how they met? I know you love it.” Thaj felt the wind blow harder causing the low branches of the tree to brush against his face lovingly. “Once upon a time there was a Mighty King of a land not too far from here; he was rich and he was handsome. As feared for his strength and temper he was equally loved for his charm and brilliant smile. They say I have the king’s smile” Thaj chuckled and could swear he heard the wind giggle.

“People from faraway lands came to meet the king and always wanted to stay and pledge their loyalty to him once they were touched by rays of his charm. More and more people came and his kingdom continue to grow in population and soon the kingdom needed to expand. The King order for the forest to be cleared all the way to the big oak to prepare for the expansion of his kingdom. The first woodcutter travelled deep into the forest wanting to start at the oak and make his way backwards to the kingdom. When the woodcutter reached the oak, he placed his hand upon the deep rich brown bark, he breathed in the earthly smell of familiar, he heard the chirping of birds in the nest. The woodcutter sat under the oak to revel in the wonder of this spot. As he sat enjoying the blueberries he picked from the bushes on the trail leading up to the oak; the woodcutter looked up and saw the owl. It was a barn owl which was odd to be in the forest the woodcutter thought. The owl turned its big deep rich brown eyes to the woodcutter and stared directly in his eye and after 22 seconds of eye contact the owl stated ‘It is odd that you come to destroy such a wonderous place.’ The woodcutter dropped the berries and ran from the forest. The woodcutter went before the king and attempted to explain the unexplainable things that he experiences. The king’s roared in the anger that he was most feared” A crash of thunder exclaimed Thaj’s story at that moment. Thaj smiled and looked up to sky and thought to himself you can listen to the story as well Sky.

“The king executed the woodcutter after calling him a lackadaisical berry eating hippie. The King called for the royal woodcutter to completed the same job and warned him to stay away from the hallucinogen berries ‘they will make you lose your head’ with an eyebrow raise and a smirk. The royal woodcutter hummed a tune as his muscular arms carried two giant axes down the trail to the oak. He did not stop at the blueberry bushes half way down the path he bragged to himself he was too smart for that; he stopped at the ones just before the end of the path. The royal woodcutter no matter how smart he claimed himself to be was not immune to the scene. The royal woodcutter placed his hand upon the deep rich brown bark of the oak tree, he breathed in the earthly smell of familiar, he heard the chirping of birds playing in their nest. Then he sat down under the tree, licked his lips tasting the sweet juices of blueberries on his lips and looked up the branches of the oak and say the same barn owl. The royal woodcutter thought to himself the woodcutter story was not a lie. The owl turned looking its big deep rich brown eyes to the royal woodcutter directly in the eye and after 22 seconds of eye contact the owl screeched ‘the lie is what you tell to yourself, that you will not rot, if continue to try to cut down my heart!’ The royal woodcutter was not a quick wit but quick on his feet was he as he begun to retreat.” The grey clouds rolled in like laughter.

“The king’s fury was beyond words as the royal woodcutter recanted his story at the foot of his throne. The king not one to give second changes and whose patience was gone before he learned to walk, grabbed the royal woodcutter’s axe and venture to the oak himself without looking back at the runny nosed crying woodcutter that he would have beheaded when he returned; not just for failing him but also for the snot on his throne room floor. As the king walked through the path he swung his anger along with the axe hitting every tree along the way. When he arrived at the oak he pulled the axe back and as he swung a great swing the barn owl swooped down knocking the shoulder of the king causing him to miss the oak and land face first in the dirt at the oak’s roots. The king stood turning looking for the owl and saw instead a woman dressed in feathery white with eyes and skin the same deep rich brown as the bark of the tree she stood in front of.” A lightning bolt of excitement filled the forest sky Thaj noted this was his favorite part as well.

“The king was stunned by the woman’s beauty however his anger was not to be deterred. ‘WOMAN!’ He seethed. The woman laughed and it reminded the king of baby bunnies playing in a flowery field. ‘It’s Goddess’ the woman said calmly with a small smirk. ‘WHAT?’ the king said intelligently. ‘You shall refer to me as Goddess not WOMAN’ the goddess said playfully poking fun at the way he called her woman. In that moment the king realized this woman, Goddess was making fun of him and all his anger drained and he was filled with a light joy. She did not fear or cower in his anger she laughed and that was new to him and made him laugh. The Goddess looked at this man and the moment he started laughing she fell in love. Many kings in the past have tried to cute down her Oak, her heart. She had confronted their anger with joy in the past and had been met with more only anger. This man however standing in the warmth of her heart was filled by her joy he could only be her soulmate. She would go to help him expand his kingdom way from her scared forest. He would give her their first son, the next to where the crown.” Thaj stopped talking and stood when thunder boomed and lightening stroked next to where he was sitting.

Thaj placed his arms around the waist of the woman he knew to be a force of nature, Ioraj. Ioraj wrapped her arms around his neck as she finished the story. “They named their son, Thaj; Prince to his father’s land and demigod of the earth.” Then she looked up to the three small barn owls sitting on the branches on the oak. “You three better run home. Your brother can not save you from your mother’s wrath, she said something about leaving the ocean dirty.” The three small owls flew away quickly.