The Creature

Sarah dragged brown heeled boots across the shattered, stone pavements. European accents galore, yet none of home. Her hands rubbed a sheet of paper next to a golden leaf.

"Money for the tram?" She asked strangers as they passed. A rendered grey concrete wall blocked further passage to the underground network. Where the dark and hollow cry would escape the sullen Street Slums.

An empty yet fully exasperated lament fell from Sarah's mouth, as neon orange and yellow words flashed across her face.

'Bound and Safe' the slogan that often flashed by on huge computer screens. Sarah's face fell flat, tears welled as she thought back to the propaganda created by the Central State Government. Recalls of Andrew Jones, the Top Zone Leader whose face and message of safety would appear on these same tech boards across town. The key takeaways notes were to ensure safe passage for everybody to commute and journey onwards as the only resolve to the sudden appearance of what was only known as 'The Creature.'

For those weeks, the CSG moved army troops around Street Slums to locate where the creature had appeared. Yet an uproar of protests began. People of the slums saw the creature caused no harm, so why should we? Was the argument. The Army's consensus found no extra beasts were present or could overrun Street Slums and so favor to stop the protestants meant the Creature was rescued and protected from hunters or anyone who dared talk of death. But to prevent the Creature's escape from Street Slums the CSG used the hype as reason to shutdown the zone.

Passage for the commuters became paramount, as workers began to block access to Street Slums. Most of the aged tenants were relocated to safe zones, yet large groups were fragmented. Homes torn apart. Word was the CSG sought reasons each voteable year to separate from Street Slums, and the Creature gave the golden moment.

Another dark cry stretched through the streets longer than ever before. People turned to stare at the boundary wall, for that was both entrance and departure from Street Slums and home of the underground tram network. Sarah stood by the rendered wall as blocks of clay broke free, rubble and ash fell upon the road. Screams of horror erupted around her. Thumped boots, clacks from heels and other shoes banged across the platforms. Once the dust settled, Sarah saw over the edge to a deep tunnel. One of the seven network doors from where the Creature could burst forth. Had that very feared day fallen over the town?

An equally open tunnel showcased Sarah's mouth and exhausted, sleep poor state through a yawn. She lumped down to all but a heap by the boundary wall. Arms cuddled across her knees as she stared at the golden leaf. "What purpose have you?" She openly asked the object, hopeful of a reply.

A soft trace of the leaf across the lacey body. She rocked the golden leaf by the sun-fall rays. Exactly fourteen sun rays would fall before dusk. Not a soul stood on the once sturdy tram platform. Sarah felt more as though an evac was ordered than the random chance of what actually happened. Her faded blue jacket arm brushed the sweat from her face. As the sun's rays fell, so too would the temperature.

"Damn you CSG, you stole all from me!" She yelled hopeful the street cameras had ears.

Tears rolled down her dusty brown face, as she thought of her aunt, brother, and partner.

A street lamp sparkled amber for a moment Sarah thought the camera attached heard her cry. Then a soft, yet hollow tune echoed across the tram bays. Was that the begotten song of the wooden-gold warbler? As the sun fell over the warbler's warm fowl jacket each golden feather shot a beaut of color and sparkle. The town folk called the wooden-gold warbler a creature of dream and myth, but here before Sarah's sleep heavy eyes she sung and dazzled.

"Ouch." Sarah dropped the golden leaf upon the cobblestone between her legs. The leaf had altered, heat pulsated and matched the warbler's tune. Between two pens, Sarah elevated the leaf. She caught the eyes of the wooden-gold warbler who flew onto the platform ledge a sheer meter away. Her beak curled as a parrot, gold feathers around her neck and along her body. She strutted towards Sarah. Tall and lean, a matched level to Sarah's head, even as her bottom rested.

"Chosen one. Warbler serves you."

"What?!" Sarah laughed, "Surely a dream."

"You are the chosen one, you hold the leaf."

"Oh, no you see the leaf belongs to the people of the slums. All slum people are dead because of the creature." Sarah's head fell.

"Wrong. Slum people escaped. Army people dead. Creature can serve chosen one."

"Okay, stop." Sarah stood protestant. "Why are you a behemoth of myth and lore here now?" She began to walk around hand on head to check for fever.

"Warbler follows sun rays, to search for chosen one. End chaos, return order."

"Prove the leaf grants me as the chosen one." Sarah demanded.

The warbler sang and the leaf pulled away from Sarah to the lullaby.

"Clearly you are the chosen one, Warbler." Sarah stated.

"You don't remember?"

Sarah doubted herself, "remember what?"

"Warbler watched you from day one, chosen one you are a mage. Your people, your clan all mages. They summoned the wrong creature to the slums and Warbler rescued you. Army troops overrun Slums to say creature bad. So creature ate army troops. Clan wanted chosen one to be safe away, they tore the leaf from golden flower to harness your powers. Looks that leaf has taken your memory."

Her heeled boots thumped around the pavement when a sudden burst of laughter echoed to the tunnels. Where the lonely cry of the creature returned a tune, that snapped Sarah from her craze.

"What does that creature want?"

"To return home."

"How can we do that?"

"Connect your leaf to the golden flower and unleash the spellbound sorrow of the creature to return order."

"Absolute madness, Warbler. Come travel along, show me?" Sarah asked as the warbler nodded.

Along the descent of wobbly rocks, Sarah's feet surfed the gravel path through layers of grey. Then turned to black darkness, the entrance of base level number three.

"Expect the creature, chosen one too loud."

"We need to get home, lead the way!"

The Warbler sang a tune, then elevated Sarah by latched talons over her shoulders. An uncanny, almost creepy sounded tune that charged the golden feathers over the fowl's body. Gold shot out as spears of sun rays from the surface, to show the path. The Warbler dropped Sarah through the broken roof.

Shards of gold showcased by the lace of the leaf lay around the room. Sarah grabbed each one and connected them to form the golden flower scepter.

A rush of energy fueled Sarah, memory gaps loaded. She saw through walls where the soft, shy, T-Rex creature sat upon a well saddened. Sarah floated nearby to the creature and spoke, "Not the same, very tame, don't belong, sorry to take so long, return to your home, restore the order."

Waves of blue and green opened a portal for the saddened creature. Sarah pushed the walls to peer down the tunnel enough to see the Creature cuddled to Mom.

Released from the creature came the people of the slums. Among them were her aunt, brother, and partner.

"Sarah, how sorry we are to have removed you from the order. We messed up." They pleaded together and reached for an embrace.

"You needed to and as you were taken by the Creature, my path went to the surface and the humans. Strange and odd they are. We must mark an end to the tunnels and forever keep away from them. We must always stay blocked for our safety." Sarah charged a spellbound beam at each entrance to allow rubble and clay to block the tunnel mouths permanently.