The Crystal Path

” Oh it is so lovely, lovely, lovely it is”

The Jester pranced and jumped on one foot and then another around her and her three water brothers in an ungainly and vapid way.

She looked at him from the corner of an eye and fingered a curved knife in her knapsack.

She was not afraid but she did not feel comfortable nor were her water brothers. Their dirt smeared face were aghast and full of apprehension.

Everyone had to be weary when walking in the Land.

This place had once been called Maryland she had heard before the Fall. Now it was desolate.

The concrete roads had long been riven and broken and a smoky haze constantly hung around the cloud line which made for a ghastly affaire at night. One would wonder what four adolescents were doing by themselves on this tupsy turvy countryside but their caravan had been waylaid by brigands and they had barely escape with their lives. She look down the road where they had laid their Uncle Sam to rest after he finally succumbed to his wounds.

She looked at the Jester with suspicion. They many such glee making men and women. They wore animal fur and had a mask in the shape of a given animal. This one had a rabbit shaped one.

He had come upon them as they recited the water rites for their dead uncle. And asked if he could walk with them for awhile.

The man kept talking and giggling and prancing around and trying to tickle them. He had tried that once with her but one look has freightened him away.

“How lovely! Lovely”

The crazed man said.

Before them were corps a many strewned and feeding ravenous crows.

Another caravan had been hit simarly to theirs. She looked around wearily for the bandits night still be around.

“ Oh what wonders on the Crystal road!”

The rabbit masked man said and she readied her knife tensing if the man showed any hostility.

The man touched something around his belt buckle.

It was a Heart Shape locket.

It was of ancien design and it was covert with dirt but despite his antics, the man steadily gripped and caressed it intermittently.

She found the contrast odd.

She heard rustling of leaves from the nearest crop of trees. Slowly but surely men came. They were not burly. Most were slovenly and cadaverous looking but they had the mean gleam of predators watching prey.

She counted 10 men that surrounded them and one smiling boy around her age that stood apart.

A tall gaunt walked in front of her oldest brother Yhom. He was the tallest one of the boys with bulky shoulders that came from genetics and field work. He looked Yhom up and down and punched him.

Yhom wheezed and the men laughed.

“You kids ain’t too bright walking in these parts.Me reckons that you need protection some don’t they boys”

The men laughed again.

“ And protection is costly, paying is a must... though.”

He looked at the dead men before then

“ These men did not see the value of protection”

The men laughed again.

An eery laughed accompanied theirs.

The jester was waiving the now opened locket with his left hand and was laughing hysterically. The gaunt man frowned and approached the masked jester and that is when pendamonium struck.

A blinding flash came from the locket. She could not see.

She heard gunshots a plenty and grunts and dying gasps. Rushing feet passed her as she was trying to adjust her eyes to see and heard the whisper of a knife being taken from a sheet and dying grunts. She heard more steps running away from her. It took her a few moments to regain her sight.

At her feet was a rabbit mask. Her brothers had regained their sight before her and they looked at a fur draped grizzled man with dark shoulder length hair and a brooding look. He stood over the dead corpse of the tall gaunt men and the bodies of 8 of the bandits were strewn here and there . The man had a Colt in his holster and he had just sheeted his knife. She did not think he was a bandit ... and that could only mean...

“Jessica, you must be glad that you did not stab me now right “

She jumped.

How had the man noticed?

How did he know her name?

The man laughed at her confusion.

“ You do not remember me Little Rabbit. Not surprising, but you will

He fetched something from his waist and threw it at her . She caught it and look at it. It was the heart shaped locket.

“ This belonged to your Uncle Sam. I found it at your original campsite. Keep it my Little Rabbit, it might be useful to you”

She was surprised that the man knew the nickname her uncle had used for her and that the man had known Sam.

He laughed again and walked away.

“ We will meet again Jess but for now keep the locket. We will meet again, again, again on the Chrystal Road”

The man left. She looked at his discarded mask and put it over her face and she looked at the locket.

“ Time to move”she said aloud....