Moonboots Are For Lovers
Jordan Nuttall
Copyright February 2008 Jordan Nuttall
Moonboots Are For Lovers
Sparkling dust flowing in reds, greens, blues, and yellows twirled around her as she danced. Her features were soft and delicate. her long blonde hair, dropping to the small of her back, flew in all directions as the wind streamed through it. The entire effect reminded him of the beauty of magic. Her face was completely smooth and perfect; you couldn’t draw a face more perfect. Her eyes were a dazzling deep green that could draw you in and keep you held forever.
A sudden shiver ran down Vygil as a smile broke out across her face. Her smile was more beautiful than anything described thus far. Taking a closer look through the dust a tattoo of a butterfly could be seen, its wings were the colors of the surrounding dust, streaming down in wavy lines, but that wasn’t the weird thing. What puzzled most was the butterfly moving about her shoulder, matching her dancing as best it could. As the butterfly moved the dust that now surrounded them came off of it’s wings. Vygil tore his deep dark blue eyes off her. He could’ve stayed there and watched her forever, but he had things to do. The forest he was currently in had tons of materials that could be used on future trips. With one last glance backwards he sighed and began his trek.
He enjoyed doing it, foraging, he didn’t know what it was about it, but it excited him. His powerful legs carried him through the forest rapidly, his eyes seeing everything he would need. Years of experience gave him the knowledge and speed he now had. Vygil paused as a bunch of birds scattered from a nearby tree shaking violently as something large hit it. Squealing followed the crash almost immediately along with the sound of pounding hooves. Vygil’s wings burst open from his back, lifting him into the air just in time to dodge a gigantic wild boar. His wings were long and slender. The feathers smooth and neat, suggesting that he took great care of them. With two strong beats he was standing on a high branch of a great tree, several hundred feet high. Vygil neatly folded his wings back and a smile cracked across his lips.
Preferring the more conventional way Vygil began climbing down the tree, eventually gripping the rough bark tightly as there were no lower branches and he was still thirty feet high. His hands were very rough and cracked; the lines running across them were deep and craggy. They had the look of a poor man, but Vygil was not poor, he just really enjoyed doing hard tasks. When he was within a couple feet of the ground he dropped down and shook his shaggy green hair, then continued on nonchalantly.
When his bag was crammed full he began walking back towards the clearing. As he approached he heard laughing and as the clearing came into view he saw the girl from before and a young child laughing together. “Mel,” Vygil called out and the tattoo girl turned towards him, “What are you doing?”
“Oh Vy,” Mellia began, her voice so soft that it was barely audible yet strangely you could understand her perfectly, “He’s my new friend.” She finished looking innocently at him.
“What if he runs off back to his village and tells his people about us and then we get hunted again.” Mellia just simply shook her head, the look in her eyes seemed to give Vygil an answer without words. Vygil said, “Just because you think that won’t happen doesn’t mean that it can’t.” She just simply smiled at him and all his arguments instantly melted into nothing, “Fine, then do you at least know the boys name.”
“It’s Tom,” the boy spoke up for the first time.
“And does this Tom know that he shouldn’t go running off and telling people about us even though your sure nothing would become of it,” both Mellia and Tom nodded their heads. “Ok then what next?” Vygil asked, now content to simply be by Mellia’s side and go along with all the things she would think of doing this time.
She motioned for them to follow her and then motioned to a gigantic tree. The tree immediately uprooted itself sending all the creatures using it scattering, it walked over to them, picked them up, and perched them in one of its higher branches. It began walking without worrying about any obstacles that appeared in front of it, as Tome whooped with joy and amazement. “Do you guys do this stuff all the time?” Tom asked wildly.
Vygil looked over smiling at him and said, “Yea, we do this kind of stuff pretty much everyday.”
“Wow, I wish I could, but my mom would kill me if she ever found out.” Vygil just simply laughed. The tree began slowing its pace, the sound of moving water could be heard a little ways in the distance. Limbs wrapped themselves around the three and gently set them down. Mellia looked up at the tree and smiled. It nodded and turning around, it went back the way they had come. Mellia began walking forward again, Tom and Vygil simply following without question. The water’s clear edge came into view, beyond it stretched the enormous body of a lake and at the other end a waterfall cascaded down a long craggy cliff. Tom was left at the edge of the water, with a look of surprise as Mellia and Vygil just simply continued walking, their feet never sinking into the water. Instead they walked across it like it was ground.
Mellia turned back, smiled at Tom and motioned for him to follow. He hesitated for a split second and then took a step forward waiting for his feet to get soaked, but they stopped on top of the water just as Mellia’s and Vygil’s had. He cried out with joy and wonderment, “Did you make it so I could do this?” Mellia nodded, then turned to Vygil her eyes peering into his. Vygil had been able to adapt to her way of communication, knowing what she wanted without her having to tell him. Vygil turned to the boy and asked, “What would you like to do?”
“Can you guys make a castle, I’ve always wanted to be in a castle before.”
“Yes hold on,” Vygil said turning back to Mellia he pointed to the water. she closed her eyes and as Tom watched the water started raising and forming itself into solid clear shapes. In a few minutes a huge castle made completely out of water had been erected in front of them. You could even see the fish swimming in the structure. A second later the walls were given a deeper hue, still transparent but more substantial looking so you could tell the parts of the castle apart from the others. The kid began running through the halls with joy, envisioning castle servants and knights and such when a thought occurred to him, “Hey miss,” he called out, “Can you make all the people who are suppose to be in castles?”
Mellia nodded, closed her eyes for a second, and said in her soft voice, “Wait.” So Tom waited patiently and before too long there were all the people he’d imagined and more filing in through the gates. Some looked as if they were cut out of trees, others were formed of rocks, and still others were animals taking on the forms desired, yet if you didn’t pay too much attention they took on the look of actual humans. Mellia turned to Vygil smiling, a hundred thoughts flashing through her eyes. Vygil smiled back and began leading her down hallways as if he’d been in this castle thousands of times. A few minutes later he opened a door into a large ballroom, extraordinary chandeliers were hanging from the gaping ceilings. Music began playing and he gathered Mellia in close. Water began spiraling around them as they danced, their feet moved flawlessly through the steps.
A golden hue began glowing around them, reflecting off the water. Then a humming began growing as energy built to enormous supplies and suddenly everything around them burst outwards with violent force. Seconds later everything had cleared and only Mellia, Vygil, and Tom, a little ways off and unscathed, stood floating in the air where the lake once was. Mellia and Vygil parted from each other, each taking one of Tom’s hands and continuing on. Vygil stretched out his wings and Mellia did the same, her wings much more elegant than Vygil’s as if they were never used only looked upon. Mellia let her spell drop and they began flying just over the ground holding Tom up with them
. In a clearing some distance away they stopped and Vygil turned to Tom and asked, “Do you like mazes?”
“Yea,” Tom exclaimed his eyes brightening.
“Good, Mel you heard him were going to do a maze now.” She nodded and turned a direction where you could see a mountain in the distance. She motioned to the mountain and then closed her eyes. The mountain began trembling with such ferocity that Tom thought it must surly soon explode, which is exactly what it did. A resounding boom echoed across the forest and all the debris began flying in their direction. A few seconds later Tom saw the debris arranging itself into a maze in the sky. “Its huge!” he exclaimed, “It must cover over half of the forest!”
“Do you want to go up?” Vygil asked.
“Yes of course, right away.”
“Here take my hand and we’ll go up there.” They quickly ascended to the edge of the maze where Tom yelled, “First one out of the maze wins,” and he took off running down the passage ways. Vygil and Mellia looked at each other and began walking through the maze.
As Tom ran the maze seemed to take forever, there were twists and turns everywhere and sometimes he found himself backtracking the way he had come. He wouldn’t be discouraged though, his small legs never tiring. All the things he had seen happen today was giving him an infinite amount of energy. He was too excited to think about being hungry or tired.
After hours of running Tom could still see no end in site, he was beginning to tire of all this mindless running. “Vygil, Mellia,” he called out, “Where are you?” He strained his hears to hear an answer, but none came. He was about to call out again when Vygil’s voice finally came from far behind him, “We’re over here at the end of the maze. Do you want Mellia to get you out?”
“Not yet,” Tom called, now knowing the direction of the end he wanted to try a little longer to make it there himself. But an hour later he was helplessly lost again, “Vygil, I’m ready for Mellia to get me out of here.”
Almost instantly the rocks around him just simply dropped to the ground, Tom looked around and discovered that he hadn’t been very far from the end, as Vygil and Mellia were only standing twenty yards away from him. They were both smiling at him and waiting for him to say something, but Tom had just looked down and realized the destruction that they had been causing the forest.
Villages had been destroyed completely with the falling rocks and trees damaged severely. And where the lake once was, his people’s one good source of water, only an empty crater was left. The water had been sent in all directions around it, causing damaging floods for miles around. And the tree that they rode had not stopped where it came from, it had just kept on stomping through the forest destroying anything in its path.
“What’s wrong?” he heard Vygil asking.
“The forest,” Tom answered weakly, “It’s completely destroyed. We destroyed my home, its horrible looking.” Tom began to cry shaking and sobbing. He felt Vygil’s hand on his shoulder and his voice resounded in his head, “Do not worry little one, Mellia is not the only one with powers. Open your eyes and stop your crying.” Tom did as he was told, the destruction coming to his eyes once again. Vygil stretched out his hand so part of Tom’s vision was blocked by it. Then slowly he began moving his hand towards the other side of Tom’s face. Tom squealed with joy as the forest completely rejuvenated itself as Vygil’s hand passed over it. When he pulled his hand back, Tom couldn’t even notice the difference from before.
“No one will know that any of this ever happened Tom, except for you. It is probably best if you did not mention this to anyone.” Tom nodded. “We must go now Tom.” He nodded again. They put him down on the ground and then flew up into the sky towards space, it was becoming dark around Tom and it wasn’t long before he couldn’t see them anymore.
Vygil and Mellia were amongst the stars now. Mellia approached Vygil and they embraced, caressing and kissing each other. As they did so energy began bursting from their bodies giving off a bright golden hue. Then as their bodies became one, Tom who was thousands of light years away saw a star wink into existence.