Kapok Tree

Written By Hannah Shapley ♥

Prologue 

A small hiss woke me. The brush of soft fur warned me to open my eyes. Awareness flooded through me and the cool water dripping from the Kapok tree fell into my parched mouth. A rough tongue smothered my face as a giant cat I didn’t recognise lapped at the water. The great animal's green eyes blazed with sudden intention. Large brown paws connected with grey bark. The cat soared through the air, long tail lashing as it landed on a low hanging branch. It leaped up again and again until its nose was touching the fluffy clouds above.

Suddenly the mighty creature let out a slow, long wail. It shined as bright as all the stars and moon combined. With a relieved sigh the animal went limp and with that it floated upward, still glowing a ghostly white. Its enlightened shape flew so high that it could’ve just been another star in the midnight blue sky. I then wondered if every star in the sky was a spirit…

1

FIve years ago I sat between the exposed roots of the Kapok tree. Five years ago I stared in wonder at the wildcat spirit floating from the branches. Five years ago I looked up to the stars and pondered if the spirits were watching me from above. Five years ago I thought everything would be peaceful and perfect as I made my home in the  tree neighbouring the Kapok one, watching the endless stream of shapes floating up to join friends and family. That was then, though. Now they are here. They came and they cut down the ancient Kapok tree. I now watch the spirits wailing eternally, unable to climb to their well earned peace. 

I can’t sleep with the sounds of unsettled creatures in my head so I lay awake. If they are restricted from where they long to go I must stay with them. The Kapok tree is gone. It will never come back. But to me that tree being gone is just superficial. On the outside its beautiful bark and wide twisting branches have disappeared, but to me it’s still there. Still standing in that same clearing. Every day I walk down and sit at the stump with hundreds of spirits crowding around me. How can I help them?

The phantom leaves brush against my skin, whispering secrets. A hand touches my shoulder and a voice plays in my head, rasping and weak. “Help us- PLEASE!” The hand vanished and the voice cut off far too quickly. The spirits were dying off. Disappearing into absolute nothingness. A tiger roared in anguish as it desperately clawed at the ground where the person had been standing. There was no colour in its glistening fur, only a dim white. 

A sob choked in my throat, these beings didn't deserve this.  The tiger looked at me, a question in its eyes as if saying ‘where did he go?’ I shook my head in answer. He was gone forever. I lifted my hand to stroke the tiger, but my hand flew straight through its eery shape. That was new. But then I realised, this tiger was fading! I saw it now, when I tried to look at it directly it looked almost blurred. When the sunlight hit it I could see its bones. As I looked around I saw that almost all of the creatures were either completely skeletal or slowly fading. I could sense a solemn countdown.

Looking up to the stars, animals and humans wailed their pain and sorrow, misery clouding every sound. I made a silent vow to thosestars, I will fix this. 

Gritting my teeth I jumped onto the stump that used to house the Kapok tree. “Spirits! I hear you and I want to help. I have seen with my very eyes how this has affected you. You are fading my friends!” A young child looked up at me, her hair would’ve been beautiful once, but now it was nearly invisible, long strands disappearing in the light. “Yes we are fading. I just want to see my mother again!” Shouts of agreement and roars of pity echoed around the grassy zone. I stomped my foot down hard to get their attention. “Listen! I will try to help just-” 

“You cannot help us. Our time has passed. There’s no way you can do anything to help us…” a man said mournfully. “No, maybe this boy can help us! He clearly cares, after all, he wouldn’t say he could if he didn’t have a plan to fix it- us,  right?” I nodded to the elderly woman who spoke. “Yes I do in fact have a plan. If I can find a Kapok tree seed I can plant it and you can get to the afterlife!” I saw hopeful nods circling the crowd but I also heard murmurs of, ‘Kapok trees are extinct now, how’s he going to find a seed?’ and, ‘he looks barely thirteen! No way he could find the seed of an extinct plant’. My gaze found a tiny monkey looking at me in awe. I smiled at it and it chittered happily to what I thought might’ve been its mother, right beside it.

“I will help you! I promise.” Right then a flicker of yellowish white caught my eye. Swinging my head I saw a sheet of paper that looked very old. Turning it over I read the writing hurriedly scrawled across the page in dark red handwriting.

K Tree seed

Through the woods, where shadows grow,
A hidden path, the brook will show.
A broken gate with vines in grasp,
Leads to glass walls, veiled in the past.

Inside the ruin, lost seeds wait,
A fragile hope to change their fate.

2

I stared at the paper in disbelief, could this really be the answer? It was just a poem, and what did k tree mean? I supposed the k stood for Kapok. I committed the poem to memory, muttering the mysterious words under my breath.

“ Through the woods, where shadows grow,
A hidden path, the brook will show.
A broken gate with vines in grasp,
Leads to glass walls, veiled in the past.

Inside the ruin, lost seeds wait,
A fragile hope to change their fate.” 

Looking around I then wondered who- or what had set me the cryptic rhyme. All the trees around there had been cut down along with the Kapok tree, so nobody could’ve dropped it from a branch. But then it hit me. I was trying to save the spirits, so what if a spirit already up there had sent this to me? That must be it. Turning my face to the sky I howled to the unseen stars, “Thank you!”

A joyful screech came from my left and I jumped in surprise as a spirit sparrow landed on my shoulder. I couldn’t feel it, but it sat there. It happily hopped from one foot to another. The outline of its wings flapped like a dance and its tiny claws dug into my shirt. Expecting to feel pain I flinched away and the little bird thrashed its wings desperately to stay on my shoulder. A wave of sorrow passed through me as I remembered that I couldn’t feel anything these spirits did. “I’m sorry, I’m used to feeling your little claws.” The bird nodded its head in understanding and let out a little chirp. “Hey, well I don’t know what you're saying but I need to get going now, ok?” Carefully I stepped down from the stump, sheet of paper in hand. Through the woods where shadows grow… I guessed that means the small part of forest they hadn’t cut down. That was north-east of here.

I started heading over to the last stretch of trees, glancing at the sky worriedly. The sun was starting to set. Chittering and roars sounded behind me, the lost spirits were accompanying me on the journey to the seed. It would be at least a few hours before we reached the small area of woodland. Luckily the creatures with me could catch food for me, although I couldn’t touch them they could touch other animals. Just not humans it seemed. I trudged through large piles of red and orange leaves. The puny trees left were nothing compared to the gray bark, smooth leaves and towering trunk of my beloved Kapok tree. Small shapes leaped from tree to tree and chittering sounded above me. Birds, monkeys and possums alike raced across boughs, scouting ahead. Ghostly rinos and lynxes trotted at my side and they bellowed comfortingly. A hairless cat brushed untouchable flesh against my leg and a family of people walked uncertainly behind me. Above me a giant bird of prey cawed, thin bones showing in its magnificent wings. Beneath my boots the undergrowth became thicker and the trees started to become bigger and more lush.

Alarmed chitters sounded ahead. A shining lizard scrambled up to me and sounded a mix of squeaks and clicks. Shaking my head in confusion I walked past the creature, wincing as my foot flowed right through the animal's long white tail. More agitated chatter broke out ahead and a small boom accompanied a flash of light played forth. Alarmed now I hurried forward. Twisting between strangling vines and towering trunks I reached a small space where no trees stood. A tiny stream trickled down the slope. Something stood in the shadows. The outline of a person stood there, with a messy bun and a long draping dress. The person stepped out of the shadows. Something was horribly wrong with this. This humanoid figure's gaze landed on me and a smile crept slowly up and up, reaching all the way to their blazing red eyes. Red eyes? All of a sudden its jaw burst open revealing jagged yellow teeth and a horribly long forked tongue. Joyful rasps shot from the creature's wide mouth and I realised it was laughing. It was hacking and coughing like a dying goat. Its head whipped to the sky with a sickening crack, its mandible snapping shut. Deep red lit the night sky like blood pouring over the moon. My pulse quickened with anticipation. A clawed hand reached to the sky, slashing the stars. 

The sky was falling. Blankets of blood red dropped, crushing the trees around and silencing spirits. And yet, through the destruction and terrified screeches I felt warm for the first time in as long as I could remember. The crimson cocoon around me finally gave me the peace and quiet I longed for. It gave me the power to finally rest. So I did.

I awoke to… Nothing. Not a sound could be heard, the utter lack of noise was deafening. The chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves were unusually absent. Putting my hand on the lush grass beneath me I breathed in the tang of pollen and the slightly salty taste of the stream only metres away. I could imagine its soft trickle and reflected light brushing against rock but I couldn’t see or hear it. Cloudy skies stretched high above, shining a single spotlight on me. The world around me was dark. Blue skies were watching over me, not red. Not red. It all came back to me in a flood of memory. The strange person- thing, the red sky and most horrible of all, the laugh. I need to get out of here! Pulling myself to my feet I looked around. I could see now why everything was so silent, nothing was moving. As if the world was on pause. Birds hovered in the sky, possums were static at the highest altitude of unwavering trees. A spirit fox had its paws on a mouse that was- or had been desperately trying to escape but now had its jaws parted in an unheard cry and tiny grey paws thrown up. 

The crunch of leaves caught my attention and the skeleton of a person stepped from the shadows of a giant grey rock. Their empty eye sockets seemed to be looking right at me as it said. “Why are you here? This is the land of the dying…” Another figure stepped from behind the rock. This person still retained some flesh, but it was rotting and straggly. “Yes, dying. We are dying. Forever. Eternally wandering this frozen land. No living thing ever comes here, how are you here?” The words coming out of this being were harsh and forced. A tear struggled down my face. “I don’t think I am part of the living…” The full skeleton scoffed in disbelief. “Sure! Sure you're dead.” Its head rolled back in a short sharp laugh. “Look at yourself! Do you look anything like us? Do you have any rotting flesh or exposed bones? No!” Looking down at myself I realised this skeleton was right, I was full flesh and blood. My voice quavered as I said quietly. “T-then why am I here?” Unseeing eyes from the not-so-skeletal thing rolled in its sockets. “Why in the world would you ask us?”
“So then how long do you stay here?”
“As far as we know? Forever.” Forever? The word ricocheted around my brain, not quite processing what that meant. Eternally dying in a frozen world.  

An hour later I was ready to go. Here where nothing moved nothing happened. I had wondered how I would feed myself but now I’d realised that hunger was non-existent. Soon more of the dead came out to see the living in the world of the dead. Reptiles, mammals and birds all came to stare. At one point I had asked what the deceased people's names were. Both their eyes clouded with sorrow and I knew I’d walked into a forbidden land. That night I walked along a path hidden by shadow to a door. But when I tried to turn the nob, it resisted and denied me entry. Then the shadows closed in around me and everything was dark. It was only in the morning that I realised it had been a dream. That door… That door looked familiar somehow even though I knew I’d never seen it before in my life. In the day I walked along branches, testing my bravery by going along the thinnest of the thinnest, knowing in the still world they wouldn’t fall. But at night I dreamt of the door again and again, each time revealing more about it. Now I knew that a key that looked like a carved bone was used to unlock the door. Last night the key had been right in front of me but as I reached out for it I woke. This must be the way out. 

Closing my eyes I remembered the dark meandering path with black flowers rimming the grassless dirt. I walked up to the skeletal person. “Do you know of any path with black flowers on the side? And a door at the end?” It froze. “W-why do you ask of the darksong path?”
“Darksong?”
“We see the exit along the path. But any of us dead try to walk it the stream that flows beside starts to sing! The words come and they surround you and they-they… They make you fade. I have known of one lucky soul who made it past where the stream turns left.” I stared wide eyed at this spirit. The brook will show. “You must take me there.” Bones cluttered as the dead threw up their hands. “Do you think that just because you are living means you can walk the darksong safely? It might have different effects on you, sure, but what if you become like me, like us?” Its voice became pleading. I shook my head. “The poem! The poem said ‘the brook will show’, I will follow the brook.” The skeleton shook its head and hissed. “No, I will not help you to your death. I don’t want to see you here with even the tiniest bit of rotting flesh, understood?” I nodded solemnly. Thank the heavens above I was good at lying.

3

Rasping snores echoed around the dark cave where we’d been sleeping. I tiptoed to the moonlit mouth of the cave. Peeking outside I checked to make sure nobody was there. “Where do you think you're going?” I spun around to see the shine of white bones moving. The voice was clear and didn’t bear the slightest bit of weariness. It had obviously been awake the whole time. I cursed under my breath, how could I not have noticed that it was awake. Its bones glinted dangerously as it said in a low hiss. “I thought I had told you not to go.” The soft clack, clack, clack of its exposed toe bones was like an alarm in my head as it advanced. “I thought you were smart enough to not go to the darksong!” Trying to make myself look relaxed I stammered. “I-I don’t know what you mean I was just coming out here for a little n–night walk.” The lie passed right through it. “Do you know how many decades I’ve wandered across this frozen land?” it hissed. “I think after all this time I should know when someone is lying.” Without warning it spun and threw out its foot which connected painfully to my cheek. I cried out in pain, my cheek was burning. My hands cradled my injured face and I fell to my knees. “Get up!” It roared mercilessly. Boney fingers slammed against my shoulder. A sob choked through me and the flow of tears streamed down my face. “I said get up!” this time it felt like claws were digging deep into my arm, pulling me upward. The force of the pull made me come face to face with the skeleton. It smiled disturbingly, somehow the smile seemed too big. Its jaw stretched much too high for comfort and it startlingly reminded me of the creature in the clearing, the one that made the sky turn red and fall. 

“Ah! I see. You’ve figured it out. Took you long enough.” With horrible grinding sounds the creature started to change. First skin flooded over the shape and flesh formed beneath. Eyes started to grow in their sockets and hair sprouted into a messy bun. Then, standing in front of me was a person in a long draping dress with bright red eyes. A shiver passed down my spine, how was this possible? It smiled brightly at me. “So what’s your first question? I’m sure you have more than a billion in that tiny head of yours!” I stared at it. Had it really just asked what questions I had? “Well! Go on. Ask anything, truly anything!”
“Uh, where’s the darksong?” It chuckled slightly before saying breezily. “West of here, got anything else?”
“Take me there.” It narrowed its eyes. “That is not a question. That’s a demand.” pursing my lips in annoyance I spoke. “Ok then. Could you take me to the darksong?”
“No.” I frowned. “Because you can’t? Or you won’t?” The creature snarled and hissed through gritted teeth. “I work for someone much bigger than you or me. I can and yet I can’t.”
“Is that because your boss won’t allow it?” The giant smile returned to its face but it was subdued. “What my boss allows is none of your concern. And right now I do not feel he will like me leading you to the exit of your priso-” It cut off eyes widening, it had said more than it meant to. With an angry hiss a huge cloud of smoke enveloped me and I started choking. Waving my hands around I looked at the creature. There was now an empty space where it’d been.

I thought through the creature's profile, realising it had made many hiccups along the path it had been with me. It had said much, much more than it had meant to. But also when I had tried lying to it it had said ‘Do you know how many decades I’ve wandered through this frozen land?’  The kapok trees had only been cut down 5 years ago. Any spirit before that would’ve just gone to the afterlife.

Glancing up I noticed a hill that was higher than most others. That would give me a good vantage point to look for the path. I trudged up the steep slope. At one point I got startled by a frozen snake with its jaws parted and fangs hanging out. 

I was right. The giant green slope cast an amazing view of rows of green and orange trees. West. That was where the creature said the darksong path was. Glancing at the sun I took a minute to work out which way was west. It was to my left. Scanning the tips of trees I searched for any space where a wide path could fit. Maybe in a flower field? A hidden path… a hidden  path. Frowning I willed my brain to think of some way this path could be hidden. Wherever the darksong was that creature knew its location. Calling out I yelled at the top of my lungs. “Hey! Creature! Come’ere!” I couldn’t be sure if it could hear me, but it was worth a try. 

Movement caught my eye above me and I looked up. The thick clouds that had been frozen before were now taking shape. A face appeared, with a messy bun atop and an impatient scowl. I smiled. “Come down and talk to me.” The face rolled its eyes and boomed. “What do you want? Are you going to beg me to take you to that stupid path?” I forced a laugh. “Well I would appreciate it if you did take me there, but no,” I stopped smiling. “I want to make a deal with you.” It froze. “A deal? With me?” I nodded. “Well then. Maybe we can come to an agreement.” I closed my eyes for a moment in relief. “Let me guess. You want me to take you to the darksong. But you know that my boss might kill me if I did that so your offer had better be good.” Grinning, I responded. “Oh don’t you worry, this will be the best deal you’ve had all day.” The clouds started to flow down until the hill was so cloudy I couldn’t see my own hands. As the veil dispersed I saw that the creature was standing there, no longer a picture in the sky. “What’s your deal?”
“Rest.” The creature's eyes twinkled as I continued. “How long have you been here?”
“Ever since the kapok tree destruction when my boss found me.” its voice quivered and choked. “5 whole years? Of doing what your boss says? From what I’ve heard the work is not the most favourable.” It shook its head. “Once I get the seed I can replant the kapok tree and you can finally have peace!” Its face dawned with a sudden light as it crocked. “Deal.”

After some pestering I found out that the creature's name was Siena and she’d been climbing the tree as it was chopped down. She’d told me in tears that her whole family had been killed in a plane crash. “They climbed up the tree before me so I was left behind.”
“Once I get that seed you will see them again.”

It wasn’t long until I spotted the darksong. The flowers waved, even in the frozen world. In this section of the forest the trees were giant. They loomed over me like hundreds of skyscrapers packed close together. At the same time as feeling trapped by the darkness I suddenly felt comforted. Siena stopped abruptly. “Here.” I stopped. “Here?”
“Here is where you need to carve the key.” Stepping aside she revealed a metal table equipped with many sharp blades. Reaching my hand out I picked up a small blade about the size of my forearm. It was grey and shiny and tiny red gems were logged in the wooden hilt. “Are they real?” I asked as I traced my finger across the gems. Siena smiled. “Yes, they’re beautiful, don’t you think?” I nodded. It was beautiful. None of the other knives had the same air of alluring charm. It was one of a kind. A voice broke me out of my trance. “Now for the sacrifice.” I whipped my head around. “Sacrifice?”
“What? Where did you think you’d get the bone from the clouds? Or maybe you thought you could pick it off a tree.” Her mocking tone worked. “Ok… So then what do you mean by sacrifice anyway?” She smiled. “You’ll have to pull off my arm!”

“What!??!?!” Siena nodded matter of factly. “I go into my skeleton form and then you can yank it off easily. Normally you’re actually meant to kill something and get its bones but this is much easier.” I shuddered. Who in their right mind would kill something and carve its bones? Grinding sounds caught my attention. Siena’s flesh was sinking. The flesh underneath was dissolving, leaving the skin to wrinkle and fade. Veins bulged as they burst into a churning purple surge of liquid. Wincing I watched as bit by bit the skeleton took shape. With a final pop Siena turned her gleaming face towards mine.

She held out her arm. “This is where you yank it,” she said in a low whisper after I hesitated. Tapping her bony finger against her leg she said with an exaggerated hiss “Well get on with it! We don’t have all day. Or-” she paused, considering, “what counts as a day in this place.” I smiled grimly. “Well I can’t see you wanting to rip off people's arms.” At that she burst out laughing. “Are you  joking? I’d be in your place any day. Arms!” she licked her lips. My eyes widened. Did she really just lick her lips? A lump rose in my throat. Glancing at me she said. “Jeez! You are gullible,” she snorted. “I’m not a cannibal,” I sighed in relief. “But,” I froze, “I do know many styles of martial arts and am not afraid to use my knowledge. So if you would please yank my arm off and we can get going.” Taking a long deep breath I shut my eyes tightly. I gritted my teeth and slowly lifted my eyelids. “Ok I’m ready.”  She coughed. “Well you were meant to have done it about twenty minutes ago.” She wiggled her fingers to remind me what I had to do.

It was cold. The bone was hard and cold and unforgiving as I pressed my warm hand to it. The bone felt smooth and oddly like coins. I gulped in the air and tried to silence the storm of voices in my head that said no no! This is wrong don’t- no no! My hands shook violently and my legs felt weak. You cannot destroy fears, the only way is to push through them. Learn to face your fears my dear Kenward. Why was dad in my head now? The only way is to push through them. I must do this. I forced a smile to my face and yanked as hard as I could. The bone came off with a sickening pop. I stumbled backwards. That had been surprisingly easy. A shape flashed before my eyes and a whisper echoed around my head. Good job my love. Never give up. Tears clouded my eyes and my legs finally gave up on me. The soil beneath me was dark with tears in only a few moments. Something touched my shoulder and I turned to see who it was, fully expecting to see my father. For a second, broad shoulders and a wide, warm smile was there. For just a second I saw scruffy brown hair and soft amber eyes. But then it disappeared and there stood Siena.

She was back in her non-skeleton form. I looked toward her arm that I pulled off. It was growing back! Her flesh was creeping up an already made bone. By the speed it was growing it would be finished in about an hour. Pulling myself to my feet I walked over to the metal table and placed the bone upon it. The blade wasn’t nearly as horrible as Sienas bone but the thought of the damage it could do sent a shiver down my spine. Its gems glowed in the daylight and I focused on that. The scenes of the past few days had been like something from a nightmare. But these gems helped me calm down. Their glow illuminated my face. Comforted now, I pressed the blade against the middle of the bone like I was cutting carrots. I had no idea what I was doing. A growl sounded behind me. “You have no idea what you're doing, do you?” Sienas impatient voice cut the air like the very blade I was holding. “Does that look like a key to you?”
“I- well no. How would you do it?” Her giant smile spread across her face. “Glad you asked! How about I show you?” I nodded vigorously. It would be great if she could do this job instead of me! A whirlwind of movement flurried around the table. When it finally died down Siena was standing over a key made of bone. She’d even made carvings of flowers and right at the base -- a skull. My mouth gaped open. It was purely amazing! And to think that she’d made this in only a few seconds. 

A thought struck me. “Why did you make me do it if you could’ve just done it?” she chuckled. “Do you know how funny it was to watch you struggle? Hah!” I gave her a venomous glare. “So you made me go through that when-,” I took a deep calming breath. “-when I didn't have to?” My voice was dead serious. Siena was still laughing. “Yep! Anyway! This way.” She stepped around the table and continued down the darksong path. “Careful! The brook does sing.” She winked. “But it doesn’t hurt.” I picked up the key then followed her, blade in my other hand. The door was not far away, it wouldn’t take long to get to it. The stream skittered along the left of the path. 

A haunting melody reached my ears with only a few steps in. There were words. I froze. When you reach the edge of a land. And there you may stand… those words, those words! I knew them. My mum and dad used to sing that song. The power in your bones may carry you to the edge of a land. Or it may crush you where you stand… When I sprained my ankle and I was crying they sang that song. They said it meant I always had a choice. It gave me confidence. But now they were gone and that song was pointless. It meant nothing if they weren't the ones to sing it. How could it anyway? My lips started to move and I whispered along with the song. “At the edge of a land where spirits roam, peace in a wide dome…” I sobbed softly. “The power in your bones may carry you to the edge of a land. Or it may crush you where you stand…” I always had a choice. I looked up at the stream. I knew what to do. The obvious choice isn’t always the right one. My mums wise words played in my head right before I stepped into the singing stream. Vines may trap you or they may lead you to the end of a rainbow… the line whispered from right above the stream.

4

I was falling. Water rushed around me but it didn’t slow my descent. The song still played. Falling like this made it hard to breathe. Like when a roller coaster suddenly drops. The water hovered around me as if scared to touch my skin. I stretched my hand out and tried to cut the water with the blade but it was too fast. The water shot out of the way. With a mighty jolt I slowed. The water rushing around me seemed much faster than before. I was still falling but a lot slower. It wasn’t long until my feat connected with something solid.

At first I was scared it would give way immediately. I put the least amount of weight I could just to test the ground, but I couldn’t exactly controle gravity. Unwavering to my wishes it dumped me onto the floor. The ground was soft but it didn’t give way. I blinked rapidly to clear my vision.  I knew this place! Crickets chirped and the breeze rustled among the branches of dark brown trees. A spirit horse galloped up to me and whinied in greeting. I was back in my world. Not the frozen prison! My heart soared as more and more spirit animals came to greet me. I smiled. “Let's go!” I shouted to the crowd. 

The next part of the poem talked about a broken gate. Where could that be? I then remembered the line from the song vines may trap you or they may lead you to the end of a rainbow… The poem had talked about vines. A broken gate with vines in grasp. Maybe the brook wasn’t done showing me things yet. End of a rainbow. I must go to the end of a rainbow. A wet drop landed on my nose. Looking up I saw the sun still shining but yet water was drizzling down. A sun shower! My ancestors must be guiding me, my parents must be. I thought, heart swelling. I knew it wouldn’t be long until a rainbow lit the sky.

Around five minutes later I was heading south toward the end of a rainbow. I’d had a vote amongst the spirits to see whether to go north or south. South had won. I still had the blade and bone key. My gut told me I’d need both. Using the knife and some of the growth around me I’d made pouches for both of them. A sparrow fluttered happily around me and a woman with round eyes and long ghostly hair chatted to me. “I am so glad you're coming to save us.” I smiled at her. “I’m glad too. It’s hard for me to listen to all of you wailing.” She blinked kindly at me. “My name is Riley.”
“Kenward.” I said in reply. “Wow! That’s a great name. You know that name means brave or loyal guardian? I think you’re both.” I chuckled. “No, I actually didn’t know that.”
“My name means woods clearing or valiant,” She frowned. “I don’t know why though. I’ve been a coward all my life- and death. Following you is the bravest thing I’ve ever done.” I glanced at her. “I’m sure your time will come.” And I meant every word. 

A loud hiss sounded above me. I snapped my head up just in time to see Siena leaping on top of me. With a thud that knocked the breath out of me I careened onto the dirt. I didn’t want to hurt her. “Siena wait! Why are you-” A foot slammed down onto my stomach. Siena loomed above me, her foot still pressed hard down. “S-Siena, what?” I rasped. She snarled and pressed down harder. “We had a deal!” she roared. “And you didn’t do what you were meant to do.”
“I’m sorry. I- I thought…”
“What?”
“I thought you’d just follow me through.” She took a bit of the weight off. “I didn’t even see where you went. The music stopped so I turned around and you were gone,” she said softly. “You promised me peace. But what if you fail? If you fail my boss will torture me forever. You can’t fail! You can’t!” Her lip quivered and a single tear traced a line down her dusty face. She bit her lip so hard it started bleeding. Blood trickled down her chin. “Do. Not. Fail.” she said and vanished into the air. 

The spirits starred in stunned silence as I stood up and brushed myself up. “Well,” I said halfheartedly. “Shall we continue?” The spirits nodded eagerly and we set off again. Riley gaped in awe. “Did you really make a bargain with a demon?” I looked at her quizzically. “Demon?”
“Yeah! That Siena is a demon. You did know that, right?”
“I- I didn’t know that. Does that mean her boss is- is the devil?” Riley nodded seriously. “Oh…” maybe it was a bad idea to make a deal with her. I rushed ahead. I couldn’t bear to talk to Riley anymore. I’d been so naive, she’d talked about her horrible boss and she had powers. How could I not have realised? I set a faster pace as we continued forward, especially since a spirit horse had brought one of its living friends and I was able to ride the horse. We made amazing time. The rainbow disappeared but we continued south. 

The vegetation got very thick, very quickly. Soon there wasn’t enough space for the horse I was riding so I had to continue on foot. The hiss of a snake and its shimmery green nearly made me jump out of my skin, but the spirits scared it away. Vines connected the trees together and branches crisscrossed above. Ferns wavered in the breeze, thick on the ground. Living animals chirped and seemed to talk to the spirits as we fought our way through.

A glint of gold caught my eye. A giant gold gate loomed ahead. Green vines danced among the gold bars. Purple and red flowers specked the vines. Jagged stone stretched from either side of the gate, curving around. A broken gate with vines in grasp. There! A chunk of the gold had fallen off and lay on the ground. This was the gate the poem talked about. A white flash rocketed toward the gate and slotted into a large golden padlock. The bone key! The key turned by itself and the padlock fell to the ground with a heavy thud. 

Heart racing, I walked slowly over. I ran my fingers over the gold. It was glistening and not rusted at all. Real gold never rusts. You are like gold, I know you will never rust. Dads lessons to me were always interesting and valuable. This was true gold. I tried to push open the giant doors but they stuck still. The vines were keeping them closed. I reached up and cut them with satisfying snaps. Now when I pushed the gates open they creaked and slowly admitted me entry. A giant dome stood there, it looked like an old greenhouse. Only some of the glass still remained. Most was scattered about on the floor in translucent green piles. I stepped forward, grateful for my hard boots. 

A door was visible on the front of the greenhouse. Pushing it opened I quickly realised that there was someone- or something standing there. I tried to hide but it was too late. “Did you think it would be easy?” A menacing, rasping voice echoed around the dome. I swallowed before saying. “It hasn’t been easy.” It snorted. “Yes it has been easy. You are weak. If it hadn’t been easy you wouldn't be here. Siena made it easy. Siena will be dealt with by my boss, her father. She shall be treated like the liar, traitor and creature she is.” My voice shook. “Creature?”
“Well being the devil's daughter doesn’t exactly make her human or even animal. She is something else.”
“But she said her family was in the afterlife! Y- you're lying.” It snorted “Do you trust the devil's child or a stranger? Anyway…” My breath quickened. “This is where your story ends,” It cackled. 

A rotting hand reached up out of the ground and tried to grab my foot. I screamed as it missed by barely a centimeter. A head popped up then. It was greenish and what I thought of as a zombie. More of them started to pop up around the outside of the greenhouse. The creature I’d been talking to stepped out of the greenhouse. Its hands had long sharp claws and through a ripped t-shirt were a pair of bright red wings. Three forked tails swished through the air on the creature's backside. It lifted its hand, palm facing the sky. In a flash, it moved its hand out to its right and flicked its fingers. Something flew from its outstretched hand. It landed on the dirt then expanded upward, forming a similar shape as the other creature, just a bit shorter. They both started to create more and more creatures until they had an army. When almost two hundred creatures were there the original one smiled. “Amazing, isn’t it? Just wait till we attack!” 

Warning screeches sounded behind me and I turned to see something swooping in from the skies. Two people with gleaming white wings landed beside a terrified spirit cat. One of them crouched down and touched the cat's nose softly, whispering. “Boop!” The animal's eyes widened and it stood straighter. They went around doing the same to every single spirit animal in sight. They stood in front of me. One with soft brown hair spoke. “I am Janit and this is Louis. We want to help you so we gave the gift of connection to the spirits both mentally and physically. This will help you.” Both of their wings flapped gracefully and they disappeared into the stars. The creature snarled. “A random gift won’t help you now! ATTACK!”

Zombies and glistening spirits collided mid leap. We gave them the gift of connection both mentally and physically. The spirits could touch people and things. The original creature stood in front of me. I ducked and a clawed hand tried to strike my face. Sweeping with my leg I knocked the creature's legs out from under it. It kicked out viciously from the ground. Its bare foot connected with my chest and I stumbled backwards. Around me spirits were fighting with teeth, claws, beaks and even tails. A punch to my shoulder reminded me of the fight I was currently in. I gritted my teeth from the pain. I charged at the creature ready to deal a brutal punch.

As I neared, the creature ducked under my raised arm and caught me in a headlock from behind. I gasped for air, desperately trying to get free. Black spots appeared in my vision, was I about to black out? My brain was sending alarm signals and my body was thrashing about without my permission. “You cannot fail! I won’t allow it!” Sienas voice reached me through the thick cloud surrounding my thoughts. I felt the headlock loosen and forced my numb body to breathe. “Siena! Your father will kill you, you're a traitor now!” Sienas voice came back calmly. “I know.” A horrible crack sounded behind me, followed by a screech that was cut off all too suddenly. Sienna stood tall above the crumpled creature.

I looked up. Who did I have to fight next? A zombie smaller than most of the others lumbered towards me. I could deal with a small zombie. It stopped in front of me. I threw out a punch that landed dead straight on its nose. It screeched in pain and kicked my shin. It then landed a flurry of punches. I cried out and crumpled to the floor in pain. The zombie wailed and fell onto its face. Surprised, I looked up. Riley stood there. “It feels good to touch things again.” I smiled and said. “See? I told you your moment of valiance would come! If you hadn’t seen me and helped me I could’ve died.” She nodded happily. “Hey next fight, try to act quickly and don’t give the enemy enough time to attack you.”
“Thanks!” 

It was only then when I remembered the blade! Pulling it out I searched for my next target. A creature like the first one I battled was standing alone. I crept up on it. When I was close enough to it I leapt out and swung my blade. One of its tails was immediately cut off and it wailed for help. I kept swinging and soon it lay motionless on the floor. Death by one thousand scratches. That's what it looked like. Its whole body was oozing blood from a multitude ofcuts. My heart ached as I remembered its desperate wails for help. Killing was awful. But I have to kill! No, I always have a choice. The two sides fought each other inside my head but one voice overpowered the other. I always have a choice. I will give them a choice.

The battle was nearly over, creatures lay dead everywhere. Riley told me a few spirit animals had died and then faded. Not many though. I overpowered a zombie and told it to go back to its master or die. It had sulkily sunk into the earth. I did this with a few more, only one had chosen to die. The poor zombie chose not to face the devil's wrath, but to die instead.

Finally the battle was over and we all stopped to look around. No zombie or creature still stood. Only glittering spirits. I walked over to the greenhouse door and stepped through the threshold.

Epilogue

The sun shone brightly on the podium. Vines had grown over time to lift three seeds. They were bigger than I expected, about the size of a human iris. I picked them up carefully. Walking outside I held the seeds up. Spirits all around started to cheer. One seed will be planted right here. Crouching down I dug a small hole with my blade, laid the precious seed down in it and covered it up. Within a minute a tiny sprout poked from the soil. In five minutes the tree was almost full grown. Animals started swarming up it. When the flurry had died down only a few animals and people remained. Including Riley and Siena. I first gave Siena a seed and told her to plant it where she felt right. As I approached Riley she said “I want to plant this seed where we first saw you, at the stump.” 

We traveled together to my home. When we got there we placed the seed in the space in the middle of the trunk. There was a little gap and the seed fit perfectly. This new tree grew over the stump. It was somehow bigger and more glorious than the original. Riley waved to me as she scrambled up shouting as she disappeared. “Thank you so much Kenward! I will never forget you.”

Siena said she knew a place to put her seed. She said it was very far away and with that she turned on her heel and began walking.

The next day I sat between the branches of the kapok tree, remembering how only a few days ago everything had been hopeless and spirits wailed endlessly. But I remembered back even further to  the wildcat spirit floating up to the stars. I remembered its graceful leaps from branch to branch. I remembered the peace that told me everything would always be perfect and amazing. 

Recounting the events of the past few days I began to realise that my family was always guiding me. Wherever they are.