Midas Curse and Other Retold Fairytales

Chapter 2: A Stranger in the Forest

🎶Please play video here and continue reading for some forest sounds if you'd like to 🎧
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      Waking up, the vision of her blurry eyes again making her take a moment, she looked about the room and on noticing her grandpa climbed down the bed where only about 5 feet away sat his plush, comfy chair in their living room. He greeted her with a small and gentle press to the head and soft brush to her hair. It was lower than his eyesight even in his sitting position.

       He pressed her close to his chest in a warm embrace, holding her to his worn plaid shirt, an overlap of blue hues. His hands that were always warm reminded her that she was only in one of her dad's white t-shirts. The cold from autumn that scattered leaves across the dirt lot spotted with patches of grass here and there blew into the home from the open window the old man sat by.

       The stove was bubbling and steaming about a foot away from his chair and he lifted himself up out of it, a grunt and groan escaping him and his bottom lip making the top one disappear in the effort of it. He smiled along the little ways to the stove, happy to feed his first customer. She quietly bounded to the it trying to peek over the rim of the huge pot to see the contents inside. The ache from her sickness having left her leaving a slight hunger.    

     From the cupboard he brought out a bowl and from the fridge a stack of cold tortillas. Out of the ladle came two huge meatballs. Another scoop and some carrots, rice, potato and broth flowed into the bowl. He sat it on the table and turned again to warm up her tortillas, leaving his serving until after. The warmth of it travelled down into their stomachs, making the outside scenery seem easier to brave.

Leaving him to sunbathe on their small porch, she went into the wooded glen wrapped in his huge jacket. In search of any butterflies or ladybugs and or crystalized caterpillars. They only appeared when the grass was long and green and tall but she hoped. She walked on seeing a wild ivy growing with plenty to climb on and grow. She looked over the ground trying to find any rocks of peculiar or pretty size and color.

       She found one, red in hue with an oblong shape. It resembled the dirt around them but intensely deeper. She wondered how they'd turned such a color. As she picked it up to inspect it a sound resounded somewhere in front of her. A huge tree rustled in front of her. The ivy growing around it and all over sprawled from its roots and further in the shadows of the forest.
It made another sound.

      A burp? Slowly she ran back and around the clearing, trying to get an angle on it from behind the cover of a tree. Popping her head around it her eyes set on a sleeping man, his closed eyes lay in the mass of a hairy face and was framed by thick, curly hair, a darker color than the tree he leaned on in a sitting, slumped position. He mumbled something and jostled something in his hands. Something like a long stick with ivy wrapped around it and a pinecone on top.

     Walking up to him, afraid of startling him but also afraid of being mistaken for a thief, she wondered if she should shake his shoulder slightly.

     But while she thought on it he burped and farted simultaneously, frightening him out of his stupor. His first reaction to her was one of defensiveness and he grabbed the stick with all his might pressing it into his skin. However, the attack he awaited didn't come.

     She let out a laugh that echoed almost as much as his fart-burp across the clearing. But he started and on seeing his alert and ready look she darted behind the tree again.

"Hold on. Dinna mean to scare you, little one." he said. He chuckled, trying to get off the dirt floor and brush his butt off. She peeped at him from behind the tree again, not moving. He looked over, seeing the damage he'd done to the frightened thing.

"Oh wael. Dunna be afeared." He rubbed his dark beard shaking bits of dead, dried leaf out of it. Feeling bad he rubbed his hand over his face and tried to explain.

"I'm no feelen too wael. Must have had a... a nightmaer. Thought you were atrynn to get meh." He smiled mimicking the monster's reaching grab at her, making her jump away and giggle.

"I was feeling sick too this morning. But I feel better now." she said as she stepped out from behind the bark of the tall pine.

"Thas good to hear," he said and thought for a second looking around him.
Under his breath he murmured "Nouw where exactly...." he trailed off turning his vision from left to right, finding his search of the forest floor worthy of a frown.

"Are you lost?" she piped into his reverie of thoughts.

"As a matter of fact, yaes. Buh I only need directions. Wouldna wanta impose on a young lass." he smiled again. "Oh, an I ave to remember ouw to get back to his spot, '' he said suddenly remembering it in the moment.

"Well it's real near us. You can remember." she stated, unsure if this man was as smart as adults should be.

"No lass, it's got to be this spot exactly. The way my head is apounding I'm not too assured I'll remember this conversation." he winced as a nearby bird began to sing sweetly.

"Hmmm...maybe," she rifled through her grandpa's pockets, found something and pulled out three balls of yarn, "hey maybe this could help.

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At the front porch the old man saw them approach. His daily sentinel for the girl had never brought back visitors. He studied the young man from his chair, scrutinizing his face and only turning at the girl's words, giving her a smile.

"I found him in the forest grandpa. He said he was sick and lost. And he needs to remember a specific spot-"

"I seema have faelt sickly this morning, sir and waell, I fill asleep inna forest nearby and...um..", he glanced from the man to the dirt street leading to who knew where, "could you direct me in the waeys of the Naxos Sea Hotel," he finally said turning back to the girl's grandfather, his ears burning red but his face as cordial and as kind as he could find in his shame.

"Well, sure," the old man smiled back with no suspicion, jumped out of his seat and began to walk down the road, spritelier than he thought possible in the aged, crooked figure.

     He looked back at the young man who stood in shock. "Come on then, kid!"

     The stranger scoffed a chuckle, "Americans."
Turning quickly to the girl, he patted her on the head, bowed his frame down with an arm at his back, stood back up, winked and ran after her grandpa into the afternoon dust.

     It was about 10 minutes later that the yellow bus stopped and let David come running and tumbling out of it. He stopped and walked to stand beside her, looking in the same direction the bearded man had disappeared into.

"What are we looking at?"