Frozen Madness

Lord of ice and snow

Gundham Tanaka 

Where am I?

It's something you've been wondering for what feels like hours and with the way the sun was setting it could have been. The reason you were out here waist deep in snow was because you had been looking for herbs that had said to be for healing but you have yet to find them along with the fact that the village was no longer in sight meant that you've gone further than you meant to. None the less you were looking for where to stay the night so the frozen night doesn't take you. At some point you had decided that if you got to higher ground, you could find something or even the village itself. So going up the mountain was the easiest and fastest way or so you thought. By the time you got to the point where you could see over the trees your legs felt like frozen bricks, the view itself was enough to make you regret everything you've done today. There were trees as far as the eye could see with no smoke or any other indication that there was a place to go inside of.

You were about to just lay down and let what may come when you saw something from the side of the mountain. You I couldn't really see it unless you're really paying attention but there was movement in the snow. Moving closer you uncovered what was struggling within its frozen prison. It was.... a hamster?

"What are you doing outside?" You wondered out loud, holding the small creature in your hands.

The poor thing was shaking like a leaf. You covered it in your hands as you brought it closer to your body to try to heat it up some. As you sat there with the tiny creature you thought about walking back down to the forest and lighting a fire as a last-ditch effort to survive the night.

Your thoughts were interrupted when the hamster wiggled out of your hands and into the snow running off. It stopped by some large rocks turning around to stare at you as if urging you to follow them. Maybe they know of a place to stay?

As soon as you got closer it dashed off again, behind the rocks that led to a trial that had very little snow. The sun was barely in the sky when you found the end of the path. It led to a tall black iron gate beyond it was a very old gothic looking castle.

For a moment an old story crosses your mind about a castle that was in the mountains, they say a lord lived there and any who disturbed him were cured for the rest of their days. A squeak made you look down seeing that the hamster had already made their way through. You find that the gate was unlocked but it was a bit of a struggle to open, closing it back, you picked up the hamster whose eyes stayed on the castle.

" You really want to go in there don't you." There was a squeak in return.

Oecn you were at the doors to the castle you knocked just in case someone really did live here. After a few minutes one of the big wooden doors cracked open and peering inside there was no one around.

" Hello?" You called out. There was no answer.

However, on your left there was a room with light coming from it. Going into the room there was not but a chair, a large rug that was all Infront of a light fireplace, the only other light in the room was from a window on the far-left wall.

Not wanting to wait any longer in the cold, you quickly made your way to the fire, placing the hamster in your lap when you sat down in front of it. As soon as you settle down in front of the fire, the howling begins. Looking towards the window it seemed that you and your small friend had barely missed being trapped in a snowstorm. Thinking back to playing on going back down towards the forest and starting a fire crossed your mind. The thought of freezing to death made you move closer to the fire.

After a while your mind starts to wonder when it struck you that someone had to light this fire but you've heard no noises at all except the ones from outside. You hoped that whoever lived here wasn't out there somewhere and that they wouldn't be too angry about a surprised guest. By now the hamster had fallen asleep on your lap and with how heavy your body felt you soon found that you were following suit.

" Who are you?"

The voice snapped you out of your drowsy state. To turned to find a young man standing in the doorway and he didn't look very pleased.

Quickly standing up you tried to plead your case " I-I had gotten lost and I stumbled about your home. The door opened and it was so cold and with night growing closer I was afraid that I and the creature would-"

" What creature?" He asked, stepping further into the room.

Holding the hamster close to your chest only opening part of your hands a bit for its head to poke out before covering it again quickly. You both stared at each other for what felt like hours.

"Very well." he turned his back to you "you may stay until the storm passes." and with that he was gone.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" you asked the small creature.

There was no way to track how long you've been at this castle since the storm has never once let up. It could have been months as far as you know with the only company you had being the hamster along with a few other animals and the man who owned this place. who's name you learned was Gundham Tanaka, only learning after seeing a painting of a family with the man's face being ripped from it, a woman and a little boy with their names being on a small plate on the bottom of it. The little boy looked much like gunham. Maybe it was him when he was a boy? But if it was then why was he all alone now? What happened to his family?

You had somewhat grown the courage to at least talk to gunham but the only time you've seen him was glimpse or when he would look down from a high point just staring at you never saying anything. At least you made friends with the animals that were around. After you start exploring the castle you found that it was truly magnificent even if the atmosphere wasn't very cheery. At least for you it wasn't very cheery while gundham was more than elated.

For years he spent his days wandering the halls of his dreary home. Sure, there were some who had happened upon the castle but none were as kind and gentle as this one. They had left his hamster to die in the cold or even tried to eat them and for that they were left to rot in the garden as frozen status. This one however had taken them and worried for them, even protecting them from something they thought could be a threat. Even now they cared for them as if they were one of their own as well as the others.

He didn't want to scare them away so he stayed away but he didn't want them to leave either so he countered this storm. It wasn't a hard thing for him to do so it could last as long as he wanted. Maybe someday he will come out from the shadows but for now he will wait and watch from afar. They have the rest of their lives here so there's no need to rush.