Broken Hands ; mepperfield (historical creepypasta fanfiction)

8- The robin bird's death

A salty fragrance and humid wind picked Kyle trough the nostrils. The air wasn't only humid , it was mildly hot and carrying a loud low-pitched sound , repeating in slow succession. He couldn't quite get where this sound came from , but he for sure had never heard it before , it was too imposing of a sound to forget. Then his attention came to the floor , where he was in fact lying. It felt so weird , Warm, Soft, Smooth.. But as Kyle passed his hand trough this new material it was coarse and rough , almost irritating and it had gotten everywhere in small itching pieces into his clothes. He turned his head around , only to see this beige , almost white, floor continue over hundreds and hundreds of meter, until his eyes lost sight of it. It formed many hills covered in several small plant , which leaves had been whitened by the sun. He didn't knew this place, it was all new to him. And it certainly wasn't autumn. Kyle made an effort to get up and look around. He could guess the origin of the sound now, but he couldn't quite believe it. It emerged from a large... No , a vast corpse of water. Massive even. It seemed as if it wasn't bound by any land and expended as far as Kyle's sight could reach. It was nothing like the river where he washed the laundry, and the water was shattering on the shore in repetition. Its what creates all this noise...
Oddly enough there was a small dot , or a shadow , just before the corpse of water. As Kyle squinted his eyes , he could see it was in fact a child playing around. He tried making huge signs with his arm , then cupped his hand to call him. But as hard as he yelled , it seemed the child couldn't hear him. He didn't knew him , but he seemed quite young, and any sound gentleman wouldn't let a kid wandering off in the wild on his own, especially in such a strange place. He tried his best to make his way to the water. As he walked , his feet sank deep within the soil, but not enough as to stop his progression. It was as if he walked in a compact dust, and the closer he was to the plan of water, the more it crumbled into small rock like shapes, until he was a few meter of the child , and it became wet and sticked to his skin, as the mud near the river did.
-"Evening lad, are your parents anywhere around?" Kyle asked in a voice he wanted calm, but a small stutter betrayed his discomfort regarding the situation.
The kid had dark and short hair, almost hinting at an ounce of blue. All he was wearing was a simple cream white shirt and a pair of boy short trousers , cut before his knees , which where covered in the wet dust from the floor. It all seemed familiar. Kyle knew this outfit , not because it was plain and common, but because he saw it before. The kid turned his head toward him , and offered a big smile, his thin eyes covered by his lashes as he did so, and a hole among his row of small teeth.
-"Mister , ive found some pretty stones on the floor!" He exclaimed "Look at their color !"
Kyle's gut tightened. It wasn't right. It shouldn't be possible for him to speak to this child, but he tried his best to remain calm and got on his knees , placing his hands on the kid's shoulders.
- "Listen , Kyle, we need to take shelter somewhere. Do you know of any town or settlements nearby ?"
The small Kyle made a focused face , rubbing his chin. "Im afraid i dont mister.. But maybe if you ask kindly to your friend they will help!" He smiled.
-"Wha.. A friend ? Im afraid i did not bring any friend aroun-" He begun.
-"My apologies but i have a message to deliver to Kyle Ward." Announced a voice from behind, startling Kyle. As he turned he noticed a hooded figure. A person covered in lavender purple from head to toes , by a veil hat , and a long winter cloak. In fact , he knew this cloak. It was the school's girl uniform winter cloak. Lottie had asked him to patch her's up as recently as late august, and it had token him a few days , as it seemed badly damaged on the edges , and was covered in dust.
-"I well ," begun Kyle , quite uncomfortable. "Its me you're looking for."
-"No its not." sharply cut the cloaked figure, in a quite unpolite tone. "Besides, my message would be of no use to someone as coward and indecisive as you, whoever you are."
Kyle was stunned , he opened his mouth to contest but the rudeness of the message deliver was so abrupt he couldn't find the words. The cloaked figure turned toward the small Kyle instead, almost rejecting him out of the conversation.
-"Please Kyle , pay attention to what i have to say." the purple person continued as they turned toward the child. "He who seeks the flesh has come, and he brings death and sorrow along. Seek for shelter but be warned; Stay hidden in your words and your pairs will suffer his wrath." Little kid nodded , joining both his hands "Tell me mister, what's a death ?"
The cloaked figure ignored him and continued. "Fear his wrath but be aware , he will play this game trough the strings of his puppets , he who seeks the flesh keeps his hands clean and gloved."
Kyle put a protective arm in front of his smaller self. Giving a hard stare to the cloaked figure.
-"Whoever you are, i do not intend to meddle in your affairs but it is ill mesure to announce sorrow and death to a child." He delivered, in a tone he wanted as dry as possible. "If there is anything you seek from this child, you'll have to talk to me first."
The cloaked figure stood there for a few seconds, staring at Kyle. Tough he couldn't see any bits of their face behind the thick veil, he just felt like he was giving him another rude look.
-"You have no say in this." He announced again, this time addressed to the older Kyle. "You where but you aren't and will never be Kyle Ward again. My words are of no use to someone who's soul has been corrupted, for it means the story is in motion , the strings intertwined, a motor is roaring and no manpower will stop it.. For if you try, the results might lead you into a sorrow deeper than what fate has planned upon you. He who seeks the relief of flesh has come. And he brings sorrow and death along."
Kyle frowned, he didn't understood a word of the prophecies this person was bringing, yet it felt as a truth stabbing deep within his stomach.
-"River-boy this isn't serious , hey !! You're drooling again!" Tim's voice resonated deep within his thought.
-"Uhmmm.." replied Kyle in a low sleepy voice. His friend passed a hand on his cheek. "Come on, you have to get ready and put on all that fancy stuff your sibling brought upstairs!"
Kyle frowned again before slowly rubbing off his eyes. He didn't knew if he wanted to murder or hug his best friend right now. The air felt so cold out of his sheets , yet if Tim hadn't woken him up, he would have probably run late to his very own wedding announcement. Even if half of the village has already heard the word. This is just good figure for mr the mayor. He thought, before getting out of his comfortable sheets and stand up next to his less-sleepy friend. Tim was apparently wearing something fancier than usual. Some two size too big suit ensemble Edmund had lent him. The light brown of the jacket and pants where closely matching his hair, which, he seemed to have put a bit more effort than usual into. He also recognized Oscar's pair of brown and white leather shoes. Out of their 12 years of friendship, Kyle had never seen Tim dressed that fancy, not that he disapproved, he sure was quite the handsome type already, and this make match ensemble of the Ward's wardrobes did him justice. Someone who didn't knew him might have believed he was in fact part of higher classes than a poor shepherd who's legacy amounted up to a few farm animals and a broken shovel. In fact, he himself seemed to
have acknowledged the difference in his appearance.
-"Those are stupid shoes.." He mumbled, crossing his arm and rubbing his shoe against the floor. "How are you supposed to run in these.."
Kyle frowned and grinned. "Well maybe you're not aware but usually people who are finely dressed rarely find themselves in the need to run from anything.. Or anyone."
He let out a few timid laugh , badly hiding his embarrassement. But even in the dim light of the attic , Kyle could notice his friend's cheeks going redder the longer he stared. Now it wasn't the first time Tim had been in his room, but usually he wasn't mothering him around and out of his bed. They'd usually sit on Kyle's bed and play cards, or share whatever rumors they'd heard during school or their day of work. Once , they even had cracked open a bottle of whisky Kyle had snatched from the back of the shop, it was almost empty as his father had enjoyed it with the siblings and a few close friend of his over diner. At first Tim seemed reluctant , showing apparent disdain over the mention of alcohol. But after Kyle told him it was some sort of expensive import, his curiosity had won over, and they had both sat , face to face , while Kyle was putting all his effort into taking the lid off with his pocket knife. But Arthur had sealed it too hard, and eventually the amount of shaking it took to remove it made the liquid content burst out of the bottle and form a stain on the curtains. Stain which was still visible to this very day. Except now there was an outfit waiting for him on the drawer just beneath those same curtains.
-"Ugh.. Green ?" Kyle grumbled.
-"Its sage green." jokingly corrected Tim. "Apparently the mayor insisted you wear that color , as it is count Layafih's favorite."
-"Oh well if it is for dear count Layafih who's so important to me.." Said Kyle with a smudge slightly unamused glance.
Tim sat next to him on the bed.
-"Come on, you do know this man is the main contributor to the trainrails project.. Thanks to him , mr the mayor will secure enough money to send you and Mary on an honeymoon to...." He stopped , visibly scratching his brain for the fanciest destination he could think of.
-"What about an honeymoon on the moon?" Joked Kyle.
-"Err.. I said he had piles of money, not that he could figure out a way to the moon."
-"We could do as Vernes described?"
-"Who's Vernes?" Shrugged Tim.
-"Sometimes i wonder if we followed the same scholarship.." replied Kyle, falsely offended. "The french author, who wrote from earth to the moon.. You know the book which was published here the year of our birth.. ?"
Tim got up and grabbed the clothes.
-"Sometimes im fascinated at your ability to remember all those small details river-boy. Tough i dont see how its going to help soothe your disdain for poor Count Layafih."
Kyle sighed.
-"It isn't about the Count. I just wish mr Finch would start appreciating his daughter for what she's worth, and centered his attention on making this celebration about her, instead of trying so desperately to please the Count."