The Forbidden Side

Erin

Erin couldn't believe it. No, Erin wouldn't believe it. How did she die? Why did she die? Or was this just one big hallucination? Erin never really liked her former mentor, but she would never wish death upon someone. Erin turned her head to see her sister's expression. Lizzie looked confused. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and her top lip was curled into her mouth. Erin couldn't blame her, though. Who goes out into a forest and expects to see a dead body?

But this body was different from the ones in the scary movies and the picture in her mind from stories. It wasn't fully decayed, and looked like she had just died. That meant-

"We need to leave," Erin whispered under her breath. "Now."

Lizzie didn't ask any questions. She just sprinted along with her sister, deeper into the forest.

-

"Ok, stop," Lizzie panted, her hands on her knees.

"Lizzie, it's dangerous, we need to get out of he-" a screech in the distance cut her off. "What was that?" Erin whispered.
With wide eyes, Erin and Lizzie tiptoed slowly and cautiously in the direction of the sound.

Erin wasn't expecting what she saw. And at first, she thought she was going crazy. But, once she rubbed her eyes for the one hundredth time, Erin realized he - or she, Erin wasn't sure - was actually there. He was a tiny creature, maybe two feet tall, with features that reminded Erin of the monkeys she had seen in a cartoon she watched as a toddler. He had tar black, coarse hair all over his little body. He was wearing a little, read, velvet cape with gold thread sown into it at various places. He screeched. It was a horrible sound, piercing through the air. But Erin didn't cover her ears. She listened to the sound, and it soon became beautiful. Erin could even pick words out of the screech. The odd monkey was trying to tell them something.

"Ah you Crown Holder. Yes, yes, I feel an Ora from you," the monkey said.

"What's a Crown Holder?" Lizzie asked. Erin was glad that Lizzie understood the monkey too, it proved she wasn't going crazy.

"You are Powerful? Yes, yes you ah, you ah. You come in high demand through our kind. I will be victorious, for I have find you."

Erin had an urge to correct the monkey's poor grammar, but she held back.

How does he know we're Powerfuls? Lizzie thought.

I don't know, Erin replied.

"Well I knew everything," the creature went on. "I have been on this Earth for over 600 years, and never have I seen such talented persons as you."

"Can you tell us where the crown is?" Lizzie asked. "Cause if you can't, we have places to be."

Lay off.

"Ah, the crown of King Z is what you looking for," the monkey told them. "Ah, yes, yes. Well you must prove you ah worthy." And then he disappeared.

"How?" Erin yelled into the open air.

The trees near them started to swing back and forth in the breeze, faster and faster until the spoke:
"The villain you ponder you have seen only twice, her vicious actions came with a price.
She holds in her cold dead hands, a weapon for which you should have a plan.
Blood must drip pure red, be careful or else you will wind up dead."

"Am I going crazy or did that tree just tell us a riddle?" Erin asked.

Lizzie seemed to be deep in thought. Her eyebrows were knitted together, her eyes were closed, and she was sucking her knuckle. When Lizzie opened her eyes moments later, she had a worried look on her face. Not a good sign.

"I solved it," Lizzie said. "And it's bad." 

-

"No," Erin said. "No, no, no. I am not getting killed for some stupid crown. I'm not looking for her body, Lizzie. Let's just go home and pretend none of this ever happened."

"I would," Lizzie replied, "but we're too deep into this now. There no going back. Face it."

Erin nodded. She unwillingly trudged along behind her sister towards what used to be Chloe. "This is the place," she said. "The body was right-" Here, Erin thought, but it's gone.

And so are our chances of finding the crown, Lizzie thought back. "We need to find that monkey-thing again," she said aloud, "he killed Chloe after all, he'd know where she and the crown are."

"I don't want to talk to that thing again," Erin fought. "He's creepy and weird and-" another scream cut her off. "Did someone else just get killed?" Erin whispered in a shaky voice.

"Let's go." Lizzie took off towards the scream. Erin was tempted to stay back, but ultimately decided she should go with her sister.

They stopped at a clearing. There was a tree stump in the center, which reminded Erin of something she had seen in the past. This was where she was taken away from her family. This was where she was taken to Home.

Erin did not want to be in that clearing. She didn't want to be taken again and have her memory wiped. "Lizzie, can we go?" She asked in a whisper.

"Look," Lizzie answered. Erin followed the path of her eyes and saw. Perched on top of the tree stump was the crown of King Z.