The Draoi

Part 1

Mark's journey was cut short at the edge of the woods. He stood, staring down at his sneakers, doubts filling his mind. His shoes were half on the street, and half on the soft dirt, just like his internal emotions. This was the official entrance to the woods, the only problem being that Mark was unsure on whether he was officially ready to go through with this. He had only come to this small town because he had heard the legends and had some time to kill. Being jobless will do that to a person.

"C'mon Mark, you took a 2 day road trip for this. You can't chicken out now."

He stepped onto the dirt and decided to put his body on autopilot. He thought back on how exactly he got here, walking in the woods of a small town looking for a magician to get him out of a rut. How he had been fired from his job, and after a night of drunk googling, he had gotten the crazy idea to search for a supernatural answer to his problem. How he had packed up a week's worth of cereal, mac n cheese, and clothes into his car, and driven here by himself. He didn't even think he told his mom or friends he was going. The weight of his decision finally collapsed in on him and he sighed heavily, running his hands through his red hair and down his face. His drowning thoughts were interrupted when his toe caught on tree root and he was sent sprawling onto the ground.

"Hey! You okay there?" Mark looked up to see a teenage girl running towards him.

She quickly grasped his arm and pulled him back up until he was standing. He dusted off his clothes and looked up to meet eyes with the girl. She had bright blue eyes that darkened slightly towards the pupil, and a soft, worrisome expression. Her light brown hair was tied in a ponytail, and it shined when the sun caught hold of it.

"You alright?" She asked, eyes still traced with concern.

"Yeah, thanks for the assist." He smiled graciously at her.

"I'm Sophia, you must be Mark." She grabbed his suddenly limp hand and shook it.

"How do you know my name?" His eyes widened and he almost jerked his hand away.

"The draoi! He said that someone was coming to see him named Mark."

"You saw the draoi?" A splitting smile broke out on Mark's face.

"Yeah, he was helping me with my depression. Gave me this." She pulled out a vial of a clear liquid and sloshed it around. Mark stared at the vial and his hope was renewed. If this girl had seen him, and even been given a gift, then surely his efforts were not in vain! "You might want to get going. He said your luck potion should be done in about 2 hours."

Mark realized that this made things all too real. He hadn't even known what to ask for if he had found the draoi, but it seemed that was taken care of. A luck potion would surely make his life a bit easier. He had put in some applications to some companies, with no response yet from any of them. He almost stumbled as the girl pressed her hand flatly against his back and pushed him onwards, waving as she headed back to civilization. Mark pushed on, much more aware this time. His heart light, he kept going straight, that is, until a squirrel distracted him and he ended up off the path.

--

Jack checked his watch, smiling. There wasn't much time left now. The potions were almost done, and he brushed off his hands to go inside. He would water the arugula later, just in time for Mark. Holding hand over the luck brew, his eyes glowed a bright green as he spoke the blessing.

"Bealtaine do deacrachtaí a bheith níos lúfhéadfadh do blessings a bheith níos, a ligean ach áthas agat a thagann tríd do dhoras!"

As he stirred the brews, he couldn't help but swish his hand towards his record player. The pin dropped and Jack slowly began to sway to the sound of trumpets and guitar.

--

Mark stood up from the fallen tree trunk, sighing and cursing himself for not packing water. Still he preserved, slumping along with his shuffling feet. He hoped all this fuss was worth it, magic or not. He checked his phone, no service, what a surprise. He'd been walking for close to 2 hours, a ridiculous length of time in his mind. He wondered if sleeping on the forest floor was really that bad, but decided against it. That Sophia girl had said his potions would be ready soon, and he didn't want to keep this mystical being waiting.

--

Jack smiled and grabbed two empty glass vials. He ladled in the two potions, clearly labelling them. Placing the vials down on his old wooden table, he did a quick check of the cabin. The cabin itself was not very large, but his many possessions cluttered easily. Grabbing a broom, he quickly swept the floor, dust flying up to dance in the streams of sun that filtered through his windows. He opened his closet and threw his dirty clothes in it for later. For the first time, Jack felt...nervous. He never felt nervous. But as he grabbed at the dirty vials and tossed them into the sink, his heart couldn't help but flutter.

--

Mark was kneeled on the dead leaves of fall, the muted browns and oranges somehow matching his emotions perfectly. The crunch that accompanied his every shift in weight and footstep matched the sounds he had been hearing for the last 2 hours. His throat was dry and burned with each swallow. His eyelids stuck together with every blink, making it harder to keep them open. His legs ached with each step, and there was nothing more that he wanted than a fUCKING GLASS OF WATER.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

--

Jack chuckled at the scream that echoed throughout the forest. He had been sitting on his small couch but the scream had brought him back to awareness. Standing and cracking his back, he headed over to his record player. He selected one of his favorites and smoothly slid it onto the player. Dropping the needle, the music began to play.

--

Mark lifted his head and his eyebrow rose an inch.

"What the fuck."

He simply stood and walked towards the sounds. Why the hell an ancient magician would like Mambo Number 5 baffled him, but at least it gave him a hint.

--

Jack poured a cup of water and a mug of coffee. He opened his cabin door and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for the figure to emerge. Taking a sip of the coffee, he gently swayed in time to the song.

--

Mark finally saw the trees lightening up, more sun streaming through. There was a clearing nearby. He jogged, using his arms to push away the stray branches.

--

Jack could hear the branches snapping and smiled, spotting the mop of dyed red hair.

--

The sun blinded him as he shoved past the last layer of branches and he stood in the clearing.

--

Their eyes met.

"Hi."