"Get dressed," Master Zee ordered, throwing a handful of heavy clothing beside the bed I laid and walking out. He stopped at the door, turned a 180 degrees and said,
"Two minutes."
Clothes, I didn't realize how bare my body was; exposed and devoid of a covering. I sprung up from the bed as his last two words echoed in my mind. The heavy oversize shirt concealed my body; it looked more like a black gown to me. My legs stretched out into the pair of trousers which easily slipped through.
The piercing sun rays showed no mercy. My eyes squinted to protect itself from the discomfort the sun brought while my hands moved to provide further protection.
"You are 3 seconds late; I hate your attitude."
What? I could swear I took less than a minute to get out.
"But- but..." I began to defend myself.
"Talking back... interesting," Master Zee said, a trace of anger in his voice. With his back, facing me, I couldn't view his expression but I knew he was unimpressed.
"Ever heard of finding a needle in a haystack, Claud?"
"Yes," I muttered.
"You need discipline, I know just the right punishment," he turned to face me head on, a smirk visible of his face. I gulped down the rising lump in my throat.
"Follow me."
With bowed head and lowered eyes, I followed his trail, trying as much as possible not to loose him. His long strides made that literally impossible to achieve.
"Find the needle in 5 hours."
He proceeded to advance towards the direction of his cottage. I let my body fall, landing straight on my butt. I could do nothing but sit cross-legged and stare at the enormous, giant heap of hay. I placed my chin in both palms, strategizing how to find the needle. It was an understatement to call this a haystack, more like the Eiffel tower.
I stood up to my feet as an idea developed. A magnet. All I needed was a metal, strip ends of a wire and a battery. The smile on my face faded away as soon as I realized I didn't have any of those. Returning into my initial position, I started to brain storm.
Ideas upon ideas flooded my mind, none making the list. Time was running out. I remained in the same spot, no needle in sight.
Needles are made of steel which is hard to melt. Now if I should burn the hay, the needle would still be intact. Yes! Within seconds, I was up on my feet, my hands moving vigorously against the fabric covering my butt and wiping the sand away.
I looked around for anything I could use to set the hay on fire when I saw Master Zee approaching. My heartbeat increased, the smile on my face faded away and eyes, reeking of shame. I failed. A look of satisfaction boldly seen his features.
"I thought as much. I came to check your progress. Three hours left," Master Zee sneered, his hands crossed behind his back. Our eyes locked in like magnets but I broke it off. Time was running out, I needed him out of sight so I could get to work. My pleas, quickly answered as he was climbed a tree and swung away using the branches.
Removing the bark of a tree effortlessly, I placed it on a cleared area on the dry ground. Next, I shredded the bark into gristly fibers. Buffing the fibers thoroughly was the hard part, breaking the strings into softer strands took about 15 minutes. Using the large softened fibers, I started to build a replica of a bird's nest. I picked up the relatively smaller strands and stuffed them in the center.
I moved my thumb across my forehead, wiping the sweat gathered at that area. Picking the nest-like structure from the ground, I created a notch at the bottom of the haystack and fixed it in.
An hour passed and still, an ember had not been produced to start the fire. I could have easily been mistaken for someone who emerged from the shower without using a towel. My hands continuously rubbed the two sticks, increasing the pace.
I wiped my eyes, preventing the tears from escaping. A miracle occurred, an ember formed on the nest. I exhaled on it and watched the hay set ablaze. Within an hour, all that was left was ashes.
I stepped on the burnt ashes, in search of the needle.
"Time is up," Master Zee said.
"No, no, no! I was so close," I thought, ignoring his presence and searching.
I gave up and sat down about to bury my head in my palms but something happened,
"Ouch!" I yelled. Something pricked me. It was the needle, it had to be.
I quickly stood up and inspecting the area. I found the needle. I picked it up, an ear to ear grin plastered on my face. All efforts weren't a waste after all.
"You are smart, focused and determined. I can work with that. Now it is time for your training for the day."
The smile on my face faded away. The torture wasn't over? You have got to be kidding me.
YOU ARE READING
The Silver Night Of The Eclipse
Werewolf"Please God, don't let it kill me." I wept audibly, tossing my body headfirst with even more recklessness, panic trembling my exhausted limbs. It was undeniably dark; I could no longer dodge the potholes. Ash was out of sight. My ankle twisted excru...