The Fourth Man

Sunset

Sunset

"The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it"

W M Lewis

Siggy and Thomas stood on the harbour front, watching the sun begin to set.

"Did you find out what happened to Jonathan's dad?" Siggy asked

"Drowned," Thomas answered "with a blast mark in his chest, killed by a Dark Thing. Must have been a spy, checking out our area, and then killed him before he told anyone about it."

"I'm sorry for him."

"Yeah, well too many people have died in the last few days. At least they're both together now."

"Do you have any special powers then?" Siggy asked "all the legends say you can see into the future, and have all these powers."

"I don't think so, only the power to call the lightning and kill the Dark Things."

"Well not kill exactly, their bodies died, but their souls returned to the fiery depths of where they came."

"Trapped there, imprisoned, where let us all hope they stay."

"You did it," Siggy acknowledged "You tricked them into killing themselves, you didn't even need the sword, where is it?"

"It's safe. They're making a new Sailor's House, I'm going to put it in a secret compartment behind the clock."

"Sounds good," Siggy chuckled "how does it feel to be a hero?"

"I'm not a hero," Thomas turned to him "If it wasn't for Jonathan I would be dead, we all would, he's the real hero. It wasn't the Fifth Man, but Jonathan Cinks who saved all of Farland from the Dark Things."

Jonathan's grave was dug next to his father's, overlooking the harbour, and the two boys stood next to it, tears in their eyes. The grave of Nerpato was nearby, and Krill's monument of death was next to his too. Thomas thought of everyone who had died Quaker, Exo, the Fourth Man, every brave man who had put up the resistance against the Dark Things.

But they had gone now, and the sun was almost fully set, the orange orb emanating a sparkling glow onto the shimmering water. The two boys put their arms around each other in comradery, and watched the sun sink beneath the horizon, ending another day on Farland.

"Every end is a new beginning"

JB

April 2012