Quest (The Quest Saga)

4 - Astran

“Adam! Adam! Adam!”

“Stop shouting he isn’t here.”

“Don’t you care our youngest son is missing!”

“Of course I do-”

“- All you care about is your bloody stars! They aren't going to love you, or care for you when you’re sick, they won’t make you happy or cook you dinner! You know what, have your stars, I’m going to find our son.”

This was the start of a downhill spiral for James Barson. They found Adam in the end. He was in the woods, lost; he’d gone too far in and couldn’t find his way out again.

That same night there was a cold atmosphere in the Barson house. Adam was in bed, as was his brother. James came back from his star gazing to find there was no dinner cooked for him.

He started cooking and quickly nipped upstairs to see his wife, she wasn’t in bed she was sleeping in the children’s room - away from him. He returned to his cooking miserable, outside he saw a shooting star, then another and another. James ran out to watch the spectacle, a meteor shower, just to cheer him up.  His wife’s words; “they won’t make you happy or cook you dinner!” echoing in his ears.

The stars wouldn’t cook him dinner, but they did make him happy. James strolled up the hill for a better view.

*

Taryn stopped screaming and opened her eyes. Looking around she saw Dean and Katherine; they seemed to be flying along with her, through a tunnel. The tunnels walls looked like they had been woven out of rainbow. Taryn tried to shout to Dean but it was so windy in the tunnel that she couldn’t even hear herself, and then they hit a bend and suddenly were heading downwards extremely fast.

Katherine hit the ground first. Taryn laughed at her pain.

“Ow!”

Then she hit the ground.

Silence fell upon the children; they gawked in awe at the astounding view in front of them. To the far east there where mountains higher and steeper than Everest and to the far west there was a vast ocean like liquid sapphire above the children was a bright purple-blue sky with three golden suns, while beneath the children was grass of the purest green. However looks can be deceiving.

In the mountains were vicious volcanoes that were incredibly wide and stretched all the way out to the horizon. In the oceans were creatures that would drag you so far down you had no chance of ever seeing the three suns again. In the skies flew many dangerous and fierce beings one would rather not meet. Finally, below the children, the grass.  

“Keep off the grass!” The children turned to see an odd little man shouting and waving.

“The grass! Stay off! Danger!” He was jumping up and down now; he looked very funny thought Katherine. But alas the children couldn’t hear him. The three children began to move but they weren’t doing it. The grass was moving them. Like tiny little hands passing them along, the children felt as if they were surfing a crowd. Dean started laughing and cried “Stop! It tickles!”

The blades of grass continued to pass the helpless children onwards, they were all laughing now. The odd man was shouting at the top of his croaky voice now. Katherine wondered why, she grabbed her bag of the grass and turned to face the sky.

She screamed.

Taryn and Dean turned to see what the fuss was about. They screamed too. The grass was moving them ever closer to the edge of a cliff. Yelling and screaming helplessly they began to tug on the grass to hold on, but the grass was sharp and cut them. The odd man was waving his hands and chanting,

The three floated of the grass and where carried to safety, the landing was a bit rough and Dean’s crystal fell out of his pocket.

The man gasped “The son of the prophecy!”

The mans name was Zander. He was incredibly gargantuan and his skin was oily and stretched far beyond the elasticity. Above all this though he came across as rather unfriendly and unpleasant. He marched off. Taryn ran after him followed by a less enthusiastic Dean and Katherine.

“Thank you! Thank you so much! How did you do that?”

He turned around and leaned into Taryn’s admiring face. “Go away. Your filth isn’t wanted here.” His growl quietened and he continued marching. Taryn’s smile dropped, she regained her composure and now she had a bone to pick.

“Get your fat but over here and explain yourself!” She yelled, Katherine nearly fainted.

“Taryn.” Katherine hissed “Don’t make a scene.”

Zander returned to the children, sat on a rock and started talking.

“I am weak after bringing you to safety -”

“- How did you do that?” Taryn interjected.

Zander frowned at Taryn, he didn’t like interruptions.

“I must go soon, and rest. But I will tell you this, you shouldn’t be here. This is not your home. You should get what you came for and go. You and your war causing species should never come here.” Then he left.

“Oh, and one more thing. If you do ever return, come and find me.”

“Why? I thought you hated our filth.” Asked Dean.

“You’ll see.” Zander smiled then, as if he knew much more than he let on.