Canto VIII: Return

I thought

I wanted

to be a hero

but

it’s harder

to be

a friend

 

I fling myself

against

the wall

“Let me

in,

Let me

in!”

 

But I can’t

Not unless—

I have to talk

to my mom

I close my eyes

“Lord, give me

Courage”

 

I run out

into the kitchen

“Mom,

do you remember

Arkn?”

 

“Is he a character

in those dragon books

you’re always reading?”

 

“No,

you met him.”

 

“Huh?”

she asks

 

“The other day

pizza…

the memory room”

I stare at her

“That wasn’t

you?”

 

“I’ve never met

an ‘Arkn’

in my life”

she blinks

“What’s wrong

Bailey?”

 

“My friends…

I have to help them!”

 

“I don’t understand

what’s happening”

 

“Do you trust me?”

I ask

 

“Yes…”

 

Maybe that

will

open the room

“Thanks!”

 

I run back

to my room

jump at the wall

 

White

plain white

just white

Renee’s story

had ended

 

I couldn’t follow

an ended story

but

If

Arkn was there

 

Had he been

captured?

or was he

hiding?

either way

he’d be

somewhere

only he would know—

no, then he’d be trapped

only two people….

 

Memories float

though my head

like petals

in the wind

 

“That’s it!”

I exclaim

“My story

The last chapter—

I’ve only

showed him.”

 

I pause

Death waits

there too

but so

does love

 

I touch

my shirt

and jeans

They ripple

into the dress

I’d worn

at the end

 

The room shimmers

into a hot arena

with chained figures

and a girl

cloaked in blood

Abigail…

the beautiful ending

 

I scan

the crowd

for Arkn’s face

My character

speaks

“Blessed is the King…

who made the roses!”

 

A figure crosses

the sand

But standing in shadow

someone silent

I run to him

“Arkn!”

 

He turns

“Ah, Bailey Green…”

 

It’s not Arkn

Dark, shadowed face

known in nightmares

but veiled in waking

“I’m surprised

you made it

My impersonation

of your mother

fooled everyone else”

 

“You?”

I step back

 

“I already have

your friends.”

He gestures to

the line of captives

 

I count ten

I wrote

Only six.

 

the last four:

Renee

Mandy

Evan

Grace

 

“It’s convenient

Arkn chose

this place with

so many people

who are

happy to kill”

 

My editing friend

told me

I murdered characters

Now I might

kill my friends

through the story’s

hands

 

The shadowed one

draws a sword

points at my neck

“If Arkn comes

I’ll let you go”

 

“Let them go, then!”

Arkn steps out

“Face me, Nys!”

 

The dark one

--Nys—

laughs

shoves me off

“Arkn,

teacher,”

 

At that moment

the King’s Melody

pulls evildoers down

in worship

 

Nys cannot

resist its call

he collapses

fading into night

 

I hug Arkn

“It’s so great

to see you

in my story!”

 

“I hoped

this would

happen

Nys trapped me

But he waited

till you all came

to face me”

 

“My story

defeated him?”

 

“It’s good

Even if

I did get

tired

of the scene.”

Arkn smiles

 

“What happened?”

Mandy demands.

“How’d you get here?

And where

is here?

 

“My NaNo novel,

Nys—Nys banned me,

he looked like my mom”

 

“Huh?”

Evan asks

 

“The shadow teachers

can mimic forms

for a time

but it’s difficult

You ran off—

that helped him too,”

Arkn explains

“If you had argued

you might have

seen through”

 

Renee wipes

her brow

“Does someone

die here?”

 

The ground shakes

“We’d better leave,”

I know

what comes next

 

The crowd blurs

into my posters

we step

into my room.