Xeno Hemlock

The futile attempts of the god of the wind could not clear the fog blanketing the murky road. The goddess of light could not penetrate the sinister darkness. The cold silence terrorized the humanity beyond my skin but no song from the Muse could cheer me up.

I commanded the wagon, pulled by horses chosen from the best of breed and wheels fashioned from the finest of trees. My passengers, men and women from villages I traveled to, lounged in the box, sharing space with my map, books, and food, essentials to my journey. Unaware of the difficulty that lay ahead, they slept, exchanged jokes and gossips, and even nibbled from my stash when they thought I wasn’t looking.

A joke went too far and the laughter bothered one of the horses. I stopped the wagon, inspected the box and called out a burly man named Buck. “Hey you, your jokes are not funny and are often at the expense of other people. Get off! You’re frightening the horses.” I left Buck at the side of the road, the horses calm once more.

The god of the wind huffed and a small area was cleared of fog. The goddess of light lit a candle, a small yellow dot against a black canvas. The Muse played Pathétique, I felt sprightly .

The sound of pages being torn from the books substituted the road’s eerie silence. I stopped the wagon, went back to the box and called out an overly dressed woman named Coney. “Hey you, you have no respect for people’s ambitions. Instead of supporting, you go ripping off their dreams. Get off! You can never replace those pages.” I abandoned Coney at the side of the road, what was left of my books safe from malicious hands.

The god of the wind puffed and a wide area was cleared of fog. The goddess of light created a light bulb, a young sun flaring up in the vast galaxy. The Muse played Moonlight, I felt carefree.

Glass shattered and metal clanged. I stopped the wagon, returned to the box and called out an overweight man named Deli. “Hey you, you’ve been eating the food out of schedule. Your gluttony has broken the cookie jars and spilled stew on the floor. You only look out for yourself, without a care nor a thought for others. Get off! You will make hungry of us all.” I dumped Deli at the side of the road, the remaining food will need to be rationed.

The god of the wind blew a breeze and a large area was cleared of fog. The goddess of light erected a street lamp, a sturdy sentinel on the lookout for crime. The Muse played Leichte, I felt light-hearted.

I heard yelling in the box. A heated argument broke out between two people. I stopped the wagon, rushed to my remaining passengers and pulled Norman and Dick away from each other’s throats.

“I was sleeping. He stepped on my toes!” an angry Norman exclaimed.

“He was snoring and woke us all up!” Dick countered.

“Both of you, get off! You do nothing but laze around here, Norman. You always cause trouble over simple things, Dick. You both disturb the goodwill and the peace,” I told them. Norman and Dick were ditched at the side of the road, the box now free of snoring and fighting.

The god of the wind called forth a gust and a vast area was cleared of fog. The goddess of light conjured a fire, surrounding the wagon with light and heat from its burning flames. The Muse played Hammerklavier, the horses and I felt buoyant.

“How long before we get to the destination?” a woman called out to me. I halted the wagon, walked to the box with a spring to my steps. A lady named Susannah Leyland had been waiting for my arrival. “How many hours more before we arrive there?”

I pointed a finger to the side of the road. “Hey you, you’ve been wasting time just waiting. Get off! See for yourself how long from here to the destination and how many hours it shall take.” I deserted Susannah.

The god of the wind called forth a zephyr and the road was finally fog free. The goddess of light courted the sun, the night had surrendered to the day. The Muse played Spring, the horses and I felt joyful.

No longer was I shouting “Get off!” for there was no one else left of my passengers. I traveled for hours and hours, the horses keeping me in good company. When we stopped for them to get a drink, I picked a book and touched the unread pages. Rationing the food was not a problem at all. We slept in peace, no snoring and neighing. The journey turned peaceful after I had forsaken the wagon’s passengers.

A version of this short story was published in 2014. Header photo by Stanislav Kondratiev from Pexels.