赤裸裸的滑稽故事

As Myka and the children worked together to pack up the camp and prepare for the long hike up the mountain, Ashleigh was gathering her own supplies when she heard a voice whisper through her memory.

‘Remember to leave me a gift of bread and salt from time to time to show your appreciation.’

She looked down into her pack. Then, she pulled out a piece of bread wrapped in a napkin she had saved to eat later.

“Myka,” she called.

“Yes?”

“Do you have any salt?”

Myka furrowed his brow and tilted his head. But he pulled the pack off his back and rummaged through it until he found a small tin.

“Of course,” he said, handing it to her. “Hard to make a good stew without some salt.”

Ashleigh took the tin with a nod of thanks. She looked around, unsure of what she was looking for, until her eyes landed on an old tree. The roots had grown out of the ground around the base of the tree in such a way that it appeared as though there was a small entryway.

It seemed fitting.

She knelt before the tree, unwrapping the piece of bread and laying it at the small door. Then, opening the tin, she took a good pinch of salt and dropped it over the bread.

“What are you doing?” asked Sadie.

She had become curious when she heard Ashleigh ask for the salt. Breakfast was long over, and all the food had been eaten or put away. It made no sense that Ashleigh would already be hungry. So, Sadie watched, and when Ashleigh knelt before the tree, she scooted closer to observe.

“I am showing my appreciation,” Ashleigh replied.

Sadie furrowed her brows. She looked at the piece of bread on the ground and then back at Ashleigh.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Ashleigh looked back at the girl with a smile.

“The last time I came to these mountains, I met… something…” she began. “It looked like a child but was ancient and powerful.”

Sadie listened with great interest; unbeknownst to Ashleigh, so did everyone else.

“It helped me that day,” Ashleigh continued. “It helped all of us.”

Ashleigh took a breath. The Leshy was a terrifying being. It had said, more than once, that it was willing to kill the entire werewolf population without a thought, and she believed it could. But it had also taken pity on her. Destroying the mound so she wouldn’t have to when it saw how killing the wolves of Moonguard had affected her.

“It didn’t have to. It could have killed me or any of us… it could have just gone back to sleep and let me face the monsters waiting for me,” she said. “But, instead, it chose to help.”

“Does it live here?” Stefan asked, stepping forward.

Ashleigh turned, surprised to see Stefan, the other children, and Myka standing close and listening. She couldn’t help but smile at the looks of curiosity in their eyes.

“I don’t know much about it,” she replied. “But a friend of mine that did said that Leshy, that’s its name, is like a forest spirit. It doesn’t necessarily live in just one place. It’s everywhere and nowhere at the same time.”

“Could we see it?” another boy asked.

“You wouldn’t want to,” Ashleigh said, shaking her head. “Leshy is a powerful and ancient being. When it is awake, that means that something is very wrong. Just being awake, its power could cause problems across the world. So, it’s best for everyone if it continues to sleep and we never see it again.”

The children looked at each other with wide eyes and concern.

“No need to worry,” Ashleigh said with a smile. “After helping me, Leshy went back to sleep.”

The look of relief that passed over the children was almost enough to make Ashleigh laugh out loud. Of course, it was an appropriate reaction, but it was also quite adorable to see.

“Why the bread and salt?” Sadie asked.

Ashleigh looked back down at her small offering.

“I’m not sure,” she replied honestly. “When I thanked Leshy for its help, it just said to leave it some bread and salt to show my appreciation from time to time.”

Sadie stood up and pulled her backpack off her shoulders. After rifling through her bag, she pulled out a small brown package of crackers.

“It’s not exactly bread,” Sadie said as she removed two crackers from the package. “But it’s got the same basic ingredients, and it is already salted.”

Sadie placed the two crackers beside Ashleigh’s bread and looked up at her.

“Do you think Leshy will mind?” Sadie asked.

Ashleigh smiled, placing a hand on Sadie’s shoulder.

“I think Leshy would be quite pleased by your gift,” she said.

Soon the other children asked to place their own small offerings. Myka gave those without snacks in their bags a small chunk of bread to add. Soon there was a small pile of bread, crackers, and pretzels.

“Sleep well, Leshy,” Stefan whispered, adding a handful of pretzels. “I hope we never have to meet.”

Stefan was the last to make his offering. The rest of the group had already moved to start the climb.

“That sounded a little rude,” Sadie said as Stefan joined them.

“It wasn’t rude,” Stefan replied, pulling his pack back onto his shoulder and walking past her. “Ashleigh said that if Leshy is awake, it means bad things. So, I hope it doesn’t wake up any time soon.”

“Yes, but you’re still telling an ancient and powerful being, out loud, that you don’t want to meet it,” Sadie said as they all began hiking up the mountain. “That seems like an inside-your-head kind of comment.”

“I didn’t mean it in a rude way,” Stefan said, turning back to look at her.

He was a serious boy, and often this was the cause of many misunderstandings with the other kids. And even more often, this fueled Sadie’s slightly sadistic humor.

“Yea, but…” Sadie said, leaning down and whispering in his ear as she passed him. “What if you offended it?”

Stefan’s eyes widened, and Sadie giggled as she continued walking.

Behind them, Ashleigh couldn’t help but laugh as she overheard the conversation. It reminded her of all the times she and Bell had ganged up on and tortured Axel.

She watched as Stefan shook his head and rushed to catch up to Sadie. They had each struggled and faced hardships they never should have. But in the end, they were lucky to have found each other and Myka and Peter.

Ashleigh looked up at the mountain ahead. She took a deep breath and watched the others moving up the trail. Was she doing the right thing?

‘I love you, always.’

Caleb’s voice whispered as the moment replayed in her mind as it so often did. The roots falling over his body, dragging him back into the darkness.

Ashleigh clenched her jaw and stood up straight. She took another deep breath through her nose, slowly pushing it back out.

This was the right thing, the only option. Moonguard was special. This was where the Goddess fell, where Leshy had woken. If anywhere in this world still held a connection to the ley line, it was here.

Ashleigh pulled her pack up onto her shoulders and started after the others. It didn’t matter what lay ahead. She would keep them safe and still find what she was looking for.

It was the right choice. It had to be.