Listen To the Silent One?
Once upon a time, four men were walking in the woods, looking for a treasure, one big and loud, one small and quiet, one tall and dumb, and one short and smart. "If you die doing what you love," Said the quiet one, "There is no reason to regret your death."
The other rolled their eyes at him. Only cared for the treasure, and didn't care what would happen as long as they became rich off it.
They suddenly came across a rushing river.
The smart one spoke up, "We should build a boat."
The dumb one said, "We should swim across."
The group stood there fighting about it until the smart one was tapped on the shoulder by the silent one who pointed to a fallen tree, punched down by the loud one. "Let's cross." He said.
"It may break and fall." Said the smart one.
"No it won't, lets cross it." Said the dumb one.
The silent one spoke, "Mother once said cross a river slowly."
"They won't know." Said the loud one, "and if they do get mad, I'll just pumble them to a pulp."
They went to the tree and started to cross. When they got across, the loud one stood there on the tree. "See, its safe!" He shouted to the quiet one. He started to jump on it. He stopped and smiled, "Don't be so afraid!" He said as he jumped once more the tree started to fall. It crashed into the river as the loud one jumped off. He shrugged, "It was a dumb tree anyway."
The smart one looked at him, "The tree was dumb? Really?"
The dumb one laughed, "Had more brains than you."
The quiet one stared at him. The loud one yelled at the two. They turned to walk only to be stopped by a tall handsome man. "Who took down my tree?" He asked.
The loud one yelled at him, "Move out of the way you jerk!"
He pushed past him with the others leaving the silent one behind. As they got to the woods they stopped. "We shouldn't be here." Said the quiet one.
The loud one spoke, "Don't be stupid! I can do anything!"
The quiet one spoke, "If you yell or brag you will die."
The loud one grabbed him, "Shut up you little brat, I can't die I'm too amazing!" He threw the boy to the ground and turned into the handsome man from earlier. "out of my way or I'll kill you!" He shouted.
In a split second, the man ripped through his chest and pulled out his heart and crushed it. The loud one fell dead. "I found you, so I came to take revenge for my beloved tree." The man disappeared.
The others walked on after burying the loud one. The silent one stayed behind and offered his prayers. After, he caught up with the others. "We shouldn't be here, mother said it's dangerous."
The dumb one spoke, "Please, my mom don't know nothing." They walked up to a house.
"We should leave, they could be bad people." The quiet one said. "Father said some strangers could be evil."
The dumb one spoke up, "Please, I'll beat them." He ran up and knocked on the door, a beautiful woman answered it. He smiled, "Hello ma'am. I must say you are beautiful."
She smiled and touched his chin, "You are a handsome young man, would you and your friends like to come in for some food."
He smiled and came in, the smart one fallowed. The quiet one stayed outside. The dumb one sat down and ate his weight in food, he ate and ate, until he was five times the size of a table, he made himself throw up just to eat more, his body blew up like a balloon. His tried to eat a bite of pie but couldn't reach, he finally got the piece in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed.
The woman walked up to him, "Now that you finished, you should take a break." She pointed to a seat, "Sit here." He got up on his thick legs and went to sit down only to fall into a pot of water. It boiled and boiled until his skin blew, blood splattered everywhere.
The smart one stood there, "Food purposely cursed to get rid of blood and skin at high temperatures, leaving the internal organs perfectly fine." He walked away. "That's why I didn't eat but come to observe." He left as the woman turned into an ugly witch. He met up with the quiet one, already finished with a prayer. "It seems I am now stuck with you."
The quiet one nodded and turned to walked. They got out of the woods. They walked up to a huge door. "This is the door to the treasure." He said.
A tall dark cloaked man stood there. "To pass you must answer a few small riddles."
The smart one stood there and nodded. "Begin then sir."
He nodded, "What is in both tea and a tea pot, and isn't water?"
The smart one laughed, "Trick question, tea, not the drink but word."
A bolt unlocked, "I'll go harder then. What is short and dull, tall and sharp, never changes and as old as the Earth."
The smart one smiled, "The hills."
Another bolt was heard. "Last one."
The quiet one spoke, "Can I answer one?" He asked.
The smart one sorted in his direction, "Please, you are a stupid child compared to what I know."
The quiet one glared at him, "Grandmother said work as a team and to share the spot light."
He laughed again, "You are a stupid young boy, let me do this and I might share the profits."
The man spoke once more. "This is your last riddle, get this wrong, and you will perish."
He laughed, "Please, I am brilliant, I can do this."
He nodded, "What goes up, and can't come down, no matter how hard you try?"
The smart one stood there, thinking, he didn't understand. But if he answered wrong, he dies. He thought long and hard. "I may know the answer." Said the quiet one.
The smart one shouted, "Shut up! I can do this." He looked at the cloaked man. He smiled, "The answer is smoke." A pain awoke in his chest.
He fell to the ground, "You have answered incorrectly." The quiet one started to prey. "Your punishment, death."
The smart one exploded with blood flying everywhere but on the two left standing there. The quiet one stood there. "The answer is, your age." The bolt unlocked and the man blew up into smoke disappearing. "What good is smarts, with no common sense?"
The quiet one walked in alone. He stood still. "You have been fallowing for a while, ever since the loud one's death." The man from earlier came out from behind a tree. "I warn you not to fallow."
The man smiled and fallowed anyway, the quiet one found the treasure and opened a chest using a key, it showed only a necklace. The man pulled out a sharp stick and stuck it to the quiet one's throat. "Thank you for showing me where to find this, I'll be sure this pays for my tree." He cut his throat and threw him to the ground, he picked up the necklace and stared at its beauty.
A loud noise sounded, he looked around to see nothing happen. As he turned to walk away, a boulder fell from above and crushed him.
His hand fell open and the necklace fell out. It was picked up and put around the neck of the still alive quiet one. "Not dead, but not alive, Grandfather said one should always know who you are traveling with and what you are looking for. Otherwise, you'll wind up regretting it finding yourself in trouble." He smiled, "I've been waiting to pass for hundreds of years, but this is worth it, even though I am going to Hell." He looked at the necklace. "My work is done, take me now."
A large red hand with big sharp black nails busted through the cave ground grabbing him yanking him through the floor and dragged him to hell.