Hello there travelers, welcome to the 2nd Interlude of 'The Darkling Thrush'.
And Thank You Majestic Sappling and Baoh joestar for the reviews. Much appreciated! I hope you find this chapter a little more upbeat than the last one.
Enough of my yacking lip flapping. On with the interlude!
Story Time
It was a winter's evening in Vale when the power cut out. The man of the house turned to his darling wife and patted her hand gently, assuring her he'd fix whatever inconvenience had occurred. The man did not trudge through snow to the local power plant, however. He sat up from the dinner table and briskly walked to their fire place in the living room.
The man reached to his mantle to his mounted mace, one he hadn't touched in years. The magma crystal within his mace still shone bright as it had back way then. He plucked it from where it was kept within his mace and then knelt to the fireplace.
He kissed the logs that rested in the fireplace with the crystal, igniting them. The man, stood tall, placing the crystal back within his old forgotten weapon and beckoned his family to join them.
His children, ranging from various ages, did as their father instructed. His wife, on the other hand, could only speculate whatever devious idea her husband was planning. "Who'd like to hear a story?" The man asked, his graying burnt orange hair shining brightly in the light of the fire, just as it once did in his youth.
In this newfound age of scientific exploration and all the things that came with it, it was so easy to forget the simpler times, when people would gather around the fire and share stories. And the man decided, this was just as good a time as any to reclaim those days. Even just for a moment.
His children smiled, though his youngest at the age of four quivered at the thought of a scary story. But the boy's mother, the man's wife, walked over to pluck her child off the floor to rest on her lap as she sat down in the living room sofa.
The children too their places beside their mother on the couch and all ears were attentive to what story the man had come up with.
And so the man began to think on what story he wanted to recite. What excellent tale should he speak aloud to his boys and girls? Certainly not how he and their mother met, they'd much rather here how they fell in love. But then the man paused, thinking back to day that seemed like any other, recalling a friend and a dark part of their lives.
But his children were much too young to understand the meanings and moments of those days. But maybe they'd just enjoy the fabled version of his tale.
So then the man talked, giving boisterous examples of the 'Thrush' and how it glided through life. How the 'Thrush' danced in the air, not caring how the wind turned or what it brought with it. The 'Thrush' was born to fly, no matter what was shackled to its legs, the 'Thrush' defied all laws and notions. The 'Thrush' was born to flap its wings and fly into the sky.
Do you believe in destiny?
The man recalled a familiar voice, belonging to an invincible girl, ringing through his head. The man looked to his wife, seeing a single tears forming in her brown eyes.
And so the 'Thrush' beat on with his wide wings. Whatever would try to weigh him down, the 'Thrush' would keep on. And that was the moral to the story, the man declared to his children.
Be who you are, don't ever let anyone tell you different. You're all meant to fly. The ground is just the starting point, just like when the man had first landed in that Emerald Forest.
And then the power went back on. The children cheered and the father beat the fire down. One of the children, the youngest, who was seated on his mother's lap, looked up and noticed the tears in her eyes.
"Mum?" The young boy asked, looking up at his mother with childish concern. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm not crying sweetie." She smiled brightly down at her son. Her eyes then were drawn to her husband, watching him look fondly at a photo on the mantle.
It was the man in his prime, standing beside not only the 'Thrush' in the story but a 'Dove' and a 'Lark'. Just four birds and their clever little tales, their adventures and so forth.
The man just smiled fondly at his friends. He said his goodbyes once more and turned to his family. The children were laughing, talking about how one day they'll all fly. And then the man smiled brightly and embraced his wife.
There was no other place the man would rather be, in the company of those he loved.
I actually left enough context clues within this so you could identify the man's wife. This was just a nice light hearted story to balance how somber the last chapter was. And I hope you all enjoyed it.
Next Arc: The Tyger and The Lamb
See you guys then.