The Hunter's Fantasia: A Never-ending Tale
By Kumatenshi
VOLUME I: THE BOOK OF PROPHECIES ** Chapter V --- The Chamber of Gluttony **
From the memory crystal of Killua
Cry, when do humans learn to cry? This is perhaps a question that will challenge any doctor or philosopher, if not in your time, at least in ours. Perhaps we learn to cry while still forming inside the womb of our mothers; or perhaps the moment when we have the first breath of fresh air. Regardless of when or how we learn to cry, crying has become an integral part of our lives. We cry to get food, we cry to get all the attention we want from the restless adults around us, and we cry when we shall lose something forever. I couldn't recall when I last shed my tears aside from those I shed on Gon's shoulders last night. Well, I couldn't recall a whole lot and that's why I'm here, climbing this steep and dangerous mountain with my friends. However, among the handful of vague memories that still exist in my turbulent mind, there was a little fragment, which said, "Men don't cry, they'd rather die". Exactly what's behind the logic is something beyond my fragile mind but I'm a man, or at least I'm trying to be one. Still, last night, I cried like an infant for something I hungered most --- love and for once, I really felt I got what I wanted.
The love I'm describing is different from the usual kind of love you see in the theatres. It is a mutual bonding developed between two kids. Neither is perfect, neither is complete, and even together; they are neither perfect nor complete. Together, however, they can be merry and jolly, together they can subdue the deficiencies and deprivations in their lives, and together, they will find the true meanings of lives. Am I becoming too philosophical? A little maybe; when I was indulging in my sophisticated line of thought, I heard a sharp cry, and then, came a deadly silence again.
"Who's there?" Gon shouted but still, nothing could be heard except the occasional roar of the fierce wind. Abandoning all my thoughts, I rapidly and carefully surveyed the immediate environment. Except for the snowy dandelions dancing their way through the air, there were minimal movements. I closed my eyes and listened. At the maximum level of concentration, I managed to hear sounds of small footsteps coming from somewhere close. I open my eyes and without a second of hesitation, hopped into the bushes and caught hold of a girl.
"Killua!?" All the three ran toward me.
"Who are you?" I asked while staring straight into those small, hazel eyes.
"Let me go!" she cried, struggling from my grasp like a little canary.
"Not until you tell us the reason why you're spying on us." I replied.
"Me? Spying on you? No joking. I'm just passing by". She tried to say the words firmly and casually but there's a distinct sign of fear in her voice.
"But why do you have to hide in here? If you cannot supply a reasonable answer, I will not let go."
"You." She was speechless and she turned to my companions. When her eyes rest on Gon's face, her complexion suddenly turned ghostly pale.
"Ah!!!!" She screamed. "E.Eron.how.how could that be? You.you should be dead! Why.why..are you here?" She frowned and then her face lightened up and she looked really happy.
"I'm not Eron", Gon replied. "My name's Gon."
"Gon!" I said, "You needn't tell this little spy who we are!"
"I said I'm not a spy!" She insisted. "Alright, alright. I'll explain everything. Just release me for God's sake. This hurts!"
I hesitated a bit before discontinuing my grip but what trick could a little girl perform in front of the four of us? Unfortunately, I was wrong. The moment I released her, she rushed over to Gon, gave him a kiss on the cheek that turned his face into a tomato, seized the opportunity when all of us were shock and stunned, and dashed across the winding road like Starlight Express. Overwhelmed with rage, I exhibited strength that surpassed most living creatures and followed her with amazing speed. But that little devil must have been a she-leopard in her past life. Even with such an incredible speed, I only managed to keep her within my sight but I could hardly reach her, save to surpass her. Should this be a medieval epic, she should have arrived at some old castle that resembled the home of the blood-sucking Dracula and revealed to be some kind of wicked witch. To my surprise and delight, her flee concluded in a house made of candies and sweets!
"How interesting, a house made of pork chops? The owner must be some kind of lunatic", Leorio remarked behind me.
"Pork chops? You think that's funny, Leorio? It is only obvious that this house is constructed of fresh vegetables!" Kurapika tried to correct.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Leorio and Kurapika, and even sorrier to say this but you two really need to have your eyes checked", I said coolly. "This house is made of candies and sweets. Isn't that right, Gon?"
"Yes," Gon nodded.
"Candies and sweets? Oh my Lord, can't you see the juicy, tender pork chops hanging over the wall? Killua, you must be staying up too often at night. You should protect your eyes."
"Leorio, please don't compare those beautiful plants to those fashionless pork chops of yours."
"What!?"
And the heated debate went on for another 15 minutes until the brilliant Gon made an absolutely sensible suggestion.
"Why don't we get to the house and try for ourselves?"
Without a minute delay, the four of us were busily peeling food off the wall.
"This is definitely pork chop", said Leorio.
"This is definitely salad", said Kurapika.
"This is definitely." and I lost consciousness.
When we woke up, we found ourselves in a dark, freaky looking cell with water dripping from the ceiling.
"Where are we?" I asked, still striving to completely open my eyelids. "Gon! Wake up! Kurapika! Leorio!"
"Ah.Killua.where're we? Oh, what's with this terrible headache?"
"So you're awake?" The girl said in a laughing voice as she descended the stairs leading to the cells.
"See, Mr. G. Lutton, I've always told you. If you want to lay down a good trap, you always need to have good food. The best food, of course, is food constructed from illusions."
"I see. That's why we all see different things!" I said.
"You little bastard, how dare you!" Leorio cursed.
"What impertinent creatures. At any rate, my job's over. Mr. G. Lutton, please keep your promise now. I've got you those people, please grant my wish."
"Grant your wish? Ha! What a silly kid!" The man called G. Lutton said mockingly. He's a man of medium height and clad solidly in black: black suit, black shoes, and black cloak. What a pathetic taste of fashion.
"You know, Claudia, I never eat girls because you have such bizarre fragrance and taste. But you're just a bit too diligent and to leave you alive poses threats to my existence. So, I'll leave your body to those vultures out there, who have been preying and carving for a bite of the human flesh!" And with these words, G. Lutton threw the girl into our cell. And now, let me take a good look what you've got me for dinner. Suddenly, there came a loud and maddening howl from atop the mountain.
"D___ that monster up there. Let me go silence him a bit before he ruins my delicious meal!" G. Lutton quickly ascended the stairs leaving us with the girl called Claudia.
Still incapable of accepting the harsh truth, Claudia sat there, frozen. Her eyes fixated at the crack on the floor. Her face the color of an ancient spirit and her body was shaking.
"How.how could.how could he." She finally broke down in tears.
It wouldn't take more than a few seconds to slash a knife through her throat, or pierce a knife through her heart but Gon chose to ask:
"What did you wish for?"
All the crying and sobbing suddenly stopped. The weak girl raised her head. Just a second ago, she didn't even notice there were people around her. Now she suddenly stood up, walked over to Gon and held him in her arms. "You.you asked.you asked what I wished for? Why, Eron, I wished for YOU!" She looked at Gon for a long time, completely ignoring the steam rising from my head but all of a sudden, she released Gon and turned away.
"You're not Eron.no matter how similar you look, you simply aren't him". She said and began weeping again.
"Miss," Gon said with his usual politeness, "could you tell us your story?"
She paused her weeping for a while, she turned, and she looked at every single one of us, then she nodded and began retelling her tale.
"My name is Claudia, and I'm the great granddaughter of Anna, the "witch" in the forest. I've never seen my great grandmother for she vanished more than thirty years ago. Later, I learned from my grandmother that she did not vanish but the leaders of the village murdered her, for fear she would tell other people of the hideous crimes committed by those men".
"What crimes?" Kurapika asked.
"I don't really know but grandma says her mom's recorded it on and hid it somewhere. Anyway, to avoid the villagers, we live in this mountain and since the villagers are scared of the monster up here, we lead a pretty peaceful life. About a year ago, a group of villagers, led by Ames, Eron's grandfather, came to our house, slaughtered my parents, my grandmother and left me badly injured. They were ready to cut me into pieces when G. Lutton saved me and brought me to this place. To repay him, I have to bring lost villagers for him to butcher. Considering how the villagers treated my family, it wasn't a hard job for me for I had not the slightest feeling of guilt." She paused for a while.
"A.a few months ago, I.I saw Eron coming into the mountain. I wanted to lure him to this place but I was unsuccessful because he came looking for the herbs that would cure his grandfather's illness and nothing could distract his attention. Not knowing he was the grandchild of the leading murderer of my family, I was attracted by his determination and kindness and decided to help him. For the whole month, I tried to search for the herbs he needed and believe me, those were the happiest days in my life. Then one day, while we were chatting happily in the garden searching for the last flower, he showed me the picture of his family and right then and there, I saw the face of the man I hated most on Earth. To think that I've worked so hard to save him make me sick! Knowing Eron was not very familiar with herbs, I gave him the last flower but it wasn't the flower he needed. It was a flower that would send his grandfather to hell and avenge my family and it did. A few days after his grandfather's death, he came to the mountain again. With a strange and horrible voice, he asked for the name of the last flower I gave him. I was shocked. He knew it! He knew the flower killed his grandfather! At that moment, I wanted to frankly say it was not my fault. His grandfather washed his hands with the blood of my family and I'm only doing the honor of my family by taking vengeance. However, somehow, I went dumb and I couldn't speak. I just looked at him, helplessly, like a rabbit staring at a lion".
She paused again, this time burying her face and began to weep, probably reliving her experience at Eron's confrontation.
"Eron.he approached me and said nothing.Then.he.left." Once again she looked down at the ground, the crack in front of her.
"What happened then?" Leorio asked, obviously getting fascinated by the story as well.
"I.I don't know. I must have sat there forever. A few weeks later, I saw some villagers coming to the mountain again and I heard them say that Eron's dead. I.I didn't believe it could be true but from what I overheard, it seemed the monster killed Eron. He.he must have been killed on his way back after confronting me. Woo.woo.". Her tears almost flooded the cell now.
"And that G. Lutton promised that he would make Eron live again should I bring him a nice warm meal."
"And we are the meal!?" Leorio shouted.
Claudia nodded. "You.you.but it's really sad". Leorio sighed. All of us could not help but have sympathy for the poor girl.
Unexpectedly, Kurapika said: "Very touching tale indeed," At the same time, he pointed his sword to the throat of the weeping girl.
"What.what are you talking about? I.I've been telling the truth!"
But Kurapika put his sword closer to her throat and created a small aperture but there was no blood. The stern look on his face indicated that he was not in the mood for jokes.
"Alright, I give up. I just want to know how you realize my story is a fake?"
"From your face. You mentioned love but I cannot detect any sign of love in you. It's a face of a good actress but not a young, heartbroken girl"
"Just because of that?"
"Yes."
"Ha...ha.ha.", the girl laughed with a touch of cynicism and said, "Never before did anyone doubt the authenticity of my story. You're the first, and you'll be the last as well for no one can leave this place alive".
"Who are you?" Kurapika asked seriously
"That's right. As for me, well, since you're going to die anyway, I don't mind telling you. I'm the owner of this mountain and I don't really remember if I ever have any name. People usually just call me 'the monster'. And now, gentlemen, I'll leave you all on your journey to hell!" With these words, 'the monster' vanished and so did the stairs, the bars, and the cell. At the blink of an eye, we found ourselves sinking in a swamp.
"Oh no! We're sinking! What's happening?" Leorio was shouting. I was struggling to pull myself out of the swamp but the force was too strong and it was dragging me down and down, into the heart of the swamp. Fear began to possess me as if she were a messenger from Satan, guiding helpless and powerless me to my end. I tried to breathe, I tried to raise my hand high enough to get hold of the bits of land at the edge of the swamp but my efforts were in vain. No matter how hard I try, I just could not reach it. Strange, but somehow, I recognized this feeling. I felt there must be a time when I tried my best, attempting to reach some goals but those goals were always farther away. They were beyond my reach. The harder I tried, the more failures and sadness I endured. The swamp was engulfing me, not only my body, but also my soul. Perhaps, just as that Claudia Glutton said, the devil is waiting for me in hell.
"Killua! Don't give up! If you lose hope, you'll truly sink into the swamp. Quick, grab onto my fishing rod! Leorio, Kurapika, try to hang onto me as well!" Gon was shouting. Optimistic as usual, Gon hardly knew fear or hopelessness.
"What're you going to do, Gon?" Leorio asked.
But Gon did not answer. Instead, he shut his eyes and concentrated all his energy on his fishing rod. After a few seconds of silence, he flung the fish line high into the sky. It fell and caught onto a strong branch of the tree nearby. Gradually, Gon retracted the fish line and pulled us out of the swamp. I was totally amazed, both by the strength of Gon and his fishing rod. A delicate instrument like that could support the way of four people? Gon was no ordinary 12-year old.
When we were back on land again, Leorio could no longer tolerate the exploding sack of questions in his head and he began ranting:
"For Heaven's sake, will anyone explain to me what's that Claudia Glutton and monster's stuffs all about? And what the h___ was that swamp?" Leorio appeared to be quite pissed off by now.
"I'll try to clear things up a bit", Kurapika explained in his usual calm, lecturing tone. "It all began with the poem that I told you a while ago, regarding the monster. Do you recall?"
Gon honestly shook his head. Leorio was trying hard, "It's like .reflection.illusion."
"A reflection of my dream, an illusion it seems, that extends my imagination to its rim, and vanishes, like steam." I completed the rest of the poem for Leorio, who appeared to be slightly embarrassed but he should not be, for it's normal that memory deteriorates with age. But I better not tell him or he'd storm and it would take another sidetrack before reaching the truth about the monster.
"The key to the poem, quite obviously are: dream, illusion, and imagination. If you piece together the three words, you have the answer to the puzzle".
"Dream, illusion, and imagination.I see!" I said with delight as I began to see a beam of light in this dark and complicated business. But Gon and Leorio were still in complete darkness for they were scratching their heads extremely hard.
"Killua, what did you notice from those words?" Gon asked with his cute, farfetch look.[1]
"Well, my understanding is that all the things we experienced so far are just a dreamlike experience or an illusion. It stamps from our imagination and hence, is not real."
"But are you saying that Claudia whatever is not real too?" Leorio wondered.
"Claudia is an illusionary form of 'the monster'. 'The monster' appeared in the form of a girl just to lure us to this swamp. She disguised the swamp with a house constructed with our favorite food and since we liked different food, we saw different things".
"But we ate the food and we lost consciousness after that!" Gon protested.
"The moment we ate the food, we were consumed by our own imagination and we stepped into this swamp."
"But why did she have to tell us that story of hers? She could just leave us in the swamp and we would sink anyway." Leorio argued.
"Not necessarily", I said. "While in that swamp, I noticed one thing. I sank pretty quickly and so was Leorio too but Gon sank very slowly. At the same time, Gon was the most optimistic of all and he figured out the way to rescue all of us. This made me wonder if hope and happiness would decrease the speed of sinking in the swamp."
"I agree with you," Kurapika nodded. "I also think that the swamp is hypersensitive to human emotions, especially sadness and hoplessness. The more you lose hope, the faster you get dragged into the abyss. On the other hand, if you are optimistic, have hope and never give up, you will not sink."
"Even if that is the case, there's still no reason why that girl has to tell us the story". Leorio was still pondering.
"The purpose of telling us the story about her tragic experiences with the villagers and her ill-fated romance was to diminish our hopes and to generate fear and pessimism in us. When we listened to how cruel and morally reprehensible people were, we would become more prone to depression. We would lose hope, dwell in our own gloom and be blinded to any opportunity of escape from the swamp".
"I'm sorry to interrupt" I said sensibly, "but I think we should leave this dangerous place as soon as possible".
"Agree! Plus I think we should really look for some food now, I'm starving!" Leorio complained.
"Do you still have appetite, Leorio? I'm sure if you were alone, you would be the number one victim of 'the monster'. Can't you just stop thinking about food?"
"Kurapika! You.you." and the two began quarreling again. Meanwhile, I seized the opportunity and slipped to Gon's side.
"Thank you, Gon. Were it not for you, I'm sure I should be in the bottom of that swamp by now."
"Me? Oh, it was nothing, I'm glad my fishing skills helped! Just another reason to love fishing." Gon smiled. Beneath his smile, I sometimes wonder if Gon realized he was not simply a fisherboy. His optimism, his dedication for his friends, and his determination made him someone very special. He's a twinkling star, illuminating my sky; he's a burning fire, warming my heart; and perhaps most important of all, he's a true and loyal friend, bringing closure to my loneliness. Putting my fears and agony behind, I once again looked back at the swamp. It wasn't there anymore.
----------------------- [1] Farfetch Gon, an original creation of Miss Kiei.
VOLUME I: THE BOOK OF PROPHECIES ** Chapter V --- The Chamber of Gluttony **
From the memory crystal of Killua
Cry, when do humans learn to cry? This is perhaps a question that will challenge any doctor or philosopher, if not in your time, at least in ours. Perhaps we learn to cry while still forming inside the womb of our mothers; or perhaps the moment when we have the first breath of fresh air. Regardless of when or how we learn to cry, crying has become an integral part of our lives. We cry to get food, we cry to get all the attention we want from the restless adults around us, and we cry when we shall lose something forever. I couldn't recall when I last shed my tears aside from those I shed on Gon's shoulders last night. Well, I couldn't recall a whole lot and that's why I'm here, climbing this steep and dangerous mountain with my friends. However, among the handful of vague memories that still exist in my turbulent mind, there was a little fragment, which said, "Men don't cry, they'd rather die". Exactly what's behind the logic is something beyond my fragile mind but I'm a man, or at least I'm trying to be one. Still, last night, I cried like an infant for something I hungered most --- love and for once, I really felt I got what I wanted.
The love I'm describing is different from the usual kind of love you see in the theatres. It is a mutual bonding developed between two kids. Neither is perfect, neither is complete, and even together; they are neither perfect nor complete. Together, however, they can be merry and jolly, together they can subdue the deficiencies and deprivations in their lives, and together, they will find the true meanings of lives. Am I becoming too philosophical? A little maybe; when I was indulging in my sophisticated line of thought, I heard a sharp cry, and then, came a deadly silence again.
"Who's there?" Gon shouted but still, nothing could be heard except the occasional roar of the fierce wind. Abandoning all my thoughts, I rapidly and carefully surveyed the immediate environment. Except for the snowy dandelions dancing their way through the air, there were minimal movements. I closed my eyes and listened. At the maximum level of concentration, I managed to hear sounds of small footsteps coming from somewhere close. I open my eyes and without a second of hesitation, hopped into the bushes and caught hold of a girl.
"Killua!?" All the three ran toward me.
"Who are you?" I asked while staring straight into those small, hazel eyes.
"Let me go!" she cried, struggling from my grasp like a little canary.
"Not until you tell us the reason why you're spying on us." I replied.
"Me? Spying on you? No joking. I'm just passing by". She tried to say the words firmly and casually but there's a distinct sign of fear in her voice.
"But why do you have to hide in here? If you cannot supply a reasonable answer, I will not let go."
"You." She was speechless and she turned to my companions. When her eyes rest on Gon's face, her complexion suddenly turned ghostly pale.
"Ah!!!!" She screamed. "E.Eron.how.how could that be? You.you should be dead! Why.why..are you here?" She frowned and then her face lightened up and she looked really happy.
"I'm not Eron", Gon replied. "My name's Gon."
"Gon!" I said, "You needn't tell this little spy who we are!"
"I said I'm not a spy!" She insisted. "Alright, alright. I'll explain everything. Just release me for God's sake. This hurts!"
I hesitated a bit before discontinuing my grip but what trick could a little girl perform in front of the four of us? Unfortunately, I was wrong. The moment I released her, she rushed over to Gon, gave him a kiss on the cheek that turned his face into a tomato, seized the opportunity when all of us were shock and stunned, and dashed across the winding road like Starlight Express. Overwhelmed with rage, I exhibited strength that surpassed most living creatures and followed her with amazing speed. But that little devil must have been a she-leopard in her past life. Even with such an incredible speed, I only managed to keep her within my sight but I could hardly reach her, save to surpass her. Should this be a medieval epic, she should have arrived at some old castle that resembled the home of the blood-sucking Dracula and revealed to be some kind of wicked witch. To my surprise and delight, her flee concluded in a house made of candies and sweets!
"How interesting, a house made of pork chops? The owner must be some kind of lunatic", Leorio remarked behind me.
"Pork chops? You think that's funny, Leorio? It is only obvious that this house is constructed of fresh vegetables!" Kurapika tried to correct.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Leorio and Kurapika, and even sorrier to say this but you two really need to have your eyes checked", I said coolly. "This house is made of candies and sweets. Isn't that right, Gon?"
"Yes," Gon nodded.
"Candies and sweets? Oh my Lord, can't you see the juicy, tender pork chops hanging over the wall? Killua, you must be staying up too often at night. You should protect your eyes."
"Leorio, please don't compare those beautiful plants to those fashionless pork chops of yours."
"What!?"
And the heated debate went on for another 15 minutes until the brilliant Gon made an absolutely sensible suggestion.
"Why don't we get to the house and try for ourselves?"
Without a minute delay, the four of us were busily peeling food off the wall.
"This is definitely pork chop", said Leorio.
"This is definitely salad", said Kurapika.
"This is definitely." and I lost consciousness.
When we woke up, we found ourselves in a dark, freaky looking cell with water dripping from the ceiling.
"Where are we?" I asked, still striving to completely open my eyelids. "Gon! Wake up! Kurapika! Leorio!"
"Ah.Killua.where're we? Oh, what's with this terrible headache?"
"So you're awake?" The girl said in a laughing voice as she descended the stairs leading to the cells.
"See, Mr. G. Lutton, I've always told you. If you want to lay down a good trap, you always need to have good food. The best food, of course, is food constructed from illusions."
"I see. That's why we all see different things!" I said.
"You little bastard, how dare you!" Leorio cursed.
"What impertinent creatures. At any rate, my job's over. Mr. G. Lutton, please keep your promise now. I've got you those people, please grant my wish."
"Grant your wish? Ha! What a silly kid!" The man called G. Lutton said mockingly. He's a man of medium height and clad solidly in black: black suit, black shoes, and black cloak. What a pathetic taste of fashion.
"You know, Claudia, I never eat girls because you have such bizarre fragrance and taste. But you're just a bit too diligent and to leave you alive poses threats to my existence. So, I'll leave your body to those vultures out there, who have been preying and carving for a bite of the human flesh!" And with these words, G. Lutton threw the girl into our cell. And now, let me take a good look what you've got me for dinner. Suddenly, there came a loud and maddening howl from atop the mountain.
"D___ that monster up there. Let me go silence him a bit before he ruins my delicious meal!" G. Lutton quickly ascended the stairs leaving us with the girl called Claudia.
Still incapable of accepting the harsh truth, Claudia sat there, frozen. Her eyes fixated at the crack on the floor. Her face the color of an ancient spirit and her body was shaking.
"How.how could.how could he." She finally broke down in tears.
It wouldn't take more than a few seconds to slash a knife through her throat, or pierce a knife through her heart but Gon chose to ask:
"What did you wish for?"
All the crying and sobbing suddenly stopped. The weak girl raised her head. Just a second ago, she didn't even notice there were people around her. Now she suddenly stood up, walked over to Gon and held him in her arms. "You.you asked.you asked what I wished for? Why, Eron, I wished for YOU!" She looked at Gon for a long time, completely ignoring the steam rising from my head but all of a sudden, she released Gon and turned away.
"You're not Eron.no matter how similar you look, you simply aren't him". She said and began weeping again.
"Miss," Gon said with his usual politeness, "could you tell us your story?"
She paused her weeping for a while, she turned, and she looked at every single one of us, then she nodded and began retelling her tale.
"My name is Claudia, and I'm the great granddaughter of Anna, the "witch" in the forest. I've never seen my great grandmother for she vanished more than thirty years ago. Later, I learned from my grandmother that she did not vanish but the leaders of the village murdered her, for fear she would tell other people of the hideous crimes committed by those men".
"What crimes?" Kurapika asked.
"I don't really know but grandma says her mom's recorded it on and hid it somewhere. Anyway, to avoid the villagers, we live in this mountain and since the villagers are scared of the monster up here, we lead a pretty peaceful life. About a year ago, a group of villagers, led by Ames, Eron's grandfather, came to our house, slaughtered my parents, my grandmother and left me badly injured. They were ready to cut me into pieces when G. Lutton saved me and brought me to this place. To repay him, I have to bring lost villagers for him to butcher. Considering how the villagers treated my family, it wasn't a hard job for me for I had not the slightest feeling of guilt." She paused for a while.
"A.a few months ago, I.I saw Eron coming into the mountain. I wanted to lure him to this place but I was unsuccessful because he came looking for the herbs that would cure his grandfather's illness and nothing could distract his attention. Not knowing he was the grandchild of the leading murderer of my family, I was attracted by his determination and kindness and decided to help him. For the whole month, I tried to search for the herbs he needed and believe me, those were the happiest days in my life. Then one day, while we were chatting happily in the garden searching for the last flower, he showed me the picture of his family and right then and there, I saw the face of the man I hated most on Earth. To think that I've worked so hard to save him make me sick! Knowing Eron was not very familiar with herbs, I gave him the last flower but it wasn't the flower he needed. It was a flower that would send his grandfather to hell and avenge my family and it did. A few days after his grandfather's death, he came to the mountain again. With a strange and horrible voice, he asked for the name of the last flower I gave him. I was shocked. He knew it! He knew the flower killed his grandfather! At that moment, I wanted to frankly say it was not my fault. His grandfather washed his hands with the blood of my family and I'm only doing the honor of my family by taking vengeance. However, somehow, I went dumb and I couldn't speak. I just looked at him, helplessly, like a rabbit staring at a lion".
She paused again, this time burying her face and began to weep, probably reliving her experience at Eron's confrontation.
"Eron.he approached me and said nothing.Then.he.left." Once again she looked down at the ground, the crack in front of her.
"What happened then?" Leorio asked, obviously getting fascinated by the story as well.
"I.I don't know. I must have sat there forever. A few weeks later, I saw some villagers coming to the mountain again and I heard them say that Eron's dead. I.I didn't believe it could be true but from what I overheard, it seemed the monster killed Eron. He.he must have been killed on his way back after confronting me. Woo.woo.". Her tears almost flooded the cell now.
"And that G. Lutton promised that he would make Eron live again should I bring him a nice warm meal."
"And we are the meal!?" Leorio shouted.
Claudia nodded. "You.you.but it's really sad". Leorio sighed. All of us could not help but have sympathy for the poor girl.
Unexpectedly, Kurapika said: "Very touching tale indeed," At the same time, he pointed his sword to the throat of the weeping girl.
"What.what are you talking about? I.I've been telling the truth!"
But Kurapika put his sword closer to her throat and created a small aperture but there was no blood. The stern look on his face indicated that he was not in the mood for jokes.
"Alright, I give up. I just want to know how you realize my story is a fake?"
"From your face. You mentioned love but I cannot detect any sign of love in you. It's a face of a good actress but not a young, heartbroken girl"
"Just because of that?"
"Yes."
"Ha...ha.ha.", the girl laughed with a touch of cynicism and said, "Never before did anyone doubt the authenticity of my story. You're the first, and you'll be the last as well for no one can leave this place alive".
"Who are you?" Kurapika asked seriously
"That's right. As for me, well, since you're going to die anyway, I don't mind telling you. I'm the owner of this mountain and I don't really remember if I ever have any name. People usually just call me 'the monster'. And now, gentlemen, I'll leave you all on your journey to hell!" With these words, 'the monster' vanished and so did the stairs, the bars, and the cell. At the blink of an eye, we found ourselves sinking in a swamp.
"Oh no! We're sinking! What's happening?" Leorio was shouting. I was struggling to pull myself out of the swamp but the force was too strong and it was dragging me down and down, into the heart of the swamp. Fear began to possess me as if she were a messenger from Satan, guiding helpless and powerless me to my end. I tried to breathe, I tried to raise my hand high enough to get hold of the bits of land at the edge of the swamp but my efforts were in vain. No matter how hard I try, I just could not reach it. Strange, but somehow, I recognized this feeling. I felt there must be a time when I tried my best, attempting to reach some goals but those goals were always farther away. They were beyond my reach. The harder I tried, the more failures and sadness I endured. The swamp was engulfing me, not only my body, but also my soul. Perhaps, just as that Claudia Glutton said, the devil is waiting for me in hell.
"Killua! Don't give up! If you lose hope, you'll truly sink into the swamp. Quick, grab onto my fishing rod! Leorio, Kurapika, try to hang onto me as well!" Gon was shouting. Optimistic as usual, Gon hardly knew fear or hopelessness.
"What're you going to do, Gon?" Leorio asked.
But Gon did not answer. Instead, he shut his eyes and concentrated all his energy on his fishing rod. After a few seconds of silence, he flung the fish line high into the sky. It fell and caught onto a strong branch of the tree nearby. Gradually, Gon retracted the fish line and pulled us out of the swamp. I was totally amazed, both by the strength of Gon and his fishing rod. A delicate instrument like that could support the way of four people? Gon was no ordinary 12-year old.
When we were back on land again, Leorio could no longer tolerate the exploding sack of questions in his head and he began ranting:
"For Heaven's sake, will anyone explain to me what's that Claudia Glutton and monster's stuffs all about? And what the h___ was that swamp?" Leorio appeared to be quite pissed off by now.
"I'll try to clear things up a bit", Kurapika explained in his usual calm, lecturing tone. "It all began with the poem that I told you a while ago, regarding the monster. Do you recall?"
Gon honestly shook his head. Leorio was trying hard, "It's like .reflection.illusion."
"A reflection of my dream, an illusion it seems, that extends my imagination to its rim, and vanishes, like steam." I completed the rest of the poem for Leorio, who appeared to be slightly embarrassed but he should not be, for it's normal that memory deteriorates with age. But I better not tell him or he'd storm and it would take another sidetrack before reaching the truth about the monster.
"The key to the poem, quite obviously are: dream, illusion, and imagination. If you piece together the three words, you have the answer to the puzzle".
"Dream, illusion, and imagination.I see!" I said with delight as I began to see a beam of light in this dark and complicated business. But Gon and Leorio were still in complete darkness for they were scratching their heads extremely hard.
"Killua, what did you notice from those words?" Gon asked with his cute, farfetch look.[1]
"Well, my understanding is that all the things we experienced so far are just a dreamlike experience or an illusion. It stamps from our imagination and hence, is not real."
"But are you saying that Claudia whatever is not real too?" Leorio wondered.
"Claudia is an illusionary form of 'the monster'. 'The monster' appeared in the form of a girl just to lure us to this swamp. She disguised the swamp with a house constructed with our favorite food and since we liked different food, we saw different things".
"But we ate the food and we lost consciousness after that!" Gon protested.
"The moment we ate the food, we were consumed by our own imagination and we stepped into this swamp."
"But why did she have to tell us that story of hers? She could just leave us in the swamp and we would sink anyway." Leorio argued.
"Not necessarily", I said. "While in that swamp, I noticed one thing. I sank pretty quickly and so was Leorio too but Gon sank very slowly. At the same time, Gon was the most optimistic of all and he figured out the way to rescue all of us. This made me wonder if hope and happiness would decrease the speed of sinking in the swamp."
"I agree with you," Kurapika nodded. "I also think that the swamp is hypersensitive to human emotions, especially sadness and hoplessness. The more you lose hope, the faster you get dragged into the abyss. On the other hand, if you are optimistic, have hope and never give up, you will not sink."
"Even if that is the case, there's still no reason why that girl has to tell us the story". Leorio was still pondering.
"The purpose of telling us the story about her tragic experiences with the villagers and her ill-fated romance was to diminish our hopes and to generate fear and pessimism in us. When we listened to how cruel and morally reprehensible people were, we would become more prone to depression. We would lose hope, dwell in our own gloom and be blinded to any opportunity of escape from the swamp".
"I'm sorry to interrupt" I said sensibly, "but I think we should leave this dangerous place as soon as possible".
"Agree! Plus I think we should really look for some food now, I'm starving!" Leorio complained.
"Do you still have appetite, Leorio? I'm sure if you were alone, you would be the number one victim of 'the monster'. Can't you just stop thinking about food?"
"Kurapika! You.you." and the two began quarreling again. Meanwhile, I seized the opportunity and slipped to Gon's side.
"Thank you, Gon. Were it not for you, I'm sure I should be in the bottom of that swamp by now."
"Me? Oh, it was nothing, I'm glad my fishing skills helped! Just another reason to love fishing." Gon smiled. Beneath his smile, I sometimes wonder if Gon realized he was not simply a fisherboy. His optimism, his dedication for his friends, and his determination made him someone very special. He's a twinkling star, illuminating my sky; he's a burning fire, warming my heart; and perhaps most important of all, he's a true and loyal friend, bringing closure to my loneliness. Putting my fears and agony behind, I once again looked back at the swamp. It wasn't there anymore.
----------------------- [1] Farfetch Gon, an original creation of Miss Kiei.
