A TALE OF SHERWOOD
Chapter 8
In which we learn something new
Taking risks is the biggest part of life. If we are not risking something,
we are not living -Unknown
Duo stopped all forward locomotion, closing his eyes. The woods were quite. Well, that is, as quite as woods can be. He heard the creaking of trees and rattling of leaves, like water flowing over rocks, as the wind blew overhead. He heard faint bird twills and a squirrel scolding something or other. He also heard the ruffle and scraping noise of a small animal deliberately making its way through the forest. Suddenly, that noise died, as if the animal had suddenly frozen in fear or disappeared all together.
Slowly, Duo opened his eyes and the dark was replaced with a swirl of colors ranging from brown to green. It took a moment for his eyes to refocus, and when they did the first thing he saw was the taught face of Harry.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing really, I was just listening." Said Duo, blinking.
"What to? It's a quiet afternoon." Asked Harry as he resolutely started trudging forward once again.
"The woods, my friend, are never quiet except when something is wrong." Harry blinked at Duo over his shoulder.
"Really? I don't hear anything now, just us." Harry, treading dangerously close to a root sticking up out of the ground, but not seeing because he was still looking at Duo, waiting for an answer.
"Hey, watch out!" Duo called but Harry turned just in time to stumble over the root.
"You should really watch out," said Duo, stepping over the offending root to give Harry a hand up. "And you don't hear anything because you're not listening, be quiet."
Harry paused a moment before stating that he still couldn't hear a thing.
"No, come on, just listen. No not like that, you've got to stop walking." Duo grabbed Harry's shoulders to make him stop. "Just stand there a moment, close your eyes. Listen." Harry complied, grumbling. But after a moment Harry opened his eyes, looking shocked.
"Hey, your right! It is noisy." Harry sounded completely astounded by this revelation.
"Of course it is, I told you so. Or did you think I was lying, or that I'm crazy and shouldn't be taken seriously. Is that it? That's it, isn't it?" Said Duo, pretending to take offense.
"No, no. I didn't mean it that way. I only meant that-"but Duo cut him off.
"That's it! You think I am a crazy liar! He thinks I'm a crazy liar!" Duo proclaimed.
"No, really, I-"
"Well I have two things to tell you, lad. Firstly- anyone who willingly stays Sherwood has to be a bit crazy to begin with. And secondly- I might run, I might hide, but I never tell a lie."
"Right."
.....................
They kept going, talking only occasionally for Duo to tell Harry which way to go or offer advice about a particularly rough patch of ground, or mean spirited branch just waiting to slash across an unsuspecting face.
Mostly Duo just walked on behind Harry, lost in his own thoughts. A squirrel broke his reverie. The animal waited until they were directly underneath them to break into its characteristic ear-splitting racket. Harry jumped a foot in the air and then cursed the squirrel, its mother, and its entire lineage.
"Hey, hey, hey," said Duo, "Stop cursing the squirrel, it was just doing what squirrels do best. What is the matter?"
"Huh? Who says anything is the matter?"
"Just me. Don't lie, just tell me what has you all worried." Harry stopped walking and turned around.
"Robin Hood," he said. "I am scared about meeting Robin Hood. I mean, what if he decides to send me back? There's nothing to go back too, what if I'm not good enough?" Duo was a bit surprised.
"There's nothing to worry about. It is just Robin. You'll like him, trust me."
"It's just- he's a legend. You've been here from the beginning, but I've heard stories of outlaws my entire life. Greedy outlaws, mean outlaws, untrustworthy outlaws, and Robin Hood. You don't know what people say about him. He's like hope, a sword against Prince John, for the king. It's unnerving knowing that he's real. That I am going to meet him. "Harry looked a bit wild, for a moment, almost like a half-tamed animal that smells freedom.
"Oh. Well, in that case, uh, just try to remember that he's a man too, whatever else the storytellers say."
"Right."
"And maybe you should know- we are almost there."
Chapter 8
In which we learn something new
Taking risks is the biggest part of life. If we are not risking something,
we are not living -Unknown
Duo stopped all forward locomotion, closing his eyes. The woods were quite. Well, that is, as quite as woods can be. He heard the creaking of trees and rattling of leaves, like water flowing over rocks, as the wind blew overhead. He heard faint bird twills and a squirrel scolding something or other. He also heard the ruffle and scraping noise of a small animal deliberately making its way through the forest. Suddenly, that noise died, as if the animal had suddenly frozen in fear or disappeared all together.
Slowly, Duo opened his eyes and the dark was replaced with a swirl of colors ranging from brown to green. It took a moment for his eyes to refocus, and when they did the first thing he saw was the taught face of Harry.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing really, I was just listening." Said Duo, blinking.
"What to? It's a quiet afternoon." Asked Harry as he resolutely started trudging forward once again.
"The woods, my friend, are never quiet except when something is wrong." Harry blinked at Duo over his shoulder.
"Really? I don't hear anything now, just us." Harry, treading dangerously close to a root sticking up out of the ground, but not seeing because he was still looking at Duo, waiting for an answer.
"Hey, watch out!" Duo called but Harry turned just in time to stumble over the root.
"You should really watch out," said Duo, stepping over the offending root to give Harry a hand up. "And you don't hear anything because you're not listening, be quiet."
Harry paused a moment before stating that he still couldn't hear a thing.
"No, come on, just listen. No not like that, you've got to stop walking." Duo grabbed Harry's shoulders to make him stop. "Just stand there a moment, close your eyes. Listen." Harry complied, grumbling. But after a moment Harry opened his eyes, looking shocked.
"Hey, your right! It is noisy." Harry sounded completely astounded by this revelation.
"Of course it is, I told you so. Or did you think I was lying, or that I'm crazy and shouldn't be taken seriously. Is that it? That's it, isn't it?" Said Duo, pretending to take offense.
"No, no. I didn't mean it that way. I only meant that-"but Duo cut him off.
"That's it! You think I am a crazy liar! He thinks I'm a crazy liar!" Duo proclaimed.
"No, really, I-"
"Well I have two things to tell you, lad. Firstly- anyone who willingly stays Sherwood has to be a bit crazy to begin with. And secondly- I might run, I might hide, but I never tell a lie."
"Right."
.....................
They kept going, talking only occasionally for Duo to tell Harry which way to go or offer advice about a particularly rough patch of ground, or mean spirited branch just waiting to slash across an unsuspecting face.
Mostly Duo just walked on behind Harry, lost in his own thoughts. A squirrel broke his reverie. The animal waited until they were directly underneath them to break into its characteristic ear-splitting racket. Harry jumped a foot in the air and then cursed the squirrel, its mother, and its entire lineage.
"Hey, hey, hey," said Duo, "Stop cursing the squirrel, it was just doing what squirrels do best. What is the matter?"
"Huh? Who says anything is the matter?"
"Just me. Don't lie, just tell me what has you all worried." Harry stopped walking and turned around.
"Robin Hood," he said. "I am scared about meeting Robin Hood. I mean, what if he decides to send me back? There's nothing to go back too, what if I'm not good enough?" Duo was a bit surprised.
"There's nothing to worry about. It is just Robin. You'll like him, trust me."
"It's just- he's a legend. You've been here from the beginning, but I've heard stories of outlaws my entire life. Greedy outlaws, mean outlaws, untrustworthy outlaws, and Robin Hood. You don't know what people say about him. He's like hope, a sword against Prince John, for the king. It's unnerving knowing that he's real. That I am going to meet him. "Harry looked a bit wild, for a moment, almost like a half-tamed animal that smells freedom.
"Oh. Well, in that case, uh, just try to remember that he's a man too, whatever else the storytellers say."
"Right."
"And maybe you should know- we are almost there."