Chapter 8 A Second Disciple

Hey everybody. What's a goin on in all your wonderful lives? Anybody destroyed any dragons lately? Rescued any damsels in distress? Shot down a nuclear missile bound for D.C.? Yeah, KHUnknown, you did that, didn't you. After all, frequent reviewers are always the great knightly dragon killing damsel saving people. Okay, forget I said any of that. Or don't, and go to China and buy me some sugar cane. And a large pizza with everything on it. Oh, and sorry KHUnknown, because I can't actually make a fantasy story about Zach being a Knight in Shining Armor, and Ann being the damsel in distress. Actually I could, but it would be kind of stupid to use characters from this story. And what happened to all my kind reviewers? They just disappeared? Last chapter had nine views, so all nine of you should have left reviews.

I walked out of the Church, searching for what I knew had to be here somewhere. Then I saw it. An empty dirt path leading up behind to the Church. Like a coiling snake, it showed the war. And I followed its stretched coils.

The stretched tentacle lead to a small thatched hut. It appeared to only be one roomed, and was even smaller than my bedroom. I shook my head, wondering who in there right mind would live in this tiny shack. Unless the one who lived here was not human. I knocked gently against the door, careful not to break it down. It opened, and a tiny face looked out at me.

"Uh," I said. "I am the new farmer in town, and I just wanted to learn who lived here."

"We live here," the tiny face said in a quiet, high pitched voice. "We, the Harvest Sprites. Children of the Goddess. Creatures sent from the supernatural world to watch over the humans in Mineral Town. And who might you be?"

"Zach," I replied. "Farmer of Mineral Town."

The door was pulled open, and I found my self looking down at seven little men. They were only about two feet tall, and were dressed in strange elf like clothing, complete with pointy caps. All seven had identical pointed ears. In fact, they were all exactly alike, except they were all dressed in different colors. Their was a red, an orange, a yellow, a green, a blue, a purple, and a cyan colored Sprite.

"You Buddum," they said as all of them pointed towards me. "You are the one who will not worship our mother."

"That is correct," I replied.

"We are the Harvest Sprites," the red one said. "We help the people of the town with their jobs. Why do you ask? Because they are kind to our mother."

'Great,' I thought. 'Not more threats.'

"So basically you will never help me on my farm, right?"

All seven heads nodded as their once friendly eyes became cold, and heartless. The blue one stepped forward.

"We the Harvest Sprites," he began. "We are different than the other spirits of the island. We are closer to the mortal world than they are. We understand mortals better than they do. We are friendlier than they are, and not as quick to become angry. But like them, we are still connected to the Supernatural world. We do not feed in the same fashion as they do, but we still live off of the Sacrifices our Mother receives from the town's people. So we will never sacrifice our energy for one who will not offer us food, indirectly."

"I see," I said. "I must be going now. Goodbye."

The Sprites just stared at me as I walked away. I kept walking, and never looked back. My business in the town was now over. I headed back to my farm. Strangely enough, Zach the shipper came to my farm at one o'clock, four hours early.

"I have a package for you Zach," he said to me.

I brightened up at this. Perhaps this package was from my parents in response to my phone call. The shipper handed me a cardboard box, before leaving my farm. I looked at the address, and sure enough, it was from my parents.

I tore open the package hurriedly, for I was anxious to see all that they had sent me. I pulled open the top of the box, and looked in at all of the packaging peanuts. I fished through them with my hand, and pulled out a sheathed sword. I had bought it years ago while I was on a trip to Europe. I smiled. I didn't know if I would ever use it, knowing that if beheading couldn't harm those dirt beings, then how could a sword like this harm the spirits which haunted me?

But it was good to be prepared. I reached down and pushed the packaging peanuts aside, revealing several Bibles which lined the bottom of the box. These were better weapons to be used against spirits. I didn't have a gun license, so no firearm was sent. But I would wield one if necessary.

I put my sword sheath in the back pocket of my rucksack, and positioned it so that only the very tip of my sword popped out of the back of the pocket. I did not want to alarm the town's people by leaving it out where it could be easily seen. I carried the Bibles into my home, and placed them onto the book shelf. There I would leave them, until I found some lost soul who would accept one of them.


Summer was near. Things in the town would now change. Doug's Inn would begin selling Ice Cream, and the boy would return. But how would the Town react to his changes? Would he be accepted again? Would he be rejected. All he could do was hope.
The darkness swarmed around me, blanketing the horizon with a dark feeling. I felt as if deep within me, something was feeding off of me. It felt as if deep in side me, a dark being was manifesting itself.

'That is because the Dark Being is you,' a voice said from inside me. 'The darkness is a part of you.'

"That is not true," I replied to the strange voice. "I don't know what this darkness is, but it isn't me. I feel it around Cliff, and around Karen. It is the same darkness that I am feeling right now."

'You cannot deny it, or hide it. The darkness is you.'

"I don't know what this darkness is. Is it some evil spirit which desires to haunt me? Why does this place, and those people seem to be enclosed with evil?"

'The only darkness and evil there is here radiates from you.'

"That is not true!" I shouted angrily at the voice.

'Oh, but it is. And you know it is, don't you?'

"I know for a fact that I am not a part of the darkness!"

'Oh yeah?' the voice replied. 'Then why is it that you carry weapons around? You wish to destroy your enemies.'

"I do not! The weapons are for self defense!"

'For once I wish to see you cease your lies, and see the truth. You are an evil creature. You are the only darkness that exists in this town.'

"THAT'S A LIE!" I shouted.

'See? Even now you cannot control your own hatred, your own anger.'

"THAT IS NOT TRUE!"

'Oh, but it is.'

"Shut up!"

'Stop deceiving yourself. You can't be saved from who you are. You can only give it away. You can only allow it to be absorbed.'

"I will not listen to your lies!"

'I am the voice of the truth.'


I awoke in my bed in a cold sweat. I immediately looked at the wooden staff which I held clenched to my chest.

"I am not the bad guy," I said quietly to myself. "I'm not... I'm not."

I looked up to the top of the staff, and looked at the Cross which I had carved in the wood.

"This weapon will only be used for self defense," I said. "It will not be used for evil purposes."

I put it down, and stood up. I had decided to take a nap after I had put the Bibles on my bookshelf. That was when I had had that horrible dream. The darkness was me? How could that be true?

"Its not true," I thought aloud.


Stepping off the ferry, the man smiled at the cheering crowd which stood before him. He smiled a broad, bright smile, as he scanned the crowd of all his friends with his deep blackish brownish eyes. There was no greater joy than returning home after you have been gone for a long time.

"Kai!" Popuri screamed as she dashed through the crowd towards the muscular man who had just stepped out of the ferry.

The man smiled back at her as she rushed up to him. Kai (which was the man's name) opened his arms to Popuri. She rushed over, and her body pushed into his. Kai's arms wrapped around her, and he held her tight. Popuri cried her eyes out as she hugged him back.

"Kai," she said softly so that only he could hear her. "I missed you. I missed you so much. I didn't think I would make it to the next summer."

"But you did," Kai said as he held Popuri close to him. "No amount of time can ever hinder true love."

Popuri cried her eyes out as she leaned against her man. Kai did not break down, but a few tears did fall from his dark eyes. His attention was mostly centered on the girl he held in his arms, but his eyes shifted up to see Rick, Popuri's brother, glaring back at him. Kai looked away from her brother's angry look.

Rick just never could understand the two of them. He believed that Kai was trouble, someone that you wouldn't let your sister date. Kai admitted to himself. He hadn't been the best person back then. But now he had changed. Now Rick could accept him, and he could make up for his past. But deep in his heart, Kai knew that his change would not convince Rick. Rick was not quick to anger, but once his anger was aroused, it was difficult to suppress again. He was not quick to forgive either.

Kai let more tears fall. Rick would never accept him for who he now was. He had been told that through his change, all of his sins would be erased. In truth they were. But that didn't mean that they hadn't still happened. And people could still judge him by his past.

He could not blow this. This was his chance to do what was right. Even though he knew the people of the town might turn their backs on him for it, and he may lose the girl he held close to him right now. But the point was it was the right thing to do. And it was better to lose everything while doing the right thing then to become the most fortunate man alive through immoral acts.


I went to the beach to see what the commotion was all about. The sight was one that I did not expect. A ferry had come to the island, and dropped off a man. I saw him standing off on the beach with a large crowd of the town's people around him. He was African American with dark skin, and dark eyes. His forehead was wrapped in a purple bandanna.

"Kai has returned!" shouted a couple people in the crowd.

So this was Kai. I had heard much about him from the town's people. Kai came every summer. He was Popuri's boyfriend, and her brother hated him. Oh yeah, and Kai was an atheist who some how received acceptance from the town's people while Christians like me were targeted by the Spirits of the island. I shook my head. I doubted I would ever understand all of it.


"Who is that man over there?" Kai asked pointing towards Zach.

Popuri looked up at him.

"That's Zach," she replied. "Do you remember the old farmer? He died while you were gone, and his Grandson inherited the farm. Zach is the Grandson."

"Is he nice?" Kai asked.

"He's a complete gentleman," Popuri replied. "But he is a bit... how do I say it... different."

"Different in what way?" Kai asked.

"Well, you know how the people of the town all worship the Harvest Goddess?"

"Yes," Kai said.

"Except for you, for you believe in no God. You are an atheist."

Kai cringed at these words, and didn't nod.

"Can you believe this? Zach believes there is a God, but he doesn't believe that the Harvest Goddess is her. And he has seen her and all. I mean, you have seen her as well, but you believe that she has little significance."

"In what God does this man believe in?" Kai asked intrigued.

"Uh," Popuri replied. "I'm not sure. But aren't you surprised that he believes in a different God than the Harvest Goddess?"

"No," Kai replied. "I have traveled the world. There are hundreds of other beliefs in other Gods. That is why I never believed that the Harvest Goddess was really a 'God.' I have to meet that man."

Popuri gave him a strange look, but ignored that statement. Kai looked out at the new farmer. Maybe this man could help him.

"Kai," Popuri asked suddenly. "What's that you have around your neck?"

Kai sighed. It was confession time. His dark hand reached down, and encircled the necklace which hung from his neck.

"That is what I have to tell you," Kai said. "You notice I came to town early this year? I felt a calling to return and tell the people of this town the truth. To warn them."

"To warn us of what?" Popuri asked.

Kai tried to find the right words.

"While I was out on my travels, I had a revelation. I changed. I discovered the truth."

"I don't understand," Popuri said.

"I- I found the one I have been searching for my entire life."

"Who did you find? What's his name?"

"His name," Kai began, "is Jesus."

His necklace flipped over, revealing a cross dangling from the golden chain.

KHUnknown, your wish has been granted. Kai es una Cristiano. Okay, for those of you who don't speak spanish, he's a Christian now. Sorry that this chapter and the last one have been boring, but wait till next chapter. The Action/Adventure part of the genre gets shot straight through in one swift motion. "Farewell and Adieu to you fair spanish ladies. Farewell and Adieu all you ladies of Spain. For we've received orders to sail back for Boston, and soon nevermore will we see you again." -Quint from "Jaws"