2. Hanako Receives Bad News.

"Greetings!" The Old Knight said. "My name is Isaac." 

The man used fingers to spell his name. Hanako could only stare back, unsure and afraid. "I understand you're nervous, but we have to leave before that thing comes back." Silence. "Look, even you must know it's not a good idea to stick around."

~How do I know you won't hurt me?~  Hanako signed.

"That's the trust part," Isaac said. "And I guarantee that thing will not be as accommodating." No response. "I estimate less than a minute before it returns.” The girl looked around, searching for an answer. "Fifty seconds" She was starting to panic. "Forty..." Out of options, Hanako nodded reluctantly. "Come on, we'll use the tunnel." They tracked back to the kitchen, where a trapdoor had been opened. "You first," The girl glared at him. "It's perfectly safe, just dark."

She descended into the gloom, closely followed by Isaac. Using a flint, he sparked up a torch. Soft amber light spread out to catch nearby brickwork. "This way." The Old Knight hurried on, only pausing to hear the sound of a kitchen being smashed to bits. "It seems you chose well. Good job!"

Hanako gave him a cold look, but continued to stick close by.

Upon reaching the exit, he unlocked a gate. "There are worst monsters in the village, I can tell you." He gestured to follow, but Hanako froze. "This again? Feel free to run off, but I must warn you, that thing is relentless."

~How do you know sign language?~

"You're not the only deaf person around these parts. As a warden, it's my job to familiarise myself with all kinds of people."

~You are a visitor?~

"Something in that vein," Isaac said. "The villagers call me the 'Guard-at-Sea'. You'll have to ask them why, I never bothered to."

~What was that thing? ~

"It's known as: 'The Headless-Nameless'."

~The what? ~

"Headless-Nameless. Its body is held up with vines and things we won't go into. Other than that, no one else knows much about it, except to run as fast as you can."

~Yeah, but calling it name-less gives it a name. ~

"I am aware," Isaac said. "I don't really pick others' brains over such matters. Speaking of which, what might your name be?" Hanako wrote her name in the dirt. "Well met. Shall we continue?"

***

Isaac kept his horse steady while Hanako looked around for any sign of danger. The forest seemed smaller come morning light, as if all eyes were watching them.

The girl was not sure what to think. She knew all about the risk of going with strangers, so why was this the better option? Her Mother always said, if adults make you uncomfortable, if they try to trick you with something you know is wrong, your first action should always be to resist. Except now, Hanako was truly alone in a place that hated her..

. On the road back to the castle, Hanako became distracted by the sight of a Snail-like thing, with a giant brain in place of its shell and searching black eyes at the base. Its head was a yellow upside-down pyramid, allowing for a large single eye. Three green tentacles served as feelers, surrounding a translucent neck filled with excited bubbles.

It made her feel sad more than afraid, for reasons she could not fathom.

"Ah, Biscuit Brain," Isaac said. “Out for a morning meal.”

After dismounting, he helped Hanako down onto a patch of wet grass.

~Where are we? ~

"Craven Keep. A once-proud fortress, until it was reduced to ruins. Nowadays, we linger around and deter the odd monster; such is our lot in life." Once the gate was lowered, they ascended the staircase to a great hall. The burnt, broken roof resembled claws reaching up at a cherry amber sky. "Yeah, not the happiest sight, but safer than anywhere else."

Hanako looked around.

~Is this an Alien planet?~

"Not sure. All I know is that the land is called 'Perdita: The Blind Kingdom'. For now, let's get you fed."

~I am not hungry.~

"After all that?

No.

“I wonder why."

"I think we both know." The Sundered Knight said, wandering over to a nearby campfire. He still had a short sword poking out of his chest.

“It's a bit too early for teasing the newcomer."

"Is it early? Time never really seems to pass around here."

"You know what I mean," Isaac said, poking flames. He watched it hiss and grow brighter.

Hanako shot him a look. ~Who is that?~

"A friend. He's got a mouth on him, but perfectly harmless."

"I can speak for myself, Boy-o." The young knight said and splashed coffee out. "Name's Rufus; charmed, I'm sure. At least now we can have ourselves a proper lad's night."

"For your information, she’s a girl. Her name is Hanako."

Rufus tugged at his fringe.

"Begging yer pardon, Miss. Hard to tell with all them bandages."

Hanako signed off a response.

"She says: 'You are forgiven, kind sir.' “

The Sundered Knight let out a dry laugh. "Ha! A cheeky beggar this one is. You're gonna fit in just fine."

Isaac waited for the girl to finish her sentence.

"She wants to know why you have a sword in your chest? Why don't you take it out?"

Rufus tapped the end.

"Long story short, I wasn't quick enough." He said. "As to why I don't take it out. It would certainly kill me, but it wouldn't be a warrior's death, so I won't be accepted into the Great Feast."

"The Great Feast is where warriors enjoy an eternal banquet," Isaac said. "And if you believe the tales, Barbarian princesses."

"The best kind if you ask me," Rufus said, with a sly grin. "They have an appetite of their own." The girl signed her disapproval. "What does that mean?"

"Something about T.M.I? I'm not sure."

Hanako turned to Isaac.

~So what is wrong with me? ~

The Old Knight gazed at his coffee.

"In short: You are dead." He said. Hanako froze, feeling a prickling sensation run through her body. "That –I fear - is the least of your concerns."

~ Dead? ~

"Yes, it's a bit of a pickle."

Hanako patted her body.

~ I am alive, I can feel! ~

"What you are feeling is merely a projection; your mind's way of filling a void."

"I told you she wouldn't get it," Rufus said. "Ignorance is definitely bliss."

~Dead. ~

"Best not to dwell on it, eh?"

~So I don't have to be afraid or run away? ~

"It's not as simple as you might think. You can still be torn apart, so imagine spending eternity as a head, inside the belly of some beast."

~ I wouldn't like that. ~

'"Indeed."

"Although," Rufus said. "If I were hanging off some barbarian princess, I wouldn't be complaining."

Hanako looked at Isaac.

~Please take the sword out when he is asleep. ~

~I have been so tempted. ~ Isaac signed back. They giggled as Rufus eyed them suspiciously.

***

When morning came, the Old Knight woke up to the smell of charcoal drifting from a pile of burning embers.

Trying to move, his body felt stiff and heavy, until he realised it was so much worse.

He was stuck.

"You slept in your armour again," Rufus said, obscured by morning shade. “I keep telling you.”

"I was too tired," Isaac said, struggling with the weight of metal. "This is quite the annoyance."

"Not for me, mate. I'm having a ball watching you flail around."

"Enough. Where's Hanako?"

"She wandered off."

"Where to?"

"How would I know? She can't have gone far, there's not much else around."

"She might have returned to the forest."

"And try her luck with all them monsters?" Rufus said. "Doesn't make much sense to me." Isaac rolled onto all fours, awkwardly using a nearby wall to pull himself up. "The grace of a Tiger."

"It's still a big castle, where would she go?"

"Someone her age? I'd look for the comfiest room in the castle."

Isaac nodded and headed off toward the Keep.

***

Upon reaching the Royal bedroom, Isaac found signs of a struggle, with pieces of mirror scattered around. He was now more concerned than ever.

Checking underneath the four-poster bed and inside wardrobes, he realised Hanako was nowhere to be found. Half-tempted to search every inch of the Castle, his instincts led him to the gate’s door, which stood unbolted and swinging in the breeze

Hanako raced heedlessly into the morning forest. Threading between trees and barrelling through brush and shrub. It was a full-blown panic; her mind was racing with so many questions, but not enough answers. Only after she stopped did she find time to ask:

~ Where the hell am I going? ~

Back at the Castle, she had checked herself in a mirror, only to find nothing staring back. No face, no hair, no skin. All that remained was a swirling, misty tornado, with two amber sparks for eyes, dancing in the void.

What was she? How was she? This had to be a dream.

An icy sensation came over her like a shroud, as reality set in.

The girl continued to run... over thick roots, through sharp burrs and fallen trunks. Her pace was quick but ended abruptly when she slipped and toppled face down in the mud.

All the while, in the corner of her eye, the sight of a figure made of shadow, tracked her at speed and dispersed into thin air.

Picking herself up, Hanako could see the side of a nearby road. Large dry ruts fed into the corner, before curling over a steep crest. It was there she caught sight of something glinting through the gloomy distance.

Hanako immediately crouched down behind a bush and kept low. Through the gaps in the shrub, she could see the light in the distance, coming steadily closer.

To her complete surprise, the object turned out to be a lantern attached to a covered wagon, driven by a man dressed in the attire of a medieval peasant. A yelp died in her throat when she noticed the stranger was completely green in complexion.

These have to be aliens,   Hanako Thought. Where is their ship?

The wagon stopped short of Hanako’s hiding place, and the man got down to check one of the wheels. Out from the back, a smaller figure came to help. It was a green-skinned child, no more than ten in stature, complete with pig-tails and carrying a knitted doll.

Seemingly bored, the girl decided to wander off toward the nearby clearing to play by herself. Hanako kept a close eye and tracked the child’s movement to a small bank of shaded Oaks.

Just as all seemed calm, a muscular arm pulled the little girl into the trunk of a nearby tree cast in shadow. The doll dropped helplessly to the ground.

Hanako could feel her heart freeze. If it were her heart, anything was possible at this point.

Slipping away on all fours, she left the man to search for his daughter.

Finally clear, Hanako got to her feet and bolted deeper into the forest. Her mind screaming with everything she had witnessed: What was this place? What was that thing? How could she leave? All the while, she continued to run with no care or caution. All she wanted to do was find safety.

~ Run, run, run, run, run. Don’t stop. If you stop, it will catch you. If it catches you, it will take you.~

Unfortunately, Hanako was so focused on escaping that she failed to spot a tall ledge, which sent her flying onto the roof of a thatched cottage below.

Rolling off the thick golden straw, she landed in a pen of wet mud and lay still.

Exhausted and fed up, Hanako sloshed around before slowly crawling toward the fence.

~ Come on holiday, get together, have a few laughs. ~

Hanako made her way over to the gate and half-expected to see a shocked family standing nearby, but there was no one. All was quiet and empty.

She wondered if the cottage belonged to the man she had just seen, and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.

Double-checking to see if anyone was around, Hanako pushed the door lightly and found it to be open. Slowly entering, the first thing that struck her was how normal everything looked; from the cosy kitchen to the couches set around a brick fireplace.

The second thing she noticed was how every item, knick-knack, piece of furniture, and utensil was all one uniform colour, with variations in tone:

It was all Green.

Green plates were set on a green wooden table, over green flagstone floor, next to a green living room area. Even the bricks were green.

Wandering around, Hanako eventually came to a child’s bedroom. On a small rocking chair sat a knitted doll. Also green.

It reminded her of her little sister, Alberta. She too had a rocking chair in her bedroom, where she would spend hours talking to her doll, named ‘Clover Sally’.

Hanako turned away, suddenly taken with a longing that cut through like a blade

She thought about her parents.

It would be Christmas now, or thereabouts. It had been a long time since she had known what day it was. She missed her home and the warmth of togetherness. What would Christmas be without her? Her parents would find the energy to put on a brave face for the sake of her sister, but there would always be hollowness to the celebrations, forcing them to go through the motions. No one was in the mood. They would look at the remaining presents that had never been opened and feel a weight.

It made her sad, the more she thought about it.

Sadness would soon be replaced with anger. Overcome with determination, Hanako swore she would find her way back no matter how long it took or the price to pay.

In that moment, she could feel an intense fire rising inside her; an inner strength fueled by boiling rage and injustice. She had felt this moment in pictures, like the cliff-top warrior raising a sword to salute a flock of passing dragons.

Holding a fist high, she swore to find a way back home.

Of course, this feeling would have spurred her on, had she not been knocked out by a frying pan.