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| Username; Limuma | Name; Hugh | Meaning; Heart | Gender; Male |
~~~~~~❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀~~~~~~
Chapter One - A Busy Man
Another day in the office. Hugh was sipping black coffee with a proud grin on his face. He was holding the cup high letting everyone present in the room aware of what was written on it. Big bold letters on a black colored ceramics, screaming the words "Hugh Inc." He was the director of a tech company and considered himself to be the brightest and smartest man in the building, if not in the whole city. He was always so full of himself, but he didn't have a reason not to. He was successful in school, college, and now in his job. And he's not the viscet who believes in luck. It was all him and only him. Sometimes he wondered why even bother with other people. The only thing he should be for them is a leader. A light that shines pointing them to the bright future. He put the cup down gently and kept the smile on his face.
"You know what? How do I say this... Your ideas are lame. All of them. You're not worth my time. Fired! All of you."Others whispered among themselves looking at him like he was a madman. But he was used to that reaction and just continued sipping his coffee peacefully leaning on the chair. His mind drifted away as other complained of how he'll lose this company if he keeps acting like this. He just didn't care. Their lives didn't matter anyway, they were just jealous cause they didn't catch Hugh's attention. People could spit on him and he wouldn't even bat an eyelid.
He was organizing his desk before calling it a day when he saw a picture on one of his worker's desk. A picture of him and his family.
Huh. Sweet, yet pathetic. He never saw relationships an anything that could help you advance. If you need to spend your time helping and teaching others, when will you have time to work on yourself? Work was a life for him. No viscets to greet him after a long day as he got home. Just he and his company. And he didn't mind, in the contrary- he finds it relieving. Emotions just make stuff complicated. He stood in front of a big mirror which he had laying around everywhere in this building to take a final look at himself. To remind himself how
perfect he is. Could just start considering telling others to address him as Sir
God Hugh. That'd be fun. He tightened up his tie and was ready to go.
Chapter Two - Lifechanging EventThe phone was ringing and Hugh had no intention of answering as he drove to his home. He hated when people pestered him for irrelevant reasons. Was he the only sane person around these parts? The Sun was setting and the sky was cloudy, heavy drops of rain falling on his windshield. His feelings were as gloomy as nature was. The monotone sound of wipers and dimmed light made it hard to see in nights as those. Suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere, standing it the middle of the road that led through the forest. He managed to stop just in time. Even though he had enough money to rent a professional driver, he could never put his life in someone else's hands. He couldn't trust anybody but himself. The shadow started moving towards his window. He could make out it was an older woman and wondered what excuse does she have to cause him this stress. She tapped on his window until he lowered it down. She greeted him with a smile, but he gave nothing but a dead stare in return.
"Hello there, young man! Would you mind helping the old lady get to her shack? It's just around the corner, and the weather is terrible!"Excuse me? What? She doesn't even apologize but she asks for a favor! He sight as a reply closed the car window and continued driving. But he shouldn't have. This decision was about to change his life. The old viscet was a witch known roaming around this forest. She would put people on trials and judge them. If they passed they'd be rewarded with a prize beyond their imagination. But if they failed... And Hugh failed badly. She never met a viscet so rude and egoistic. And she had a perfect spell for this situation. She called her bird friend with a short whistle and it quickly landed on her shoulder.
"This forests desperately seeks for a guardian, don't you think? The time has finally come to answer it's prayers."Chapter Three - The Guardian is Born"Urgh. What pests elders are."The weather was just getting worse. The thunders and flashes of lightning started showing, taking less and less time between each strike. Hugh was getting annoyed by all those sounds. Driving a bit faster wouldn't hurt, right? He just wanted to go home and rest for a long while. He was sick of the outside world. He pushed the gas pedal, harder and harder until he had no more control neither over his car nor himself. Sharp turn appeared out of nowhere and he slipped out of the road even before he had time to think. He dialed his car full of adrenaline, but to no avail. He could not stop what was about to happen. His expensive, unique car flew out, turning over at least three times. He can't remember if it was more. He got unconscious.
He woke up the other day, his head hurting like crazy. He opened his eyes and waited to adjust to the bright Sunlight that shined throughout the leaves. Wait a second. Rustling leaves, bird songs, bugs, greens? He was in the forest.
"Oh, no, no, no, I need to get out."He quickly turned his head to search an exit from what was left of his car, now turned upside down. He kicked the front door with his strong hind legs and rushed for the exit. But he was welcomed with a surprise before he could leave his vehicle. His lowered body was laying outside it, on the soft silky grass, but his head was still stuck. He got up and attempted pulling it out. He tried and drained his energy before actually checking what may cause this problem. He palpated his head and felt two unusual big growths sprouting out of it. He quickly reached for a piece of a broken mirror glass laying on the driver's seat. He faced it towards himself and had something to see; He kept his handsomeness, but he also had to big antlers on his head, blocking his way out. The silence of the forest was broken by a familiar voice.
"Oh, look who's finally awake! And it seems as if he needs our help! Imagine that. Ho ho ho..."The witch laughed, talking to her birdie friend. Hugh never thought this rates of annoyance could be caused by a single person.
"I don't need anyone's help, especially not yours. You're the one who did this in a first place, ain't you?"He struggled as he tried to free himself from the once beloved metal friend.
"What sickos crash people's cars and plant branches on their head? And I thought my decisions were questionable.""You should watch viscets eye to eye when talking to them, young man. That's your first lesson for today."She snapped her fingers and Hugh bumped on the ground, finally getting some rest after constant pulling.
"And your lesson should be not to put your snout where it doesn't belong."~~~~~~❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀~~~~~~
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Chapter Four - Shocking discovery "Now excuse me, but I have a company to run."He reached into his car to check if any of his belongings were still in one piece but everything was pretty much broken.
"Nevermind. Once I get to the city I'll just contact my secretary to buy me a new suit."As he got ready to leave this disgusting place he noticed the witch was following him. He didn't really have the power and politeness to speak to her so he just continued. It took them quite some time and a lot of witch's long, boring stories. She couldn't keep her mouth shut! She talked about the weather, the forest, the air, she mentioned every little detail on everything as they passed by. Hugh decided he was just too tired to shut her up. When the finally reached the building, he signed in relief.
"Finally. Stay here, I've got some work to do."She acted like she didn't hear anything and, as expected, walked in right behind him. Hugh knew exactly where to go, remembering the well-known path. For some reason, everything felt weird. Everyone seemed so... happy? He better hurry. He opened the door and entered a small office where a viscet was sitting, sipping her coffee, her name tag reading: C. Smith.
"Hey, Clarissa, I need you to get me some stuff immediately. A new suit, the newest phone on the market, and would you look up top 10 cars for me?"She just kept writing her papers, ignoring the intruder.
"Clarissa, what on Earth!? I'm your..."He was cut out by a loud cheer from the room by. Everyone seemed to be tapping their glasses.
"What is happening here..."Hugh whispered to himself. He turned his view back to the secretary, noticing something he didn't see before- the female had a tear on her cheek. She stood up from her chair and walked to the window, sobbing.
"Why? Why him? He was such a good man, he just needed help getting rid of his masks..."Hugh was now completely confused. He couldn't make himself stay in this room any longer. He dashed to the other room across the hall where he found all his workers cheering around the table, and a worker he hated the most took his seat. Well, that one earned himself a decent quit. The worker raised his glass, stood up and said the cheer.
"For Hugh's end, and this company's new beginning!"What? He heard the news on the television in the corner of the room. It displayed his broken car along with the title 'Millionaire found dead after the terrible accident'. His heart stopped. Everything stopped. He was frozen in his place.
Chapter Five - Accepting the changeIt didn't take her long to locate Hugh. The witch appeared in front of him, trying to wake him up.
"Hugh? Hugh! Hugh are you awake?"He woke up with a terrible headache back in the forest. He tried standing up but she prevented him from doing so.
"How are you feeling? Can you remember what happened?"He continued laying on the grass, staring at the endless blue covered with green treetops. The Sunrays made their way through the leaves so his eyes needed few seconds to adapt to this environment. He tried remembering the day before, not knowing how he ended up here.
"Well... Um... We went to Hugh Inc., Clarissa was acting weird, she cried and whispered some nonsense."The witch was sitting next to him, nodding after every sentence.
"And I hear cheers... There's this room, but it wasn't as usual... Everyone was acting like they weren't aware of my presence. And then I saw the news..."It all got back to him again. The broken car, the title, the news lady...
"I am... I am dead? But it can't be! What did you do to me?!"His rage was getting out of control, but she calmed him by putting her paw on his chests, signaling him not to move.
"I didn't do anything. You're the one who caused the accident yesterday. You were lucky I found you. I saved your life.""Saved my life? Noone can't see me, everybody thinks I'm dead! How am I supposed to run a company like this!""You're asking the wrong questions. Have you seen how they acted today? I've never seen viscets so happy in my entire life. I don't know about you, but for me, that's enough proof that I made a right decision. Besides, you have other things to do now, you won't have time to 'run a company'."Hugh was staring at her confused. For the first time in forever, he was afraid. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to act. He wanted his life back. Surely, this has to be a bad dream. Things like this aren't possible. Wake up wake up wake up! He had to stay strong, so he kept the conversation going, trying to unsuccessfully hide his fear.
"What are you talking about?""You silly! You're the spirit of the forest now."The old viscet giggled as this all was a joke. I only he was able to stand right now, he'd show her who's silly.
"I didn't ask for this, for any of this. I command you to turn everything back the way it was!""What's the magic word?"Is she really doing that? He couldn't believe it but decided to roll with it anyway. He gathered enough strength to sit and lean on a tree right next to him so he could watch her eye-to-eye.
"Please?"Chapter Six - Another wayThe witch sighed. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell him, but she had to finish what she started.
"There's a relic hidden deep in this forest. I hid it well so no other spirits could find it without my guidance. The relic has a special ability; it brings spirits back to the world of the living. But there's a catch- you have to use it before the third sun set. That much isn't a problem since it's still the first day's noon."She raised her head to check the position of the Sun. Indeed, she was correct, as it shined brightly, directly over them.
"And you'll lose all memory of what happened when you were a spirit."Hugh lit up. He didn't hear anything this good in a while. There is a way! He can make everything right.
"So what do you choose?"He didn't take a second guess, he knew what he wanted.
"Show me the way!"He felt a burst of energy. He stood up without a problem, lending a hand to the old witch so she could get on her feet as well.
"Aw, look at you... Would you mind if I called some friends to join?""No, no, not at all! Call whoever you want! As long as we're getting that relic, do what you wish!"She whistled, calling her bird friend. It took it a couple of seconds before showing up and landing on her shoulder. Hugh could recognize the bird right away.
"Hugh, meet Hawky. Hawky, Hugh."The two of them exchanged looks.
"Not creative with names, huh?"She giggled in response.
"Let's go. Follow me!"He followed them with happiness in his heart, thinking of everything he'll do once he gets out of this forest. He just hoped his company'd not fall apart while he's gone.
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Chapter Seven - The journeyThey've been walking for an entire day now. The sun was setting and there was no sign of the relic anywhere. Hugh's soles were sore. He didn't want to admit it but he really needed to take a break.The witch finally stopped, just as he got the feeling they'd go on forever.
"We'll set up a camp here, what do you say? We're halfway there, we'll continue in the morning."He was relieved. He collapsed to the ground, resting his feet after a long walk.
"Would you mind bringing some firewood?"He was just about to say 'Who you think you are?' but something stopped him. He remembered that she was guiding him, and not the other way around.
"Sure."He strolled through the forest searching for dry branches laying around when all of a sudden he heard a rustle. It was coming from a bush nearby. He put all the wood he'd gathered as far on the ground and sneaked to the sound, slowly uncovering whatever was inside. To his surprise, it was just a small, brown bunny, but it seemed it had blood stains on its fur.
"Oh, poor thing! I'll take you to the witch, she'll know what to do with you."He picked it up and carried it in one hand while holding the firewood in the other. He didn't think about what he was doing. He usually wasn't a fan of pets and animals, but seeing them this defenseless, he had to help it. A brief walk separated him from the campsite so he arrived in no time.
"Hey, witch! I need your help."The female viscet was intrigued by the sudden talkativeness and politeness of once ruthless creature.
"What's the problem, young man?"He dropped the firewood not caring much about it and dashed to her to deliver a bunny he'd found.
"It's bleeding heavily. Can you help?""I can do what any other medic can, that's about it. But I believe it's all in your hands."Hugh was getting slightly annoyed by her. She always asks the new question and makes everything more confusing than before, and yet seem to lack answers for any. Or maybe she's just pretending.
"What do you mean?""Forest spirits exist to keep their forest alive, no matter how deep the scars get. Their task is to heal its creatures and the forest itself, and take care of them."He stopped trying to understand what she was talking about. He got the basic point, and he had a situation going that really required someone's help, fast.
"So you're saying I can... Heal? Is that metaphorical or what? This 'thing' is dying I'd really like some definite answers right now.""Yes, you can, but not with that attitude. Just give it to me."The rabbit was snatched out of his hands before he had time to react. She whispered something to her hawk and he flew off, returning soon with his claws filled with bandages and herbs.
"You can't help him with some plant and paper, he's already lost enough blood.""And why do you even care? Is he gonna help you run your company or something?"The witch was irritated with his arrogance and lashed out at him. This wasn't the first creature she had to take care of, but Hugh also got the point. There isn't really much she can do now besides try.
And for Hugh, these words made him realize. His whole life he's been turned towards his own personal success, not caring about anyone else. He never thought there was anything wrong with it. But what if he was wrong? What if he not doing anything actually resulted in everyone in his surrounding winding up hurt? He thought by switching off and isolating himself from other people, not helping anyone as well as not hurting anybody, couldn't possibly have consequences for no one but himself. For all this time he thought how great he is, but it turns out he just lacked knowledge to see the bigger picture.
Chapter Eight - One step at the timeHugh couldn't help himself but tear up. Just a little bit though, he can't show any weakness. He carefully observed while the witch did her thing. The bunny was in pain and he could feel it. And it seemed like an eternity until she finally stopped.
"There. That should stop the bleeding."He wanted to hug her from the outburst of happiness he had but decided it wasn't really appropriate.
"So he'll live?"The witch's eyes sadden but her honesty remained.
"I did what I could, but I don't think it'll make it through the night. We'll need a miracle.""But you said I can do it! You said I can heal him, right?"The viscet sat down.
"I thought you said you didn't want to be a spirit. Besides, using any power will just shorten the time we have to get to that relic. And we can't be sure for how much. So you might never return to the world of the living again. If that's the risk you're willing to take, it's all up to you."Hugh's paws started shaking, his heart started bumping. He could feel his nervousness piling up. He could easily let this rabbit pass away. Once he's out of this forest, he won't remember this anyway. There'd be no negative consequences. Everybody would just move on with their lives. Why did he even care? He kept thinking how things would end, pros and cons of both choices and all possible outcomes. And it was clear. The best thing for his career was to just let him die.
Or could he? He couldn't make himself be that bad of a person, at least not in front of the person who has done anything to help him. At least he can try to return the favor. Besides, they had more than 48 hours left, so it can't be that bad.
"How am I supposed to... do 'that'?""I'm not entirely sure, I've never seen a forest spirit before, only read about them in myths. Just do what your heart tells you to."She handed him the little puffball all wrapped in bandages. As his paws touched the poor creature, Hugh started feeling something unusual. He could feel the pain bunny was feeling, he could feel it's heart bumping, his lungs expanding and diminishing harmonically. He could hear the blood susurrating trough its body. He could feel some kind of an energy draining from his heart going right into this rabbit's wounds. And he felt the constant piece it had with itself, no matter how badly hurt it was. And then the bright blue glow left him blinded until his eyes adjusted. The bunny started glowing and remained for few seconds. Hugh stared at it in awe. Did he make it? Did he actually succeed? But both him and rabbit he was holding collapsed on the ground. Hugh never felt so tired in his life.
"Are you two alright?"The witch kneeled down to pick up the bunny and check its vitals. It was completely healthy. She unwinded him and even to her surprise, there were healthy skin and fur covering once wounded areas. She quickly moved to Hugh to check on him.
"I know it wasn't easy for you, but I'm glad you did it. You made a right choice, even if may not seem like it right now."She helped him sit down and continued to start the fire in the middle of their camp. Hugh was too tired to talk, even think for few minutes.He couldn't believe what he has just done. The bunny was back on its feet after a small rest and hopped to Hugh to thank his savior. It jumped into his lap and curled up peacefully, waiting for his response. Hugh accepted this thanks and started petting the creature.
"How are you gonna call him?""Excuse me?""You saved his life. I think he'll stay with us for a while."Hugh giggled at first since it seemed like a stupid thought to have, but the witch was right. It didn't seem like that bunny was going anywhere.
"I'll call you... Fuzzball.""Really?""Shut up. He's soft."They sat around the campfire, shared a dinner the witch brought with them, talked and told stories until sleep won them over.
Chapter Nine - The relic"Would you guys just please stop?"Hugh sight out of boredom. For some stupid reason, the witch thought it would be a good idea to stop for a minute to take a break cause they've been walking since sunrise and to do guess what while they wait- jewelry making. The witch had a bag filled with all kinds of beads she claims she carved herself and Hawky flew off only to return with his beak filled with all kinds of feathers and what not. Hugh had to take part as well so he had quite a few hairs ripped out from his head. The witch knitted few of them together to make a thread strong enough to serve a purpose. Witch, Hawky, and Fuzzball were all excited about this, but Hugh wasn't really 'delighted'. They ended up tying some strings, which had feathers and beads hanging on the bottom side of them, on his horns while he had to sit still.
"Oh c'mon, we're close, we have much more time.""Except we don't. Have you forgotten? We don't know how much time we have left, so we should hurry. Urghh why did I even allow this break?"They decided Hugh had a point but he was also a partybreaker, so they continued.
The old viscet seemed to be right, it didn't take them long before the arrived at some kind of a cave opening.
"That's it. The relic is in there. Are you still sure you want it?"Hugh took some time before he replied. And he was angry with himself for that. Come on, you shouldn't be hesitating. Everything is clear, you get the relic and you go home. You go back to being... you. Big, successful, power-driven viscet who cares for nothing but his company. That thought was starting to scare him, but he knew he came all this way for this, and you bet he's gonna do this.
"As sure as one can be. Shall we?"He let her guide him to the center of the cave system. There, in the middle of a room-shaped cave, under a thin sun-spotlight, laid a golden flower in a small, wooden pot.
"Is that... The relic?"Hugh was confused, but the witch happily dashed towards it.
"Oh, I remember the day I put it here! Ah, it still looks the same! Come, you got to smell it!"She was indeed true, the beautiful smell spread around the cave they were in. He took a few step closer and picked it up.
"It's cool, I guess. So... What do I do with it?""It's simple- you just eat one of the petals.""Oh. Yeah. Simple."Too simple in his opinion. On one hand, he wished for something complex. For something unreachable for him. So that he doesn't have to make a choice. He was torn between the two sides, his mind and his heart. He didn't know what to do, so he just hesitated.
"It's getting dark. Maybe we should head out and make a fire first?"The witch understood him and she didn't stay in his way. It was a tough choice for him, and even tho she had her preferences, is was his to choose.
Chapter Ten - The ChoiceHugh was holding the flower in his lap, sitting on a fallen trunk away from the campsite. He didn't want anyone's company. He was observing the night sky and all the stars it had. The rustling woke him from his thoughts. He turned around to see what visitors decided to join his solitude. It was Fuzzball. He decided he wanted some pets and came to Hugh to get them. He hopped to the trunk next to him and curled up as he was sleeping. Hugh let a relieving sight. He put the flower on the ground and picked Fuzz up on its place, giving him the pets he deserves. Another rustle followed up, but this time it was a viscet. The witch decided to pay him a visit.
"You don't have to stay here because of us. We'll be fine.""I want to believe that, trust me. I want to believe that the company needs me too, but after seeing how happy everyone was because I left... I don't think I'd be welcomed back.""But what about your business? And all the talks you had about returning to your old life? You longed for it since you got here. I understand you completely. You've come all this way, whatever you choose, I won't be mad.""I know. I just don't want to do something unreasonable and regret it later.""Well, the choice is on you. I'll never forget you, Hugh. I hope you'll be happy no matter which way you go."She hugged her friend and decided to leave him alone to think, bringing Fuzzball with her. Hugh remained alone, staring at the golden flower causing him all this drama. Why can't this be simple? Why was it him? What will happen next? He spun the witch's words in his head.
'Just do what your heart tells you to.'That's exactly what he was going to do. He picked the pot up and ran to the camp. Everyone was patiently waiting for him there.
"I made my choice."The witch got up and stared at him, saddened by what might happen next. Hugh reaped the flower and walked closer to her.
"Thank you for showing me what really matters in life. I'll never forget you."She teared up, but to her surprise, he tucked the flower behind her ear.
"I won't forget you because I'll stay with you. For as long as I live."The End~~~~~~❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀❃❂❁❀~~~~~~
