Chapter 12.

The forest edge, at the woodcutter’s station. The two pottered about the small encampment, keeping themselves busy. Brownie mulled over the events of the previous 48 hours; it was hard to digest, like something out of a horror movie, it made her head hurt thinking about it.
The dusk was encroaching again, and the air smelt thick and earthy as
The bustle of the undergrowth, the rustle of the red ferns and the accouterments of the Martian Ecco system were heard but not seen. There were birds that sang at night in the hallowed spaces of the peculiar Rainforest. Eulin said they were called whippoorwills; they were hermit-like and unseen. Making music in the dark .
Dinner had not been appetizing it was some sort of scorched vegetable skins that left a sharp taste in her mouth, now and then it would repeat on her, and she would taste the sharp citrus taste once more on her tongue, as she screwed up her face with a sour pang.
Inside the shelter, Eulin had discovered consumables in an old locker, he hopped about the bag crowing and poking his beak at it as if he had found buried treasure looking resplendent and proud of himself.
The previous residents must have left rations here in case, they? Whoever they were, had been marooned.
The water from the well surprisingly was pristine and sparkled like diamonds as it ran from the old hand pump that screeched as you pumped it. In fact, Brownie had never tasted water so pure and refreshing. She drank it by hand; it was almost sweet as she felt it gush over her fingers whilst she drank it from her cupped palms.
Crickets and whippoorwills were not the only creatures that lurked about. Sometimes creatures that appeared to be some native mix of foxes and wild hares occasionally ran across the camp, the first time it happened, it caused ructions as Brownie was caught by surprise and jumped out of her skin, which also caused Eulin to be startled.
The whippoorwills were calling louder now, it was almost as if the melody were the pulse of the forest, and it kept undulating and maintained a rhythm, The little Sprite began to wonder about her next course of action, she really didn’t know, where she would go next?
The only thing she recalled was a place that seemed to have definite potential for answers. The old tale about the spirit gates, but wasn’t that just a myth? Was she really as lost as she felt, was her situation as bleak as it seemed she asked herself tremulously.
The light was even darker now the moons were just becoming visible in the sky as the stars too began to come out.
Brownie felt the cold as she completed her final chores for the evening, filling some containers with water, for drinking and washing amongst other things working in the flickering candlelight of the tiki~esque torches that seemed to know when to ignite.
Then it happened.
Something made her prick up her ears, something had changed in the surrounding environment, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she could sense it nevertheless?
Looking around the camp .
Beyond the perimeter the light was dim, as dark as the darkest twilight .she noticed some wildflowers that glowed, they looked like white tulips, they must have had some sort of bioluminescence because they were radiating as if a Ghostlight were emanating from them, the notion of picking them came to mind.

Just then Brownie thought she saw a familiar figure standing at the peripheries of the forest boundary, a dark silhouette unless she was mistaken It was the girl she had seen from her dream returned, standing in silent lucidity.
She couldn’t read the expression on the girls face as she was wearing the mask once again. She was staring back at Brownie, and across the distance, she pointed at the old hen’s craw, as she moved behind one of the tall trees and disappeared before Brownie could even open her mouth to call out.
She was gone, there was not even a trace of her.

Wondering what the Omen was about, the little Sprite gazed into the wood store; her mouth was dry, she felt uneasy and apprehensive, it looked like a wood store should, with random piles of wood and turf.
It was then that she noticed …silence the whippoorwills had stopped, and all the sounds of the forest had gone quiet, but there was something? The sound of ferns stirring as if something considerable was walking through them, and the sound was getting closer; Brownie was getting more anxious as she heard something step into the encampment with a loud thud.
She crouched down and hid behind a pile of turf and timber. Making herself small as she tried her utmost to disappear into the shadows of the woodshed.
She could hear something breathing, and then she saw it?
Or just part of it, it looked like the rear flanks of a tiger except its hide was dark red with a black lining and was broken by stark white vertical stripes. She caught a glance of its rear foot as it passed by it looked like a giant cat’s paw save for the detail that it only had two claws protruding from it. It had a thick tail that was tapered much like that of a lizard, although it was more like the hide of a horse. Lastly, Brownie caught sight of the tip of its massive tail as it sauntered away, it looked like a cat o nine tails whip, and then it was gone. As if it were never there at all.
After a few minutes Brownie began to emerge from hiding, looking around she saw that the creature had gone, and slowly the familiar sounds started to resume, she looked once more where the mysterious girl had been, but there was nothing.
It was then she saw a giant shadow swoop down as she nearly had convulsions, tripping over she landed on her bottom “Jussi, Sprite are you’s ok, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Said Eulin.
Brownie tried to get her words out as she dusted herself off and shook tremulously. But instead, all she managed to say was “a monster,” As the little sprites complexion was utterly ashen, as the blood drained out of her cheeks.
The rest of the night passed off peacefully.

The next morning Brownie decided to put the events of the past days behind her gathering up her dirty linen she decided to wash them as best she could as if washing them were performing some sort of cleansing ritual both physically and spiritually. The little Sprite bundled the clothes into her arms as she cautiously ventured outside, and traversed the red Martian grass over to the well casually losing a sock or stocking on the way. The morning sun captured the ivory of her nightgown, as she walked in the military style boots that met the hem of her dress and was visible in the morning mist. Tying back her long raven locks a few striations escaping and hanging like curtains, she started to worry about the task at hand.
She began to work sturdily at the pump working methodically, and before long she had finished her first garment and was hanging it on airier she’d made out of three sticks. Eulin was absent he had gone to sing with the other birds at the upper echelons of the rainforest canopy and possibly to gather intel about the strange beasts that walked amongst the ferns.
Brownie felt that her work efforts would go faster with a bit of music, and so she began to hum an old song, she remembered from a happier time, it made her feel more upbeat.
She began ;
“You,……you will be king
And I…I will be queen
Though nothing, will drive them away
We can beat them, just for one day
We can be heroes, just for one day…. “
She paused as she continued signing in the sunshine and birdsong, and began to sway her hips as she got caught up in the moment.
“I, I can remember
Standing by the wall,
And the guards shot above our heads …..
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall “
And the shame was on the other side…..
Oh we can beat them, forever and ever
Then we could be Heroes, just for one day
We can be Heroes
Just for one day
We can be Heroes.”
Just for one da…
She was goofing around, but she had now noticed she was in the wake of a big shadow as she turned around to see…?
The creature from the night before.
The peculiar looking creature had immobilized Brownie with his eyes. They were fierce and frightening to behold, the creature was a weird amalgamation that looked part horse, the part tiger had a lizards tail and spines that wouldn’t be amiss to a lionfish, these spines formed a pair of rudimentary wings that sprouted from it’s back. It was red and white, and it began to speak in a husky voice ” You, my dear have picked the wrong place to be at the wrong time, now hear my voice, feel my wrath, and know my name!” It said pretentiously; the weird looking Pegasus was staring like a tiger that was eyeing its prey!
Terrified Brownie interjected “well?” She stuttered “what is your name? ” she asked precociously, knowing she was gambling and playing for time but she felt braver now as if the recent tragedies had in some way toughened her and made her more resilient. She wasn’t nearly as scared as she imagined she would be and she-she wasn’t going to fall like a house of cards.
The creature itself stopped dead in its tracks. It was dumbfounded, do you not know who I am it must have thought, surely the very existence was whispered from ear to ear in urban legend and told to scare children in the dead of night!
“I am Googlee!!!” It proclaimed as if that meant something.
Brownie although very scared. Couldn’t help but snigger, as she covered her mouth as not to broadcast her disrespectfulness, something she did from time to time… Something that most youngsters did when impending peril was looming just on the outer limits their comprehension.
“What’s so funny, I’m an unconditional force of nature I can kill, without conscience.”
” excuse me Mr. Googlee, ” said the Forlorn Little Sprite sheepishly in a tiny voice.
“Just Googlee,” the creature said correcting her
” Well, You could do that,”
“But, but… I mean really!!!who would know, a beast only rumored to exist, kills a girl from earth, who is believed to be a fairy or Sprite from the overworld. ”
Brownie went on” the best you could hope for is a missing person, and I really don’t see it as they’d just believe I went back to the overworld … or wherever the folklore directed them too!” Brownies words tapered off to the realization that no one would miss her, which made her heart sink.
Her words made so much sense it was as if a signing jar had been struck.
” Oh, it’s no fun being imaginary!” Hissed the creature who was definitely male and not as scary as he initially appeared from the start
” I know just what You mean!”
Agreed Brownie as at last she neared the creature smiled with her most disarming of smiles, Brownie really was tiny compared to Googlee but who had felled who was the question that was remained to be answered.
And What would Eulin make of it?

Eulin later found the couple frolicking Brownie had brushed the strange beast’s mane, which she learned was called a Wyrzel and now was standing on her tippy toes as she proceeded to plait it.
Eulin passed a comment as he didn’t even blink
“ Jussi are we taking in more strays??!?”
They exchanged glances as a very familiar feeling of deja~vu swept over them.