Author’s Note: You can find WiPs by clicking on the ‘GW Guru Halloween workshop 2011′ link under the ‘category’ heading 
Enjoy the story!
Razah: A Halloween Wish
by
Thistle Xandra
I was not born.
Even now, I have no words to describe the creation of my existence, except that it was a mistake, a rare error regretted by the Mists.
I should have been a demon as my brethren.
Instead, the protomatter of the the Mists touched upon a human template and created a wretched forgery with an unthinkable curse…
…sentience.
The closest word I can think of to describe my existence prior to that fated moment is what you humans call ‘dream-like.’ I was part of the Mists, whole yet not whole, everywhere and nowhere, a tiny piece yet infinite at the same time.
The closest word to describe my existence at that fated moment is ‘torture.’ I was whole, the weight of the universe crushing me and then threatening to tear me apart. My senses were raw; the overwhelming stimuli caused me to go mad as I howled into emptiness as the Mists held me with noncorporeal arms.
I had no knowledge of time then, and even now, I do not know how long I stayed there howling, trapped in darkness, cursed with my sentience.
I do not know how or when the dark god Abaddon found out about my existence. I only know that his Margonites found and took me with them.
Then, the true torture began.
* * *
The accidental curse from the Mists had ravaged my senses and driven me mad as my body suffered under the strain of countless new stimuli.
The purposeful curse from Abaddon was far more sinister and left me silent and immobile as my mind struggled against an onslaught of knowledge. The Dark God wished to imbue my mind with all the knowledge in the universe, and he was succeeding. Information from the start of time and across time was injected into my mind as my body remained still, motionless.
As I absorbed the information, the Margonites fought around me, occasionally trying to damage my motionless body for their twisted amusement. They joked about the new vessel and how it was in a weak human form. Despite the wealth of knowledge building in my mind, I did not understand it nor what the Margonites spoke of.
As in my first prison, I did not know how much time had passed as I stayed paralyzed while my mind absorbed the secrets of the universe.
However, I did know the transfer had stopped, and I could move once again. More importantly, I realized my Margonite jailors had left me unguarded.
It was time to escape my second prison.
* * *
Yet, my escape meant I had traded one prison for another. Once I had left Abaddon’s domain, I found myself in another terrifying and confusing land. My jumbled mind strained to make sense out of what I was seeing and experiencing; yet, I could not understand any of the wealth of knowledge I had been damned with.
Creatures I had never seen before and could not identify attempted to kill me.
Others ran from me, despite my questions.
Still, others attacked viciously before fleeing from my confused presence.
I did not understand any of the world in which I now found myself, despite that I had all the answers somewhere locked in my mind. Fire from above brought pain to my eyes, and only when the darkness descended did my skin stop burning. As I walked aimlessly, avoiding other living creatures, I stopped before a new type of ground that stretched before me. As I tried to walk on the new ground, my foot passed through it. I stood there, one leg on loose ground while my other leg and the rags covering it was swallowed by the new ground. I pulled my leg back and sat back, confused at what was transpiring.
Was I to be forever trapped in a prison I could not understand?
“Oh!”
I looked around at the source of the sound and saw a small creature. I waited, wondering if it would attack or run away. Instead the creature tilted its head and sat next to me.
“Why do you want your leg wet? Is it dirty?” The small creature asked.
I looked at my leg. “Why is my leg wet?” I asked the creature instead.
The creature looked at me and tilted its head the other way. “You don’t know why your leg is wet? Did you fall asleep and your leg fall in the water?”
A slow understanding came over me. Water. I was sitting in front of water. When I pushed into my knowledge base, I tapped into what the word water should mean. Still, I did not understand the deluge of information and instead turned back to the creature.
“What are you?” I asked, wondering if this being could help me understand my new prison.
“I’m Zinka!” it said as its mouth made a strange motion. The word did not make sense to me. An even more nonsensical sound followed what she said.
“What is a Zinka?”
“I’m Zinka!” the creature said, as if its circular logic explained everything. It held its arms around its stomach and made the nonsensical sound again.
“Why do you make that sound?” I asked.
“Because you’re funny!” the Zinka said although my mind could not decipher the humor in the situation. “What’s your name?”
A name? When I realized what the creature was asking for, I thought back to all the words I had been called: Error, Vessel, Abomination, Monster… Although I had been called many things, I had no name. “I do not have a name.”
The Zinka made another strange sound, different from the first one. “Everyone needs a name.”
“Why?”
“How would people get each other’s attention?” the Zinka pointed out. I blinked at the explanation. It was simple and made sense. “Do you want a name?”
Having a name was one of the first things that made sense to me, and I wanted one. “Yes. Give me a name.”
The Zinka sat and looked to the sky, a closed fist to its cheek. Moments later, the Zinka looked back down and said, “I know! I once had a pet frog named Razah, and he was my best friend! You can be Razah, too!” It grabbed one of my hands with its small ones and made that small odd sound again. “You can be my new best friend.”
“Razah. Best friend,” I repeated. I did not know what a best friend was. “I accept your offer. Will you teach me about this world?”
The Zinka tapped its chin for a moment. “How come you don’t know anything? Did you forget?”
“I am not from here.”
“Oh, you must be from across the sea. We’re in Elona, did you know that?”
“Elona…” The name triggered a cascade of indecipherable knowledge that I had to brace myself against.
Above us, the sky roared. “Uh oh. Looks like it will rain.” The Zinka stood and grabbed my hand again. It pulled, as if its tiny body could actually move my much bigger one. “Come on. We need to go hide.”
“Why?”
“So we don’t get wet,” it said, hands now balled at its sides.
“Water can fall from the sky?” I asked. “Why?”
“When the sky gets sad, it cries,” it informed me. I looked up at the sky and nodded. The logic was sturdy and also made sense. With the wise Zinka’s help, I could finally understand this world.
The Zinka put its hand out again as I stood. I looked down. The little creature was small, smaller than half my height. I mimicked it and put my hand out, unsure of what to do. Making the odd sound again, the Zinka reached out and put its hand in mine – tiny fingers closing around my own. It looked at me and made that strange mouth motion again. The Zinka pulled as if it could move me with its little strength.
I do not know why; despite the Zinka holding my hand, this moment was the first time I felt like I was not in a prison.
I followed.
* * *
There was much I did not know about this world – this Elona. However, I did know that with Zinka, what I did not know became less.
I learned that Zinka was a female human and that she had lived for six winters. I did not yet know what a winter was, but since I had not seen one yet, we determined that she was older than me.
I learned what the six meant when she taught me how to count to ten. She showed me that I could use my fingers to help me learn. When I understood counting, I searched my knowledge and discovered I could count the number of the stars and the number of grains of sand if I wanted to. For once, I could teach Zinka something.
Instead, we counted to twenty over and over, using each other’s fingers to count. When we mastered that together, we counted to forty, adding our toes to guide us.
I learned that Zinka needed to sleep and eat, while I did not. She told me it was because she was still growing while I was already tall and did not need to grow anymore. Still, I foraged with her, learning about which berries were good for her to eat and which ones were not.
We did not meet any other humans and always returned to the spot we first met – our spot. She asked me why I did not want to meet other humans.
“They run from me or try to hurt me,” I told her. “I do not know why.”
She reached up and touched my cheek. “Your eyes are different.”
“Different?” I asked as she led me to the water’s edge. I looked down and saw a human looking back at me. I moved away until I saw Zinka in the water, too. I leaned back and touched the human’s face as the human in the water moved towards me. Our fingers touched, and the water rippled, making the human in the water waver. Zinka had moved so she was resting on her belly, her finger trailing across the water, laughing at the ripples.
“Do you see your eyes?” she asked, moving her hand away.
“Is this human me?” I asked her, leaning forward when she nodded. I could see the human’s eyes – my eyes – were different.
The Myst. It was reflected in my eyes where human eyes should be.
“I think your eyes are pretty, like clouds moving in the sky,” she said as she looked up at the sky.
“Others are afraid of me because of my eyes,” I said, finally understanding. I turned to Zinka. “Why are you not afraid of me?”
“I’m not afraid of anything!” she giggled before moving into sitting position. “Besides, to me, you’re not scary at all!”
* * *
Slowly, the days passed, and I became content spending my time with Zinka. I understood what feeling safe and being happy was. When the sun tired and the moon awoke, Zinka would fall asleep in my arms, always telling me that she loved me before sleep would claim her.
Despite being imbued with the knowledge of the universe, I could not find what ‘love’ meant and wondered if Abaddon did not gift me with that knowledge or if he did not know what ‘love’ was himself. I wanted to stay with Zinka forever in our spot, and if that was ‘love,’ then I felt it, too. Even though she would be asleep when I repeated it back, she would smile as if she heard me.
Yet, even though I wanted to stay with Zinka forever, after six days, our time together was coming to an end.
“Have you heard of the Laughing Moon?” Zinka asked me as we picked berries together.
“No. Why does the moon laugh?” I asked.
“Once a year, the moon gets in such a good mood that he shows his face and smiles. As the night goes on, he becomes so happy that he starts to laugh,” Zinka said. She turned quickly, dropping some of her berries on the ground. “And he grants wishes!”
“Wishes?”
“Yes! Anything you want!” she said excitedly. “And to make sure he’s in a good mood, we all celebrate so that he’ll grant our wishes. We call the party Halloween.”
“Halloween?” I repeated as she nodded happily, dropping some more berries. I crouched down to pick them up for her, dropping some of my own from my cupped hands.
She crouched, too, as she continued, “In fact, Mad King Thorn made a wish that he would never miss Halloween so he awakens once a year to make the party.” She waved her hands excitedly, sending berries around as she gestured above her head. “And he has a big pumpkin for a head now, because pumpkins were his favorite thing to eat!”
“What is a wish?” I asked her.
“It’s something that you really, really want. I’m going to make a wish this year, and I’m going to do it over there.” I looked over to where she pointed. It was the tiny island that was floating in the lake. “Mommy said she would take me there when I’m bigger, but she never got to. I’m big now so I’m going to go there and make my wish and show her how big I am now!”
“What will you wish for?” I asked her as she looked down and realized her hands were empty of berries. I lifted my cupped hands up and gave her the berries that I had picked.
“For Mommy and Daddy to wake up. I really miss them,” she said in a soft voice before perking up and continuing excitedly, “And then we can be a family again. And, you can join us!”
“Can I go to the island with you and make a wish?” I asked her.
She nodded, her smile big and her lips covered in berry juice. “I’d really like that. What are you going to wish for?”
I looked over at the island before turning back to Zinka. “I wish to be a Zinka.”
Her smile turned into a frown. “But I like you as you are. You’re my Razah.”
I did not like when she frowned. “Then I will stay Razah. I will wish for your Mommy and Daddy to wake up, too.”
Her frown quickly turned into a smile, and she put a juice-stained hand out. “Promise me you’ll be brave enough to swim to the island, and I’ll promise you that I’ll be brave enough to do it, too! And pinky-promise me that you’ll not wish to change.”
I mimicked her hand motion, and she reached forward until our pinkies were hooked against each other. “What is a promise?”
“That means you have to do it, no matter what,” she told me, her expression telling me that she was serious. “And a pinky-promise is the highest level of promises.”
“OK. I promise,” I told her.
* * *
The sun was tiring while I waited for Zinka to return. She had gone off to her village, telling me that she needed to get a mask for me to wear for Halloween night while we made our wishes. She had only brought one for herself and had left for her village wearing it.
She had wanted me to join her, but I did not want her villagers to chase me away because of my eyes. So instead, I sat and waited for her return, wondering what kind of mask she would bring me. She had said she would try to find one that would hide my eyes so that I could go into the village with her the next time.
But, I would never get to travel to her village with her, because they found me.
The Margonites.
I knew I had to follow them, and I did so without having to be asked. If Abaddon wanted me, the knowledge within me told me that he would stop at nothing to have me. Despite what I wanted, returning to Abaddon’s realm was inevitable.
We had not traveled long when I remembered my promise. The moon was waking, and there was somewhere I needed to be.
“Wait. I must go back,” I told the Margonites before turning around.
They blocked my path. “Vessel, you must follow us. Abaddon commands it.”
“My name is Razah, not Vessel. I cannot follow you now. I promised Zinka I would go with her to the island under the laughing moon,” I informed the Margonites.
They laughed at my words. “You have no choice.”
“I will go with you afterwards, but I must go to Zinka,” I informed them. Since they did not understand the severity, I added, “I promised with my pinky.”
“Enough of this,” one of the Margonites hissed. He reached out to grab me forcefully. I moved quickly and glared at him. I could feel my eyes burning.
The Margonites hissed and stepped back. They were looking at me with an expression I recognized from when they talked about Abaddon.
Fear.
“We’ll come back for you tomorrow night.”
* * *
Although the moon was still smiling above me, I did not see Zinka when I returned to our spot. Instead, I saw flowers and a mask scattered on the ground. I looked over towards the island in the water and realized she must have left without me. I walked towards the water and frowned when I put one foot in the cold and strange fluid. A little further ahead, I could see that Zinka was still in the water.
She was floating motionless, and I realized that she must have fallen asleep while swimming over. Not wanting her to get cold while she slept, I waded through the water to her, water sloshing and splashing up to my chest. When I reached her, I lifted her in my arms, her body above the water while I carried her back to shore. She would have to wait until the next Halloween before she could try swimming to the island again.
I sat down and held her while she slept. Her body grew cold so I held her tightly, knowing that she liked to be warm. When the laughing moon faded away and went to sleep, Zinka still did not awaken. When the sun woke and made her trek across the sky, Zinka still slept. Her lips had turned blue, and I wondered if it was because the water had stained her skin, much like the berries she ate sometimes would.
Still, I patiently waited for her to awaken.
The Margonites, however, were not patient. They found me when the sun was starting to fall asleep.
“Come with us now,” the Margonites commanded.
I had told the Margonites I would go with them, and it was time. Zinka was still sleeping so I carefully moved her until she was on the soft ground. Worried that she would be cold, I moved the scattered flowers on top of her, making a fragile blanket to keep her warm. I had a flower in my hand when suddenly one of the Margonites reached forward and grabbed my wrist.
“Enough of this,” it hissed and pulled back, leaving a glowing binding tightly wrapped around my wrist. It pulled an invisible leash, and I fell backwards, caught off guard enough for another binding to be slapped on my other wrist.
“You will not be escaping us again.”
* * *
Once again, the Margonites took me away and imprisoned me. This time, they bound me to ensure I could not leave. I was told that my purpose was to do Abaddon’s will and decipher the knowledge that had been given to me. There was no sun nor moon in the Heart of Abaddon realm, so I did not now how much time had passed while I was there. I spent most of my time staring at the flower that was still in my hand when they locked my bindings to this place. As I watched, the flower changed, its colors fading as I stared, passing the time wondering what Zinka was doing.
Abaddon did not like this and sent his Margonites to vent his displeasure. “You must follow his will,” they informed me. “Understand the knowledge he gave you so that you can aid him in his duty.”
I stared at the flower while they yelled at me. With impatience, a Margonite swatted my hand away, and the flower went flying.
“Stupid creature,” it hissed. “Obsessed with a dead flower.”
“Just as obsessed as we found him with that dead human child,” another said in a twisted laugh.
“Decipher!” the third commanded with a growl as the three walked away. I barely heard them leave as the unexpected word echoed in mind, triggering avalanches in the knowledge stores in my mind.
Dead?
I did not want the knowledge to come forward, and I resented it as the meaning of death flooded my mind. I struggled, thrashing against my bindings as unwanted understanding hit me.
One did not awaken from death.
I looked for the flower that the Margonite had hit from my hand. It was partially crushed from where one of them had stepped on it. I reached for it, but my bindings stopped me, and all I could do was look at it from afar.
The flower was dead.
Just like Zinka was dead.
My hands closed, and I stopped reaching for the flower. If I had the knowledge of the universe in my mind, then I would tap into it to find a way to bring Zinka back from the dead. I would follow Abaddon’s will and learn the secrets and how to access and control them, and with it, I would discover how to make Zinka alive again.
* * *
I did not receive another visit from the Margonites. Acccessing information from the vaults of knowledge became easier. Slowly, I sifted through the vast amounts of facts, searching for a way to reverse death.
I mastered professions, walking the spirit world as a ritualist, stalking through the shadows as an assassin, and yet I could not find Zinka or an answer to bring her back. I studied necromancy, but summoning mindless undead was not what I sought. I learned the secrets of monks, but those skills could not resurrect that which had been dead for so long. Ranger, warrior, elementalist, paragon, dervish… I learned them all, mastered them so I could slip into each role as a primary profession.
None of them gave me the information I needed.
Still, I searched. I had the knowledge of the universe given to me by Abaddon, a powerful and limitless god. That meant the answer was somewhere stored in my mind, because Abaddon was supreme, invincible, and held the answer to everything.
Except, I soon learned that Abaddon was not invincible.
Abaddon was defeated.
It turned out that he did not have the answer to everything.
* * *
With Abaddon’s death, I lost my purpose. I no longer had the purpose Abaddon had given me, and I no longer accepted that his knowledge could bring back Zinka. I remained bound and forgotten as the Margonites went mad without their leader. Unlike them, I sat and waited, waiting for something to give me purpose once again. The softly pulsing lights of the Heart of Abaddon’s realm reminded me of the Mists. I passed my imprisonment reliving the memories I had with Zinka.
In still silence, I existed…
And, waited…
Until the metallic creature arrived.
I looked to my left at the commotion. The Margonites were in even more of a frenzy than normal. A bipedal creature made of silver metal fought through them, as if the monsters were nothing more than an inconsequent nuisance. In the shadows behind, I only saw a glowing hand appear, calling fire to rain above the Margonites. I did not know what to make of these creatures and wondered whether they would destroy or run away from me like so many of the other creatures I had encountered in Elona.
When the fight had ended, the remains of the Margonites were scattered across the ground, and the creature of metal turned, going back into the shadowy corridor from where it had come from.
“There’s nothing here but Margonites. The chaplain will be disappointed.” I could only assume the deep voice was from the metallic creature.
“Wait… What’s that?” came a higher pitch voice from deeper within the corridor.
I watched as the metallic creature turned and walked towards me, sharp clangs echoing softly as with each step. It carried a sword in one hand, and as it cautiously approached me, I could see pulsing light reflecting off of it.
“Are you a prisoner here? Are you alone?” it asked after stopping several paces away from me.
I briefly glanced at the creature’s sword before returning to the creature’s face. Its questioning reminded me of Zinka.
“I have been alone for what seems like ages,” I told the creature, continuing with telling him my name and how I had been imprisoned for Abaddon’s purpose. I wondered if I could find a new purpose with this metallic creature and the unseen creature who called forth fire. “Are you here to give me my purpose?”
“We must find our purpose in life, Razah,” the creature told me as it placed its sword in his sheath.
Find my own purpose? When I had already failed in understanding the knowledge of the universe? I did not know how to find my own purpose, and I needed this creature to show me. Perhaps I was meant to travel with it and learn more about the creature’s ways. I told the creature such.
“We always welcome new allies,” the creature said as its hands moved to its head. I watched as it peeled away the metal off its head, revealing the smiling face of a human male.
One of Zinka’s kind. Could he and a journey with him reveal the answer of how to bring Zinka back to life? Perhaps my purpose was to understand the human world and not the knowledge that Abaddon bequeathed me. I lifted my arm, showing the bindings that kept me within the realm and told him how I could be freed.
As if it was no challenge, the human nodded and put his helm back on, and moments later, I was once again free.
* * *
I followed Cane, the human warrior, and his three companions. They seldom talked to me, which suited me, because it meant that I could observe. They talked excitedly about candy corn and pumpkin cookies and other topics that I did not understand. We had only traveled a few days when Cane announced we were heading into a city for supplies.
I wore a special helmet that hid my glowing eyes and knew that I looked human. However, it was not I who looked different, it was the humans. They were dressed as animals and monsters, strange and colorful masks covering their faces. The masks reminded me of the one that Zinka had, and I wondered if she was from this town.
“Halloween! I love it!” said Shana, the female that controlled the elements. I had noticed that there were very few things that she was not excited about.
A familiar sound made me turn sharply to the left. Suddenly, everything slowed as I was drawn to the sound. My companions were forgotten while I searched for the source.
I found it.
Her.
“My Zinka.”
Abaddon’s knowledge had been wrong. Humans could wake up from death, because there she was, dancing and laughing in the stone-covered street. Her hair shimmered under the sun like I remembered, and her laugh was exactly the same. She wore a mask similar to the one she had worn so long ago.
I walked towards her, unsure of what to say after being away for so long. I wondered if she would even remember me since I did not know how long I had been gone.
All of sudden, laughter turned into screams as a horse of bone and decaying muscle ran down the street. A maniacal human sat on top, its head appearing to be nothing more than armor-covered bone.
I watched as Zinka’s laughter turned into cries as she tripped, falling directly in the way of the rampaging horseman.
I could not let her be taken away from me again. I lunged forward, grabbing her, protecting her with my body. Turning my head quickly, I turned my attention back to the horse, staring down at it with fierce intensity.
As if sensing an inhuman creature, the skeletal horse reared back, its owner curious. The rider looked down at me in surprise, as if it had not realized there had been something in its path. With a shrug, it turned around and raced back to where it had come from.
I looked down to where Zinka was huddled, trembling in fear. I did not understand, because Zinka did not fear anything. “Zinka? Are you hurt?”
Zinka pulled back, and I could see she was crying.
“Ahtara!” a female called out, pushing aside other humans as she ran towards Zinka and I.
“Mommy,” Zinka cried, pulling off her mask and to wipe her eyes. She pushed away from me, and I stood, watching as the worried female embraced her.
With her mask gone, I could see that I had been wrong.
It was not Zinka. Abaddon had been correct after all.
The sudden pain was unbelievable. I had not realized I was wounded until the agony brought me to my hands and knees, my body suddenly too weak to stand. I clawed at the cloth at my chest, searching for the source of such pain, until I saw unmarred skin. My arms twisted behind me, searching for a wound entry at my back.
I found nothing – nothing that would explain the crippling agony within my chest.
Nothing could explain the unseen wound that made me question if I had finally reach the end of my existence.
Instead, I did something that I had not done since my expulsion from the Mists. I stopped feeling… stopped thinking… stopped wondering… stopped trying to find an answer. My mind drifted away until my body was not my own. Vaguely, I could hear the sudden screams around me as humans fled. A strange sound came out of my mouth. It was a roar that I had never thought possible to make. In my hazy vision, I could saw the remaining humans drop to their knees as I had, trying to cover their ears. I looked at my companions, my body holding an indescribable rage that they had brought me here, a place where I had found my doom. Even with my numbed mind, I recognized the look on their faces.
Fear.
Just like the Margonites had looked at me.
“You’re not scary at all,” said a memory. It momentarily snapped me out of my haze, my mind once again connected to my body, and in fury, I willingly let out a howl that did nothing to lessen the ache from my unseen wound. Slowly, I stood. One by one, I set foot in front of foot until I was suddenly running away.
No, I was not running away.
I was running towards something.
I did not know what yet.
* * *
Darkness had settled around me. I had left the humans far behind, and for the second time in my damned life, I found myself wandering aimlessly in a world I did not want to be part of.
Suddenly, I recognized where I was.
I walked to the left and knelt, my hand touching the ground where I had left Zinka so long ago. The ground was covered by the same kind of flowers that she had spent so much time gathering. Gently, I touched one of the blooms and plucked it, holding it in my palm like I had once done long ago. Back then, it had been withered, but now, it was fresh and gave a scent that reminded me so much of Zinka.
I stood and looked at the sky, uncertain at the present. What had brought me here? How did I find this place once again?
Above, the moon glowed brightly, and I realized it was smiling. My body tensed at the implication. All this time, I had searched through the vast knowledge of the universe when I had known the answer all along to bringing Zinka back to life.
Zinka had already told me: The Laughing Moon would grant me a wish.
I wanted to make the wish on the island like we had planned so long ago. Without thought, I walked into the water, determination pushing back the throbbing pain in my chest. The water did not make my journey easy, slowing me down as I tried to reach the island. As I continued, the water covered my head, and I found my senses dulled as I struggled to reach my destination.
It was like I was back in the Mists, but this time, I did not want to stay. I did not want the comforts that the Mists promised. Instead, I wanted to leave her comfort and enter a world I did not understand, because I had to deliver the wish that would bring something that was far more important to me.
Finally, I reached the island. Water dripped off me as sand gripped my feet and lower legs as I walked to the center of the island. Above me, the moon was still smiling, and I knew I still had time. I sat, my back to a single tree that had also found its way on the island, my gaze on the moon.
As I watched unblinking, the moon’s smile transformed.
“I want Zinka to be returned to me,” I said as the moon laughed. My gaze unwavering, I repeated, “I want Zinka to be returned to me.”
I looked around, ready to greet Zinka once again.
I did not see her.
Puzzled, I turned my attention back to the moon and repeated, this time louder, “I want Zinka to be returned to me!” Being so far away, I realized that the moon might not have heard my wish. When nothing happened once again, I repeated my wish as loudly as I could.
Still… nothing.
Over and over, I repeated my wish until the laughing moon no longer laughed, its expression fading as Halloween night said farewell. The pain in my chest had returned as a dull ache as I accepted my failure in bringing Zinka back.
The flower I had plucked was still in my hand, and I looked at it. It was soggy and starting to wilt away, much like the fate of so many things in this world.
I do not know what compelled me to put the flower on the ground and lift my hand once again. I cupped the moon with my hand like I did the flower and laughed.
Even though I knew the moon was far away, it looked like the moon was in my hand. Suddenly, I realized the last lesson that Zinka had tried to teach me: imagination. I brought down my hand as I finally comprehended that Zinka had indeed given me the answer for her return long ago.
“The moon is in my hand,” she had yawned sleepily so long ago. Her hand was cupped in the air.
“No,” I had told her. “It is in the sky.”
Instead, she had put her hand down and snuggled against me, the most important lessen unfinished until I could finally understand.
More memories of Zinka flooded my mind. I thought of her laughter until I could almost hear her laughing next to me. I looked to my right, but she was not there although I could have sworn I heard her laughing.
I closed my eyes and heard her laughter, this time louder.
“Zinka?” I called out, but there was only a soft giggle in reply.
With my eyes closed, I cleared my mind until I found myself in an undefined world with just myself. It was like walking in the spirit world as a ritualist, except this was a world of my own creation – my own imagination.
In my new world, there was no one else but Zinka’s laughter and I. I remembered Zinka’s smiles and her stories as I explored my new world. Zinka’s favorite flowers appeared on the ground behind me instead of footprints.
I had been looking for answers in the wrong places all this time. Somehow, Zinka had become a part of me – the soul, the consciousness that humans talked at length about. She had become my driving force to stay sane and not become the mindless monster that I should have turned into during my imprisonment and release. Somehow, Zinka became the reason that I wanted to stay in the human world.
While I had searched for a way to bring Zinka back, I had done something more powerful instead. I had made her part of me and with it, given her my own longevity.
I had made her immortal.
The world around me filled itself in with the vibrant colors that I knew Zinka loved. Behind me, I heard her laughter, no longer echoing all around me. I turned around and finally found what I had been looking for.
There, before me, was Zinka. Her cheeks and lips were pink again, and her smile was wide. A smile appeared on my face, something that I was not even sure I remembered how to do.
“My Zinka?” I asked softly.
She nodded, arms up, wordlessly asking to be lifted. I picked her up and hugged her tightly, breathing in a scent I knew I would never forget.
“My Razah.”
* * *
“I digress,” Razah said after a pause. “I have not answered your question.”
Cane glanced over to his left at his friend Keese. He was sure he was wearing an identical look of astonishment that his friend was currently wearing. Turning his attention back to the entity that they had freed over a decade ago, he wondered why he had never bothered to ask its story.
Light from their campfire flickered over the entity’s face as it sat on a log, nigh motionless, arms on its legs, back rigidly straight. Above, the sky was painted with countless colors as the sun set, making room for a laughing moon, the announcer of Mad King Thorn’s return to create havoc and foster mayhem. Silence permeated the air, only interrupted by the crackles of fire and the occasional chirp from hidden insects.
Their small group had taken a rest in a small clearing in a Krytan forest for a small respite from their quest for Queen Salma. As the sun set and the companions realized it was the day before Halloween, they had decided for an early celebration with levity and call upon an old myth that wishes could come true with the appearance of the laughing moon. Shana had given her friends an early surprise by pulling out a bag filled with candy corn and candied apple treats. Not to be outdone, Adona opened her own bag to show she had brought ghost-in-the-box party favors for added fun.
The companions had eaten and laughed while Razah sat motionless, which was not a surprise considering silent brooding was his usual state. Even after a decade together, the companions barely knew anything about the entity. Only once had they seen Razah display something resembling emotion, but they had passed it off as a fluke. As far as they knew, Razah was a brilliant fighter that was unfeeling and emotionless.
But now, after hearing his story, they realized how terribly wrong they had been.
Shana wiped her eyes, seeing Razah in a new light while Adona stared at her feet, refusing to let the others see her tear-filled eyes. They all saw that day long ago when Razah had shown signs up grief, which they had ignored and passed off as unintentional mimicry.
“You had asked what I wish for,” Razah continued before finally giving them his answer, his voice steady while his companions struggled to calm their own emotions.
* * *
“I like them. They’re nice.”
I look down to my right where Zinka sits next to me. She is looking up at me with a smile on her face. I tell her, “I like them, too.”
We turn our attention back to where the sun is setting before us. The colors dance on the lake’s surface as we watch from our island. I am no longer in a Krytan forest with my companions; I am back in the other world I share with my Zinka.
“The sun is sleepy,” I say as Zinka yawns next to me.
“I’m sleepy, too,” she tells me as she stands and climbs into my lap. I hold Zinka, making sure she is warm while the sun retires to bed and her sister moon awakens. Tonight, the moon will laugh, granting wishes to those who want them.
Not I.
I look down at Zinka, who has fallen asleep, and a smile appears on my face. I will hold her until she will awaken, because in this world, she always awakens with the sun.
I have nothing more to wish for.
