Still asleep, Thimble grasped the Sword of Goddard.
When he awoke, he would be speechless.
Excited at first, but realizing how suddenly important it was to know what to do.
Later he would show it to Stench, to Xini, to Fenestra, to Aunt Pokey. None of them would be able to tell him anything about it. Only that they had never seen it and who were they to cast doubt on a dream that delivers a sword.
Thimble had worked for Aunt Pokey, the seamstress, since he was young, which, most folks reminded him, was not that long ago. He was still very young.
He helped Aunt Pokey thread her needles.
Many times he would pre-thread them for her. He had precision. “You have a good eye,” she would tell him. And very tiny paws. “Tiny is very good.”
He knew that size did not matter in many areas– including being heroic. One of his heroes was Dame Brigitt, whom he shared one glorious afternoon with several months ago when she took him for a ride on Fade and he saw the wide world below him and how small the woods, his previous world, was.
They had had lunch on the top of a mountain!!
She had shown him some moves of a swordswielder, fighting an invisible foe. She was not much bigger than he was, only twice his size. And she was a great knight, a Paladin who had fought in many battles. He imagined one day fighting by her side in his own armor. Sometimes he wore Aunt Pokey’s thimble as a helmet, brandished a needle and fought giant menacing yarn balls. She filled him with hope.
As soon as he could, he would ask her about the Sword of Goddard. He would recount the snake, the heraldry of a coat of arms faded against a wall. She would know something. He was frightened a little. He only got one chance to use the magic and no time to practice or know what might happen when he spoke the words. How do you prepare for that? He would be called on to fight.
Now someone—the very Autumn Woods–had high expectations of him.
The sword felt heavier and heavier in his hands and he realized how unready he was to fight.
Shouldn’t someone else have the sword? He would offer it to Dame Brigitt. She would use it well.
But Dame Brigitt refused the sword, much to his fear. “I didn’t have the dream, Thimble. It came to you. This sword, this task, is yours. It must know that you are the right Champion of the Autumn Woods. Even if you don’t.”
She climbed up on Fade, but called down to him. “Don’t worry, brave hearted friend. I will give you more training. And you will not fight alone. The whole battle is not up to you alone, okay? There will be plenty battle for all of us if we don’t get the orcs out of the woods soon. Then everyone will have to be a Champion.”
“Protect the Autumn Woods!” is an illustrated story by Jerome Stueart in 33 short flash fiction chapters. The story features D&D-inspired magic-using forest animals who fight to protect their homes. This story was at first a response to a prompt list created by Jenn Reese and Deva Fagan for an October Art Challenge in 2021. You can now read all 33 parts of the story, “Protect the Autumn Woods” with the search term, #AutumnWoods. “Protect the Autumn Woods!” Art Show at the Dayton Society of Artists (48 High Street, Dayton, OH) from November 1 — December 15 2024.
“Protect the Autumn Woods!” is adjacent to a larger show of amazing Dayton Artists, “Small, but Mighty.” Come see all of the art, any weekend, Friday 12-5, Saturday 12-5 to experience the art yourself.
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