Thimble had raced up the side of the tree so he could be near an orc’s face should one come this close.
He was trying very hard to be be a hero. To be the Champion.
He would poke some orc with the Sword of Goddard. He was angry. He was frightened. His friends fought orcs all around him and he could not help them. He felt useless. Some Champion of the Autumn Woods he turned out to be. He couldn’t even get the sword to work.
He had pulled this sword from a dream. From a dream. He knew it was Magic. But he had recited the incantation and everything, exactly as he was supposed to and…nothing. Now he was parked in a tree–like Cassie told him to!— but he was going to slice an orc cheek if he could. Or pierce an orc ear. At least the sword was pointy.
Three of them were on Cassie and Stench, and they fought so hard.
“Sword of Goddard, hear my prayer,” he said, holding the sword up, “Foes surround us everywhere–” and the orc slammed his hammer against Cassie’s shoulder.
She wavered.
Another orc stabbed at her with a dagger, but it missed.
“KNOW THEIR WEAKNESS, THEIR DEFEAT/ AND GIVE ME NOW WHAT I MOST–”
And Cassie fell.
Stench’s arrows found their marks, but they pulled them out and turned to him. As Cassie lay on the ground. They turned to Stench. Three of them charged Stench as he ran from them. “—NEED!”
They charged at Stench.
“Need, need, need, need, need, need.” Thimble ran along the branch, his eyes on Cassie, and she wasn’t moving. “Need, need, need, need,” he cried. And he ran down the tree and crossed over the fallen leaves till he was beside her. “Give me now what I most need. Please!!”
The three orcs wouldn’t stop chasing Stench. He couldn’t load his bow.
“SWORD OF GODDARD I NEED YOU!!!”
He ran towards the orcs pursuing Stench —a hundred thousand miles away from his tiny feet.
“You said you would protect us!!” he said to the sword. “SO PROTECT US!”
Suddenly he was flying across the woods, or it seemed that way.
His head rose above the branches but his feet were still on the ground.
He’d become taller, and he ran faster. Faster to catch the orcs. And he gained on them and he roared. So loud he shook the trees. The orcs turned just as he got to them and he stabbed them and sliced them and ran his sword through them and he did it over and over again and he wouldn’t stop roaring and crying and impaling. Till all that was left was Stench standing there. Looking at him.
He fell to his gargantuan knees, sobbing, looking at all the bodies, the blood, and he was shaking and shaking.
“It’s okay,” Stench said, holding out his tiny hand, touching him on the shoulder. “You’re going to be okay, buddy.”
Stench ran to Cassie. She moved. Thimble cried even more. She moved. She got up and they limped towards him. “I tried to stay in the tree,” Thimble said. “But I couldn’t. I couldn’t do anything. I’m so sorry.”
Cassie said, “Thimble?” Her eyes were wide.
“The sword made me big,” he sobbed. All he wanted to do was to crawl up into her arms and hug her neck but he couldn’t.
“The sword,” Stench smiled, “made you a bear.”
Thimble looked at the orcs, what was left of them. He cried. He was shaking. Stench and Cassie put their arms around his neck.
“Big friend, we need to take you down the path so you can help out the others now. Can we do that? Can you do what you did here again?”
Thimble stood up, and Stench and Cassie were only as tall as his knees. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I did.”
“Well, you saved us, buddy. You saved us. That’s all I know. Let’s go save some more of our friends, okay?”
Thimble nodded.
They started walking as fast as Cassie could handle.
Then Stench turned to him, “Can you give some old friends a lift?”
And Thimble picked up Cassie with one arm, and Stench with the other, his sword still in hand. And Stench rested his head against Thimble’s chest.
“So this is what it feels like to be you,” he said, making Thimble smile.
And the bear, Thimble, with his friends in his arms, ran down the path.
Go to Chapter 31
“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.
Bear Witness 