52stories

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Glyph surveyed the bar, moving only his eyes. Deep within a shadow of a shadow, he wanted to avoid attracting any attention to himself. Perhaps only here could his attire not arouse the suspicious eye of others, his clothes covering every bit of him from his neck down in black. This was not the kind of bar you met people socially, nor mingled with women. In fact, the hunter doubted women were even allowed inside, and only insane ones would want to try. This was a place of death, of dirty deals and lives shortened in the pursuit of riches.

A rumor brought Glyph here, hearsay that of course could not be trusted. However the prospect, the mere possibility of truth being intertwined with the whispering of fools was enough for him to take this chance. Glyph feared no man, but he did know fear. He spent some hours drinking the swill, feeling his body pain a little with each pull from the dirty, worn glasses. People came and went, few matched the description he’d been given, and even fewer stayed more than a few moments. Finally his patience exhausted, Glyph stood to leave. He left a bag of coin as payment, definitely worth more than the contents he had imbibed, worth even more than the owner valued the drink.

“Who ya looking for?”

Glyph slid silently right past the vocal man at the other table. He had arrived only a few minutes before, and focused only on the murky water in his cup. Only now he addressed Glyph with a question, and Glyph did not answer questions, he asked them.

“Okay, Glyph, never mind.”

Faster than a one could inhale a single breath, Glyph was on the loud-mouth, both hands clutching the neck of the offender. His voice issued like a growl, the sound a tiger would make if it could speak true language. “Mind-reader you have trespassed against me, and now you die!” Glyph of course could dispatch this poor excuse for a human inside of three heartbeats. Still the man peered into his mind and still had the resolve to draw Glyph’s attention. That meant he was either insane, or knew what Glyph wanted. That slight possibility was all that kept this fool alive.

“I have your answers, if you have my drink.” Glyph released one hand to pull out more coin. He purchased the finest bottle of liquor in the place, although that wasn’t saying much, then pulled his new asset outside, still gripping his neck. A simple squeeze, kept this new one from speaking any further. From the entrance to the alleyway, they walked in lockstep. In an instant, the duo disappeared. They reconstituted far outside of town, near a large tree. It spread out mightily, it’s branches reaching heavenward. It’s large round circumference indicated it’s sapling years passed when men still contemplated sailing off the end of a flat earth.

“That’s funny. Perhaps you do have a sense of humor.” The man said looking at the large oak, once released from Glyph’s grasp. Glyph tossed the bottle toward the ground, and the newcomer had to dive to catch it, less it shatter on the knotty exposed roots. “That’s not funny.” He pulled the cork out with his teeth, and downed several long swallows. “My name is Del. And you are?”

“Waiting.” Glyph did not move. He also never told his True Name. For a man that knew that had some power over you. Name a thing and you own a thing. Glyph had been good enough for the past century and a half, and it was certainly good enough for this Vagabond. “But know this, dive further into my mind, and you will not live to see another sunrise.”

“Sir, I’ve been there, and I pray I’ll never do it again. I do know what you hunt however, and I’m glad to tell the tale.”, Del explained, then took more liquid from the bottle. It was almost a third empty now.

“Tell me then.” Glyph had waited a hundred fifty years to hear this, he did not want to wait a minute more.

“Well, you don’t expect me to tell it sober do you? I mean how cruel are you?” Del joked, he couldn’t help himself. If he didn’t control his emotions by fostering some kind of humor he might just piss himself and cry, a ball of blubbering human. “Oh, wait I forgot who I was talking to. Okay, well you may as well sit, because this is a long tale.”

“You have as long as it takes for my feet to get tired of standing. If you are not done by then, you are dead.” Still Glyph had not moved, and his piercing gaze had never wavered from Del.

“Okay, fine, the expiated version, fine, fine. Um, well, you see, I know what you’re looking for and it doesn’t exist.” Del realized this was an extremely bad opening line. Glyph’s long, thin, serrated sword was now unsheathed. “That is it doesn’t exist as you imagine it. But what you want DOES exist. I know where it is too…” Glyph stopped his forward motion, and Del did not need any further prompting.

“Everyone knows the story. Adam and Eve ate something they ought not. As a penalty the Almighty casts them out from their paradise. You want the tree. Which according to legend, was protected by two seraphs and one heck of a flaming sword. Am I on target big guy?” Del waited for an answer, and got none.

“Okay, considering the fact I still have my head, I’m assuming you like what you’re hearing, at least you want to hear more. So, no one is allowed to re-enter paradise, under penalty of angelic destruction. However, what the fool Adam, and he was a fool to piss away paradise for one dame, I mean, come on, alright, alright, put your sword back, no more tangents… ahem as I was saying… Adam made a mistake. He ate the apple, the whole thing. Core and all, and his body didn’t really digest it all. So when Adam was expelled from Eden, he took with him some seeds in his gut. In time of course he does his business, and bam, with nature’s fertilizer, another tree of Knowledge takes root OUTSIDE paradise. To keep it from falling into the wrong hands, a secret band of men cut down the tree, but only after it had produced it’s firstfruits. The seeds of that fruitage were then taken from that apple, and kept hidden throughout all time. Like the perfect seeds they are, they do not die, but wait. They wait for water and soil, and sunlight, so that they may again blossom into the next Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.”

Del paused, his story told, his bottle empty. If Glyph believed him, he may have a chance at surviving this day, if he didn’t believe, then at least he got to enjoy liquid spirits one last time.

“Where?” Glyph made no motion, either to advance on Del, or return his sword to it’s sheath.

“Where else would God’s seeds be kept? Rome of course. There is a small store-front. They have flowers and fruit of course. What will tell you that you have found your prey is that there will be two green plants, known as Seraph-plants, hanging outside, like the angels that protected the garden, and that is the other clue, you must look for the only place selling ‘paradise-fruit’. Of course in Rome the word is spelled ‘Pardo’. The owner will have what you seek. Having him surrender it, well that’s your problem I suppose. Please, sir, Glyph. Have I not told you enough to live?”

There came no answer, at least not a verbal one, after all, Glyph hated answering questions. He was simply gone from Del’s sight. One moment there, and after an eye-blink, he was vanished. Del’s relief was visible, all tension in his body gone, as was the thick drink. He welcomed the oblivion of sleep as he passed out.