Post by Robert Stephen Herrick on Jul 30, 2012 8:22:39 GMT -5
The Faded Red Eyes
By Robert Herrick
One morning, a young boy of ten years of age was on his way to school on foot, not by bus. It was his first day in a new school from a new neighborhood. Ricky was his name, and on his way to school, he made what he'd thought would be a shortcut.
After a few minutes, he had lost sight of his path and came upon a shadowed glen. It felt cold. It was rather dark, too. Suddenly, a faded pair of red eyes seemed to peer out a him. Ricky was very scared, so scared that he couldn't scream. A voice that Ricky could only hear in his head said to him, "Hello, boy. You seem lost. Do you think that you'll find your way back?"
Ricky's eyes were welling up with tears from fear. He nodded his head up and down hoping he would be helped by the voice. The voice was quiet though the eyes were looking right through the boy. And then he said, "Why did you come here? Are you late for school?"
Ricky's lips were quivering, but he could only make a face without words. The voice quietly released a grumble and then he said, "Are you afraid of me? Do you know why?"
Ricky blurted out, "No! I'm sorry!"
The eyes disappeared and Ricky ran like the wind so far and so fast that he actually was able to find his way back to his school. He didn't tell anyone about what he'd sen nor what he'd thought he heard. He had nightmares on and off for years. Ricky avoided taking any shortcuts through those woods throughout his school years.
Years later, after Ricky went to college for mechanical engineering, he got into a car accident while trying to avoid a young deer. It was dusk and no other car was involved. Suffering only a mild concussion from bumping his head on the steering wheel, he left his car, and oddly, he went to go looking for the deer into the woods.
Ricky had become a smart man and started to remember the area bit by bit, but dizzy, and with a headache, his focus was unclear. However, somethingin him knew that he was getting close to that spot and that the deer also was headed in that direction. He shuddered. It was getting cold. It was getting dark, too.
Ricky chose to sit on the forest floor near the dark glen. He felt delirious from the accident. Suddenly, something prompted him to get up. He couldn't tell why. He started to slowly walk into the glen. Ricky stood there dumb-founded and then the faded pair of red eyes came into focus.
"Do I remember you? Why are you here? You don't seem to feel well," the male voice said in Ricky's mind. "Can you speak?"
Ricky looked baffled. The voice and the faded red eyes scared most of the wits out from him, but they didn't seem to want to hurt or attack him. Ricky muttered, "Yes. I think I can speak. I wandered to here looking for the deer that I almost hit with my car. I hit a small tree instead, I think." And then he said, "You don't seem to want to hurt me. Is that true?"
The voice was quiet for a few moments. And the he said, "Young man, you have a lot to learn. I will allow you this. Come further into this glen. The moonlight will show you a gift. Take it and guard it with your life. If you lose it, you will surely die."
Ricky carefully stepped into the dark glen with the faded red eyes seeming to move backwards. A glint of something like a jewel seemed to reflect a few moonbeams. Ricky approached it very carefully. His headache and dizziness began to soften. And he said, "Is this it?"
"Yes. Pick it up and put it on your ring finger. Never come here again," the voice in Ricky's mind said. "Leave right now!"
Ricky scrambled to go, after putting on the ring, without looking back. He kept feeling more clear-headed, and somehow knew the quickest path back to his car. The damage done to his car was minimal, and he could drive away if he chose to. Before driving off, Ricky looed at his finger in the car's light. It was a ring that fit him perfectly. The ring was tarnish, but looked like gold and it had two red gems fitted side by side.
Ricky was not the same since that evening. He became colder, more reserved and more critical towards others. However, his keen insight to detail and clear-headedness became a value to his new job, and his promotions came quickly. He never took the ring off, but he laso never dated nor started and family. Oddly, it didn't seem to bother him. He left town on one of his last promotions to live in a big city out west.
Being successful in his job became his life's work. Everything else could not meet with a priority of the same strength. Ricky finally died of old age when his ring slipped off of his bony old finger. He was ninety-eight. One of his business partners did his memorial service and wake for him as his family had all passed away before him. His ring was buried with him by his request from his will, and all of his assets went to his latest and last project, a skyscraper.
By Robert Herrick
One morning, a young boy of ten years of age was on his way to school on foot, not by bus. It was his first day in a new school from a new neighborhood. Ricky was his name, and on his way to school, he made what he'd thought would be a shortcut.
After a few minutes, he had lost sight of his path and came upon a shadowed glen. It felt cold. It was rather dark, too. Suddenly, a faded pair of red eyes seemed to peer out a him. Ricky was very scared, so scared that he couldn't scream. A voice that Ricky could only hear in his head said to him, "Hello, boy. You seem lost. Do you think that you'll find your way back?"
Ricky's eyes were welling up with tears from fear. He nodded his head up and down hoping he would be helped by the voice. The voice was quiet though the eyes were looking right through the boy. And then he said, "Why did you come here? Are you late for school?"
Ricky's lips were quivering, but he could only make a face without words. The voice quietly released a grumble and then he said, "Are you afraid of me? Do you know why?"
Ricky blurted out, "No! I'm sorry!"
The eyes disappeared and Ricky ran like the wind so far and so fast that he actually was able to find his way back to his school. He didn't tell anyone about what he'd sen nor what he'd thought he heard. He had nightmares on and off for years. Ricky avoided taking any shortcuts through those woods throughout his school years.
Years later, after Ricky went to college for mechanical engineering, he got into a car accident while trying to avoid a young deer. It was dusk and no other car was involved. Suffering only a mild concussion from bumping his head on the steering wheel, he left his car, and oddly, he went to go looking for the deer into the woods.
Ricky had become a smart man and started to remember the area bit by bit, but dizzy, and with a headache, his focus was unclear. However, somethingin him knew that he was getting close to that spot and that the deer also was headed in that direction. He shuddered. It was getting cold. It was getting dark, too.
Ricky chose to sit on the forest floor near the dark glen. He felt delirious from the accident. Suddenly, something prompted him to get up. He couldn't tell why. He started to slowly walk into the glen. Ricky stood there dumb-founded and then the faded pair of red eyes came into focus.
"Do I remember you? Why are you here? You don't seem to feel well," the male voice said in Ricky's mind. "Can you speak?"
Ricky looked baffled. The voice and the faded red eyes scared most of the wits out from him, but they didn't seem to want to hurt or attack him. Ricky muttered, "Yes. I think I can speak. I wandered to here looking for the deer that I almost hit with my car. I hit a small tree instead, I think." And then he said, "You don't seem to want to hurt me. Is that true?"
The voice was quiet for a few moments. And the he said, "Young man, you have a lot to learn. I will allow you this. Come further into this glen. The moonlight will show you a gift. Take it and guard it with your life. If you lose it, you will surely die."
Ricky carefully stepped into the dark glen with the faded red eyes seeming to move backwards. A glint of something like a jewel seemed to reflect a few moonbeams. Ricky approached it very carefully. His headache and dizziness began to soften. And he said, "Is this it?"
"Yes. Pick it up and put it on your ring finger. Never come here again," the voice in Ricky's mind said. "Leave right now!"
Ricky scrambled to go, after putting on the ring, without looking back. He kept feeling more clear-headed, and somehow knew the quickest path back to his car. The damage done to his car was minimal, and he could drive away if he chose to. Before driving off, Ricky looed at his finger in the car's light. It was a ring that fit him perfectly. The ring was tarnish, but looked like gold and it had two red gems fitted side by side.
Ricky was not the same since that evening. He became colder, more reserved and more critical towards others. However, his keen insight to detail and clear-headedness became a value to his new job, and his promotions came quickly. He never took the ring off, but he laso never dated nor started and family. Oddly, it didn't seem to bother him. He left town on one of his last promotions to live in a big city out west.
Being successful in his job became his life's work. Everything else could not meet with a priority of the same strength. Ricky finally died of old age when his ring slipped off of his bony old finger. He was ninety-eight. One of his business partners did his memorial service and wake for him as his family had all passed away before him. His ring was buried with him by his request from his will, and all of his assets went to his latest and last project, a skyscraper.