by Jon Pelletier

Created on: August 15, 2009

The Story of Moleman:

As I heard it, around a campfire in my youth.

He sat in the pines waiting for the leaves to change.

There was a park bench there, made from an old tree stump. He sat and touched his fingers together, aimlessly whittling away at his soul. A nearly empty pouch sat beside him on the far side of the old tree. A grey strap of wool held the pouch to his arm. He was hoping to come across a trader or an adventurer at these crossroads, but he found nothing.

He told himself he was miles from anyone. He felt sure of that. He made a sign of a cross on his chest aimlessly making a prayer for tomorrow's food. He was tired, as he had walked twenty miles that day. His water had run out and his last bit of meat was at the tips of his fingers. He pulled his fingers to hip lips and bit the jerk beef. He smiled as he swallowed and his eyes drifted towards the forest. A dragonfly flew past him creating a trail through the air. He watched in fascination.

Idly the traveler sat on the bench watching the leaves begin to fall for the north's hibernation one more time. He tapped the wood and whistled. He felt content. The man looked to the left and in his eye a noticeable black circle floated came up the path and turned to move through the empty woods. It became the center of his attention and he tried to follow the hallucination and fell towards his knees. After pausing for a moment he stood up, uneasily.

He heard a crack in the woods that was quickly followed by birds chirping. He took two steps towards it before moving towards his pouch. When the woods cracked again the man decided it was only a deer and sat once again. He took the other bite of his meat and watched the ground. He saw nothing and pressed his boot against some long grass. He followed an insect across the brown earth and swallowed.

The man imagined a mailbox across the meadow from him. He imagined children playing and an old English white cottage house, on a dirt road. Beautiful woods for a family, he said to the insect, You must be very happy. He reached his hand towards the earth and picked up a twig. He rapped it against the bench and began to whistle once again.

When he was brought back to the forest there was a man standing in front of him. The man wore a long black robe. He had a staff in his right hand that showed signs of age and wisdom. His face could not be seen but when he spoke the first man shivered. In the Willows is my name, he muttered. You haven't seen me here.

The

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