Honor Thy Father: Chapter 2 - "Illumination"
The Bear-tooth Mountain Archive
Welcome back, dear reader, to second chapter of Honor Thy Father, a new serial short story set within the world of The Bear-tooth Mountain Archive. But don’t let that scare you, this one can stand all on its own.
As Jude and his father, Elroy, venture into the dark forest beyond their homestead’s borders, the young boy learns that there’s far more to this world than he initially thought possible…
It had been some time since they began their journey before Jude looked through his fogged glasses and spotted something curious from the corner of his eye. As he gazed deeply into the farthest reaches of the woods, toward the dark tower that he knew hung over them, he saw a flickering blue light passing between the trees.
If it had been in the sky, the boy would’ve assumed it was a star. But as the light wandered the earth before him, he knew this was something more. Jude had never seen anything like this before, and although he knew his father was right beside him, he grew afraid.
The light bobbed in and out of view as it passed through the trees, as if it were peeking in and out of sight to study the pair of travelers. Jude could tell it was watching them, and that made him uneasy.
The longer he looked at the strange orb, the more he was filled with dread, and wished they had never come into the forest in the first place. As curious as he had been about the hidden secrets of the Mountain, he thought that maybe these secrets were kept for a reason.
Jude tugged subtly on his father’s hand, trying not to draw any unwanted attention to himself.
“Papa…”
“I see it, lad. Make no sudden moves and do as I do.”
Jude watched his father carefully as the burly farmer calmly set down the mysteriously concealed object he had been carrying.
Though Elroy Anthony was not a superstitious man, he made the sign of the cross over his forehead and fell to his knees, silently ordering Jude to do the same. He did all of it without letting go of his son’s hand.
The boy didn’t understand why his father had chosen a position of surrender. He wanted to run away through the woods, back to the fence that marked their property line. He wanted to go back home and never enter the forest again.
But he resisted the urge to succumb to his fears and did exactly as his father had done. He had no weapons to set down, but he made the sign of the cross himself and likewise knelt in the wet dirt.
Almost as if they had summoned the thing, the light shot through the trees and surrounded the pair. The glowing orb combed over them like a dog searching for treats, as if hoping to find something, anything, worth sticking around for.
Jude thought the ghostly light felt cold as it got close to the back of his neck, stimulating a rapid gooseflesh response across his entire body. As the pair knelt down in the ground, Jude’s father mouthed a silent prayer, refusing to bow down to the light flickering around them. He knelt as a sign of respect, the same way one might lay down and play dead for a grizzly bear, but he paid it no allegiance. He gave it no undeserved honor.
The old man had read far too many Bible stories where folks bowed too hastily to otherworldly presences. He knew that if any besides the Lord himself accepted their worship, they would be in for more trouble than they hoped. He wouldn’t explain this to Jude until later, and so the boy could do nothing but wait.
Eventually, the light got either bored, or it completed its unknown task. Rather than linger with them any longer, it shot once again through the trees (this time toward the Mountain) and disappeared. The moment it did so, Jude’s father was back on his feet, with the long, clothed object back in hand.
He promptly pulled young Jude back up from the ground, and the two pressed on.
“What was that, Papa?”
“It was a spirit, my boy.”
“What kind of spirit? Like an angel?”
“Perhaps.”
“A good one?”
“I am not sure.”
“Why did we kneel down?”
“To prove we were not a threat. And to petition the Lord above for safety.”
Jude could tell his endless questioning was getting on his father’s nerves, so he ceased from asking any more. Though Jude had thought that the entire point of their journey was that his questions might be answered, he seemed to have more now than ever.
What was this strange light doing wandering the woods?
What was the object resting in his father’s hand?
Why did Papa think that he was ready for the truth, whatever that really was?
To his surprise, his father broke the silence and elaborated further.
“I do not know if that light was an angel or something else, nor if it is a good one or bad. I only know that this Mountain is a haven for things one cannot easily explain.
“When your great-grandfather, my grandfather, first settled these lands, he did so not knowing of the dangers that lay here. The native peoples had long abandoned this valley, and no one ever came to claim it. So, our forefathers did so themselves. They, and others like them, moved here to settle these parts, and eventually built Carmel. They built houses and barns, raised cattle, tended the land, and produced families to do the same. It was a peaceful, quiet life, and everything they ever hoped it to be.”
“It sounds a lot like today, Papa.”
“Yes, my son, but there is more to the story. It was not long after your great-grandfather settled these parts that he and his companions discovered a creature that lived deep within the heart of the Mountain.
“This beast was unlike any wild animal they encountered, and the following spring, it descended to attack. Your grandfather watched in horror as his father fought back against the beast, but to no avail. It claimed his life, but not before he prophesied that within four generations, our family would witness the giant’s demise.”
“Giant? Like Goliath?”
Elroy Anthony nodded his head. “But much bigger, and all the more deadly.”
Jude couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
He always believed the stories his parents read to him from the scriptures. He always believed that angels and demons existed, and by extension understood that giants likely did as well.
But he never thought that he might live right next door to one. Let alone see one up close. The notion that his own ancestors had battled giants of their own was unfathomable to the boy. He had thought that the ancient Israelites wiped out their kind. But evidently, he was wrong.
“Is that what the rifle is for?”
“No. The rifle is for bears or mountain lions. It is a precaution.”
Jude’s father removed the cloth from the other object he was carrying to reveal a sheathed sword. He removed the blade from its covering and proudly showed his son the glimmer of the metal.
It was a beautiful sword, one that the boy could tell was well cared for and cherished.
“This has been in our family for generations. It was what your great-grandfather used to battle the beast. It is what we will use if we too need to fight.”
“We are going to see it?” Jude felt a tightness pull on his chest.
“Yes. You need to look upon the monster that threatens to take all we hold dear. I have spent many a springtime fighting back against it as it ventures from the high place to steal our cattle. Though it often remains near the Mountain itself, feeding on bears or elk or whatever it can capture.
“But on occasion, it ventures further, and it is then that I must make a stand. One day, you will do the same.”
This was all too much for Jude. He was only a boy, barely double digits. What could he aim to do against a giant? When David killed Goliath, he had already killed a lion and a bear. He attained combat experience while living as a shepherd.
But Jude?
He could barely shoe horses or wrangle cattle, let alone slay a giant. He wasn’t ready for this sort of responsibility.
“I am afraid, Papa. I cannot do it on my own.”
“Nor do I expect you to,” his father replied with a smile.
“You do not?”
“No, I do not. Our goal today is not to kill the beast but only to capture it with our eyes.”
Elroy Anthony could see that his son was beginning to come around. But even though his son was relieved, the boy was still afraid.
“I will be with you, my son. Fear not.”
Knowing that he wasn’t expected to single handedly battle a giant was a comfort to Jude, and quite the relief.
An anxious longing for home had captured his mind. He hadn’t been properly trained with a longsword. He had no experience slaying giants. But knowing that he was simply his Papa’s companion on this small reconnaissance mission quieted his swirling mind.
And just like that, they pressed forward again, and with each step, the boy grew more excited at the prospect of seeing a real, breathing giant with his own eyes. Especially knowing now that he was only to see it from afar.
Read Chapter 3: “The Fallen One” here.