17)
It was then that Alex knew what was happening. He knew that it was not his father in front of him and that it was not his childhood home that they now stood in. He saw through the illusion. This was the same creature Alex had glimpsed when he first opened the bedroom door, its grey skin pockmarked like scarred leather, eyes bloodshot and mouth tusked with rancid breath – but Alex now dwarfed it in size.
“You will apologise to your mother or there will be trouble.” It snorted, its gross parody of his father was unsettling but the creature was oblivious that its camouflage had now gone and Alex couldn’t help but smile. “Damn you...” ranted the Creature, “Why are you smiling? You find this funny?”
Alex knew now, without doubt, that this creature couldn’t hurt him and his smile widened further. “If you don’t stop that I’ll wipe that grin off your face and give you a hiding you won’t forget!”
“No.” Alex said softly, power coursing through his every nerve ending. “You no longer have any control over me. I see you now as you truly are and you’re nothing.” Alex pushed passed the creature with no resistance.
Walking down the stairs, he saw the house disintegrating in front of him: plaster crumbling from the ceilings; the walls decomposing, wallpaper peeling as the enchantment that held everything together failed. When he looked into the lounge again Alex could see his ‘mother’. She was shifting between guises and looked almost pitiable sitting on the moldy sofa in her shabby dressing gown as the room fell apart around her.
Alex shook his head at this wretched creature who once had so much power over him. Walking out of the front door he saw Onyx in the distance waiting for him, a knowing smile beckoning him on.
18)
Alex was relieved to see Onyx alive again but there were so many questions he needed answered; Onyx shook his head and gestured for him to turn and look behind. He could scarcely believe the sight that met his eyes for where the house had once stood, a seething, vomitous mass of black nothingness enveloped the entire structure. In among the cracking of timbers and tumbling bricks Alex could hear the screams of the creatures that had once been his parents.
Onyx put his hand on Alex’s shoulder and motioned for them to walk away quietly but at a brisk pace. “Whilst the Deluge is preoccupied with the Vaurac,” He said, in a soft voice, “It’s best that we make sure there is some distance between us. It won’t be long before the Deluge has your scent again and next time we might not be so lucky.”
An hour passed, neither of them spoke as they walked; Alex was still shaken from the sight of the Deluge engulfing the house. He kept replaying the morning’s events in his head but nothing made any sense. Onyx strode in front, oblivious to his confusion. This part of the forest was far lighter due to the beech and birch trees that were interspersed.
Onyx warned him that though there was good visibility the Deluge could hide in any shadow and that it could be completely without form until it struck. His pace relentless and demanding, Onyx never seemed to tire but Alex found himself struggling. The path, in truth nothing more than an animal trail, now led up a steep hill and Alex needed to rest before he walked any further.
“I can hear just by your breathing that you need to rest, Creator. We will, but not just yet.” Onyx said. “The Deluge will not stop, never tire; it has gorged itself on the negative energies of the house so it didn’t concern itself with you -this time. But it will be more powerful now and I doubt whether I could stop it again.”
Alex shivered with the last comment, every shadow now seemed to tremble and move with dark potential. “Is the Deluge alive?”
“Yes, it is alive, in the same way that a thought is alive; like fear is a living emotion; it grows the more you feed it. You may not believe this, but you encountered the Deluge when you first woke up in the field.” Onyx’s voice was barely a whisper and Alex had to concentrate to listen. However, by listening intently and focusing on what was said he no longer felt the tiredness of walking. His senses became more acute and he could hear the forests symphony all around him again and feel its energies course through him.
“Are you talking about the fog bank that moved against the wind?”
“Yes Creator. You woke up in one of the shifting places: a boundary of Bellkipeg where thought patterns are manifested from the deeper parts of your subconscious.”
Alex interrupted, “I’m not sure I understand what you’re on about.”
“Just listen. It will make sense later. The fog was the Deluge in its infancy so I was able to distract you otherwise it would have easily ensnared you.” Onyx could see that Alex was bemused by his last statement and laughed gently. “I was the one that barked at you –from the wood. You heard the bark for it distracted you from the Deluge –those were not the barks of a dog, but of a deer. Me! Really, Creator, it’s not important that you understand what the Deluge is or how I managed to distract you. All you need to remember is that the Deluge has been here for as long as you have,
and it is tracking you down. Now… ask me the question that has been on your lips since we met up again…”
“What happened to my… parents and my old home?”
“I think, for the most part, you have worked it out for yourself. Those were not your parents –they were Vaurac: vampiric shape changers. They thrive on the denser emotions: be it doubt, fear, anger- and become the object of your worst fears, or nightmares. They then project back an image of the person that encompasses those emotions, so they can feed. I believe a trap was set using them and an image of your childhood home as bait. It was the image of your parents that provoked the feelings of hate and despair – it must have been a veritable feast! The Vaurac were not trying to kill you though, but to keep you there until the Deluge could ensnare you.”
“Who would have the power to set such a trap? Can you tell me that?” Alex asked.
“Very little is known about him, there is a force that is trying to take control of Bellkipeg; he is known only as The Presence. If you are the Light-bringer to this world then he is surely the Death-storm.” Alex was unsure what Onyx was talking about.
“So what do you know about The Presence?” Alex pushed further.
“You witnessed its rebirth back in the cave.” Onyx replied. Alex shook his head so he continued, “It was he who lay dormant in the egg and it was the boy who freed him. I was too late to stop him that time.” Tones of self-rapprochement lay heavy in his words.
19)
After a short respite Alex had more questions.
“Ok, I think I understand what the creatures were, but what caused the headaches?”
“I sometimes wonder, Creator, if you ask so many questions just to stop yourself thinking.” Onyx replied. Sighing heavily he continued, rubbing his left antler against the log on which they were sitting. “Bellkipeg is an extension of you; whether you realise it or not. In a sense we are walking in a physical manifestation of your soul.”
Onyx said, throwing his arms wide in an encompassing gesture of the surrounding area.
“So, I’m controlling it then.” Alex interrupted.
“No,” Onyx replied, smiling ruefully, “you are in as much control of Bellkipeg as you are of your own mind and soul. You are not in control of your mind, despite what you think. You’re open to all kinds of suggestion.” He lent forward, gaze intent. “For instance, I only have to speak of a roast dinner.” His speech slowed. “A succulent roast dinner and you can see it; you can smell it.”
“Stop it, Onyx! You’re making me hungry.” Alex conceded.
“That proves my point.” Onyx replied, “There is the conscious part of your mind that you’re aware of, but that accounts for only a small percentage of what you say or do. The rest is subconscious and Bellkipeg reflects that.”
“So, in order to understand Bellkipeg I first have to understand myself!” Onyx smiled again, and nodded.
“Part of you is becoming more aware,” Onyx explained, “that is why you saw brief glimpses through the illusion in the house. The headaches were caused by the stubbornness of your conscious mind still believing in the illusion and its subsequent struggle to maintain control. The conscious mind is so easy to manipulate and so reluctant to believe that it can be manipulated. When you finally saw me in the garden I knew that you would be able to break the spell that had been cast over you.” With that Onyx pushed himself off the ground and walked away.
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