"Lala, you are a special little one... Your big brown eyes are the kindest I have ever seen, and someday they will serve a great purpose." Mama said, tenderly tucking her daughter into bed.
"It's true." Papa nodded as he stroked Lala's brown hair.
The little girl smiled sweetly.
"What story would you like to read tonight, dear?" Mama asked.
Lala scowled, though thought it best to stay quiet. In the past, she had spoken out about her hatred of bedtime stories, but in turn she received a great lecture from her father.
"These are more than stories. They are lessons, made to teach children about the danger in the world around them. We must be cautious, and you must be fearful. How else would you learn? Being killed by one of these monsters? These tales teach you to heed your parents' every word, and especially never enter the forest. Do you understand?"
"But Papa, they give me nightmares sometimes..."
A pause.
"Sometimes extreme measures need to be taken in order to keep children safe. Years ago, our town grieved a great loss. We can't risk that happening again, Lala."
And at that moment, Mama walked out of the room.
Lala took a long stare at her large bookshelf, pressed against the wall next to her open window.
"The story of the Tapu." she said softly. This book was a gift from her recent birthday, from Ba. Ba was an elderly woman who lived down the street, who'd lived so long that when she was a child there were only ten town stories. Now, there were too many to count.
Papa walked to the cherry wood bookshelf, pulling out a story titled, The Tale of the Tapu. He then sat on the edge of Lala's bed, and began to read. Mama never read the bedtime stories, but Lala hadn't ever thought to question why.
"Once there was a horrid creature, named Tapu.
"Tapu means monster.
"Tapu would dwell in the forest during the day, hidden in shadows, and go to the village at night to feast on the pure souls of innocent children. "
Warriors tried to kill it, witches tried to cure it, mothers tried to run from it, children tried to hide from it, but nothing could stop this monster.
"It is said that the Tapu eats children so as to keep his figure black, which represents his soul. It is said that your fate is set when you look into his black, sullen, lifeless eyes."
Lala shivered.
"Fate has it, that his eyes contain your deepest, darkest fear and seeing it brings such despair that it kills whoever glances upon them." the illustration on that page was terrifying to Lala. A horrible monster was bringing such destruction; red and black lines swirling in a cluster around what seemed to be dead children. There was no mercy in his eyes, only a vicious desire to kill.
Lala whimpered, curling up tighter in her blankets.
"So beware of the Tapu, and never look into his eyes." Papa closed the book so suddenly that it made Lala jump.
"Goodnight Lala." Mama whispered, as she blew out the kerosene lamp and turned on Lala's night light which reflected the night sky onto her ceiling.
Her parents left the room, closing the door, as Lala stared at the visions of stars gleaming on her ceiling.
Her eyes shut, and she was asleep.
Later that night a gust of cold wind blew through the open window, so Lala pulled her quilt tighter around her.
A dark shadow stood by the window, a hood covering his face. He watched the girl with curiosity, unaware of the suffocation his presence was bringing. Lala coughed in her slumber as her throat tightened. Air seemed to escape the room, fleeing from this monster.
The stars on the ceiling disappeared, the curtains no longer dancing. Everything seemed still, and lifeless. The shadow drifted to the girl, each inch closer causing the air to feel thicker. He slowly leaned over her, lifting his hand to her face. But as he stroked her cheek, brushed pink from the sudden chill in the room, three red lines followed his claws along her skin and began to pool with blood.
The shadow pulled away suddenly, backing towards the window as he watched Lala begin to wake up.
And then, just as soon as he had arrived, the shadow left. The stars returned to the ceiling, and the room grew warm and fresh again.
Lala sat up, and flinched as she touched her cheek. When she pulled her hand away, it was covered in blood. Lala's stomach dropped as she stared at the terrifying color on her palm, a high scream forcing itself through her gaping mouth and trembling lips.
Lala's mother awoke from the noise, rushing into the room with panic in her eyes. When she saw the horrible scene-Lala whimpering in the dark, staring with perplexity and pain at her hand-she fled to the dresser, pulling out one of Lala's nightdresses. She then hurried to her daughter's side, lighting the kerosene lamp beside the cot with shaky hands.
Finally in the light, Mama had a mere moment to get a good look at her helpless daughter.
Just seven years old, Lala was a small girl with black hair cut to her shoulders, wide brown eyes, and pale skin. Now crimson stained her face, trickling along her jaw and down her neck.
Mama blinked away her sudden hesitation, and pressed the night dress against Lala's cheek. Lala winced as the fabric touched her wound, her heart racing nearly as fast as her mother's.
Finally Mama broke the heavy silence, brushing her daughter's hair behind her ear and whispering,
"What happened, my dear?"
"I-I don't know." On the final word, Lala's voice wobbled and she broke into heavy cries. Shaky, trembling sobs in the silence of night.
"Hush, my dear, it's alright..." Lala's mother lifted up the corner of the crumpled-up nightdress to check if the wound was still bleeding, and now that the cloth had soaked up most of the blood, she could see the lines which the mysterious shadow had left behind.
Mama seemed to stop breathing, so caught off guard by what she had seen. Her heart was in her stomach, now. This had all happened so fast, that she hadn't stopped to think what it all could mean. But seeing these scars-the same ones she had seen on her brother's face only days before he was killed by monsters-now she knew.
"Lala, listen to me very carefully. You must promise me that if any monsters come near you, if any of them try to hurt you, you will run. He will try to trick you, to gain your trust so he can kill you. And... and I don't know what I would do if I would lose you..." Mama began to cry, Lala staring with puzzled eyes at her mother, always seeming so strong, now breaking down into a mess of tears.
Papa entered the room then, at first confused and alarmed but quickly catching on to what had happened. He ran to his girls, falling to his knees beside his dear wife and embracing her in a comforting hold. Mama's limbs grew limp, sending the now blood-soaked nightdress to the ground.
"Papa, I'm scared."
"You're okay, dear. Tonight you can sleep in Mama and Papa's room, okay? How does that sound?" Lala nodded, rising from her bed and following her parents into their bedroom. And soon, they were all fast asleep.
The next morning, Papa left to tell the town the dreadful news.
"A monster has entered our town. Don't let your children out of your sight, keep your doors and windows locked at night, and be cautious wherever you go. We all remember what happened last time the monster got too close..."
This aroused panic in the town, babies wailing and adults yelling over each other.
"What do we do?"
"Where can we hide?"
"How are we going to defend ourselves? The hunters just left on a hunting trip!"
"Are we going to die? Like that one boy did years ago?"
Overwhelmed and ashamed to have been the one to announce the news, Papa left for home.
The next week, the town was still. People rarely went outside, and when they did they didn't so much as utter a word. Children were kept indoors, cooped up and bored. The streets, the stores, the people-everything in the town seemed to be holding it's breath, waiting for the inevitable.
Ba was the only one entirely unfazed by the news. She simply carried on with her daily life-her morning trip to the market, which grew more and more bare since the hunters had not yet returned; visiting the library to refresh her mind on the stories of her people and the monsters keeping them inside their town; tending to her garden with thorough care, and then going door to door to sell her fruits, vegetables, and herbs; And finally, leaving her shack through the back door and wobbling on a rocky path in the forest to wherever she went to every night.
People in the town considered Ba the town 'crazy lady'. Her husband, known as Pe, vanished into the forest twenty years ago, and Ba believed he was taken by monsters. Thus began the stories of horrible monsters, which would soon become a keystone in their culture.
And so each night, Ba snuck into the forest to search for her beloved husband, whom she lost so many years ago. Though as paranoid as Ba was, she was not at all worried about herself. She would say,
"I will not die, don't worry for me. I worry for you, instead, that the monsters will hurt you as they have hurt me. Or kill you, as they nearly killed my husband."
Ba, against what the entire town believed, thought her husband was still alive, waiting for her somewhere in the forest. Which is why each night, she wandered the same path searching for something that was already lost.
But, little to the knowledge of Ba, the nights that Lala couldn't sleep, she would spend watching Ba make her way into the forest which surrounded their town. And each night, Lala grew more curious.
Until one night, eight days after Papa had told the town of the monster lurking near, Lala tiptoed out of her house, through the streets, and to Ba's little home.
"What are you doing here! Get back inside! The monsters are out!" Ba said through clenched teeth.
"I wanted to know where you were going..." Lala admitted shyly.
"That is none of your business, little girl... Now let me walk you home." Ba began to grab the little girl's small hand.
"No. I want to come with you." Lala wiggled her arm free, "And if you won't show me then I'll go myself!"
"Shush, shush, child! They'll hear you!" Ba looked around frantically, pulling Lala inside her house.
"Mama and Papa never let me in the forest! Now I'm brave enough to go, like you!"
"Oh... Oh, child... You've got it all wrong." Ba sat down in her rocking chair, shaking her head. "It's not the brave people that go in the forest, it's the cowards. The ones who aren't strong enough to live longer, so they give up. That's me. I'm the coward." A tear trickling down her wrinkled cheeks, then dropped onto her lap.
"You're not a coward..." Lala patted Ba's hand. "We'll be brave together. Maybe we can find the monsters, kill them, and then our town won't have to be afraid anymore! Then we can be the heroes!" And Lala, not yet understanding the concept of death, blurted out, "And maybe we can find Pe too!" Even though Lala was not alive when Pe had disappeared, she had heard enough stories about him that she might as well have met him.
Surprisingly, a smile crept onto Ba's face. And she nodded.
The two were off, walking slowly into the wall of tall trees. They were wandering for hours, holding hands and exchanging stories. Little did Lala know, that this was the happiest Ba had been in a long, long time. And, Lala too.
Two souls, growing closer as they ventured bravely into a place where no one else had ever dared to enter.
Ba was just telling a story of how when she was a little girl, she had eleven siblings-all dead now-when they heard something they would never had expected...
Talking.
Many voices, blending together in a chorus of lovely conversation.
For a moment, Ba thought they had just circled around back to their town. But the closer they got, the more they knew that this was not their town.
Music played, people danced, all seeming so... happy.
Ba held Lala's hand tighter, perhaps afraid. But they continued to walk forward, and soon exited the canopy of trees entirely. And one man, about Mama's age, saw them and approached them.
"My name is Natu, are you lost?" he asked kindly. Now that he was closer, Lala noticed a few faint scars on his face. She didn't think anything of it.
"No. Well, yes..." Ba couldn't find the words to speak. She, along with everyone in their town, never even imagined that there could be more people living so close. And so many of them!
"Well, we were just beginning our celebration, come and join us!"
"May I ask what you're celebrating? It must be important, seeing as you're risking your lives out at night... What with monsters being so close..." Ba said slowly.
"Monsters? What monsters?" he looked confused. "And this here is a celebration of life. Whenever someone in our town passes on to the next life, we have these celebrations every year, on the day before their spirit passed. To remember the last day they were with us. We stay up until midnight, then visit their grave. We then sing somber songs around their gravestone, and go home to go to sleep." Natu explained, seeming surprised that the girls had not known this piece of his culture.
Ba was shocked as well, mostly with the first words he said... "Monsters? What monsters?"
How could he not know? Ba thought.
"Tonight we are celebrating the life of a man who died just a few years ago. He was a father to all of us, wise and thoughtful. We think of him every day." Natu's head dropped solemnly.
"How did he die?" Ba asked.
"His spirit grew old and tired, but could not keep up with his aging body." Natu seemed puzzled by the question, as if this was the only answer he could have given. Though Ba expected to hear what kind of monster had killed him. "He is here with us now, guiding our fate and keeping us safe. Like him." Natu pointed to his left, to a shadow peering out from behind a wall.
Ba's eyes grew wide, and she pointed to the shadowy figure and screamed, "It's a Tapu! Run!"
At first, people around her looked to where she was pointing, expecting to see something terrifying by the terror in her voice, but continued on to their dancing when they saw that it was merely an angel.
"Calm down, he's only an angel! No need to be afraid, he is here to watch over us and protect our souls." Natu placed his had on Ba's shoulder, trying to calm her fear.
Meanwhile, Lala had slipped from everyone's sight and was slowly approaching the shadow. And as she got closer, she whispered, "Tapu..."
The dark figure tilted his head to the side.
"You're from the story, aren't you." Lala said. "But... you aren't trying to hurt me, are you? You're here to protect me, like Natu said." she paused. "Did you scratch me?" Lala gestured to the scars on her face.
Tapu lowered his head, appearing shameful.
"But, you didn't mean to, did you?"
Tapu lifted his head back up. Then he fled.
Lala turned back around, hurrying back to Ba's side. No one had even noticed her gone. Ba was still in a frantic fit, thrashing and trying to run away.
Then, someone who was dancing yelled, "Midnight!" and people stopped what they were doing, and silently walked to a cemetery just down the street.
Natu glanced at everyone leaving, then let go of Ba and followed. He had spent too long trying to calm her, and nothing was working.
Lala tugged on Ba's hand, and Ba looked down at the little girl in front of her.
"Come on, let's go." Lala began to follow the crowd of people, pulling on Ba's hand to come. And, reluctantly, Ba calmed down and stumbled behind her. "Tapu is nice. I talked to him."
When they reached the grave, Lala wriggled through the crowd to the front so she could see the name. Then she whispered to someone next to her, asking what the grave said.
"In honor of Chu, known as Pe. Died at age 81." The stranger whispered back.
Lala nodded, then wriggled back through the people to where she had left Ba.
"It's someone named Chu, who was called the same thing your husband was called. Pe." Lala said, then looked up to see Ba's hand over her mouth and tears pouring from her eyes.
"My Chu..." she shook her head, so taken aback by the words. "That's my husband... He wasn't killed..." she pulled her hand away and, though her eyes were sad, she was smiling.
Natu seemed to have seen that Ba had calmed down, so while everyone was singing, he slipped out to talk to them again.
"May I ask your names? I never got them." He asked.
Ba would not speak, only stared off into the distance, a smile still on her wrinkled face, deep in thought.
"I am Lala, this is Ba." Lala said softly.
Natu nodded, then looked around.
"Do you want to go home?" He knelt to the ground so he could look her in the eyes. "I know this place is different than where you came from."
Lala nodded.
"Then I will walk you back. May I ask which town you live in?"
Lala thought hard for a moment, fishing her brain for a memory of what Mama and Papa had called the little town in which they lived. And finally, she remembered.
"Mu'Zhen" she said.
Natu held his breath for a few moments.
"I... I used to live there, so I suppose we won't be needing a map." He smiled, but even Lala could tell it was not real.
"Can Tapu come with us?" Lala asked hopefully.
"Tapu? Oh, yes, that's what you call the angels. Well, they have a mind of their own and are impossible to communicate with, but perhaps he will tag along."
"I talked to him. He's the one that scratched me, but he didn't mean to."
"You've seen him before? In your town? But... how?"
"Well, I didn't see him. But my parents say a monster is what scratched me, and tonight I asked if it was him."
"Oh... The one you saw must be a young angel. I mean, a young Tapu. He's not supposed to leave our town until a year or so after he arrives. That's how long it takes for them to get familiar with the new state they are in. It takes practice for Tapus to learn how to, well, be Tapus. But it looks like curiosity got the best of him... Oh dear, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I like him. I wish he could stay with me, so he can be my friend. I want him to protect me all the time."
"Oh, I don't think your town would like that very much. Trust me. Once, many years ago, I tried to welcome one of those creatures into my town. Actually, your town. But he scratched me on accident, like he did to you. Everyone got so chaotic at the sight of him, and my mother got so very protective, that I followed that creature into the forest and he led me here. This town welcomed me, raised me. Now this is my home. I've never been back to your town since, so... this will be strange." Natu shrugged.
"Don't worry, everyone's asleep still. Nobody leaves their houses at night." Lala reassured him. And, she was partially hoping Tapu would hear so he wouldn't be afraid to tag along.
After an hour or so, the three of them, and Tapu following close behind, made it back to Mu'Zhen.
"I'll walk you to your home, and I'll get Ba home too." Natu said gently.
When they reached the front door of Lala's house, she was about to walk inside when she turned around and wrapped her arms around Natu.
"Thank you" she said.
"You're welcome, Lala. Now go inside and get some sleep."
Lala opened the front door, and to her surprise found Papa on the couch talking to Mama, who was pacing around the room. When the door creaked open, both of them looked up.
"Lala? Is that you?" Papa sat up and walked to his little girl, wrapping her up in his arms and holding on tight. Mama, though, was focused on the face just behind the door.
"Natu?" she whispered. Natu looked up. He smiled. Then she ran to him, arms open and a laugh escaping her mouth. "My brother!"
3 Months Later
It was a rainy day in Me'Zhen.
The whole town was gathered around a gravestone, their hearts heavy. Papa held Mama close, while Natu gave his sister's hand a reassuring squeeze.
Lala dropped her head, her throat tightening as cries threatened to break out. Ba had been so different the last few months of her life, a grandmother to every one in the town. Especially Lala. Without the weight of her husband's death on her back, she was happy, caring, free. And now, she would join Pe in the next life.
Suddenly, Lala no longer felt the need to cry. Only the comforting presence of the Tapu now standing beside her.