Chapter 10
1220 Words
Ariana and Luke couldn’t help but admit within themselves that they were overwhelmed by fear. Luke knew how dangerous the journey was, and this made him even more scared.
“Well, hello.” The man spoke, in an eerie tone.
“Who the hell are you?” Luke managed to question him, as they were both wary of him.
“A question which actually isn’t the major concern. But I’ll tell you one thing. If you dare try to escape, because it’s only expected of you to want to run from me, you won’t be able to get to the Herb Land.”
“Uhn!” Luke exclaimed softly, not knowing whether to believe the man or not.
“Yeah. To make things more understandable for you, I am the passage to the Herb Land, which only means without me, you can’t go into the Herb Land. So, now, I hope you know that it is only unwise of you to run from me. And if you have enough time to waste, you can actually run from me, and when you realize you’ve been wasting your time, you’ll come back, and definitely meet me here.”
Both Luke and Ariana looked at each other, thinking they had no choice than to give in that little trust that was expected of them.
“Alright, so what are you here for? What are we to do to get into the Herb Land?” Luke inquired, wanting to get the hell out of this place and just move further in this journey.
“Well, it’s simple. All you have to do is so simple.” He said, then looked at his left.
As he looked to his left, he pointed at a place which almost looked like a shed.
“Come with me.” He urged, and both Luke and Ariana, followed him since the shed didn’t look suspicious.
On getting to the shed, the man sat down, and urged Luke and Ariana to do the same. Luke was beginning to feel impatient, because he didn’t have the time for all that was happening. He wanted things to happen so fast, so he would know his fate.
Before they knew it, the man brought out a game of cards, and placed it on a table before them.
“What’s this supposed to mean?” Luke asked, looking baffled, feeling the man was taking them for a joke.
“In case you are mistaken, we have come to journey into the Herb Land. Playing games would only waste our time.” Ariana added.
“Why do you all tend to have little faith? You both know that the journey you’re about to embark on would attract things you may have not seen or heard before; and sometimes, things which could be ridiculous. If you know you aren’t ready for your journey, you go back to where you came from.” The man snapped at them.
“What do you then need us to do with a game of cards?” Luke asked, trying to risk trusting the process.
After all, they had no choice.
“Good. We are going to play a game of cards, and these cards entail questions that requires you to speak nothing but the truth. Once you tell the truth to the end, then you both would be qualified enough to go in.” The man explained to them, and both Ariana and Luke nodded to it.
They felt they were not so close to each other, to have secrets, and all, so there was nothing to be scared about. And the man would definitely get bored, since there was no secret they had, which would make them quarrel enough to entertain the man.
“Alright, go on. What’s the first question?” Luke asked as he adjusted himself on the chair.
“Have you ever had it in mind just to use Ariana, and not because you really wanted to help her?” The man questioned, and Luke smiled.
“Yes, I have.” He responded, and his eyes widened in shock.
His tongue had spoken the otherwise of what his mind wanted to speak, and what his mind had to say was nothing but the truth.
Ariana turned to look at him. She looked broken, and couldn’t find it easy to believe he had actually said yes.
“Are you for real, Luke?” Ariana questioned him, feeling doubtful about that.
“I’m for real, and I’m not joking.” He responded, with so much confidence.
Luke wanted to so much rise to his feet, and tell Ariana that his tongue was spitting out otherwise of the truth, but his mouth wasn’t opening, and when it opened, it spoke lies which hurt Ariana, more.
“hmmm. Interesting. Now, over to you, Ariana. Have you ever truly appreciated Luke for all he has done for you?” The man questioned her, and Ariana sniffled, trying to hold back the tears that was caused by the pain she felt in her heart.
“I have never for once appreciated him.” Ariana answered, but it wasn’t her, and what she meant to say.
Luke also looked at her, hurt by her words, and questioned her again to be certain she was speaking the truth, and she spoke the same thing.
This continued for five more rounds of questions until Ariana and Luke, got angry at each other, broken and disappointed.
They began to yell at each other, speaking hurtful words even when they really didn’t mean it, but their tongues kept saying otherwise, and they found it easy to believe whatever each of them said to one another, until Ariana decided to have a re-think.
She felt Luke could also be going through the same issue she w as going through, which was trying to speak the truth, but lies ended up coming out of their tongues.
She revived her trust in Luke back, by thinking of all the things he had done for her. Definitely, you can’t sacrifice a lot for someone who doesn’t love you deeply, or enough.
“In this journey, a couple is needed, and without the love and union, they won’t be able to journey into the Herb Land.” She thought to herself.
She knew that for every journey, there were obstacles to ensure that they don’t get whatever they are in search of. So, it came to her realization that this was merely a foul play.
She rose to her feet abruptly, and pointed her finger at him.
“You are a trickster.” She voiced out firmly with a glare.
At that point, their tongues wee set loose and they began to confess to each other, the truth they were not allowed to speak while under the bondage of the spell.
The trickster laughed out loud, and sighed.
“Isn’t it better for you both to fail this, than endangering your lives for an herb? There is just one percent chance of you both coming back alive. Why cut your time on earth short?” The man questioned, looking at them like they were fools who weren’t making the right decision.
Ariana and Luke looked at each other in anxiousness of what really awaits them, judging from the way the man spoke.
- Writer
