• The Pros and Cons of a Cursed Life


    “Emland, wait!”
    “Stop lagging behind.”
    The date was July 10th, 2200, around mid-summer in that area. A young human boy on his thirteenth year was running after his older brother in the forest Tenar. This boy was called Dunestar, and he was really an elf, like his brother and family. Emland had been sent to teach his younger brother how to hunt and basically survive on his own in the elfin ways; the problem was that the full moon had waxed the previous night.
    When Dunestar was five years old he accidentally trespassed on to an old sorceress’ garden. Of course the old woman was very angry. She hated elves. Thus, she cursed Dunestar, who stumbled upon her that unfortunate day, so that on every full moon he would be first a mortal human, the next full moon an elf, then the next full moon a demon, and then back to an elf. Now, elves and humans were not enemies, but neither were they friends, just acquaintances. Elves and demons on the other hand, they were great enemies. No elf ever associated with a demon no matter what kind.
    Dunestar was now on the waxing month where he was to take human form until the next full moon. His father, however, didn’t find this any excuse to delay his training, “Dunestar, you will soon be of age and need to learn these things,” he had said.
    “You may have a human body, but you should be able to run at least as fast as grandfather,” Emland whispered. He was nine years older than Dunestar, 22 by human standards, and loved his brother but avoided him when he was not in his normal state. The only reason he was there was because their father had ordered him, and no elf disobeyed his father or Elder.
    Dunestar looked at his older brother sternly, “I can usually run fast without having to carry all this equipment!”
    “Keep your voice down. The only was to track or hunt anything is to not make a sound,” Emland said quietly, “You’re carrying the baggage to build up your strength, and stop acting human. You can thank me later.” And he did, but much later then Emland thought. He stood up and walked away. Dunestar stared after him. Every reminder of his curse always came down on him hard and he always went quiet afterwards. His brother constantly gave this reminder to him and their relationship had never been close since. Dunestar stood there for a minute and then rushed on to continue his training.
    “Just remember,” whispered Emland, crouching down into the brush, “The only reason I’m doing this is to start you training and to obey our father. Now load your bow.” Dunestar was not taken aback by these words. He already knew this, so he ignored them and loaded his bow with an arrow. This was the first weapon he was to learn to use skillfully. Archery was favored among the elves. A few feet away sat a squirrel eating his mid-morning meal. Dunestar aimed and fired.
    “Well, at least you haven’t lost all of your skills,” complimented Emland standing up and grabbing the dying squirrel. Dunestar’s arrow had pierced the animal, in the stomach. “Your aim could be better, but that was good for your first time,” he added, and broke the squirrel’s neck. It fell limp.
    “Thank you, Emland,” Dunestar replied ceremoniously. In the past three weeks Dunestar had been taught the customs that he had yet to learn of the elves by his grandfather. Especially how to handle the bow and arrow. In elfish society, customs were very important, especially the custom for training a young elf to hunt and fend for himself at the age of 13, if he was the eldest son he would teach his younger siblings.
    Dunestar had turned 13 two months ago. Now it was his turn to learn the rules of his society. His family members included his mother, father, brother (Emland), his grandfather and grandmother, and his twin sister Galadriel. She was only a few minutes older then Dunestar, and the only witness to Dunestar’s unfortunate encounter with the sorceress. She alone seemed to understand what he was going through. She alone stayed with him while the rest of the family camped out at their grandfather’s house on his month of misfortune when he transformed into a demon.
    “I think that’s good enough for today,” Emland said an hour later. Dunestar had just managed to shoot a squirrel in the heart. “Let’s head home. Mother will be glad to see what you have for her,” he added.
    “Do you think Father will think we should continue tomorrow?” Dunestar asked as they headed back to the village.
    “I do not know, but I bet he will,” Emland replied. When they got back to the village where Dunestar and his family lived, the sun was starting to set behind the trees. Most elfin villages were built in the middle of forests. The humans and demons inhabited the mountainous regions or plains usually.
    The elves were busy getting everything finished for the night. The fathers and sons were returning home from hunting or training and the mothers and daughters were outside waiting for them. Indeed, their family was waiting for Dunestar and Emland.
    “How did it go?” Galadriel asked, smiling curiously at Dunestar. She had golden hair, like he had when he was an elf, and blue eyes very like her mother’s. Yet, she was different in that she was more curious and bold. So much so, she acted almost like a boy at times. She always wanted to learn everything Dunestar learned. He didn’t mind, though. Unlike his relationship with Emland, he and Galadriel were as close knit as fabric.
    Emland handed her the four squirrels they had snagged.
    “Dunestar, you killed all of these,” said his mother proudly, “Well done. We shall have them for dinner tonight.” Dunestar’s mother was very caring towards her youngest son, but maybe a little too caring and nice. Whenever he was transformed into a human, she would always compliment him on anything he did, whether correctly or not. When he was a demon, she would, like most of the village, only visit him in their house once or twice, where he spent all of those unfortunate months.
    Their home was, like the other elfin houses, a round structure made from wood poles and tree bark. The inside consisted of two rooms, the main room where the children slept and the bedroom where the parents slept. In the main room Dunestar’s home were three sleeping mat-like beds. A wooden table and various storage containers and an icebox stood against the far wall where his mother prepared the food. A fire pit that heated the house in the winter was in the middle of the room. Shelves lined the walls on which they kept their possessions and hunting gear. Dunestar’s father was standing in the middle of the room staring at him.
    “Emland, come outside with me for a moment,” he said with the air of command.
    “Yes, Father,” Emland replied striding outside again.
    “Good job, son,” Dunestar’s father said as he walked passed him. Dunestar thanked him and walked over to help his mother and sister. A few minutes later the two walked back inside. Emland sat down on the dirt flood and said nothing.
    “Dunestar,” said his father. Dunestar looked up at him, still drying a plate. “I and the Elders have come to a decision to postpone your training. For the time being, you have been given a different task.”
    “What do you mean by saying a different task, Elrond?” asked Dunestar’s mother as she stopped doing what she was doing and turned to him looking worried.
    “WE have decided that Dunestar will be given the task to leave the village and live with the humans, just until the first quarter moon. Then he can return after he has learned the customs of their world and tell us what he has learned.” Dunestar stared at his father in disbelief. He was being sent away?
    “But Father, I still haven’t finished my hunting training. I just started. How will I survive?” he asked desperately.
    “Do not worry Dunestar. You will be taken to the nearest human village, or town as they call it, and I am sure one of them will take you in. The humans may be violent at times, but they are also caring and will usually take in children that are thought to have no home,” his father said patting him on the head. In his human form, Dunestar’s hair was black instead of gold, but his eyes were the same blue-green color.
    “Very well, Father.”
    And so, that night after dinner Dunestar’s mother and sister helped him pack for his journey. Galadriel and Emland would take him to the human village in the morning. It was a few miles away so they were leaving early. He packed some clothes, food, and sleeping belongings. His father would not let him bring more than that for he was not to tell any human who he really was, only his name.
    Early the next morning the tree set out. They were heading east towards the rising sun.
    “I hope you meet some friends while you stay there,” Galadriel said, sounding worried. She had not been very happy about the idea of not seeing her brother for about a month. She had even asked to come with but their father had refused.
    “I just hope that he last through the month without acting normal,” replied Emland, who was walking a little ahead of them. Dunestar said nothing. ‘I’m going to die,’ was the only result of this punishment in his mind. They walked on until in became clear that they were getting close to the human village. Small houses started to appear and then roads. Then they stopped.
    “This is where we leave you and you go on by yourself,” Emland said.
    “If something bad happens come straight home. You don’t have to prove anything by staying here,” Galadriel said, hugging him. Dunestar gave them a feeble smile and, without saying a word, turned, and walked up the road. Soon his family was out of sight and he was alone. Alone in the street.
    Dunestar walked on until he came to a road that had building on each side. Now he knew he was in their village. These buildings were taller than those at home and people were everywhere he looked. “I had no idea there were so many humans in the world!” he thought and walked on. After a while the buildings started to shrink and he came to a street that had houses on each side that all looked nearly the same. He was so busy staring at them that he accidentally bumped into someone.
    “I’m sorry,” he said standing back up and looking at the human he had knocked over. It was a girl around his age. She had reddish hair and was wearing a blue jumper. He immediately rushed over to help her up.
    “I don’t need any help,” she said quickly, “Watch where you’re going next time, will you?” She looked at him sternly. She had green eyes and a few freckles across her nose. She looked very pretty, to Dunestar anyways.
    “Who are you anyway?” she asked, looking at him curiously now, “I’ve never seen you before.”
    Dunestar blinked and quickly replied, “Um… My name is Dunestar and what is yours?”
    “Mandy. Did you just move here?” she asked.
    “I don’t have a home here yet,” Dunestar replied. He said this only because he didn’t have any place to stay and was hoping to find one soon.
    “Oh… you’re homeless. That’s a shame. Do you have any parents?” she said. Dunestar shook his head. “Well maybe you can stay with us for a while. I’m sure my parents’ won’t mind,” she added, “Just promise me that you won’t steal anything.”
    “I promise that I will never steal anything for the rest of my human existence and life,” resided Dunestar.
    “Good enough,” replied Mandy, glancing at him curiously, and headed for the next house, pulling open the gate, “So it’s Dunestar, right?” He nodded. “This is where I live. I don’t have any brothers or sisters and my dad works for the carpentry business.” They walked up the wide garden path to the house. This house was painted white, like all the others, and had a sloped roof that showed two levels. It was a good-sized house that was obviously meant for more than three people. The path led to a red door and a small porch that surrounded it. Mandy walked straight up the steps, pulled a small key out of her pocket and the two entered the house.
    “Mom, Dad, I’m home,” called Mandy, closing the door behind them. They had entered a large, wood-floored hall with a set of carpeted stairs in the right corner and a living room setting on the left. A woman, who was sitting in a chair facing the door when they entered, stood up.
    “Who’s this?” she asked, walking over and kissing Mandy on the cheek.
    “This is Dunestar, Mom. I ran into him on the streets and he told me he’s homeless so…”
    “It’s a honor to meet you,” Dunestar said, quickly remembering his manners.
    “Dunestar, is it? My name is Mrs. Bartlet. You seem like a fine little gentleman, and you are welcome. The homeless are always welcome if they pass the test. How old are you?”
    “I just turned 13 a few months ago Mrs. Bartlet,” he answered.
    “The same age as Mandy. That means that you two can go to school together. I won’t pay for it though.” Dunestar looked at her gravely. Going to a human educational institute wasn’t what he expected. “Yes, Mr. Dunestar, as long as you stay under this roof you will go to school.” Dunestar nodded.
    “Now, Mandy, go and show our new guest his room,” Mrs. Bartlet said.
    “Come on,” Mandy said, running up the stairs. Dunestar, to his surprise, ran up them at an equal speed. “Maybe this will not be so bad,” he thought.
    The second level was different from the first. The stairs led to a small, carpeted landing with doors along the walls.
    “Your room is in here,” said Mandy, opening the door at the far end, next to the window on the opposite wall to the stairs. This door opened into a small room. In this room was a window on the wall facing them, a cozy looking bed next to it and a small dresser next to the bed. The bed had a white sheet and a patchwork quilt on it. The dresser had nothing but a lamp sitting on top of it. Dunestar walked in amazed. He had never, in his whole life had a room to himself.
    “I know it’s not much, but we don’t want anyone who stays here to get any ideas,” Mandy said.
    “Oh, it’s wonderful. I’ve never had a whole room to myself!” he exclaimed, smiling, “Please, tell me when you father comes home so I can thank him.” Mandy gave him another suspicious look.
    “I dunno. Around seven. Was your family as formal as you or is it just you?” Dunestar looked at her curiously and then remembered something Emland had told him earlier that day, ‘In human society the children don’t have the same customs or way of following them as we do. Do not act too normal or they might suspect something.’
    “Well,” he said, “That’s just the way I’ve been taught. Always respect you elders.”
    “Whatever,” she said leaving the room. Dunestar followed her into the hall.
    “Look, Dunestar… Dunestar. That’s a funny name. It sounds elfish. Where are you from anyway?” Luckily, he was spared answering by the unmistakable sounds of Mandy’s father coming home. The two rushed downstairs.
    “There’s my little princess,” said a tall man with red hair, like Mandy’s. He crouched down a bit and hugged Mandy. He was wearing a pair of dirty overalls and black-rimmed glasses. “And who is this? Another homeless friend you met on the streets?” He was smiling a wide, happy smile as he straightened up and looked at Dunestar.
    “Daddy, this is Dunestar. He’s new in town and wants a place to stay for the month, so I thought we might be able to house him for a while,” Mandy said.
    “Well, Dunestar, you are welcome to stay,” said Mandy’s father still smiling, though not as widely.
    The next few days went by very quickly for Dunestar. It was the weekend so Mandy didn’t have school and Dunestar didn’t have to go. So he spent the time learning as much he could about human culture. By the end of the second day he knew all the basics.
    Now it was Monday (Dunestar had learned the human names for the months were slightly different from the elfin ones which were named by the seasons when it came to months, but the week day’s names where the same.) and Dunestar was woken up by Mandy early that morning.
    “Time to go to school Dunestar,” she said when he was out of bed. Mandy’s mother made them lunches and then they started to walk to the school.
    “How far away from the school do you live?” Dunestar asked as they rounded the corner.
    “Not far,” Mandy replied, smoothing down her dress, “You do know that I go to a formal school that has a dress code.” Dunestar frowned at her and looked down at hi clothes. He was wearing a pair of pants and a T-shirt that had been loaned by Mandy’s parents. Also, he was wearing a black tie.
    “Don’t worry, only boys have to wear a tie. Girls have to wear dresses, and it isn’t even regular school, but summer school,” Mandy said shaking her head. They rounded the next corner and were suddenly facing a large, brick red building. Mandy turned towards the building and started walking up the many steps that lead to a large brown door.
    “This is your school!” Dunestar exclaimed, slowly following her, “It’s so big”
    “And empty,” added Mandy, “Only a few kids take summer school because they have to bring up their grades. Most can’t make it because of farming and such.”
    They entered the school just as the bell rang, which made Dunestar jump at least a foot into the air. Still learning about human customs, he didn’t know about the school system. Mandy quickly led him to their class and told him to listen to the teacher.
    “Please take your seats class. I have an announcement to make,” said the teacher, a bald man with the height of about five feet. “Class, we have a new student today. What is your name, son?” he said, turning to Dunestar.
    “My name is Dunestar, and I ‘am not your son,” Dunestar replied talking the jester “son” as an insult. A few boys in the middle row next to him snickered silently.
    “Yes, well, here are your books,” said the teacher. Dunestar took the books and glanced over at the two boys that had laughed.
    “Good one,” one of them whispered. Both looked identical, brown hair and eyes, and both wearing the same yellow ties that had different pictures on them.
    “So where are you from anyways,” the other asked after the teacher had given them an assignment to work on. “Your name sounds, no offence, elfish.”
    Dunestar frowned and said, “Nowhere that concerns you.” At that moment the teacher came up to him and started to explain the assignment to Dunestar. By lunch break he was well acquainted with these two brothers. He had learned that they were, as he had suspected, twins and went by the names of John and Fred, short for Fredric. And they would not leave him alone.
    “So Dune – do you mind if we call you Dune? Do you want to hang with us after class if over?” Fred asked as he and John joined him as he ate his lunch (really he never knew how different a PB&J sandwich tasted before now).
    “I don’t think so,” said Dunestar looking at them mysteriously, “I’m walking back to Mandy’s house with her.”
    “Ooh, Dune has a girlfriend,” shouted John, “Alright, lover boy. You go and try to gain dear old Mandy’s heart. I guarantee it will take you a lifetime. Call us when it’s over.” The two left him there and walked away, laughing.
    “That’s true, you know. Mandy Bartlet is very hard to win,” said a voice to his right. Dunestar whipped around to see a boy around his age with dark hair and emerald green eyes. This boy was staring straight at Dunestar and was sitting a little ways away from him.
    “I never confessed that I was having any feelings towards anyone,” Dunestar said, “Who are you?”
    “Ernest,” he replied holding out his hand. Dunestar sat there, confused for a moment, then he remembered the odd custom, shook it and said,
    “I’m Dunestar. Currently I am staying at Mandy’s house for the month and than I’m leaving.”
    “Leaving? Are you a foreigner then?” asked Ernest.
    Dunestar thought about the answer and said, “Yes.” The two talked through lunch and by the end of school were both friends.
    “I see that you’re getting along fine,” said Mandy, not looking at him.
    “You don’t like u – elves either, do you?” he asked. He felt horrified for a minute. He had almost said us instead of elves.
    “No, I don’t mind them. It’s just…” Mandy halted in her tracks and stood in front of him, “In this city we don’t have a good relationship with the nearest elfin village.” She looked down at her feet and then back up at him. “You know, I’ve never even seen a elf in real life. Only in drawings.” She walked on.
    The two didn’t say anything for the rest of the way home. Dunestar wanted to tell her everything, but he knew that he couldn’t. So, they just walked on in silence.
    The next tree weeks passed. Dunestar and Ernest became better friends and he started to get more and more use to human life style, not forgetting his own of course. The new moon passed and Dunestar knew that he would have to leave soon. He could tell that if he stayed too long his sister would come looking for him and he would get into trouble.
    “Mandy,” he said, as they walked back from the school for the last time because summer school was over. “I have to leave soon. On the first quarter moon.”
    Mandy looked at him and said, “Why so scheduled? For a homeless kid, you have stayed the longest with us. I think my parents are starting to grow attached to you. I heard them considering adopting you.” She looked at him briefly and then walked on.
    When they entered the house, both parents were standing in the living room talking. By the expression on their faces, Dunestar could tell that they were facing a great decision. When the two came in, their discussion stopped. Before either could say anything, Dunestar spoke.
    “I thank you for everything you have given me. I am going to be leaving soon and I hope to see you again.” He ran up the stairs and into his room. He was in there for only a few minutes when the door opened. It was Mandy’s father.
    “When are you leaving?” he asked.
    “In a week after the first quarter moon,” replied Dunestar. Mr. Bartlet sat down next to Dunestar on the bed.
    “You do know that you are welcome to stay as long as you want,” he said, “We’re not forcing you out, if you’re under that impression.”
    “No, no that’s not it,” said Dunestar, not looking at him, “I just have to leave for a few months. I will be back, I promise. You are a very kind family and I hope you never change.” He looked at Mandy’s father and added, “I’ll make this week the best for your daughter.” And in a determined way got up and walked out of the room to see Mandy.
    So he lived up to his word and tried to make Mandy as happy as possible. He kept them so busy with flying kits and visiting the park that he completely missed the quarter moon. But no one reminded him about it because none of the Bartlets wanted him to leave.
    “Dunestar, I never thought you would be so good at building boats,” Mandy commented one sunny day. They had just finished building model boats that they where planning to sail the next morning.
    “Well,” Dunestar said smiling at her, “I have many secrets and hidden talents that you don’t know about, Mandy.”
    That night was the night of the full moon. Dunestar wasn’t aware of this until he closed his bedroom door that night and saw it staring at him through the window. Almost instantaneously it happened, a small, sharp pain erupted all over his body. His ears grew pointed, hair turned golden and his eyes and ears became sharper. Then the transformation was over. Dunestar was, once again, an elf. Now the pain had stopped and he straightened up to look into the small mirror. Indeed, he was now an elf. He took of his human clothes and put on his elfin ones.
    Now he was in trouble. How in the world was he going to get out of there? His window didn’t open so he would have to get out of the house through the front door. “Maybe,” he thought seeing the cap sitting on the dresser, “I could put that on and then I’ll be able to get out disguised as a human.” He put the cap one, grabbed his other belongings and slowly opened the door.
    The hall way was empty. He listened hard. Only the sound of slow breathing coming from the bedrooms could be heard. Dunestar crept out and closed the door. Then, without making a sound, he walked down the stairs. At the bottom he stopped and looked around. A light was on but there was no one to be seen. He leapt off the last step and rushed towards the door. His hand was on the door know when…
    “Dunestar, what are you doing up so late?” It was Mandy; she had been sitting on the couch reading. The light had shadowed the couch and Mandy had been lying down so Dunestar had not seen her.
    He froze in the spot and slowly turned around. The cap did not conceal all his golden hair in the back. Lucky for him, it was dark and hard to see much beyond the glow of the lamp, for humans that it.
    “I’m leaving,” he said.
    “What, now?” she said looking at him sadly over the couch, “But I thought you were going to stay for another few days.”
    “Well… Something came up. I have to go.” Mandy looked down sadly. “I’ll come back. I promise.” Dunestar opened the door and turned and left. He quickly hid behind the wall and, peering out, saw Mandy standing on the porch. She looked around and then bet down to pick something up. It was his cap. In Dunestar’s rush to hide, the cap had flown off.
    After that he made it out of town all right. At the edge of the forest he saw a figure hiding in the trees.
    “Dunestar,” it was Galadriel. “Oh, we have been so worried about you. When you didn’t come home earlier today… how ever did you get out of there undetected? Are humans that blunt?” She hugged him and then let go to receive an answer.
    “I managed,” Dunestar replied, “I just got so distracted by the family who took me in that I forgot that the full moon was tonight.”
    “So, father was right. Some humans are friendly.” Dunestar nodded. They headed home and Dunestar told his sister everything about his adventure.