Sapphire

The smooth surface of the pond was disturbed by the plop causing the ripples to spread out towards the shore. It was quickly restored to the glasslike surface only disturbed by the single line entering the water. Mirrored in the pond the green hills and the cloudless bright blue skies could be seen. A few trees spread leafy limbs over part of the pond and the birds could be heard welcoming the sunshine.

The serene view in the water was largely ignored by young man on the shore holding the pole attached to the line going into the water. Mol was actually dozing in the warm spring sunshine as he actually hoped the fish would not disturb the peaceful morning. He was stretched out with his back against one of the smooth barked tree overshadowing him.

The warm sunshine and the soft buzzing of the insects was lulling him to start dozing in the tall grass. He could hear the soft snuffling noises of a small animal nosing beside the pond. Mol opened one eye and he could see the elegant tail of the fox getting a drink. After checking the fishing line, the small young man was settling back down to continue his nap when his sister could be heard running toward the side of the pond and calling, “Mol! Mol!”

He considered ignoring his little sister but knew it would be useless. His little sister knew where he was and her voice could be piercing if he didn’t answer her. He sighed and sat up. The fish would just have to wait.

“Over here, Loi, what do you want?” he asked bitterly.

He watched as the young girl came through the tall grass, her dirty tunic coming to her skinned knees and her dark auburn hair tangling around her shoulders. The fox stopped drinking and turned to watch her walk past before scampering into the tall grass beyond the path she made coming to find her big brother. Mol was sad to see the fox leave as he considered the small animal almost a friend.

“Any fish biting?” Loi asked looking around on the shore.

Mol sighed. “No,” he replied.

Loi looked up at the cloudless sky to see the eagle floating on the breeze high above the trees. She saw the dark striped wings which marked this particular eagle as the one they had nursed back to health the previous winter. Mol watched a fish jump in the middle of the pond and started to pull his line back to the shore in order to move it but the eagle had seen the fish and plunged through the air. It hit the water and a few seconds later reemerged with the fish in its talons.

Loi and Mol were thrilled as they watched the great raptor slowly rise from the surface of the pond. It was after they saw the eagle settle on the top of the overhanging tree that Mol remembered that Loi had been looking for him.

"What do you want?" Mol repeated.

Loi still watching the eagle shook her head and brought her dirty face down to gaze at him. "Mama wants you," she replied.

Mol reluctantly started to draw in his fishing line. He knew better than to go against his Mama's wishes. Loi started up the path ahead of her brother and turned to look back at him. She stopped with her eyes wide. Mol turned to see what she was looking at and stopped.

The siblings could look across the pond and usually see the village through the trees. Today, however, there was a strange glow coming from that direction, a glow so intense they had to turn away. Above the tree where the eagle had landed a dark column of smoke was rising in the morning air.

Mol grabbed Loi's hand and turning her ran pulling her with him down the path through the trees. As they followed the winding path around the pond they began to hear a loud rumble that sounded like thunder. They were just about to the village and home when all of a sudden Mol felt an unexplained fear come over him and he quickly ducked behind the Tree.

The Tree had been there since the beginning of the world was what the Lore Master had said. It was so large that the village elders still lived up in the bows. Mama, who was the Lore Master's daughter, had filled the long dark nights with many stories of the old days when the whole village lived in the Tree.

Loi was holding Mol's hand still as she peeked around the Tree pulling him closer to the view and the unexplained fear. There was an ear shattering scream followed by intense heat. Loi dropped to the ground in agony, her clothes and hair ablaze. Mol quickly got on top of her small body and patted out the flames as quickly as he could.

The flames extinguished he could see that Loi was not breathing and her eyes were staring at nothing. He looked up and saw the scaly head and neck of the creature around the trunk of the Tree. The eyes of the creature looked deep into Mol's eyes and there seemed to be something passed between them because in the next instant the creature lifted itself on it's leathery wings and was gone.