PRYTHVII: THE FORGOTTEN HEIRS

On the right side of the room was a table with some small boxes on it. On the left was a small wooden bed, and in the center was an old man sitting in a large chair staring at them. He wore a brown robe with the hood off, revealing a head of white hair reaching down to his shoulders. Wrinkles filled his pale face as if he hadn’t seen the light of day in years. Upon spotting the two boys, he began to yell unintelligibly. Nasser’s heart raced as he watched the old man screech gibberish. He wanted to run, but with Taher’s bum leg, there was no way Nasser could leave quickly. Realizing the intruders did not understand, the old man ceased yelling, and spoke again in a softer, slower voice. “Who are you and why have you entered my home?” Nasser glanced at his cousin, who remained quiet, before taking it upon himself to speak on their behalf. “We saw the cave. Just wanted to explore it a bit. We didn’t know anyone lived here.” The old man stared at him. “We’re sorry to have trespassed.” The old man’s suspicious gaze turned to Taher. “What happened to him?” he said looking down at the splint around Taher’s leg. The old man’s accent was thick and unfamiliar. “The cave ceiling collapsed,” answered Nasser, “and he broke his leg from the rocks. Can you help us?” “You’re lucky to be alive,” the old man said in a more friendly tone. “Why didn’t you turn back?” Nasser looked again at Taher, who just shrugged. “We saw a light or something.” Nasser paused as he looked around at the room and then again at the old man. “I’m not too sure… we just didn’t.” The old man chuckled wheezingly, prompting Nasser to smile uneasily. Within a minute though, the old man’s face had turned stolid again. He stared at them, causing the two boys’ smiles to disappear, and Nasser fidgeted as a grin again slowly formed on the old man’s face. “So, you like to take risks, eh? Well I have another one for you to take. You will either be granted powers far beyond your comprehension, or…” he trailed off. “Or what?” asked Nasser. “Or you’ll die.” The ease with which the old man said the last line sent chills down each of the cousin’s backs. They looked nervously at each other. “What should I do?” Nasser whispered to Taher. “Do you think he’s bluffing?” “I don’t know,” whispered Taher back. “He’s just crazy. It’s your call. He sen–“ “There is one last choice,” said the old man, interrupting them. “You can leave and never return. But, this is your only chance to take the risk. To have unimaginable power…” Nasser once more glanced at Taher, who again shrugged his shoulders. Some of the uneasiness left Nasser as he watched the old man. The cave dweller’s old body seemed to droop and his wrinkles made his face saggy and dark. His eyes though, were bright and sharp, and made Nasser question whether the old man was as senile as he sounded. The two of them stared at each other, and Nasser curiously watched each slight movement that the old man made, including his blinks and finger twitches. Nasser debated the bluff, wondering if it would be better to leave. Taher needed help though, and if Nasser stayed maybe the old man would know a quicker way out. He might even have some medicine. “I’ll take the risk,” said Nasser slowly, thinking he could take down the old man if it came to that. Taher sighed next to him as the two cousins waited for the old man’s reaction. The old man rose from his seat and retrieved an old, dark, brown wooden box from the table. He smiled slyly and held it out for Nasser to open. Nasser touched the top of the box, which felt like marble, and lifted the small latch that clasped it shut. Before the lid was actually lifted, the old man spoke again causing Nasser to retract his hand. “In this box lie three Prythviis. All three are identical in every way, but one has been blessed with unimaginable power.” He lowered his voice until it was nothing but a whisper, “Choose wisely, for if you select the wrong one you will be instantly killed! But remember, you can still run, although if you do, you’ll be forbidden to return, and this opportunity shall vanish forever.” The thought of death made Nasser hesitate a little more, and Nasser decided it was stupid to remain there and continue to be threatened with an early demise. He was just about to tell the old man he wanted to leave, when the old man’s wrinkled hand suddenly opened the box. Nasser stood in puzzled amazement. The Prythviis, as the old man had called them, inside the box looked strangely familiar. Nasser inspected the box for anything sharp or remotely dangerous, before inspecting the three identical Prythviis resting within the wooden container. Each Prythvii was a small sculpture of a lizard-like creature with a marble-like red stone encircled by the tail. The creature was about an inch tall and ash gray in color and each statue had a stone about the size of half his thumb. Nasser struggled to place where he had seen the Prythviis before, and all thoughts of leaving were pushed into the back of his mind. Was it at one of the stores at Kuta beach, one of the street side stores? Nasser asked himself silently. “Is something the matter?” whispered Taher over his shoulder, but Nasser ignored his cousin as the image finally fell into place. The Prythvii was the same thing he had seen in his daydream right before landing in Bali. It had hung around the young boy’s neck. “The youngest heir…” he repeated absentmindedly into the room. Choose. Nasser’s hand reached out and hovered over the statues with the thoughts of doubt returning. He looked over the box again to make sure nothing had escaped observation, but it didn’t matter anymore. Since his realization about where he had seen the small sculpture before, an unstoppable curiosity had fallen over him. His heart raced and a new energy swept through him as excitement replaced fear and wonder replaced doubt. He was simply in another dream. He whispered a little prayer as Taher bowed his head and looked away. Nasser took a long deep breath and grabbed the small statue on the far right. His eyes instantly closed in anticipation for what would suddenly happen, and air filled his body as he quickly inhaled and held his breath.