THE SQUARE OF DEATH
Elara is just ten years old. She lives in a big forest with her mom and dad.
Our friend doesn't go to school because the village is too far. She cannot walk every day for two hours in the morning to go to class and two hours in the evening to come back. His mother gives him his lessons at home, while taking care of the customers.
Sometimes Elara helps her father, a lumberjack, by working in the forest. He cuts down the trees, he cuts the logs. Our friend lines them up along the path or loads a trailer for a buyer in a hurry.
It's hard work. She sometimes has splinters in her fingers. She gets dirty moving the logs. But this young girl volunteers to help her dad. At her age, she understands that sometimes you have to lend a hand. We're not too rich at home.
That day, our friend and her father had been working on the site since early in
the morning. They stopped at noon for the picnic, sitting on a tree
trunk. Then Dad picked up the chainsaw and Elara her logs when, suddenly,
she heard a cry.
Worried, she turned and ran to see what was happening and help her father. He had just cut down a hollow tree. Sometimes lightning splits or hollows the trunks of trees.
A snake had taken up residence there. A strange snake with yellow and black lines. He lived in this crevice and, feeling trapped by the felling of the tree, with a rapid relaxation, he had just bit Dad on the wrist. This snake was definitely poisonous.
Our friend's father had a lot of pain in his whole arm. They returned to the house. The last five hundred meters, Elara felt that her father was leaning on her while walking.
Mom quickly phoned the doctor. But he advised to drive the father immediately to the hospital. He left in an ambulance on the bad dirt road that connects our friends to the village.
The doctors examined the wound and made various examinations and analyses. Alas, this snake was totally unknown and the counterpoises injected had no effect. Towards the end of the afternoon, the head doctor of the service came to explain the situation to Elara's father with courage.
- Sir, she said, we can't do anything for you, alas. The poison is too virulent. It gradually destroys your blood. You only have three days left to live. It is Sunday. On Wednesday you will die in the morning. I'm sorry.
-If I only have three days left, decided the father, drive me home. I want to live these last hours with my wife and my daughter.
When he returned and Elara learned that he was going to die, our friend ran to her room, threw herself face down on her bed and burst into tears.
That evening, still on the verge of tears, she told what was happening to Puttoo, her favorite owl. He taught her to use her gift for talking to animals: four legs, two legs and snakes.
The owl stared at our friend.
-Why don't you go ask the old fox for advice? You know him. You have already met him. ( Discover or reread the fascinating story "The new road". Elara n°38.) Why don't you go and question him? He knows many things. All the animals in the forest trust him.
"I'll go first thing tomorrow morning," said Elara.
She ended up falling asleep, her face bathed in tears.
The next day at dawn, Elara dressed quickly. She put on old overalls and
tied the laces of her canvas shoes. She redid one of her braids that had
come undone during the night. She swallowed her breakfast and left the
house without saying anything.
She walked nearly two hours to reach the crossroads of the three roads, then she followed the path that leads through the forest of fir trees and arrived at the edge of the large swamp. There, in the middle of a strange pile of oddly shaped rocks, stood a dead tree between the roots of which the old fox had made his burrow. Elara knelt down and sat on her heels. She called. The fox came quickly.
-I know you. You are the girl who talks to animals. I already advised you once about the new road.
-Yes, answered Elara, but I need you again. My dad was bitten yesterday, at the beginning of the afternoon, by a snake whose scales form yellow and black rings. Do you know him a counterpoison? At the hospital, they don't have one.
-I have never seen a yellow and black snake, said the fox. But since it exists and its venom exists, there must be a counterpoison in nature.
-Where can I find it? begged our friend. Tell me quickly. Dad only has two and a half days to live. I will do anything to save him.
-Anything ? resumed the fox.
-Yes.
-Even at the risk of your life?
-Even if I risk dying from it, I am ready to do it if I can save my father's life, said Elara.
You who read this fascinating story, would you do it? Would you risk your life to save your father's?
-The place where you have the best chance of finding this counterpoison is in a frightening and sinister place located west of the forest, said the fox.
-Where exactly? said our friend.
-It's a terrible place where you've certainly never been. Moreover, the animals of the forest avoid it. We call it the death square.
-What does it look like? Elara asked.
The fox explained.
-There is a place in the forest, where there is a low wall, formed by some stones aligned on the ground. It forms a square of about fifty meters on a side. It is what remains of the walls of an ancient castle, destroyed a very long time ago and fallen into oblivion. All these stones are invaded by brambles and nettles today. But under these ruins, under these few stones, there remain vaulted cellars. This square of death is the kingdom of spiders, snakes and rats.
-How awful! whispered our brave adventurer.
-Rats hold counterpoises against all snake venoms. It's an old case. You see, Elara, once in our forest, rats and snakes waged a ruthless war. Then one day they made a lasting peace. Rats no longer attack snakes, snakes no longer bite rats. But since then, the rats have kept counterpoisons against all venoms, because you never know what the future holds. If you want to get the right one for your daddy, I unfortunately believe, young lady, that you have to go to death square. I warn you, you can pass it ten times without noticing it.
Elara listened attentively.
-We can pass by, repeated the fox, because everything is so overgrown with vegetation that we no longer see the stones that are barely emerging from the ground. I will tell you clearly how to achieve this, but do not enter the square of death just yet. Wait for a snake to come out and as you have the gift of talking to these animals, ask it. Maybe he can help you with his advice.
- Thank you, old fox.
- Good luck, young lady. Good luck, the fox repeated thoughtfully. You will also need incredible courage...
Elara went to the square of death directly, without going through her house, to
save time.
Arriving on the scene, she saw nothing at first. She even considered that the fox had made a mistake or that she had followed his instructions incorrectly.
Everything was invaded by impassable brushwood, prickly plants, brambles, nettles. The few blocks of stone, ruins of once proud towers, disappeared under the greenery and remained almost invisible.
Our generous adventurer noticed while looking for a wall barely twenty centimeters high. She walked along this wall, avoiding scratching herself too hard and thus slowly walked around the square of death. Depending on the location, the wall had two or three large, poorly cut stones. The middle of this huge square was formed by a jumble of overgrown plants and gnarled, twisted trees.
Elara resolved to sit outside the square and wait. She hoped she wasn't wasting too much time because each passing minute slowly but surely brought Dad closer to death. The snake's venom had invaded his father's blood and was destroying him. And when he was gone, his heart would stop.
After about half an hour, a gray snake appeared between two stones. Elara
approached him and spoke to him. The snake paused for a moment, wary,
surprised to hear a human talking with him. Then he let himself be charmed
by our friend and turned his head towards her. She told him everything.
- And my dad is going to die. I really need this counterpoison, finished the young girl. Will you take me to the Rat King? I do not like them. They scare me. But I will be brave.
The snake was silent for a moment. He was watching our friend.
-You are generous, murmured the animal, but the king of the rats does not hold the counterpoises. It is their master that you must meet. However, you cannot go to the cellar where it is. Impossible for you to access it. The vaults are still solid and the stones have been sealed for centuries. If you want to enter there, you have to become like me, a snake, in order to be able to sneak in.
-It seems impossible to me, said Elara.
-It is possible, affirmed the snake. You know caterpillars like me. They lock themselves in a cocoon of silk thread and then emerge as a butterfly. If you want to become a serpent, enter the square of death. In the middle is a large spider's web stretched between two dry tree trunks. Touch the canvas. The spiders will come. If you want, I can talk to them.
- Thank you, said Elara, because I don't know how to talk to spiders. I did not learn the language of the eight legs.
-We snakes can communicate with these strange animals. They will bite your ankles, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, shoulders. It will hurt you. Then they'll lock you up in a canvas cocoon and you'll have to stay there for about twenty-four hours, without moving. Your arms and legs will melt away. Your face and your body will change. You will come out snake.
-It's horrible! Elara whispered. It's horrible!
-It's the only way for you to access the rat cave and try to get the counterpoison to save your father.
-I would never want to enter inside this square of death, but for dad, I am ready to follow you.
"Your courage surprises me," replied the snake. He is fascinating. I didn't know that young girls your age had such a will. You must love your father very much… When you come out of the cocoon of the spiders, I will stay by your side and I will guide you to the rats.
Elara stepped over the old stone wall. She injured her ankles and leg
several times because the sharp brambles were numerous. She was trembling
with fear, consumed by anguish.
She came to the middle of the square of death where the huge spider's web was. She had never seen one like it. Yet she dared to touch the canvas. Several large spiders approached. The snake seemed to hiss some specific orders. The spiders bit our friend on the wrists, elbows and shoulders, ankles, knees and both hips. She felt a sharp pain and fell into the brambles. Then she saw that they were locking her in a cocoon.
Now she could barely move. She was in bed, half unconscious, not quite asleep, not quite awake.
She was in pain and scared, horribly scared. However, she remained motionless without trying to run away, in the middle of this infernal place. The big spiders prowled around her and enclosed her more and more in the cocoon which was going to plunge her into the darkness of a twenty-four hour night.
The next afternoon, the gray snake created a small opening in the cocoon and Elara
changed into a blue snake came out. She was hungry. She hadn't eaten
anything since yesterday morning, but she didn't want to waste time. It
was the second day. Tuesday. It was urgent for Dad to act, otherwise
tomorrow, Wednesday, would really be his last day to live.
-Let's go, she said.
Our friend stared at herself for a moment, horrified by her metamorphosis into the long, legless, blue animal she had become. A shiver ran through her. The gray snake said to him:
-Follow me.
The two snakes passed under the brambles while crawling on the ground and reached the wall. They approached a hole between two stones, a hole only a few centimeters wide, but it was enough for these two fine animals.
- Don't be afraid, encouraged the gray.
He slipped between the stones and fell. A fall of two meters, to the ground of an old underground passage of the castle. Elara in turn passed through the same orifice, made the same fall and also landed on the muddy ground.
Crawling, zigzagging like the snake she had become, she accompanied the gray who was leading the way.
They arrived in front of an old door of the cellars of the castle of yesteryear. The wood was moldy, covered with fungus. They slipped under this door. On the other side, an incredible sight awaited them.
There was a treasure, a fabulous forgotten treasure. Large terracotta vases overflowed with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, all precious precious stones. Necklaces of rare pearls overflowed from these containers. There were golden crowns and heaps of gold coins. Elara stopped dumbfounded, serpent as she was. The other beckoned him.
- You came for these jewels? he asked.
-No, answered our friend, I'm coming to save my father's life, but a few gold coins would do good at home, we're not very rich at home.
-Follow me.
They passed between the heaps of gold and came to a second door. They slipped under.
On the other side were the rats. It was swarming with big, sharp-toothed
rats.
-Don't speak above all else or only answer yes or no, advised the gray snake. I will dialogue for you because your accent is not very good. He remains very human. He could betray you. They might notice that you are not a real snake and since humans kill rats, you would be in danger in their midst.
"Okay," Elara whispered.
The two snakes were quickly intercepted and taken to the rat master. He was an old gray rat with a drooping mustache and very black eyes. He observed the two arrivals for a moment in silence.
-What do you want ?
The gray snake replied:
-We would like to obtain a counterpoison against the venom of a yellow and black ringed snake. He bit one of our friends who is suddenly in danger of death.
-A yellow and black snake? repeated the rat master. This surprised me. I have never seen any. But we probably have an antidote somewhere. Do not move. I'm coming.
The big rat moved away and disappeared through a narrow tunnel, the old castle sewers no doubt. He returned after a few minutes. He held a strange fruit between his paws. It had a purple color and was covered with black dots.
-This fruit is the counterpoison you are looking for. I am willing to entrust him to you, but first I would like you to lead me to the place in the forest where this yellow and black snake lives. I want to try to meet him.
The rat master's decision was final. He himself designated four soldier rats to accompany him.
The gray snake, the blue snake Elara, and the five rats left the cave and climbed outside along a narrow incline. They quickly made it out of the death square.
Our friend led them as far as her house. There she discreetly spoke to her
gray companion.
-I would like to take the fruit and take it home. I would like to try to reach my father and make him eat right away.
- You are a snake. Your parents will be suspicious of you.
-I would still like to try. Want to ask?
"I'll try to get it," answered the gray.
The rat master agreed to entrust the fruit to the blue snake Elara. He
warned her that entering a men's house put her at great risk. Humans do
not like animals such as rats, snakes, spiders. They kill them most often.
Elara, however, decided to risk it. She crawled under the door and headed for the middle of the living room. She sat up a little and looked around her. Dad wasn't there. He must have been lying in bed, too weak to stand up. It was evening now, that of the second day, Tuesday. She saw a fire in the fireplace. The flames lit up the room so familiar to our friend.
Suddenly Mom came down the stairs. Elara did not move. Alas, the mother did not recognize her daughter in this blue snake. She grabbed a broom and shouted:
- Go away, you filthy beast.
Threatening our friend with the stick, she chased her out of the house.
Elara just had time to put the strange fruit, the counterpoison, behind the leg of a cupboard, then she slipped out as quickly as she could, to avoid the blows of a stick, and went under the front door of the house.
The mother pursued the snake for a few more moments, without knowing of course that it was her daughter. Then she gave up and closed the door, even putting a damp cloth on the floor to keep any animals out.
"I warned you," said the rat master. Humans don't like snakes. Show me where that strange yellow and black beast lived.
Elara continued on her way and arrived at the construction site. She
indicated the hollow tree that had fallen to the ground. The rat master
inspected the hollow trunk for a long time, surveying it up and down. The
yellow and black snake was gone.
"Interesting," concluded the rat master. Very interesting. Alright, we're going back to death square.
At this moment, Elara risked everything for everything.
-Rat master, I would like to ask you something.
-I'm listening... You have a strange voice.
-I'm not a real snake. I am a girl. I live in the house you saw. Dad is dying there. As a snake, I can never heal him. I would like to know what I have to do to become a child again, to be able to take the small fruit that you kindly gave me and save my father's life.
-Treason ! shouted the rat master. Treason ! You are not a snake, but a human being. You abused my trust.
-I didn't mean to lie to you, affirmed Elara. I had to become a snake so I could explore the square of death and reach the caves where you live. I just want to save my dad. Please don't hurt me.
"I wonder what keeps me from biting you or getting you bitten by my four companions," cried the rat master. But I won't, provided you come with us. We'll go back to the rat cave, under the square of death, and there I'll introduce you to the keeper of secrets. He will decide whether to let you live or not.
Elara was obliged, surrounded by the four soldier rats, to return to the square
of death.
They entered through the crack between two stones and fell into the underground. They followed the hallway to the worm-eaten door and into the treasure room. From there they reached the rat cave. They then borrowed several sewers with very low vaults and where rotten water stagnated. They finally came to a rat with a very sharp nose, the keeper of secrets.
The rat master retreated with his soldiers. Elara thanked him again.
The old Keeper of Secrets eyed first the gray snake, then the blue one, Elara.
- So you are not a real snake, but a girl.
"Yes," answered Elara.
-And you agreed to be bitten by spiders, to spend twenty-four hours locked in a cocoon, to try to save your father.
- Yes, repeated Elara.
-And you dared to enter the square of death, face the beasts therein and risk your life for him.
Our adventurer did not answer.
- Your courage fascinates me. I have never seen a child like you. It's incredible.
-To save my father, explained Elara, I would have done anything. But it's night now. Tomorrow he will die. Will you help me to be a girl again, so that I can make her eat the counterpoison fruit?
"I'll help you," replied the Keeper of Secrets. But becoming a child again will depend on you. Follow me.
The rat, keeper of the secrets, then Elara and the gray snake went back through
the rat cave and headed for the treasure room. They slipped under the
door. They stopped in front of the immense treasure that was there.
-Can you swear to me, demanded the keeper of secrets, that you will never come back here to take these gold coins, these precious stones, these rare pearls?
"I promise you," replied our friend. I didn't come here for the gold but to save my father. Of course, a few gold coins or a few precious stones would do us good. We are not very rich. But I didn't come for the money.
"Good," replied the Keeper of Secrets. You see, this treasure has lain here for over a thousand years. We are its guardians. Never has any human, alas often so greedy, so greedy for wealth, managed to reach this place. I would not want that because of you...
-I made you the promise, interrupted Elara. I will never return to death square and I will never talk about it.
-I am going to give you a test, a test to judge your sensitivity and your insight. Once upon a time, as I told you, a fortified castle stood here, occupied by a prince who reigned over an immense country. One day, this prince saved the life of a sorcerer, who had come from a distant country. He welcomed her to his castle for a whole winter. In gratitude, the wizard made five crowns for the prince, five magic crowns. One to strengthen the qualities of the heart and the friendship of his friends, four to strike down his enemies or turn them into monsters.
Elara blue snake listened to the keeper of the secrets of the rats. The gray snake had stretched out beside her.
"Here are the five crowns," resumed the rat. They are absolutely
identical, except for one small detail. Four transform humans into
monsters and one allows you to escape this misfortune and will help transform
you to become the child you were. I will present to you the five
crowns. It will be up to you to choose which one you want to go
through. We'll do this outside of death square, with the crown you
choose. We'll take it that far because otherwise, transformed into a child
or a hideous beast in these cellars, you would slowly die of hunger there,
because you could never get out. And you could harm us.
Elara blue snake looked at the wreaths.
- This is the first one. You will see a small six-sided golden die. If you choose this crown, it will bring good luck in your life.
The rat was silent for a moment.
-Look at the second crown. It is adorned with a gold knife. This knife will give you power, strength, glory. You will become a master of the world and others will be your servants and submissive slaves.
Our friend was still silent.
-Here is the third one. She has a grain of wheat, encased in gold. If you choose this crown, you will give life, as the seed planted in the ground germinates and offers the wheat that nourishes.
-Look at the fourth crown. You can see three rare diamonds there. It is the crown of fortune. Opt for this one and you will be very rich, very very rich, all your life.
-Finally, here is the fifth. A lightning bolt is chiselled there. If you prefer to go through it, you will have the power to make yourself invisible to everyone, whenever you want.
Elara was fascinated. Luck, power, life, fortune, the gift of invisibility, so many inaccessible dreams. But you had to choose.
And you who read this story, which one would you choose?
She first observed the lucky crown. It's good to be lucky, everything seems to be working out for you.
I have a dad and a mom who love me, to eat every day and a roof to protect me from the cold, thought our friend. I'm lucky. A lot of kids don't have all of that in the world.
-I don't need anything other than this simple happiness, affirmed our friend, looking at the keeper of secrets.
Then she observed the crown of power, of strength, of power.
-I don't want it, said our friend. I don't want power. I don't want to attack anyone or harm others, much less make them my slaves.
The Keeper of Secrets watched this sensitive, intelligent, and insightful blue snake.
-The crown of wealth tempts me very much, continued Elara. Living very rich must be wonderful. You can own anything you want. Travel, toys, luxury clothes. But do I need this? What would I do with them in these woods where I like to run at random? I have what I need. Too bad for what more I could afford. I can do without it.
Our friend hesitated for a moment.
-Be invisible when you want. What a dream ! So many things to do, so many pranks in perspective, what a marvel! But what I do, everyone can see. I have nothing to hide.
-It's decided, ended our friend, I choose the wheat grain crown that gives life.
The keeper of secrets took the golden crown between his paws. They all three left the cellars and managed to get out of the square of death without incident.
So the rat put the crown on some moss at the foot of a big tree. He invited Elara to slip through if she maintained her choice. She passed without hesitation and immediately transformed into the child she was just before.
-I wish you good luck, young lady, said the rat guardian of secrets. The sun rises, dawn of the third day. Go save your father. I am taking this crown back to the treasury where you promised never to return.
-I will never forget you, keeper of secrets. I will never forget the rats. I thank you. I thank you all.
Then she turned to the gray snake.
-You too gray snake, thank you. You really helped me. You accompanied me everywhere, you are my friend forever. Thank you for encouraging and supporting me. But now, if you don't mind, I'll quickly run home and try to save my father.
Elara rushed home.
On the way, she felt dizzy and was close to fainting. Fasting for two days, she was losing her strength.
"No," she snapped. I'm not going to fall so close to the goal.
She clenched her fists and resumed her run.
When she arrived, she was badly received by her mother.
"You are selfish," she cried. Your father is dying and you, all you can think of is going for a walk in the woods.
-Mom, please. Listen to me before you judge me. I had two horrible days. I risked my life. I was bitten by spiders. I became a snake and very nearly never became a child again. I did all this to help dad. I haven't eaten for two days and I'm starving. I was scared like never before. Now let me save him, then I'll tell you.
She picked up the strange little fruit given by the master of the rats and which she had hidden under the cupboard, then she ran up the stairs and entered her parents' bedroom. Dad was barely conscious, lying in bed.
- Dad, take this fruit, bite it and swallow it. He might heal you.
Dad did, trusting his big daughter.
Our friend went back down to the living room after kissing him.
She then told her mother, in detail, all her terrible adventure, all she had dared, risked, supported, to save her father. Mom had tears in her eyes.
At the end of the story, Dad came down the stairs. He
already felt better. He had heard everything, everything his daughter had
suffered, even risking her life for him.
So he took her in his arms and hugged her tightly. And both moved, wept.
