My Sudden Monster Convergence

I spent the last of my time that night reading my mother’s notes on how to battle Oni. She titled it Operation: Step Up. I didn’t get why she called it that until I came across a note not related to battle.

‘I had a 3 mile race during PE today and I lost! Not by a few inches, no! A whole 10 feet! Amanda how are you so amazing?! I can’t let you feed me your last year’s win to me! I just gotta train more and show you how amazing I really am!’

It seemed like Mom really wanted to measure up to Amanda. Though I get the feeling it was a hard time for her but they sorta worked things out…right?…… Maybe I should be careful with this topic and not rub anything remotely relationship in her face? Will I even get into one though? I don’t think I want to…..ugh.

That line of thought only stabbed my chest with a cold emptiness and made my body feel numb. Even hugging myself with my arms and wings didn’t instantly make the feeling go away. Damn, that might be harder than I thought. I looked at the Oni book and tapped my pointer claw on the table a few times, each tap sadly denting it. “You’re getting a hug tomorrow.”

After a little more reading, I finally fell asleep, using my left wing as a blanket. Though I did feel like I was forgetting something.

“UGHHH! MMMM~AAAAAAAA!”

“I’m gonna polish you, you’ll sparkle~!”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHH! YO-AAAHG, you gott-AAGHGHHH- pierce me~!”

“GOD DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!” I shouted as I shot upright with stinging eyes.

 

As I stomped my way to the bathroom, I could hear more of the cries of ecstasy outside. As I brushed my teeth and fixed my hair, some even began to sing-SING! When that happened, they all started timing their moaning to the singing like some choir! They got so loud it sounded like a hundred trees were creaking and snapping apart!

And when I saw Mom cooking breakfast, I noticed her ears were a dark shade of red as she fidgeted and did an awkward shuffle with her legs. Grandpa had a face so tired looking, I thought his skin was going slosh right off his head! Oh and I had to go to the other bathroom because Cole was taking his darn fucking time in the one near our rooms.

Thank god I’ll be leaving here soon! Having an orgy as an alarm clock is-it’s not great, not at all……… Poor Grandpa. I turned to look at him with worry but he was staring at the candle Mom lit when we had dinner. His eyes looked to be in another time, reliving it like a detective reviewing the most niche details. I stood up and placed my hand on his shoulder, I felt him flinch but he soon relaxed as he continued to stare at the candle. His eyes becoming wet shiny gems as water built up around the corners, threatening to spill over.

I just stood there next to him as he tried to keep his breathing calm and not the sharp gasps they were. I didn’t say anything, just let him know I was here for him as I tried to ignore his noisy neighbors. Grandpa sat there for a moment longer before taking a deep breath as if feeling the air fill his lungs. After all that he sighed, looked up at me and gave a small smile.

“Thanks Oliver, it means a lot.”

After breakfast we mostly packed up our bags, though I ended up being the baggage carrier with how easily I could lift and hold multiple bags at once. It wasn’t much of a hassle either as I easily took Mom’s things like I was holding a few pillows. Although when everything was packed in the car we didn’t leave just yet. Instead Mom led Cole and me back to that confusing charm tree, Grandpa was already there with a bag. It looked to be filled with those toy capsules you’d get for a couple quarters. They clinked whenever he moved, like the balls were made of glass.

“Ok boys. We need to give our family tree a proper goodbye.” Mom pointed at the bag while Cole’s eyes grew huge.

“You mean-!” He asked, his breath catching in his throat.

Mom nodded. “Yup. I’m finally letting you two send up charms.” She looked at both of us and gave a big smile. 

Cole had the rarest thing on his face that I only just saw yesterday, a smile going ear to ear and his body trembled like a kid finding out he was going to see a show about dinosaurs. He nodded his head and looked like he was about to nod again but stopped mid nod, looked at me then tilted his body away from me. And then he nodded again. I stared at his back and although I wanted to tease him, I just smiled. We’re doing something together and that’s all that mattered to me. Though we might do more in the future, hopefully soon.

Grandpa stepped between us and smiled at Mom who gave a quick nod in response. She then turned and faced the large pink tree filled with several figures, dolls and items of different shapes. She then clapped her hands together and lowered her head like a prayer, holding that pose for several seconds. Seconds that felt like long minutes inched forward until a soft gust of wind hit the tree, making all its charms and leaves softly rustling and ring.  Mom’s back straightened up before quickly spreading her hands apart with what looked like a small twig in her hand. From the tip, the twig glowed a bright mossy green that started to swirl around it like a ribbon. It traveled down the twig which illuminated runes on its wood. And the moment the light ribbons touched Mom’’s hand, a pulse of green energy pushed outward like a splash in water. It spun around her, streams of light reached up from the ground around her like a field of fireflies at night. The tree behind her started to sway? Its head of leaves and branches seemed to move like a snake or bellydancer as it moved side to side. The two halves of the tree swayed together, leaned close together then apart again.

Then I felt something strange. I felt like I was coming home from work to a plate of pasta-no, it was fish? Chicken and ham? I shook my head. Whatever it was, I felt relief as if a thorn was finally pulled out from my finger. I meant to say was that I could smell my favorite burger spot and was filled from that alone. Wait, what? I started to look around as if someone was about to jump out and give me a new house….uh…

In my constant feeling of great times, I noticed a bright yellow light, almost golden, flash out from the twig mom was holding. It flashed again then a third time. And when I thought It would flash a fourth, a bolt mixed with a ray of gold light hit the tree with a soft tap. I looked up at the tree, trying to figure out what would happen. Maybe it would gush out mana or explode… I opened my wings at that possibility, ready to scoop up my family if need be.

The twin tree stopped swaying, but the ground below it began to make rumbling noises as if water was about to burst out. Instead the noise climbed into the trunk of the tree and was it me or was the bottom part getting fatter? Wait! It was! It bulged so much, cracks started to form on it like a faulty dam. With one more swell, the cracks opened wide enough for vines to shoot out at us. I was about to shield Mom with a wing when the vines froze four or so feet away…………..and just floated there, nothing else holding them up.

“Alright kids, everyone gets one of these.” Grandpa lifted up one of the capsules, inside were random things like marbles and- wait, this one had that medallion Mom won at the stand… I looked up at Mom with a questioning look but all I got was a knowing smile. “Here you go.” Grandpa brought the bag closer to us and Cole quickly grabbed one with one of those jellyfish things and a minotaur inside.

I looked into the bag and saw two more besides the medallion and marble, there was one with a blazing sword necklace with a few metal earrings and the last one was filled with a flower and a cookie. But where did the other prizes go? Deciding not to waste time, I grabbed the one with the sword and looked up at Grandpa with a nod. He grabbed one with the flower and smiled back at me. Then he and Cole walked over to the vines with me following suit.

“Aright.” He held up his capsule between his pointer and thumb. “With this, I hope and pray for a successful year for my family.” He paused to look at Mom before bringing it closer to the vine. “And I wish for understanding, growth and more love.” With that he brought the capsule to the vine, it glowed a warm golden light like I was sitting by a lit fire with hot coco. He let go and the capsule floated around the vine, slowly spinning and glowing a soft yellow.

Cole stepped forward and held up his capsule in both hands. “I give this, in hope I can see my family truly complete.” He inched his closer to the vine. “I yearn for a day without storms and to have our world for longer.” He brought the capsule up to the vine and again it glowed golden and floated out of his hands and around the vine.

I stared at the vine then at the orb I held. I wasn’t sure if there was a reason why they said what they did. But it didn't take a genius to tell this was a version of that hero’s love tree thing, this one seemed to focus on those around us maybe or for those you know? And the capsule was a form of giving to be given to? No, that didn’t feel right…. Crap, they're staring at me.

I cleared my throat as I stepped forward and held up my capsule in an open hand. “I pass this on in hopes I always bring warmth to those important to me.”  The moment I said that, the capsule felt heavier like I put a bar of metal into my hand. Maybe this is how it goes? With a shrug I brought it closer to the vine which seemed to quiver. “I desire happiness and great food.” I said simply and moved closer to the vine and the moment the capsule got close, I felt it suck up my mana. It pulled like drain sucked water, faster and faster. Swirling, circling. And then. Then? Uh….. it just stopped and nothing else. Actually the sword and earrings shimmered with white and black specks. But before I could look closer, the capsule rushed out of my hand and quickly spun like a top on a motor. 

Is that supposed to mean something? I guess it could do with being a dragon, my mana is thicker than most other monsters here. Unless it is affected by me being from another world? 

All I could do was watch the capsule spin as I backed away. If the tree or the capsule held any secrets, they weren’t telling me. Or I just didn’t understand their way of telling me? But this wasn’t something I couldn’t look up on my own. After all, I had a whole car ride back home to check.

While I was thinking to myself, Grandpa placed the last capsule on the floor in front of Mom who still had her hands apart. She took a step back, spun her arms forward like a conductor and hit the air. The moment the twig she held reached a certain distance, the air around it rippled then shimmered like water and finally all the background noise was just gone. No bird cries, wind rustling grass, I couldn’t even hear the plant monsters! All was quiet and yet it didn’t feel wrong. If anything, I was at peace here, like I was hugging Mom or on a run.

The floating vines then reached forward and picked up the last capsule then slowly sunk back into the trunk of the tree, pulling in even the capsules. Once everything was pulled back into the cracks, they closed, looking like the cracks never existed. But the Tree didn’t stop being weird as its canopy glowed so bright, I thought the sun was rising a second time today. Rays of golden light poured onto us from below and between the leaves…..

Wait…are those, kids? All around and even on the branches of the tree was,  small minotaurs, humans, smaller goblins, even a few small cat eared kids. All wore white shirts with different colored pants but I couldn’t make out their- The golden light grew even brighter that the tree and the surroundings were bloated out and forcing my third eyelids to close.

When the light faded, I found myself standing mere inches away from the tree. I quickly looked around in confusion and saw everyone now stood in different spots. Mom was several feet away between the house and tree, Grandpa was a few inches from the house and Cole was closer to the door leading back into the house. I blinked and we were right back in our original spots. But this time everyone around me had tears flowing down their cheeks, I checked mine but didn’t find any. Then they all smiled and seemed to mouth the words ‘love you’ or ‘take care’ and then they wiped their faces.

“Did you see kids around the tree?” I asked them as I pointed at it.

“No, but I felt something……………..warm.” Grandpa said with a huge grin.

“I didn’t but I know I heard Mommy.” Mom said as she leaned closer to Grandpa, pulling him into a tight hug.

Cole just cleaned his face, gave Grandpa a worried look and went back into the house.

 

I tried asking again about the kids but they didn’t know what to make of it. But Mom did suggest something.

“Maybe they were the spirits of all the people who put charms in the tree.” She said with a warm smile.

“Then you might’ve actually heard Grandma? I asked with a hopeful look.

Mom looked off at the morning sky with a small smile. “I believe I did and I feel she’s very proud of you.” She rubbed my arm. “Just like I am.”

I looked at the ground, unsure of how proud this version of Grandma could actually feel about me. “I hope so too.”

After everything, we gave our final goodbyes to Grandpa. Everyone basically lined up to give him a good firm hug with Mom and me both lifting him up. I didn’t want to let go, afraid one of those squirrel monsters would get him or even a wight but sadly I couldn’t just keep him from living his life here. This was his and Grandma’s house after all, I’d have to be a real abomination to make him leave that.

But hopefully he’ll visit more often, then I could smother him in more love.