Tommy and the Monster

Chapter Four

 "What do you mean, it wants me?" Tommy asked.

 "When it looked at the locket," Roy said, "It pointed to you and asked me who you were."

 "And you told it?"

 "I said that your name is Tommy and you're my brother. It demanded that I bring you to the castle before the month is out."

 "Why would want me?" Tommy asked. "Did it say why?"

 "No. It told me to return to the castle with you, but that you must come willingly. If I return alone, it will kill me. And if I don't return it all, it will find me and kill me. That's what it told me."

 Tommy sighed and looked down at the table. "Well, I would certainly prefer you not get killed by this monster, so I suppose we should go. If we go tomorrow, can you find your way back there?"

 "I don't know how I got there. It was night, and I was lost."

 "What about when you came back here?"

 "I...I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. I just wanted to get away from there."

 Tommy sighed again. "All right. Well, anyhow, we are going out there tomorrow to sort everything out. I would certainly like to meet this monster and find out what it wants with me, of all people. Now, where do you keep the tea leaves?"

 "Over there. Why?"

 "Because I'm going to make us tea, and then later I am going to make us supper."

 "No," Roy said quickly. "You can make tea if you like, but I am making supper."

 "Roy, I've had to feed myself for the last few days," Tommy pointed out. "I think I can cook something decent. You've had a long journey-"

 "And I want to do something ordinary," Roy cut in, "To achieve some sense of normalcy. You don't seem very concerned that there's a monster out in the forest that wants you."

 "I'm not very concerned that right now. I'm more concerned about you. After everything that's happened to you in the last few days-"

 "I know what's happened to me in the last few days! Our company is completely gone, I was attacked by a monster for picking a few flowers, and now that monster demands I bring my brother to it! It can't be too difficult to understand how that might concern me."

 Roy stormed out of the kitchen, and Tommy listened as he clambered up the stairs, slammed his bedroom door, and then locked the door.

 This was going to be a long afternoon.

~~~~~~

 Tommy slowly opened the door to Roy's room. "Oh. You're still awake. How are you feeling?"

 "As well as can be expected, I suppose," Roy answered, closing his book. "Are you sure you're ready to go out into the forest tomorrow?"

 "I'm sure. I want to get this all sorted out, see if we can even find this castle again. Everything will be all right. You know that, don't you?"

 Roy sighed. "I suppose so. Goodnight, Tommy."

 "Goodnight, Roy."

 Tommy closed the door and went to his own room, wondering how much of his things he should actually pack. There was no guarantee that they would find this castle again, or that this castle was even there at all.

 Tommy would never have said so to Roy, especially in this state, but he doubted the existence of this monster. Things like that didn't exist. There were just stories meant to scare children. Tommy had heard such stories himself as a child, and it was Roy who had told him, "Oh, never mind them, Tommy, they're only stories."

 Roy had suffered a terrible blow when he went to the city, and he was travelling alone at night with very little sleep or food. It was possible he could have had some nightmare about a monster, and somehow in his mind, he believed it was real. Something such as that would make much more sense than a monster living in a hidden castle who wanted Roy to bring Tommy to it.

 Either way, he still had packing to do.