The Beast and The Brain.

I watched the sailors and ocean until dusk when the lanterns around the deck were lit. Things were quiet, the wind was steady and the ropes creaked along with the ship. The sailors ate around in a circle; I sat with them, in the shadows watching. They laughed, and had hearty tales to tell. Soon I noticed that it became more of a contest of telling the best story.

“Then the girl turned and there he was, the ghost of her lover.” The men clapped and the sailor grinned as he picked up his mug from the deck and took a sip. I clapped with the others, they had amazing stories of creatures of the deep and tales of the ocean.

“That’s the worst story I’ve ever heard.” The clapping died, and everything was silent, except for the splashing of water against the hull. Everyone turned; there she was, standing next to her horse in the shadows. She stepped forward, towards the light of lantern, and the circle of men, “The plot was predictable, the girl was pathetic, and the ending was horrible.” She sounded bored, as she always did. I took a sip out of my cup and looked into the filmy ale. It was cheap stuff, but to me, it tasted wonderful.

“You think you can do better girl?” The sailor asked, “Let’s hear it then.”

She sat smoothly, I noted that she was very graceful, and deadly silent when she moved. When she moved, she moved with ease and patience. When she insulted people, they didn’t seem to mind, in fact it made you feel like you really were stupid, you believed her when she called you an imbecile.

“Pass me a mug please, only half full.” One of the sailors jumped to her request and poured her half a mug. She took a relaxed long sip and then placed the mug in front of her on the deck. She pulled the cloak of her hood over her head, the lamp light casted shadows around her, her face was only half visible.

“My story begins, in a small village full of simple people. Farmers, herders, and simple craftsmen.” Her voice seemed to drift and match the beating waves, I found myself looking up at the dark sky, the millions of stars shone brightly. I laid back and looked at them while she told her tale. I drifted with her words, lived them.

“A family.” She said, “Not rich, and not poor, had a daughter. Their second child, the village rejoiced with them. As the girl grew, she learned to walk, talk, and of course play with her older brother. He was five years older than she was, but when she turned five, she seemed to be of the same intelligence. The villagers were baffled by her vocabulary, means of communication, and solving problems. She would suggest farmers to do things with their crops, she would tell blacksmiths how to heat their medal to make it stronger, and lighter. At age eleven, she was on the village council.” She paused and took a sip of her ale. The men were leaning in with interest.

“When she turned thirteen people began to wonder if she was a daughter of a god. Her brother, whom was now eighteen, was her person guardian. He watched over her, and protected her. They were very close. Then, a year later, men came to the small village, priests they called themselves. They preached of people, possessed to trick mortals away from the gods, they pointed to the girl, and said that she was one of them.” She took another small sip. The men were listening intently, as was I, “The villagers denounced the strange men, and forced them from the village. They trusted the girl more than they trusted the men. They left, and cursed the village, saying they would pay for their ignorance.

“A week later, armed soldiers came mounted on armed horses. They surrounded the entire village and demanded that the people release the accused girl, they gave them one day before they would come in by force. The village met together, the fourteen year old girl stood before her friends and family, and told them she would give herself up to save the village.” She finished the ale, asked for another fill, and took another drink. She was silent.

“What happened next?” One of the sailors asked, they all nodded in wonder.

“The village would not hear of it.” She said, “They weren’t about to suffer fools who thought they could come and take what they had no right to take. So the village prepared themselves as best they could for when the men would come at dawn….only they didn’t come at dawn. The soldiers did not intend to wait a day; they attacked during the night. They burned houses; they slaughtered livestock, and destroyed crops. The men ran out of their houses, with nothing but the shirts on their backs they fought them off with pitchforks, axes, knives, and even their hands. Many were killed, their blood stained the earth and wet the ground.

“The girl and her brother ran out from their house, only to see this massacre. She was furious, as was her brother. She ran to the center of the village, stood on top of the well and yelled over the ciaos. She yelled louder than anyone thought humanly possible, she yelled so loud, the screams, and swords seized and all eyes turned to her.

“She screamed at the soldiers that she was the one they wanted. The soldiers ignored the other men and women in the village and came to her. They gathered around her, ready for anything, but she let herself be taken. They shackled her like a wild animal and began to drag her from the village.” She paused again, “But my friends…this is not the worst of things. Thing would get much, much worse.” She closed her eyes, and to my surprise, I saw a single tear roll down her cheek and I felt the need to cry with her.

“Her brother was furious; he didn’t want her to be taken. Little did anyone know, that her brother had a very powerful gift. He was a beast kind, able to take form of an animal. A large cat like creature that looked half wolf half panther, he attacked the men, tore through them like a knife to thin paper.

“But there were far too many for him to overcome, and he was mortally wounded. Raged with anger she always kept hidden within herself, she released it. She allowed herself to fully embrace herself; for she…was a brain.” The sailors gasped and I leaned forward, “In one blind rage, she controlled an entire regiment of soldiers; they left, without even realizing what they were doing. They left and when the village was safe she released her power and held her brother as he died.” She took another swig of her ale.

“A brain? Aren’t those just myths though? I mean I know there are beasts, and other types of those creatures…but a brain? Are they really real?” One sailor asked then another next to him slapped him upside the head, “Shut up and listen to her story!” He hissed.

She smiled slightly then continued with her story, “Even after she risked her life for them and saved the village from total destruction. The villagers were afraid, not of the soldiers, but of her. And her brother. Even though they had lived with them their whole lives, they were fearful. They banished the siblings that very night, even the brother, though he was dead. Giving her food, water, gold, and a horse, they sent them away. Never to return.”

The sailors sat with their mouths open, one even spoke up, “That’s ridiculous!”

“SHHH!”

A small smile came to her lips, “Perhaps it was, but the people were afraid. Can you really blame them?” She asked. The men were silent, “Now where was I? Oh yes. I’m going to bed. Good night, we shall continue this tomorrow.” She stood up and disappeared into the darkness.

“What? No!” One of the men called, “You have to finish your story!” Silence.

“Do you think that was a real story?” One man asked.

“I’m not sure about the Brain. I mean I’ve seen a few other kinds before, but never a Brain.” They talked with each other, and one by one they disappeared below deck. Then, it was me and one other man who was at the wheel. But it was silent.

The story ran through my mind. I realized then, the most obvious thing that I had been blind to all along; she was a Brain.