Chapter 2 Prologue 2

Ayu, north Africa. 1983

"A being with a long pointed nose sat upon a shimmering emerald green horse. On his head was an emerald green and black top hat, matching the tuxedo he wore. Although the outfit was predominantly black, it glimmerd as if it had tiny diamonds sewn into the fabric. Also, it had stitching of black and green intermingled in a paisley pattern that glowed like chevrons on a moonlit night. His ears were large and filled with what seemed to be dying cauliflower, with deathly pale skin covering rivers of vermilion veins."

"But I will always remember his eyes. He had a protruding brow bone that covered most of his viewing area, so you would hardly expect to see his eyes. Except, there was no way one didn't notice his eyes even in the pitch-black darkness, or rather especially in the pitch-black darkness. He looked like a man, quite an odd one at that. But it was his eyes that betrayed the human disguise. His eyes were dancing orange flames that stood out of their recesses like two fires ablaze in twin caves. And then he spoke."

'Papa Fentse!' a rumbling like a thousand elephants gone mad in a stampede, 'listen!' he continued in a thunderous voice that shook the walls even dropping our family picture and shattering the glass as it bounced on the ground, 'you are to pack as little as possible, take your son and leave for Ayu,' he paused and pushed his head forward," 'NOW!' he shouted so loud the house shook even rocking the foundation so that the bed under me vibrated violently."

"I turned to check on your mother, but she slept unaware of the drama unfolding close to her slumbering body."

"Why do you want me to leave, I asked, who are you?"

'Because your son has a task; and your father is ill, if you leave now you can see your kinsman before death visits his tent.' He leaned closer, 'and I' he rubbed his humongous adams apple before clearing his throat."

'Didnt manage to get the effect I was hoping to get,' he giggled gruffly then cleared his throat again."

'What I wanted to say with regard to who I am was,' he cleared his throat yet again."

'I AM THE EMERALD NIGHTMARE!!!' he roared so loud the stuff in the other rooms could be heard tumbling and crashing to the ground, but even you a sensitive toddler slept undisturbed."

"Why should I listen to you? I asked."

'Well, because if you don't I'm going to get off my horse,' he pat his horse, 'and I don't like getting off my horse.'

"Heh, somehow you want me to uproot my family just so you don't get off your horse."

'Thats the crux of it, yes,' he answered casually."

"Ha ha ha, I began to laugh."

'What's so funny?'

"You are, you said it yourself, you're a nightmare, a bad dream. Which means I created you. I laughed with more courage."

'Silence!' he blurted full vocals, 'let's get this straight, I'm not a nightmare, I'm The Emerald Nightmare. The Emerald Nightmare riding on Emerald the emerald coloured night mare. Get it. Means she's nocturnal. Anyway you think I'm some sort of a figment of your little imagination?' he sat back on his horse, 'okay, I'll give you ten out of ten for creativity. That is for creating me. And another ten for bravery.'

"He was still for only a second."

'Bravery is only good if you stand a chance. But nobody stands a chance against THE EMERALD NIGHTMARE!'

"This time when he shouted I could see the moons night light entering the structure. The walls and the ceiling separated from each other as his voice rammed a plethora of pulsating waves through his thick and cracked dry lips."

"Your mother stirred, then she mumbled something before turning to face the other side. Meanwhile my nightmare continued."

'So do I step off ol Emerald here and cause parts of you to malfunction?' his sharp chin poked into his undaunted horse."

"I pinched myself hoping to end the unsolicited visit."

'Oh, forgot to tell you. Only I can release you from your sleep. But that's not the worse part. It's what I can do to you in your sleep you'll never wish to experience in your life,' he opened his mouth wide giving me a clear view of his purplish navy-blue epiglottis, 'EVER!' he shouted causing cracks to instantly appear in the walls whilst pieces of painted plaster crashed on the carperted concrete floor."

"At that point I thought, if I am dreaming let me at least dream that I'm sleeping. I took my feet out of my slippers and got back under the covers and closed my eyes casually. What the hell, nightmares don't actually hurt. What's the worst thing that can happen?"

Silence

"I felt the warmth of your mother next to me, how comforting I thought. I even enjoyed the lite snore eminating from her as she breathed gently in her sleep."

'Oh well, can't say I didn't warn you. Remember this is the courageous route you chose.'

"I wanted to keep my eyes closed. I wanted to ignore the apparition. But I couldn't, curiosity a small creature in yellow silk pygamas climbed on to my face and opened one eye slowly for me. And through the slit I saw him getting off his horse. A tall being with white socks and spit-polished snub-nosed shoes, his trousers too short, barely reaching his ankles. I shut my eye as he approached."

"Then."

"Nothing."

"And again."

"Nothing."

"Then, oh my gaurdians and all my ancestors, I felt his cold hands touch my head. I began to whimper out of a dreadful fear that filtered through my system like filthy acidic sewerage fluid. This is all a dream, relax, you'll have a good laugh in the morning."

"I should have taken the cowardous way and followed his instructions. What I witnessed and felt during that session under his total control felt like eternity in a tight torture chamber. I never want to experience that again, ever, as he had said."

"He pressed his fingers hard, and suddenly a rush of pain so strong punctured my skull and spread like wild fire through the bones in my body. Images appeard that I can only describe as devastation and death everywhere. Bodies lay strewn on the the streets of Bantuville. Houses were burned down to the ground, and the waterfall gushed crimson. Lake City was destroyed, grim with buildings and only mangled steel and scorched broken bricks left as evidence of an extinct society."

"During all that I was screaming, enduring excruciating pain in every facet of my being. Then the images changed, and I saw myself without legs, my guts no longer inside of me. I was hoping pleading and praying for the pain to subside. But it kept on beyond the point where I was too exhausted to scream anymore."

"Then, it suddenly stopped. I could feel his fingers leave and with it, relief began to spread like a tranquilizer."

"I was certain that I had holes in my head, and the blood was oozing out along with my brains. I couldn't move my arms, or any other part of me."

'That,' he cut into my thoughts, is the future that you just experienced. That is your death and this city's death. That is your pain when you are being tortured. That is the future if you choose to stay.'

"From his coat he took out a glowing silver scroll and pressed it into my limp hand. I watched him move back slowly and climb onto his unusual horse through the tears in my eyes."

'You cannot leave with your wife, she will not survive the journey if she goes with." He sighed and said more gently, 'it is a sacrifice you and her have to make for a cause far greater than yourselves.' He pointed to the scroll, 'it will open when the time is right.'

"He then took up the reigns and turned the horse to the wall."

'Give it to the boy when the time is right for him to return to the city.'

"When the time is right, when the time is right, I mumbled incoherently. I had to ask even though I was not sure the words would even come out properly. I think it was the frustration built up in me like lava that forced the words out in an explosion."

"How in blazing khoisan X's name will I know when the time is right?"

'You will know.'

"He stuck his heels into the horse so that the mare pranced and jumped through the wall as if it was not there, leaving trails of smoky wisps of emerald chasing after him. Then I heard his voice."

'Wake up!'

"And that is when I awoke to find your mother shaking me."

'Wake up, papa.'

"I looked at her face and saw the panic in her eyes."

'You were screaming, I couldn't wake you. I've been trying for a while. I think there was an earthquake, the house is a mess,' she blurted as she wiped my perspiring head with a towel."

"That was no earthquake," I squeezed the scroll in my hand, final confirmation that I would have to do what the Emerald Nightmare had said I should do. I told her everything. She began crying, at first softly then increasing with the dawning of the reality we faced."

"At first your mother pleaded for me to leave you, then she begged to go with. She said she would take her chances, she would face the high risk. I had to explain to her again that it wasn't about taking a chance, it wasn't risk either, it was certain death for her. She never stopped trying to convince me to change my mind, trying to convince me that there must be another way, another option we could take."

"Up to today while I lay here mortally wounded, I can say that that was the hardest thing and toughest decision I have ever made in my entire life. Leaving your mother, taking you away from her. But, I wanted her to live. I still had hope that we would see each other again. I loved her, I still do."

"I didn't care for my life, most of all I was concerned for you if I didn't follow his instructions. I know it sounds like a crazy story, but all I have is my word, and this scroll which, I now hand over to you. He was right, the Emerald Nightmare, I would know when it is time. The time is now."