Chapter 1: Part 2

“I love you, always”

“LIAR!”

My whole body jerks upwards as beads of cold sweat roll down the side of my face. Panting I close my eyes and count backwards “3, 2, 1” With a stuttered sigh I feel my chest, it appears to be bound by some bandages. They look fresh. My back is lying on something soft, like straw. I’m on a bed I realize, wait how did I get here?  I look to my left and right and realize that no one is around. I’m in a small room with mud walls and a dirt floor. There’s a small desk in the far corner with a candle on top slowly burning. Above the candle is a small window where the stars in the night sky can be shown twinkling. The memories start flooding back immediately.

“Ah, I see you’re awake” It’s the woman from before as she walks into the room and lays another candle on the nightstand beside the bed while pulling up a chair.

“Yes, I’m up, did you wrap my bandages? Also, where are the two kids I came in with, are they safe?”

“Relax, yes I was the one who bandaged you up and put some healing oil on you as well. You passed out the moment you stepped foot through the door. The children are asleep in the next room. You were escaping from those slave traders weren’t you.”

“Yeah we were, I greatly appreciate your help, but I need to get going an-“

“Not so fast,” she said with a sly look on her face you can barely move right now let alone walk. Why don’t you stay for the night at least? Please I insist.” Thinking it over she does make a valid point, plus I doubt I would be able to get far with these injuries.

“Very well,” I said “But first what’s in it for you? How can I know I can trust you?”

“You can’t you’re just going to have to find out” she shrugs.

“Tuh, well at the very least why did you help us? You can tell me that much can you?” She closes her eyes and breathes, then looks me straight in the face as she responds,

“Have you heard of the Light Keepers?”

Part 2

“Light Keepers!?” I yell you mean the ones that the whole world is hunting for. Those Light Keepers?”

“Shhhh, keep your voice down, you don’t want to wake up the children, do you?”

“I’m sorry I just can’t believe you would say something like that, the words Light Keepers are so taboo, especially around a stranger.”

“Well, it's already been said now” she replies nonchalantly.

“Mercy, woman you’re reckless.” I hesitate “but yes I kn- I mean I’ve heard about the Lightkeepers.”

“What are Light Keepers?” a soft voice said as she used her hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes. It was the young girl, she looked older than she was, but I could tell she was around 10 years old. She had a small dauntless frame mostly from a lack of nourishment due to the neglect of the slave traders. She also had a shaved blonde head with a tattoo on her shoulder that all of us had. A tattoo that was used to brand livestock. That’s all we were to them nothing more than lowly livestock that only warranted a number. But it was her eyes that drew me in, they were two different colors one as green as an emerald gemstone worn by the wealthiest of people and the other a soft grey, like a stone found at a creek bed. Behind her was the other kid, a young boy younger than her with skin deep and brown colored like the red clay found in the mountains. He had a nasty scar that reached from the top of his lip to the bottom of his chin that perverted his child-like features. He had hair a little longer than the girl’s that was straight like a pin needle and black as the darkest coal.

“Hey, why are you two up? You should be in bed asleep.” I spoke

“We were woken up by your voices and couldn’t go back to sleep that’s why we’re here.” The young boy replied timidly.

“Well since you’re up you might as well come in and listen. Umm, do you two even have names?”

“I’m Noah,” said the young girl, “and this is Mishael! But I call him Meesh, our mothers were good friends, so we grew up together like siblings. Wherever I go he goes no exceptions!” She said as she stomped her foot on the ground. The serious expression on her face coupled with her actions made me chuckle a little. She is a little spitfire that’s for sure, but I can’t ignore the peculiarity of their names. Makes me wonder . . .

“What’s your name mister?”

“I’m Jasper”

“Oh wow, well thank you Mister Jasper sir for rescuing us back there, we greatly appreciate it.” She said with a grin.

“Yeah, well, don’t mention it and it's just Jasper”

“Mishael, Noah, Jasper, Nice to meet you all I’m Sarah. Now Come here little ones, let old Miss Sarah tell you all about the Light Keepers.” The two children came and sat on Sarah’s lap. “There, comfy?” they nodded their heads, “Now the Light Keepers are a group of people who believe in The Great Light. They believe that with him man can achieve great good. Treat fellow humans with kindness, love, and respect. Without The Great Light, the world is constantly consumed by darkness and humanity takes part in evil deeds such as greed, hatred, and oppression. The main goal for the Light Keepers is to keep the light alive and to show human beings the way out of the darkness, so that they may have peace in their souls.”

“So, the reason you helped us today is because you believe in The Great Light too Miss Sarah! You’re a Lightkeeper!” Noah exclaimed with excitement.

“Yes, child but you can’t go around telling people in the streets, because we serve The Great Light the forces of darkness don’t want the rest of the world exposed to it, so they send their evil agents, the ones driven by greed, hatred, and fear to try and snuff out the light by killing anyone who claims to be a Light Keeper. “

“That is why you don’t see many Light Keepers just out in the open. They are all looking for this fictional place called The New Promised Land where they believe they will find refuge.” I hesitate and turn my eyes down toward my knees underneath my blanket. Or so they say, “But yet knowing all of that you still helped us,” I said quietly “Thank you again there was no reason for you to put yourself in danger like that for complete strangers.”

“No worries, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat,” she said with a genuine smile, “Now off you two, go back to bed we’ll see you in the morning.”

“Goodnight Miss Sarah, goodnight, Mr. Jasper sir!”

“Hey, it’s just Jasper!” The two children waved and closed the door. With a heavy sigh, I shake my head. See this is why I don’t mess with kids. I could feel the gaze of Sarah’s eyes as I turned to look at her.

“What’s your real name, Jasper?”

“What?! I say astonished, “Jasper is my real name lady, what are you talking about?” My eyes dart back and forth trying to avoid eye contact.

“For someone who has only “heard” about the Light Keepers you seem to know plenty about them. The story I told the kids didn’t even phase you”

“Yeah, well who hasn’t heard of the Lightkeepers you would have to be living under a rock.” Sarah gives me a hard look, her face undaunting, “Look, that’s all behind me now. My name is Jasper, nothing more, nothing less.” I see from the corner of my eye Sarah shakes her head from side to side.

“Look Jasper I don’t know what you’ve been through in life to get you to where you’re at, but if I had to guess it seems like you’ve fallen into the deep pit of despair yourself. Like you’ve tried everything this world has to offer and yet your soul has no rest.”

“Yeah, well did you ever stop to think maybe that’s all life is, a deep dark pit that sucks your soul dry? Humanity is cursed and there is nothing that can save it, not even The Great Light.”

“You don’t honestly believe that otherwise, those two children over there wouldn’t be here.” Her words cut like a knife, it’s true if the world really was dark like I said, and if I truly believed that then I wouldn’t have stepped in like I did. I would have just left those kids alone. So why? Why did I help them when I had enough issues to worry about?

“Yeah, well whatever, maybe I just felt like it, I guess.”

“Hmm maybe, or maybe you still have a little light left in you after all,” she says as she rises from her chair. “Goodnight, Jasper.”

“Goodnight, Sarah” My fingers instinctively reach up to the top left side of my breast as I feel for that familiar note-bound leather. I squeeze the book as if my life depended on it. Tears silently began to fall from my eyes as I laid my head to sleep.