The Golden Leaf: Autumn’s Fall – Part II

“Me?” Jill gasped.  “Why me?  What role do I have to play in all of this?”

Freedom smiled.  “A very important one,” he told her.  “But I assure you.  You will not be doing this alone.  I will assist you in this task.”

Jill stood there, silent for a little while.  This enormous task was delegated to her, and she didn’t even know where to begin in accomplishing it.  How would this be done?  What are the steps?  There were still a lot of questions that Jill had for this mysterious man.

Finally, Jill spoke.  “So, you say that we must go thousands of years into the past to destroy her.  Why is that?  Who exactly is this Autumn that we’re dealing with?”

“Autumn’s history goes back a long way.” Freedom explained to her.  “A long time ago, there were giants that walked the earth.  These giants were very evil, and corrupted nearly all of mankind.  These evil giants, known as the Nephilim were born from rebels.  Those who have fallen out of league with the one I serve.  They married with the women of this earth, and created a purely evil race.  Because of this, my master sent a great flood that destroyed all of them, and everything that roamed the earth.  Humanity and all creation was preserved on one floating vessel.”

Jill nodded.  “Like the story in the bible, right?”

The man smiled.  “That is exactly what happened.  After the waters receded, the bodies of the Nephilim were wiped out.  My master, however, left a certain number of the spirits to remain on this earth.  Autumn was one of them.  She was formerly one of the giants before the flood, and has been up to no good ever since.”

Jill gasped.  “I knew that she was no good from the beginning.  But wait!  Why does she have a golden leaf?  How did this all start?”

Freedom invited Jill to sit down.  “After the waters receded, Autumn traveled north, to where England would be today.  After waiting through the ice age,  she began her trouble.  Her trouble proved to be too destructive.  She was destroying villages and various dwellings, by making trees appear.  She was continuing the destruction that she caused as a giant.  She needed to be punished.”

“With that, a weapon was planned to banish her to the abyss, but it was never complete, since the priority was to stop her.  Focusing on this, Autumn was bound to a golden leaf, the final part that we would need to finish the weapon.  She could not go anywhere without it.  She was bound to it, even after she died.  This limited her form, which led her to find other bodies, like a parasite.”

Jill frowned.  “So why wasn’t the weapon ever finished?”

Freedom smiled.  “The weapon, the Autumn Sword, is all ready.  It just needs to be assembled.  Prior to the pilgrims settling, there was a fire in the forest where that great tree sat in England.  Prior to this, the seed was gathered for this tree and taken to America.  The original tree was burned down, and all the parts of that weapon are buried in a underground cavern, which sits just underneath that forest.”

Jill smiled.  “So let’s go get it!”

“I greatly appreciate your determination, but it’s not going to be that easy,” Freedom told her.  “We will have to travel back in time, before the fire.  We will need another golden leaf to finish the Autumn Sword, since we can’t use the one in this era.”

Jill still looked troubled.  “So why is it every hundred years?” she asked him.

“That time was set to limit her form.” the man told her.  “Such matters won’t be relevant once we defeat her.  In doing so, we will change history, including yours.”

Jill looked back at the cell, that had all the other girls in it.  “Don’t worry.” she told them.  “You will all be freed soon….”

The mysterious man began walking away.  “I must be going.” he told her.  “We will surely meet again.  Follow my master and you will not go astray.”

Jill nodded.  “I will!”

After that, everything began to fade from view.

The next thing that Jill heard was the sound of a loud crack.  After this happened a few more times, she heard a louder crack.  She then opened her eyes.  To her surprise, she was no longer wearing an autumn-colored dress.  Instead, her dress was white.  Whiter than any white that she has ever seen before.  Right next to her lay her old body.  The very sight of this creeped her out, so she looked away.

Next to her old body, it appeared again.  The golden leaf sat there, waiting for a new master.

Then she heard a voice that sent chills down her spine.  Jill…..Come back….

Jill backed away from the golden leaf.  “No!” she shouted.

A strong gust of wind blew on her.  The voice spoke again.  I am you, and you are me.  Just give it time, and you will see.

“Go away, Autumn!” Jill screamed.  “I hate you!!!”

After this, she saw Jaime entering the forest.  When Jaime saw Jill, she ran up to her and hugged, squeezing her tightly.

“Oh Jill!” she cried.  “You’re finally back!”  Jaime turned around to see Jill’s old body, with the golden leaf lying next to it.  “Not that leaf! Let’s get out of here, Jill.”

Jill nodded in agreement and they both left the forest.

After leaving the forest, the first thing that Jill did was run inside her house.  The whole family was there, including her older brother.

“Jill!” the mother cried.  “Is it okay if I call you that, honey?”

Jill, now in tears, nodded.  “Yes mother.” she cried.  “Please call me that.  That is what you named me, right?”

The mother approached Jill and hugged her tightly.  “Don’t you ever touch that leaf again,” she pleaded.

“I won’t.” Jill said, still wiping away tears.  “I love you, mother.”

They continued hugging, while Jaime watched in the distance.

The mother turned and nodded at Jaime.  “Thank you very much for your help,” she told her.  “Without you, I wouldn’t know a thing about my daughter.”

The older brother turned and gave Jill a hug.  “Sorry about the leaf,  little sis.” he smiled.  “I’m just glad that you’re back.”

And with that, the reunion lasted for a while.  Jaime’s family was invited over for dinner, and both families ate together.  It was a big dinner celebrating Jill’s return.

After the dinner, Jaime’s family left.  Jill’s family then talked to Jill for a while.  Jill, tired from all that went on that day, decided to call it a night.

Jill went upstairs and got ready for bed.  She changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth and drank her glass of water.  She entered her bedroom, climbing into bed and getting underneath the covers.  After that, she fell fast asleep.

Jill was greeted by a dream.  A dream that was familiar to her and one that she met before….

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©2012  K. L. Walker