The Legend Of The Saints - Chapter 3

Legend of the saints by Mescopaul 

Chapter 3

WATCHING the Goofers play Cricket was as interesting and
funny as watching a comedy movie.

The young club of St. Masin who called themselves The
Goofers were not very good at the game. They were
amateurs. The school had before employed a Cricket
specialist to train them, but that was before a fight burst out
and one of the employees' head was broken to the skull.

Now the school lost all its interest in teaching the students
the game of Crickets.a. So they played randomly drawing
amusements from spectators and passers-by. Allen as he
sat at his usual place with Kimball and Sammy, his good
friend, watched with less amusement and enthusiasm.

 As he
watched all he could see on the playfield were names
Jordan, Regan, Philips, Aragon ......ah!...he thought to himself
would the names ever end.

He wanted the school over as soon as possible to get the
full story out with! Once and for all!

There will be no postponing again, he told himself firmly.

"You are lost again, must you always daydream?"

A surprised Kimball asked.

"Am just tired Kim"
Allen replied after returning from his
world of thoughts.

"Sam says his going for classes today, are you coming?"

She
asked looking straight into his face as though she was
gonna force the answer out.

"Em..Nope..i need to get back home as soon as possible ,
maybe tomorrow..."

"What's keeping you at home, is everything alright there? "

"Why..yea... Just don't want to keep Granny waiting."

"Waiting for what, in time past you do leave home and return
very late, and you told me all you got is a little scolding from
Granny...,"

Kimball was visibly irritated.

"Yea, but Grandpa says am becoming too free and lousy, so
he wants to watch my steps now. "

....

He turned his face away so she wouldn't see the grin that
lit up his face, but oh he forget she could read his mind,
hope she doesn't do that now, he prayed.

"Keep on lying, OK!, since you want to keep it all to yourself no
problem, I'm fine, you can stay with him from morning till
evening daily for all I care! You might even not bother
coming to school! "

She replied shaken up with a surge of
anger.

"Am sorry Kim, but its just..i.. ..i promise to put off all these
running home stuff by tomorrow.

"Oh, why, so Grandpa said you could be 'free' and 'lousy'
from tomorrow? "

Kimball asked.

"Em.., oh, well..."
he couldn't voice out any meaningful word.

"Don't worry see you tomorrow "
She patted his rough hair
and with a weak smile she walked away.

Sammy had been keen watching the Goofers play Cricket
but often stole glances at the two as they argued on.

He had heard the word 'Grandpa' in their argument and
decided it was a family issue and an outsider might be
unwelcome. Now he was relieved that the argument was
over but was worried at the abrupt exit of Kimball, without
even a parting word for him! He turned to a sullen Allen.

"Why is she mad at you, you made her angry, didn't
you..what's this talk all about Al?"

Sammy rolled out his
questions.

"She says am too old to be watched over by an my Granny"

Allen replied casually.

"Who says so? Uhh? One is never too old to be corrected by
a parent....infact at one's later years, one finds his or her
parents advice very crucial and worthwhile that one can
hardly argue when their parents say this or that ...."

 Sammy
rattled on breathlessly in his characteristic manner.

Feeling bored of the tune the conversation had taken, Allen
stood up and made to leave.

"See you tomorrow Sammy." he walked away while Sammy
continued in his endless 'lecture'.

"No, wait, i have to tell you something you need to know, our
parents are our light...!! "

Allen never listened as he walked on. He was not in the
mood for Sammy's endless moral-imposing talks. He
crossed the tarmac, while Sammy pitched his speech so
high so that Allen could hear him.

"Are you coming tonight, to the psychic's lecture!!! ?"

He
blared out.

"NO!!!" Allen yelled back.

Allen was now a long distance away from Sammy.

"But why? See we could make out something very
worthwhile from this teaching, you never can tell what
tomorrow would be like...!!! " he stopped yelling when he
noticed that Allen had boarded a bus and the bus was
driving away, and he was waving him goodbye from the
glass.

"Oh God what a friend I've got" an exhausted Sammy gasped
and sat down to watch the Goofers once more.

--------------------------------

Athen was locked-on to his video game in his bedroom
while at the sitting room, seated in a solemn manner was
Allen and Grandpa discussing about their ancestors. The
gentle breeze fluttered through the curtains into the room.

The day was cool and the weather was dry. This time their
discussion was very mutual.

 Grandpa was speaking.

"The Romans got gods, they have the god of the sea, of the
air, the soil, love, peace, name them, they're countless. That
was in those days when men worshipped the gods with all
enthusiasm and seriousness, but today how many do give a
damn for a god somewhere he don't know , when he gat
children to feed, and a hell of work at his heels, the gods
could go to hell for all he care!"

 He paused a little and wiped
off the spittle that trailed his jaw.

"When the Romans got gods like Poseidon, Athena, Hermis,
Zeus, name them, lots of 'em, we here at Kambury at that
time....my great great great grand father had not even been
born, ...we here at Kambury got the great SAINTS as our gods
just like the Roman got theirs.

 Those they call the legendary
SAINTS, yea, they were our gods, but now no one even care a
pin 'bout 'em, mind you they could still be existing, or they
may not, but to be on a safe side we dare not speak against
or blaspheme 'em or their powers......"

Grandpa paused, took his pipe and had a long draw and a
long puff before he resumed his endless talks which had
already got Allen irritated.....

"go straight to the point , old man" Allen thought angrily.

"Hear this son, Regan..yea, you remember him, don't you...
Regan was one of your oldest and most legendary
ancestors, he was a god, a great one for that matter, he is a
god now, but there were times when he lived on this earth, a
mortal like you like me.
Regan was very powerf, - though he didn't regain the royal
leadership back to this family, - yet he was very very
powerful , but he, like most great men, had one weakness -
Women".

He continued after another puff at his pipe.

"Regan was a traveller. On one of his many travellings he
met Cinder a very young and beautiful Lankshiran woman.
Regan promised her marriage and brought her back to
Kambury without her people's consent - she was madly
in love with him...."

"... Regan had always had eyes for the throne , but was two
deeply involved in magic to fight physically the emerging
gallant soldiers of Kambury. He brought Cinder home to
Kambury , but he left her after falling headlong again for
Shantelle, but that was after Cinder had got for him six, i
mean six good, lively and kicking kids. Two twins among
them. Cinder cried her heart out, she was confused, she
couldn't return to her people anymore and Regan 'clubs her
with a truncheon' each time she went to him for help for the
children's upbringing. Regan got married to Shantelle who
bore him his legitimate children. Cinder all by herself in a
dilapidated building night and day struggled and trained her
six kids. Little did Regan know that his wonderful six
abandoned kids were his doom. Shantelle's children had not
even a pin of magic in their blood, but the S.A.I.N.T.S,
Cinder's kids were commanders of the universe. One spits
fire, the other commands rain, one flies at will, the other
tells great secrets and visions, their powers were unlimited".

Grandpa paused as he smiled at the puzzled Allen.

"Cinder's children are called the SAINTS? Why?"
 Allen asked.

Yet another puff and another smile, then he settled down.

"The S.A.I.N.T.S is an acronym of the names of Cinder's six
children.... That the newspapers and the journalists and
researchers never understood. They mixed up the whole
thing. They said the SAINTS were gods that....they're all lies,
they got it all wrong. All Cinder's six children were called the
S.A.I.N.T.S according to the position of birth!
The first child is Sylva and his twin brother is Aragon - the
one you might have heard about. Aragon was very powerful
and is still powerful".

Grandpa continued the story in a very grave and deep voice
that sent bouts of shudders to Allen's spines.

"Aragon took over as the head of his siblings because Sylva
the first was a cripple, but cripple or no cripple he flew
whenever he wanted. He was magic clad. Sylva did all
sorts of things no man ever did, but he was very soft and
gentle, a clear character of a god. Aragon his twin also had
doses of magic powers more than his younger siblings, but
he was very hot tempered and arrogant...."

".... The next child was a male also, Illis was his name, and
the other twin brothers also Nermis and Thermis and the
last child, the only female , she was called Sharon.
When Aragon wanted to fight against his father for
abandoning them he was stopped and withstood by Sylva.
So Aragon as wise as he was did something , he formed the
name SAINTS, using the first letter of their names. He used
this name - tactically representing them all, Sylva inclusive.
Under this name he sent troops to his father, stating that
they were sent by the 'Saints'. Regan, not knowing the
disguise refused to fight the troops claiming that he had no
quarrels with them. The troops plotted and killed him and
his men. When Sylva heard of it he called Aragon and
suggested that they go after the 'Saints' to avenge their
father's death, and these were the very words of Aragon in
reply to Sylva - 'Brother, men can't rise against themselves ,
vengeance is done and I'm not sorry'. A confused Sylva
sought for an explanation but Aragon gave him none. Sylva
turned to Sharon, his sister, for help, for she had the gift of
solving great mysteries and riddles, Sharon asked Sylva for
the name of the troop that wrecked her father and his men ,
in reply Sylva said 'They said they were sent by the Saints'..."

 Grandpa sniffed a little before resuming.

"Sharon shook her head and replied ,
'You and I have just
killed father, the troops were sent in our name'.
When it
dawned on Sylva what Aragon had done he was so angry, he
simply turned into a huge eagle and flew away and was
never seen ever again, but the name 'The Saints' still hung in
the air and was popularly referred to the six children of the
Lankshiran woman.",

Grandpa stopped abruptly, the wind blew silently and the sun
stood magnificently out in the blue-black sky. Allen sat put
determined to hear all of it today.

Grandpa promptly resumed his tale.

"Aragon was satisfied after his revenge , but he wanted
something else - the throne of Kamburry - he tried to pool
forces with his step siblings - Shantelle's children, but they
were in no good mood with him for they knew he
masterminded the death of Regan...."

".... In fact Shantelle's children determined to get Aragon
frustrated, they signed a treaty under the Philips
Family, with Kambury that they never wanted the throne in
their lineage forever, stating that were not interested.
A copy of the treaty was sent to Aragon, who in a fit of rage
tore it to shreds declaring war at once against Kambury.
Under the name 'The Saints' , Aragone fought for three years
the throne of Kambury weakly supported by Nermis and
Thermis who had no interest at all for the throne and had
had enough from the bully Aragon. Illis and Sharon left the
town and lived at the outskirts of Kamburry."

Grandpa
heaved a sigh of relief.

"So this is the legend of the saints, and while the Philips -
speaking of Shantelle's - were at peace with Kamburry , the
Saints - Aragon in particular - fought against Kamburry."

Grandpa came to a stop.

"Is that all sir" asked Allen with an unusual strange deep
voice.

"That's all son, except for a script Aragon wrote on his death
bed which he handed over to his son. The script reads 'War
with Kamburry forever - Aragon is coming back', but do you
know what troubles me most son?"

Allen shook his head.

"Its the piece of writing your great great grand father saw
underneath his roof on an early December morning. The
scripts read: 'Aragon is coming back. But he is searching for
a soul of his lineage to possess.'. We had all been looking
forward to who he will possess, but we saw none, and..."

Grandpa's voice came lower than before

 "...and son, from
what I've seen of late, Aragon is truly coming back, whether
to have his pay on Kamburry i don't know , but i know he's
very dangerous and mischievous, you know about the death
of my old friend Michel?"

When Allen said yes, Grandpa continued, his face and eyes
grave and shrunken, revealing the strong bones underneath
the wornout flesh.

"I could sware with my life, that Aragon killed him, but why
he did that i know nothing of."

The day was now dark. The heavenly bodies had found their
way back home to rise again tomorrow. The air was cool
except for the occasional noise of crying and barking dogs.

"Go to sleep son, be sure to say your prayers, you've just
heard about the real legend of the saints, and you should
expect the worse tonight, goodnight".

While Grandpa went to his room and snore on, Allen
remained in his former position lost in deep thought. He had
always liked the name 'Aragon' and had often wondered why
he couldn't bear it. He would gladly prefer to be called
Aragon Allen to Philips Allen.

 An owl hooted nearby, a dog
howled in the neighbourhood, Allen scrambled up the floor
and almost ran to his room, this has already been too much
for a night, he thought.

 He closed his eyes to sleep.

He didn't say any prayers.