Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
by
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Locked. Locked in metal chains, the man waited for this day to come. After having been confined to the iron bars of the prison for the last night, he waited for this day. The day when he, the toymaker would fight. Fight for not only his life, but also the lives of many of his people. The people of his village lived in poverty, enslaved, barely getting a glimpse of what happiness looked like, and enchained by the oppressive rule of the king, the devil.
Devil. The devil, waited for so long to capture the man in chains. Hearing of the prisoner’s astounding tactics, and cunning killings, the king was frightened that the man would become a curse for his empire and like the waves of the sea, would wipe out his golden kingdom. Without hesitation he got hold of the man, and waited for this day. This legendary day… the momentous day…the battle day.
As the daylight showed through the horizon on the mountain peaks, the guards opened the door. It screeched on the crumbled cement. The bearded, torn-clothed man trudged out of the prison ready for duel. His eyes were flames of revenge, and his arms were as sturdy as the iron of the prison he came out of. His dirty mouth showed no mercy, as he picked up the sword that stood outside of the jail. The guards stood like tigers, who kept every eye on the movements he made. Trudging back and forth, the man in chains kept his eyes above staring at the sun as if he was sucking in the vibes and rays from its resplendence. Slowly the man and the guards reached the open land, as the sun’s radiance reached his droopy eyes. He closed them and prayed for strength. The moment he opened his eyes like curtains, he saw almost the whole village cheering for him.
“Long live the Awakener! The Awakener of us all! May he win us freedom! Freedom for us all!”
The crowd grew and grew, and tears smudged across his crimson cheeks. After a while, he left the ground as tears drooped down the eyes of many like rain, hoping he’d fulfill their dreams. Slapping his back, the guards took him to the duel ground behind the village prison. It was filled with greenery except for its borders, which were covered with white lining. The guards took off the man’s chains leaving circular imprints around his white hands. Brick walls surrounded the white lining, cemented with stone and metal rods on each edge. Suddenly, the trumpeters began blaring their instruments, as down drew closer the devilish, demonic demon himself, King Asak. The man he would fight stared him in the eye, as the two grinned.
“yyyyy-Your High-ness, you ready?” asked the peasant as he nervously bowed down.
“Quite am” King Asak muttered as he cracked a couple of knuckles, and moved from side to side.
He took off his golden cloak, and put on his armor.
“Sliiing!” Out came the king’s mighty sword from the metal cover.
The two stood face to face, eye to eye. Motionless. Fierce. Courageous.
As the bell rang, the two smashed the swords together. Forcefully, the both tried to pull each other’s sword down, like a seesaw.
“Slash! Slung!”
The battle had begun. The two warriors fought forcefully. While seemingly a battle between two warriors, the duel meant more. The duel was the cornerstone for a village’s hope for a brighter future. The duel would seal the cruelty imposed by King Asak. The duel would end the tears of fear and desperation from the eyes of the villagers and glitter their eyes with sparkles of joy and freedom. More than a simple battle, the duel was a revolution and a war for the villagers. Both warriors were fighting with the same armor, same strength, same tactical moves, yet different motives. One stood for the betterment of his legacy, as the other stood for the betterment of society. Sweat dripped down their eyes, blindfolding them. Hitting side to side, up and down they both stopped exhausted. Death, life, death, life rung in both of their minds as they fought continuously. As one slashed the other’s leg, the other would cut the latter’s wrist. It was clear, the two warriors were evenly matched.
Suddenly one of the warrior’s swords slipped out of his hands. Shocked and in awe, he slid for it as the other tried to stab him, yet failed for the “butterfingered” warrior had dodged the hit. Still on the floor, he reached for the sword once more, yet suddenly the other went for the hit again and chopped off the warrior’s hand. Before the handless warrior could take out the other hand, the other warrior stabbed him through the heart.
“Ca-boom!”
It ended. The battle ended for one of the warriors, as the other stood boldly.
The warrior stood, proud to have won the war, proud to have beaten the other, and proud to have won peace.
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About the Book
The story you are about to envelope is a tale untold, unheard, and unseen. It is a tale set thousands of years ago in the ancient times, a tale of a village, an evil king, a hero, and a deep blue sea.
The village of Arutham, cursed by an invasion of the terrible King Asak and trapped by the realms of the deep blue sea, suffers for eighteen years hoping for freedom and fearing the king’s wrath.
King Asak rules countless villages and acquires wealth, as the devil haunts his villagers suffering from a prophecy that he fears from.
The hero, Rozac Lons, an eighteen-year-old orphan living the life of a toymaker, awakens to fight and free his enchained villagers from the devil.
The deep blue sea holds the dead bodies of the poor villagers, cursing the people of the village forever.
From all of this comes a tale of a man’s journey to free his villagers from a curse, a devil, and deep blue sea. It is the journey of unity, toil, dedication, and duty to work fearlessly and fight for truth.
About the Author
Keshav Pandya, a seventeen-year-old student, lives in Old Bridge, New Jersey, a suburban town. Since his adolescence, he has been interested and attracted to the world of literature. Writing poetry and stories, Pandya loved creating creative plots, and rhythmic poetry. Interested in writing books, he enrolled in the Institute for Children’s Literature, where he was assigned courses, prepared to face the writer’s market, and taught the intricacies and complexities of writing a book. Pandya lives with his mom, dad, and older brother. Enjoying playing sports, and spending time with family and friends, Pandya is at the core a student. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was a story line that occurred to him when he was in fourth grade; knowing the greatness and significance of children’s literature, he knew he had to make it his first.