Cinger
Once upon a time in a land that you�ve probably never heard of (unless, of course, you live there, which I�m pretty sure you don�t), there was a Menace that threatened Earth. The Menace was made out of a crystal-like substance, so it shone brilliantly whenever the sun was high in the sky.
Finally, the Menace was shattered into a thousand when a Cinger, one with a voice so precise in key that he or she is capable of breaking crystal, sang to it.
A thousand years later, a different Menace arrived to avenge the death of its brother. Cingers, which had been believed to be myth for quite some time, was restored to reality, though the Cinger who defeated the Menace so many years before was long gone, and no one knew of another. All was in despair.
Everyone knew of Kella�s lovely voice. Her singing could soothe the heart of any troubled person, or calm down a screaming child. She lived in a nice little cottage near a farm and, being the oldest of six children, had a lot of responsibility.
One day, when she was dusting off a cupboard that held her mother�s finest crystal plates, something extraordinary happened. She began to sing, and as soon as she did so, a plate shattered. Kella screamed as crystal shards flew everywhere, one piece cutting her left cheek.
Her mother came in just then, �Kella, what just broke? I heard a crash or something...� she stopped when she saw her broken plate. She stood horrified for a moment before demanding, �Kella, what did you do?�
Kella shook her head and sobbed, �I didn�t do anything! I was only dusting off the cupboard! I didn�t touch the plates at all! I just started to sing, and then it broke!�
Her mother was silent for a moment before she instructed Kella to sing again. Kella tried, but she was crying too much.
�Kella, I�m not mad anymore. I�m just...curious,� her mother informed gently.
Kella waited for a moment to calm down, and then she sang again. Another plate broke. Kella stopped abruptly and shielded herself with her arms. Her mother stepped back, broken crystal just missing her. Kella received two new incisions on her arms.
Her mother smiled and pulled Kella closer to her. She looked her daughter in her soft brown eyes and said, �My daughter, you are a Cinger! You can put an end to our sufferings! You can defeat the Menace!"
Kella was shocked. She just stared at her mother before saying quietly, �But...I�m only 15!�
The entire town buzzed with the excitement of the discovery of a new Cinger, for this new Menace was even worse than the last one. Of course, Kella�s voice was not strong enough yet, so she was given voice lessons from a very educated musician who went by the name of Rikardo.
Kella practiced very hard every day, her voice blossoming from a sweet and lovely voice to a gorgeous and powerful one. After 4 years, Kella could break crystal within a mile away, and Rikardo made the decision that Kella was ready.
That happened all too soon for Kella, who wasn�t sure if she wanted to stand up to the Menace, but then again, the Menace had already destroyed many cities and had forced many humans to work for him as slaves. Kella�s town hadn�t been seriously affected yet, but everyone knew that it would happen someday. So, Kella got ready for her trip to seek out the Menace and defeat it.
Now, Rikardo had a son about the same age as Kella named Tielor. When Kella was first brought to his house for voice lessons from his father, Tielor instantly fell in love with her deep brown eyes, her soft, pale skin, and her short, silky brown hair. When he heard that Kella was to leave soon, Tielor immediately decided that he would go along because he feared for her safety. Knowing that his father would forbid it, he decided to not tell him.
Out in the main square, everyone was crowding around Kella, bidding her farewell and giving her last minute hugs and instruction. Tielor came over just in time to hear her mother tell her, �Now, Kella, let me tell you where to go. I went to Jena the fortuneteller earlier to ask her where the Menace is, and as you know, she is always right. Now, look over there,� she pointed towards the mountains. Everyone, including Kella and Tielor, looked in the direction she indicated. Her mother continued, �You must hike up the tallest mountain. The Menace will be there. All you have to do is sing, and the Menace will be destroyed. Don�t make yourself known to it as that would be dangerous, and he might kill you before you get the chance to defeat him. Do you understand, Kella?�
Kella nodded. Everyone started to give her shouts of encouragement as she gave each member in her family final hugs. Finally, she set off towards the mountains. Tielor hid behind some trees while keeping track of Kella. He figured that he would show himself to her when they were farther from the town.
After an hour of walking and keeping himself from Kella, Tielor finally showed himself to her. Kella was stunned, and it took her a while to remember who he was. Finally, she recalled her voice teacher�s son and whispered, �Tielor?�
Tielor nodded eagerly. Kella suddenly became angry and demanded, �What are you doing? I�m on a dangerous mission, if you haven�t noticed!�
Tielor nodded, �Yes, I know.�
�Well, what are you doing here?� asked Kella.
�I want to make sure you don�t get hurt,� Tielor shrugged as he said this casually.
Kella decided not to argue with him and let him join her, as it was getting lonely to journey alone. The two climbed up the mountain for the rest of the day, and when night fell, they set up camp in the flattest areas. By sunset of the third day, the two made it up to the top where the Menace resided.
Kella and Tielor gasped at the sight. The Menace was huge and looked like a transparent shadow. Luckily, its back was turned to them.
Kella got into a good posture and was just about to sing when Tielor let out a piercing cry. The Menace was instantly alerted and turned around, spotting both of them.
Kella angrily glared at Tielor, who protested that some sort of insect had bitten him. The Menace grabbed them both before Kella could sing and took them prisoner, chaining them together with thick metal. There, he cut off Kella�s tongue and swiftly ripped her voice box out. Kella was surprised that the whole process didn�t hurt that much since the Menace did it so quickly. The Menace then slashed Tielor�s wrist with a sharp blade and drank some of his blood. It shape-shifted into Tielor, who stared in shock, not really noticing his hurting wrist. Kella was stunned also.
The Menace, as Tielor, grinned evilly. It was strange to Kella to see such a look on somewhat as mild as Tielor. The Menace informed Tielor, �I cannot speak in my true form, and that is why I took yours, Boy.� It then turned to Kella and said, �I�ve been expecting you for some time. I�ve known about you for awhile. I know that you�re a Cinger, and you�ve been sent to destroy me, and that is why I took your voice away. I have no intention to kill you, though.�
Kella couldn�t speak, so she just glared at it. Tielor, with an obvious waver in his voice, asked, �Well, then, what are you going to do with us?�
The Menace chuckled, �I made a deal with two man-eating birds a couple of centuries ago. I�m going to satisfy the deal with surrendering you two to them to eat.�
With that, the Menace walked away, laughing as it did so. It changed back into its natural form, and then it disappeared from sight.
�Sorry, Kella,� Tielor mumbled. Kella looked at him with forgiving eyes, but Tielor felt too guilty to look at her. Kella wished that she could tell him that everything was okay, but she couldn�t speak.
For the next hour, Kella and Tielor struggled to get free, but it was no use. Finally, they looked up into the sky and saw the giant forms of two black birds with what looked like steel beaks. They swooped down and landed right in front of Kella and Tielor. The two closed their eyes, preparing themselves for the worst.
Nothing happened, though. Kella and Tielor opened their eyes. The birds were looking them up and down. The biggest one said disgustedly, �It took that Menace forever to pay us back...with children?�
Tielor was about to point out that they weren�t children but decided to hold back. The other bird said, �I can�t believe this. The older, plump ones are much tastier. I say we refuse to accept this offer!�
Tielor and Kella smiled at each other. Tielor asked the birds eagerly, �So, then, will you let us go?�
The birds laughed. The biggest one said, �No way! That would be like accepting the offer, and if we accepted, we wouldn�t be able to get a better deal!�
�Yes, well, if you don�t let us go, the Menace will argue, but if you do, then the Menace will be forced to get you something better,� Tielor explained hopefully.
The birds considered this for a moment before nodding. The smaller one asked, �That�s true, but why don�t we just eat you, pretend you got away, and ask for a better deal?�
Tielor rolled his eyes, �Because that would be like accepting the offer!�
The birds agreed with this and used their steel beaks to break the chains, freeing them. The biggest bird then questioned Kella, �Say, how come you haven�t said anything?�
�The Menace took her voice,� Tielor said quickly. Kella nodded, saddened.
�Well, if you want your voice back, all you have to do is see the magic healer of Jeweled Cave that lies just west of here. It�s take about a day to get there, though. Anyway, as soon as you get to the cave, don�t touch the jewels that are touching the cave walls, or else you will die instantly. Just venture into the cave until you find the healer.�
Tielor thanked the birds and set off with Kella westward. Even though it was night and Kella and Tielor were exhausted, they decided not to rest, as they wanted to defeat the Menace as soon as possible.
Nightfall the following day, Kella and Tielor reached the mouth of the cave. They were exhausted, but they were also very happy that they had made it. They sat down on a nearby rock to rest up for awhile and looked inside of the cave. They gasped at what they saw.
There were thousands of jewels lining the walls of the cave. Some of the jewels were large, and others were small. The two gaped as the jewels shone with the new light of the harvest moon.
As they stared at the jewels, a small, beautiful, white bird swooped down and into the cave, probably fascinated by the beauty of the jewels, too. Kella and Tielor turned their attention to the bird instead as it perched on a blue, long, thin, jewel jutting out the farthest from the wall.
Almost immediately, the bird keeled over and fell to the floor of the cave. Kella would�ve screamed if she had her voice. Tielor was horrified. They both made a mental note to be extremely careful in the cave.
They almost fell asleep after that because of their fatigue from traveling for so long, but they knew that the longer they waited, the more damage the Menace would cause.
They ventured into the cave, trying not to make a sound. As they moved deeper in, the light didn�t falter. The jewels seemed to be not just ordinary jewels, but maybe had a little magic as they reflected light and illuminated the cave. They observed dead bodies on the ground, arms extended as if they were reaching for a jewel. Some were only skeletons, and others were fresher. Kella turned away from them and kept her eyes forward.
After awhile, Kella noticed that Tielor had stopped. She turned around and caught the boy staring at a green gem sticking out near the ground of the cave. Tielor was smiling dreamily. When he realized that Kella was watching him, he looked up at her and beamed, �I like this one, Kella. Green is my favorite color.�
Kella moved closer to Tielor and tried to pull him up, but he wouldn�t move. Tielor looked back at the gem, �Why, it�s just as pretty as you.�
Kella stood horrified as she watched Tielor reach forward to grab the jewel. Without really thinking, she shoved the boy away, ramming him hard in the chest. They skidded on the cave floor, and as soon as they stopped, Tielor was pulled out of his trance.
Kella tried to explain what happened just then using body language, and Tielor eventually understood. He breathed deeply and shakily before saying, �That�s probably what happened to them,� he gestured to the bodies on the ground before continuing, �They were probably trying to see the healer, but became enchanted by a jewel. They died before they could ever see him...or her.�
Kella nodded, agreeing. Tielor also tried to keep his focus straight ahead, afraid that a jewel would catch his attention again.
After a very long walk, they finally reached an area that was much brighter than the rest of the cave. The jewels here were even more spectacular than the others. A stone table was in the center, and a middle-aged man in a brown cloak was leaning over it. He stared at Kella and Tielor before commanding, �Come closer, children!�
Tielor almost informed him that they were not children but thought against it. Instead, he asked as he Kella moved forward, �Are you the healer of Jeweled Cave?�
The man straightened up, �I�m more than just a healer, Boy. I�m a magician.�
Tielor bowed slightly, �We have a problem. You do know of the Menace, right? Well, this girl here,� he indicated Kella, �is a Cinger, but the Menace took her voice, and we�ve been told that you are capable of restoring it to her.�
The healer circled Kella, observing her, �I could, but she�s such a pretty thing. It would be a shame to do it.�
�Why?� asked Tielor, alarmed.
The healer moved back behind the table, �You see, I can�t just do things like this for nothing. I need something in return, and not just anything, but a real sacrifice. I would need one of her gorgeous eyes.�
Kella�s eyes widened, and Tielor panicked. He swallowed asked almost angrily, �If she doesn�t get her voice back, the Menace will destroy us all, including you. Can�t you just do this for free?�
The healer shook his head, �I would, Boy, but it just doesn�t work like that. I need something in return.�
�But-�
�Do you want me to restore her voice or not?� the healer roared. Tielor hung his head.
Kella was terrified. Tielor really did love Kella and did not want anyone to hurt her, so he offered, �Will you take one of my eyes instead?�
The healer shook his head, graying locks bouncing everywhere, �No. I need something from the person I�m healing.�
Kella gulped and agreed. The healer instructed her to lie down on the table. Tielor stepped back, afraid of what would happen.
The magician leaned over Kella and started murmuring some words that echoed throughout the cave. The cave light dimmed, and the words of the healer grew louder, yet Tielor couldn�t understand what he was saying.
Suddenly, a black hand appeared out of seemingly nowhere and took out Kella�s right eye. A white hand replaced her tongue and voice box.
Then the hands disappeared, and everything immediately returned to normal. An eerie feeling hung in the air. Kella sat up and began to sing, but Tielor and Kella both noticed something horrible.
The voice that the healer had given her was not her own! The crystals in the cave remained intact.
Tielor became hot with anger, �That�s not her voice! She�s a Cinger! She needs her own voice!�
Kella held back her tears as she tried to calm Tielor down, �Oh, don�t, Tielor. You�ll make things worse.�
The healer casually shrugged, �Well, if you wanted me to restore her voice to her, you should�ve asked! That�ll cost both of her eyes, though.
Tielor was about to yell at the healer again when Kella sadly nodded and said, �I will give up both of my eyes to save the world.�
Kella lied down on the table again, and the magician started murmuring different words. A black hand took out her tongue, voice box, and her other eye. A white hand placed in another tongue and voice box. It all ended just as quickly as the first time. Kella sat up and sang. All of the crystals lining the wall throughout the cave shattered, scarring the boy, the healer, and the Cinger. Since the crystal pieces were disconnected from the cave wall, the three did not die as the shards pierced their skin.
The healer ordered Kella and Tielor to leave quickly so that they could stop the menace. Tielor led Kella out of the room and into the twisting passages of the cave.
�I can�t even cry now!� sobbed Kella.
Tielor looked at Kella�s face for the first time since she got her voice back and gasped when he saw her empty eye sockets. He shyly asked, �Kella, would you mind if I bandaged your eyes?�
Sensing the tension in his voice, Kella agreed. Tielor tore off the sleeve of his shirt and wrapped it around Kella�s head, covering the empty sockets. He immediately felt better. He could easily pretend that Kella still had eyes now.
It was dawn when he and Kella emerged from Jeweled Cave. Tielor wished he could show the Kella the beautiful sight of the sun beginning to climb into the sky, but he couldn�t, and since he didn�t want Kella to feel left out, he decided to not even tell her that the sunrise was beautiful at all.
The journeyed back up the mountain. Both of them were very tired, but they were on a mission, and they wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. At dawn the next day, they made it to the top of the mountain again.
Tielor observed the dead bodies of steel-beaked birds that had helped them escape in crumpled heap at the top. The Menace had obviously killed them because he was angered that they would ask him for a better deal and that he and Kella had escaped.
Tielor directed her to where he saw the Menace looking down the mountain. Tielor stopped Kella at a certain point and whispered in her ear, telling her to sing.
Kella nodded and took a deep breath. Unfortunately, the Menace heard her and turned. He charged toward her.
Even though she couldn�t see, Kella knew that the Menace had heard her and was coming towards her. She was too stunned to do anything.
The Menace reached out to take her voice. Tielor threw a large stone at to divert its attention. To his delight, it worked. The Menace turned to him, a look of violence in his eyes. His hissed furiously.
�Sing, Kella!� Tielor screamed.
Kella didn�t waste another moment and sang at the top of her lungs. The Menace didn�t have enough time to stop her. It growled and cried before it broke into millions of pieces.
The dark fragments flew everywhere. This time, however, Kella did not stop singing. She continued her lovely solo, and the pieces of the Menace did not come near her. Tielor, however, was not protected. He tried to dodge the shards, but one managed to plunge into his chest.
He felt it. It was a horrible feeling. He collapsed as everything around him began to cloud. Kella�s voice started to sound like something from a dream, and a high-pitched ringing filled his ears. The shard that had found its way into his heart was sending excruciating pain throughout his entire body. He shook and wriggled on the ground, trying to control himself.
Kella stopped singing just then, and the pain subsided. Tielor wearily stood, using a rock for support. He staggered over to Kella and flung his arms around her. He whispered in her ear, �You did it, Kella. You did it.�
The two teenagers stood there for awhile before dropping to the ground, falling into a much-needed sleep.
When they awoke, it was dark. Tielor wasn�t sure how long they had slept, but he felt refreshed and ready to go.
He gently awoke Kella and led her back home. The journey down the mountain took a shorter time than up. Soon, they made it back to town.
Everyone was ecstatic to see them again. As soon as Kella and Tielor washed off, they explained every detail of their quest. Tielor than asked an eye doctor if he could do something about Kella�s eyes. The doctor informed that Kella�s sight could not be restored, but he said that he could give her glass eyes.
Kella was given new eyes that matched the same color of her old eyes, that they did not have the same sparkle. Tielor smiled when he saw her after the operation. He came up to her and offered her an apple blossom. Kella couldn�t see it, but she was very grateful for it. She held it up to her nose and inhaled its sweet aroma.
�I love you, Kella,� he told her quietly.
�And I you,� Kella replied in a hushed voice.
The two embraced each other and planted a deep kiss on each other�s lips, knowing that they were meant to be together forever.