Hammer 6: Firewood

The bang of the screen door on the back porch startled Corvan out of a deep sleep. His parents had returned, and, judging from the light coming in his window, it was almost time for supper. At least there was no jagged rip in the window screen. The lizard was still out there under the rock, waiting for him to return.

Rolling out of bed, he grunted as the handle of the hammer jabbed his ribs. Pulling it from under the quilt, he checked it over. This time there was no glow or warmth, just cold stone. Something had changed. It was time to talk to his father and find out where his grandfather was taking the hammer on the night he disappeared.

He hesitated, then pushed it back under his pillow. It would be best to wait until he could talk to his dad in private. No use in alarming his mother with a story of being attacked by a wild animal out at the rock. She didn’t like his special place much and might tell him not to go back. He closed the door quietly and head down the stairs.

“Did you play on your rock the whole day?” his mother asked as he entered the kitchen. “You didn’t fill the wood box, and I’ll be baking bread tomorrow for the next farmer’s market.”

“I’ll do it in a bit. I need to ask Dad something.”

“What about?”

“Nothing. I just need—”

“If it’s nothing, it can wait until you fill the wood box.”

“I’ll do it later.”

“Do you know how many times I’ve heard that?” she asked.

Corvan nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. I really will do it as soon as I talk with Dad.”

His mother stopped what she was doing, looked at him for a moment, then nodded. “He’s out front.”

His dad was by the hood of his truck, wiping off the dipstick. “Hasn’t lost a drop since the last oil change,” he said with a smile. “I think the old girl will still be going when you take her over.”

Corvan leaned on the fender and watched as his father took the air filter apart and cleaned the inside. He was seemingly oblivious to the tension his son was feeling.

“I lied to you.” His words hung in the air.

His father straightened and looked at him. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Corvan nodded just as the dinner bell rang on the back porch.

His dad pushed the hood shut. “After supper then. I’ll meet you at the firepit on the rock.” Their eyes met briefly, then they walked in silence to the back porch to wash up. Corvan knew his father was not a physically affectionate person by nature, and had been even more distant in recent years, but he still found himself hoping the man would reach out and put a hand on his shoulder or give some indication he wanted to connect.

As soon as supper was over, Corvan filled the wood box while his father helped with the dishes. His dad nodded at him to go ahead without him. No doubt he wanted to talk to his mother about what was going on.

The long shadows of the aspen trees were creeping across the yard. The North Star sparkled in the darkening sky, and the warmth of the day still clung to the autumn air.

Leaving the yard behind, he approached the west side of the Castle Rock. It appeared much more mysterious in the muted shadows of twilight, as if it were the grave of an ancient warrior king about to arise and lead his people into battle. His father had informed him the rock was a sacred place to the people who once lived in the area. They believed it had the power to protect them from their enemies, but in the end, they had been defeated and vanished from the area.

Corvan climbed to the top, entered the circle, and went to the gap to look across into his bedroom window. His mother once let it slip that it was his grandfather who had cut the stone out of the circle and had rolled it into the center. If she understood correctly, all boulders around the rim had been cut out of the crown of the hill. After telling him, she had asked Corvan to keep it a secret because his father didn’t want the people from the university poking around again.

Corvan and Kate’s rickety fort had been reduced to a muddy pile of broken boards by the storm. The pool of water had drained from the depression in the center of the rocks, leaving only a soggy patch where he’d found the hammer. The only water left up top was a muddy puddle inside the ring of smaller stones they sometimes used for a firepit.

The song his father had been singing earlier on the back porch rose strong and clear on the evening breeze. The words were foreign to Corvan but the feelings that they evoked were familiar. Corvan went back to western side. His dad was carrying something under one arm that was wrapped in an old blanket. The other arm was full of firewood. He wasn’t wearing his sunglasses, and he looked more like his old self. He smiled warmly at Corvan. “How about getting a fire going up by your fort while I go split a bit more wood from the pile?”

“We will have enough if we use the broken boards from our fort,” Corvan said, pointing up the slope. “It got knocked flat in the storm, but the firepit is still full of water.”

Setting the firewood and the strange long bundle down, his father climbed up to take a look. After surveying the scene, he looked down at Corvan. “I’ll grab a few of the short boards while you get the fire ready out here.”

Corvan nodded as his dad went into the rocks. The man rarely went there, at least during the day. The only time Corvan had seen him inside the circle was late at night when a full moon was out.

He was arranging the kindling and firewood in the tipi style his father had taught him on a flat spot near the western trail when his dad reappeared. He stood for a moment between the rocks with a few short boards in one hand and a long stick Corvan would use to stir his campfires in the other. Highlighted against the darkening sky, it looked to Corvan like he was carrying a sword and shield.For a moment, the final golden rays of the day captured a noble look on his face, like a warrior king about to embark on an important quest.

His father placed the broken boards and stick to one side and retrieved a pack of matches from his pocket. A moment later, flickering flames lit the craggy features of his face. The wood crackled, his father sat back, and they sat watching the flames in silence for a long while before his father spoke.

“I am proud of you for letting me know you did not tell the truth. It demonstrates that you are beginning to understand what it takes to be a leader. If your grandfather were here, he would be proud of you.”

Corvan’s chest swelled with pride. He’d done something right for a change. Perhaps there was hope for him. Maybe all this talk about turning fifteen and become a man meant something after all.

His father leaned back and looked into the sky. “Can you imagine not seeing a single star in your lifetime? Never enjoying the vastness of a night sky or feeling the pull of a full moon?”

Corvan shook his head as his father continued, “There was a time when our people didn’t see these things.” He leaned forward, put a palm flat against the rock beside him, and stared at it. “I’m not quite sure where I should begin or how much I’m supposed to tell you before you come of age. He wasn’t very clear about that.”

Corvan didn’t know what to say. He had been expecting his father to ask him about what he’d found out at the rock but this seemed to be more important to the man.

His father stared into fire, deep in thought.

Corvan moved closer to break the chill of the breeze flowing in on the heels of the setting sun.

The nearby hooting of an owl finally broke the silence. His father reached beside him and pulled the blanket-wrapped object onto his lap. Pushing the coarse fabric aside, he slowly revealed a long wooden box. Firelight flickered across the polished surface, as if the box itself were on fire. Was this an early birthday present his parents had picked up in town? He glanced up to find his father studying him.

“Your grandfather left this with me, and he made the case to keep it safe.” He tapped on the polished top. “I’m definitely not as good with wood as he was.”

“But you can make just about anything out of metal,” Corvan said. “That forged ring around my lightbulb looks great and it sure is strong. If I stand on my bed, I can hang from it.”

His father grinned. “I’m not sure what your grandfather used to attach that ring to the beams, so hanging from it might not be the best idea. I didn’t create that particular piece and I’m not sure what sort of metal it is. It might be brittle as I sure had a hard time drilling the holes for him. Your grandfather brought it back with him on one of his trips.”

Corvan nodded eagerly, happy to be chatting freely again and learning more about his grandfather as well. “Sometimes, when I am in my fort, I can feel you pounding on stuff down in the cellar.”

His father’s eyes narrowed. “You can feel that out here?”

Corvan nodded.

“That’s good to know,” his father said, more to himself than to Corvan. “The cellar must be connected. He was right after all. Itisthe same rock.”

“I really felt it the night of the storm,” Corvan interjected. “It was like you’d set off an underground explosion.”

A mischievous smile crinkled the corners of his father’s eyes. He looked like a boy caught stealing apples. “I’ve been working on something down there at night. I’ll show it to you after your birthday, but no using the dumbwaiter for a peek ahead of time.” His father smiled at him, and Corvan grinned back. The dumbwaiter was a small elevator connecting the kitchen to the cellar below. Exactly why his grandfather had built it instead of putting in a stair to the basement was a mystery, but Corvan could easily crouch inside and move himself up and down without having to go outside. It was great in the winter.

His father shook his head. “Your grandfather was supposed to be here on your fifteenth birthday to tell you everything he wanted you to know.” He looked up into the sky for a long moment. “He and I never talked that much even when he was around. I failed to recognize the danger he was in and didn’t realize I might never see him again.”

His dad’s eyes glinted softly in the firelight. “He did tell me that you would need this someday.” He tapped a finger on the black case. “‘He must have it,’ he told me, ‘When he is ready, for this one is the Cor-Van.’”

The way his father said his name, pausing in the middle and stressing the last syllable, made Corvan’s skin prickle. The shadows of the trees at the base of the hill seemed to grow darker and reach toward them. Corvan put two more boards on the fire and leaned closer.

“It was he who named you,” his father said over the crackling of the old wood. “Your mother chose a different name, but he insisted on Corvan. If he was right, you will know soon, for your time is almost here.” He looked intently into Corvan’s eyes. “Do you remember his story of this rock?”

“Something about a betrayal and the final battle?”

Father nodded. “There are always those who want power over others. The old ways leave no room for that, but, in the end, our people were outnumbered and wiped out, except for one warrior.”

“The one who built the Castle Rock?”

“Oh, no. That part of the legend is not true. The circle of rocks goes back much further than him or his tribe. It started eons ago, back with the lost people.”

“Who?”

His father frowned. “I’m not completely sure of that history.” He stared beyond the fire at the castle, then turned back to look intently into Corvan’s eyes. “The one thing your grandfather was certain about is that your future is tied to that circle of stones.”

The dinner bell on the back porch rang urgently, and his father glanced over his shoulder. “I know that sound. Your mother must need to talk to me.” He wrapped the blanket back around the wooden case. “Looks like I will have to show you this another time. Your grandfather made me promise I would give it to you once your fifteenth year began. He said by then you would be an adult, able to choose between fear and duty.” He stood. “You certainly proved him right today.”

Although his father was trying to make him feel better, Corvan found his stomach churning. Instead of being able to confide in his father about the lizard and the hammer, he now had a mysterious box to consider along with the added weight of soon becoming an adult. He wasn’t ready for that. Up till now had been looking forward to being able to grow his hair out and looking less like a child so the teasing at school might stop.Now he was thinking he would be fine for things to stay as they were a bit longer. Fors of the Puma Clan was a young man when he left home on his quest. Corvan was not ready for anything like that. At this moment he just wanted to be back in the security of his own bedroom.

Leaving the dying fire behind, they returned to the house. On the porch, Corvan looked back. The flickering embers and wisps of smoke made the Castle Rock look like a volcano teetering on the edge of an eruption.

Inside the house, they paused at the foot of the stairs. His father put a hand on his shoulder, as if he had more to say, but then he just nodded, entered his own bedroom, and shut the door.

Back upstairs, Corvan closed his door, sat on the bed, and pulled his pillow away to expose the hammer. “How are you connected to what’s in black box?” he whispered. “I think my grandfather rolled the middle stone over to keep you safe.” He touched the handle and the soft glow from the strange markings on the base of the handle sprang to life. He leaned in closer. The light was from an insignia on the bottom of the handle, a ring within a ring, with strange figures between the two. The markings on the hammer were identical to those on the oak chest in the corner of his room!

Hammer in hand, he rolled off the side of the bed. The blue glow washed over the large oak chest against the far wall just as the phone in the kitchen rang with their distinctive party line code. He stopped and listened to a short, muffled conversation, then his father hung up. He heard his mother asked a question, then chairs scraped across the floor. His parents were settling in at the table for a talk.

Corvan tried to ease out of bed, but the old floorboards groaned under his weight. There was no way he could make it to the chest without his parents hearing him moving about. Pulling back onto the bed, he listened carefully. There was a pause in their conversation, and then the back screen door squeaked and banged.

Corvan shoved the hammer under his pillow. One of them must be heading for the outhouse and he couldn’t have them see his room full of blue light. He would need to wait for them to go to bed before checking out the insignia on the chest.

The moon crept out from behind a cloud and its light landed squarely on the oak chest. In the pale light, it looked like a stone coffin, like the sarcophagus that King Arthur was buried in with its thick lid hanging out over the edges.

The rings and the strange markings from the hammer were highlighted dead center on the front of the chest. From his vantage point he could see that although the chest insignia was larger, the hole in the center appeared to be about the same size as the handle of the hammer. It stood to reason that since his grandfather had made the chest, the stone hammer must be some sort of key that would reveal a secret compartment inside.

Reaching under his pillow, he wrapped his hand around the hammer’s handle. Blue light leaked out the side, and he lay his head down to cover it up. The comforting warmth of the hammer ebbed up his arm, along with a growing weariness. He tried to fight it off, to stay awake until his parents went to bed, but the sleepy calm spread through his body and mind.

He tried to let go of the handle, but it was too late.