Decietful Allure (Around the fireplace series)

* THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENTS WHICH MAY BE UNCOMFORTABLE OR EVEN SCARY TO OTHERS *

*PROCEED WITH CAUTION *

 The princess walked in a hurry towards her sanctuary, a place she can truly be alone to cry, curse, where she could freely loose her temper, her composure, where she could be whatever she wanted to be, to do, without judgment or expectations, she breezed through the village barely finding it in her to respond to the greetings directed at her. Finally she arrived at a path with little people, she continued on walking towards her destination, a deserted clearing, close to the evil forest, covered with vegetation, a huge tree stood there, with dense and thick leaves, a tree stump below making for a perfect chair, she sat down gloomily.

With a final glance at her surroundings, making sure no one was around. The flood gates opened, her tears ran down freely like water from the stream, she sniffled, her sadness turning into anger as the seconds ticked by, she screamed angrily like an enraged tigress.

She stood up abruptly and turned to the tree and started to kick it in anger, her lamb skin shoe flew out of her leg and into the bushes but she continued kicking indiscriminately, without care for her now bruised foot.

While the Princess continued with her self abuse, unknown to her a pair of eyes watched from the dark. The man or half man stared thoughtfully at the angry princess and smiled, he turned back and rolled -yes you heard me right- rolled like a ball towards his town in the evil forest, on getting to town, he rolled to one of his acquaintance, he shouted at the door to get the attention of the owner of the house, for he had no arms of which he could use for knocking, his friend came out, a tall man whose face was crisscrossed with scars, he frowned when he saw the visitor.

'Arubé, I came to ask you for something.' He spoke to the giant in front of him.

'Ublowoh, what business do you have with me' Arubé the giant spoke in a rough voice that sounded like nails on a chalk board, a voice that could only bring torture to the listener.

' Arubé you know that I've not yet married, and I'm way passed the age of marriage.' Ublowoh spoke to Arubé cautiously.

'Ehe, how's that my business, abi you want to marry me or my wife.' Arubé spoke, his voice lowered threatenly, as if if Ublowoh made the mistake of nodding, he would be met with a hearty beating. The half man shivered in fear at the underlying threat.

'No, no, not at all, it's just that I've finally seen the girl that I want to marry, and I'll like your help courting her.' Ublowoh said hurriedly, afraid of explaining late and receiving a beating from the riled up Arubé.

Arubé paused and observed Ublowoh, nodding as he looked at him deep in thought, with the way Ublowoh looked, he'll need all the help he could get if he wanted to court anyone, Arubé's eyes raked Ublowoh from head to to- I mean head to waist, which was the full height of the half man, he was called Ublowoh or rather half man for a reason. The half man had no legs or hands, he only had a head and upper body without hands, and he was so ugly that his mother threw him away immediately after he was born, his mouth was flat, his teeth was like that of a rabbit, his lips were like that of a frog, his nose was very big like that of hawk, his eyes were tiny and squinty, his face was thin and gaunt, his torso was sunken like that of a skeleton. Arubé shook his head in pity, he really had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, there was no way a girl in her right mind would marry him, it's not like he is even rich, if he was rich maybe the girl would close her eyes and marry him but no he was wretched and hideous. It'd take a huge gigantic miracle for him to get married, he snickered under his breath. 'So how do you want me to help?'

Ublowoh sighed in relief, finally the question he'd been waiting for. 'Nothing much really. I just want to borrow your legs.' He said calmly, it was obvious this was not the first time he did this.

Arubé's brows arched upwards, 'just this and you're beating around the bush, you should have gone straight to the point instead of wasting my time' he said angrily, reaching to pull off his legs, this was not the first time Ublowoh borrowed a body part from him, incomplete beings made up most of the population in the evil forest but many spirits in the evil forest also had the ability of incorporating body parts and making them theirs. Usually body parts are sold in the evil forest but Ublowoh was too poor to afford them, so he always borrowed body parts when he went to the human market to sell his goods.

'This time I'll be borrowing it for a longer period of time and more frequently but don't worry I'll compensate you handsomely.' Ublowoh said.

' You, Ublowoh, will compensate me, how? Do you have any hidden wealth I don't know about.' He looked at the half man in disbelief, everyone in the evil forest knew that Ublowoh was a pauper, he was so poor he could barely afford to feed himself.

'Don't worry about that, even if it's to sell everything I have, I will pay you your money.' He assured him.

'You're the one that said it yourself, I don't want to talk too much when that time comes, do what you promised or else. You know what I can do.' He warned, then sat down and pulled his legs off, he helped the half man put his legs on.

'Ok let me be on my way, don't worry I'll do what I promised, thank you, please greet our wife for me.' Ublowoh turned around, now with legs and went to look for someone else to borrow other body parts from.

 Just like that, Ublowoh went about borrowing body parts, first the hands, then the face, then the eyes, the nose, the ears then the mouth. Finally he went to his final destination and borrowed the upper body from the neck to the waist, replacing his original wretched body parts.

Ublowoh - literally means half man, or half human.

Arubé - they struggled in futility.