E3: Legend and plane in a forest
Welcome to a new storytelling podcast from me, Chris Chinchilla. Listen above, or search for “Chinchilla tales” wherever you find your podcasts.This episode contains two works of flash fiction from a text and audio collection of flash fiction available now. It’s called “Small gregarious fiction, volume 1”, find out more at chrischinchilla.com/books.The first deals with what happens when legends retire, and the second with opportunity from adversity.Enjoy, share with your friends, and find more about me at chrischinchilla.com.Thanks for reading Chinchilla tales! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.LegendI rested my lance in its ornate frame one last time, cleaning the gore from its tip and shaft and polishing it to bring back some sheen and shine.I called for my squire to unfasten my heavy armour. He had been with me for years now, and I felt his deft fingers work through the clasps and straps, and slowly the weight encasing my body fell, and I could move more freely for the first time in days. I let out a deep breath and reclined in my favourite leather chair, the tension in my body waning as I did. My squire fetched me a glass of fine wine, and I beckoned for him to join me in a toast. He looked surprised at the invite but joined me anyway, knowing that as this had been my final mission for the kingdom, protocol be damned.He broke the silence first. “How do you feel, sir?”I took a long sip of wine and reflected on my decades of adventuring and service. I was tired, my body ached from years of abuse, and it was time I stopped. I was to move into training and mentoring the current and next generation of those like me, sharing knowledge and experience to mould them into the best they could be. Still, it wasn’t quite the same as a life on the road.I sighed. “Mixed. I have never been one for emotion. As you well know, I don’t have the time for it. I am sorry to leave a lifetime behind, but I know I have to. It’s time for new legends to be born.”My squire nodded and topped my glass, sloshing it with wine. I bid him cheers and looked around the room at the mementoes from my adventures. There was the giant skull of Haxdar, the first dragon I slayed, its leering eye sockets forever peering at me as a reminder of that harrowing day. There was the magic staff of Valdeer the Lich, sealed in a magic-proof cage so no one could ever wield its evil again. That was a battle I still have nightmares over. And there was the bow of Jilana, once my adventuring companion and lover. We had so many adventures together until the warlord of Forlarn struck her down with a mighty battle axe. A tear nearly gathered in my eye as I thought of her, and my squire, following my eyes, distracted my thoughts by changing the subject.“I hear you start swordcraft classes tomorrow with the new officers? What will you teach them?”Shaken from my memories, I turned to him and thought. What would I teach this new generation of legend makers? What lessons from my years of experience were the most important, the most essential to my survival and success. I sipped my wine. I had no idea.The plane in the forestShe awoke and looked around her, pain flowing through her body. Her whole left side seared with pain from her shoulder to her toes. Her eyes cracked open, and took in the scene around her.She was still strapped into a seat, an oxygen mask uselessly flapping around her face. Empty seats around her, a trail of detritus strewn around from single-use drink serves to magazines and children’s toys. There were flashing lights in the distance, but she couldn’t focus on where they were coming from. In the background was a faint mechanical hum, accompanied by the sound of metal coming to rest, gently wheezing as it released tension and cooled in the breeze.The breeze. Wait, that didn’t make sense. Wasn’t she on a plane? That was the last time she remembered anything clearly. There had been some form of emergency, a lot of announcements, noise, lights, and activity. There had been so much happening in a short space of time, and then nothing but screaming. Then she blacked out.So where was she? When was she? Why was there a breeze? She loosened her belt and gingerly turned around to look behind her. This sent a sharp stab of pain through her left leg, but she saw the source of the breeze. The whole back half of the plane was missing, and the most surreal sight greeted her. Beyond the machine and human-made chaos was the most beautiful and serene forest. Lush green pine trees swayed gently in the breeze, and birds flitted around the tree line, adding a subtle beauty to the chaotic noises in her nearby vicinity.She slowly tried standing, testing how far she could push the pain in her leg. It hurt a lot, but she could move slowly and carefully, picking her way through the objects littering the floor. She made her way to the opening in the back end of the plane and stood staring out over the scene. It was outstandingly beautiful, and she breathed in the fresh air, the smell of fuel overtaken by pine trees and damp, clammy nature.Where was everyone else? There had been hundreds of people on the plane, and she had seen no bodies, no sign of life apart from what they had left behind. Still, if she was to be stranded somewhere, there were worse places. She checked the plane galley. There was still plenty of food, well preserved too. There was copious water, alcohol, and blankets stored away in trolleys. And stabbing at a few random buttons, she even noticed there was some power left in the internal batteries. This would do, she thought. This would do nicely.A loud burst of static disturbed the peace of her thoughts. It had come from the pilot’s compartment, the door of which was hanging off its hinges precariously.“Four oh niner, please report your destination and status, and we can begin a rescue operation.”She sat on the edge of the plane caprice, swinging her legs in the gentle breeze and watching the birds playing on the tree tops. The rescue could wait. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chinchillatales.substack.com
