Silent Knight
Marc first created the Knight, as he called him, a few months after the cave. He was the last personality to be born.
It had been a particularly bad week. His dad had been away from home for most of the past three days, leaving his mom to do whatever she wanted. It had been a half-day at school on Wednesday and there had been no school on Thursday or Friday for teacher in-service days. Once, like most children, Marc had loved those days. Now he dreaded them. And Randall’s birthday was coming up, so his mom was easily upset. Or, no, she was already upset. And angry at him.
It was Saturday, Randall’s birthday. By then, Marc had already started attending all four synagogue sessions at his dad’s temple. However, both morning sessions had ended, and his dad was in a meeting and had told him to go home. He’d given Marc his house key to let himself in, in case his mom was sleeping, which she did a lot now. Marc peered in all the windows he could see in, on every side of the house, before letting himself in, after he couldn’t see her anywhere.
The second he was inside, though, a hand grabbed him by the hair hard, and another one had him by the collar. Then he was slammed into the wall. Marc screamed. “Shut up!” her hate-filled voice hissed. She slammed him into the wall again. “It’s his birthday today, and you don’t even care! You couldn’t even be bothered to stay home and remember him! Or get him a gift! Or even a card! After what you did to him! You disgusting little piece of shit!” Marc sobbed. “Shut up!” she said again. She slammed him into the wall again, this time causing him to fall backwards. Then she knelt in front of him and seized him by the hair, jerking his head back. Then, she flung him face-first to the floor. Marc whimpered quietly. She seized a fist full of his shirt and yanked him to his feet. Then she again jerked his head back and looked at him. “Get out,” she spat in his face. “Get out of this house. I never want to see you again, you filthy, horrible, evil monster!”
Marc stared at her, his eyes filled with tears. “I said get out!” She seized him by the hair and flung him out the door. Then she slammed it behind her.
Marc stood on the lawn, stunned. He felt sick. His legs were shaking. His face and arms and back and his entire body hurt. For several moments, he couldn’t move. Then he limped away. He didn’t even know where he was going. Didn’t know how long he walked, or how far. He just knew he had to get away.
He found himself heading toward an area a few blocks away, where he knew there were a lot of empty houses. He slipped into one of the backyards, then through that one to another, then through another one. Not many people lived in this part of town, and there was a lot of overgrown brush and plenty of clusters of bushes and trees to slip through, not to mention unbelievably tall grass and weeds, so nobody saw him. When he got to a fourth yard, he was surprised to find a small house in it. He didn’t think it was a playhouse or a shed, it was too big for that. When he tried the door, he found that it opened creakily.
“Wow…”
The house was dark and musty inside, like a cave. It even smelled a little bit like a cave. He walked a little further inside. The were no chairs or couches, but there were a few shelves built into the wall. He wandered around the house for a while, just looking. After a while, he noticed a drawer, and pulled it opened, with difficulty. He was surprised to find a large, thick book inside. He picked it up and blew the dust off, then brushed more of it off with his hands. It read simply: An Anthology of Knights.
He carried it over to a spot near some windows, then he sat down, opened it, and began to read. First there was something called a Preface, then an Introduction, then something else called Acknowledgements, but he wound up skipping all those. He finally found a story, one about a boy named Percival whose brothers all died and whose mother kept him hidden in the woods to keep him safe, until he met some knights and decided he would be one. He then had a lot of adventures and saved a lot of people from bad things happening to them. He even got to find the Holy Grail, just like Steven Grant had done in one of the video games. He read another story, then another. They were so good he lost all track of time. Eventually, he got to a story about a boy named Peredur, which the small introduction to the story said about Percival had come from. In it, Peredur fought a water monster in a cave called the afanc, and a nice woman gave him a magic stone so he could beat it. It was a nice story, but it made him think of RoRo. Peredur had lost his brothers, like Percival – though he had six, and Percival only had two. Marc sat the book down for a bit. I bet Percival and Peredur wished they were knights before, he thought, so they could save their brothers. He wondered why his mother hated him after his brother died, while Percival and Peredur’s mothers just wanted to keep them safe after theirs did. It must be because it was his big brothers who died, he thought, and big brothers should take care of little brothers. He wished he was a knight. Then, he could’ve saved RoRo. He thought about how he would’ve done it. A magic stone, like Peredur used to fight the Afanc? Or a magic sword? All knights had swords, right? Or maybe a shield. A magic shield that could keep the water away…
. . .
He and Randall were inside their favorite cave. “That was awesome,” RoRo said happily. They went deeper in. There was a roaring, rumbling sound. Suddenly, a huge surge of dirty brown water came at them. It formed into a monster, lunging at them with a huge mouth that grew bigger and bigger, and then RoRo was sucked in, screaming for their mom, and Marc was screaming for RoRo, and then he was being sucked in, too, and then he was flinging his arms around, and… And then his hand bumped something at his side. Surprised, he gripped it, and pulled it out. A sword, he realized. And he was holding something in his other hand. A shield. He flung out the sword, and slammed the shield on the ground. The monster fell apart, becoming thousands of little drops of water. And the Randall was standing there, soaked, but alive. Then they were outside the cave, standing in a palace, and his parents were there, sitting on thrones, dressed like a king and queen. “You saved your brother from the afanc, with the magic sword and shield I gave you,” she said. She picked up a sword next to her and moved it across his shoulders. “You’re a knight now.”
“Can I be his squire, Mommy?” Randall asked.
“Yes,” she said. “You’ll be his Squire.”
. . .
“Marc!” Someone grabbed him by the shoulder, suddenly, and Marc flinched, and whirled around to see who it was. He relaxed. It was only his dad. “My God, son,” he breathed. “I was worried sick.” Marc’s lip trembled. “Mom told me to leave. She-she said she never wanted to see me again.”
“I know, son.” He pulled the boy into a hug, which Marc returned. “I’m sorry,” his dad whispered. “I’m so sorry.” Marc wanted to say it was okay, but it wasn’t, and he didn’t want to pretend anymore.
His father let go after a few minutes. “I think you and I should go stay with the Davises for a little while,” he said. “Do you want anything from home?”
Marc thought. “Buddy and Teddy,” he said, referring to his two stuffed dogs. “And Ian, and Isaac,” he added, referring to his stuffed lion and rabbit, respectively.
“Alright,” his dad said. “I’m gonna drop you off at the Davises, then I’ll swing by the house and get them, and grab us some clothes.”
“Dad?” Marc asked.
“Hmm?”
“Can I keep this book?” he pleaded, picking it up. Elias hesitated. He knew he shouldn’t allow his son to just take things, but no one had lived in or even owned any of these old houses in years, so it was extremely unlikely that anyone would ever be back to claim it, so it would just sit around going unread. And there was so little that brought Marc joy these days. “Alright,” he said. “But just so you understand, I’m only letting you have it because this house hasn’t had an owner for a long time, and if someone were coming back for it, they would have. You can’t just take things from other people’s houses. Also, I want to look at it before you read anymore. You understand?”
“Yes, Daddy,” Marc said, beaming.
“Oh, and Marc? From now on, I think you’d better stay with me when I have meetings after temple. I’m so sorry Mom did that to you.” Marc looked down. “Okay, Dad.”
. . .
Two hours later, Marc sat on the bed in one of the Davises’ guestrooms, surrounded by his favorite stuffed animals. Well, Buddy, the yellow dog, and Ian, the lion, were his. Teddy, the brown dog, and Isaac, the rabbit, had been RoRo’s favorite toys. But Marc had kept them, after the cave, because they made him think of RoRo.
“I’m a knight,” he whispered to them. He’d promised to play quietly, until dinnertime. That was fine with him. “Do you guys wanna be my helpers?”
. . .
Marc and Randall rode their horses through the forest. Their dogs, Buddy and Teddy, Marc’s lion, Ian, and Randall’s rabbit, Isaac, trotted alongside them.
“What should we call the horses?” Randall asked. Marc’s horse was white, while Randall’s was black.
Marc thought. “Well, I’m calling mine Moon,” he declared. “What are you calling yours?”
“Shadow,” Randall decided.
They heard a scream. “Someone needs our help, my faithful Squire,” Marc declared, and they sped up their horses. They followed the sound of the screaming, till they came to the house where it was coming from. Outside, they found a small boy crying. They got off their horses. “What’s wrong?” Marc asked the little boy.
“It’s my mum,” the little boy sobbed. “I woke up, and she was gone. Instead, there was a monster who looked just like her.”
Marc and Randall looked at each other. “How do you know she wasn’t your mom?” Marc asked.
“She hit me,” the boy sniffled. “My real mum would never do that.”
Marc and Randall looked at each other. “What’s your name?” Marc asked the little boy. “Steven,” he said.
“Steven,” Marc said. “We’ll get your real mom back, don’t worry.”
“I’m going with you,” Steven said.
“Alright,” Marc said, and he put Steven on his horse, then climbed on behind him. They then rode off, the four animals trotting alongside them.
They hadn’t ridden far when they heard another scream. They soon came to another house. They found another little boy outside. “What’s wrong?” Marc asked him, as he and Randall climbed off their horses.
“I got home, and my mami was gone,” the boy said. “Instead, there was a monster who looked just like her.”
Marc and Randall looked at each other. “How do you know she wasn’t your mom?” Marc asked.
“She locked me out of the house, and told me to never come back,” the boy said. “My real mami would never do that.”
Marc and Randall exchanged looks. “What’s your name?” Marc asked.
“Jake,” the boy said.
“Jake,” Marc said. “We’ll get your real mom back, don’t worry.”
“I’m going with you,” Jake said.
“Alright,” Marc said. He climbed back on his horse behind Steven, and then lifted Jake up behind him. “Hold on to me tight,” he instructed, and Jake did. Randall got back on his horse They then rode off, the four animals trotting alongside them.
They soon heard another scream and urged their horses towards it. They found another little boy standing outside a house. “What’s wrong?” Marc asked, getting off his horse.
“I came downstairs, and my mom was gone,” the little boy sobbed. “Instead, there was a monster who looked just like her.”
Marc and Randall looked at each other. “How do you know she wasn’t your mom?” Marc asked.
“She said I was a monster, and a disgusting human, and she hated me,” the little boy said. “My real mom would never say that.” Marc and Randall exchanged looks again. “What’s your name?” Marc asked.
“Marc,” the little boy said.
“My name’s Marc, too,” Marc said. “Marc, we’ll get your real mom back, don’t worry.”
“I’m going with you,” the other Marc said.
“Alright,” the first Marc said. “Randall, can he ride with you? There’s no room left on my horse.”
“Okay,” Randall said. The other Marc climbed up behind him on Shadow, and the first Marc climbed up between Jake and Steven on Moon, and they rode off, the four animals trotting alongside them. “Wait,” Randall said suddenly, after they had ridden for some time. “How will we even know where to look for their moms?”
Marc thought. “Do you have anything that smells like your moms?” he asked. “We could give it to the dogs, and have them smell it.”
The three other boys thought.
“I have a scarf my mum made,” Steven said, pulling it out of his pocket. “She just washed it yesterday, so her smell should still be on it.” He held it out and let the dogs sniff it.
“I have a sandwich my mami made,” Jake said, pulling it out of his pocket. “She just gave it to me this morning, so her smell should still be on it.” He held it out, and let the dogs sniff it.
“I don’t have anything from my mom,” the second Marc said. “But she gave me a hug before I went upstairs a little while ago. Maybe the dogs can smell her on me.” He climbed off the horse, and held his arms out to the two dogs. “Here, boys,” he called, and the two dogs came to him, and smelled him. Then he got back up on Shadow.
“Buddy, Teddy,” Marc said. “Find us some place with all three of those smells.” The dogs were off, the horses, with the five boys riding on them, following behind, and the other two animals running alongside. At last, the dogs stopped at a cave, with a large stone in front of it, sealing the entrance. “They must be in there,” the first Marc said.
“How will we get in?” Randall asked.
“I’ll break the stone with my shield,” the first Marc said. He got down off his horse, and slammed his shield into the rock. It broke into thousands of pieces, and the first Marc entered the cave, followed by Randall, Steven, Jake, the second Marc, Buddy and Teddy the dogs, Ian the lion, and Isaac the rabbit. Inside were three women. The minute the team entered the cave, they all sprang up.
“Steven!” one of them cried.
“Jake!” called out another.
“Marc!” exclaimed the third.
“Mum!” cried Steven.
“Mami!” called Jake.
"Mom!” the second Marc exclaimed. They all ran to each other and hugged. “Oh, our brave boys.” “We knew you’d find us.” “We’re so glad you’re safe,” the women all said.
“We didn’t find you, Mum,” Steven said.
“It was Marc, and Randall, and Teddy, and Buddy,” Jake said, gesturing at the two other boys, and the dogs. “The lion and the rabbit helped, too.” The three women surged forward, hugging all of them. “Thank you.” “Thank you so much.” “Thank you for getting us back to our boys.”
“The monsters pretending to be us won’t be finished,” Jake’s mom said, and the other two nodded in agreement.
“That’s right,” a voice said, and the next second, three women who looked just like the boys’ mothers were standing in front of them. The dogs growled. The three mothers glared at the three fake mothers. “You won’t hurt our boys anymore,” Steven’s mom said. The monster who looked like Steven’s mom lunged at him, but his real mom smacked her, and the monster disappeared. The monster who looked like Jake’s mom grabbed for him, but his real mom pushed her to the ground, and she vanished. The monster who looked like the second Marc’s mom started toward him, but his real mom threw a rock at her, and she faded away.
Marc and Randall invited the other boys and their moms to dinner, which they accepted. After that, Steven, Jake, and the second Marc went on lots of adventures with Marc and Randall and their four animal friends.
. . .
When Elias came up to get Marc for dinner later, he found him sound asleep. The little boy looked so peaceful that Elias didn’t have the heart to wake him up. Instead, he carefully tucked the four stuffed toys in his arms, then got his son’s favorite blanket, which he’d brought from home, out of his suitcase and carefully tucked him in. Then he kissed his son’s forehead, whispered “I love you, kiddo,” and left the room quietly.
. . .
Marc and his dad stayed with the Davises for a couple of weeks before they went home. Marc wasn’t sure why they did, but he’d heard his dad arguing over the phone a few times while they were away – sometimes with his mom, sometimes, it sounded like it was with his grandpa.
His mom left him alone for a while after they came back. Marc hoped that she’d stopped hating him.
Two or three months later, though, the monster was back.
. . .
He became Jake when his mother was beating him, and she turned into his stepmother, though he wasn’t aware of this. When he was alone and missed his mom, he turned into Steven, whose mother never raised her voice, or had an unkind word to say to him. When he missed RoRo, he became the Knight. When he was the Knight, RoRo came back. As the Knight, RoRo called him Markie, while calling the other Marc just “Marc.” RoRo was with him on all his adventures. Buddy, Ian, Isaac, and Teddy went along on most of them, along with Moon and Shadow. Steven, Jake and the other Marc often went with them, too. In time, all the others became knights, too, even the animals. They were his partners now, not his helpers. They even saved people themselves. But they still kept going on adventures with him.
. . .
Most of the other adventures the Knight, Randall and their other friends have come from things Marc reads in books, or comics, or sees on TV, or in movies, or in video games. They fight a werewolf, once. Another time, they save the same werewolf from some bad guys who want to use him to hurt people. Another time, they save a bunch of kids from some vampires. They have lots of adventures together. Too many to count.
. . .
The Knight is brave, and can take care of people, and keep them safe. And he doesn’t need anyone to take care of him. Like Steven, the Knight is a refuge. A way to escape when things get bad. Like Steven and Jake, he saves Marc, repeatedly. While he falls largely silent for Marc as he gets older, he doesn’t die. He stays inside him, always giving him strength. And he is never forgotten.
THE END