An encounter with “It”

It stalked the mansion grounds, searching for intruders. Though darkness had fallen, Its vision was not impaired. It endured the downpour, unconcerned by the rain, as it moved through the overgrown field. Until water dribbled into Its sensitive ear cavity.

The bipedal being hopped up and down on one foot, shaking Its head to try to clear Its ears. The sodden ground and falling rain muffled the sounds of Its dance so that it could be heard no more than a mile away. Lucky for its denizens, the town was a full 1.5 miles away. The same couldn't be said for the pair of children creeping through the nearby wood.

Becca and Rudy were running away from home. Instead of taking the main road heading south out of town, the pair were picking their way parallel to it through the woods. Well, they had been, until Becca spotted a shortcut. Now they were stumbling around in the dim woods, soaked to their skin, trying to find somewhere to shelter.

When they heard the massive thumping sound and felt the vibrations through their feet, they froze. Rudy also let out half a scream before Becca clamped a hand over his mouth. She whispered that it was only boulders falling (from what mountain?) and that they definitely weren't near the Old Man's mansion (because she has such a great sense of direction). Lightning forked through the sky and the children, looking through the trees, saw that Becca was dead wrong.

The guardian ceased hopping and swung his head toward the woods. The water in Its ears didn't significantly impair Its hearing. No, the Master had taken care to imbue the being with senses that surpass most of Its kind. Unfortunately, this sensitivity extended to Its ear canal, where It was extremely ticklish.

After shaking Its head a few more times, It lumbered toward the woods, seeking the trespassers It had clearly heard. Boulders, It chuckled. She's not too far off. Made of dense, hardened clay, the being was akin to a massive stone with rough, humanoid features.

The children heard Its laughter as an indistinct growl. While they were deciding whether to try to run away or hide, another flash of lightning lit the night, and through the trees they could see the beast loping across the sloped mansion lawn, heading directly for them.

They ran, hand in hand, but their sense of direction hadn't miraculously improved. The pair stumbled through the woods, their hearts beating twice as fast as the rythmic footfalls of the massive beast, until finally they burst out of the trees- and onto the mansion lawn. They spun around and found themselves face to face with the mansion's guardian.

The imposing figure was eight feet tall and stocky enough that the two would barely be able to encircle it with their arms linked, if for some ludicrous reason they had wanted to. The beast shook its head and growled, sounding like it had rocks in its throat.

Actually, It did. But it wasn't growling. It was laughing as It tried again to drain the water from Its ear. Rudy slumped in a faint, and before Becca could do anything, the beast grabbed both children and carried one under each arm up to a side door of the mansion.

Contemplating how It would ring the bell, the being was saved from the dilemma as the door swung open.

"Yes, Golem?" said the man in the doorway.

"Master, I found these young humans in your woods."

"Well, what were they doing there?"

"Getting rained on. Debating my essence. Running around in the dark."

"Tsk tsk. They'll catch their death of cold. And running through the woods like that, it's a wonder they didn't get hurt."

"That's what I thought, sir. That's why I brought them here."

"Very good, Golem. But why are you carrying them like that? They have feet, don't they?"

"This one fainted, and the other looked quite pale. I fear they are malnourished, and thought it better to carry them here swiftly."

"Well children, are you able to stand now? Golem can't fit through this doorway and I'm not strong enough to carry you, so it will be better if you can walk inside yourself."

Becca and Rudy, who had roused toward the end of the conversation, squeaked out a "yes." They had no idea what was going on, but preferred to face it on their own two feet. Upright, they got a good look at the man in the doorway. Thin, pale, and stooped, the man nevertheless had a magnificent silver beard that extended below his waist. It was also tucked into the belt of his black robe. A lens strapped to his left eye added to his eccentric and intimidating appearrance.

"Are y-y-you the Old Man of the Mansion?" asked Becca.

"Now that's a strange title." The man in the doorway stroked his beard, considering. "This is my house, which is bigger than most, so I suppose 'mansion' is a suitable description. I'm the only man here, so that makes me the eldest, doesn't it? But that also makes me the youngest! Perhaps I'm the Young Jarl of the Yard, ruling over my land! Or the Mysterious Mystic of Mysteries! Although that's rather redundant."

Golem, standing behind the children, raised an arm to get the Master's attention. Not wishing to make the Master look poorly in front of the children, It signed to him, indicating that while he warmed to this new subject, the young humans were getting chillier.

"But anyway," the man said to the children, "you can just call me Ned."

"Okay, Ned," Becca tried.

"Or Ned the Knowledgeable."

Golem waved at him again.

"Just kidding! Ned. Just Ned. Come in, come in! We have to get you by the fire. Would you like some hot coffee? Oh wait, I haven't tested coffee on any other humans yet. Not sure of the long-term effects. Hot cocoa then! You must have some hot cocoa..."

The voices faded as Ned led the children to kitchen. Golem carefully reached in for the doorknob and closed the door. Returning to Its rounds, Golem went over the evening's events in his mind. It wondered why the young humans had been in the woods. Then It gave serious consideration to the Master's name. Golem would think of something clever that would make Master happy.

But first It had to find a reed to poke Its ear. It couldn't think properly with that infernal sloshing and tickling!