Judith Part 2

    “Judith would you like to have a seat?” the man in black asks. He gestures toward another smaller rock between the door and his rock.
    Judith walks over, and looks at the man in black. He is a pale man with long dark hair. He is well kept and clean as far as she can tell. She can’t see his left hand or his feet they are under his robes. The robes are so black that they reflect little iridescent shades of green, blue, purple, and deep red. The red was the same shade of the door. Blood red.
    Judith shook her head, “Mom said to not talk to strangers.”
    “Isn’t that a good little girl.”  His voice is very soothing, but not right. He continues,     “We don’t have to talk. We can just play the game.”
    “What game?” At the mention of games Judith perked up. Judith loved games. She loved puzzle games, board games, video games, drawing games.
    “Have you ever played chess, Judith?” He motions again toward the other rock. She climbs up and fans out her sundress.
    “My dad showed me how the pieces move.”
    “Good. Here is a puzzle and riddle for you. When you are finished I can help.”
    “Help with what? I want to go home.”
    The soothing man in black spoke slowly, “Where four by four line across the field they must both end where the other began. Rules to follow, none to be broken. They may pass, but not poses the same. No capture know victory. Know capture no victory.” With this the man in black stands up, and claps his hands. A checker pattern appears in the grass five spaces across and four spaces deep. Four of the five spaces closest to her have tall slender pillars that rise out of the grass. Across the pattern closest to the man in black four more slender pillars rise out of the opposing squares.  He says, “Good luck.”  Just as his foot touches the grass he bursts into a flurry of feathers. A flock of crows take off and circle Judith before disappearing into the distance.
    Judith sits down on her rock looking at the pillars. There aren’t any marking on the pillars. They look a lot like black and white versions of the Washington memorial Judith remembers from her history book, only smaller. They are slightly taller than she is. She attempts to push one of them straightforward toward a blank spot on the opposite side of the board. It will not budge. Judith walks around the pillar looking for any sign of what to do.      
    There aren’t any markings on any of the pillars or on the grass. She places her hand on the corner of a white pillar to brace herself and the pillar began to move diagonally across the field.  It moves all the way across the checkerboard and stops diagonally across from a black pillar. A bright light shot out of the black pillar and hit the white pillar. It shatters and crumbles to dust. A new white pillar takes its place back in the original position.
    She hears a faint noise. It’s coming from near her feet. She looks down and sees a very small white door on the side of the rock she had used as a seat earlier. As she gets closer to the door she hears a voice saying, “I can help you.”

To be Concluded

-P