"Faceless"

By: Yasin Sanchouli

The heart of the sun was fading, at least for today. Gracious in defeat, the sun was losing the azure skies to the paws of night. It was trying to
show the village its warmth and kindness by that burnt sienna even to the last moment. As down heartening was this brutal outcome of nature was also
a man. Freakishly tall, heavy built body, covered in shabby clothes, dragging his left foot along, his face cracked and melted like an arid land which was
abandoned under the blazing sun of the hottest summer ever. The nightmarish look on his face could scare the life out of everyone, let alone the
children of the village.
The children of that village were the feared and the fear as well. Normally, they would welcome him by throwing stone at him just out of habit, cursing
him, calling him "the monster", treating him just like the way they would have treated a stray dog. To them, he was only a means of proving bravery; the
harder the shot, the truer the proof. To this man these shots barely meant pain to the sense we know it .The feeling was like getting pulled by two hooks
at two opposite ends, each wanting a fair share of your flesh .One of them the broken and shattered pride and the other one the fear that standing up
against the children, who were jockeying for pride of their own, could possibly intensify the animosity hidden under the villagers' mask of pity. He was a
menace to their heavenly beautiful village in which ugly things were not welcome. Those children also didn't want that evil figure marring their pleasure,
the pleasure of feeling the touch of the sun, mostly the disappearance of which coincides with the appearance of the man. They didnt want the heavy
shade of this man cast over their house windows, while getting cherished by their parents in front of that vividly red lit fireplace.

Before the presence of the children, the mans path was chosen by needs, mostly hunger. But now the path was dictated by stones getting thrown at
him. Once in a while the monster would hide his hideous and burnt face under a thick blanket as he was rummaging in panic through the garbage to find
enough food remains to make do for the night to come.
Once again the children found him in an alley. They wouldnt stop scaring him off. When he noticed that the children were there, he quickly snatched
what he had already gathered and started laming towards the jungle. The children were chasing him from alley to alley to make sure he wouldnt get
away with that. Although what he had with him wasnt beyond his needs; while litter of absolute no use could be found in abundance in the village.
As the ominous voice of the children felt tired enough to fade out, the sound of a cool breeze rose from the jungle. The drizzling started to touch his face
and the monster closed his eyes with a sigh of relief. The pain realized It's time to walk off and leave the man in peace, momentarily at least.
It was fall and the forest floor was decorated with reddish and yellowish mosaic of fallen leaves. The trees were rustling in the breeze as the monster
was passing by a limpid stream. No matter how bad the welt on his chest was, this forest had seemingly the right panacea for his pains. After a long
walk his hideout started to push laboriously through the trees; a tent made by Boars' hides, enough tree branches and some leaves to help the man bear
the rain, now pounding remorselessly on earth.
As he entered into his home, he went straight for some bark and firewood to build a fire. It was freezing to the marrow of his bones. The rain wouldn't let
up; the noise of the rain drops beating the ground was spectacular. The specks of dust were raised and the aroma of soil could be purely smelled all
over the jungle. The man, almost lullabied by these magic spells, was gazing at the dying embers .His eyes started to feel warm and drowsy, as his
eyelids began to fall. After a day like that a deep sleep was all he wanted. It was almost in the middle of the night and he was into a deep sleep when
something shattered the peace. It was the nightmare of ghostly echoes chasing him down into a chamber with seven doors to fire. He was drenched to
the skin when he woke up gasping heavily. As he woke up, some noise started to rise creepily, conspiring with the clamor of the wind and the heavy
rain. He mingled with the darkness to hide, his eyes following the noise wandering around the tent. The sound was fading in. As quick as a ghost a small

figure appeared out of nowhere, looking into his eyes which were sparkling in the darkness inside the tent. The man narrowed his eyes to see more of
that figure. It was a little girl of some eight years of age, shivering terribly with cold in a thin muddy purple dress. Embracing herself, she was trying to
comfort the body and fight the brutal cold off.
The monster leaned forward a bit. Now that half of his face was in the cast of silver moon light, the girl cringed at the sight of the man's burnt face.
Having realized that the girl is scared, the man withdrew lingeringly into the darkness again.
"Don't be afraid said the man in a booming and raspy voice. And there were some moments of mystifying silence. Not being able to free herself from the
shadows of this limbo, the girl glanced with horror and exhaustion at the pile of stuff the monster had gathered. The monster, with a dull move of his
head towards them said "youll find some bread in there"
The girl took some steps with caution towards the pile of stuff and then started delving into them. After finding that stale piece of bread, she started
nibbling on it. The monster stood up, his shoulders craning forward almost touching the inner top part of the tent, and reached for some more bark to
bring the fire back to life so the anguishing cold could be chained. The monster knew her from somewhere, a blurry image at the back of his mind. He
sat facing her, watching her eating the bread, indifferent to the mans gruesome face. It took a while for him to collect his gloomy thoughts to ask Do you
have a name? The girl was just staring at him. Must have been lost in the woods he wondered. Suddenly the little girl started to gesticulate anxiously,
trying to show the man what has happened, though all he could see were moving lips bound to silence. After listening to her muffled voice, he walked
towards her, taking off the blanket he would normally use for hiding from people and hung it on her shoulders.
Both were sitting near the fire trying to feel only a bit warmer; four hands could be seen from the above, two burnt ,two tiny doll-like. They had an enemy
in common, bitter cold. After sometime she began yawning again and again, finally she couldn't resist the urge to sleep. There she was, far away in the
dream land. She had put her hands under her head as a pillow, face of a little angle, moonlit, somehow radiant, some brown spots here and there and
pale yellowish hair. Now that the monster knew she was sleeping, he whispered quietly I had a name one day, Commander Edinwine..."

It was the middle of the day, the sun was ashamed, holding the clouds in front of his face, yet peeking sometimes. The silver lining was no longer a good
omen. Two armies were getting prepared to play the white and the black. Commander Edinwine mounted on his horse, trotting before his army. The look
in his eyes was enough to fire up the whole army. That was when he started talking and shouting out his words once again the gods have spoken to our
king, thats why we are here today, to obey what we are told to do. The glory of a man has nothing to do with his defeats; there is no shame in losing a
war. What embarrasses me is losing without the honor of being a true warrior. A true warrior fights pain and dishonor not his enemy. Today we are
fighting against pain and dishonor. For the king, for the gods, for honor" and then he beat his sword on his armor three times. Some seconds later, war
trumpets were blown, young soldiers were hammering their armor with swords, bows and arrows were getting prepared to tear hearts. Finally the
collision happened. Humans were swinging their swords. Streams of blood were quenched by new bloods every second. Severed body parts were
everywhere. Death was watching over his legacy, making sure everything was happening the way he wanted it to happen. Edinwine was somewhere
among them having his own war.
It was near the sunset when all of it was finished. Now they could have their prize for honor, a fallen city, and widows mourning over their beloveds and
little kids who had lifeless shoulders to cry on. The soldiers were looting the dead bodies like rabid jackals. Hatred had a malicious smile on his face.
Now it was the night to celebrate the victory. Epic songs could be heard all around the camp, eulogizing the bravery of the army, poets in their tents
wracking their brains just to have said something praising Edinwine, The Commander. The night of celebration with all its glitter and glamor passed. The
day after Edinwine was strutting around the city when he heard a patrol of his soldiers having a squabble. He approached with curiosity, there was a little
boy trying to protect his older sister, overshadowed by three gigantic soldiers. Obviously the boy had kicked one of the soldiers in the groin. Edinwine
pushed the soldiers aside, got closer to him. The boy was filled with fury, sweat was all over his face, and he was looking daggers at the Commander.
Edinwine looked him in the eyes and with a serious look on his face told him "Death doesn't deserve you yet, young man". Then he turned back, took his

dagger out, grabbed the soldier with his left hand by the collar, put his dagger on his throat and briskly said leave my army! .Then he shoved the soldier
who was already reeling in shock and continued walking...

A float on the surface of the lake moved up and down a bit, making small waves and pushing green leaves on the water. The smell of fresh grass was all
around the lake and a tree whose branches gave shelter to little sparrows ruffling their feathers from time to time. Edinwine, holding a fishing rod in his
hands, had laid his back to the trunk of a tree. With a quick movement of his hand he pulled out the fishing rod, he had caught a big Fish.
Some years had passed and Edinwine had already left the army for good; married and the result of this marriage was two beautiful girls.
He picked up the basket, thanked nature for what he has been blessed with, mounted on his horse and left the lake heading towards home. He was
enjoying the sound of clip-clopping on the way; both sides of the road were painted with tall and old oak trees leaving their leaves to the breeze of fate.
The sunset with its reddish rays, coloring the fluffy white clouds, could be seen rambling on his left side. He had almost arrived to his village, when he
saw two carriages guarded by the kings soldiers packed with the young girls of his village. Some of the girls were weeping and crying, some were bright
eyed and bushy tailed.
Edinwine, now anxious with a crowded mind, started whipping the horses, making them gallop down the seemingly endless lane. When he arrived the
first thing he noticed was a soldier holding a scroll, shouting out some words"...by the order of our honorable king, all the 18-year old virgins have to
sleep with the lord of their village to be purified of evil spirit...".These words were enough to strike horrifying fear into his heart. He rode to his house as
quickly as possible. When he was almost there he tried to jump off the horse but his left foot stuck in the stirrup and he banged his face against the
ground. Now mud was all over his face and body, and his left foot was broken. Edinwine was making his way towards his house almost on four,
struggling to stand up. That was when he shouted his older daughter's name Ella". Commander Edinwine could only see the soldiers grabbing Ella; he

could watch his wife and his little daughter begging for mercy. Ella was shocked and she was unable to move as two soldiers were holding her hands,
dragging her to the carriage. Her mother, traumatized, was being pushed away again and again by the rest of the soldiers. She fell and rose many times
within seconds. Crying she was. Their little daughter and Edinwine could only watch, with the only difference that she was too close and he was too far.
Now that he was almost at the door, the soldiers were gone. He embraced his wife whose face was crumpled with pain, and the outburst of tears which
couldn't be dammed. Yet their little daughter was still at the door front watching them motionlessly, wiping off her tears with the back of her tiny hands.
When minutes of pure sorrow elapsed a bit, Edinwine took them inside. Nothing was waiting for them there, except hours of darkness and wordy silence.
He couldnt bare the heavy burden of pain forced on him inside of the house; so he left and spent the whole night somewhere near the lane, sitting there
staring into the distance, where the lane would meet the moon. Seconds, minutes, hours passed. Dawn was breaking, when a carriage appeared at the
end of the lane. He stood up, laming towards it. The torture continued for some more seconds. The carriage stopped. One of the soldiers stammered
"Sh - she tried...".Edinwine's patience ran out ,he went straight behind the carriage, that was where he saw his daughter's body lying there lifelessly
under a piece of white cloth. Just like Edinwines face her face was emotionless. He was just watching her. He only sighed and the sound vanished as
the wind was sighing in the trees. In the mean while another guard got closer to him tapping on Edinwine's shoulder, she is in heav... ".The soldier was
cut short, as Edinwine took his dagger out, this time slaying the soldiers throat wide open. The cut disgorged blood ferociously as the soldiers eyeballs
were getting big. Edinwine's white shirt was inked with dark red blood now. Fear forced soldiers into taking action. They grabbed him from behind and
the rest of them started beating him to death.
Now unconscious, Ediniwine was being dragged into the carriage. His face was black and blue with blood all over it. He couldnt see but he could hear a
clamor of voices "wed drop the body at their place and we take him to the castle ".Edinwine's hands were tied and his head was moving back and forth
as the carriage was moving towards the town

"Wake up! Followed by the sound of freezing water getting splashed onto his naked body. Edinwine, lost in the mists of time, was trying to pull his head
up with all the strength left for him. It was like a power play between him and the short ceiling of the dungeon. Beams of light were passing through the
only bars between him and the outside world, highlighting the vapor moving around his body. Another holler hit his ears "wakeup you idiot". This one
was loud enough to wake him up. The torturer grabbed him by the hair and barbarically shoved Edinwine's head backwards. Edinwine forcefully jilted his
hands and feet which were chained to the ground and the ceiling; but no luck.
The torturer whispered in Edinwine's ear" you are going to pay for the blood you shed, your disobedience..."
"And youll get paid for the same reason "Edinwine butted in.
"Shut up you bastard" retorted the torturer and started swinging at him.
"Im the only one who talks here the torturer shouted madly, pointing his index finger at him.
Edinwine looked around himself and said Dont worry, this dungeon is all yours".
"Aha, you want to be smart, is that it?!" said the torturer and continued "I have something smart for you"
Then he picked up a glowing iron rod and started dragging it on Edinwine's stomach.
The pungent whiff of melted human flesh spread through the dungeon. Edinwine was screaming in pain and after some seconds he blacked out.It was
like a thousand years of sleeping to him. He lifted his eyelids which were burdened by exhaustion and found himself among a huge crowd of people
cheering and shouting. Edinwine, tightly tied to a wooden pole, slowly moved his head towards his left and saw two other people, who were almost
unconscious, in white robes tied up to the poles. Anxiously, he looked at his right. There were four other guys tied up wearing the same white robe.

Finally, there he was, the lord of their village right in front of them. The lord himself was also in a white rob in accordance with the tradition of this
ceremony. A white robe was the only thing they were allowed to wear. Nothing of this materialistic world was allowed. "People of Vienna"shouted the
lord and then the crowd burst in uproar. The lord continued" These seven sinners are soon to be sent to the other world. Their tainted souls have to be
purged before entering the kingdom of light; their bodies will be burnt in fire and brim stone so their souls can be freed.
The lord continued "I was told you people are starting to question our ceremonies and traditions. Be mindful that these traditions have only one purpose
and that is saving you from the darkness. Once again the uproar pervaded the atmosphere and that wasn't obviously on the sinners' side. Their Fate
was sealed and they were free to embrace it.
A soldier approached the lord and gave him The Torch of Light ceremoniously. The lord held it in his hands with the palms towards the sky. He looked
at the sky silently for some seconds and then started moving towards the first prisoner. He parted his torch under the woods around the prisoners one
after another. He was almost done putting the sixth prisoner on fire, when the prisoners cries got loud enough to interrupt. The lord turned his back
against the prisoners and started talking to the people again. The lord, with a satisfied gesture, raised his voice do you see what should be done to
purge the impure souls? Do you see the pain these people are enduring? There is a price for everything and for cleansing The lord wasnt finished yet
when a bolt of fire tackled him from behind. It was Edinwine who had broken loose from the already melted and damaged ropes by the fire. The soldiers
rushed at them to put out the fire by any means possible. But it was late since they had become united in fire. They were tossing and ruling on the
ground, shouting out loud in pain. Edinwine had grabbed the lord tightly and the lords hapless efforts to break free were utterly useless. Finally they put
out the fire and an abominable scene emerged. When the minutes of shock and horror passed, they noticed they had no option but to take the bodies
apart. The sound of sticky flesh could be heard since the flesh of the bodies had become melted and intertwined, and nobody could distinguish the
bodies from each other. One of the soldiers said what should we do now? and the head of the soldiers replied we take the bodies to the morgue and
we ask for the other lords of the region

Some soldiers took the bodies to the morgue. Meanwhile they sent after other lords to gather and discuss the issue.it was around midnight that all of the
lords of the area arrived. Without any waste of time they gathered in the counseling room. Tell us what exactly happened? the lord of Giralda asked the
head of the soldiers. The soldier narrated the story. The lord of another village known as Venhement asked the soldiers to take them to the morgue to
see the bodies themselves. Before entering the morgue they were warned about the horrific scene they were about to see. They were guided to a room
in which the bodies were kept. The bodies were laid on two beds of white marble. The sharp contrast between the white marble and the burned flesh of
the bodies was a sore thing to look at.
Which one is the lord of Vienna? Asked one of the lords near the bodies while looking at them with curiosity and disgust.
Thats the problem your majesty! We didnt know what to do with the other one so we asked for your counsel replied the head of the soldiers.
How much time do we have? Said the lord.
Until tomorrow morning sir. The atmosphere among people is already tense. We have to make a decision. Said the head.
Wed better go back to the council room and discuss it there the lord of Giralda told the others.
They talked and talked for hours but to no avail .As a way of paying tribute to their heroes, people of Vienna would put the body of the venerated in a
boat and leave it to the hands of the ocean. But there arose the problem. They had no clue which body should be put in the boat. They could find no
other options but treating both bodies respectfully to avoid any possibility of desecrating the lords body.
That night was horrifying to most of the people in Vienna. Fear could be found in every corner. You could hear people talking in their houses. It must be
a sign from gods
How did that just happen?

the lord was so shocked that

Sentences like these could be heard all around Vienna.
The day after, early in the morning, a crowed in black gathered near the seashore .Whispering and weeping could be heard among them. After a while
the soldiers appeared from the gate of the castle carrying the bodies and parading their way to the shore. The dirge added an air of melancholy to the
ceremony. People moved out of the way and the boat which was prepared for the ceremony showed up. Bouquets of flowers were hung around the boat.
The bottom of it was covered with ravishing yellow and white wild flowers whose aroma pervaded the seashore. The bodies covered in white cloth were
taken to the boat respectively as two monks were performing the deads rituals. After that, two soldiers hoisted the sails up and gave the boat a hard
push towards the sea.
It was almost at noon when the boat disappeared from the view; some people had already left the shore. Now the boat was in the middle of the vast and
blue ocean which was shining with hundreds of tiny diamonds floating on its surface. The heavenly harmonic music was getting played by the hands of
the waves and the body of the boat. Up there some white dots were flying with a background of the azure sky. From time to time, the salty water of the
ocean would splash onto the corpses. After some hours the water walked her way through the already burnt flesh of the bodies. That was when vague
cries of pain spread all around the sea. Another splash of water and the corpse winced quickly as the water burnt him so badly. Distorted cries rose
again. It was Edinwine who was still alive, although demented, broken and shattered, alone in the middle of nowhere. Years of presence in wars saved
him from what the lord couldnt be saved from. He looked around himself, quite confused, and saw another corpse. He had no idea what had happened.
He could only remember some blurry flashes.
For days Edinwine managed to survive on the flowers and the leaves in the boat. Edinwine, bereft of hope, was lying there watching the moon and the
sun exchanging their places in the sky. It was almost in the middle of a night when something shook the boat violently and woke up Edinwine who was
almost lifeless and unconscious. Some more hits and the boat fully stopped. Edinwine grabbed the edge of the boat and made every effort to stand up.

The boat had hit the sands of the seashore. Edinwine stood on his feet with the black velvet of a night behind him. He could barely be seen as his body
was nothing less of a night itself. He was still there, wobbly, standing in the boat. It seemed as if he was hesitant to put his foot on the land. Finally he
mustered up all his courage and started walking on the seashore. He looked around himself and after some steps on the soft sand the jungle caught his
attention. Without even thinking about what he wanted to do, he speeded up the pace and disappeared into the dense and dark jungle. As he was going
deeper into the jungle he could hear the wolves howling behind him on the beach, feasting on the lords body.

For many years that jungle was his home until that little girl showed up in a stormy night

I had a name one day, Commander Edinwine whispered the monster, staring at the dying fire. Some minutes later Edinwine was in a deep sleep. The
night passed in a fraction of a second. It was almost at daybreak when Edinwine heard some noise. It was like the sound of the leaves getting squashed.
He opened his eyes and just saw a club coming at his face. It was the last scene of his life. The villagers were all over the place. It was the father of that
little girl who was continually smashing the monsters face with a club, shouting you hideous monster, you devilSome other villagers grabbed the girl
who was crying out loud. Some of them were trying to calm her. Everyone thought that she was weeping for the fear that her father would get hurt by the
hands of the monster. But the girl was crying for the monster
The end