#19 of 100: The Cultist and the Beast
Once upon a time, in a forest far, far away, there lived a cultist called Norbert.
A silly piece today. Does this count as a fairy tale? Let me know in the comments.
Once upon a time, in a forest far, far away, there lived a cultist called Norbert. He lived with his friends in narrow underground burrows where they stored all the treasures they had come across on their travels. There were vials of blood from virgins, dense bones from warriors, and wisdom teeth from wizards across the land. Every month, they would lay out their treasures in a forest clearing and perform an ancient ritual that opened a portal to another realm. A beautiful beast with three slavering mouths would stomp out, eat a willing cultist, and then go back to its realm, promising that when they performed the ritual enough times it would stay and do their bidding. The cultists would rejoice and count down the days until they could next pierce the veil between the two realms.
One day, Norbert found the treasures of the cult had been laid out wrong. The virgin’s blood had been used to paint the wrong runes, the warrior bones were placed at the wrong angle, and the wisdom teeth were gathered up in groups of seven instead of groups of nine. Who would do such a thing? He went to the lead cultist and asked her what had happened.
“Norbert, my good fellow, some of the other cultists said they had discovered a way to summon an even more powerful beast who will surely stay in this world and bring forth a new reign of terror. Don’t worry, when we perform the ritual tonight, you will see how much better this layout is.”
Norbert said nothing, because he knew arguing against her could result in him being disembowelled. Still, he felt unease at the change. They had performed the old ritual for so many years that the three-mouthed beast had started to feel like a friend, even though it had eaten most of Norbert’s previous friends.
That night, when all the other cultists had gathered in the clearing and begun chanting, Norbert wasn’t among them. Instead, he stood further away - close enough to watch what was happening, but far enough that he could make a run for it if something bad happened.
When the chanting had finished, the bones and teeth and bloodied rocks rose up from the ground and formed an archway. All the cultists held their breath, waiting to see what would greet them from the other realm. Soon enough, a gigantic beast stomped through, though not the same one that they knew and loved. This beast only had one mouth, but what a mouth it was! Its lower jaw gaped open and dragged along the forest floor, leaving a space big enough for a man to step into, and its five rows of teeth were as sharp as razors.
“Who dares to pull me from my home?” It asked. Although a tongue flickered in its mouth as it spoke, the jaw itself did not move, and the sound seemed to come from far deeper inside its body.
“We, the Cult of The Forest, have summoned you, oh powerful one,” the head cultist called out. “We seek an alliance with you so you may help us rule the kingdoms. We humbly offer you one of our kind to eat every month in payment.”
“Why would I come here to eat one of you a month, when I could just eat all of you now and then return to my slumber?” The beast asked.
When it received no response, it launched itself at the cult leader and gulped her down in one go. The other cultists tried to flee, but the beast moved with unnatural speed and guzzled down every last one of them.
Every last one of them, that is, except for Norbert. When Norbert heard the beast speak, he ran and ran until he could run no more. He had witnessed the folly of trying to change the old ways, and vowed to himself that he would never be so foolish.
Soon he found a new forest to conduct rituals in, and had gathered a new band of cultists. Every month they placed the blood, bones and teeth according to the old ritual, and offered up one of their members to the three-mouthed beast they had come to trust. They lived happily ever after, safe in the knowledge that one day their favourite beast would keep its side of the bargain.