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 Better Than Nothing  (6 ratings)by Art Hernandez Page 2 of 2 The thought that there was more of this bird's kind froze the blood in my veins.
"How many chances do I get to guess your name?" I ask it. "Only one chance," the bird sneers, its fiery eyeballs rolling. I see victory shining brightly in its eyes as a chill crawls up my spine. "One chance? That hardly seems fair. I'm surely doomed after all," I protest, holding tightly to the entrance. "I'm sorry," the creature replies, cocking its head. "It's better than nothing. Right?" I decide then. "Right. OK, I will deliver. May I have time to contemplate?" "You may have one minute. That is all," the bird replies. "A minute isn't enough time," I tell it. "That's not my concern," it snarls back. I begin thinking, quickly. A minute goes by. "Your time is up," the bird squawks. "Tell me, now!" "Is your name Gouyi?" I ask it. (Don't ask me where I thought up the name. Perhaps I heard it once in a nightmare.) A long grin, or what seems a grin, forms upon the bird's face. It straightens itself, shaking its feathers, dust and dirt flinging. It then spreads its wings and prepares to lunge. Landing in front of the passage, it starts tearing at the entrance with its sharp beak. Tree bark is flying in every direction, soaring through the air like sharp spears. The entrance, in seconds, is widened. I am defenseless, helpless. There's no where to go. "Now I can finally taste your blood," it hisses. The bird raises its beak and, with one good downward thrust, commences to end my life on this planet. My eyes close. I am expecting pain, a painful death. However nothing happens. To me that is. Something happens to the bird. Its beak explodes; its feathers catch fire. And it howls horridly, shaking the limbs and branches surrounding it. I'm confused, beyond measure. "Your name is Gouyi?" "Yes!" The bird screeches hurtfully. "But why are you attacking me?" Smoke starts to stream from a huge cavity on the bird's face (where the beak once was). Its feathers are turning to ash, its bones are glowing and slowly melting, blood is spilling from its eyes. Finally I hear it speak its last words. "I never believed in that crazy legend." Then suddenly it explodes. I duck to avoid the fragments. E P I L O G E Hours later, after climbing back down, I reach the border of my village. A few of the village children are playing around a dying fig tree, waving a heavy stick at it. I note that two of the children, two boys, are taking aim at the tree and tossing stones at it. As I draw closer to the yelling and screaming, I finally see what they'd been taking aim at. It's a large snake, black as night, wrapped around the very top of the fig tree, its long tongue whipping about. It's hissing wildly and, with a great intention to inflict pain, striking out at the boys. I hear one boy chanting, "Hey! Hey! What's my name? Guess it right and I'll leave you the same." T H E E N D Copyright © 1992 by Arturo Hernandez
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