Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

By Keshav Pandya

The story you are about to envelope is a tale untold, unheard, and unseen. It is a tale set thousands of years ago in the ancient times, a tale of a village, an evil king, a hero, and a deep blue sea.

The village of Arutham, cursed by an invasion of the terrible King Asak and trapped by the realms of the deep blue sea, suffers for eighteen years hoping for freedom and fearing the kings wrath.

King Asak rules countless villages and acquires wealth, as the devil haunts his villagers suffering from a prophecy that he fears from.

The hero, Rozac Lons, an eighteen-year-old orphan living the life of a toymaker, awakens to fight and free his enchained villagers from the devil.

The deep blue sea holds the dead bodies of the poor villagers, cursing the people of the village forever.

From all of this comes a tale of a mans journey to free his villagers from a curse, a devil, and deep blue sea. It is the journey of unity, toil, dedication, and duty to work fearlessly and fight for truth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Oct 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781489700322

Keshav Pandya

Keshav Pandya, a seventeen-year-old student, lives in Old Bridge, New Jersey, a suburban town. Since his adolescence, he has been interested and attracted to the world of literature. Writing poetry and stories, Pandya loved creating creative plots, and rhythmic poetry. Interested in writing books, he enrolled in the Institute for Children’s Literature, where he was assigned courses, prepared to face the writer’s market, and taught the intricacies and complexities of writing a book. Pandya lives with his mom, dad, and older brother. Enjoying playing sports, and spending time with family and friends, Pandya is at the core a student. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was a story line that occurred to him when he was in fourth grade; knowing the greatness and significance of children’s literature, he knew he had to make it his first.

Book preview

Prologue

The book you are about to unravel is not the usual tale. It is not a fantasy with blazing dragons spitting out fiery flames. The story within is not a fairy tale about a princess lost in a colossal tower awaiting for a chivalric knight to save her and accompany her on a journey of love and kinship. The locked tale, within the realms of the book, is not a sci-fi story with mystical creatures, futuristic plots, shadowy monsters, and scientific phenomena. The story is not a love story. A love story of two star-crossed lovebirds fighting their grudging parents to meet their future of intimacy and companionship; no, this is not that type of story. Nor is this story a plot driven by complexity and mysterious puzzles.

The story you are about to unravel is a tale of legends unspoken of and a story lost in history’s pages. The story is about the journey of a single revolutionary, a single light in the midst of darkness, a single holder of the torch enflamed with the fire of sacrifice, a single fight, a single youth’s journey, a single leader.

Before I fall into the hollow hole of philosophies and descriptions, it is essential for me to define a true revolutionary. A revolutionary is one who fights for the purpose of truthfulness and righteousness. A revolutionary is one who in the face of failure stares difficulty in the eye, and fights evil with all his might. A true revolutionary is one who looks in the hearts of the others before looking within his own. A true revolutionary fights for others before he even looks for his own comforts and survival. A true revolutionary is one who defeats the illusion of fear within the minds of his followers. A revolutionary is selfless. A revolutionary awakens his people from dreams and leads them to fight to make the dreams a reality. A true revolutionary is one who changes the people’s minds to a mind focused on a prosperous goal. When the seas of ignorance crash in the minds of the people and the winds of fear gush against the stoned hearts of the people, a revolutionary is one who leads them to a destination of duty following the sparkling stars of freedom. A true revolutionary is engrossed in his duty, his goal, his dream. He is so engrossed that he wishes to lead the people to the destination following the path of morality, justice, and integrity. The pillars of what he creates for years may fall on to his shoulders breaking apart like brick stones, but a true revolutionary keeps building, for he knows that in the end, what matters is not the results but the motive, the actions he performs, the truth and honesty behind his every move, and the courage with which he fought. And therefore, I tell my dear reader that the story you are about to unravel is a tale of a revolution.

My journey as a writer has brought me to a stage where I can speak. I can speak with my pen. The debate has continued for years and centuries, for what is mightier: the pen or the sword. I scoff hearing this dispute. I scoff because for they lack understanding that the pen is the sword, and the sword is the pen. The pen has the power of the sword within its ink, allowing it to create a revolution of its own. Revolution is not the cutting of arms, but it is the changing of the intellect-a power the pen does possess. The world of literature has always brought to me something new to learn and some things to live for. Writing has brought me the ability to speak my heart and arise my mind to a journey of development. The story you are about to unravel, my dear reader, is the beginning of my journey as a writer but possesses the works and toil of my forefathers, my parents who have raised, education that has nourished me, and the culture that has built me. The book is more than mine, for I speak with a soul, think with my mind, and write with my heart.

And as my dear reader, you open the story and read the words, I cannot promise you that you will finish the story with content in your mind. I cannot promise you that you will be satisfied by the story. Nor can I promise you that you will learn something fruitful like you would if you were in school. But I can promise you one thing. I can promise you that when you finish this story, you too will burn with a fiery fire wanting to do something, wanting to fight for something, and wanting to become…a true revolutionary making your mark in the pages of history.

Chapter 1

Locked. Locked in metal chains, the man waited for this day to come. After having been confined to the iron bars of the prison for the last night, he waited for this day. The day when he, the toymaker would fight. Fight for not only his life but also the lives of many of his people. The people of his village lived in poverty, enslaved, barely getting a glimpse of what happiness looked like, and enchained by the oppressive rule of the king, the devil.

Devil. The devil, waited for so long to capture the man in chains. Hearing of the prisoner’s astounding tactics, and cunning killings, the king was frightened that the man would become a curse for his empire and like the waves of the sea, would wipe out his golden kingdom. Without hesitation he got hold of the man, and waited for this day. This legendary day… the momentous day…the battle day.

As the daylight showed through the horizon on the mountain peaks, the guards opened the door. It screeched on the crumbled cement. The bearded, torn-clothed man trudged out of the prison ready for duel. His eyes were flames of revenge, and his arms were as sturdy as the iron of the prison he came out of. His dirty mouth showed no mercy, as he picked up the sword that stood outside of the jail. The guards stood like tigers, who kept every eye on the movements he made. Trudging back and forth, the man in chains kept his eyes above staring at the sun as if he was sucking in the vibes and rays from its resplendence. Slowly the man and the guards reached the open land, as the sun’s radiance reached his droopy eyes. He closed them and prayed for strength. The moment he opened his eyes like curtains, he saw almost the whole village cheering for him.

Long live the Awakener! The Awakener of us all! May he win us freedom! Freedom for us all!

The crowd grew and grew, and tears smudged across his crimson cheeks. After a while, he left the ground as tears drooped down the eyes of many like rain, hoping he’d fulfill their dreams. Slapping his back, the guards took him to the duel ground behind the village prison. It was filled with greenery except for its borders, which were covered with white lining. The guards took off the man’s chains leaving circular imprints around his white hands. Brick walls surrounded the white lining, cemented with stone and metal rods on each edge. Suddenly, the trumpeters began blaring their instruments, as down drew closer the devilish demon himself, King Asak. The man he would fight stared him in the eye, as the two grinned.

yyyyy-Your High-ness, you ready? asked the peasant as he nervously bowed down.

Quite am King Asak muttered as he cracked a couple of knuckles, and moved from side to side.

He took off his golden cloak, and put on his armor.

Sliiing! Out came the king’s mighty sword from the metal cover.

The two stood face to face, eye to eye. Motionless. Fierce. Courageous.

As the bell rang, the two smashed the swords together. Forcefully, the both tried to pull each other’s sword down, like a seesaw.

Slash! Slung!

The battle had begun. The two warriors fought forcefully. While seemingly a battle between two warriors, the duel meant more. The duel was the cornerstone for a village’s hope for a brighter future. The duel would seal the cruelty imposed by King Asak. The duel would end the tears of fear and desperation from the eyes of the villagers and glitter their eyes with sparkles of joy and freedom. More than a simple battle, the duel was a revolution and a war for the villagers. Both warriors were fighting with the same armor, same strength, same tactical moves, yet different motives. One stood for the betterment of his legacy, as the other stood for the betterment of society. Sweat dripped down their eyes, blindfolding them. Hitting side to side, up and down they both stopped exhausted. Death, life, death, life rung in both of their minds as they fought continuously. As one slashed the other’s leg, the other would cut the latter’s wrist. It was clear, the two warriors were evenly matched.

Suddenly one of the warrior’s swords slipped out of his hands. Shocked and in awe, he slid for it as the other tried to stab him, yet failed for the butterfingered warrior had dodged the hit. Still on the floor, he reached for the sword once more, yet suddenly the other went for the hit again and chopped off the warrior’s hand. Before the handless warrior could take out the other hand, the other warrior stabbed him through the heart.

Ca-boom!

It ended. The battle ended for one of the warriors, as the other stood boldly.

The warrior stood, proud to have won the war, proud to have beaten the other, and proud to have won peace.

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Chapter 2

"Swish! Swash!"

The waves crashed as the thunder crackled with raging anger. The darkness solemnly arose over the serene moon in the twilight as the boats crashed from side to side and shattered into pieces of timber. The civilians fled with the rain smudging across their faces and screams and cries ringing in every corner of their ears.

He’s coming! He’s coming! Run, cross the sea! they yelled with fear in their red eyes. Babies cried, women wept, and men destroyed their lungs. The man who had arrived was no other than the cruel Emperor Asak. The news of Asak’s arrival was no surprise for those who knew of Asak’s rage and recent invasions in nearby villages. With his mighty, armed army he galloped across the town slashing and stabbing every villager that coming across his mutinous