The Missing Paraclete: A Drag Shergi Mystery

By Kimberly Vogel

First Age, Year 945: Drag Shergi stumbles across a toy. It holds more of a story than what it appears to be. A broken youth appears. Rather than being a protector, he himself needs to be protected. Even so, he refuses to give up on his quest. There is someone important the youth must find, even if it costs him his existence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Dec 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781105362675

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The Missing Paraclete: A Drag Shergi Mystery

The Missing Paraclete: A Drag Shergi Mystery

Kimberly Vogel

Copyright

Copyright © 2011 by Kimberly Vogel.

ISBN eBook 978-1-105-36267-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

For additional copies refer to:

http://www.lulu.com/shakkathi

Acknowledgements

I want to thank my family and friends for supporting me.

Without you, I don’t know where I would be.

The Missing Paraclete

I have come to believe that the line between this world and the next isn’t as thick as many believe. I’ve seen too many instances now to think the dead would be tucked away. The long dead, not so long dead, even the about to die have showed themselves to me.

I don’t know why, but this next case is particularly touching to me. It could be because the subject was a child, a mere youth. Or it could be that the notification of what was happening came in the form of a plush toy. He looked like a toy anyway, the messenger did.

How I met him was in an equally curious manner. The day was Thursday, in the later part of the autumn season. Since the library was one of my favorite places to be, I was there. It was story time, so there were many children scattered around the back part of the library around a single librarian as she read from a book. Many adults accompanied their children. Even a few like me who had no children hung out on the fringes to listen as well.

"Once upon a time, there was a father and mother who loved their daughter very much. However, she was a wild child who wouldn’t do what she was told. Every morning she ran away from home into the woods. Oh, she would come back in the evening, but never before sunset.

"One day she found herself lost in those same woods. Something had changed overnight. In her wanderings, the young girl came across a little bird. Now, this little bird was really a man in disguise, but of course she had no idea. ‘Chirp, chirp!’ it called out, like it was hungry. The girl had a piece of bread with her, so she broke off half of it and fed it to him. She needed to eat, so she kept the other half. Once he was fed, the little bird flew away.

"Hoping that she would be guided out, the little girl ran after the bird. Even though she followed, with each step it seemed she was getting further and further behind. With each step she grew tired, so when the bird was out of sight, she sat down on a rock to rest. Then another little bird flew down. The little girl munched on her bread until she noticed the bird. ‘Chirp, chirp!’ – it was the same hungry cry. She didn’t give the little bird food right away, but as the hungry cries continued she gave him all she had.

"As she was tired and it was getting dark in the forest, the little girl curled up against a larger rock. She dozed off then. Meanwhile the parents waited for their child to return. Their worry grew as they noticed the sun had begun to set. Since their daughter had been in it so many times, they decided to check the forest – but the forest wouldn’t let them in. 

"They tried and tried to go in, but each time, the trees closed the passage. Finally, the two stood on the outside and wept. Overhead, the first little bird heard their cries and landed on a tree branch nearby. He listened to their cries for their daughter and returned to the forest. In his flight, he noticed the little girl asleep on the rock. The little girl woke as he came down. Through her dazed state, she noticed the little bird turn into a man. He smiled, took her by the hand, and led her to the edge of the forest.

The little girl had many questions, but she couldn’t ask them as she was too tired. The man led her out of the tangled trees to the edge of the forest. With the action, the parents stopped their crying as they saw their daughter emerge. The reunion was tearful, but in a joyous way. They thanked the bird-man then carried their daughter home. The little girl never went off alone again; she didn’t have to, as she and the bird-man became good friends and shared many other adventures together. The End.

When the story was over I chuckled and shook my head. The way the children were held in rapt attention still was amazing. Hopefully, the nature of children wouldn’t be any different in the next generations. My attention went from my musings to watching the flow of people out of the building. I looked like a tree in the middle of a forest of shrubs, so, to avoid being constantly stared at, I waited for the last cluster of adults before I departed.

Just as I was passing by the entrance, I noticed a child’s toy. It was just a foot tall. The shape of it was rather like a person, but with a pair of bat-like wings. The color was in spring green. It looked like a rather old toy, with worn spots and frayed seams that had been re-stitched a couple times. The hands and feet were particularly well worn, but they’d been mostly covered with black cloth.

Help.

I blinked softly as I heard the noise. It sounded like a person. My eyes turned away from the plush toy. I searched around the crowd. My brow furrowed as a confused expression overtook my features. I couldn’t see anyone who could have made that call.

Help me.

There it was again. My head turned while my pale blue eyes continued to search for the owner of the voice. I probably looked rather stupid, but it couldn’t be helped. One hand went to the back of my head and I rubbed through my white hair as I spoke out, Hello?

Here, help me.

It was getting a little annoying. I couldn’t see who it was. With a sigh passing my lips I lowered my eyes to the toy. It was still there. No doubt some child had accidentally lost it. I stepped over to the side of the door then knelt. While my hand reached out, something curious happened.

Just as my fingers touched the hand, it seemed that the plush toy began to change. The first thing that happened was it grew to five and a half feet tall. The extra appendages disappeared. It left in its place a form like a man. The color was still green, though the stitches turned into tattoos which made him look like a puppet. Black hair covered his head, with long straggly bangs in the front of the short haircut. Pastel blue eyes stared out from under them. They nearly looked empty, like he was blind. To cover his form was a sleeveless jacket. The