It was yet a gorgeous, warm summer afternoon, and I was just taking the most relaxing nap in the garden. A perfect day for a rest. Nothing but clouds above my head and the sound of chirping of the birds in the woods. I didn't have any good reason to rest really, but where was the harm of taking it easy? I mean, this weather was just begging for it! I stretched my arms and legs as far as they went and yawned. I was going to get up eventually... Maybe after another twenty minutes?
Unfortunately my father was having none of it.
"Joseph!" he shouted from the window, as the volume of his voice disturbed some birds sitting in the tree, "Get your ass in here! I got a job for you."
I knew this afternoon was a little too perfect... Slowly, I got back on my feet and reluctantly walked through the garden, back into the house.
My dad was a merchant - a very good one, as far as I knew. He could get you whatever you wanted, even if it was from the other side of the world. An incredibly rare herb from the vast deserts of the South, or a gem hidden from the tallest, most dangerous mountains in the North? Yeah, my dad knew the people who could get you any of that - for a price, of course - and could get in touch with them quicker than you would think. Before you knew it, you had the wares you asked for - that's why he was so popular in the village. He knew a person for everything - research, haggling, handling the money, deliveries... And he was not reluctant to involve his family - meaning me - especially on that last part.
I came to his study room, where he was drowning in papers and boxes, as usual. He looked up at me with an impatient look.
"Do I have to call for you twelve times every time I need something, Joseph?" he reprimanded me, "There is a delivery. Miss Wright ordered that new shipment of silk, and it just arrived. I need you to go and bring it to her right away."
"Just arrived?" I groaned, "Why couldn't you just ask the delivery guy to bring it straight to her house?"
"Because he was busy delivering his other orders - unlike you," he told me, while pointing at me with his pen, "The package is over there. Grab it and go, it's not like you have anything else to do anyway. And quit being such a baby about it, she lives right next door."
"It's across the woods!" I reminded him, while taking the package in my hands, "Not exactly 'next door'."
"Don't talk back to me, son," he responded in a stern tone, "You're twenty years old. A grown-ass man. And instead of making yourself useful, most of what you do is laying around the house, doing nothing. I've had it. You're delivering that package whether you like it, or not."
His hands pushed the package into my arms. I sighed - I knew that I lost the battle. He saw the defeated look in my eyes and his tone softened a bit.
"It's a half-hour walk there and another half-hour back. You'll be done before you know it. Take the path through the woods, you know which one, and let me know when you're back."
Unexpectedly, he took his glasses off and gave me a serious look.
"And watch yourself in those woods, okay?"
I chuckled at that and raised my eyebrow at him.
"Dad? It's broad daylight."
"I know, son, I know. It's just... There's a rumor going around. Apparently, some malevolent creatures took shelter in that forest. One, in particular, is very tricky. He will outsmart you in just a second, just to mess around with you."
I took a step closer with an intrigued expression.
"What are you talking about, dad?"
He seemed hesitant for some reason but then he started explaining.
"A... creature has settled in there, not too long ago. A satyr... you know what that is, boy?"
"Of course," I responded. It was a lie - I had no idea what that was.
"Right. Well, this one is kind of a prick. Harassing people who are just passing by, playing his pranks on them and all. I wouldn't want you to lose your focus and mess up the delivery. Miss Wright relies on this shipment."
I chuckled and shook my head in disbelief.
"Dad? Are you forgetting something? I'm an adult man already, even though it doesn't seem you accepted that just yet. I mean, I'm tall, strong and in my prime - do you really think I have to worry about anything in this peaceful forest?"
"It's not his brawn, son, it's his wit. These satyrs are unpredictable creatures."
"Do you actually think I'm dumb enough to fall for anything?"
"Well... um... I..."
He paused and looked away awkwardly. For some reason, he didn't want to answer.
"It's getting late. You should take off, don't keep our customer waiting. I'll be expecting you back for dinner."
With that, he got back to his work. I sighed and rolled my eyes, took the package and left the room. Might as well get this over with, so I can get back to my nap as soon as possible...
I wasn't thinking about what my father was saying until I got to the edge of the woods. Most people didn't use this path, as it was a well-hidden shortcut. It was kind of rough around the edges. Normally I wouldn't think twice about taking, but all that satyr talk made me a little nervous. What even was a satyr, anyway? Did it have huge teeth? And how many legs?
"Don't be a bitch, Joey," I finally muttered to myself and confidently stepped into the forest. Even though I told myself not to worry, I caught myself looking around a lot for the first five minutes. But after a while, I figured that there was absolutely nothing to be nervous about. I calmed down, even started whistling a cheerful tune as I was walking. It was the same old woods I have always known, no satyrs or other monsters anywhere.
A creature in the forest... right. I was sure dad just made this story up to make me get on with the delivery faster. I started whistling louder, slowed my walking and started enjoying the view around me a little bit. Nature was untouched out here, near our village. You could see so many interesting things if you just stopped by and looked around. And the sounds too! The birds chirping, the wind gushing through the trees, the... music?
I stopped in my tracks.
To my surprise, I heard faint sounds of music coming from somewhere deep in the bushes. I turned around and looked in that direction, but couldn't see anything from where I was standing - the bushes were too thick to see through. Was my mind playing tricks on me? Or was I hearing one of the most alluring tones I've ever heard in my life?
I hesitated only for a bit before my curiosity got the better of me. I stepped off the path and dove right into the bushes, eager to find the source of this melody. What was it doing in the middle of the woods anyway? Not many people came here, and certainly not any musicians. I had to know! I pushed through the branches and stepped forward, slowly but surely. I was on the right path - I could hear that I was getting closer to the source!
All of a sudden, the bushes were gone and I found myself on a clearing. A nice little place one wouldn't expect to find in the middle of these woods. The grass wasn't overgrown here as it was everywhere else and the space was surrounded by a wall of trees. A beautiful, little private sanctuary.
There was a tree stump in the exact center of this sanctuary, and somebody was sitting on it, playing the flute. It was one of the flutes that was composed of, like, multiple flutes next to each other, how do you call that? A pan flute? The instrument wasn't as interesting as the person holding it though... if it even was a person.
At first, I thought it was a guy wearing really thick woollen pants, but I was mistaken. The creature before me was naked, all the fur it carried grew from its body. It had two small horns on its head, which was full of curly hair, and a human face with a bushy beard. Lean, nicely defined torso which was very hairy, as were his arms - but not as hairy as its legs, which were just covered by this thick layer of fur covering its crotch. Upon further inspection, those weren't even legs... instead of feet, the creature had hooves!
It didn't seem to notice me when I entered the clearing, it just kept playing its song. A beautiful song - nothing like I've ever heard before. A mixture of joyful tones only to be replaced by melancholic ones in the split second right after. It - or he? - played until the song was over. Only after that did the creature turn his head. His eyes pierced me with their look and his lips curled into a smile.
