The Tale Of Halepna

• Andre Alexander, Grade 6, Windy Ridge School
• Short Story
• 2001

Finalist in the '2001/2002 Schools Short Story Competition - Magic and Mystery Theme' competition

In the dark, murky, depths of caves unseen to man or beast resided small, hideous creatures. Their enlongated feet with three toes, and toenails hooked downward, dug into the ground. Their bodies were different shades of mucus. Their frail legs barely supported their weak frames. They wore shreds of sackcloth held together only by grime and dirt. Their arms were frail and bony, their fingernails long and lethally sword-like. Their pointed chins, and their yellowed teeth showed they were xanthodonts. Their noses like pointed sausages, dripped with phlegm, their hair, a tangled mess of dandruff. Their yellow, bloodshot eyes were always peeled to the narrow cave entrance, waiting for intruders.
One day, one of the creatures, Halepna, decided he wanted to explore the world around him. While the other creatures took their rare rest, Halepna escaped. When he reached sunlight, he was overtaken by it. He chanted, “Shadicus optemetricus!” and his eyes were immediately shaded. He then continued his quest.
As he walked, he saw a little frightened human shrieking, “Mommy! It’s a monster!” “There’s no such thing as monsters, Billy.” “Look! Its right over there!” “Billy. Just calm down and we can go get some ice cream.” “It’s right behind you!”
By this time Halepna was frantically thinking of a charm. He decided on the invisibility charm and by the time the mother turned around, he was nowhere to be seen. “Let’s go,” the mother said and they were off.
Halepna realized if he was going to explore this new realm, he’d have to be more alert. On his journey, he encountered a phoenix, which urgently flew away as if to report his presence. Halepna rushed after the phoenix, climbing trees and ripping off branches in the process. His nails sliced everything in sight. He figured he couldn’t possibly reach the phoenix’s altitude, so he ran as fast as his frail legs could take him and finally made the phoenix forget his presence by chanting “Memoricus erasicus!”
It later became apparent to Halepna that he was starving. Since he wasn’t at home enjoying the garbage from the cave, he would have to find food in this new remote land. He looked at trees with odd-shaped fruits growing on them. There were round fruits, small fruits, oblong, and even triangular fruits. He took an oblong fruit, peeled it with a fingernail when he heard a distinct tapping noise. Halepna’s heart raced. He suddenly remembered it was today the food supply was to be refilled for the creatures. Only trained food gatherers were allowed outside the cave, and only when the nearly infinite supply of garbage ran out. Anyone else caught outside would be punished by death.
The food collector summoned warrior creatures. As they neared, Halepna ran faster than ever. Finally, approaching the end of a cliff, Halepna grabbed onto a tree, but a warrior’s sword expertly sliced the tree. He plummeted into the waters below, and who knows what mysteries lie in their murky depths?