Sunday, July 23, '06
Episode 4: Mark of the Wolves
Once upon a time, there was a child who had no name. He also had no hair, and both he felt were integral to his identity. Unable to settle on which he preferred, he split himself into halves. Both were nameless and hairless, but only one desired a name, and only one desired hair. When the two halves saw each other, it was like looking into a mirror but seeing something disturbingly different within themselves. They ran away from each other. One went East and one went West.
The child who wanted hair went to a village in the East. He found the carpenter Ringo. "Carpenter," he said, "Can I have your hair?"
"I need my hair," said the carpenter. "Everyone needs his hair. What is your name?"
"I do not have a name," said the child.
"I see," said the carpenter.
"I can offer you power," said the child.
"Show me," said the carpenter.
The carpenter gave the child his axe, and the child chopped off the carpenter's hair. The child took the carpenter's hair and attached it to his head. "Thank you," said the child. "Now I will give you power."
The boy touched the carpenter, and the carpenter's jaw went slack. His eyes went out of focus a little, and his face seemed less intelligent.
"Who am I?" said the carpenter.
"You were once helpless," said the child, "but now you have this." And he gave the carpenter back his axe. The carpenter swung it a few times. "You can use this to cut things and to defend yourself."
"Is this power?" said the carpenter.
"Yes," said the child.
"Thank you," said the carpenter, and went home. The child, who now had hair, went to the next town.
That evening, the carpenter's hair fell out of the child's head. The child was angry and went to the carpenter's house and took his axe and killed him quietly.
The next morning, the child walked by the carpenter's house and saw a policeman standing outside it, investigating the murder.
"Policeman, can I have your hair?" said the child.
"Everyone needs his hair," said the policeman.
"The carpenter doesn't," said the child.
"What is your name?" said the policeman.
"I do not have a name," said the child.
"Everyone needs a name," said policeman.
"I do not need a name," said the child. "I need hair. I can offer you power," said the child. "I know who killed the carpenter."
The policeman was interested and gave the child his sword. The child cut the policeman's hair and took it to his head himself. He touched the policeman. The policeman's eyes crossed and shut, and his knees buckled a little. He shook his head.
"What just happened?" said the policeman.
"You killed the carpenter," said the child. "Take this sword. You might need it when the police come for you."
The policeman took the sword.
"You should run away," said the child.
The policeman ran away.
The child was tired of lying. He took the policeman's hair and went back to the field from which he had come. On the way, his hair fell out, but the child did not turn back.
When the child returned to the field, he saw what he thought was the mirror image of himself, but it felt different. The other child was smiling.
"Welcome back," said the West child. "You do not have hair."
"Do you have a name?" said the East child.
"No," said the West child, still smiling.
"Then why are you smiling?" said the East child.
"Because I am going to kill you," said the West child. And he did.
Home.