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As I’m sure you know, manuscripts go through many revisions, where parts are either expanded, tightened or deleted altogether. This is a deleted scene from Old Mother Grim, Part 6 of Fate’s Fables.
Here’s the quick synopsis: Fate and Finn face an ancient evil born of the most ghastly nightmares. As they race to stop Old Mother Grim from stealing the children she hungers for, Fate realizes Finn is falling deeper into the darkness. When she risks everything to save him, Finn must choose to forgive her or do something that will tear them apart forever.
Deleted Scene from Old Mother Grim, Part 6 of Fate’s Fables
Fate glanced at Finn. When he returned her gaze, the self-loathing in his eyes made her heart ache. She had to put an end to his torment. The time had come to remind him of who he was and all the goodness that was within him. He needed to know just how very connected they really were. And that’s when Fate decided to reveal who she really was to him.
She kept her gaze fixed on Finn and spoke of a boy full of curiosity and a love for life. A boy who found his roots in Scotland and discovered he was a descendant of a long line of mysterious Druids. Finn’s eyes filled with surprise and his face lit up as she described his grandfather’s wise, quirky antics.
The children squirmed with laughter at first, but as soon as she began talking about the boy’s encounter with the wolf wraiths of Black Spout Woods, they leaned forward with interest. Indeed, everyone in the room became absorbed. She continued the tale of Finn’s adventures, describing the great moose king, Lord Rakimnal, who guided the boy to the sacred grove of the Olde Ones where he was gifted with the tongue of the Dark Speech.
By this time Finn was captivated, though she could see that the level of detail and intimate knowledge she had of his experiences had him bewildered as well. A hopeful smile formed on her lips, knowing that her next story would leave him with no doubt as to her true connection to him.
“One evening at dusk, the boy was walking alone along the rural roads leading to his grandfather’s house when he came upon the burned and blackened ruins of an old cathedral,” Fate continued. “His grandfather had warned him of this place, telling him its history was as black as the charred rubble it left behind.”
Finn leaned forward, his eyes widening in surprise.
“But the boy was curious and could not resist the urge to pass through its crumbling archways and explore its broken foundation, where he found a great, gaping hole…”
Fate paused when she saw the sudden look of revelation in Finn’s eyes. Her mind raced and her heart pounded as she waited for his reaction.
“What’s in the hole?” a small girl asked.
Fate glanced at her. “Well, when the boy climbed down the steps, a horrible stench met his nose, but he could not see what it was because the darkness down there was as black and thick as oil. He would have turned back, but he saw a faint glow in the distance and decided to follow it. It was difficult walking though. The ground down there was full of debris, which crunched and snapped like brittle twigs beneath his feet.”
“What was he stepping on?” the girl asked.
Fate’s gaze returned to Finn. “He didn’t know until he rounded the corner and heard a crackling fire where the light of it cast a glow over hundreds of skeletons. He was horrified to learn he’d been wading through a sea of bones.”
“Ew…” the girl said, with a shudder.
“Where did the bones come from?” a boy asked.
Fate suddenly realized this story was far too close to the story in which they were experiencing. She started backtracking. “It was just a crypt under the cathedral.” Her gaze returned to Finn who was looking just as confused as the children.
“But what made the fire?” one of the older children pressed.
“Are you sure you really want to know?” Fate asked.
They all nodded their heads, even the adults.
“Alright,” Fate continued, though hesitantly. “The source of all this gruesome carnage sat on the other side of the fire. A hideously emaciated creature rose from a squatting position and stared at the boy with a malignant expression fixed on its leathery face. Wearing nothing but ragged breeches and boots of iron, it clenched a bloodstained scythe in its clawed hand. But what really terrified the boy was the red stocking cap on its hairless head. The cap was still wet and dripped with fresh blood down the lines of its wizened face.”
Fate scanned the crowd. They were all staring wide-eyed, especially Finn, though not for the same reasons. “The boy turned and ran blindly through the dark,” she continued. “But the bones were everywhere, making him trip and fall. And he could hear it behind him–its heavy iron boots crushing bones into dust. Before he could get up, the scythe sliced through the air and hit his head. Dizzy with pain, the boy slumped against the bones of the dead. The creature grabbed his ankle and dragged him back to the fire. There was so much blood dripping in the boy’s eyes he couldn’t see when the creature stooped over him, but he felt its tongue worming over his skin, licking the blood off his forehead.”
Fate paused. “And you know what it said to him?”
“What?” they all said in unison.
“Mmm, it said, the sweet taste of fear. Always makes for a good pot of blood pudding. And it was those words that made the boy wake up in a cold sweat. When he rushed to his grandfather’s bedside and described the nightmare, his grandfather told him he’d narrowly escaped the Redcap, a fae creature capable of killing you in your dreams if you didn’t wake up.”
Relief showed on everyone’s faces when they found out it had all been a bad dream.
This concludes the end of the deleted scene.
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