Folksburywoods

Nufel Ardox grew up hearing stories of the boneyard, a place of rest his grandfather called it. When Nufel turned sixty, he decided to find it.

After a lifetime of back-breaking labor in the mines, the man who once dreamt of being a world explorer woke up and packed his bags to leave.

“You’re a damn fool, Nufel. The boneyard is a children’s story old men tell their grandchildren to keep them quiet,” said Mr. Bobart, the town’s baker, as Nufel purchased supplies for the journey.

“My grandfather said his father had seen it himself, and you know well Tarnax Ardox was no fool,” retorted Nufel as he stormed out the door.

Nufel headed west, riding mainly in the morning and late afternoon to avoid the deadly heat. During the day’s heat, he rested and checked his notes. “Tomorrow, we head due north until Mt. Vang. If the spirits are kind, we will find the passage through the mountain and our destination,” said the miner to his steed.

Three days later, Nufel stood at the base of Mt. Vang. The miner dismounted the steed and led it along a narrow path into the mountain.

From the summit, Nufel saw his destination below, the boneyard of the giants. As the setting sun touched the horizon, the travelers wandered among the bones of the long-dead.

“The immensity of it all overwhelms me. Grandfather was correct when he called it a place of rest,” whispered the miner.

Nufel Ardox spent the night among the long-gone beasts and listened as their bones told their story. The following morning, Nufel mounted his steed and headed west. After experiencing this place, he could not go back to the man he once was.

If he died in the desert, then his bone would be added to the collection and someday tell their story to another who wished to see the boneyard for themselves.