The long sandy road Max had taken all these years now stood alone, the town it belonged to now charred and blackened. While walking past the stone arch painted in soot, he gazed mindlessly at the town that used to be. All he could think of was smoke. The smell made him light-headed while the heat singed his eyes.

"If only you had listened to me, we would have lived. We could have rejoiced in a new town with endless feasts and dances. We could have drunk till the reaper came to us, we could have all lived but you...you all!" Max threw up his arms and yelled in exasperation.

"You all thought I was mad! You all said I had a sip too much! You all scolded me for spreading lies! I might've been a fool drunk, but I am not a fool sober! I warned you all, I saw the demon emerge from the forbidden cave, I saw it spawn hellfire and flame and poison from its mouth.

"I saw the deer and rabbits and sparrows run without a look back. I saw the trees try to escape their roots! I know they want to live, but you fools thought you were too smart!"

"What did you all say? "Oh Max, we live near water, fire cannot hurt us!" or "Oh foolish Max, the demon in the cave is a child's story!"" In a fit of rage, Max picked up a smoldering plank and threw it aimlessly.

"The druid spoke of the guardian's emergence and called me immature. What shall the guardian do when the people don't guard themselves?! The guardian lived in those animals and birds, not in you all, you idiots!"

He looked to the large obelisk and yelled, "Chieftain, oh chieftain! I thought you were the smartest of us all, yet you sat there playing the fiddle as the village burned! I pulled your hand over and over to show you and you refused to move!"

Max's voice began to choke. Clutching his hair, he whimpered, "We could all have lived....". he turned to a pile of ash by his side and cried," I wonder who you were. I wonder what life you would have lived instead of feeding the earth."

Max collapsed on the blackened ground and held his head between his legs. Unable to control himself anymore, he bawled loudly without anyone there to hear him.

I have so much to be grateful for in my life. Loving parents. A happy life. Great friends. Enough wealth to live comfortably. A wonderful little village, free of the issues that plague society. My father’s shop grew immensely successful and large enough that the townsfolk rushed to our village for merchandise.

I thought I had it all until I met the love of my life, Alice. She was a thing of beauty whose gentle face enveloped in kindness pierced me immediately. Before I met her, I thought I had loved other women but I learnt that it was all mere infatuation. A love that lived on sand dissolved by the sea.

Admiring her dedication in making armour in her forge, talking about everything under the sky with her, going on wonderful strolls through the forest, I knew I was actually in love. The day we both confessed our love, we danced and danced all through the night.

After months of deliberation and frolicking, we knew that it was right to get married.

It was tradition for the groom to propose to the bride at her house with his family on the day before the marriage. Marching along the road with my parents and relatives, my heart was throbbing with excitement at the last stage before our marriage. After that, Alice and I could build a new house, a new life together! Perhaps, even live at the coast for a few months. I couldn’t wait!

As we stood in front of her house waiting for them, a gentle yet cold breeze stirred up. Shivering a bit, we held ourselves closer.

“Quite unusual for the summer, eh?”, I muttered to no one in particular.

“Indeed so, quite unusual you’re getting married!”, my cousin laughed.

While the others laughed and joked around, my father had a nervous look about his face. His eyes were darting around the place and he started to sweat terribly. I nudged him and asked what was wrong.

“Son”, he said while looking around, “you will always be my son, whatever happens.”

That was a confusing reply. Before I could ask him more, the whole world grew darker suddenly. The cold gust stirred up again shaking the trees and grass. My soon-to-be wife and her family rushed out panicking.

As I was looking around puzzled, I felt a growing chillness around my neck. I held my neck to warm up but it seemed to make it worse. I started to panic and shout and then I saw it appear out of thin air. The ultimate nightmare of every villager, a creature with a face as blinding as the Sun but without its beauty, and a form twisted and bent in every way. A creature stripped of nature and charm. The Devil had appeared on Earth and its claws were fixed around my neck.

After a loud cackle, a booming voice erupted from its mouth.

It cast a malicious look at my father. “I’ve come back, fool. As agreed, your firstborn is mine. He shall enjoy the delights of my empire!”

He started to lift me up now. Even though I struggled and shifted, the iron grip around my neck was stronger than any noose.

“Oh evil one! I beg of you, please free my son from your grip!”, he pleaded.

“An oath is an oath, mortal. You sacrificed your firstborn to me for your ventures 25 years ago, and I have come back at last.”

An oath? Did my father sacrifice me for building our- no, his shop?

The devil had crushed my ability to speak, but I darted an angry look at my father. What was he even thinking then? How could he do that? And why did it have to be today? After all these years, after meeting Alice, before our marriage and life together? I could have gone with the devil as a baby without a clue or a word to protest!

My father’s face grew apologetic now. How I hate him, he has ruined the lives of everyone!

“Evil one, I beseech you, you have made a mistake!”

“A mistake?!”, the devil roared.

“By our oath, I granted you my firstborn. But the one you hold was not born of me! No child on this earth has been born from me, evil one.”

What is happening! I am not my father’s son?!

“Bah, you villainous human and your adopted bastards! Do not think I am done with you!” With another loud yell, he threw me down and vanished, bringing back the sunlight.

Everybody rushed to my side and looked concerned. A tearful Alice held me as I looked to my father.

“Forgive me that you had to hear it from the devil. You are adopted but you will always be my son.”

I smiled, “Only you could make the Devil your messenger, father.”

The customer began: "My dear Sir, I am aware that you are lovers of nature and gua.."
Oh, I wonder when the world will ever know Nature as it truly is. Every human is the same. What are these kids even learning in their schools!

Lovers of nature? Guardian of the Forest? What fools!

I can’t say any of this aloud even though it echoes throughout my mind every time a human meets me to make use of my services.

“Before you say anything, I have to make myself clear”, I sighed.

“There are many druids of nature. We all have spirit animals an- deities? Alright, if it helps you understand, let’s call them deities, yes. Cig has the tobacco plant, Myx has the Siberian tiger, Wik there was blessed by the pine tree. And so on. Everyone is given different ones during our ceremony.”

“So what is your deity then, Maxilius?”, the man before me asked.

“Just Max. Anyway, I was bestowed and blessed by the parasitic worms. On land, water, plants, animals. They are all my spirit animals.”, I replied.

“My duty is not to create a new forest or protect an animal species from danger. I live to destroy, you understand?”

The man looked shocked and remained speechless. This always happens, people expect me to be like the others. The other druids do not like me much because I essentially ruin their work but that’s not my fault. I obey my spirit guide’s instincts and assist my customers for money, just like them.

After several arguments and fights, I opened my shop quite far away from the others. I made this decision when a customer paid me to destroy a few pine trees that had crept up in her house. Wik was livid. He threatened to destroy me, but the Chief dissuaded him.

My thoughts were interrupted by the hoarse guffawing of the man in front. Once he calmed himself, he pulled out a cigar and a matchbox. It looked quite fancy. Fancier than ones Cig helps make.

Lighting the cigar, he said, “Well, that’s just perfect then.”

“What do you mean?”, I asked.

“Now that I gots you, I don’t need niceties. The ones o’er there", he gestured to the main camp, "they don’t understand me, they’re dumbos. I’m a real-estate guy. I got this ugly swamp land I wanna use. Got it real cheap from some sucker.

“I was thinking…why not just bulldoze ‘em trees, dump dirt on that cesspool, build a park, and turn a profit?”

He looked at me as if he wanted my opinion. I gave him the same stone-faced look I gave to every customer’s “brilliant ideas”.

“Anyways, I brings up the tools and those foolish swamp lovers raise the trees and chase my men! They got me ‘dozers too! I want you to show ‘em who’s boss!

“Infest them with your gunk and slime and all that crap of yours. Kid, I tell you..you do this for me, you don’t gotta work anymore! Destroy that swamp for me!”

Well, this was certainly interesting.

All my usual requests hinged on revenge against some particular plants or animals. Giant trees wanting creepers to rot. Rabbits requesting sickness on a flock of deers. Humans who detested cockroaches or lizards in their houses.

“I understood your passionate speech, but I must tell you again. I am a druid of nature.”

“Got it.”, he shouted immediately, “you just gotta kill them all, kid!”

“Kid? I was born centuries before you, child. Mind your tongue.”, I replied with a tone of anger in my voice.

“You don’t look the part, though!,” he laughed before he continued seriously, “Look, destroy the swamp, you gets paid. That’s it.”

“I am not a monster, child. Nor am I here to annihilate for your needs. My spirit guides live on others, but they seek not the destruction of their source. They are as much nature as other beings.”

“You wanna listen to ‘em yucky dumb worms or the jingle of coins as you become a free man? Look at this situation properly!”, he retorted.

“Do you seek the punishment of my guides, fool? Begone from this place!”, I yelled out loud.

The twisted ambitions of humans were common knowledge to me, but I could not accept such vulgarity.

“Bah, you’re just useless as the rest. Someone outta really get rid of ya hippies and your trashy “deities”. “ He spit at the ground.

I cannot let this human go freely anymore.

“You fool! Look at your hand. Look at your legs. Look at your shoulders. My deities have made you, their home.

“And their meal.”

Twisting my fingers, I ordered the parasites resting throughout his body to erupt out. I guided and fed every worm on every inch of him, until he became silent. I bowed before the mass of worms which swirled and slithered about the ground and took my place behind the counter.

Waiting for the next customer.