The Rapha and the Firefly, page 11
“I will always remember her determination, her laugh, the way she’s always ready to give hugs. I will remember her laugh and how her eyes sparkle like the sun reflecting on the water. And many years from now, when she’s long been gone from us and my hair is grey, I’ll look back and remember her. And remembering her, I’ll smile and thank Elyon that I was there, and He allowed my life to be touched by her.” Thyme cocked his head and looked at the flyer, wondering if she understood him. “Don’t you see, Ariel? Helping others also helps to make us strong.”
“You mean, like power?”
“Yes and no. It isn’t power like you’re better than someone else. It’s more like ‘hey, I really did that! That person’s better because of me! He can walk now, and I’ll always be a part of that!’ Do you understand that?”
Ariel scrutinized the idea for a second, trying to get a grasp on it.
“No,” she finally admitted. “It doesn’t make sense.”
Thyme scratched his head. There had to be something more tangible she would understand. He suddenly had an inspiration.
“You saved Basil’s life, right? When he got bit by the spider?”
Ariel nodded. “We had a deal. I brought him food and…”
Thyme cut her off. “Forget about the deal part. That isn’t important. The important thing is that you saved his life.”
“Ok,” Ariel was following his logic so far.
“And now because of that, now you can read, you know about fire, you’ve painted, you’ve learned to sew…”
Ariel caught the jest. “I learned to cook,” she added. “I have two handkerchiefs, I made a teapot…”
“And all because you brought a wounded hopper food and water.”
Ariel stopped, opened mouth, and digested the words, trying to grasp what Thyme was saying.
“It’s like that with us, Ariel. Every time we help someone, we grow inside. You helped Basil and you grew here.” Thyme tapped his head. “He gave you knowledge and showed you a world very different from your own. We’re helping people and we grow here.” He touched his heart. “A smile, seeing Michelle walk, hugs – it all goes right here and gives us memories and good feelings. That’s why we do what we do.”
Ariel looked at Thyme. She looked at his hand covering his heart. “Am I growing there too?” She asked, wanting to understand and have what he had.
“How did it feel when you gave Michelle a ride?”
“She was heavy.” That was Ariel’s first thought. “But…” There was something else too. She searched for it and forced the feeling to the front of her memory. “But, she was laughing, and it made me want to laugh because she was happy. It made me want to do all the stupid turns and loops that she asked for.” She stared into Thyme’s eyes for his reaction. The eyes were smiling at her. “Is that growing inside?”
Thyme couldn’t help but to laugh. “Yes, Ariel! That’s it! That’s growing!”
Ariel considered that. “Does that keep growing?”
“Sure! Every time you do something to help someone else it grows a little more until it fills you up inside and you want to do stuff like that all the time. And that’s why we Rapha do what we do: we want to help people.”
Ariel thought about what the Rapha did. Helping people. People who were sick. People who were dying. Fevers, broken bones, crying children, cutting people open and fixing them. Day after day, week after week.
“Rabbit hairs!” she swore. “I’d soon get sick of all that growing.”
16
Tanner's Apprentice
“So, how is my little princess?”
Ariel looked up at Tanner’s grinning face and smiled shyly back at him. Thyme ignored them as he slid another washer onto the short rod and screwed the nut back in place.
“Try it now.”
Tanner took the dumbbell from the nymph and did three curls with his left arm.
“How’s it feel?” the healer asked.
Tanner grimaced. “It’s getting stronger. But my fingers tingle sometimes when I’m working.”
“Well, the cast has only been off a few weeks. It’s going to take some time for you to get back up to full strength. Keep up the weightlifting and take a break when your hand starts bothering you.”
Tanner wasn’t overly happy to hear Thyme’s prognosis. “It’s shoe season. Everyone and their mother is on my case to hurry up and get their shoes finished. I’m already four weeks behind because of this arm. I can’t afford to take a break!”
Ariel’s ears perked up.
“You make shoes? “she asked.
Her interjection caught Tanner off guard, and he couldn’t help but laugh at her naivety. “Shoes, bags, vest, purses.” He smiled at her. “Anything and everything made from leather. Did you think my mother actually named me ‘Tanner’?”
The girl blushed, ashamed of her own stupidity. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard the word before.”
Tanner smiled kindly. “Come here, precious. Let me show you around.” Taking the girl by the arm, he led her across his living quarters and through a door on the back wall. The door opened into another room, brightly lit by the large windows set into the roof. The walls of this room were lined with tables. Above these on one wall were row after row of hats, back-packs, vests, shoes, and belts. On the opposite wall, the table was laden with scraps of different fur: rabbit, skunk, squirrel, prairie dog, rat, mouse and even a few scraps of deer pelt. And on the walls between were shelves jammed with projects lined up in various stages of completion, mostly shoes. A large table in the middle of the room had a variety of tools scattered across it, intermingled with leather scraps and a few more projects close to completion.
“A ‘tanner’,” the sprite explained, “Is someone who works with leather and furs to make clothing and tools.”
Ariel looked down on the table in front of her. There sat a pair of shoes waiting to be finished. Woman’s shoes. They looked to be about her size. Ariel picked one up and caressed the soft leather between her fingers. It was so smooth and silky. She wondered if this is what water would feel like if it was solid.
“Would you make me a pair of shoes?” she asked quietly, hardly daring to hope.
Tanner rubbed his chin, considering.
“What would you give me?” he finally asked.
“What?”
“I don’t give stuff away for free, sweetheart,” Tanner explained. “Few of us do. Instead, we use a bartering system. That’s a tradeoff. Widow Weaver makes me a shirt, pair of socks or a pair of pants for each pair of shoes. Basil trades off jars of blackberry jam or pies for his boots, and the water nymphs usually get me catfish whiskers or crawdad pinchers in exchange for eel skin belts and packs since I can use those for tools. So, what do you have to offer?”
Ariel blinked. She didn’t own anything worth offering and she had no skills at making things. She stared down at the floor, crestfallen.
“I don’t have anything,” she admitted.
“Hmmm.”
Ariel chanced to look up at the sprite. He was looking around the room, deep in thought.
“Do you know how to tan?” he asked her.
“No.” Ariel had no idea what he was talking about.
“Think you could learn?”
Ariel shrugged, wondering why he was asking.
“Well, as I said before, I’m behind in my work and could really use an apprentice. So, if you’re interested in helping out for about three weeks and throwing in a few good home cooked meals – which I’m sure your Rapha friends wouldn’t mind helping you with – we just might be able to get me caught up and you a pair of shoes.”
“But she’s supposed to be learning from the Raphas for the next few weeks,” Thyme pointed out.
“And if I know you Raphas, most of you are done with rounds by lunch time. You can have her in the mornings, and she can help me out until dinner time.”
Thyme shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think Keeper is going to agree with this.”
Tanner snorted. “You just let me handle ol’ Joseph. In the meantime, Ariel, grab those scissors. We’ve got shoes to cut out.”
Tanner didn’t even bother to knock before he strutted whistling into Keeper’s home.
“Hi, Joey,” he called out.
Keeper and Peter had just finished lunch. Keeper grimaced and let out an exasperated sigh. He hated being called “Joey” and Tanner knew it.
“Hi, Benji,” he replied.
“Ouch.” Tanner faked a wince, while Peter tried not to laugh. It seemed whenever Keeper and Tanner got together there was a degree of friendly bantering before they got down to business. Tanner glanced down at Keeper’s bare feet.
“Why don’t you let me make some covers for those boats of yours sometime? They really aren’t as beautiful as you’d like to believe, you know.”
Keeper scoffed. “If I put them in a pair of your shoes, they would be even less beautiful.”
“Oh, speaking of shoes…” Tanner sat down in an empty chair, tossed his hat on the table, and picked out a roll from the breadbasket sitting among the uncleared dishes. He took a large bite and finished his announcement between chews. “I got me an apprentice.”
“Hey, that’s great!” Peter piped in. “You’ve been needing some help since you broke your arm.”
“So, who is it?” Keeper asked, picking up his teacup.
Tanner waited until Keeper had started to drink.
“Ariel,” he announced.
The proclamation had the desired effect. Keeper nearly choked. The liquid was spat out over the remains of his meal still on the plate. Tanner hooted with delight.
“Ariel?!?” Keeper demanded. “OUR Ariel?”
“Do you know of any other?”
“Ariel’s gonna be working for you?” Peter was awed.
“NO!” the boy’s mentor answered before Tanner had a chance. “No way, Tanner!”
The sprite ignored him.
“She’s working in exchange for a pair of shoes…”
“Shoes!?!? You’re not giving her any shoes, Tanner!”
“’Course not. She’ll be working for them.”
Peter was impressed. “Cool.”
“No, it isn’t!” Keeper corrected. “Tanner, you’re not doing anything of the sort! Ariel never asked permission and I’m not granting it!”
“Ah! But she’s not a Rapha, so she doesn’t need your permission.” Tanner smiled sweetly at Keeper. Keeper glowered at him.
“She’s training with the Rapha for the time being…”
“No, she’s not. She’s just observing them.”
“But the point is, she’s supposed to be with them for the next few weeks.”
“Hmmm.” Tanner scratched his chin, poised in deep thought. Keeper knew better. He was sure his “friend” already had this planned out.
“Rachel told me about that meeting where this schedule was decided upon,” he reflected. “Seems to me she said Ariel wasn’t supposed to just learn about the Raphas. She was supposed to be learning about the keepers – that would mean the whole community, wouldn’t it? But gee, Joey, you’re the one with the eidetic memory. Maybe you could clear that up?” Tanner watched Keeper’s face. He could nearly see the wheels turning in Keeper’s head as he went back to the conversation around Basil’s table that day. He was sure to be checking the exact wordage he’d used. But when he didn’t say anything, Tanner’s face broke into a broad smile. He’d gambled and won, and Keeper knew it.
“So…” Tanner continued as he stood up and put his hat back on. “As soon as Thyme’s done with rounds tomorrow, he’ll be dropping the little lady off at my place and we’ll start cutting out shoes. Take care now.”
“Bye, Tanner.” Peter nearly grinned at him but was very aware of his mentor’s anger.
The door had barely closed behind the sprite before Keeper was out of his seat and hurrying after his tall friend. He caught up to him just outside the outer door.
“Ben!”
Tanner stopped and turned around as Keeper slammed the door shut behind them. He glared up at the sprite for a few seconds, too angry to speak. Finally, drawing a few deep breaths, he addressed the other in a low, halting voice.
“Why are you doing this?”
“She asked me for some shoes.”
“And so, just like that, you’re going to make her shoes? Good night, Ben! You know how Rachel and I both feel! We’re all treading thin ice anyway just by letting her be here! You know what a risk we’re taking, and here you go encouraging her to try to be one of us! Didn’t Rachel tell you about that little ‘dress up game’ Rosie pulled?”
Now it was Tanner’s turn to glare. “Yeah, she did, and she also told me how hard you came down on them for trying to pretty her up!”
“’Pretty her up’? You think I got mad because they were ‘prettying her up’? Good night, Ben, how shallow do you think I am? You totally missed the point of that!”
“Yeah, yeah!” Tanner huffed. “I know you were scared she was gonna blow it. She might have somehow clued her colony in to what she’s doing here, but Joe, YOU’RE the one who totally missed the point there.”
“Oh, really?” the other scoffed. “Then enlighten me, Ben: exactly what point have I missed here?”
“You never even gave her a chance.”
The statement caught Keeper by surprise. He stared up at Tanner, suddenly at a loss for words. Tanner noted Keeper’s reaction and nodded in contempt.
“Yeah,” he expounded. “You didn’t even wait to see if she’d be able to handle it. You just had her go back to how she was. Think about it, Joseph: she’s been sneaking over here for a few months now, and two weeks before that when she was taking care of Basil, and her people haven’t caught on, and you couldn’t even trust her to remember to change her clothes.”
Keeper shook his head. “There are more lives at stake than just hers, Ben.”
“I know that. But I also know she’s capable of a lot more than what you and Rachel want to believe she is.”
Keeper considered but shook his head. “Whose life do I risk on her, Ben? Yours? Mine? What about Basil’s?” The mentor sat down on a stone outside the door. Suddenly he was feeling very old.
“I’m walking a razor’s edge here, Ben,” he said quietly. “If I’m too strict, Ariel’ll break the rules in retaliation and endanger everyone. Too lenient, and she might get sloppy and let it slip to her colony that she’s coming here.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Why, oh why did I allow her to stay?
“It would be safest if she would just go back to her old life and forget she ever knew any of this,” he remarked, “but of course, there’s no way she can erase what she’s learned of this other world in the valley, is there? So, it’s safest for everyone this way: playing this game for the time being. But who knows what the next move will be or who the winners and losers will eventually be?”
Tanner sighed and sat down beside his friend. “Yeah,” he agreed. “But this game is the only game that little girl has.”
The sprite looked out across the prairie, lush and green in its late spring best. A few trees grew beside the distant riverbed. He could hear their leaves rustle softly in the breeze.
“Joseph, I have to let her have this chance.”
Keeper also stared out at the prairie and the gentleness it portrayed. It was in stark contrast to the turmoil he felt inside because of the flyer princess. He knew he was right. But then, so was Tanner.
“Teach her well,” he finally replied. “And teach her to hide her shoes.”
17
Having Cookies with a Chameleon
Keeper sat there before the fireplace, glowering. Peter had gone to bed long ago, but the mentor was too keyed up to be tired. He was already regretting his conversation with Tanner. What was he thinking? Saying Ariel could work for shoes! Had he lost his mind? Nothing good could come of this!
Unexpectedly, his thoughts were interrupted.
“Oh. no!” a shrill voice rang out. “Ariel’s going to ruin everything! What will become of us?”
Inwardly, Keeper winced. He knew the voice’s owner and he wasn’t overly happy to hear from him.
A moment before, the armchair to Keeper’s left had been vacant. Now, a young elf occupied the seat. He lay on his back, his head flopped over the edge so his world view was upside down, his legs against the seat back waving to the sky. He looked to be six or seven, but Keeper knew he was much older than that. The boy lay a hand to his forehead, overdramatizing his lament.
“We are doomed!” he proclaimed. “It’s the end of the world as we know it! Whoa is us! We shall all perish!”
The “chameleon” had returned. Keeper glared at the boy.
“So, now you’re a little kid?” Keeper asked his shape shifting guest.
The child giggled. “You should know by now; I can take on appearances to fit the situation. And I must say, you have been acting rather childish lately.” The little guest flipped himself over and stood up on the chair. He bounced on the cushion.
“So, I’m the one being childish?” Keeper wanted clarification.
With a war whoop, the boy launched himself off the chair and into the air. He came down, landing on his feet and threw up his hands in triumph.
“Tah duh!” he proclaimed.
Keeper yawned. “Your skill at being juvenile is impressive,” he surmised.
The little guest ignored the sarcasm. “I want cookies,” he announced instead. “I know Basil sent some over.” Running to the kitchen corner, the child knew exactly where the treats were stashed. He was back to the fireplace in no time. He’d brought the jar back with him. Taking a few cookies out, he offered them to Keeper. The mentor shook his head.
“I don’t want any.”
But the boy just stood there holding out the snacks. Sighing, Keeper relented and accepted them. The child then settled back in his seat, munching his treat.
“So, what about Ariel?” He asked, his mouth full. “She gets to wear shoes now?”
