Mayhem and Monkeyshines, page 4
“Why do you think this wise man could possibly help us?” El asked.
“You seem to have doubts, but I’ll explain. We are very resourceful and need little help but a few things have occurred in the past that were out of our control and that is when we have searched him out. On these occasions Cesibourne—that’s his name—has performed miracles. He’s more than a wise man, he also has powers that are not of this ground.”
“How far south is this Cesibourne?”
“As far south as you can go. With only the normal difficulties of the trip it takes about a week, but if you encounter the unforeseen it can take months. It has been said that on one of our trips it was so cold that when a fierce gale blew the coat right off of one of our people he froze solid in mid stride. He was still standing there on the return trip and had to be chopped down as you would a tree to get him buried. If that story is true his death was not in vain for that trip saved our village.”
“How does he live in such a climate?”
“Cesibourne lives in a castle made entirely of ice crystals. It is perched on top of a mountain that is the only other bit of rock that is above the ice besides the one you’re standing on. However it’s not warm there as it is here. It’s a cold mountain that he heats with a magic stone that warms his castle without melting it. I’ve seen it only once and hope never to see it again.”
“What do you really think our chances are in getting away this spring?” El asked.
“I didn’t want to tell you, but it’s about one chance in ten. You washed up here in one of the rare thaws that occur every ten years. It usually means we’re in for several years of hard ice. Sorry.”
“Thank you for being honest with me. You see it has baring on whether we need to see your Cesibourne or not. We’ll have to think it over carefully. We can let you know tomorrow.”
“One other thing,” Trandy said, we have to notify Cesibourne that your coming. He’s a recluse, very private, and must always be notified. It’s not a problem. A message is sent by Stormy—he’s our resident petrol sea bird—that takes two days round trip to be affirmed by Cesibourne on Stormy’s flight back. This only affects you in that you must be ready to go on the arrival of Stormy. You must be ready around noon the day after you decide to go. That is enough time for the two messages to be sent.”
“That’s satisfactory. Noon the day after we make the decision to go. Whatever that day is.”
“That’s correct.”
“Well, I guess that’s all we can do today. We’d better get back to the ship. We have a lot of thinking to do.”
“That you do,” Trandy agreed. “We’ll be hearing from you tomorrow then,” he said, and escorted them down to their boat.
All that night they discussed the pros and cons of taking such a journey. Monkey One said no way should they make that journey. It was better to wait out a thaw even if it took years than to stake one’s life on a trip like that. El thought they should look into it further. If this were such a wise man, it might be smart to communicate with him if that was possible. So they decided to talk it over with Trandy again.
The next day they asked Trandy if he thought they could ask the wise man what to do and it was agreed that Trandy would send a note to him outlining the request. It had been decided that in the event that they attempted the journey, only El, Mary, one of the monkeyshines and one elf would go, and they spent the two days waiting for the reply to their message in outfitting themselves.
They were ready when Stormy returned with the reply from the wise one and it wasn’t what they had expected.
“Under no circumstances attempt your trip. There is no possibility of success. Conditions are unusually bad with mountains of ice a thousand feet high and crevasses a thousand feet deep. Anyway it’s too cold. You seem to be in desperate straights and so I offer you an alternative. Misty—my eagle—can easily make the trip in a day and can carry one person. That person will be the girl Mary. That is my offer. Make no amendments to it. You have three days to reply.”
When they had read the note they sat around looking at each other. Finally, El asked Trandy what he thought of the note.
“Cesibourne is never wrong. If he says it’s too dangerous it certainly must be. The trip cannot be made as far as I can see.” They sat silently for a minute and then El looked at Mary studying her.
“Why do you think Cesibourne wants Mary, Trandy,” he asked.
“I have no idea. He’s never made this offer before. I did mention in my note to him that there was a girl called Mary possibly from that other world that would like to talk to him. I thought it might help him make up his mind.”
“I think it did,” El said. “But I wonder why he wants to speak only to the girl. He could have picked any one of us that might better understand what we are to do.”
“As I said before,” said monkey One, “I’m for forgetting the whole thing. We can get out of here eventually and besides this place isn’t so bad.”
“He may be right,” said Trandy. “I doubt if you’ld be here more that several years. It has always thawed—in time.”
“I don’t mind going,” Mary spoke up, “if you want me to.”
“El turned to Trandy, “How safe do you think Mary would be. Do you know Cesibourne that well?”
“I can’t say that I would stake my life on her safety—let me put it this way. All our dealings with him have been straight up. I believe him to be good and honorable. If it were I that he requested I wouldn’t hesitate to go.”
Finally El stood up. “I have a headache, and we have at least one day to make up our minds so I suggest we go back to the ship, get a little rest, and continue this later. We’ll see you, Trandy, tomorrow, and let you know our decision.”
“I suggest you think it over well, El and particularly you, Mary.”
“That we will, Trandy and thank you,” said El. “We’ll see you in the morning,” and they went back to the ship.
4
Back on the ship they discussed their problem. “All we have to go on is what the Elves have told us about this Cesibourne fellow,” said El. “They seem to know him pretty well, but I’m not at all at ease in trusting Mary’s life with him.”
“He seems creepy to me,” said Willie.
“I tend to agree with you, Willie.
“I tend to agree with you, Willie. On the surface, even though we don’t know him personally, he seems strange, but that’s not always bad. Conclusions jumped to can get one in a lot of trouble.”
For hours the banter went on and with seemingly no answer until Mary finally put it to rest. “I’m going,” she finally said with finality.
“I’m not sure we’re ready to make a decision, Mary,” El said.
“I know, we’ve been at this for hours and nobody can make a decision, that’s why I’m making mine. I’m going. Now lets go to bed, I’m tired,” and that is how it was decided.
In the morning there was little discussion about the night before. All were pretty quiet. “Are you sure Mary?” El finally asked and Mary assured him she was.
“You are not in my shoes, El,” she said. “Look at it from my point of view. How can this stunt be any more crazy than what I’ve already been through?”
“Strange as it seems,” said El, “I’ve come to the conclusion that if anyone should make this decision it should be you.” Ell knew that every week they spent where they were would be a week spent in not doing what they had been sent out to do and another week that his people would be suffering. Maybe Mary knew best anyway. “All right everyone let’s go ashore.”
When they had made the arrangements Trandy sent “Stormy” off to deliver the message that Mary would go and that Cesibourne should send “Misty” for her as soon as it was convenient. By then Mary was having second thoughts about her decision, wondering what she was getting herself into, but it was done and she always kept her promises and she waited patiently with the others for “Misty”.
“Misty” was not expected until the next day so while El talked over old times with Trandy, Mary, Willie and Nilly explored the forest that surrounded Trandy’s home.
The clearing that held Trandy’s settlement was surrounded by a forest that seemed to go on forever and they set off to see what they could see.
“I’ve never seen a forest like this before,” Willie said, looking up at the trees that towered over their heads.
“We have trees like these where I come from only they’re smaller. We call them palm trees. They only grow in the tropics so you probably wouldn’t have seen them—well look at this!” Mary exclaimed as they came into a clearing. Before their eyes was a large pool of crystal clear water. Around the edge were benches with towels draped over the backs. “This must be the pool they talked about. The one they swim in.” Mary leaned down and touched the water, that was not hot, not cold, but just right. “What do you say we go for a swim,” she said.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Willie said. Maybe we should ask Trandy first. Besides we don’t have bathing suits.”
“Oh it will be all right.” Mary said, “and don’t be so modest. You go undress behind those trees over there and swim in that end of the pool, and I’ll swim here,” and so that’s what they did and had a wonderful time.
When they got back to the others Mary told them about their swim and Trandy’s eyes got very large.
“Oh you shodden’t have done that,” he said very seriously.
“I told you so!” Willie blurted out. “I told you so!”
“Why is that?” Mary asked getting a little worried. “There were towels and everything.”
“Oh you just shouldn’t have done it. Oh my, Oh my, you’ve done it now,” and Trandy rolled his eyes.
“Mary’s heart had moved up into her throat at those words. “But why?”
“Well I guess there’s no point in not telling you now that it’s done,” Trandy said tragically. “Now you’ll never be able to leave our village. You’re here forever I’m afraid.”
“I knew it! I knew it!” Willie blurted.
“What are you talking about?” Mary wanted to know. She wasn’t quite sure about Trandy.
“That’s the pool that we bathe in. It is why we live for ever. But it also makes us vulnerable to the ‘outside.’ Once we have bathed in the pool of perpetual life we may never leave this area or we will die.”
“Mary looked over at El who was stone faced. She looked back at Trandy while Willie kept repeating “I knew it, I knew it.” As she stared at Trandy trying to see if he was serious she saw a little twitch in the corner of his mouth and then he burst out laughing.
“All right, you have me,” he said still laughing. “Just a little joke of mine. You’re all right. It didn’t hurt you to swim in our pool, but after this, ask first. There are situations here that could be dangerous for you.”
“We’ll be all right, then?” Willie wanted to be assured.
“You’ll be fine Willie.”
“Don’t do that again, Mary,” Willie scolded. “It could have been serious.”
“All right, Willie,” Mary said, and she was laughing too. By then it was time to go back to the ship and there they went to bed early so as to get a good rest. Tomorrow was to be a big day.
El, Mary, Nelly, Willie and Nilly, and Monkey One were sitting in the patio of Trandy’s house at ten as they said they would be and they made small talk between the silences as they waited for Misty to fly in. Mary had made many friends in her short stay with the Elves and they were all there to see her off and it being so quiet was making Mary nervous. It was more like a funeral than she would have liked. It was just to be a simple trip after all she kept telling herself. Soon they saw a speck in the distant sky that kept getting larger and larger until it loomed into view. It was the biggest eagle Mary had ever seen. It glided in and looked as though it were going to make perfect landing, but as it touched down its little legs gave way and it did a perfect somersault. Misty got up quickly looking unconcerned, brushed himself off with his wings and said “Please don’t applaud good people, just one of my many tricks. I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend my arrival party. We must go immediately if you’re ready. There’s a storm on the way and it looks like a big one. Just jump on my back, Mary, and hang on. You’ll be all right.” By now Mary was getting used to talking animals so was not very surprised at his announcement.
El and Trandy hoisted her up onto Misty’s back and El whispered in Mary’s ear, “Are you sure?” and as Mary said “I guess soooo”—’Misty’ took off with a great swoosh. Mary had just enough time to look back and see her friends waving from Trandy’s patio before they were out of sight.
Mary had been fitted out with the warmest clothes available to her, but she was beginning feel as though she were freezing and she buried her face deeper into “Misty’s” feathers where it was warm.
“Hang on Mary,” ‘Misty’ called back to her, “we’re in for it now I’m afraid. I told Cesibourne it would be bad, but he insisted I go for you immediately. He seems very anxious to see you—Oh, Oh, hang on—” and they were immediately shot skyward in a blast of frigid air. For the next fifteen minutes they were thrown about like a cork in the gale, right side up and wrong side down, sideways and backwards until they were finally out of the worst of it and when they had leveled out, Misty asked, “Are we all here?”
“I think so,” Mary replied. “Are you all right?”
“I’m all right, but a little tired. I’m going to put us down behind that big ice bank. We can get a little rest there.”
When they had landed Mary asked with a little concern, “Is this wise? shouldn’t we continue on. Mightn’t this storm get worse.”
“Oh, it probably will.” But instead he sat down.
“Well then shouldn’t we go.”
“We probably should,” Misty said, “but I’ve lost my way.”
“You don’t know where we are!” Mary said incredulously.
“Oh, I know where we are,” he said, but made no move to get up.
“Well then, shouldn’t we be on our way?”
“Yes we should. You’re entirely right. You see I know where we are, we are behind this large block of ice—the problem is I don’t know in what direction to go.”
“I thought you made these trips often. Aren’t you Cesibourne’s best?”
“Oh, my, no—I once was—but that was long ago. The other eagles are on patrol so here I am.”
Mary considered this bad news. “But you must know the way to your home.”
“I do, I do. Have no fear. When the sky clears I’ll be able to navigate by the sun—or the stars. I used to fly by the stars a lot. It’s beautiful flying by the stars I don’t do it much anymore. It’s my eyesight you see—not what it used to be.”
“Are you being serious,” Mary asked beginning to panic.
“Oh yes, I wish I weren’t, but I am. Besides being almost blind I tire easily. I’m very old. I don’t know why Cesibourne hasn’t retired me, but we go back a long way.”
“May I ask you a simple question?” Mary asked.
“By all means, Mary, I am your servant.”
“Are we ever going to get out from behind this big block of ice?”
“That is an excellent question, Mary. I commend you on your simplicity.” And then there was silence.
“Well?” said Mary losing patience.
“I beg your pardon,” said ‘Misty’.
“Are we ever going to get out of here?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You’d like an answer. Well,”—and after thinking it over for a few moments, “I’d say we will. In fact right now. Get on and we’ll be away.”
With the rest, ‘Misty seemed to be strong again and they soared into the air.
“Tell me Mary, now that we are removed from that bit of berg, I must ask you, do you know this area well?”
“I don’t know it at all. Are you lost again.”
“Still, I’m afraid,” he said and began circling. “Let’s see,” he began mumbling to himself, “If the wind is still blowing from the south as it was when I came out of the south and I fly into it now, it stands to reason that I should eventually get back to the south—yes I’ll try that. Hang on Mary, I think I have it now,” and off they went straight into a howling gale.
Mary buried her head in Misty’s feathers and held on, and just when she was losing all hope of ever seeing her friends again, not to mention home, they broke out into clear air. It was dusk with just a few clouds in the sky, but Misty seemed to have found what he needed.
“That’s better,” he said. “Now I’ve got my bearings. Do you see the South star over there, Mary?”
Mary looked in the direction Misty indicated and saw what looked like a star brighter that the rest. “If you mean that bright dot dead ahead, I guess so, but I’ve never heard of a South star, only a North star.”
“Is that so?” Misty said as he stroked his huge wings toward the dot in the distance. “Have you ever considered the possibility that there may be many things that you’ve never heard of?”
Mary knew by then that Misty was right. In fact she had never known there were so many things she didn’t know, but still it made her a little mad to hear it from Misty. “What makes you so wise, Misty?” Mary said with just a bit of sarcasm.
“Why, thank you my dear,” Misty replied, taking her seriously. “I’m not often told that and I appreciate it. I have had a lot of experience, I guess.”
