And then she fell. Fell back hard and landed on her butt, as she slid to the ground on a patch of wet leaves. Then she propped herself up on her elbows and said, “I don’t think I can walk any more. It hurts too much.” Even in the subdued light it was obvious to Maggie and Tim that Molly had been crying.
“I’m sorry I let you all down,” sobbed Molly. “I’m just a wuss. A stupid little wuss.”
“You’re n-n-not so little,” said Tim, trying to lighten the moment. Nobody laughed.
“Look,” said Maggie, “You stay here with Tim and I’ll take the Hawk to the Bridge.”
“But Maggie,” said Molly, “You can’t go all by yourself. It’s too dangerous. You might get lost.”
“I won’t be by myself, Molly. The Hawk will be with me. And, anyway, I have Manny’s map, it’s a clear night, and the bird also knows the way. We’ll be fine.” Then she looked down at the Hawk and was shocked to see she was motionless and barely breathing. She fought hard to hide her fear.
Maggie might have been fooling Molly and Tim with her brave words, but she was far from fooling herself. Her stomach was in knots. She was scaring herself silly with the thought of continuing up the mountain on her own. It was not a pleasant prospect. Downright scary. But someone had to do it.
Then Tim gulped and said, “I-I-I’ll go, and y-y-you s-s-stay h-h-here with M-M-Molly.”
Oh, if only he hadn’t stuttered so much when he said that, thought Maggie, I just might have taken him up on it. He was trying to be brave, but obviously the idea of going on alone scared the vocabulary out of him. She just could not let him do it, but she gave him points for trying.
“No Tim,” said Maggie, “I’ll go. It’s better if you stay here with Molly. Just keep her safe and make sure she doesn’t get eaten. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Molly’s eyes opened wide… Eaten?
*****
After a few minutes of walking up the path, Tim’s lantern light faded into nothingness. Now Maggie felt very alone. It was way past the hour when insects and toads noisily made their presence known, so she did not even have their wailing complaints for company. She walked in total silence, her breathing and footsteps the only sounds she heard. Odd, how silence can appear loud. She paused to listen. Nothing.
Suddenly, a rock face forced the trail to make a sharp left. Maggie stopped and looked at her map. It pointed to the right. And there, she saw signs of a much older trail. One that was overgrown and long forgotten. According to Manny’s map this was the path she was to follow. She moved slowly, and shielded her eyes, as branches and shadows reached out to grab and jab her. It made her think of the night she had rescued Tim from the skunk, and how the trees near her bedroom window had been so frightening. It made her shudder.
Still a little farther to go, she thought. Just a little farther and we’ll be there. Then I hope I can awaken the Hawk. If not, what do I do?
*****
Molly and Tim found themselves a nice thick fallen tree to sit on, and Molly’s foot felt much better now that she was no longer putting her weight on it. The two sat in nervous silence, thoughts running wildly through their heads. Neither knew what to say because each was afraid of saying the wrong thing… saying something that would make the other feel worse, and make this whole unbearable situation even more unbearable. And, of course, they were both very worried about Maggie and the Hawk.
“I am sorry, you know, Tim,” whispered Molly.
“I know,” he replied. “It s-s-seemed like a good idea at the time. To all of us. But I guess it was kind of silly to think someone healing from a broken foot could hike up a mountain.”
When he put it that way, it did seem kind of silly, almost stupid, or at the very least extremely childish. They paused, looked right at each other, and burst into laughter at their own foolishness.
*****
The Vulture watched Maggie fight her way through the thick vegetation that obstructed her path. Her pace was much slower now, but she continued to doggedly push forward, now and again gritting her teeth as a wayward branch scraped an arm or leg. She held the precious basket, containing the Hawk, so tightly that her knuckles became numb.
The Vulture smiled (yes, all animals smile, you just have to know what to look for) and thought to himself. Ah, looks like some friends are coming to pay us a visit. I must tell the Snake. I think he will be very pleased to know that one of them is the Hawk. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Very pleased, indeed.
Now, a Vulture feeds mostly on the cooling carcasses of dead animals. It will rarely attack a healthy creature, but may do so if the animal is wounded or sick. This particular one did not need to worry about such things. He had connections.
He flew off, soaring high above the trees. And so pleased was he with himself that he could not resist expressing his joy with a slight shriek.
Maggie looked up quickly, hearing an odd piercing noise, the rustling of leaves, and the flapping of wings. But in the darkness she saw nothing. Sounded like a bird, she thought. But you usually don’t see birds flying at night. Strange.
She continued forward. Her watch told her she had been walking for about 50 minutes. “Not too much further,” she sighed to herself softly. “Have to be getting very close now.” Then she abruptly stopped speaking. There was no one around for miles. No one to hear her. But, then again, you never know.
*****
Even in the darkness, the Vulture’s keen eyes spotted the Snake’s lair. He dove down like a dart aimed towards a bullseye. There he came to rest by a small crack hidden by a crumbling rock wall. He cried out to his friend. “Snake, come quickly. I have some exciting news to share. It appears our friend the Hawk has been hurt. She is in the company of a female human child. They are nearby, and I believe they may be headed to the Bridge.”
“Outssssssstanding,” hissed the Snake with unconcealed joy. “Exccccccellent. Does the Wolf know yet? No? Then we must quickly inform her. She will want to join in on the fun.”
Wicked is as wicked does. And the Wolf, the Snake, and the Vulture had done more than their fair share of nasty things throughout the many years they roamed the earth. Nasty and vile things. No need to go into specifics, but suffice it to say, they had more than earned their badges of evil. And I, for one, would not turn my back to them.
The Wolf was overjoyed by the news. This was something she had long been waiting for. A chance to eliminate one of the guardians.
But they needed to move quickly, if they hoped to ensnare the Hawk. And while the Snake did have his own very special abilities, moving quickly over long distances was not one of them. No matter, he could simply hitch a ride. He wrapped his long, thin, leathery body around the Wolf’s sturdy neck, propping his head on top of hers. Being so large and powerful she barely noticed the weight. Then she ran swiftly, keeping low to the ground. The Vulture followed on his own as, well, he could fly.
Their plan, in a nutshell, was to eliminate the Hawk. Then, only the Bear and the Deer would remain to guard the Bridge. And really, they reasoned, how much of a threat would the Deer be? Her great talent was her remarkable running speed, which if she were smart she would use to flee for her life. And if she were really smart, she would use to run far and never return. After that, it would be the Bear against three. Very nice odds, if you’re one of the three.
The Wolf was a practical creature. The female child might need to be dealt with, she reasoned. We will see how much of a threat she poses. A delicate dilemma, this one, for if she were injured by an animal, a flurry of people might storm into the mountains in an effort to protect other humans, or to avenge her. That might spell trouble for innocent vultures and snakes.
And then she started to laugh, and laugh, and laugh. So much so that the Snake began to feel rather uneasy.
Chapter Ten
Maggie was just starting to feel a small bubble of hope rise in her heart, and was thinking that perhaps everything would be all right. Only a little farther to go and they would arrive
at the Bridge. The Hawk had awakened momentarily and had spoken a bit. Yes, things were definitely looking up… maybe.
The trail sloped up, then to the right, then up again, and now the overgrown dirt road had given way to an uphill path that was littered with rocks and leaves. Each step was a challenge as the rocks slipped and shifted beneath her. If she had been able to scramble up on all fours, the steep climb would not have been too bad. But with one hand holding her flashlight and the other the basket, all she could do was inch herself up slowly and cautiously, taking small, carefully placed steps. She kept her flashlight pointing down. A fall could spell disaster.
Then up ahead, she saw four eyes staring at her. Two were large and somewhat widely spaced apart, and two were small and beady. The beady ones sat above the large ones. Maggie blinked in horror and disbelief. This is crazy, she thought. What creature has four eyes?
She picked up a rock to use as a weapon, her flashlight following her motion, the beams slashing ineffectively at the night.
Then the smaller set of eyes seemed to flow, or slide, or melt away from the larger ones. Finally, they settled to one side and appeared to hover. Swaying side to side, slowly and rhythmically. The two large eyes, however, stared straight at her, stone steady.
As the shaking flashlight in her shaking hand found its targets, she now saw what all those eyes were attached to. The two small ones were those of a rattlesnake. And it had to be a large one. At least three feet of it was drifting to and fro above the ground. The other two belonged to a Wolf. It was enormous. Twice the size of the largest dog she’d ever seen. She froze in place. She more than froze, she turned to ice.
“Give us the Hawk and you may leave as you came,” said a voice that was trying to sound gentle, but had the jaggedness of an old tree saw. It was the Wolf speaking. “If you do as we say no harm will come to you. Give us the Hawk. NOW!”
Maggie’s mind raced. She remembered the three enemies the Hawk spoke of, the Snake, the Wolf, and the Vulture. Two had somehow found them, and they wanted to kill the Hawk.
Then with a chilling cry, and making a grand entrance, a huge Vulture came slowly spiraling down to the ground, landing beside the Wolf.
Apparently, all three had found them.
*****
Tim couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. Molly had closed her eyes and was resting easily with her head leaning against his arm. Was she asleep? He wasn’t sure, but he was afraid of moving because he didn’t want to disturb her. She needed a little peace and quiet. Still, he couldn’t help fidgeting, because he just couldn’t shake that feeling.
Suddenly, he saw a shadow emerging from the tangle of the dark forest. At first it looked like a man walking with difficulty. Practically lurching. But it was larger than a man. Much larger. And then he saw… it was a bear. A huge brown bear that was staggering towards them on its hind legs. Tim could not speak, but he did manage to move an arm and shake Molly awake. She looked up at him and yawned, and then looked towards the bear… and that yawn quickly turned into an earsplitting scream.
“No, no, please, please” said the Bear, “You must not be afraid of me. I will not harm you. I am only looking for the Hawk. I know she is hurt and was being cared for at the farm where the two of you were. I have just come from there, but there is no longer any sign of her. Do you know where she is? I must find her. She is my friend.”
Tim and Molly told the Bear the whole story, ending with their friend Maggie taking the Hawk to the Bridge alone, and informing him that the two had left about a half hour ago.
The Bear was not pleased to hear this. He roared in frustration. The kids shook.
“No, please,” said the Bear gently. “I am not angry with you. I am angry with myself for not being there when the Hawk needed me. I have feared greatly for her safety. Now, I fear for the safety of them both. This forest harbors those who embrace evil. Those who would do harm to both your friend and mine. I must go to them as quickly as I can.”
“C-c-can we come?” asked Tim. “Maggie is our friend and we want to help her and the Hawk if we can.”
Molly just stared at him in disbelief. “And what about me?” she said.
Tim’s heart sank. “I’m sorry. I forgot you can’t hike up the mountain. I-I-I forgot.”
“I can carry the both of you on my back if you wish,” said the Bear. “But you must decide quickly. I cannot waste time.”
Tim and Molly exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement. Molly spoke. “Yes, we will go with you.”
So they climbed onto the great Bear’s back, held on as tightly as possible, and off they went, the Bear running as fast as he could up the mountain path.
But he did not stay on the path for long. For he knew a shortcut, and leaped from the trail into the dark collage of night.
As the ground and trees rushed by and the sound of the wind filled their ears, the kids closed their eyes and buried their heads deep into the galloping Bear’s fur, holding on tightly.
*****
The Wolf nodded to the Snake and the Vulture, and the two began to slowly move towards Maggie, encircling her. (Just imagine a clock with Maggie at the center, and the three devilish creatures confronting her standing at 12, 3, and 9 o’clock). She was surrounded. There was nowhere to go but slip and slide her way back down. Worse, she couldn’t keep her eyes on all three of them at the same time. She kept shifting from one leg to the other, and back again. Struggling to keep her balance. Struggling to come up with a plan. Struggling to keep panic from overtaking her.
Then came an unexpected snickering voice. “Sorry I’m late. Hey, did you guys start without me?” It was Horris.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” gasped Maggie.
“Here to see a business partner,” said Horris blandly, as he looked at the Vulture.
“Is this the human you spoke of?” growled the Wolf.
“Indeed, it is,” answered the Vulture. “We met at the farm. It was a right place at the right time sort of meeting. He knew of the treasure and so we made a deal. Gold for him in exchange for the Hawk. A most industrious youth, this one.”
“Well, human,” said the Wolf to Horris. “Are you here to help or are you going to just stand there looking stupid?” Horris grumbled, but moved directly behind Maggie.
“Horris, please help me,” cried Maggie.
“No can do Mags. These guys are gonna pay me big bucks.”
The four started walking towards her and the Hawk, as they slowly tightened the circle. There was nothing Maggie could do. She was trying to think of a way out… but there was no way out. There was…
…and she fell. Slipped on something and fell backwards. Her head hitting a rock. Hitting hard. The basket flying to one side and overturning. Then, as she gazed up into the night, she saw the curtain of her awareness begin to close. Slowly and steadily darkening the sky. And when it finally masked her view, Maggie lost consciousness.
*****
The Bear, Molly, and Tim arrived minutes later, but it might as well have been an hour. The scene they arrived at was chilling. Maggie lying in a collapsed heap upon the rocks. Her flashlight cracked, sputtering light in gasping pulses. The basket overturned with its fake grass scattered about. And there was no sign what-so-ever of the Hawk. It was all a horrible mystery.
But the Bear was able to quickly piece the puzzle together. “This was no accident,” he said as he sniffed around the area. “Our enemies have found the Hawk. She is gone. My friend the Hawk is gone,” sobbed the Bear. “There is no hope for her. No hope.”
Molly and Tim rushed to Maggie’s side. They called out to her but she did not respond. Not knowing how badly she was hurt they were afraid to move her, so they tried gently to shake her. No response.
Then they saw something that really terrified them. They saw a trickle of blood on the rocks behind Maggie’s head. Tim touched her hair. There was more blood. His hand was sticky with it.
Molly looked up in panic at the B
ear. “You have to help her,” she cried. “She’s hurt bad.”
The Bear lumbered over and touched his nose to Maggie’s cheek. “She is very cold,” he said. “Far colder than a human ought to be. I do not think there is time to bring her back to the farm. We are too far away, and I do not believe she would survive.”
“What are you saying?” choked Tim. “That we can’t do anything? We have to do something.”
“And we will do something, Tim. I am merely considering our options. I do not want to fail your friend. I believe our only hope is to take her to the If Bridge. Where Maggie was taking the Hawk. We are not far. We must hurry now.”
So the Bear lifted Maggie carefully with his front paws and started carrying her up the rock studded hill, his giant paws and claws giving him traction. Molly put one arm around Tim’s neck for support, and the two of them followed as best they could. Staggering now and again, but keeping the Bear well within sight.
A little while later, Tim heard the faint sound of a waterfall, and shortly after he saw a band of color streaming across the sky. They had arrived at the Bridge.
Chapter Eleven
Both Molly and Tim were spectacularly underwhelmed. What they had expected, was, well, they weren’t quite sure what they had expected, but it sure wasn’t this. The Bridge was just an old worn-out wooden footbridge. Nothing special. And the waterfall, though supplying a nice steady mist, seemed rather weak and inconsequential. This certainly was not the grand structure of their imagin-ation. The dark waters beneath the Bridge were equally disappointing, offering up no suggestion that a stockpile of golden treasures was hidden there. But this decidedly unmagical looking place sure better prove to be magical… for Maggie’s sake.
Now, the moonbow was another thing. It was fantastic and surreal. Against the clear, dark sky, this rainbow of the night was a fairy-tale story-page come alive. And it gave them hope.
The Bear, still holding Maggie, led the way to the Bridge, and stopped by its edge to gently lower the unconscious girl to the ground.