“Sticks and stones, Mags. Sticks and stones.”
“And you helped kidnap me,” scowled Molly.
Horris scowled back, then made a menacing move towards her. But Tim jumped between them, blocking his path. They stood eye to eye.
“Enough. Stop this nonsense,” yelled the Wolf. “Use your weapon, you fool. Smash it to pieces.”
Horris shot a look of anger towards the Wolf, but then he started towards the Bridge, lifting his ax. Everyone moved out of his way. But not Tim and Maggie. They drew their BB guns and started firing at Horris’ hands. He yelped and dropped the ax. They stopped firing. Horris tried reaching for the ax again… and again. Each time the BBs came flying, leaving red welts on his skin. Finally, Horris ran off into the woods. Ran off wringing his hands and sobbing.
“Who’s n-n-next?” asked Tim.
The enemies, now greatly outnumbered, backed off. The Vulture took to the air like a rock from a slingshot and was quickly out of sight. The Wolf backed off slowly, then bolted into the woods, leaving his passenger, the Snake, who slithered away the best he could, silently cursing the Wolf for abandoning him. But no one gave chase and he too was soon lost to the night.
Everyone wanted to celebrate, and congratulate each other on their victory, and give a great sigh of relief it was over. But deep down, everyone knew this battle was far from over. It was merely over for the moment. Nothing had been settled and nothing had changed. But at least now, everyone knew who the players were. That was something.
At least for the moment they were safe. The enemies would need to regroup to plan their next move. They would have realized they had seriously underestimated their opponents, and would try not to let that happen again. What it boiled down to was that being beaten this time around would make them that much more aggressive at the next encounter. And no one doubted there would be a next encounter.
The biggest difficulty in the short term was how to deal with Horris. Back at the farm he would be protected by Milda and Matilda simply because he was a child. It would be pointless telling anyone he had helped kidnap Molly and had tried to chop down the Bridge with an ax. Who would believe he was capable of such things? And, more importantly, how safe would Maggie, Molly, and Tim be now, with Horris lurking about?
Like I said before, things had started getting interesting. But interesting does not necessarily equate to good. There’s an ancient Chinese curse that sounds innocent enough until you think it through. So innocent it might be given as a toast. It is, may you live in interesting times.
Maggie, Molly, and Tim were living in very interesting times.
*****
The next day, Manny had an idea. And a rather simple one at that. It occurred to him how he could prove to the other adults that these animals could speak… or at least show they were intelligent beings that could reason. He would speak to the children, then to Milda.
Manny had gathered all the children, minus Horris. (Actually, Horris had been keeping to his room. Feigning some sort of illness.)
“Yes, that is what I said,” confirmed Manny. “Ask the Deer to come to the farm. I would like to introduce her to Milda.”
“But why? She won’t understand the Deer any better than she could the Hawk,” said the kids.
“Not all communication need be spoken. You will see. Now please, go.”
So off they went. This was the first time they had ventured into the forest by day. Everything looked so much, well, brighter.
The easiest way to find the Deer was to go to the Bridge and sound the horn. But that wasn’t necessary, for when they arrived, the Bear and Deer were already there.
“He wants me to what?” laughed the Deer.
“We all had the same reaction,” said Maggie. “But he’s serious.”
“I assume he does not expect me to enter the house? What if there are others about?”
“No, we can meet him and Milda by the forest edge, where you can remain hidden.”
“As you wish, then. Let us go.”
On the return trip the Deer spoke of the time, so very long ago, when she had been human. She spoke almost longingly of it. Her life back then. Those she’d known and loved. The world as it had been. But guarding the Bridge had been her calling, and what she had dedicated her life to. It was both sad and inspiring, listening to her. It wasn’t as if she regretted her choice. Only that as we travel down life’s road, we sometimes stop to wonder where another path might have led.
An animal? Perhaps in her present form. But more humanity was standing on those four legs than rested on the shoulders of most people. The children walked and listened to her story.
*****
Milda was not looking very pleased. She was wondering if Manny was having some sort of a breakdown. He had insisted she come to the forest edge to meet someone, but wouldn’t tell her who. Now here they were, staring at the trees.
“Well, hello, Mr. tree,” said Milda. “How are you today? Oh, good, good. And what’s that you say? A lumberjack is coming to visit? And you’re afraid you’ll be a little board?”
Manny was used to this. Milda could be as acerbic as a swig of lemon juice.
“Milda, please,” he said. “Just a few more minutes. And for your information this tree is a lady, not a man. Her name is Mable, er, Maple.”
“Oh, you’re so funny. I…”
Milda’s voice vanished in expectation, upon hearing the sounds of something approaching. Her eyebrows led her face in a frown, as the children and the Deer came into view.
“Is this a joke?” she asked.
“No. Just watch and listen. Please.”
“Very well,” she pouted.
Manny spoke to the Deer. “I am going to give you a few simple commands. Please just do as I say. I will explain later.”
“Really Manny,” said Milda. “Are you mad?” Manny turned to her. “Just watch and listen.”
Turning back to the Deer he said, “Please stand to the left of the children.” She did as he asked.
“Now stand to the right of the children. And then circle them.” Again, she did as asked.
“How and why are you doing…”
“Quiet, Milda.”
“Now Deer, let Maggie sit on your back.”
Command after command, the Deer followed Manny’s requests to the letter. He turned to Milda and said, “Now it is your turn. Ask the Deer to do something. Anything.”
“No, this is silly. I can’t…”
“Why not? Don’t you believe your own eyes? This Deer is an intelligent creature… just as the Hawk had been. They speak, Milda. The children and I can hear them. I do not know why you cannot, but we can.”
“Manny, this is too much. I can’t accept this. It must be a trick.”
“And why would we go to such great trouble to convince you of this? Can you answer me that?”
“No, I can’t, but…”
“But nothing. You must accept this. You are seeing for yourself. Wait, wait. Deer, if I were to try to hurt Molly, what would you do?”
“I would protect her. I could not let you harm her,” she said. But to Milda, the words just sounded like a whole lot of grunts and bleats.
“How? Show me,” Manny said to the Deer, as he raised his cane and walked towards the girl.
The Deer positioned herself between Manny and Molly.
Manny moved to the left, to the right, back to the left, but the Deer matched him move for move. She simply would not let Manny get near the girl.
“Now, Milda. You must believe.”
“Must I? It is merely trained,” she said.
“IT!” said everyone… including the Deer.
Manny thought for a moment, then smiled as he said, “Well now, Deer, perhaps you could do a little dance for Milda?”
“A what!” said the Deer and Milda in unison.
Their timing was perfect. A synchronized verbal duet. They spoke and turned to face each other at precisely the same moment. And that’s when it
happened. Topped off by the Deer’s little dance, Milda finally and truly believed.
Chapter Twenty
Quite suddenly, the room had fallen quite silent. Everyone was seated, and the only sound was that of Mr. Morgan rata-tap-tapping his finger nervously on the table. Everyone turned to look at him. He stopped. Then everyone turned their attention once again to Manny and Milda, and oh yes, the very large Deer standing beside them in the living room.
“Milda, please tell me, why is there a deer in the house?” asked Matilda gently, a counterfeit smile plastered on her face. She thought her sister and Manny had lost their minds.
“Loosen your girdle a bit and let more air get to your brain,” snipped Milda. “I told you, this animal, no offense,” she said turning to the deer, “can speak. Can understand. Is intelligent. Just give me a minute and I will prove it.”
At that moment, both Mr. and Mrs. Morgan had the same thought. It was, Next year we’re vacationing in Florida.
“OK, then prove it,” commanded Matilda.
She did prove it. And there’s no need to go into detail. We went through it all in the last chapter. Suffice it to say that Milda’s proof ended, as it had before, with an embarrassing little dance.
Then after an uncomfortably long pause, Mrs. Morgan started clapping, followed by Mr. Morgan, then Milda, Manny, Matilda, and all the kids. Soon everyone was clapping, whistling, and cheering. It was like the (fill in your favorite team name) had just won the World Series! If a Deer could blush, this one would have.
Mr. Morgan looked the Deer right in the eye, smiled, and said, “So, hello little lady.”
*****
“So now what?” asked Mr. Morgan. “While it is certainly incredible that this Deer can speak… although personally, I never actually heard her, you understand, and I’m just taking your word for it… but I do believe you. I do. I do,” he added hastily. “My question is, why is she here?”
Manny and Milda exchanged glances, trying to think of the best way to word a response. And while they thought, Maggie spoke up.
“Well, the Deer and the Bear…”
“A Bear! What Bear?” asked the Morgans and Matilda, as they looked around and murmured.
“Quiet please,” said Manny. “Yes, there is also a Bear that can speak. Same as the Deer, and same as the Hawk.”
“Didn’t you say the Hawk had died?” asked the Morgans and Matilda.
“Sadly, yes,” said Manny. “And she was murdered. Can Maggie continue?”
Upon hearing the dreadful M word, the room grew silent.
Maggie continued… “The Deer and the Bear saved Molly’s life, and now their lives are in danger. From the same ones who killed the Hawk. We have to help them.”
“Help them how?” asked Mr. Morgan. “And who are these ones you’re talking about?”
So Maggie, along with Molly, Tim and Manny, explained it all. Explained about the three evil talking animals, and the role Horris had played in all of this.
That was all bad enough, but if you think that a talking Deer had been a hard sell… well, a magic bridge, powered by gold, that could undo past events, and was controlled by someone called The Mistress of Infinite Possibilities was met with a wee bit of skepticism.
“Hold on,” said Mr. Morgan. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Two things. First, where is Horris?”
“His Mother picked him up today,” said Milda. “He called and begged her to let him come home.”
“OK,” continued Mr. Morgan. “So much for Horris. Now, I need to see this so-called magic bridge with my own eyes. Is it far?”
“Not by Bear,” said Tim with a smile.
Mr. Morgan frowned at that. Not by Bear? He wasn’t sure what Tim meant, but he didn’t like the way the kids were all looking up at him and grinning.
*****
The Bear was not happy. Not happy at all. It was very different to haul around a couple of skinny kids than to haul around a huge bear of a man. Mr. Morgan wasn’t exactly ecstatic either. These two hulking figures stood several moments, silently staring at each other, and finally...
“...I, uh, think I’ll walk,” said Mr. Morgan.
“Good idea,” growled the Bear.
Molly translated. “That works for him Dad.”
So everyone walked. All except for Manny, who hitched a ride with the Deer, and Milda and Matilda, who rode atop the Bear, all the while giggling and waving to the others. This motley crew was about to have an adventure.
Chapter Twenty-One
It was foggy by the Bridge. The moonbow, magnified by misty droplets, its colors melting like a watercolor painting left out in the rain, overwhelmed the jealous twilight sky. If nothing else, this display of beauty alone might be enough for someone to reconsider the possibility of magic. The sky and the heavens, the backdrop to our world, can do that. Just go outside and look up. You’ll see.
The old Bridge itself stood rising from the fog like an ancient ruin, as the water churning below it supplied an appropriate soundtrack to enhance the scene.
The Bear left everyone standing by the foot of the Bridge and walked to its center. Milda had given him a small gold ring. He raised his arms and began to summon the Mistress. To the Morgans and the Aunts it looked like the Bear was about to conduct an orchestra. Matilda giggled. The Bear swung his head around to look at her. Her giggle quickly gaggled.
He proceeded. The dazzling circle of light appeared as it had before. The floating star with the face of the Mistress at its center. Everyone was in awe as this cool sphere of light hovered before them. The Mistress turned towards them. Her lips parted as she was about to speak…
…But before she could utter a single word, a stream of water came shooting towards her, and the tiny sphere flashed brightly for an instant. Then it and the bewildered Mistress just winked out of existence.
What had happened? Payne had happened. Horris’ uncle. It appeared that Horris had not gone home as everyone had believed. He had phoned home and had told his Mom about the gold, and she in turn had told her brother. And so, Horris, good nephew that he was, was leading them to riches. Payne had always liked that boy.
The Bear and the Deer ran to the spot where the Mistress had vanished. They called her name and spoke the incantation to summon her. Nothing.
Then out from the woods came the Wolf and her gang. It was five of them now, with the addition of Horris’ uncle, who was holding a fire extinguisher in his hand.
The Bear and the Deer moved quickly and stood firmly in front of their “gang.” And the Wolf’s grin vanished as she surveyed the scene… and counted heads.
“Well, not today, no, not today,” she growled to herself and bared her teeth. “But soon.”
Mr. Morgan picked up a large rock, which did not go unnoticed by the Wolf. She sneered and said, “We will be back for the gold. You will give it up. One way or another.”
“Let’s go,” she ordered. And she and her four accomplices moved slowly, and backed their way into the forest, never taking their eyes off their ten adversaries.
As the frenzied sounds of this confrontation faded into thought, Maggie, Molly, Tim, and the rest could feel, could almost hear, a loud pulsing drumlike sound. After a few moments they realized that drumming was the sound of their own panicked hearts beating furiously away. Minutes later that awful sound mercifully subsided.
For now, there was nothing to do but slowly make their way home.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Judy was sitting at her computer and working when the phone rang. She stared at it for a moment, wondering if it was him calling. She hoped it was. It was strange to admit that to herself. But… she hoped it was.
“Mom?” said Maggie.
“Hi honey,” her Mom replied, sighing softly to herself; yes, a little disappointed but nonetheless, still very happy to hear her daughter’s voice. “So how’s life on the farm?” she asked. “You kids enjoying country living?”
Maggie paused for a moment, not knowing if she shou
ld tell her Mom about the bizarre events that were unfolding, or just pretend nothing unusual was happening. She chose the latter. This was now the third time she had spoken to her Mom in the last few weeks, and each time had arrived at the same conclusion.
“Sure, yeah, uh, we’re all having a beast of a good time,” she said. And as she said it, she couldn’t believe what she was saying. She was shocked at her odd, yet somewhat appropriate, choice of words. Oh good grief. Why did I say beast, she thought, as she smacked herself in the head.
“A beast of a good time! Well that’s a new one on me. You kids always come up with interesting ways of expressing yourselves. Well, DEER, I hope you can grin and BEAR it.”
Judy was so pleased with her clever repartee. Was she a cool Mom or what!
“Deer… Bear… what do you mean?” gasped Maggie.
“What do you mean, what do I mean?” said Mom. “You said beast of a good time so I said… listen, honey, is everything OK?”
“Sure, yeah, just tired,” said Maggie. Whoa, I’m being way too edgy, she thought. I gotta change the subject.
“Mom, I want to stay another week. Can I please? It’s really important.”
“Well, I suppose you can. But what’s so important?”
“Because, uh, Tim is, uh, teaching us how to, uh, find worms,” stammered Maggie.
“Find worms? Oh… really?” asked Judy, a little puzzled.
Boy that sounded really lame, thought Maggie. “…and, uh, to fish,” she continued.
“Oh, fishing. OK, sure,” said Mom, now a bit more satisfied.
“And Mom, can you call Tim’s Dad and ask him if Tim can stay too?”
Silence.
“Mom?”
“Sure I can, but honey, I need to tell you something… Tim’s Dad and I went out to dinner last week… and, and we’re going out again… tonight.”
Silence.
“Honey, did you hear me?” asked Judy nervously. “Say something.”
“Yes Mom, I heard you,” said a confused Maggie. “Listen, I gotta go… bye.”
“S-sure honey. Bye. I love you,” said Judy.
They both hung up, still clutching the phones that just moments ago connected them to each other, and to a familiar way of life. But with the revelation that Mom/Judy and Tim’s Dad were seeing each other, each wondered if that familiar way of life was going to change.