by JH Terry
XXV: Farmer Lit
It was sunny all around them with a few clouds here and there. Below them they saw forested areas and various farms in the province of Gordana. Flowers also dotted the land, which seemed golden and almost dream-like. The weather was very warm, so warm, in fact, that the birds played in the sky and bees danced around the flowers. Soon, they landed upon an open space in a field of corn.
“Where are we?” asked Peter.
“Farmer Lit’s field,” said Akemi. “He is a good old friend of mine.”
“He’s not dead yet,” said Tom with a sarcastic tone.
“No, but perhaps you shall beat him at that, along with your other talents,” said Kate.
“Oh, hush up Kate,” said Peter. “We were not talking to you.”
“Of course not, that is why I interrupted,” said Kate.
“Stop it!” yelled Akemi. “Any more clatter of your tongues and I’ll make death your final, oncoming talent. Now, Leopold you may return to Fairy Isle. Thank you for your help.” Leopold smiled and flew away. “Now, you stay here while I’ll get Farmer Lit.” Akemi slid down Thurgood’s neck and walked off through the corn into the distance.
Once she was out of range, Tom said quietly, “I do not trust her.”
“Tom, you’re wrong,” said Kate.
“Why do you say that?” asked Peter.
“Because she is just acting like a woman. We all have bad days and act strange. That is no excuse for that accusation,” said Kate.
“Since when did you favor Akemi?” asked Tom.
“Perhaps after their heart to heart when we found Thurgood in the field before we came to your rescue,” said Peter.
“You and Akemi had a heart to heart?” asked Tom of Kate.
“Believe me it was bad enough, I had to have the bird as my only company,” said Peter.
“What did you talk about?” asked Tom of Kate.
“Only little things. Like about you not trusting her,” said Kate.
“You told her that?” asked Tom.
“Of course I did, that is why it seems like she may seem to be there all of the time. She told me that in her family…”
“Women have certain, unexplainable intuitions,” said Tom sarcastically.
“Yes, but it is only true. That doesn’t matter, I understand how she feels, from one woman to another.”
Peter laughed, “Since when did you become a woman?”
“Long ago, but only a man would know that,” said Kate. Peter looked offended.
“Kate, we do not even know what she is,” said Tom. “So for now we cannot rest on your female intuitions, but only watch and observe. Next time do not tell others my feelings. That is why she is acting like she is, only to appease me. Thanks to you we might never know who she truly is because you had to have your stupid girl-to-girl talk.”
“It is woman-to-woman, and it was only fair.”
“If I want you to talk about my feelings about a subject to someone else I will tell you so.”
“You should not have talked about it in the first place.”
“I trusted you enough to tell you about that. Besides, I thought you would be concerned about who we are following, and whether or not she is as trustworthy as she claims to be.” Hearing a noise approaching, Tom whispered, “Let’s stop, I hear someone approaching.”
They remained quiet as Akemi returned with Farmer Lit.
“Well, he looks good enough,” said Farmer Lit about Thurgood. “I’ll just let him graze for a while. You kids, get on down here.”
They all slid down Thurgood’s neck and walked over to Farmer Lit and Akemi in the corn.
“Farmer Lit, these are my friends Tom, Peter and Kate,” said Akemi.
Looking at Kate, he said, “They’re pretty thin, and tired. They’re not from around here, now are they?”
“No, Farmer Lit, they’s definitely not from around here,” said Akemi. Tom, Peter, and Kate smiled.
“Well, I have some food in the house. They are welcome to it if they want some, as are you Akemi,” said Farmer Lit.
“It is up to you,” said Akemi. “We have a two-hour ride to Lupo, the capital of Gordana. If you can wait that long for any food, then it is all right with me if we go right now.”
“What do we need to do in Lupo?” asked Tom.
“We must talk to the council to ask for their help in your journey to saving Altium. If they say yes, then you will go to Denia and defeat Unop and Norbis.”
“And if not?” asked Kate.
“Then you shall return home,” said Akemi. “Hopefully they will say yes. Besides they are bound to see that you are the one in the prophecy and have to say yes.”
“I hope so,” said Tom.
“Well then,” said Farmer Lit. “What are you to do about eating?”
“I think we might take a snack with us,” said Tom, “but we will continue to Lupo.”
“Very good idea,” said Akemi with a smile.
“I thought of that as well,” said Kate. “I was about to say it when Tom did.”
“Of course,” said Akemi to Kate while she hugged Kate.
“All right,” said Farmer Lit. “Come into the house and I will give it to you.”
The five of them went to Farmer Lit’s house, who promptly gave them some corn, sandwiches with meat, tomatoes, lettuce, and mayonnaise, and some cornbread in a picnic basket.
“It looks very nice,” said Akemi.
“It should,” said Farmer Lit. “I make some of the best stuff in Gordana.”
“Stuff?” asked Kate.
“In Gordana,” said Akemi. “The Northern part is for agricultural production, and the Southern part for industry. We are in the north, and Farmer Lit is one of its best known farmers.”
“What about all of that forested area?” asked Tom. “Does that not affect the produce?”
“Only in certain plots are the agricultural products grown. We conserve as many trees as possible, forming the Forest of Lupo, which is a tree reserve. The reserve is around here in small places, but is mostly shown south of the city of Lupo to Autig in the south, Geron in the west, and Gorlyton in the east. It provides the best help to our problem of pollution in the industrial factor of the province.”
“Pollution?” asked Kate. “It does not look like there is any at all.”
“I believe it is just the trees and certain safety factors that were placed before, after I left here so long ago for Earth,” said Akemi.
“Yes, by the princess,” said Farmer Lit.
“Yes,” said Akemi. “I believe it was her.”
“She is a very smart one,” said Farmer Lit with a smile. “She will never be queen, but she has done so much for Altium already. More than her brother, the heir to the throne, Prince Onden, has. She is a very genuine creature, yes she is.”
“Perhaps Farmer Lit,” said Akemi annoyed, “but time may show who she truly is.”
“Yes,” thought Tom. “Time will show who Akemi truly is.”
“Well,” said Akemi, “We must be off Farmer Lit. May we take the horse and buggy?”
“Of course,” said Farmer Lit. “I will bring it around for you to use. Just bring someone from the palace to bring it back.”
“Of course,” said Akemi.
As they walked to the front of Farmer Lit’s house, Tom asked of Akemi, “Do you not like the princess?”
“No,” said Akemi directly.
“Why not?” asked Tom.
“She is too good. I do not understand her. She does things just to do them, without a particular reason at all.”
“Is that not good?” asked Tom. “Someone who acts nice genuinely.”
“It is not good,” said Akemi. “I do not trust such kindness.”
“You do not trust much,” said Tom.
Suddenly Farmer Lit came around with the horse and buggy from his stables. He drove it in front of them and jumped off.
“This is
my horse Wenton, he is very strong and helpful. Be careful with him.”
“We will,” said Akemi. “Thank you for your help.”
“My pleasure,” said Farmer Lit. After Tom, Peter, Kate and Akemi went into the buggy, Farmer Lit said, “Enjoy yourselves.”
“Bye,” said Akemi and the others as they rode off to Lupo.
For about two hours they rode silently. Along the way they ate the food provided to them by Farmer Lit gladly. After a long time had passed Kate, very happy with the ride so far, thought it would be a good time to break the silence.
“I never knew that this form of transportation would seem so refreshing,” said Kate happily in the back.
“The only thing refreshing is the slight breeze of air that blows away the horse’s stench!” exclaimed Peter as he was sitting in the front of the buggy.
Suddenly, a foul smell came from the horse to them in the buggy. “Never mind,” said Kate. “To think that something could create such a smell!”
“Look!” shouted Tom as he held his nose closed and pointed forward.
Before them stood a large industrious city glittering in gold. It was surrounded by a large wall that was five yards in height.
“El Dorado!” exclaimed Peter.
“What?” asked Kate.
“You know,” said Peter. “The legendary city of gold that all of those Spanish Conquistadors tried to find in the Americas.”
“No,” said Akemi. “Lupo.”
“Now I can see why they thought those pueblos in the Southwest were made of gold. The sun can play such tricks on the mind,” stated Peter sadly.
“Optical illusions,” said Tom. “At least it is not a mirage, and this journey a complete waste of time.”
However, upon a more careful look one could see that the color was not gold, but that the sunlight shining on the beige color made it seem that way. As they came nearer to the city, Akemi began to turn the buggy onto a road that went around the city.
“Why are we going this way?” asked Tom.
“This is a safer route to the palace, so that others do not see you coming. Not many like foreigners.”
After a while riding on this road around Lupo Akemi then turned down a side alley into a large palace. At the end of the alley there was a place to drop off and remove materials from the palace buildings. Akemi reigned the buggy at the end of the alley.
“I’ll be right back,” said Akemi. “I just need to tell them that we’re here.” Akemi walked into the buildings and soon came out again. “Let’s go inside,” she said. “We’re late, but that is fine.” The four entered into the palace building that they saw was a kitchen, where many were absorbed with their work. They were so absorbed that they did not notice that Tom, Peter, Kate and Akemi were there. Before them there was a man in servant-like attire.
“Welcome back, Akemi,” said the man in a British accent.
“Thank you Gerald,” said Akemi, “but now show these three to their rooms and get them a snack to eat. Also, tell me when we shall have an audience with the king.”
“I shall,” said Gerald to Akemi. To Tom, Peter, and Kate, Gerald said, “Come along.”
“Where shall you be?” asked Tom of Akemi.
“I shall be here in the palace until we have a council before the king. Until then you should try to stay in your rooms. When you will have a council with the king Gerald shall call for you. If anything, do not go out of your rooms, and most of all do not go into the city. It is a very dangerous place and you should not go there. I would not want to jeopardize our entire journey over a want to explore. I will see you later. Enjoy yourselves in your rooms, and sleep if you feel like it as well.”
“Bye,” said Tom, Peter, and Kate to Akemi.
Tom, Kate, Peter, and Gerald then walked up several staircases and hallways until they reached their suite of rooms adjoined by a living room area. There were three rooms each with a queen-sized bed with fluffy pillows and silk sheets. On their beds there were pajamas for each of them. Along the walls there were pictures painted of various people from mythological stories from Greece and Rome. The living room area had a table with three chairs, a sofa, several books, a coffee table, two end tables, two plush chairs, and a balcony view of the city of Lupo.
After dropping off their items and having a small snack delivered to their rooms, Gerald said, “I hope you enjoy yourselves.” He then left them alone.
Tom and Kate rushed to the balcony, where they could see the entire city of Lupo. “It’s so beautiful,” said Kate.
“At least it looks so,” said Tom. “Where’s Peter?”
They turned around to see Peter eating fried chicken at the table. “What? It is not my fault you did not notice it first.”
They laughed and went to the table to eat their food. After that, tired from their adventures, they went to sleep.