Chapter 3 - Decisions Decisions...
I arrive breathless at the door. Uncle Bert is there waiting on the patio. Apologizing, I let him into the house to have his cup of tea and some telly before Mom and Dad arrive. He seems to be in a good mood and I am glad that I can scoot off to my room and take in all that happened today.
Wow what an amazing experience! I am still in shock from the idea of being able travel into a different place through the pages of a book in the library! And, how about meeting a wolf, an enormous white wolf that talks to me. The memory of walking to the castle door through an avenue of wolves, the castle guard, is just the best.
But some memories are not so good. I shudder when I think of the distraught King who has lost his only daughter. I never met the Queen – she is too sad to leave her room. There seems to be unrest in the land. A force of evil that is part of the darkness and shadows that are creeping closer towards the castle. Shadows lurk there and are not explained. The plants are dying and what has happened to the bees. A garden cannot function without bees! The wolf was clearly afraid of the giant moths that dived out of the evening sky. People don’t want to come out after dark. Something is not right, but without knowing the full story what can I do? There is a lot to think about.
“Sam, supper time,” calls Mom.
Oh good. I am starving! This could be my chance to see what Uncle Bert knows about giant moths.
I rush downstairs and sit next to Uncle Bert. I am waiting for the right moment to ask him about moths. Just before pudding I think. Uncle Bert likes to get on with his first course without interruptions. He is very particular about his food.
“Err-um,” I clear my throat and ask politely, “excuse me Uncle Bert, do you know anything about giant moths, I mean really big ones?”
Uncle Bert looks up from his bowl of ice-cream and says, “Yes, young Sam, I do. There are a number of really large moths. The largest in the world is the Atlas moth and then there are Lunar moths. They are very beautiful. The American dagger moth is an interesting one.”
Uncle Bert pauses for a moment and continues with a more serious voice.
“But I think the most fascinating is the Death’s Head Hawk moth. I remember a case I had with a dark side to the investigation and….
“Thanks Uncle Bert,” Mom interrupts and says, “I think we will leave out the details of that one. It might be a little bit too scary for Sam just before bedtime!”
Mom changes the conversation to ask about the Read-athon and school and a few other things that I answer easily while still thinking about giant moths. I will do my own investigation, I tell myself. In the library tomorrow I will look under butterflies and moths, biology I guess.
I say goodnight to everyone and go to my room knowing that I will not be going off to sleep easily. I have to decide if I will help Lupa and go back to Gardinia. It seems like a big task for one person but I am the only one involved right now.
Morning time arrives and the alarm goes off as normal.
Getting ready for school is part of a daily routine and I am actually glad that Mom wants me to stay late again. When I woke up this morning I knew that I had to try and get back to Gardinia and at least try and understand the full story of what is happening there. I pack my bag and make sure that I have my 3D glasses so that if I do find the way into the book I will be able to see my way around and connect with Lupa. Maybe I will meet some other Gardinians and together we can understand why the land is being taken over by some dark force and what has happened to Princess Gazania.
The school morning is very boring. There isn’t a single lesson that really makes me feel excited about learning. The library is the place I want to be right now, but I have to wait for the afternoon. The library opens for studying and homework from 2pm. That’s when I will have to go in and try to get past Miss Sorrel and into the Botany section of the library. I hope I can find the right book again to get me back to Gardinia.
My friend Abs keeps waving at me from across the room. I try to avoid her gaze and arms waving. She is reminding me about chess this afternoon. I wave back and say silently that I am sorry I am not able to play. She wants to know why but I just shake my head and say sorry. I like Abs but she is a bit nosey!
The bell rings, time to leave and set off to the library. I am feeling good about my decision and excited to be going back to Gardinia. I need to get past Miss Sorrel as quickly as I can and collect my book browser stick. Then I will be set. I am not even going to check the Read-athon results as I have more important things to do now.
I walk into the library with ‘walking feet’ as our previous librarian had told us. Rather a babyish expression but it did work. I took my ‘walking feet’ to the counter and waited quietly for Miss Sorrel. She leaned over the counter in her usual abrupt fashion and said,
“Oh it’s SPRO-G again. The tiny little boy from Grade 6. Let me have a better look at you.”
She leaned over the counter and once again I saw her a hair on her chin and big Adams’apple. Her gruff voice began to say something when her glasses fell off her nose. I bent to help her pick them up. She did so at the same time. Our faces met around the side of the library counter. Getting up close to Miss Sorrel was a scary experience. Her eyes were dark and looked right into me as if she knew everything about me. Her fingers were so boney and long as she reached out for her glasses. Then as she was leaning forward her scarf fell from round her neck. Before she could put it back I saw a tattoo on her neck. A real tattoo, not that licky- sticky kind you get at some kid’s parties. A tattoo for real and it looked like a skull. The sign of evil or bad omen. I am pretty sure Miss Sorrel is not who we think she is. I am busy wondering who she is when she straightens up and puts her scarf where it should be. She is hiding the tattoo and who knows what else. A job for Uncle Bert maybe, he is good at solving mysteries. I have no time for guessing games so I grab my browser stick and disappear as quickly as possible.
Down the aisles I go to get back to the herb section. I need ’How to grow your own Herbs’. I am in such a hurry. Someone is following me but there is no time to turn and see who it is. There is definitely someone else close by. Maybe in the same aisle with me. I brush off the uneasy feeling that I have because I need to concentrate right now to get back to Gardinia. I try to repeat the actions from yesterday in my mind. Firstly I found the book I wanted, then I tried to reach it with a stool, I used my browser stick to reach for the space where the book was. I try to repeat those actions. Yes! I am on the right track.
I start to spin and fall off the stool. Round and round I go and suddenly the spinning stops and I land on the ground in Gardinia. I catch my breath and look around.
This is Gardinia. I put my 3D glasses on and deliberately put my browser into my belt like a sword. Now I know it has a special function. I am looking around hoping Lupa will be close by. I see him walking down the road in the same way that he did before. A kind of lope and sadly with his head hanging low. He is worried about many things and the happiness of this land. It should be a wonderful place enjoying the mid-summer days. I bow down low as Lupa arrives and he greets me, “Welcome Sam Greene, Gardinia is so glad to see you back again”
“Thank you Lupa,” I reply. “I am glad I managed to get back to see you again. I have so many questions to ask you.”
Together we walk towards the castle and as we go along the path I think of all the things I need to ask Lupa about this land called Gardinia.
Lupa leads me to a bench in the garden and indicates with his head that I should sit. I sit and he sits by me on the grass. Lupa nods his head and says, “Ask your questions and I hope I can answer. There are many mysterious things happening that no one can understand.”
I decide to start with the King and his family. The King must be the key to so many things surrounding the history of Gardinia.
“Tell me about the King,” I ask Lupa.
“Perhaps I should tell you a story,” says Lupa. I nod and start to listen.
“Once there was a King who lived in a castle with his brother. The King was a man of peace and loved his garden. His name was Rhizome and his brother was called Rumex. The two brothers had a good life in the castle and were raised to love plants. Rumex loved herbs and unusual plants and Rhizome loved garden flowers and exotic bulbs. The boys grew up and married. Rhizome had a son, Costus. When King Rhizome he died his son, now King Costus, became the new King of Gardinia. Rumex or Uncle Ru as he was known became very jealous. His wife was jealous too as they had no children. They decided to build their own castle on the other side of the river and they moved away. The land of Gardinia became divided. King Costus Of Gardinia has a beautiful daughter he called Gazania meaning treasure. She is his treasure. Uncle Ru became more jealous and furious. He has no children and he will never be King. The sad thing about this story is there is no Princess left to live happily ever after and no King to reign happily ever after.”
“I am so sorry Lupa, the story is very sad. There are a lot of other confusing things beside the story though. Can you answer some questions for me?”
Lupa bows his head, “I’ll try my best.”
“I need to know something about the dark side over the river. The shadows and whispers that come from the forest. The castle that is barely visible on the far hill. Then on this side of Gardinia why are there so few plants and bees? Why are the people so afraid? And the biggest question of all, where do the giant moths come from?” I asked, questions quickly flowing from my mouth.
Lupa’s eyes looked sad. “Yes we have many problems. We need help before our land dies and the dark side takes over. We need to restore love, kindness and goodness. While the King’s daughter is missing he has no love to share with his people. Without love there is no goodness and kindness. Will you help us? Help us find the King’s daughter and restore this land of Gardinia to it real beauty and glory?” Lupa asked.
I cannot resist the plea from the wolf. I am sure I see a tear escape from his eyes.
“Yes Lupa, I will help you,” I say, but I wonder if I can do this alone. It is a huge challenge!
I need to go home and come up with a plan. Look at some clues and see what resources I have. I decide to come back and start to trace the steps Gazania took before she was kidnapped.
“I must go Lupa, but I will return and plan what to do. We will find the King’s daughter,” I say confidently.
I say farewell and with a wave of my browser stick and a whizzing sound I whirl back to the library. I land with a bump at the bottom of the bookcase where I left from. At that moment I realize that I am not alone, someone is sitting on the stool that I had used to reach the top shelf. Someone is staring at me!
Diary of a 6th Grade Spy - Book 1 - Zero to Hero Page 4