by Bram Stoker
Whilst she was thus engaged, she was sitting with her back to Sibold; but the Baby was looking on at the milking operation, with his blue eyes dancing with glee. All at once he began to laugh, so much that May looked round to see what he was laughing at. There was Sibold trying to milk the Cow by pulling its tail.
The Cow did not seem to mind him, but went on grazing.
“Chay, Lady,” said Sibold. The Cow began to frisk about.
“Oh, I say,” said Sibold, “do hurry up now, and give us some milk; the Ba wants some.”
The Cow answered him:
“The dear Ba must not want for aught.”
May thought it very strange that the Cow could talk; but as Sibold did not seem to think it strange, she held her tongue.
Sibold began to argue with the Cow: “But really now, Mister Cow, if he must not want for anything, why do you make him want?”
The Cow answered: “Don’t blame me. It is your own fault. Try some other way;” and it began to laugh as hard as it could.
Its laugh was very funny, very loud at first, but gradually getting more and more like the Child’s laugh, till May could not tell one from the other. Then the Cow stopped laughing, but the Child went on.
“What are you laughing at, Ba?” May asked, for she did not remember to know anything about milking, any more than Sibold. She thought this very funny, for she knew that she had often seen the cows milked at home.
The Baby spoke, “That is not the way to milk a cow.”
Then Sibold began to work the Cow’s tail up and down like the handle of a pump; but the Baby laughed more than ever.
All at once, without knowing how it came to pass, she felt herself pouring milk out of a watering-pot all over the Baby, who lay on the ground, with Sibold holding down its head. The Baby was crowing and laughing like mad; and when the watering-pot was all emptied, he said:
“Thank you both so much. I never enjoyed dinner so much in my life.”
“This is a very queer dear Ba!” said May, in a whisper.
“Very,” said Sibold.
Whilst they were talking there came a dreadful sound among the trees, very very far away at first, but getting nearer and nearer every moment. It was like cats who were trying to imitate thunder. The noise came booming through the trees.
“Meiau-u-boom-r-p-s-s-s. Yarkhow-iau-p-s-s.”
May was very much frightened. So also was Sibold, but he would not say so; he felt that he had to protect his little Sister and the Baby, so he got between them and the place the sound came from. May hugged the Child close, and said to him, “Do not fear, dear Ba. We will not let it touch you.” “What is ‘it?’” said the Baby.
“I do not know, Ba,” she answered. “I wish I did. There it comes now;” for just at that moment a great angry Tiger bounded over the tops of the highest trees, and stood glaring at them out of its great green flaming eyes.
May looked on this terrible thing with her eyes distended with terror; but still she clasped the Baby closer and closer. She kept looking at the Tiger, and saw that he was eyeing not her nor Sibold, but the Baby. This made her more frightened than ever, and she clasped him closer. As she looked, however, she saw that the Tiger’s eyes got less and less angry every moment, till at last they were as gentle and tame as those of her own favourite tabby.
Then the Tiger began to purr. The purring was like a cat’s purr, but so loud that it sounded like drums. However, she did not mind it, for although loud it seemed as if it meant to be gentle and caressing. Then the Tiger came close, and crouched before the Wondrous Child, and licked his little fat hands with its great rough red tongue, but very gently. The Baby laughed, and patted the Tiger’s great nose, and pulled the long bristling whiskers, and said:
“Gee, gee.”
The Tiger went on behaving most funnily. It lay down on its back, and rolled over and over, and then stood up and purred louder than ever. Its great tail rose straight into the air, with the top moving about and knocking to and fro a great bunch of grapes that hung down from the tree above. It seemed overwhelmed with joy, and came and crouched again before the Child, and purred round him in the greatest state of happiness. Finally it lay down, smiling and purring, and watching over the Child as if on guard.
Presently there came from the distance another terrible Sound. It was like a great Giant hissing; and was louder than steam, and more multitudinous than a flock of geese. There was also the sound of breaking branches, of the crushing of the undergrowth; and there was a terrible dragging noise like nothing else they had ever heard.
Again Sibold stood out between the sound and May, who once more held the Baby to protect him from harm.
The Tiger rose and arched his back like an angry cat, and got ready to spring on whatsoever should come.
Then there appeared over the tops of the trees the head of an enormous Serpent, with small eyes that shone like sparks of fire, and two great open jaws. These jaws were so big that it really seemed as if the beast’s whole head opened in two; and between them appeared a great forked tongue which seemed to spit venom. Behind this monstrous head appeared enormous coils of the Serpent’s body moving endlessly. The Tiger growled as if about to spring; but suddenly the Serpent lowered its head submissively. It was gazing at the Wondrous Child; and May looking, also saw that the wee Baby was pointing down as if commanding the Serpent to his feet. Then the Tiger, with a low growl and afterwards a contented purr, went back to its place to watch and guard; the great Serpent came gently and coiled itself in the glade, and it also seemed as if keeping watch and guard over the Wondrous Child.
Again there came another terrible sound. This time it was in the air. Great wings seemed to flap louder than thunder; and from far away the air was darkened by a mighty Bird of Prey that made a shadow over the land with its outspread wings.
As the Bird of Prey swooped down, the Tiger rose again and arched his back as though about to spring to meet it, and the Serpent raised his mighty coils and opened his great jaws as if about to strike.
But when the Bird saw the Child it too became less fierce, and hung in mid air with its head drooped as though making submission. Presently the Serpent coiled itself and lay as before, the Tiger went back to watch and guard, and the Bird of Prey alit in the glade and watched and guarded too.
May and Sibold began to look with wonder on the Beautiful Boy, before whom these monsters made obeisance; but they could not see anything strange.
Again there was another terrible sound - this time out to sea - a rushing and swishing as if some giant thing was lashing the water.
Looking round, the children saw two monsters coming. These were a Shark and a Crocodile. They rose out of the sea and came up on land. The Shark was jumping along, with its tail beating about and its triple rows of great teeth grinding together. The Crocodile was crawling along with its big feet and short bent legs; and its terrible mouth was opening and shutting, snapping its big teeth together.
When these two got near, the Tiger and the Serpent and the Bird of Prey all rose to guard the Child; but when the new comers saw the Baby, they too made submission, and they also kept watch and guard - the Crocodile crawling on the beach, and the Shark moving up and down in the water - just like sentries.
Again May and Sibold looked at the Beautiful Child and wondered.
Once more there was a terrible noise, more awful than had yet been.
The earth seemed to shake, and a deep rumbling sound came from far below. Then, a little way off, a mountain suddenly rose; its top opened, and forth burst, with a sound louder than a storm, fire and smoke. Great volumes of black vapour rose and hung, a dark cloud, overhead. Red-hot stones of enormous size were shot aloft and fell again into the crater, and were lost. Down the sides of the mountain rolled torrents of burning lava, and springs of fiercely-boiling water burst forth on every side.
Sibold and May were more frightened than ever, and May clasped the dear Baby closer to her breast.
The thunder of the burn
ing mountain grew louder and louder, the fiery lava poured thick and fast, and from the crater rose the head of a fiery Dragon, with eyes like burning coals and teeth like tongues of flame.
Then the Tiger and the Serpent and the Bird of Prey, and the Crocodile and the Shark, all prepared to defend the Wondrous Child.
But when the fiery Dragon saw the Boy it, too, was quelled; and it crawled humbly out from the burning crater.
Then the fiery mountain sunk again into the earth, the burning lava disappeared; and the Dragon remained with the others to watch and guard.
Sibold and May were more amazed than ever, and looked at the Baby more curiously still. Suddenly May said to her brother:
“Sibold, I want to whisper you something.”
Sibold bent his head, and she whispered very softly into his ear:
“I think the Ba is an Angel!”
Sibold looked at him in awe as he answered:
“I think so, too, dear. What are we to do?”
“I do not know,” said May; “I hope he will not be angry with us for calling him ‘Ba.’”
“I hope not,” said Sibold.
May thought for a moment, and then her face lit up with a glad smile as she said:
“He will not be angry, Sibold. You know we entertained him unawares.”
“Quite true,” said Sibold.
Whilst they were talking, all sorts of animals and birds and fishes were coming into the glade, walking arm in arm, as well as they could - for none of them had arms. A Lion and a Lamb came first, and these two bowed to the Child, and then went and lay down together. Then came a Fox and a Goose; and then a Hawk and a Pigeon; and then a Wolf and another Lamb; then a Dog and a Cat; and then another Cat and a Mouse; and then another Fox and a Stork; and a Hare and a Tortoise; and a Pike and a Trout; and a Sparrow and a Worm; and many, many others, till all the glade was full of living things all at peace with one another.
They all sat round the glade in pairs, and they all looked at the Wondrous Child.
May whispered again to Sibold:
“I think if he is an Angel we ought to be very respectful to him.”
Sibold nodded, slowing that he agreed with her; so she cuddled up the Baby closer and said:
“Please, Mister Ba, do not they all look nice and pretty sitting around like that?”
The Beautiful Child smiled sweetly as he answered:
“Beautiful and sweet they look.”
May said again:
“I wish they would always be like that, and never fight nor disagree at all, dear Ba. Oh! I beg your pardon. I mean, Mister Ba.”
The Child asked her:
“Why do you beg my pardon?”
“Because I called you Ba, instead of Mister Ba.”
The Boy asked again:
“Why should you call me Mister Ba?”
May did not like to say, “Because you are an Angel,” as she would like to have said, so she cuddled the Child closer and whispered into his little pink ear:
“You know.”
The Child put his little arms round her neck and kissed her, and said, very low and very sweetly, words that all her life long she never forgot:
“I do know. Be always loving and sweet, dear child, and even the Angels will know your thoughts and will listen to your words.”
May felt very happy. She looked at Sibold, who bent over and kissed her, and called her “sweet little sister;” and all the animals in pairs, and all the terrible ones on guard, said all together like a cheer:
“Right!”
Then they stopped and made all together each of the noises in turn that any of them used to show they were happy. First they all purred, and then they all crowed, and then cackled, and squeaked, and flapped their wings and wagged their tails.
“Oh, how pretty!” said May again, “look, dear Ba!” She was just going to say Mister when the Child held up its finger, so she only said “Ba.”
The Child smiled and said:
“Right, you must call me only Ba.”
Again all the animals said together like a shout:
“Right, you must say only Ba,” and then they all went through the same ways of showing their joy as before.
May said to the Child - and somehow her voice seemed very, very loud although she did not mean it, but only to whisper.
“Oh, dear Ba, I do so wish they would always continue happy and at peace like this. Is there no way of doing it?”
The Beautiful Child opened its mouth to speak, and all the living things put up their claws, or their wings, or their fins to their cars, to listen attentively.
He spake, and his words seemed full of sound but very soft, like the echo of distant thunder coming over far waters on the wings of music.
“Know, dear children, and know ye all that list - there shall be peace on earth between all living things when the children of men are for one hour in perfect love and harmony with each other. Strive, oh! strive, each and all of you, that it may be so.”
As he spoke there came over all a solemn hush, and they were very still.
Then the Wondrous Child seemed to float out of May’s arms and to move down toward the sea. All the living things instantly hurried to make a great double line between which he passed.
May and Sibold followed him hand in hand. He waited for them at the marge of the sea and then kissed them both.
Whilst he was kissing them, the boat came close to shore; the anchor climbed on board; the white sails ran aloft, and a fresh breeze began to blow towards home.
The Wondrous Child moved on to the prow, and there rested. Sibold and May went on board, and took their old place; and after kissing their hands to all the living things - who were by this time dancing all together in the glade - they kept their eyes fixed on the Beautiful Boy.
As they sat hand in hand, the boat moved along gently, but very swiftly. The shore, with its many beautiful places, seemed gliding into a dim mist as they swept along.
Presently they saw their own creek, and the great Willow towering over all the other trees on shore.
The boat came to land. The Wondrous Child, floating in the air, moved onward towards the Willow Bower.
Sibold and May followed.
He entered the Bower; they came close after.
As the leafy curtain fell behind them, the figure of the Wondrous Child got dimmer and dimmer; till at last, looking at them lovingly, and waving his tiny hands, as if blessing them, he seemed to melt away into the air.
Sibold and May sat for a long time, hand in hand, thinking. Then both feeling sleepy, they put their arms round each other, and lay down to rest.
In this position they again fell asleep, with the Poppies all around them.
SNOW BOUND: THE RECORD OF A THEATRICAL TOURING PARTY
This collection of fifteen short stories was first published in 1908. Stoker weaves the stories together as a series of tales told by the members of a touring theatre company on a snowbound train.
The first edition
CONTENTS
THE OCCASION
A LESSON IN PETS
COGGINS’S PROPERTY
THE SLIM SYRENS
A NEW DEPARTURE IN ART
MICK THE DEVIL
IN FEAR OF DEATH
AT LAST
CHIN MUSIC
A DEPUTY WAITER
WORK’US
A CORNER IN DWARFS
A CRIMINAL STAR
A STAR TRAP
A MOON-LIGHT EFFECT
PREFACE
The Truth - or rather Accuracy - of these Stories may be accepted or not as the Reader pleases. They are given as Fiction.
Bram Stoker
THE OCCASION
For a little while the train seemed to stumble along amongst the snowdrifts. Every now and again there would be a sudden access of speed as a drift was cleared, just as in a saw-mill the ‘buzz’ saw rushes round at accelerated speed as the log is cleaved, or as a screw ‘races’ when the wave falls away. Then w
ould follow an ominous slowing down as the next snowdrift was encountered. The Manager, pulling up the blind and peering out on the waste of snow, remarked:
‘Nice cheerful night this; special nice place to be snowed up. So far as I can see, there isn’t a house between the North Sea and the Grampians. There! we’ve done it at last! Stuck for good this time!’ - for the slow movement of the train stopped altogether. The rest of the Company waited in anxious expectancy, and it was with a general sigh of relief that they saw the door on the sheltered side of the saloon open under the vigorous jerk of the Guard: anything was better than the state of uncertainty to which they had been reduced by the slow, spasmodic process of the last two hours. The Guard shook the rough mass of snow from him as he came in and closed the door.
‘Very sorry to tell you, Ladies and Gentlemen, that we’ve come to a stop at last. We’ve been fighting the snow ever since we left Aberdeen, and the driver had hopes we might win on as far as Perth. But these drifts are one too many for us. Here we are till daylight unless we can get some place nigh at hand for ye to shelter.’ The practical mind of the Manager at once grasped a possibility.
‘Why not go back to Aberdeen? We have cleared the road so far, and we should be able to run back over it now.’ The Guard shook his head.
‘That mecht do by ordinar’; but with a wind like this and such a snowfall as I’ve never seen the like of, we wouldn’t be able to run a mile. But, anyhow, the Stoker has gone out to prospect; and we’ll soon know what to expect.’
‘Tell the Driver to come here,’ said the Manager. ‘I should like to know exactly how we stand as to possibilities.’ As the door opened for his passing out, the keen blast of icy air which rushed in sent a shiver through the whole Company. They were all too miserable and too anxious to say anything, so the silence was unbroken till the Guard returned with the Engine-Driver, the latter muffled, his black, oily clothes additionally shiny with the running of the melted snow.
‘Where are we?’ asked the Manager.