Charlie the Great White Horse and the Journey to Egypt

by Kenneth Mullinix

Olle the Ogre was the first to show his head into the blue light of the new day.

  "Free at last!" shouted out the beast upon finding his freedom. Behind him slowly appeared George the Cave Troll, "Your words ring true!" shouted out the great creature "freedom is ours we will now rule the Blue Hour once again!"

  "Not so fast boys," shouted back Tut-ankh-Amon "a deal has not been struck yet with Hathor. She will return within the hour to settle our squabbles as in the past."

  "My first moment of freedom in three thousand years, and I have the most unfortunate honor of seeing an Ancient...Tut-ankh-Amon, don't you ever die?"

  "Not so fast George, for I have brought another of your ancient foes, Aswan the White."

  Aswan swooped down upon the unwary cave troll, knocking him to his feet with a might kick of his two rear legs. George tumbled downwards, falling awkwardly, face first into the reddened sands of Egypt. Olle seeing George sprawled out in front of his oddly curled toes, and wreaking feet grabbed George's mammoth, knotted club out of his hand swinging it high above his head with meaning, barely missing Aswan as he made a well-rehearsed, evasive maneuver.

  "Reinforcements from the Under Dark...how do you like my friends Tut-ankh-Amon?" asked Petar wryly.

  "They are just as vile and as empty in their souls as you are Petar. You all will be soon returning to your nasty lairs, shortly enough!" yelled out the wizened wizard as Charlie quickly glided in towards him, Tut reached out an arm with an extended hand, catching Aswan's saddle as he gracefully flew by. Mounted once again on leather saddle and back soaring above the red sands of Egypt, and below, the darkened storm clouds circling above them, Tut called out to The Baron with fury ringing in his voice.

  "Junior, Chug, and Louis are not safe anymore they have been exposed. Their rescue is your solemn duty, quickly!"

  The Baron innately sprung into action.

  His two feathered wings shot to his sides. In a rapid decent towards the crypt, he flew with all his might. His long flowing tail and mane, strung along his broad neck, flapped in the wind like a child's kite unfettered, and on the loose in a raging tornado.

  Performing a well-executed barrel roll, The Baron sidestepped another deathly blow by Olle the Ogre with George's wooden club. Chug began dragging Louis away from a few larger stone blocks (that had been their hiding place), towards Junior as The Baron approached from on high.

  Paragus seeing a rescue of the two children was at hand took a broad leap into the back of the crypt, quickly reappearing with his diamond-crusted pitched-fork in hand once again. In another quick motion, the spear was away. It pierced The Baron's left outstretched wing, sending him spiraling down into the soft, sand covered earth below.

  The Baron howled out loudly in pain and defeat, as the spear passed through his feathered arm, causing him to crash land next to Junior, who was still immobilized, lying dazed and confused by the shattered doors of the ancient mausoleum.

  Painful cries blared from above by an angered and pain-filled Aswan.

  "Baron!" screamed out the enraged pride filled Aswan "I will come to your rescue!"

  The Baron during impact rolled to his left side, flipping over Chug, who pulled Louis underneath his body for protection.

  Petar's eyes spun wildly counter clockwise once again in his black eye sockets, as his boney body shook like a jellyfish, during a maelstrom. He screeched out shouts of joy at the tops of his lungs, "He is defeated!"

  Paragus now turned his full attentions towards the two small children as Petar barked out orders in a demanding tone, "No more games, finish the red-haired one with the cobalt eyes, he is their only savior now. Two great Pegasus's have been crushed in battle, Aswan and Tut-ankh-Amon, cannot best me now by themselves their ranks have thinned!"

  Aswan, with his cunning rider guiding his decent, screamed out in pain once more at seeing The Baron, trying to limp away from the charging Minotaur. With feathered wings tucked in tight at his muscled sides, Aswan gathered speed. Another mighty thrust of Aswan's front hooves upon Paragus, sent him flying back into the crypt just as Dragon the Fire-Breathing Dragon entered into the light of the Blue Hour.

  Both were smashed into unconsciousness at they violently collided.

  Chug regained his senses.

  He spun Louis around one last time, this time he slapped him across the face with an open hand, as he did this clarity of thought gripped him as his mind raced again, trying to find a solution to Louis's malaise and confusion.

  A plea was answered.

  "Molly...you're a genius...you truly are!!" screamed out Chug as Aswan and Tut-ankh-Amon, shot a backwards glance at him, as they both fought to bank to the right to avoid a collision of their own, with the Pyramid of Khufu.

  "My blood brother...your salvation has arrived, thanks to your trusted friend remembering a cure to your funk!"

  "No magic can cure the evil spell of the Bodhi berry. This child is too young and too weak-minded for you to help him now," said a cunning Petar as he progressed on Chug.

  "You are wrong Petar, love conquers all," surmised Chug "just as good will always, conquer evil!"

  Chug tried his best to steady Louis, but Louis's legs buckled below him, as Chug lost his grip on his chain mail coat. Once again, Chug tried to support his spellbound friend, only this time he slung one of his long arms across Louis's thin shoulders. He then with great conviction slammed a closed fist, into Louis's thin mid-section, knocking the desert's hot air, clean out of Louis's now quaking lungs.

  Chug lost his grip once more as Louis fell downwards, like a deflating balloon. He sprawled out on the sand upon impact, sending his eyes rolling back up into his head then back again like a ping-pong ball, spinning inside, a clothes dryer. Louis eyes finally stopped rolling long enough for him to reach to his belly; he let out a deafening scream of pain as he gained his senses.

  "Now you're not spellbound!! Now you're pissed off!!" screamed out his best friend,

  Louis gasped for air as he looked over at Chug "now go save the world already!!"