by Bob Brooks
The ducks towed the raft out to where Sam directed and anchored it securely. There was barely enough rope to reach the bottom. The raft bobbed up and down on the choppy water.
“Sam, please go down to the spring and look around, but don’t go in it.”
“Yes, sir,” Sam responded and dove quickly below the surface. The pond water was very clear, but at the bottom there was very little light. He waited for his eyes to adjust.
After a minute he could see the rocks covering the spring fairly clearly. He swam around them a few times. There was nothing unusual. Then, he went to the edge of an opening and looked in. Just as before, warm water was coming from below. The path sloped downward and towards the island. He could only see in about ten feet, and there was no glow. He moved into the stream of rising water. Using a moderate amount of effort, he was able to hold his position. Based upon that brief test, Sam judged that he would be able to swim against the current. As he expected, the warm water felt very good especially when compared to the weather above. At the moment he was a lot more comfortable than those shivering on the raft. Of course, they could breathe and he couldn’t. There are always plusses and minuses to a situation.
He swam up to the raft and reported what he had seen. Bartholomew was concerned about Sam being underwater for that long, but the turtle said everything had been fine.
The next step was for Sam to enter the spring and follow it. Within minutes he was back down at the entrance. He swam into the warm stream and entered a long, dark passageway. It was not much wider than he, and his claws frequently scraped the rock walls as he moved against the water. It was difficult to see, but he noticed that the walls had flecks of light here and there. Apparently, there was some phosphorescence in them. He had gone as far as he thought he should on this trip when the passage split. One path turned down, and the other curved to the right. He stopped and held onto the wall to maintain his position. It was apparent that the warm water stream was coming from below. He returned to the raft and reported his latest discovery.
After hearing the report, Bartholomew said, “It is likely the gift is somewhere down to the right. Follow that path for while. You will probably begin to see a glow.”
Bartholomew was exactly right. Sam returned to the split and crossed over. The water immediately became calm. He gazed down the new path and thought he saw a bluish glow in the distance. He swam slowly towards it. The tunnel became wider and began to rise. Except for the glow at the end, there was virtually no light to guide him. He moved carefully and used the walls to help.
As he continued, it seemed nothing was changing except that the path kept rising. Finally, the glow became brighter. He was getting closer. Apparently, the tunnel was widening to reveal a small underwater cave. When he reached the cave, he was able to surface. Happily, he breathed in the fresh air. It smelled like pine trees. The little cave was eerily illuminated in shades of purple and blue. This was similar to the underwater lake in The Hills but much smaller and less bright. On the opposite side was a rock ledge, and what do you think was sitting on that ledge? Yes! An old metal box. Sam stared at the box in amazement and then swam towards it. He tried to climb onto the ledge, but it was too high above the water, and the rocks were slippery.
About three feet above the box, there appeared to be an opening in the rock ceiling. The air and light, which illuminated the cave, were obviously coming from there.
Sam searched for some way to climb onto the ledge but couldn’t find one. He was disappointed, but he had found the gift and had a lot to tell everyone. Reluctantly, he turned around and carefully made his way back down the tunnel. When he surfaced near the raft, he was still very excited.
“I found it,” he yelled. “I found the gift.”
That news excited them all.
“What did you find? Where?” asked everyone at the same time.
He told them everything he had seen.
After thinking for a while, Bartholomew said, “Since you were able to surface in the cave, you were probably under the island.”
“Yes, I think I was.”
“Let’s go there and look for that opening,” said Bartholomew.
The ducks moved the raft to the island, and the animals jumped off. Sam led the way in the direction he thought was most likely. About fifty feet into the forest, they spotted the remains of a large oak tree. Its trunk had broken off and was partially hollowed out. There was a hole in the side of the six-foot stump. Bartholomew stuck his head in but saw only darkness. He threw a small stone in and listened. The stone fell and hit something metallic. Then, they heard a small splash.
“I think we found it,” he said.
It was dark, when he looked in, because he was blocking the light from entering.
“Sean, would you please go and bring Sedgewick here.” Everyone knew he meant Sedgewick Squirrel. Sedgewick could climb down inside of the trunk, and he was small enough so that he wouldn’t block the light.
Sean flew off to his cottage. There, he put on the carrying basket in which the squirrel could ride. Then, it was only a short flight to Sedgewick’s treehouse. The squirrel was surprised to see Sean but immediately agreed to help. The two were back at the stump in thirty minutes. Bartholomew explained the situation. Sedgewick jumped up on the edge of the opening in the tree.
Bartholomew said, “For safety let’s tie a rope around your middle.”
With the rope attached, Sedgewick carefully began to descend into the hollow stump. Soon, the water, the cave, and the box came into view.
“I see the box,” he yelled. “The cave is filled with water, and everything is blue. It’s beautiful! The box is only a few feet down on a rock ledge. I’m going down to it.”
From the ceiling of the cave, he jumped the remaining three feet and landed on top of the metal box.
“The box looks very old. It has a handle on top. There was a rope attached to it, but it has rotted. I’m going to attach our rope to the box, and you can pull us up.”
He unhooked himself from the rope and connected it to the handle. He stood on the box and held onto the rope.
“I’m ready,” he yelled.
The animals pulled on the rope, and the squirrel and box rose. Sedgewick guided the box upward, and before long, he reached the opening. Several paws reached in and lifted Sedgewick and the metal box out into the daylight and then down to the ground.
The box had a simple clasp on it, but it was stiff. Bartholomew used some force, and the lid creaked open.
They stared at a round, golden object nestled in purple, velvet cloth. Only Bartholomew knew what it was.
“Everybody,” he proclaimed. “Our gift is a beautiful, antique sundial.”
The animals stared in awe. The sundial was in remarkable condition. It was engraved with intricate designs and at the bottom were the words “Ballymore - 1801”. He lifted it from its box and admired it. It was gorgeous.
The animals wanted to know all about it, and he gave them a quick explanation. Then, he returned the gift to its box and closed the lid.
“Stoddard and Sean, would you please take our gift to my home,” he requested.
“Everybody, we have successfully found the gift, and I thank you. I need to study how to properly mount it. I believe a good location for it is in front of the new pavilion building. I hope it will be ready for an unveiling ceremony in about a week. Thank you all, so much!”
The excited animals said goodbye to each other and rushed off. They would be telling everyone what they found.
Bartholomew flew with the swans to his treehouse. They placed the sundial in his water bucket at the edge of the pond. From there it was hoisted to the kitchen. Then, they carried it to the dining table. They could have brought it up the steps, but that would have been a bit awkward. The swans’ day was not yet done. They said goodbye and left to pick up a load of tea for Petunia Porcupine.
Bartholomew walked to the book shelf and pulled out his astronomy book. He found a section on s
undials and studied how to properly mount them. The critical information he needed was the latitude and longitude of Ballymore on the surface of the earth. He took down his big atlas and was able to determine those numbers fairly accurately. He also needed to figure out the angle at which to mount the sundial. This was all required to ensure that it would show the correct time.
The next morning, he sent a message to Morris Muskrat asking if he could visit. Then, he cleaned and polished the sundial. When he finished, it was gleaming.
Morris knocked on his door in the late afternoon. Bartholomew invited him in, and he immediately noticed the polished sundial.
“Now that’s impressive, and it was in the underground cave?” he asked.
“Yes, Cyrus Owl was quite ingenious,” said Bartholomew. “It will be mounted in front of the new pavilion building. Would you make a pedestal for it, please. I have figured out most of the details.”
“Of course,” answered Morris. “What do you need?”
“The pedestal will be polished hardwood, four feet long and one foot in diameter. It will be buried two feet in the ground. The top will be sloped at a precise angle that I am still calculating.”
“That’s a pretty easy project, Bart. I can have it done in a few days. What color finish would you like?”
“I think a dark mahogany would be nice,” said Bartholomew. “Thank you. I’m sure it will be beautiful.”
Morris left, and Bartholomew prepared dinner. He ate at the opposite end of the dining table from the sundial and found it difficult to keep his eyes off of it. He thought about how long it sat in that cave waiting to be discovered, waiting to be used, and appreciated again.
More important was the purpose of its mission. After eating, he got up and took his Bible from the bookshelf. Matthew 7:12 was still bookmarked. He sat by the fire, opened the book, and read the passage again:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” — The Golden Rule
You should treat others the same way as you would like them to treat you.
He thought about the importance of that simple concept to the world. The Golden Rule was written for people, but it’s the animal residents of Ballymore who live by it and prove its worth every day.
Why has it been so difficult for people to honor it, he thought.
Is the answer related to obtaining basic needs? If you are alone, then you have no help. In order to obtain food and shelter, you might have to break the Golden Rule. However, if you are part of a community, you can rely upon your loved-ones and friends, and they can rely upon you. People need to belong to something and not be alone.
Is the answer related to greed and envy? There are many who have everything they need but want more. There are many who want something simply because someone else has it. Is there something broken in people that causes greed and envy and other sins? How can it be mended? The effort has to begin in the heart of each individual person.
Bartholomew sighed, said a prayer, and fell asleep holding the Bible in his wings.
Four days later, a message arrived from Morris saying that the pedestal was ready. The owl flew to Morris’s cottage to see it. It was as beautiful as he had imagined. With the ducks’ and swans’ help, the pedestal and sundial were moved to the front of the pavilion on the island. The moles dug a hole, and the pedestal was guided into place. After the hole was filled, Morris cut the top of the pedestal to the angle calculated by Bartholomew. The animals then lifted the sundial and placed it on top. It was secured with shiny screws.
The animals stood back and gazed at it.
Bartholomew said, “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”
They all agreed.
He covered it with its velvet cloth and said, “We will have the unveiling on Thursday at 11 bongs in the morning.”
At 11 bongs on Thursday, there was a light rain falling. Bartholomew decided to wait for a while. The rain ended thirty minutes later. Every animal resident of Ballymore was there to see the sundial and hear Bartholomew. Even though it was damp and a little foggy, he began.
“Everybody, welcome. I don’t know that I have the right words to do this momentous occasion justice. This is a very special day for Ballymore. Thanks to all of your efforts, we have successfully located our gift from Cyrus Owl and the Ballymore residents of 1801. A gift that was left for us over ninety years ago.
“In his original letter, Cyrus told us what they hoped to accomplish. He expressed fear that the values that served Ballymore so well might be lost in the future. He and his fellow residents put considerable effort into this project.
“Their efforts were not wasted, and their fears were not justified. We have faithfully maintained the same values they had in 1801. Our community joined together, again, to locate this wonderful gift.
“I will now unveil our golden sundial.”
As he finished, he pulled the cloth from the sundial. A loud cheer went up as most were seeing it for the first time. Everyone gathered around to admire and touch the sundial. They congratulated each other and hugged. After a few minutes Bartholomew asked them to step back, and he explained the operation of the instrument.
“When the sun is shining, it hits the vertical piece and creates a shadow on the flat face. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow also moves across the face. There are lines and numbers engraved on the face. When the shadow hits a particular line, that indicates the current time of day.”
“Now, if we can get a little sunshine, it will show itself off to us.”
Everyone waited impatiently. The thin fog began to lift, and the trees on the opposite shore could now be seen. Everyone was looking back and forth between the sundial and the sky. Then, the sun finally broke through. A shaft of sunlight shone down on the golden sundial and created a narrow shadow on its face. Simultaneously, a rainbow appeared in the sky behind the pavilion. Soon thereafter, the hamlet bell bonged twelve times in the distance.
The Gift
Their new Ballymore sundial read exactly 12 noon.
Bartholomew gazed out over the pond as he had done many times previous. It was just before midnight 0n the final night of February. He was reflecting upon the past twelve months, and they certainly had been eventful. Some things changed, and some remained the same. But, no matter what happened, the animal residents of Ballymore would always be a family — his family.
So, we have completed our first year in Ballymore. I hope you enjoyed reading the Tales as much as I did in creating them. There are more to come.
Bartholomew Owl is the unofficial and beloved councillor of Ballymore. He lives on the north shore of the pond.
Brigit Badger (Dr. Brigit) is the doctor and cares for everyone. She lives on the north shore next to Bartholomew. She is the guardian of Puff Cat who assists as a nurse.
Petunia Porcupine lives on the northwest shore next to Dr. Brigit. She grows fruits and vegetables in her large garden and orchard. She also makes scrumptious baked goodies.
Wilde and Wilder Weasel are brothers. They are the mischievous, unofficial security guards for Ballymore and live on the west shore.
Malcolm and Maeve Mole and their children, Melrose and Merwin, live on the southwest shore. They dig tunnel, foundations, and other excavations.
Grenby Groundhog is Ballymore’s eccentric weather forecaster for nine months a year (he sleeps the other three). His small hut is next to the moles’ cottage.
Reginald and Rhonda Rabbit and their children, Robbie, Rachel, and Rain, live on the south shore. They assemble beautiful flower baskets and bouquets from their large flower garden. Reginald is the Ballymore tailor.
Sedgewick and Sofie Squirrel and their children, Shane and Seely, live on the south shore next to the rabbits. They construct roofs for Ballymore cottages and other buildings.
Charles and Cheryl Chipmunk and their children, Colin, Conner, and Craig are helpers. They will help with almost anything if they are not playing They live next to the squirrels on the south shore.
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sp; Farley and Fionna Frog and their children, Finnilly (Finn) and Faith, live on the southeast shore. They are the wonderful Ballymore artists. Finn is a pal of the weasels.
Sam Snapping Turtle lives on the southeast shore. He is a life-guard at the Launching Tree and helps with transportation.
Burton and Beatrice Beaver, and their children, Birch, Birk, and Belva, build the excellent Ballymore cottages and other structures. They live next to Sam on the southeast shore.
Morris Muskrat builds furniture for the residents and lives on the northeast shore. He is one of Bartholomew’s best friends.