by L. EE
Through the window at the far end he noticed the sky had turned a deathly shade of gray and now conspired with flashes of lightning to make boxes of old clothes, a baby crib, Mom’s innumerable keepsakes, the rack of Dad’s outdated suits, and the rest of the family’s treasures come to life—a hunchback here, a zombie there. The creatures rose and staggered toward him. Andy shone the beam at the light switch, squeezed his eyes tight and flipped it on, then ducked, just in case something lunged at him. Nothing did.
Boom! Thunder reverberated above his head as if registering a collective complaint from the dismembered shadows.
Andy stumbled backward, his behind connecting with...he didn’t know what. Landing hard, Andy waited, listening for sounds of his sister. But except for the constant howling of the wind and the continued thumping of the oak tree, he heard only the whoosh of pelting rain.
That’s new, he thought as he located the obstacle. A trunk. He used it to pull himself upright. It was weathered and old, made of oak. It looked like a pirate’s chest with a rounded top and leather straps riveted to metal reinforcing bands every few inches. Two of them ended in buckles. Andy loosed the leather straps and then tried the lock that secured the middle. Amazingly, it easily pulled away on its rusted hinge.
After glancing around the attic again, he pushed up on the lid and rested it at an angle, forbidding the maw from gobbling his fingers. A note and one other object rested in the uppermost tray. Andy pulled out the paper and read,
Andy,
What? It’s addressed to me? Who’d be sending me a trunk?
I’m sorry you’re getting involved in the problem this way, but I felt I had no other option. I was told to find a way to remove the contents of this trunk from the land lest they be found and stir up all manner of unrest among the people. It is pure speculation on my part, but based upon the position I believe is yours, I felt you were the only one who could manage this. Please use the utmost secrecy and tell no one what you have.
The note was not signed.
Andy read it several times. Where’d this come from? What’s it mean by “the problem”…and “the land”? What position is supposed to be mine? Andy ran a hand through his hair and growled, “Perfect. Just what I need to make this day complete.”
He turned his attention to the object. It was a black leather sheath, and even though old and worn, it was still soft and held a shine. Must be good quality. At the top was a purple crest bearing three intricately detailed pendants: a spider, a wavy line, and beneath that, a knight on horseback. As Andy ran his finger over the metal pendants, icy tentacles traced the length of his spine. It’s just the cold. But his gut told him otherwise.
He glanced around again, then heard Mom calling. She’s home. Andy replaced the shealth, carefully closed the lid, and evaded detection by Madison as he made his way downstairs.
“Dad said he had a conversation with Principal Dietz today,” Mom greeted him as he entered the kitchen. The timer on the oven beeped, announcing dinner was ready and delaying the discussion Andy knew was about to happen.
Andy pushed peas around his plate and picked at his fish, waiting for the other shoe to drop. No one said much, and Madison took to ping-ponging looks between her parents. She smirked every time she glanced at Andy. As soon as the dishes had been cleared, Dad’s lecture began. “I’m disappointed in you, Andy.”
Madison asked to be excused and chuckled under her breath as she left.
“That will do, Maddy,” Dad warned.
Andy hurled a sneer at her back before she could escape around the corner.
“It really happened, Mom! You’ve got to believe me. The dinosaur came to life! It charged the bus. It was gonna kill the driver!”
Mom’s frown deepened.
“Nonsense, Andy!” A vein on the side of Dad’s neck bulged. “Another of your far-fetched stories. I don’t want to hear any more! You’re ten years old! You must learn to respect authority and take responsibility for your actions.”
And…he’s winding up. The sound of a play-by-play announcer echoed in Andy’s head, and he settled in for what he knew would be a long “talking to.”
The tornado of Dad’s correction strengthened and formed a funnel cloud before slowly dissipating and blowing itself out. Andy looked at the clock on the wall. A new record, only forty-eight minutes tonight. They must have something important to take care of and don’t want to waste more time dealing with me.
Mom and Dad, judge and jury respectively, sentenced Andy to hard labor for crimes against humanity: he was to wash dishes by hand for the next two nights even though they had a perfectly good dishwasher.
Resigned and confused, Andy stood on the step stool before the sink to begin his sentence. He hated having to use the booster. Like so many other things in his life, it made him feel like a little kid. He squirted dishwashing liquid into the rising water, trying to forget the day.
What vicious creatures lurk below these bubble waves? Andy’s mind offered a welcome diversion and he grabbed hold, swirling the water and making the plastic bowl boats collide. Is it a deadly whirlpool, or is that sea serpent back for more?
“Scrub every dish thoroughly and don’t make a mess, Andy. I will inspect when you’re done,” Mom cautioned as she left.
The sink was just about full of water. Andy reached for the faucet to turn it off. Suddenly, he felt strange, very light and airy. Then everything went dark.
Chapter Two
Curse Day Remembered
Andy thudded on a cold, hard floor. “Oww,” he moaned, absorbing the impact of his crash landing. The pitch darkness amplified the clatter of breaking glass and things falling, and he threw an arm over his head. Something started fizzing and the stench of rancid dog farts assaulted his nose. Not again!
“Confound it, Mermin! How’d that boggart manage to extinguish all the candles at once?” The man’s voice, more curious than accusing, sounded familiar.
A small, furry body rushed into Andy’s thigh and a host of pinpricks stabbed a soapy knuckle. “Ouch! It bit me! Again!”
“Who’s there? Mermin?”
Ptooey. Ptooey. Andy felt a mist spray his hand as something spit soap suds then scolded like a small monkey at the zoo, just as it had this morning. He reached for his assailant but it evaded his grasp.
“Candles, Mermin!”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Wight away, sir. I’m twying to find them.”
Majesty?
The man must have tripped because something landed with a bang and more glass shattered not far away.
“What can you do about that boggart?”
“I’m not sure. Everything we’ve twied hasn’t worked.”
Clearly.
“I’m very sowwy. Between that and the Appeawo Beam acting as if it has a mind of its own today—”
Boggart? Appearo Beam? Am I going to see Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner next?
“I know I only gwabbed the US Pus box this time.”
“You brought that boy earlier. That was unfortunate. I hope he doesn’t remember.”
Andy wiped the remaining soap bubbles onto his pants and braced for what might happen. Candlelight brought the space into focus: a table lay overturned, and books, papers and broken beakers littered a large, stone-walled room.
A gasp escaped Andy. I’m back! What is this place?
The two men’s gazes landed on Andy.
That’s him!
A silver-bearded man wearing a bright blue satin robe hunched over and peered through the dimness, inspecting Andy. He held a lit candlestick in one hand and cinched up his overflowing robes with the other. The peak of his Santa-like hat drooped and huge stars twinkled gold.
Another man, tall, lean, and dressed in a long-sleeved black T-shirt and faded blue jeans, sprawled across the floor several feet away. He pushed himself up to sitting. “Mermin, I thought you said you’d brought only the Us Pus box?”
The wizard turned his attention to his companion, nearly causing
the large pompom on his hat to catch fire. His mouth moved like a fish gasping for air. “Yes…” He scratched his head and pushed his round-framed glasses back up his knotty nose. “There’s no way the beam was that wide. I fixed that pwoblem this afternoon. I even tested it.”
Andy glanced at his finger. A trickle of blood oozed from a half circle of pin pricks. He covered them with a thumb.
“Then how do you explain him coming back?”
“I don’t know, sir. I cannot. But it looks like that boggart bit him.”
“Nasty little pest,” the black-shirted man groused.
The blue-robed wizard called Mermin took a step forward. “Let me have a look at that.”
Andy glanced about the room before consenting.
Mermin reached for Andy’s hand, and Andy moved his thumb aside. “Can you bend it?” After flexing it several times, the man knelt and pulled it to within an inch of his nose. Andy felt the man exhale and jerked his hand back. Gross!
“Just a nip. No permanent damage.”
“What would happen if it was deeper?” Andy asked.
“It would itch madly.” The makeshift physician shook his head. “Nothing to fool with.”
“It’d drive you crazy, just like the little menace,” the companion sulked.
Andy rubbed his thumb over the wound, feeling a phantom itch. His eyes found the mailbox from his front yard behind him, the stones from its limestone base scattered. “My mailbox! You guys stole our mailbox!”
The black-shirted man waved his hands. “Mermin’s been having a few difficulties.”
The wizard nodded his agreement.
“Forgive me. Where are my manners? Let me introduce myself. I’m King Hercalon V, ruler of the land of Oomaldee. And this is my wizard, Mermin. And you are…?”
“I’m Andy Smithson.”
“Good to meet you, Andy son of Smith. To what guild does your father belong?”
“Uh…I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Is he a shipbuilder? Yarn weaver? Cobbler?”
“Um, none of the above. My dad owns a company. He’s the CEO. My mom does too.” The thought of Dad using his hands to build a ship or weave yarn seemed crazy—whenever they needed something fixed, they called a repairman. He could hear Dad exclaiming, “Not a good use of my time to fix things. Do you know how much an hour of my time is worth?”
“A company? I’m afraid I don’t know what that is. No matter. So, where are you from?”
“Lakehills, Texas.”
The men exchanged furrowed brows. They’ve never heard of it? Andy bit his lip.
“Tell you what, let’s explore that later.”
“Wait a minute! What do you mean? How’d I get here? How do I get back home?”
The King cleared his throat and glanced at Mermin. “Andy, you may be staying with us for a while.”
“What do you mean? You can’t abduct me. There are laws against that. I’ll…I’ll call the cops!”
The King stiffened his posture and any hint of a smile faded. “I’ve no idea what that means, but let me assure you, we did not abduct you.”
“Then send me back. Now!”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. It seems Mermin did not bring you.” The King’s voice remained annoyingly calm. “Until we can determine who or what did, we won’t know how to send you back.”
“Are you kidding? This can’t be happening. This cannot be happening.” Andy ran his hands through his hair then exploded, “This whole day has been a nightmare!”
Breath caught in both men’s throats.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Mermin and I will work on how to send you home, but I sense you are here for a reason.” The King’s voice trailed off as he inhaled deeply, scratched the top of his head, then chuckled with an afterthought. “Your situation reminds me of the time young da Vinci dropped in for an unexpected visit. Remember that, Mermin?” Smiles of recognition punctuated both men’s faces. “We had no idea where he’d come from. He just showed up.”
“I’m glad you think this is funny.”
The King held up a hand. “I don’t find your situation funny. Experience has taught me that all manner of good can come from the most unexpected events. We will let you know what we determine as soon as we know more.”
An uneasy feeling like when he’d navigated the spook house last Halloween gripped Andy’s stomach. What other surprises lurk around the next corner?
“Why don’t you come with me,” Mermin suggested.
Andy glanced between the pair but elicited no further response from either. Feeling the sting of defeat, he huffed out a long breath. “Fine.”
As the wizard pulled open the heavy wooden door a brown blur brushed the side of Andy’s leg as it streaked past, accompanied by raucous high-pitched squeaking.
“Blast it!” the King bellowed.
“I’m on it!” The shout echoed from the hallway, and a boy about Andy’s age dashed after the boggart. The boy had bright green hair and wore a royal blue tunic and green leggings.
“Thank you, Alden!” Mermin called after him.
Andy popped his head into the hall and looked both ways but the boy had vanished along with the shrill shrieks.
The wizard shook his head. “Nothing but mischief with that thing.”
Andy wrinkled his brow but refrained from comment.
Several steps down the hall Andy asked, “You’re Merlin the Magician? We studied you in school last year.” I had no idea the guy was so wacky.
“You know about Merlin? He was my bwother.” Then chuckling he added, “Made quite a name for himself in your world.”
“But you said you didn’t know anything about Lakehills, Texas!”
Mermin stopped short. “No, His Majesty said we’d explore that later.”
Andy furrowed his brow, wanting to demand that the wizard tell him everything he knew about Andy’s home, but the man cut him off. “Now, shall we continue?” Mermin directed with an open palm.
Should I trust this guy? Andy studied the mage. If I have to stay here for a while, best not make him mad. Andy redirected back to his original line of questioning. “Then are you related to the mermen—like the ones who live underwater?”
“Actually, they are my cousins twice wemoved, on my father’s side. I’m afwaid of water myself. You seem to know a lot about my family.”
Andy gave a half smile.
“I pwomised Henwy I’d loan him a book.”
Andy sighed but traipsed after. The wizard pushed open another heavy wooden door. A sea of books in a multitude of colors and sizes lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Several wooden ladders on wheels scaled the shelves. The room exuded a dank, musty smell.
Whoa, hadn’t expected this.
Andy gasped as he spotted a large trunk sitting on the floor near an oversize stone fireplace. It looked identical to the one he had discovered in his attic. The top rested open at an angle and rolled up manuscripts—all standing on end—overflowed its mouth, like a monster needing braces.
“Something wong?”
Remembering the note in the trunk back home had instructed not to tell anyone about it, Andy replied, “Uh, no, just admiring your trunk.”
“That is a special twunk. Cwaftsmen from many lands build twunks, but I’ve never seen twunks as fine as this anywhere except Oomaldee.” Mermin moved closer to Andy and whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, but the ones made for woyalty have secwet compartments, too. Come in handy for hiding things.”
“Really?”
Mermin nodded.
Andy continued inspecting the room. To one side, an oversized oak desk dominated a threadbare red rug under its feet. Its top was completely buried with open books and manuscripts. To the right of the desk stood a tall wooden table submerged under old texts and papers.
Mermin gathered the fabric of his generous robes in one hand and tottered up one of the wood ladders, exposing two scrawny legs. He’s got chicken legs like mine, Andy smiled, but not
for long when the wizard bobbled part way up.
Please don’t fall, I don’t know emergency first aid!
The man grabbed a book from a shelf and descended, oblivious to the excitement he’d caused his audience.
“Let’s intwoduce you to the goldweavers.”
“Goldweavers?”
Mermin smiled.
They headed back out the door and soon approached a sign indicating Goldery that hung outside a door at the end of the hall.
“A goldewy is where the gold of the kingdom is cwafted,” Mermin answered Andy’s unspoken question.
They walked through a heavy, metal-reinforced door into a small room with a stone floor. Straw was strewn about. A fiery furnace leaned against the far wall, making the space oppressively hot. An army of water-filled wooden buckets stood at attention to the left. Andy noted that the walls had been charred to the halfway point. Three men wearing brown burlap tunics and bright yellow leggings looked up from their work.
“This is Henwy.” Mermin walked over to a man with muscular arms who pumped the bellows, making the furnace angrier still. The wizard handed him the book. “Henwy, this is Andy. He’s…visiting.”
“Thank you, Mermin,” the man acknowledged, patting the wizard on the shoulder and stowing the book away from the fire. “Pleased to meet you, Andy,” said Henry, wiping away the sweat freely flowing down his face. He returned to his former position and gave the bellows another pump, which caused sparks to fly. “Keeps me on my toes,” he joked, stomping out burning embers as they flew onto the floor.
“And this is Max,” Mermin continued, approaching a balding man working at a contraption that reminded Andy of a sewing machine. He kept taking handfuls of straw from a large pile stacked next to him. Each time he pumped a pedal, he fed several pieces of straw into a narrow flame that shot out. With his concentration broken, Max yelped, “Youch! I hate when that happens!” He shook his singed finger, trying to kill the pain.