Jalaby's Journey

by Duane Alston

  Jalaby sat back stunned and gave the letter to Uncle Lindsay to read. Jalaby brushed his hair from his eyes and watched his Uncle's face as he read, while the words raced again through his own head. He could see no change in expression on his Uncle's face and he handed the letter back to Jalaby with no reply.

  “My Father is the most hated man in all the world and I am his son!” Jalaby thought to himself. What was there to say, but finally Uncle Lindsay spoke.

  “Jalaby, this is a lot to consider in one day. Don't take too much in all at once. Get some rest if you can tonight and you will see that it will sort itself out to some degree by tomorrow. Remember this Jalaby.” Pausing momentarily his Uncle straightened himself in his chair and became somewhat the man he used to be in appearance. He looked deep into Jalaby's eyes and said, “I will always be on your side and will help you in any way I can. That you can count on! You just tell me what you need. Now I will leave you with your thoughts and don't stay up too long,” and with that the Uncle slowly rose and headed for his bedroom.

  Jalaby sat motionless for quite a while thinking, but after some time passed, his thoughts became muddled. He looked at the clock and realized that several hours had gone by. During that time, he had been re-reading the words of the letter and trying to pull more meaning from the words than were really there. In the end he whispered, “Truth be Known” to himself and with determination in his heart, retired to bed.

  Chapter 2

  Jalaby awoke very early the next morning, tired from a troubled sleep. Although he wanted desperately just to get away and think, he also knew his Uncle relied on him to help with the farm and today, like all the other days, he worked, the best his wandering mind could manage, until late in the afternoon. He knew that he needed time to himself and somewhere to think. He had always been somewhat solitary at times and would retreat to the hills above Bridgetown, at a place called Golden Gap. The spot was a rocky gap between two hills where, in the winter months, the sun rose directly in the gap causing a brilliant golden glow for those who arrived early enough to see it. But the best part, as far as Jalaby was concerned, was that it was rare that anyone went up there. The wind was gentle, cold and smelled of sweet pine as Jalaby made his way near the gap.

  The woods were quiet, with only the soft rustle of the trees when the wind strummed their boughs as mild gusts came and went. Jalaby sat and the noise of his steps were now quiet, where before they had seemed to intrude on the serenity of this place. High above the gap, atop a boulder, is where Jalaby always found peace. There, he could look to the other side of the summit without being noticed. As the warmth of the sun relaxed his body, he began to ponder the task that had been thrust upon him. As far back as he could remember, Crieton's Fog and Crieton’s Bridge had always existed and were just part of the world he lived in. He had never thought or taken too much notice of these things. He did recall, when he was very much younger, that someone had been lost and it was said that they had crossed, or rather crawled, along the beams under the Crieton bridge and never returned. Jalaby's hair fell across his eyes and he brushed it back. As he did so, he realized that there wasn't a decision to make after all, he must go. There was no doubt about that and he was not afraid. On the contrary, his curiosity and lately his restlessness made the expected journey something he wanted to do more than anything else he could imagine. It was incredible that at this point in his life Jalaby would make a journey across Crieton's Bridge in search of someplace called Stoneburst settlement, but he decided not to journey alone. Since he had only two really good friends, Tom and Connel, Jalaby decided to ask them to go on the Journey. If they can’t or won’t go, then he wasn't sure what he would do. Probably go alone. What about his mother’s comment, “one of those who will travel with you will be unique.” Jalaby wasn't sure what to make of that. Is either Tom or Connel unique in some way? Or maybe the old creature that was mentioned in the letter is to journey with us?

  Just then a noise off in the distance brought his head up in that direction and he waited to see if it was just his imagination, the wind at work, or some traveler making their way through the gap. Jalaby’s peace was indeed broken by the noise of trampling feet and muttering, that seemed to be coming nearer. Jalaby kept his eyes in the direction of the sound and moments later someone emerged from the trees a short distance away and was headed toward the gap. He or she was dressed in typical woodsman clothes, the brown leather pants and jacket that were so common around Bridgetown. The hat was a brilliant blue.

  “I know that hat,” thought Jalaby as his apprehension melted away. It was Sarah, Tom's sister. Jalaby remembered he had three close friends, not two.

  Tom, who like Jalaby, was tall, lean and strong but with reddish blond hair. His appearance only slightly resembled Sarah. Tom and he would often go head-to-head and compete in running and strength sports events, with each winning a respectable number of times. Tom had a quick wit, a great sense of humor and kept things light, but sometimes that got on people's nerves because he would appear to not take things seriously and complain a lot, but he would always back you up in a fight.

  Connel was another great friend and unlike Tom and Jalaby, he never seemed to get beyond the pudgy pre-teen years. He was soft and round, but his body was stronger than looks would imply. Connel had dark black hair and a darker completion than the rest of the group and seemed introverted. He was a thinker and very good at strategy but there were times when he came up with some oddball ideas. What Jalaby liked was his confidence and the fact that he was very dependable.

  Then there was Sarah. She was athletic and as strong and tough as the others. Sarah's hair was dark red and her small childlike facial features made her appear younger than she actually was. Unlike other girls in the village, Sarah would always join the boys in all their activities, no matter how rough and adventurous. Her parents taught her to be very independent and even though often at odds with the three boys, she rarely changed her opinion based on the boys individual opinion, or their combined opinion. This made for many lively exchanges, especially between Jalaby and her. Tom would often tease Jalaby and Sarah about being made for each other, which heated things up even more.”

  Jalaby watched as Sarah continued toward the gap. What interested Jalaby was the way she kept slapping her walking stick against the ground and muttering angry unintelligible phrases that Jalaby could not make out. Jalaby’s emotions had run from apprehension, to curiosity, to irritation in a matter of minutes. The final state was due to his overpowering desire to figure out how to do what his parents had requested. This disturbance, created by Sarah, wasn’t helping. Sarah continued to make her way toward the gap as Jalaby watched and she arrived to sit on a boulder just below Jalaby's vantage point. She was calm now and seemed like just another gap visitor, when all of a sudden she let out a tremendous scream. It not only shattered the silence but made Jalaby jump. The previous irritation, plus a new shot of adrenaline to his system, made Jalaby forget his desire to stay hidden, he shouted, “Sarah!”

  That, in turn, had its affect on Sarah, as she jumped off the boulder and raised her walking stick between her hands in a defensive position to ward off attack. They momentarily stared at each other and then Sarah broke the silence. “Jalaby jerk! What’s the idea of sneaking up on me?”

  “Wait just a minute,” Jalaby returned hotly. “You’re the one who disturbed my peace.” He then rose and climbed down to where Sarah stood defiantly and they faced each other.

  “You’ve always been a bonehead Jalaby!” She stated, disregarding any logic that might have been in Jalaby’s previous statement. Sarah’s cheeks were flush and her red hair bounced as she almost threw the words from her mouth. “What are you doing up here anyway?”

  In spite of Sarah’s tone, Jalaby’s temper cooled a bit as he remembered his parents' request. He calmly said, “I needed time to think,” and looked past Sarah to the distant hills.

  “I too,” said Sarah and Jalaby thought he could detect a differen
t emotion than the anger that seemed to come back with a vengeance as she turned her back and walked away shouting, “and I don’t need you around to bother me.”

  All Jalaby could think to say was, “Be careful in the woods Sarah!” He didn’t know if he said it to irritate, to show superiority as an older person or whether he just wanted her to be truly careful, but he said it anyway.

  “Jalaby Jerk, I know more about these woods than you ever will,” she retorted as she rounded a group of boulders and proceeded through Golden Gap Pass and back towards Bridgetown. As he watched her go, Jalaby thought to himself that she was undoubtedly right.

  Now for as far as Jalaby could see, there was not a soul, even Sarah had disappeared from view, her words echoing in his head. “I can't let Sarah distract me from planning this journey,” thought Jalaby. “I won't plan it alone either, Tom and Connel must also be in on this. The first step will be to meet and let them know what I intend.” With that Jalaby strode briskly down the road in the same general direction as Sarah as twilight fell and Golden Gap returned to silence once again until the visit of the next soul in search of solitude among its craggy slopes.

  Chapter 3

  The couple of miles to Bridgetown was an easy walk for Jalaby, who had always walked from place to place, even though he was a very good horseman and loved to ride. The cost and upkeep of a riding horse was well outside the means and desire of his Uncle. A work horse was all his Uncle had allowed on the farm. The night was in full effect when he entered the village and the streets were dark, except for the soft lights that came from the many windows. The town’s usual nighttime noises hummed in the background as Jalaby’s steps echoed lightly on the cobblestones.

  Bridgetown is a typical Onan village. At some point in Onan history, a decision was made that no one would actually live within a given Village's geographical limits. Bridgetown consists of shops and businesses only, all of which can only be open until midnight, if they so desire. The people that own or operate these businesses live, at a minimum, a mile or so away. There is always a mile buffer zone between the village limits and where living quarters can be built, such as houses or rooms to rent. The village itself has a limited growth area and any growth beyond this requires that a new village must be created. Jalaby Judged that Bridgetown was approaching the halfway point in its growth.

  Jalaby knew where his friends would be and stopped just outside a somewhat dingy yellow window. He peered through and pondered just how to approach this. He couldn’t very well burst in and start talking about crossing the Crieton Bridge. No, he must ease into this, bide his time and trust that he would know the best time to relay his plan. With that resolve, Jalaby went through the door and into the noisy atmosphere of the Bridgetown Pub. Immediately Tom and Connel caught sight of him and lifting their hands beckoned him forward with a ‘hey there’.

  “Hey what’s going on,” Jalaby said in a greeting rather than really asking a question to the group, but he got a response anyway.

  “Just waiting for you and of course discussing Saturday's dance. We hear that Colif O’brien's group’s going to be playing. Ah, those boys can play! I heard them once a year ago,” Tom said in a rush. One thing about Tom, he never seemed to need to take a breath, although his sentences or groups of sentences contain no pauses.

  Jalaby sat down and looked each one in the eye, “been here long?” He asked just making conversation, looking around the room and not really listening to the answer. Tom answered ‘not long’ and began again talking about the musical group, their instruments and a lot more that never made it into Jalaby's consciousness. It wasn’t too long into the conversation that he noticed Sarah entering the door and making her way towards their table. That’s all he needed, more company to make the impending conversation even more impossible. Sarah was not one for keeping her mouth shut or generally being quiet. She arrived at their table.

  “Tom, Pa says you’re to be in by 1:00 and no later,” she said matter-of-factly and not waiting for an invitation, grabbed a chair from the vacant table nearby and sat down with a somewhat shy smile in Jalaby's direction.

  Well the right time or not, Jalaby couldn’t wait any longer; he broke into Tom's dialog and began to tell his story. He told them almost everything down to his final decision that he made while sitting on the hills above Golden Gap, although he did leave out his encounter with Sarah, whose stare at him did not waver. He also felt it was not the time or place to tell them about his relationship to Crieton Langmaster.

  “You must be joking. There’s no way we can cross that bridge,” said Tom belligerently. “Why can't we just float across and climb up anywhere along the opposite bank?”

  “Come on Jalaby are you serious?” Connel responded without regard to Tom's question and was as incredulous as Tom. Sarah on the other had just sat and coolly looked at Jalaby.

  “I am serious and with or without you, I will cross that bridge in the next few days,” Jalaby said hotly. “And Tom, you know that the river fishermen have been saying for years that as far as anyone has gone, both upstream and down stream, that there are sheer cliffs on that side of the river. The bridge gap is the only low point that we know about. It is the only way in or out of Crieton's land.”

  There was silence around the table and everyone began to look at each other's face, looking for sign of agreement or disagreement, while the noise of the room continued around them. Finally Tom spoke.

  “Well, if it is that important to you, of course I’m with you.”

  “Well, if Tom is in, then so am I,” said Connel. “But this is short notice Jalaby. How long do you think it will take?”

  “I’m not sure, we better prepare for a week because I think that is all the supplies that we can carry, and hope we can find what we need along the way,” Jalaby said earnestly.

  Sarah spoke. “What about the bridge guards, we would need some sort of distraction.”

  All three young men turned to look at her, as if for the first time realizing that she was there. Jalaby’s thoughts quickly returned to his parents’ letter that said, ‘one of those who travels with you will be unique and different from the rest’. Surely not Sarah, for one she is too young, and for another she is often difficult deal with. Frankly, she made him nervous because he was never sure what she would say or do, but there was his parents’ letter. Jalaby soon let the irritation of the moment get the better of him.

  “I don’t think you should come along, its too dangerous,” Jalaby knew at once he had struck a lethal chord and Sarah rose, glared at Jalaby and strode away and out the front door. “Your sister is OK Tom, I just didn’t think she should be on such a long journey by herself with three men.” Jalaby was hoping Tom would take that message back to Sarah, to maybe soften his previous words.

  “She’ll get over it. Now what do we need?” and both young men held Jalaby’s eyes for a reply.

  “Besides the one week provisions, we’ll need one horse each, a pack animal each, and some weapons. There is no telling what is on the other side. I am not sure what I am doing for weapons myself, but you should all bring your best swords and long knifes,” Jalaby then produced some blank paper and the three spent the next hour making a list of assignments and tasks in preparation for the journey.

  “You know your sister was right about needing a diversion to get rid of the guards at the bridge. Any suggestions?”

  “How about a fire. We could light some hay bales nearby but not so to catch fire to anything around them,” Tom said and continued. “My father has a wagon that we could drive to the center of a gravel lot, dump the hay off and light it there.”

  “What about the wagon, I wouldn’t want your father to be blamed?” Jalaby asked.

  “Afterwards, I will drive it to Clancy’s Stable and Wheel works. It’ll be OK, he’s my Uncle, will recognize it and take it back home later. I’ll tell him in advance that I might drop a wagon by sometime, so he could repair a wheel or something.”

  “OK, that’s
a plan. We’ll meet tomorrow noon and discuss what to take with us, food, sleeping gear and anything else we can think of. Also, it's important we figure out what to have my Uncle tell your parents, once we are all safely across that bridge.” Jalaby's last statement brought about silence. Connel and Tom both looked at each other as if dreading that last task the most. “Well, we'll see what we have accomplished by tomorrow and if possible, we'll set up to leave tomorrow night or the day after.” Jalaby rose and after bidding everyone a good night, he walked down the darkened street toward home. The streets were empty and quiet. The night was colder than he expected and he pulled his collar tight against his neck to keep in as much warmth as possible.

  “Hey Jalaby!” The voice from the darkened alley made Jalaby jump a foot and he mentally prepared to fight, but there was no reason. Sarah emerged from the shadows. “What’s the idea keeping me out of this little adventure. I’m as good as either one of those you are taking,” Sarah spoke defiantly.

  “Well, it is not a question of how good you are,” Jalaby said to placate. “I just didn’t want you to be put in a situation where you might get hurt.”

  “Oh, you care for me then!” Sarah laughed. “That’s a joke.”

  “Well, not exactly, that, well, er.” Jalaby’s mind raced for a good reason.

  “I thought so. You don’t really have a decent reason at all, only male egos here. You’ll regret not having someone dependable along and I’m just that. In a fight I can handle myself.” Sarah paused to take breath to continue but Jalaby cut in before she could. His mind finally found an argument that might satisfy her.