“What would I do without you, Glitta?” Maximojo said.
She only blinked.
Maximojo reached into his pack for the last spacecake.
Chapter 3
A silvery mist adorned the Golden Gates, cooling the city. The sun was radiant until dusk lowered into the shadow of twilight. “Kingdom of Kavalon” was set in gemstones above the gates’ archway, the only opening in the stone wall that surrounded the city. The words sparkled in the moonlight that now lit up the skies, making the animals curious about what lay on the other side.
They had to form into a stepladder to get to the top of the wall. An elephant who followed, became a stepping stone for those who dared to look inside the fortress. They jumped up on his back and peer over the wall to get a glimpse beyond.
The cat was one of the first to look over the wall. “This is simply dreamy!” she said with charm.
“I’ve always dreamt of an adventure to take me out of my mundane routine,” the dog said, rubbing his hip.
“Look at that palace in the distance,” said the horse, pointing at it with his muzzle, and feeling quite honored that the others were standing on his back, as he steadied himself on the elephant.
The golden palace glowed against the backdrop of Kavalon, its crystal dome glistening even at dusk. Its brilliance could be seen from every angle in the Kingdom. The Ruler’s regal home was framed by an oasis of exquisite gardens and walkways, and a private balcony overlooked the city center and a nearby forest.
Despite the elephant’s strenuous attempt to keep his balance, the tower of animals began to wobble, and the elephant’s legs began to quiver. He extended his trunk over the top of the wall to steady himself, but a strong gust of wind walloped him behind the knees, and buckled over. Everyone toppled into a pile. Maximojo, who had climbed atop everyone else, was left dangling on the ledge. “Where did everybody go?”
The animals struggled to reassemble themselves into an orderly state. The elephant was embarrassed, but could not find a place to hide. The cat looked on, amused. She had unlocked the gate with her nail and waited patiently. The others were somewhat confused, and in an effort to create a greater sense of purpose, they all tightened their travel sacks. Maximojo jumped to the ground and everyone gathered around him.
“Kavalon is a mystery even to its own,” Maximojo began. “It has been hidden from the Council’s radar screens until recently when our superiors received a distress signal asking for our support. A Master McFee said the survival of their planet is at stake, and requested our presence in what appears to be a tricky situation. This was the first time the Council heard of McFee, and were somewhat leery, but the phase-in was already scheduled, and everything appeared in order.
“Our Council keeps updated records of all galactic activities, and it indicated Zalturn had not been marked as ‘occupied’ on the universal map until now. It was a huge oversight. After the phase-in of the timepiece, this particular galaxy will be monitored closely for suspicious activities,” he said.
“We do not know when the Kingdom of Kavalon was built, nor the origin of its race but, as you can see, it is magnificent. Our first visit is with a certain society known as the Starrings. They are transformed solar flares and support the gravity field around the planet.
We were told they are important to the success of our mission and need our help. They will not be able to withstand the increase of gravity the timekeeper is bringing in. Higher vibrations are necessary to manage the new timepiece regulator, so our job is to prepare the Starrings for the change. They are waiting for us now at the McFee estate on the outskirts of the city. And that’s all the Council says!”
“See? It’s all here in moving print,” Maximojo held up the PolyMatrixor. The device flipped open, and everyone shuffled about to get a closer look.
“The agenda indicates three of you have been selected to join forces with Glitta and myself. Are you ready?” he said.
The appointed animals eagerly stepped forward: Woofster the dog for the canines, Meowlen the cat for the felines, and Whinniston the horse for the equines.
“Together,” Maximojo said, “we will be known on this mission as the Mojo Team. The rest of you will have independent assignments to ensure the mission’s success.” He felt the confidence level rise in the assembled animals. Even if the others weren’t the ones chosen for the adventure, they all knew that their own mojo was important in the vast scheme of things.
“And so here we stand at the Golden Gates, ready to begin our journey,” Maximojo concluded. He confirmed the locations for his team to go, and entered the coordinates into the PolyMatrixor’s mapping system. But there was a strange glitch, a flickering light appeared on map. Slowly coming into focus, the flicker appeared to be a sewer grate on Main Street, not far from the city center.
Maximojo zoomed in on it, and it lit up in fluorescent red. Instantly the screen turned to static before it adjusted to a clear picture. The PolyMatrixor captured the map and stored it in memory for retrieval. “Just a random malfunction due to power surges,” Maximojo said. “The sun has been pretty radiant lately, having free reign on both sides of the planet.
Unbeknownst to Maximojo, though, the sewer grate had been erased from the map.
For those who weren’t joining the team past the gates, Maximojo imprinted a pictorial guide of their part in the mission, as well as a navigation compass for their journey home, and transmitted it to each. The whale splashed about in his pond, excited to partake in this adventure.
Then Maximojo raised his paw and said in a loud voice, “Now let us hear from the three representatives from their Alliances, and why they were chosen.”
Excitedly, each one stepped forward. The dog was the first to speak.
***
“Ahem,” he said, clearing his throat. “I am Woofster. I was raised in the East. I was like most puppies, I suppose. The world was my playground with unlimited bones and toys, and I always made it my goal to be the best at retrieving them because I believed the stories told to me and my littermates of the Fa-Hairy Tail Stories. I’m sure my Alliance had an eye on me for a while. I’m a quick thinker and team player like Maximojo. If anyone has street smarts – you’re looking at him.”
Those close enough could see that Woofster was a mixed breed, hefty and a little rough around the collar. He was an awkward dog who carried himself with pride, and they marveled that one eye was blue and the other brown.
“When I reached my potential to lurk, I was assigned to a junk yard and trained to be a guard dog. My career took precedence over having litters, and though it was hard to leave my siblings behind, I believed I was being groomed for a bigger purpose, that I had a mission in life.
“I was good at my job. I never snacked on my shift, and I was always alert for mischief,” he paused, and hung his head, as if remembering something sad. “There were critters in a storage shed at the junk yard. Sometimes they would try to distract me, but it never worked. Then one morning, just as the sun rose, the critters scurried in front of a forklift driver. He swerved, and didn't see me in the shadows alongside the fence. I was sideswiped. It changed everything.
“From then on, I could no longer prance. I have, as you see, a limp. The owner decided to retire me. I retreated to the alleyways with the other homeless animals who begged and stole from their own kind and from the sleeping city dwellers. I became a determined survivor and rose to become the leader of the street gang. I swore I would never again lose my status. But it was a hard life, and I wasn’t really proud of who I was.
“Then one day I was rummaging around through the garbage of a woman named Lady Dewitt, who was not born in Kavalon. There I was, my head in her garbage can when I heard her voice. My legs began to flail and everything tumbled over. I sat there in a pile of leftovers. I must have been a sad sight because the fine Lady offered me a treat – I could always be tempted that way – and lured me into her home.
“She offered me the chance to start over. I f
elt like I might have a mojo after all! At first, she chained me, and all I could do was pace back and forth outside her place. But then she said
that if I promised to behave, she would unleash me. Well, Woofster is always good to his word, and I began to feel like the top dog again.
“Now, this Lady was the finest hat maker in the country, and owned a millinery shop. Her skill gave her such a great sense of pride and privilege that she truly believed that she was above all creatures and entitled to tie me up as her pet.
"Once, she took me to meet her customer, but because I was noisy and inquisitive, I was made to wait outside from then on. It was lonely, often cold and always boring. I used to lie on the damp ground and dream of a better life, a life of purpose, a life of adventure! I never thought my prayers would be answered, you don't know what it means to a retired guard dog like me."
“What I want to say is, something was stirring deep inside of me. I was craving adventure. One night I was sound asleep and a small critter came and tapped my nose hard. I lay there, and then had a curious thought, ‘Maybe the time is near to move on. The heroic side in me craves a challenge!’
“In my dreams, I kept seeing Maximojo and Glitta, from their adventure stories. That night I jumped up with my eyes closed – maybe I was still dreaming – and grabbed a bone from the garbage can. I twirled it like Glitta, the wand of light, in those stories. I threw it in the air and thought I saw it flashing bolts of color. It crashed on the table, shattering Lady Dewitt’s teacup. When I opened my eyes, there was Lady Dewitt’s foot tapping on the floor. She stared at me as though I was nothing.
“I hid the bone under the rug and laid down beside the fireplace with my head between my paws. ‘What have I done?’ I asked myself. “I fell asleep …” He paused for effect and took a deep breath. “and the next thing I knew I was in a cornfield with all of you!”
The other animals, who had been silently listening to his tale, broke into a cheer. Woofster bowed and waved, and stood next to Maximojo.
***
Then Meowlen the cat stepped forward gracefully. Decidedly showing off, she uncurled her tail and sent it up to the skies, where it took on the moon’s silvery hue as it peaked around the clouds. The crowd gasped in wonder.
“There is only one me. You may call me Meowlen for short and skip the many titles at the beginning and end of my name. You see,” she purred, “in the evening I can appear in a jet-black coat, then the next morning in scraggly calico.” She licked a paw. “The alley cats were clever but never figured out my whereabouts or motive. Rough and tumbly felines, even the slick and polished, would try to tempt me with tasty delicacies and jewels, but I knew I could have it all, as well as my independence!
“I have unsurpassable intuition and uncanny ingenuity. I’m experienced in adventure, having lived many lives, and graced many worlds,” she said. “In one I was a mystic, in another life, I ruled over a Queendom that was adorned in ever-changing jewels. But being a warrior is one of my greatest strengths. For this reason, the Feline Alliance chose me for this exploit.
“I have tread other places you might only have dreamt of, my fellow animals. I’ve worn many hats in the style of the season in alternate realities. I am fashionably honored to be an influential force in respect to our existence. I’m not really used to rural activities,” she said, “but I agreed to the cornfield gathering as long as I didn’t have to forfeit my right to be first in line on the march. The Council agreed, and so here I am.”
The audience taken with her charisma, cheered in approval.
Meowlen raised her eyes, and they lit up in the shadows of dusk. Woofster tilted his ears, taken aback by her beauty. But Meowlen, draped in a cashmere shawl that allowed her emerald brooch to peak through. her green eyes glistening, she turned and curled beside Woofster. He felt privileged.
***
While the two before him had gone on and on, Whinniston the horse had been pacing back and forth along the city walls. When Maximojo signaled him, Whinniston galloped up the steps, his powerful muscles rippling beneath his chestnut-colored coat, and the insignia silver star marking on his forehead almost glowing.
“Er … my turn already? My how time flies around here!” he nickered a little sarcastically, and extended his upper lip as he spoke.
“I didn’t plan on being the last member of this important team,” he began with more than a little pride. “But, being a proud horse, and the one and only Whinniston, I will do what I have to do.” He arched his back, stood tall, and looked to see if the others were watching. Assured of their attention, he reared onto his hind legs and froze into a majestic pose.
“I am sure this stance amazes everyone,” he thought. No one uttered a word but, being Whinniston, he still felt distinguished. He struck another pose, and Meowlen nodded with approval. “Finally,” he thought.
He came back to all four hooves, and then bowed to Maximojo. Glitta twinkled and drew a smile in the air. “I have been known to move in the best herds of social status worldwide, well, at least around these parts,” he whinnied. “Growing up in the West, I was one of the few stallions that not only had the opportunity to master rodeo moves, but who studied dressage. That gave me the agility necessary to maneuver around fast corners with precision, and be chosen by my Alliance.
“On a cold and rainy day,” he continued, “a lady named Madame Kindel and her distant relative, Millicent, came to an auction at the county fair where I was performing. They both saw that I was well mannered and talented as I trotted past in the auction ring. Little did I know that my life was about to change dramatically.
“Soon after I settled into the paddock behind her farm house, strange things began to happen. I was hearing messages from the other side of the equine world while I slept! I became increasingly interested in finding out the history of my ancestry. At first, I couldn’t believe that there were other places I could visit in my dreams. Then I would awaken and somehow knew I would be on an adventure with a space dog named Maximojo.
“I was ready when I got the call to come to the cornfield, but ...” he paused, pawing the ground a little – if a horse could blush, he would have – “I was in the midst of a grooming session. You don’t know Millicent,” he explained. “She had regular riding lessons at my stable. I carried her for every maneuver she wanted to experience in the show ring. She was a fine rider and skilled braider, but demanded my time for fine-tuning her craft.”
He shook his withers, and revealed some unsightly curls hidden under the top of his mane. “I did my best to cover them up, but a horse can only do what a horse can do on short notice. I had to stand perfectly still in my stall while she did her creative thing on me. Standing on tiptoe, Millicent would whisper in my ear over and over,” – he imitated her stance on two hooves – “ ‘Your mane is unruly and running wild. I need to tame it right away!’ Then she would snip away at my forelocks,” he said, flipping his mane over to cover the jagged cuts.
“She wouldn’t quit until she weaved bows in my mane. Then she would twist and twine my tail. After Millicent left, Madame Kindel would come and brush it all out. She had no idea how to untangle braids, but she did know the embarrassment that I would have endured, especially in the pasture where others teased me.
“As a child, Madame Kindel had hidden behind the parlor door where she watched her great grandmaster hold a hologram tablet,” so I’m told from my ancestors on the other side, “then crystal sticks were cast upon it and they scattered into a pattern. She mastered reading the meaning of the sticks, revealing the hidden future of those around her. There are those who still gather at the farmhouse on the hill, around the same table with Madame Kindel. She mesmerizes everyone with her wisdom. Each child born was given a crystal stick so he or she would never forget where they came from.
“The Kindel family secrets were passed down from each previous generation, with the exception of one – a certain Kindel descendant, a child who arrived at the exact moment when the planets in t
his solar system aligned, and a triple eclipse occurred, and concealed the sun, but only for a moment.
“In a flash, the child disappeared. Some say he slipped through a spacegate into another galaxy and would never be seen again until the next millennium. Madame Kindel believed in her heart that, on a certain new moon when the planets align, the lost Kindel would return and rediscover his true identity and find peace. She has been waiting ever since.”
The crowd was captivated. “I took Madame Kindel for rides in the countryside to clear her mind. She threw rocks in the pond adjacent to a large tree and always made the same wish – that the child who had vanished would learn where he came from. Madame Kindel never stopped wishing.”
With a huff from his long nose, Whinniston decided he had said enough, and trotted over next to the others.
Maximojo and the Wand of Light Page 3