The Golden Fountain

by Zuheb Alep

  “That’s dangerous. Why didn’t you tell me? I was worried!” Nadine was speaking as quietly as she could. “I told Mama that you went to Kaileena’s house.”

  Benjamin smiled. “You covered for me.”

  “Next time, ask me before you go out. It isn’t safe! Now, go wash your hands and then set the table. We’re about to have supper, and Sebastian’s been acting oddly since he came home. He has an announcement to make.”

  Benjamin frowned. What was up with Sebastian, and what kind of announcement could he have? He nodded and went to wash his hands before collecting a set of cutlery and plates. Kevin and Alby helped carry the glasses to the dining table in the living room.

  When they were all seated, Mama brought in a steaming pot of chicken stew. The family dug in. While Benjamin ate, he watched Sebastian who kept glancing at Jordanna with a frown. What were they thinking about? After he had eaten his fill, Sebastian cleared his throat. “I’m leaving the day after tomorrow,” he said bluntly.

  Mama put down her spoon and coughed loudly. “Where are you going?” she asked. Papa put down his fork and closed his hand to rest under his chin. Perhaps he knew something about this.

  “It’s another expedition to the Far South,” Sebastian told them, “a really big one. An army of eight thousand Aradian soldiers has been ordered to go to Halamaband.”

  “Where’s Halamaband?” As Benjamin was eating the last bite of his chicken stew, Sebastian said something that stopped him in mid-chew.

  “The kidnapped children have been taken there.”

  There was a deafening silence.

  “We’re going to rescue them and bring them back home. Yesterday, my colleagues and I used one of their children as bait; risky, I know, but the kidnappers came as we expected. The child came to no harm and we captured a kidnapper for questioning at the station. We used a truth serum, and have all the information we need.” Sebastian looked at Jordanna and indicated that she should speak.

  “I’m going with him,” she said. “Sebastian asked me along this morning.”

  “Can I come?” Benjamin asked suddenly, his chest rising with hope. “I know you said you’d never take me with you on another expedition, but please – ”

  “No,” said Sebastian firmly. It was his final word.

  Benjamin was about to protest but Mama raised her hand. “Have you finished your food?” she asked. “Well, off to bed then!”

  “But – ”

  “Go on!”

  “But I want to go!”

  Papa put down his hand. “Benjamin, listen to your mother and go upstairs,” he said.

  Benjamin slumped his shoulders in disappointment and nodded before quietly leaving the living room. “I’ll find a way,” he muttered under his breath as he traipsed up the stairs to his bedroom. “I’m going to rescue the children.”

  *

  Next morning, everyone left for work and Mama went out with the girls to do some shopping. She took Kevin and Alby with her, leaving Benjamin alone in the house, still annoyed with Sebastian and with his parents. He tried thinking of a way to travel to the Far South, but nothing helpful came to mind; even if he used the prize money he’d received from the kite-fighting tournament, he couldn’t see how he would get there.

  All afternoon, he ate leftover chicken stew from the fridge and watched TV while he waited for a miracle to happen. He noticed a shadow passing back and forth in front of the living room window. Benjamin tried to see who it was, then the doorbell rang. It was Kelindra. He was surprised to see her.

  “Hi, Kelindra,” he muttered, opening the door.

  Dressed in black, Kelindra nodded shyly and waved. She was known as a weird girl, and Benjamin had been warned to stay away from her. Nevertheless, he was sorry for her.

  “I just came over to thank you for saving me yesterday. Thank you, Benjamin.”

  There was an awkward silence.

  “How did you find us?” she asked.

  “It was really Kaileena who found you. My sister had described the van you were in; she saw it when she was almost captured. When Kaileena found it, we decided to see if there was anyone still inside it.”

  Kelindra couldn’t remember what had happened the previous night, so Benjamin began to explain. Before he had finished, the telephone rang.

  He answered it and began to greet the caller, but she interrupted.

  It was Kaileena. “Benjamin, Jama’s gone missing!”

  *

  Benjamin stood before the fence of Dusty Park with Kelindra, waiting for Kaileena, Anouk and Abel to turn up. The air was cold, but Benjamin didn’t feel it. Inside he was boiling with anger, fuming; if he could have seen himself in the mirror, he imagined smoke would be rising from his head. Jama’s gone! That’s impossible! he thought. He had called Prince Adam to ask him to join them, but the palace was now heavily guarded and the prince wasn’t permitted to leave. Strangely enough, Benjamin had never imagined that one of his close friends would go missing. He had thought he’d be one of the lucky few to whom nothing bad had happened. How dare they? Those kidnappers had better leave Jama alone!

  The gate creaked loudly as it opened. Benjamin turned to greet his close friends. They were visibly upset, with tears staining their cheeks. It was weird not to see Jama amongst them. The group felt incomplete; it had always been the five of them. “We’ll do the same thing we did yesterday. Let’s start wherever Jama was last seen. Does anyone know?”

  “It was at the ice cream parlour,” Anouk told him.

  “Then we’ll go there first. All we can do until then is hope. Follow me.”

  The picture of a leader, Benjamin took his friends through the small gate and their search for Jama began. Everyone was quiet; the sadness and worry that raged inside them discouraged speech.

  “Why did you invite Kelindra along?” Abel scooted over to Benjamin’s side, moving his head close so that no one else would hear him.

  Benjamin looked at him. “She was at my house to thank me for finding her yesterday,” he replied. “Why? What’s the problem?”

  “She’s weird, you know; and her dad’s a thief. He robbed the big bank of Springhaven a month ago, and got away. No one knows where he is.”

  Benjamin was taken aback by this piece of information. He shrugged. “Well, that’s his crime, not hers. She hasn’t done anything. Leave her out of it.”

  Shocked, Abel raised an eyebrow before moving away. Benjamin looked back at Kelindra, viewing her differently, considering if she was a bad influence. She was thanking Kaileena for rescuing her. Doubtful as he was, he knew that other things should be taken into consideration besides a person’s weird personality.

  Benjamin surveyed the roads before him. The bazaars were closing up, the stall owners clearing away their boxes of goods. Not much could be smelt because the blackened grills were empty of the delicious lamb and chicken on skewers. The sun was perched behind the horizon, casting long shadows beneath the children’s small feet. They walked and walked, searching the alleyways, not speaking unless it was necessary. The sky-blue van with the bluebird symbol was imprinted on their minds.

  As soon as they arrived at the ice cream parlour they looked around and questioned the people passing by, to no avail. Abel wanted to look elsewhere. Benjamin gave one last look around before accepting that Jama was nowhere near. His heart swelled with frustration. Was Jama gone for good? Would Benjamin never see him again? He couldn’t bear to think that his kite-fighting partner had disappeared. He must keep searching, even if it took all night.

  The others kept their eyes peeled, checking every road they came upon. Often they saw a coloured van go past and hoped it was one of the kidnappers, but it never was. As time went on, hope slipped away.

  “Maybe they’ve kidnapped enough children already,” said Kaileena.

  “In that case, what do we do now?” as
ked Kelindra.

  At that moment, Benjamin noticed with horror that there were only three of them present: himself, Kaileena and Kelindra.

  “Where are Abel and Anouk?” he asked.

  Kaileena spun around. “They’re right behind me.”

  But they were not.

  They all looked around, but the other two were nowhere to be seen.

  “Where could they have gone?” asked Kelindra.

  “They were right behind me!” Kaileena’s eyes widened and she looked around in every direction.

  “Great!” Kelindra started to panic. “Now there are three of them to search for, and only three of us! And my little brother Noor! Oh – where is he?”

  “We’ll find them! And your brother!” Benjamin was disappointed to find that her brother had gone missing too. He tried to return to where he’d last seen his friends, but he couldn’t remember the place. He had been so busy looking around that their own safety had slipped his mind.

  This is all my fault! I should have never brought them along. I should have gone to find Jama by myself, he thought.

  “Stay close together!” he shouted.

  As he hurried along, Benjamin realised that he could hear only one footsteps trailing behind. There should have been a second one. He spun around and saw only Kelindra.

  “Kaileena!” Benjamin’s heart suddenly began to thump with fear.

  “Where did she go?” asked Kelindra. They looked back and saw that she wasn’t there at all. “She was right behind us, wasn’t she?”

  “Kaileena!” roared Benjamin. His eyes started to fill with anguished tears. No … no … not her! Not her! Take me, but not her!

  He sprinted back and forth, not knowing how to search for Jama, Abel, Anouk and his dear friend Kaileena. He couldn’t believe it. This couldn’t be happening! How could they all have disappeared? Why them? Benjamin cried and cried, hoping to see a trace of them, but he found nothing - nothing at all. He didn’t want to be alone. He had known these four friends for most of his life, and to have them snatched away made his chest clench with loneliness. Looking back, he saw that Kelindra was still with him, searching under the cars. Everything was quiet and deserted, with no sign of life. It was just the two of them. The roads were empty and they were lost.

  It was then that Benjamin realised he didn’t recognise this place.

  “All right!” He was now laughing hysterically. “This isn’t a joke! Come out and show yourselves! I know you’re there; come out!”

  Following suit, Kelindra started calling their friends’ names.

  “Kaileena! Abel! Where are you?”

  “Come out, Anouk!”

  “Kaileena! Abel! Anouk! Jama!”

  Nothing happened. This was no joke.

  No, they can’t go! he thought. How dare they take them away? Why won’t they come and take me instead? Please take me! Benjamin’s heart clenched and he wailed. He could hear Kelindra shuffling around, but he knew it was useless. His friends were gone. With tears running down his cheeks, Benjamin shook his head in agony. It was heart-breaking. He would prefer to have a broken leg than to have the other children kidnapped, and the worst of it was that the blame was all his. If he had never called his own Summoning, they would all be safe at home having supper with their family.

  Chapter 6

  The Gift

  Opening the front door of his house, Benjamin threw aside his jacket and bag. He was tired and sad, and what he needed right now was a long sleep. Lowering his head, he sighed deeply, thinking of the warm bed where he could dream away his sadness.

  As he was about to climb up the stairs, someone grabbed him. It was Nadine, and she was crying. He could feel her wet cheeks against his face.

  “Oh, thank goodness!” she wailed. “We thought we’d lost you!”

  “Hey!” said Benjamin, pushing her gently away. “I’m all right!”

  “We thought you’d been kidnapped!”

  “I’m fine.”

  He heard footsteps, then Jordanna and Mama were rushing through the corridor.

  “Thank the lord! You’re okay!” they cried, pulling him into a tight embrace.

  “Where have you been?” asked Jordanna.

  “I thought I’d lost another one.”

  On hearing his mother say this, Benjamin clutched her arms. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  There was no response but tears. He held his mother’s hands in reassurance before running into the living room. Papa was sitting on the sofa with his elder sons, their faces buried in their hands. They looked up, and as soon as they saw Benjamin, they ran to hug him too.

  “Are you okay?” asked Papa.

  Benjamin nodded. He felt that something was missing, but wasn’t quite sure what. He wondered where Kevin and Alby were; in bed, perhaps.

  His father got up to cuddle his wife, bringing her into the living room. “Thank goodness that Benjamin’s okay!” Mama couldn’t stop crying her eyes out. “I can’t lose any more of my children!”

  “Hush! Hush!” Papa placed his hand over her trembling mouth. “Don’t say another word! Shh!” Then he gave all his children a stern look. “Ignore what Mama said,” he muttered.

  Benjamin was in a state. His mouth was dry and his head was dizzy. He felt as if he were collapsing into a hole in the ground, but Sebastian grabbed him and carried him out of the living room to the stairs.

  “Sebastian, what’s happened? I don’t understand. I’m fine, so why are they still crying? What did Mama mean about losing more of her children?”

  “Forget it,” he said. “She didn’t mean anything; you’re the only child …”

  “Only child? What are you talking about?”

  Sebastian closed his eyes and gritted his teeth tensely. “Kevin and Alby have gone missing!” he said. “That’s what Mama meant!”

  Was it true? Benjamin tried to clear his head. He stood up then staggered backwards on the steps, shaking his head. He didn’t want to believe it.

  “No, not them, too, please! NO!”

  How could this be happening? Benjamin’s mind was in a whirl. This must be a dream. It must be! His glass of life, which had seemed full, had been shattered and the fragments were scattered far and wide. Nothing was right anymore. Benjamin couldn’t bear the thought of waking up tomorrow as the only child in the house. Everyone dear to him was disappearing, leaving the world grey and meaningless.

  With a silent whimper, Sebastian pulled Benjamin into a tight hug, but it brought no comfort; it only reminded Benjamin of the tragic events.

  “This can’t be happening,” he repeated. “This cannot be happening.”

  *

  At midnight, a few hours later, Benjamin lay wide awake on his bed. He was exhausted but couldn’t sleep. He was too anxious, thinking about the conversation he’d had with Sebastian before he was put to bed.

  “Benjamin, go to sleep -”

  “Let me come with you, please!” he begged, bursting into tears.

  “No, Benjamin! You must stay here. Mama and Papa will look after you. Stay here!” It was an order.

  “Sebastian, please let me come!” Benjamin pleaded over and over, but Sebastian shook his head. “What about Alby and Kevin? I want to rescue them too.”

  “Jordanna and I will bring them home, don’t you worry. Now, go to sleep!”

  Kissing him on the forehead, Sebastian left the bedroom, then Benjamin said something that stopped him in his tracks.

  “If you don’t let me come, I’ll never speak to you again.”

  Turning this way and that, Benjamin couldn’t get comfortable. Rage burned inside him. He was finding it very hard to shut his eyes, but who could blame him? First his four close friends had been kidnapped, and now his siblings too.

  I hope nothing happens to Prince Adam or Kelindra, he thought. He
wanted to cry again. He wanted to trash his room. He wanted to punch Sebastian. He wanted to shout at his mother for not looking after Kevin and Alby properly. However, he did none of those things; instead he lay quietly in bed, not moving an inch. It was strange to be alone. Kevin and Alby weren’t in the bunk beds opposite him. The house was hauntingly quiet. Nothing could be smelt or heard, and looking over to his brother’s empty beds, he felt as if a part of him was missing. He was afraid he might never see them again.

  The thought of his brothers being trapped in a dark cage brought a tear to Benjamin’s eye. Kevin was only nine and Alby just a toddler at the age of five. Who’d want to harm such young, sweet children? What could he do rather than lie in bed? What would help to solve this mystery? All these uncomfortable feelings stirred around inside his chest.

  The door opened and in came Herman. Benjamin could see his brother’s face clearly in the moonlight that came through the window.

  “I knew you wouldn’t be asleep,” Herman said, sitting down beside him.

  “How can I sleep? So much has happened today.” Benjamin sat up to talk to Herman.

  “I know. Kevin and Alby gone … and you too; you worried us a lot. You nearly gave us a heart attack when we saw you. We were sure that something had happened to you as well; seeing you walk in was totally unexpected.”

  “Kevin and Alby, and the others too.”

  Herman was puzzled, so Benjamin explained. When he’d finished, Herman was left speechless, his mouth hanging open.

  “Not them too,” he gasped. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, Benjamin.”

  “You don’t need to be sorry!” Benjamin punched the duvet off his bed before kicking it. “I’m going to go and rescue them. All of them! You just try and stop me!”

  Herman opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He didn’t know what to say. They were quiet for a while until Benjamin broke the silence.

  “Have I been a good brother?”

  “Hey!” Herman raised a warning finger. “Listen to me! It wasn’t your fault, or anyone else’s. You are the best brother there ever was to Kevin and Alby, better than me, and the best friend ever for Kaileena, Abel, Anouk and Jama – I’m telling you! Don’t ever think like that again, all right?”