The Golden Fountain

by Zuheb Alep

  A slap landed on his arm. Anouk fumed at Jama, wagging her finger. “Be quiet, can’t you?” she snapped. “Why did you have to bring that up?”

  As they began to bicker as usual, Benjamin raised his hand. “Leave it,” he said. “It doesn’t really bother me.”

  Traipsing up the stairs to his room when he got home, Benjamin picked up the Unique Compass. He had waited a long time and could wait no longer; he needed to know now. It’s now or never, he thought as he plucked up his courage.

  “Before you learn the answer, consider whether you can deal with the information.” Bana laid a paw on Benjamin’s hand to ensure that his human knew what he was doing. After a while, Benjamin nodded. He asked the compass one simple but vital question: “Where are Mama and Papa?”

  The compass replied: Mormocco; Mirrakech.

  Benjamin couldn’t believe what he was reading. His heart leapt with mixed emotions and he got up from his bed and ran to the door, flinging it wide open. As he was about to hurry down the stairs to tell the others, the compass vibrated again.

  There is no need to tell Sebastian, he read. He already knows but can make no use of the information. What you say will not bring your parents back.

  Benjamin looked down, frowning miserably. Sebastian knows this already? Why didn’t he tell anyone? What kind of secret is being kept from me? He didn’t know what to do next. Should he heed the compass? It had given a lot of good advice in the past, so he didn’t know. It was hard to breathe, and Benjamin had a growing lump in his throat. He began to cry. Everything was changing, and he didn’t like it. Mama and Papa weren’t here to make his life as happy as they used to; the life that he was living now was a completely different one, and he had to accept that although he didn’t want to.

  Heading back to his bedroom, he took off his school uniform and cried silently. He was angry, confused, frustrated, lonely; all these negative feelings raged inside his heart.

  There was a picture of him and Mama on the wall. He touched it and cried, hoping it would bring her back.

  Bana just stood where he was. He understood how his human was feeling. As Benjamin lay down on his bed and wept for hours, Bana snuggled next to him, using their bond to lift his spirits.

  *

  The recent series of events had affected Benjamin badly. He was distant to everyone in school, he wouldn’t eat, nor did he sleep properly. He had shed many tears throughout the sleepless nights. Kaileena and Prince Adam came to see him once, just to see how he was getting on, but Benjamin stayed quiet in his room as they talked and ate strawberries.

  “Bana, what’s wrong with me?” he asked one day on the roof.

  “You’re not doing anything wrong, Benjamin; you’re just upset, that’s all. It’s normal, but remember you have to be strong.”

  Benjamin sighed. His Eidoncheir was right. Even if he did have problems, crying wasn’t going to help.

  That night, when Sebastian came home, he told his family about his royal audience with Princess Elma of the elephant clan.

  Many years ago, the royal family of the house of Bozorg had formed an alliance with the Aradian Empire for protection and increased wealth. Some of the elephant tribes saw this as an act of betrayal. They disbanded themselves from the herd, as they wanted their own monarchy where there was no divided rule. It was a sad time for the elephants, even those who stayed loyal to the royal family of the house of Bozorg.

  Over the years the disbanded elephants had wandered and, one by one, they disappeared. Saddened, Princess Elma’s parents had sent elephants to search far and wide, including her brother Prince Ameh who had volunteered to do so.

  They had all disappeared too.

  Because of her brother’s disappearance over a decade previously, Princess Elma had no choice but to become next in the line of succession to the elephant throne.

  Recently she’d been informed that half of the missing elephants had been found, some in the Far South and some in Egypta. She had come to this city hoping to see her brother but, to her dismay, he was nowhere to be found. Princess Elma was upset. Who wouldn’t be? Benjamin remembered the way he had felt when Kevin and Alby had disappeared, yet they were home again after only a short time. For her brother Ameh Bozorg to disappear for over a decade must be very painful.

  Looking on the brighter side, the disbanded elephants who had returned had apologised to Princess Elma and sworn loyalty to her. They now saw her as their future queen, unless of course her brother should happen to return one day. They wanted nothing more than to go back to their homes in Afrika where there was food, shelter and peace, and most of all, no torture.

  It was a very sad story, so Benjamin had thought. He wept a single tear, just to show that he understood the pain of the grey giants. Sebastian had a grand announcement then that made Benjamin smile. He told them that, because of the new Aradian Alliance, there was to be a large feast held all over the city in celebration. Benjamin was looking forward to this. His family, friends and band were accorded the honour of joining the royal family in the palace for the feast.

  *

  The next day, the beginning of the school break, was also the day of the great feast. Benjamin dressed handsomely that morning in the same aquamarine dress robe that he’d worn at the prince’s birthday party.

  The streets near the palace were filled with long rows of double tables, piled with plates and trays of enticing food. The people of Springhaven were bustling around in excitement with their Eidoncheirs, trying to obtain seats where the best food and drink could be found.

  But this was not where they would be eating. With his family, his friends and his band, Benjamin walked to the road in front of the royal palace where he found larger tables and more food. The huge elephants sat there on cushioned mattresses, twisting their slippery trunks to lift the mangoes and pineapples laid out before them. It was known that they could eat two hundred kilograms of food a day, and there was more than enough provided to satisfy them.

  The mighty Tuaryans sat next to the witches, the birds and the Orellions, all feasting on whatever food tasted best to them. Funnily enough, the dwarves were the loudest, always singing ancient songs and smacking their lips over the roast mutton. Meanwhile the elves nibbled elegantly on salad, with such good manners that Benjamin thought them even better than those he had been taught by his parents.

  As for the Spartans and the honoured Aradian soldiers, they feasted beside one another like brothers and sisters, while their Eidoncheirs busied themselves by playing games under or over the tables. Benjamin was impressed by the size of the gathering, all of whom had sworn loyalty to the Aradian Empire, or the ‘Aradian Alliance’, its new name.

  Wafting through the air was the smell of roast chicken, potatoes, beef and lamb chops, luscious vegetables such as juicy peppers, mushrooms, steamed carrots and cauliflower, grilled onions and many more, all marinated for tenderness and cooked with spices and herbs. There was also ice cream in different flavours as well as sweet cakes and mouth-watering fruits such as red and green apples, yellow and green bananas, purple and green grapes. The pile of mangoes and pineapples was still unfinished by the time noon had come around, the elephants so full they could eat no more.

  The sun blazed warmly in the sky and Benjamin felt happy. For the first time in many weeks, he stopped thinking about his parents. He enjoyed the blissful feast with Bana and the others, eating things that tasted better than he’d ever eaten before.

  Later there was lively dancing and vibrant music. Benjamin sat with Kaileena and Prince Adam at the edge of the free space where people jumped and moved about with their arms waving in the air. All three were cradling their Eidoncheirs in their laps. Prince Adam’s was named Juariya, taking the form of a squirrel with bronze fur; in the sunlight, a rainbow of colours glimmered in her fur. She had been specially chosen for the prince and was, unusually, female, the opposite gender to him. Kailee
na’s Eidoncheir was called Popalunar, taking the form of a beautiful grey hare.

  “Great day, isn’t it?” said Kaileena.

  “Are you happy?” asked Prince Adam.

  “Yes,” nodded Benjamin, and it was true. “I’m glad I came.”

  The other two wrapped their arms around his shoulders.

  “Now that the school break has started,” Kaileena said, “what plans shall we make?”

  Benjamin chuckled; he already knew. “We’ll do lots of things, just the three of us. We’ll make the most of it. I promise we will.”

  *

  The great feast had left Benjamin in a very good mood. He summoned his friends to join him at Dusty Park the next day. The creaking of the small black gate when he entered alerted his friends. His band and Prince Adam were sitting beside them on the domed climbing frame. They were earlier than Benjamin had expected. Nearby, their Eidoncheirs were playing a game of ‘catch’, which was much more fun when changing shape was possible. Bana dashed over to join them.

  “So what’s up?” asked Kelindra. “Why did you summon us?”

  Benjamin went to the top of the climbing frame and squashed himself in between Kaileena and Prince Adam. “In less than a week,” he began, “my family and I are heading to the Far North to rescue the children; did you all know that?”

  Some nodded while others shook their heads.

  “Sebastian and I would like you all to come, but the choice is entirely yours. This time don’t sneak away; get permission from your parents.”

  Ruby raised a hand. “Where exactly in the Far North are we going?” she asked curiously.

  “Brytannia,” replied Benjamin.

  “I see. Then I suppose I won’t be coming back. My family came here two years ago because my dad found work. His contract has ended so we’re going back soon.”

  Benjamin had known that Brytannia was her real home, but he hadn’t expected her to leave so soon. He sighed deeply. Rumour had it that Kelindra was leaving Springhaven in January, too. After finding out that her daughter had received the Inheritance of the Ifrahail, Mrs. Fetahi had registered her in a special school in the north of the country. They didn’t know when they would see her again, which made Amberina tearful. She had been friends with the other two for a long time, and now that they were leaving, it meant she’d be alone. Patting her on the back didn’t help.

  “I’ll be okay,” she told Benjamin when she sensed him looking at her. “I’ll have to be.” She didn’t look up, fearing that her tears might fall.

  Benjamin looked at the boys in his band, waiting to hear if they had anything to say about leaving, but no one did.

  “Even if we’re separated,” said Abel, “it doesn’t mean we’re going to forget each other, does it?”

  Benjamin smiled and looked towards the blazing sunset. “Not in a lifetime,” he replied. He looked around Dusty Park and wondered when he might return. This expedition could be a long one; after all, they were going to Brytannia which was half a world away. This park was dear to his heart, and he’d be leaving it behind. Almost every week he would come here to chill out, not to mention the days of the Summonings. Benjamin hoped that it wouldn’t be a long goodbye.

  *

  The bazaars were full of wonderful things to buy, but which one should Benjamin choose? He and Kaileena needed to find a heartfelt gift for Prince Adam, whose real birthday fell on the next day.

  Hours were spent walking through the noisy marketplace with Kaileena and their Eidoncheirs, but there was nothing suitable for someone who had everything he could ask for. It must be something special, a one-of-a-kind thing. The toy stalls was useless; Prince Adam was growing too old for toys anyway. The clothes and shoes stalls left Kaileena unmoved, saying, “Adam has better clothes than these for every day of the week.”

  There was nothing suitable here, but the gift had to be bought today; something that Prince Adam would cherish all his life.

  Benjamin was just about to give up. They had looked at hundreds of books, pieces of jewellery, drawing sets and even a lava lamp for his bedroom, but nothing was right. Finally, though, he saw something to his taste.

  “Isn’t there anything suitable?” Kaileena moaned.

  Benjamin gripped her hand and pointed towards a treasure he’d almost missed. It was a huge shawl, the fabric rich and warm under the pattern of red and golden desert that sprawled over it. Bronze trees of the oasis and green bushes and leaves were stitched alongside it, against a sky as blue as sapphire; the half-moon and sun, adjacent to one another, took up most of the design. White pearly stars surrounded it all. On the four corners of the shawl were two red strings, each attached to a silver bell, which were designed to be used as laces.

  Benjamin and Kaileena thought it splendid, and would have fought to possess it for themselves had they not dearly wished to give Adam a special gift. Even their Eidoncheirs crawled up their legs to have a good look.

  The shawl hung upon a hook at one of the stalls. Benjamin lifted it down to feel the texture, and it gave him a sensation he had never felt before. He sensed that it was magically designed to radiate heat during cold periods, and reluctantly handed it over to Kaileena to see her reaction.

  “Wow!” she said, almost silently. The look on her face confirmed his reaction. “We must get this for Prince Adam. I know he’ll love it.”

  Skipping over to the stall-holder, they asked him the price; the question produced a frown.

  “That is not for sale.”

  Benjamin and Kaileena could see that this was truly one of a kind. Nothing else came near. It was probably a personal possession of the stall-holder.

  The stall-holder, who was also a fire performer, glanced at their sad, disappointed faces and changed his mind on impulse. “Ah, you can keep it,” he said. “It’s yours.”

  Benjamin broke into a huge grin. “How much?” he asked quickly.

  “No charge, my boy.”

  “No, we must pay you something,” Kaileena protested. She would never take anything for nothing; she was stubborn that way.

  “All right, then. How much have you got?”

  “A hundred Aradian dollars,” said Benjamin, taking out a wad of notes.

  “About the same,” said Kaileena, holding out her savings.

  “Hand it over, then.” The fire performer took their money and shooed them away with a smile.

  *

  Next day, at five o’clock in the afternoon, Prince Adam was relieved from his daily duties. Writing letters and helping his father with political matters was over for the day. This was the best time for Benjamin and Kaileena to visit.

  Together they had picked out their clothes; Benjamin was dressed in a bright blue shirt and a clean pair of jeans, while Kaileena wore a peach-coloured dress with a matching hairband, her fringe brushed to the side of her forehead as usual.

  With the wrapped magical shawl, a punnet of juicy strawberries and a birthday card, all carried inside Prince Adam’s bag which Benjamin was returning, the two walked with their Eidoncheirs through the bustling streets of sunset. The fresh wind coming from the west told them that winter was coming. Soon the city would be smothered in frost; if they were lucky they might even have some snow, which hadn’t happened for over a hundred years. The last few days of summer were withering away at the approach of autumn. The scent of sweet blue hedges struck Benjamin’s nose upon their arrival; it was strong, its essence similar to blueberries.

  “Our lord prince is finishing his duties with his father, the king, may the Almighty bless his name,” the guard told them with a smile. “He requests you to wait in his room.”

  Benjamin fidgeted with his long sleeves while he waited. It had been almost half an hour, and Kaileena was fiddling with her hairband in front of the large mirror.

  “Remember to bow and greet him with respect when he comes in,�
� said Bana. “He’s a royal person whereas you’re an ordinary boy,”

  “That goes for you too,” agreed Popalunar, nudging Kaileena’s heel.

  Benjamin and Kaileena exchanged glances and laughed.

  “Prince Adam doesn’t really care.”

  “Yes, we’re his friends now. He expects us to treat him normally.”

  Before the Eidoncheirs could disagree, the door opened and in came Prince Adam, looking exhausted. He seemed to want nothing more than a good lie-down.

  Benjamin and Kaileena rushed to greet him with hugs and kisses, then gave him their presents and stepped backwards to await his reaction.

  “You … you remembered my real birthday?” Prince Adam was crying. He had almost forgotten about it himself and was touched that they had remembered; it had been a month since he had first met them, but so much had happened that it seemed longer. Brushing his tears away, Prince Adam groped for the parcel inside the bag. It seemed big even in his jewelled fingers, and not wanting to ruin it, he took off his rings and ripped open the wrapping. Then they saw Prince Adam’s real smile.

  He welled up uncontrollably, knowing that this gift came from the depths of his friends’ hearts. Never before had he received such a meaningful gift. He’d received thousands of presents during his birthday party, but this one was dearest to his heart. Prince Adam gazed at the magnificent shawl as if the whole world consisted of only himself, Benjamin and Kaileena.

  The magical shawl glimmered before his dark eyes, sprinkled with colour. He wrapped it around himself before hurrying off to take a good look in the mirror. The garment was long, covering his feet, which was fortunate; Prince Adam could keep this shawl for years and never outgrow it. The shawl was cosy and warm, almost causing Prince Adam’s eyes to droop into a comfortable sleep which would bring wonderful dreams. Wearing it, he looked like a true prince.

  “This is the best gift I’ve ever had. It’s a gift anyone would die for.” Hugging Benjamin and Kaileena, he whispered into both their ears, “I’m lucky to have you two as my friends.”