Polly Brown

by Tricia Bennett

  “Oh, great,” said Polly, experiencing a deep, sinking feeling. She was very afraid for herself. “So this mountain—which takes years of experience to climb—is the one that we will be attempting. Am I getting this right?”

  “Yes, I do believe you’re getting the picture, Polly. But rest assured we will be training on smaller peaks to start with, and when I’m entirely satisfied with your progress, then and only then will I allow you the privilege of climbing Piadora. So let’s get on with it, shall we? Our first mountain is, I believe, none other than Kilimanjaro, and she’s a real beauty. Yes, I think you’ll love her.”

  “Kilimanjaro!” gasped Justin Thyme. “Now I know you’re crazy. That ‘little mountain’ is known by all to be well over nineteen thousand feet high.”

  Polly only had time to hear “Kil…” before promptly fainting. Sir Eggmond continued giving fact after fact about Mount Kilimanjaro, blissfully unaware of what was happening all around him.

  “Excuse me, Sir Eggmond, but I don’t think you are fully aware that Polly is no longer with us,” exclaimed Justin Kase, tapping him lightly on the shoulder as he interrupted Sir Eggmond’s impromptu geography lesson.

  “Well, blow my nose and rattle my toes; I do believe you are right, young Justin,” replied Sir Eggmond, looking pretty flustered as he surveyed Polly lying prostrate on the floor. “I’ll go and get my smelling salts straight away.”

  Polly came to moments later as the smell of the salts hit the back of her throat and nose, causing her to cough and splutter.

  “Welcome back, Polly,” said Sir Eggmond with a smile as he crouched down beside her limp body. “I thought for one minute we’d lost you. Now don’t worry, young lady, I promise you that we won’t be attempting Mount Everest until we have successfully conquered Kilimanjaro. You have my word on that.”

  “Everest?” Once again Polly only heard the first syllable before passing out a second time, and once more she had to be revived with the aid of smelling salts.

  “It’s high time you stopped worrying, my dear, for you are, after all, in very capable hands. Why, I won’t be expecting you to climb Piadora on your own until much, much later.”

  “On our own!” gasped Polly. She threatened to pass out for a third time and was only prevented from doing so by the firm hand of Sir Eggmond forcing her to remain in an upright position.

  “No dear, now wash your ears out, for what I actually said was on your own.”

  “By myself!” Polly shrieked. “Oh no! Someone tell me I’m dreaming,” she cried, feeling utterly wretched and inconsolable.

  “Yes, Polly, I do believe you’re finally beginning to get the message, for on your own means precisely that—on your own. So please do give me the courtesy of paying more attention when I’m speaking, for it will go a long way in helping the entire operation run more smoothly,” he said, very matter-of-fact.

  “Oh, tell me I’m not hearing right,” she cried pitifully, “for there’s no way I can climb a mountain on my own. And tell me the truth: if Kilimanjaro is nearly twenty thousand feet, how much higher is Mount Everest?”

  “Well, my dear, I have to say that it is just a teeny weenie bit higher, but I’m certain this will not pose any major problem.”

  “Eggmunch, you’re not listening to me. Tell me right now, how much higher is Mount Everest?” she demanded to know, for she was now badly shaking from head to toe.

  “Now don’t get so worked up, Polly, for if you hadn’t so rudely interrupted me I was just about to give you the answer. Mount Everest stands at just over twenty nine thousand feet high, so if my math is correct, that means it’s only a mere ten thousand or so feet higher. Although I do believe it is still rising further with every year that passes,” he stated most informatively.

  Polly took a deep gulp, for inside she was beginning to feel quite hysterical.

  “I’m really sorry, Sir Eggmond, but I think I will take a pass on this one,” she declared as assertively as she felt able. “As you can see, I’m already trembling with fear, and I haven’t even taken one step up the mountain.”

  “That’s fine by me, Polly, but I do need to remind you that your personalized song says, ‘Climb Every Mountain,’ and I do believe the word every does not leave much room for you to be choosy. Would you agree?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “No buts, my dear, unless of course you are secretly a member of the Butter Brigade.”

  “The Butter Brigade? Who on earth are they?” Polly asked with some surprise.

  “What? Have you never heard of them? Why, they are the group who always has some excuse for not going forward or for abandoning a specific task. Yes, when they are asked to do something, they always start with, ‘But I’m not sure,’ or similarly, ‘But I don’t think I can,’ and so on. Yes, they are indeed the society of procrastinators who always put everything off with a but. So, no buts my dear, for it really doesn’t suit you.”

  “Oh b…” was all Polly could find to say, for she seemed utterly lost for words.

  “Precisely, my dear! And in the meantime, do let me know if the words to that song ever get rewritten and changed from ‘climb every mountain’ to ‘climb the ones I fancy,’ or, ‘climb the ones that don’t scare me.’ And then ask yourself this: would I be here giving up my precious time to train and give you the necessary skills to complete this task if I did not have every confidence that you are capable of successfully completing this assignment?”

  Polly remained silent, for she was no match when it came to a man such as Sir Eggmond Hoollari.

  “Besides, if you take the y off the word every, you’re only three letters short of the word Everest. Now that’s rather clever, don’t you think?” he said rather jovially. “Anyway, while we’re at it, which one of you bright sparks would like to guess my favorite signature tune?”

  “I’d rather not, but I guess you’re going to tell us anyway,” said Polly drily.

  “Absolutely!” Sir Eggmond retorted, completely ignoring Polly’s very downcast expression. “Yes, it’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,’” he sung out loudly, as though he were a Welsh chorister, at the same time doing a little wiggle of the hips. “Oh yes, shooby doo doo. That is, I believe, a most wonderful little number, don’t you think?” he said as he continued to dance around the room in a very weird, if not old-fashioned, manner.

  Polly raised her eyes up into her head, presumably to convey that she was anything but amused by all his antics. But she also conceded that there was little hope of prevailing in her quest to turn back, for she was pitting her wits against a very determined man.

  “Yes, my little eager beavers,” he said, turning to address them all. “While I accept that you have every reason to be concerned, you must also realize that people who insist on playing it safe rarely fulfill their dreams. Very few people make it to this point in their journey, and of those that do, many like your good selves will panic and choose to opt out, believing that to reach the summit is indeed impossible.” Sir Eggmond paused to clear his throat of a little irritating tickle before going on. “But I have to add that if I, a most experienced mountain climber, say you can do it—and that includes you, Polly Brown—well then you need to put all your faith and trust in me.”

  Polly hung her head low as she carefully considered his words. Faith! Trust! These words meant nothing to her, for she had never had the privilege of having anyone in her life reliable or caring enough to put faith in, let alone to go as far as trust anyone. Indeed all her young life she had continuously been let down, and now someone who a few hours ago had been nothing more than a complete stranger was asking her to put her young life in his hands. As she sat and considered the enormity of what he was expecting from her, she felt sick to the pit of her stomach with fear and anxiety.

  Sir Eggmond edged forward to give her small hand a reassuring squeeze. He knew only too well all what she was going through. He too had found himself facing great inner conflict when he scaled the highest mountain
s often in the most atrocious weather conditions imaginable.

  “Oh Polly, don’t give up now. Not when you have come this far. I know you can do it,” he said. “All you need is the necessary single-mindedness, plus a healthy dose of determination. Then, trust me; you will conquer it,” Sir Eggmond euphorically stated. “Indeed, Piadora will be the one mountain you each must climb alone, and I daresay it is not one for the faint-hearted to climb,” he said, individually eyeing up each of his fear-filled students. All present in the tent chose to remain cautiously silent as they considered the full impact of what was being required of them. And all present felt their hearts were beginning to fail them as they experienced sheer terror and dread at the prospect of the climb.

  “Oh, and by the way, I feel now is as good a time as any to share with you an old African proverb: ‘Adversity is your best friend. It introduces you to yourself.’ During this climb all of you will indeed discover an inner strength you never knew you possessed.”

  Then, having finished sharing this deep and thought-provoking insight with them, he rose up from where he was crouched beside Polly and strode over toward the main table that was stacked high with climbing equipment.

  “Right now, listen up everybody. If anyone would like to join me in a warm mug of Rosie Lee, speak up, for now is your last chance,” he announced, holding up a rather revolting-looking tin teapot that had definitely seen better days.

  Polly and her friends politely declined. But Polly was still very anxious and felt she could not continue this adventure without asking about something that was really bothering her—yes, a really important issue that urgently needed to be addressed.

  “Sir Eggmond, I don’t wish to appear rude, but I don’t think I’m suitably dressed for the occasion. You’re all nicely padded up in thick, puffy clothes and thick goggles in readiness of the expedition, but look at me; my dress is made of thin cotton, and my shoes are not only worn out but have enough leaks to keep a lawn nicely watered,” she said pointing downwards toward her tatty shoes.

  Sir Eggmond stopped drinking his tea and followed her finger downwards until his eyes hit upon her shoes. “Hmm,” was the only word that ushered forth from his extraordinarily thick lips.

  “I’m a little worried that even if I manage to reach the summit without plummeting to my death, I’m just as likely to freeze and transform into a rather large ice cube, and then I may not be discovered for thousands of years,” she cried as she imagined such an awful thing happening to her.

  Sir Eggmond, now halfway through another mouthful of tea, crashed his tin cup down and started to splutter, “Well, rattle my toes and blow my nose; you are quite right, my dear. Of course I wouldn’t expect you to go as you are. Oh no, no, no. That would never do! Did you know that well over a hundred corpses remain lost on Everest? Most of these are probably due to unsuitable or insufficient clothing.” He paused and then merrily added, “Of course, I’m only joking.” Polly breathed the deepest sigh of relief.

  “No, the sad truth is that most of those corpses are the result of the frequent avalanches that take them unawares. And yes, I do believe that it’s usually those mischievous rogues that get them,” he said with much too jovial a laugh for Polly’s liking.

  Polly shot a glance in the direction of the two Justins who, like her, were pretending to join in and laugh at his panic button sense of humor when really they all felt sick to the very pit of their stomachs.

  With his tin mug firmly back down on the table, Sir Eggmond then strolled over to a large bag. “Now then, Polly, please try this one on for size,” he said, pulling out a padded outfit similar to the one he was wearing. “There, this is bound to fit, so just pop it on over your clothes and then put on your boots. I will put your shoes in my backpack for safekeeping.”

  Polly obeyed and struggled as she put on the puffy suit before finally managing to pull the zip right up to her chin.

  “Perfect!” declared a very delighted and self-satisfied Sir Eggmond. “Now Aazi, come over here and try this one on.”

  Before he had time to reach deeper into the bag, Justin Kase used the breathing space as an opportunity to interrupt.

  “It’s all right, Sir Eggmond, we don’t need anything, for we are already sorted. See, I have two outfits in my large backpack for me and my friend.”

  Sir Eggmond said nothing but watched with a half-amused look on his face as Justin Kase proceeded to empty out the contents of his extremely overloaded backpack onto the floor before producing the outfits.

  “Look, I’ve got ice picks, ropes, goggles, even oxygen masks and all-weather writing paper. You name it, I’ve got it,” said Justin very proudly. “Oh, and I’ve even got a Union Jack flag, so I can mark our arrival when we get to the top of the summit. Isn’t that just brilliant?”

  “Hmm, how peachy,” was Sir Eggmond’s only and very unconvincing response as he furtively rubbed his chin, remaining deep in thought. “Well, Justin, there is just one eensy weensy little problem,” he muttered.

  “Oh? And what’s that?” asked Justin, very surprised.

  “Well, you need to know now that it will be quite impossible for you to take your backpack with you when we scale the mountain.”

  “Why?” asked Justin with a deep note of disappointment.

  “Well, I would think that the answer to your question is quite obvious,” replied Sir Eggmond.

  “Well, no, it isn’t. Would you kindly help me out here by telling me why?” asked Justin, feeling very incensed.

  “Because to climb this mountain you have to be free of any heavy load.”

  “Well, I’m not going anywhere without my backpack!” Justin retorted, his voice betraying his growing annoyance with Sir Eggmond. “I never go anywhere without it. Oh no, sir. I take it with me everywhere I go, just in case I run into trouble. So for just this one occasion, could you turn a blind eye and allow me to take it?” Justin pleaded.

  “I’m sorry, young man, but rules are not made to be broken. And as your personal safety is of paramount importance to me, I have little choice but to ask you to leave it back here at base camp. It will be perfectly safe here, I assure you.”

  Polly and Aazi remained silent as Justin strenuously continued to argue his case. They were both surprised at the level of stubbornness they were witnessing from both concerned parties as Justin continued to resist and sought to get Sir Eggmond’s decision overruled. Yet still Justin continued to plead his case even though his arguments were indeed falling on deaf ears.

  “Justin, please just give in, for you can’t win against such a determined man,” said Polly wearily.

  Aazi chipped in, urging Justin to rethink and just leave his backpack here at base camp, although both Aazi and Polly secretly admitted that they would feel more than relieved if the trip were called off entirely due to falling numbers.

  “Look, Justin, just drop it. You’re really getting nowhere,” said Justin Thyme, giving his friend a sharp nudge in order to make his friend aware that he too was feeling pretty fed up with the whole conversation.

  “Well, that’s it then. I’m not coming with you, Sir Eggmond,” Justin angrily declared before turning to his best friend. “Come on, Justin. I think it’s time to leave. We don’t need his help to get up the mountain. We’ve got all the necessary gear to make it on our own.”

  Justin Thyme shrugged his shoulders and seemed quite unsure as to whether to go or stay, for he much preferred sitting on the fence in preference to upsetting anyone. No, to do such unpleasant things, quarreling or arguing, was not in his nature. Finally, after much ‘umming’ and an equal amount of ‘uhhing,’ he braved himself to voice the decision he had come to.

  “Look, guys. I’d better go with Justin. He is, after all, my best friend, and we’ve never done anything without each other. So I guess we’ll meet up again when we get to the top of the mountain,” he ruefully said, anxiously wringing his hands at the same time. “Take care, Polly. You too, Aazi, and thanks for the offer, Sir Eggmon
d.”

  He then turned on his heels and followed his stooping and heavily-laden friend out of the large tent, stopping only to turn and give a final and somewhat faint-hearted wave before disappearing into the night.

  “Well, I guess we’re down to just the two of you,” said Sir Eggmond with a slightly despondent note in his voice. “So let’s get snuggled up in our sleeping bags for a bit of shut-eye, for we do all need to be full of the joys of spring when we start our ascent first thing tomorrow.”

  Chapter 35

  POLLY’S LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

  POLLY AND AAZI climbed into their sleeping bags and rather despondently said good night to each other, for both their hearts felt extremely weighed down. Polly was not convinced that she would be able to fall asleep for fear of what the new dawn would bring. Sir Eggmond, on the other hand, slept like a log, snoring so loudly that the tent appeared to bulge in and out with every breath he took, making it even harder for Polly to doze off. She feared the tent might well balloon off into the night if Sir Eggmond continued to snore in such a disgracefully heavy manner.

  In the early hours of the next morning, Sir Eggmond arose with a spring in his step, and, after checking the equipment thoroughly, crouched down beside them to give both of them a gentle shake. “Rise and shine,” he said cheerily before going over to remove the boiling kettle that was making a loud whistling noise. “Yes, and I do hope we’re all feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on this wonderful morning,” said Sir Eggmond as he poured the tea into the pot.

  Polly and Aazi very reluctantly climbed out of their sleeping bags, giving a big yawn as they stretched. Polly looked down at her arm and was surprised to see that the bandage had disappeared. She was even more surprised to discover that there was no sign of the wound ever having been there. She then looked down at her ankle, and she was just as astonished to find that all swelling had completely gone and the pain had also miraculously disappeared. Polly jumped up and down on the spot just to make sure.