“Wow, this is great!” she cried as she felt herself becoming fitter and healthier with each jump.
After wolfing down a small but filling breakfast, Sir Eggmond loaded up his backpack, whistling to himself as he did a final check. He then directed his attention toward his young and decidedly anxious novices, who were clad from head to toe in their straight jackets and were finding it fairly difficult to walk in a straight line.
“Splendiferously stupendous,” he declared as he looked them up and down. “Right then, are we ready to go? Polly, you look like a cat on a hot tin roof. Relax, there is absolutely no need for you to feel so nervous,” stated Sir Eggmond. “Now will both of you please make sure you have your personal diaries with you? I find that the best place to keep it safe is in your top pocket along with your pen. This way you can write down all your thoughts and experiences along the way,” he said, patting his breast pocket to indicate that his diary was securely tucked away inside.
Polly and Aazi quickly searched through their belongings for their diaries, and once found, they did as Sir Eggmond suggested and placed them in the top pocket of their puffy outfits.
“Now Polly, do you still have your earmuffs and blinkers amongst your possessions? Be a dear and go check. They too will be much needed on this expedition.”
“I did have them, but then somehow I lost them,” she informed him.
“Oh, dearie me,” replied Sir Eggmond. “That was indeed most careless of you. For both items are considered to be very essential on this expedition.” He then reached into his enormous backpack. “Here, Polly. Put these on,” he said, handing her a pair of earmuffs. “And this will have to do instead of blinkers,” he said, handing her a scarf. “Although at present there’s no need to put either on until we start our ascent.”
Polly was by now very puzzled. “What will I need this scarf for?” she asked, looking very perplexed.
“Well, that’s to tie around your head in order to cover up your eyes. Yes, it will act perfectly as a blindfold,” he answered in a manner that suggested he was stating the obvious.
“Blindfold? But that’s crazy!” she cried. “Surely I will need both eyes to see my way safely up the mountain? For there’s no way I’m playing blindman’s buff!”
“Oh, my dear, this certainly is no childish game. Oh no, no,” he tutted. “It’s just that I prefer all my students to wear blindfolds—it’s much better that way. Yes, over the years my most successful students have used them when climbing mountains, for I do believe it heightens their other senses and teaches them to implicitly trust me for their safety. It really is for the best. Trust me on this one,” he said with a firm edge of confidence.
Before Polly could make any further protest, Sir Eggmond zipped up his open jacket and marched over toward the tent flap.
“Yes, I think you’re now ready to climb a high mountain. So come this way,” he flippantly beckoned with a gesture as he held open the flap, guiding them out into the blinding sun and snow-driven landscape of the mountainside.
Polly and Aazi dutifully obeyed his order and walked slowly and awkwardly toward the tent opening, their young and tender hearts not filled with wonder and excitement but with the greatest of fear and trepidation.
“Good luck, Aazi,” whispered Polly as she reached out for one final, lingering clasp of his glove-covered hand.
“You too, Polly,” responded Aazi with a half smile.
They then made their way out of the tent to follow after Sir Eggmond Hoollari, both of them privately hoping and praying that this man was not absolutely stark raving mad and that they would eventually return to the tent in one piece.
The walk to the foot of the mountain was very pleasant. As the sun came out to greet them Polly found herself feeling not only more confident, but every bit the adventurer as she followed on closely behind Sir Eggmond, who left his extraordinarily large footprints in the fresh snow.
As they walked and talked, Polly asked Aazi to sing his special song, “The Impossible Dream,” to her. And as she listened to the words, she felt truly inspired and encouraged to continue on. Polly decided that she loved the song so much that she persuaded Aazi to sing it over and over again until she completely familiarized herself with all the words.
“Now that I’ve shared my song with you, I think it’s high time that I got to hear yours,” said Aazi as he tried to coax her along.
Polly agreed rather reluctantly, for she told him that she much preferred to sing along with him, especially as he had such a wonderful voice.
“You’re truly gifted, Aazi,” she said, giving him an encouraging tap on the shoulder. “But I guess it’s only fair that as you’ve shared your song, then I should be willing to share mine.”
Polly opened her mouth and began to sing out loud, “Climb every mountain…”
Aazi had never heard the song before, but found himself feeling equally inspired and, just like Polly, greatly encouraged to press on toward his goal. And, as he had been forced to sing his song over and over, he requested that Polly do likewise until he had learned all the words by heart. Privately, as he walked slightly ahead of them, Sir Eggmond’s breast swelled with pride as he listened to the two of them singing their hearts out. He also had a permanent smile fixed on his face as he too joined in the singing, albeit quietly under his breath.
Finally, they arrived at the foot of the mountain, and he insisted they stop for a break as well as a final check of their equipment.
“Isn’t she a beauty?” Sir Eggmond announced, breaking into a big smile. “Yes, doesn’t she just compel you to reach for her summit? Come on, Polly. Take a proper look.”
Polly shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun as she obeyed his order and looked up to the heavens. “I can’t see the summit,” she wailed, feeling an instant rush of panic.
“Of course you can’t, my dear,” responded Sir Eggmond brightly. “For, it’s way up there, far beyond the clouds and quite out of view to the human eye.”
Polly shuddered and closed her eyes as she seriously gave great consideration to abandoning this utterly crazy quest.
“Well, I think that this is the perfect time to tell you that although the sun is at present shining and all seems calm on the horizon, the weather report for today is not good. No, not good at all,” said Sir Eggmond, shaking his head.
“Not good?” queried Polly, feeling instantly hysterical.
“Does this mean, then, that we will be heading back to camp?” she asked with a distinct note of hopefulness.
“Oh no, my dear! Certainly not! No, this is all part and parcel of the challenge,” he said cheerfully as he walked toward them, holding a coil of thick rope. “Polly, be a good girl and go stand next to Aazi so I can put a rope around your waist as well.”
While Sir Eggmond was dealing with Aazi, Polly found herself having a sudden and most unexpected flashback to the many times she had seen her youngest brother James tied up with ropes when they were forced to go up into the hills and valleys on walking expeditions to get them all out of Aunt Mildred’s hair.
As Polly had this sudden flashback, she felt sudden pangs of remorse that she had never said good-bye to James or told him what she was doing. She could only hope he was safe and well and that she would get to see him again, and soon. Oh, how she longed to see his little face and hold him close! She found herself hoping with all her heart that her friend Napoli Bonaparti had found a red pillar box to post her letter to James before continuing his journey in search of the Duke of Welligog.
Polly brought her thoughts back to the present and to Sir Eggmond’s rather rambling weather update.
“Yes, we must prepare ourselves for some pretty hostile weather conditions, such as snow blizzards and possible avalanches before we reach the summit.”
By this point, Polly was going crazy inside and felt right on the verge of throwing up, and found her fear getting worse by the minute.
“Polly dear, don’t look so morose. You’re now safely
tied up with the rope, so please do us all a favor and pop your blindfold on,” Sir Eggmond asked rather nonchalantly.
Polly hesitated, and rightly so! What with all his scary talk about blizzards and avalanches, any right-thinking person would question the wisdom of putting on a blindfold if they were about to scale a high, and very dangerous, mountain, wouldn’t they?
“Come on, Polly. Don’t be so skeptical. Be a good dear and put it on quickly, for you are now holding us up. Here, allow me the pleasure of helping you,” said Sir Eggmond as he took the scarf from her severely trembling hands and began to tie it around her eyes. “Perfectissimo!” he muttered as he knotted it tightly at the back of her head. “Now, Aazi, please allow me to check that your rope is not only tight enough but thoroughly secure,” he said, giving the rope a little tug for safety’s sake. “Good, now let me help you further by allowing me to position your earmuffs on your head for you. There,” he said, stepping back a few paces to look Aazi up and down.
“Yes, Polly, they say that within an hour or so visibility will be quite poor.”
“What’s the point of telling us that?” exclaimed Polly rather hysterically. “I mean, neither of us can see a jolly thing now, let alone in a few hours’ time!”
“Oh Polly, there really is no need to get quite so stroppy,” he quipped. “Just be a good dear and pop your earmuffs on, and then we’ll start our ascent. Now hurry along, my little peanuts. I’m looking forward to this climb almost as much as the two of you!”
Polly chose to ignore him, preferring to place her earmuffs very firmly over her ears, for she believed she’d heard more than enough from Sir “Loop the Loop” Hooligooli!”
The bad weather conditions were upon them much sooner than Polly or Sir Eggmond had anticipated. However, she was left with little choice but to continue her ascent. Both she and Aazi were securely tied up to the same thick rope as Sir Eggmond. Before long, she could no longer feel her fingers, for they had gone thoroughly numb in spite of her thick protective gloves. Her lips and nose turned purple as she battled against thick snow storms and cruel icy blizzards.
“Someone should come up with an idea for nosemuffs,” she thought to herself as she pondered whether her nose might drop off due to frostbite. An hour or so later she could no longer feel her toes, for they too had come out in sympathy with her nose and were now also thoroughly numb.
Finally, they arrived on a flat plateau, and Sir Eggmond untied their ropes. Aazi and Polly slumped to the ground to take a well-earned rest. Polly used this as an excuse to pull off her blindfold and was just about to remove her earmuffs so that she could start chatting away to Aazi when she heard the deafening voice of Sir Eggmond bellowing; “HELP!”
Polly felt a strong wave of fear rush through her body as his voice had a blood-curdling tone of urgency in it. Sir Eggmond then began to wave his arms frantically in the air, shouting and hollering in her direction.
“We need to get help!” he yelled through cupped hands so that the sound of his voice would travel further.
Polly staggered to her feet and then trudged as fast as she was able over to where he stood, waving both arms in the air. She could hear the loud beat of her heart as it hammered away deafeningly in her ears. Her breathing became shorter and quicker as she felt overtaken by fear. She continued to make her way toward Sir Eggmond, afraid of what she might find.
She could see that Aazi was still sitting where she had left him, so she knew the crisis had nothing to do with him. What on earth was going on?
“Aazi, don’t move, stay where you are until I get back!” she shouted back in his direction. Aazi waved a hand to show that he had heard her.
As Polly came nearer to Sir Eggmond, she noticed two bodies lying sprawled out in the snow. Her heart picked up speed as she edged nearer and nearer. “Oh, my goodness! It’s the two Justins!” she screamed. “Oh, please tell me they’re not dead!” she cried out in horror as she raced over to where they lay sprawled out and motionless. She fell on both knees and checked their pulses. “I can feel a faint pulse. Yes, both of them have a pulse, and they’re both still breathing. Quick, Sir Eggmond,” she shouted in his direction, “we urgently need your help.”
As Polly attended to both boys, she noticed that the snow around them was spotted with their blood. She could also see that there were long drag marks in the snow that looked as though some ferocious animal, perhaps a bear, had unsuccessfully tried to drag their bodies along. If this was true, why had the animal or animals changed their mind and abandoned the boys?
As Polly searched their bodies for clues, she came across deep puncture wounds in their skin. “Sir Eggmond, come here quickly and take a look,” she cried.
Sir Eggmond ignored her cries and carried on talking into a most strange looking contraption that was connected by long wires to a large black box. Polly cried out for his help again as the enormity of the boys’ injuries came to bear heavily upon her. Finally, he came over to where Polly knelt between the two boys and got down on both knees beside her.
As Sir Eggmond observed their atrociously severe wounds, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully and remarked, “I do believe that this has all the hallmarks of Vanaspi’s ferocious dogs of darkness. Yes, those puncture wounds would suggest that those very savage, vicious brutes are more than likely behind this tragedy,” he sniffed, shaking his head from side to side as he inspected their wounds more closely.
“How do you know it was them and not some big grizzly?” cried Polly.
“Because no bear would venture this far up a mountain. Also, if you look carefully at the trail they have left behind in the snow, then you will see they are the paw marks of dogs or wolves. If it were a bear, the prints would be much larger and less of them. I believe our arrival on this glacier has probably saved these two boys’ lives, as those hounds have now fled,” he stated as he continued to inspect their wounds. “Had we arrived much later, I do believe we would be witnessing a very different scene of utter carnage. Those vicious animals would have ripped them to pieces before delivering what was left of them back to their master.”
“Oh, Sir Eggmond, this is a terrible thing to have happened to them. If only they had listened to you earlier, then this would never have happened,” she tearfully cried.
“Yes, but sadly, youth always think they know best, Polly. It sometimes takes a tragedy of mammoth proportions before we will listen to those older and wiser than ourselves who love us and want the best for us.”
“What can we do now? We must get them help—and soon,” Polly miserably stated.
“Don’t worry, Polly. I have made a call to search and rescue, and they are at present mobilizing a medical team. In fact, the air rescue helicopter should be with us very shortly.”
“That is such good news, Sir Eggmond,” Polly said, feeling overcome with relief.
“Yes, but until help arrives we must do all within our power to keep them both warm and comfortable.”
“Yes, yes,” said Polly, eager to do anything she could to help. “Just tell me what to do.”
“Polly, you go and search through Justin Kase’s bag, which is lying over there. I need bandages and scissors and anything we can use as pillows to prop up their legs and stop the hemorrhaging. Also, I will need some large rolls of aluminum foil to wrap around their bodies in order to prevent further heat loss. Go quickly while I stay here and concern myself with stemming the blood flow until you get back.”
Polly quickly jumped up from the ground and headed in the direction of Justin’s large backpack. While she was gone, Sir Eggmond reached into the pocket of his thickly-padded jacket and produced two old-fashioned medicinal bottles.
“Hmm, I do believe that both the Hoolie Koolie and the Hubber Blubber ointment will be required if these boys are to have any hope of surviving this dreadfully savage attack.” He then glanced quickly over his shoulder to where Polly was kneeling as she rummaged through Justin’s backpack. He discreetly removing the cork out of both bottles
and applied his special miracle working balm. “Brrr, I do hope that help is quick in coming,” Sir Eggmond muttered to himself as he blew into his cupped hands. “I do declare my feathers are beginning to freeze up, and I’m feeling decidedly itchy!”
“Here, I’ve also found Justin’s first-aid box,” Polly cried, waving it in the air as she raced back to where the seriously injured boys lay.
“Excellent,” said Sir Eggmond as he rather expediently shuffled around in the large box, searching for bandages.
“Sshh, Sir Eggmond, I think I can hear something,” said Polly.
She was indeed absolutely correct. For the noise was that of the rotary blades of a helicopter as it came into view from over a mountain peak in search of them. Polly jumped up from her knees and began to wave both hands in the air in an effort to get their attention. Minutes later the helicopter touched down safely on a wide section of the plateau.
Polly watched as both boys were connected to drips before being carried away on stretchers to be transported to the nearest hospital. Polly waved the helicopter off and then went over to where Aazi had obediently been sitting throughout the whole drama. When the helicopter had finally disappeared from view, Sir Eggmond made his way over to join them.
“Oh Aazi, I’m so glad you didn’t see the boys, for they looked in a terrible state,” she forlornly sobbed. “I just hope they will pull through.”
Aazi simply nodded as he quietly answered her, “Yes, Polly, I hope so, too.”
Sir Eggmond, on hearing their conversation, chipped in, “Look, Polly, I believe they are in good hands. Believe me when I say that Hope in Your Heart Hospital has the best nursing staff in the whole world. Yes, they couldn’t be in better and more capable hands, trust me. Now, I do believe that a nice, steaming hot cup of tea is in order. So while I brew the tea, I will leave you to find the food packages from my backpack, for we need to build up our energy before we move on.”
“But, Sir Eggmond, surely we are not going on! Not after what has just happened!” Polly cried out, feeling very alarmed and upset.
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