Polly watched on until the helicopter was little more than a speck in the sky. She then collapsed to the ground, crushed to the core of her spirit and feeling utterly overwhelmed by all that had happened.
“Take my life and give Aazi’s back to him!” she yelled into the wind.
She continued to vent her fury by beating her fists in the snow until she had no fight left in her. As she continued to kneel in the snow with her head bowed very low in deep despair, she found herself unable to even cry. She had gone beyond tears into the worst and most terrifying dark night of the soul, where neither words nor tears can begin to express the depth of anguish and utter desolation that her broken heart was now experiencing.
And as she knelt in the snow, Polly reached for her gold little book with the intention of writing her last thoughts down. She opened up her book at the back and tore out a clean page. Despite her hands being severely frostbitten, she struggled to pick up her pen and slowly began to write.
Whoever finds me finds my last will and testament.
I, Polly Brown, do hereby confirm that I am in sound mind at the time of writing this. And sadly, I must point out that there are no real beneficiaries to my will for the simple reason that I don’t really have anything, well, not of any value anyway. But I do bequeath all my toys, which I consider to be my worldly goods, to be shared amongst the other foster children back home at the castle. All I ask is that Percy and Petunia be kept together, as they are now officially a couple. Also as Cecil, my pet giraffe, is no longer required to stand guard over my pajamas, he is therefore free to spend the rest of his days as he chooses.
Finally, even though this is meant to be my last will and testament, I need to express one last thought. If I could turn back the clock, I would gladly exchange my life in return for Aazi’s. My good friend is very unlikely to make it, and when I think of all he has been through in his short life, I am amazed, by his resilience and his joyful attitude toward everything in life. Aazi showed me that it is possible to suffer without complaining, something I have been terribly guilty of in the past. I will always miss him, and I believe he deserved to be the one to live, not me.
I have only one further request. If my body should ever be found, I would very much like to be buried next to my brother Thomas. I would also love a jar filled with poppies put on both graves. I would truly appreciate this little kindness.
Thank you very much.
Yours,
Polly’s last will and testament took up two pieces of the paper torn from her diary. Having written it as best as she could, she folded it up and tucked it safely back into the diary. This time Polly opened her diary at the front, and she found herself having one final read of all that had been said about her. She shed a few tears as, for the first time ever, she noticed that every entry in her book had always referred to her as though she were already a princess, and this little fact felt deeply touching. Though her hands were well-and-truly frozen, she determined to read everything in the book since this would, after all, be the final time that she would read or write anything. When she thought she had come to the end, her eyes suddenly fell on fresh writing that she had never seen before.
Polly took a deep gasp of breath, and even as she was reading on, from out of nowhere a stone literally plopped on her head before coming to rest in the snow right beside her.
“Ouch! That hurt,” mumbled Polly as she looked up to see where it had come from. She was startled to see a golden eagle soaring above her head. Her eyes fixed on his beady eyes, and she knew in an instant that he was the guilty party. She then picked up the pebble from the ground and could clearly see the word love inscribed on the stone. Polly placed it to one side and carried on reading.
The princess had proven herself to be a very obedient child, for when her two friends abandoned Sir Eggmond to make the ascent on their own she had chosen to stay. And despite having dreadful concerns about Sir Eggmond’s state of mind, as well as his climbing skills, the princess chose to put away all fear and implicitly trust him regarding her safety and that of Aazi, her young soul mate and new best friend.
However, things looked very bleak and hopeless. First, the two Justins appeared to have perished, and then her best friend suffered a tragic accident, leaving the princess in a terrible state of anguish. She was then to be further insulted when she was betrayed by the man she trusted with her life, who rather sneakily left the scene of the accident, leaving her to die on the summit. The princess had used this opportunity to show off her very impressive, regal temper. She had a rather sudden outburst of anger and rage at Sir Hula Hoop or Loop the Loop, as she so rather naughtily called him. But then who could blame her? For the princess was now totally alone and at the mercy of a mountain that had, over the years, taken many a life away.
Still, as she sought to write her last will and testament, she had shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was indeed worthy of the title princess: when she confessed that she would have willingly given up her own life in return for Aazi’s, she did not realize that for a man to willingly lay down his life for a friend is the greatest show of love that any person can give.
So, now as she knelt in the snow, abandoned and betrayed, would this be the final chapter in her trouble-filled life?
Polly closed her book and then closed her eyes, with darkness creeping over the mountain and falling upon her like a thick blanket. Every fear that she had ever encountered rose up from within to mercilessly taunt her, claiming that all she had ever believed and hoped for was nothing more than a vale of lies that only the craziest of lunatics would ever have believed! I mean, who in their right mind would have listened to two smelly vagabonds with all their wild talk of Piadora? And who would have agreed to climb a dangerous mountain with a complete nut named Sir Eggmond Hoollari?
“I feel like a prize idiot to have ever believed and put my life into the hands of such a fraud,” she whispered. She reasoned that no sane person would have readily agreed to such a ridiculous proposal, and so she had only herself to blame for putting all natural and logical reasoning to one side to embark on such a wildly frivolous adventure. Sadly, she was now paying the full price for her stupidity. She would die a slow and agonizingly painful death, alone and isolated on the mountainside.
Once again, she found herself thinking of the few people such as Thomas, Mrs. Bailey, and Mr. Beloski—people who had meant everything to her—and she felt her heart was on the very verge of breaking into pieces.
“How could I have let this happen to me?” she whimpered, bowing her head even lower into her lap in her futile effort to stave off the cold. “Now I’m in a complete mess with no way out!”
As she lay in the snow with her head bowed as low as her heart, she was suddenly startled by a strange sound that grew louder and louder. Polly slowly lifted her head and winced as she began to look in the direction of Piadora. For suddenly, the heavens around Piadora’s summit lit up the whole sky with the most vivid swirls of deep orange and blinding gold. As she stared in stupefied silence in Piadora’s direction, she heard music that she recognized.
“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “I recognize that sound. Why, it’s Aazi’s favorite song, ‘The Impossible Dream!’”
Polly continued to kneel in the snow, but now she was experiencing the strangest sensations. Unbelievable joy began to flood her whole being, at the same time releasing a powerful heat that surged through every fiber of her body until she glowed from head to foot. Polly felt utterly in awe of the beauty of Piadora. As she continued to stare in its direction, it seemed to be beckoning her to come forth as the sweet music appeared to cascade in loud crescendos over the snow-capped mountain peaks before sweeping down to wash over her. The longer she knelt, the more she began to feel an immense strength begin to build up inside her breast.
Finally, feeling totally energized from head to foot, she picked herself up from the snow, brushed herself down, and defiantly shouted into the wind, “I am going to climb this mountain, and I
am going to do it for Aazi as well as myself. If I die on the way, so be it. At least I will have tried. Nothing is over until it’s over, so Piadora, here I come!”
With her words echoing and repeating over and over as they bounced off the rocks and snow-capped peaks, she marched like a soldier into battle toward the bright light that was flooding Mount Piadora from the heavens to its base.
She sang and sang with all her might as she scaled the mountain with renewed fervor and determination. With every step she made, she thought less and less of the danger. No, nothing whatsoever was going to get in her way and prevent her from reaching the finishing line!
She continued to ignore the deep cuts that covered her hands from contact with the jagged rocks, the deep hunger pangs that were constantly nagging her, and the numbness that crept right through her body and gnawed deep into her bones. The higher she got, the thinner the air around her became, and the more difficult it became for her to breathe. Yet still she kept climbing, heading higher and higher into the clouds. She continued to listen to the music as she pulled herself up and over every crevice and plateau.
Soon she found herself unable to continue singing aloud due to shortness of breath, so she switched to singing inside her heart and head. Before too long, every fearful and deeply tormenting thought that had ever dared to voice an opinion was temporarily muted. Yes, Polly was so consumed with determination that she even failed to notice that the music had now changed to her song, “Climb Every Mountain.” She just kept going up and up, further into the clouds.
She had been going for what seemed an eternity when up ahead her eyes fell on Piadora’s highest peak, and despite the severe pain racking through every bone and muscle in her body, she determined in her heart that she was going to reach its top.
As her fingers finally and weakly touched the top of the peak, she felt certain that she was going to pass out. She was now really struggling to take even the shallowest of breaths. Her lungs felt on the verge of collapse. But as she placed her cut and profusely bleeding fingers onto the final jagged rock, she found herself praying for supernatural ability to pull herself up one final time.
Suddenly and without forewarning, her tiny hands were gripped by a much larger and most powerful hand.
Chapter 36
PIADORA AT LAST
POLLY REMEMBERED NOTHING else after she collapsed into the soft white snow on the peak of Piadora. She instantly fell into a deep and beautiful, healing sleep.
When she finally awoke, she found herself looking directly into the eyes of Hodgekiss.
“Well done, Polly. You’ve made it,” he said with a warm smile as he continued to cradle her in his arms. “Hodgekiss? Is that really you?” she asked quietly, as though she were waking up from a dream.
“Yes, Polly, it’s me,” replied Hodgekiss.
Polly rubbed her eyes to see if she was really awake and not just imagining everything. As she continued focusing on him, she became aware of a beautiful light glowing brightly all around him that was almost blinding in its brilliance. His eyes also appeared to sparkle like diamonds, and his voice sounded as gentle as the cool ripples of a brook. Instead of his dingy overcoat and old boots he was wearing a long, gold robe, encrusted with thousands of glistening and very precious jewels.
“But you don’t look or smell like you usually do,” said Polly weakly as she continued to rub her eyes. “I mean, without seeming too rude, you normally smell as though you’ve been scavaging through restaurant trash cans,” she said, faltering, for she did not really wish to be offensive, just honest. “But now your smell is… well… heavenly, simply divine,” she exclaimed.
“Yes, there’s a reason for that, and I will explain everything to you later.”
“Where am I?” she asked, a little dazed as she sat up straight.
“Why, you’re just outside the gates of Piadora,” said Hodgekiss, brushing away some stray hairs from her forehead. “Come, if you’re feeling better, let’s go together into Piadora, for there is much I need to show you.”
Polly allowed Hodgekiss to help her up on both feet, and with her fingers firmly weaved into his they walked toward a dense pine forest.
“So where is Piadora, for I can’t see it?” Polly asked Hodgekiss.
“Oh, it’s there all right! You just can’t see it at present, for it’s obscured from view by all the thick pine trees. But I promise you, Polly, it really does exist, and it lies just beyond this forest. Come, let us walk faster. It will only be a matter of time before Piadora reveals itself to you.”
As Polly walked through the forest, she could see groups of people huddled by trees or playing hide and seek. “Who are these people? And what are they doing here?” Polly privately wondered. As they continued walking she noticed that many of the trees were covered in large yellow bows from top to trunk,. “How strange,” was all she could find to mutter.
“Before your curiosity gets the better of you—for I know precisely what you’re thinking—let me answer your question,” Hodgekiss said as he gave her small hand a squeeze. “This forest is known in these parts as Forgiveness Forest, and one of my favorite pastimes is to walk through its many trails.”
“Forgiveness Forest? Hodgekiss, now what sort of name is that?” said Polly, feeling slightly confused as well as uncomfortable.
“Well, it is the forest where many people, particularly families, come together to resolve all conflicts that have been passed down from one generation to another. I really love it here,” he commented, giving the gentlest of smiles. “Yes, it is so sad to see and hear of families that have been divided and even destroyed by resentment and hatred and other such terrible things. Here, in this forest, they have the opportunity to forgive and then learn to love each other again. It’s a truly peaceful forest where tremendous healing takes place, with families being wonderfully restored and united. And that’s really vital if they are going to enter into Piadora, for sadness and pain are not welcome visitors in Piadora. Yes, many tears are shed out here, so many that they keep this forest well watered for me.
“Hmm, Hodgekiss,” Polly murmured, still feeling a trifle puzzled. “But why the yellow ribbons?”
“Well, when reconciliation finally takes place each member of the family gets to tie one around a tree with their name on, and it becomes a constant reminder that love and forgiveness walk hand in hand and that family and friends are the most precious gifts we have. Yes, they are far more precious than gold or silver, or any precious jewel for that matter, and yet sometimes we toss them away with about as much thought as a discarded ice-cream wrapper, often for the most idiotic of reasons.”
Polly nodded, for she really understood what Hodgekiss was talking about.
“You know something, Polly? Some family members have been up to their eyeballs in family feuds for countless years, and therefore haven’t seen or spoken to each other for years. Sometimes it takes a family member or friend to die to alert them to the problem, but for those left behind it is then too late to put things right. That is just about the saddest thing that can happen, and yet it goes on all the time. Polly, think how sad being part of a broken family must feel like.”
Polly nodded for a second time. “Yes, that is truly awful,” she admitted. “But if I had a family I would never allow such a terrible thing to happen, for I constantly wish with all my heart to belong,” she said with a sigh.
“Precisely, Polly. Sometimes it is only when we are denied, or we have something taken away that we begin to realize its special value. Families are like precious pearls that, like the heart, should grow larger and more beautiful with time. I don’t know whether you know this little fact, but pearls grow larger in size as the sand that gets inside the shell continues to irritate the pearl. Now, isn’t that amazing? At the end of the day families are no different. They should allow those irritations and things that bug them to make them grow larger like a pearl, and much more generous hearted, don’t you think?” Polly continued to nod her agreement.
“Well, Polly, I hate to say it, especially at this time, but you too have people you need to forgive. And I think Aunt Mildred and Uncle Boritz must come top of that list, don’t you?”
“Oh my goodness, are they here?” cried Polly, feeling very shocked and uncomfortable at the prospect of suddenly meeting up with them.
“Certainly not, Polly, so don’t worry. I wouldn’t spring that one upon you without giving you plenty of prior warning, but you do need to give it some thought,” he said in a strangely quiet tone of voice. “For when you leave Piadora to return home to the orphanage, nothing much will have changed. The other children will still be battling against each other, and your guardians are not going to change their ways. Yes, everything will continue on as normal, with one exception. You will have visited Piadora, and after this, you will never be the same again. No, you will find yourself with an inner strength that will keep you through all future times of trouble and hardship, and that’s a promise,” he said as he gazed deep into her eyes. “And yes, hopefully this wonderful experience will enable you to be gracious and merciful toward all those who despise and mistreat you.”
“I hope you’re right, Hodgekiss,” Polly muttered, “for I felt at the end of my rope most of the time,” she said with a tinge of sadness that betrayed her heavy heart as she thought back to her sad, empty life at the orphanage.
“But, come on, Polly. For the moment, let’s put this conversation to one side. Now look straight ahead and you will see the gates of Piadora on the horizon.”
“Wow, amazing!” were the only words that passed her lips as she gazed in awe and wonder toward the kingdom of Piadora.
As they raced together toward the entrance, Polly noticed that the towering gates to Piadora were very heavily guarded. This observation puzzled her, for she could not imagine any troops, with all their gear, surviving the terrifying climb up the mountain, let alone taking siege to plunder Piadora! Before she could ask Hodgekiss for the answer to the puzzle, he began to answer her thoughts.
Polly Brown Page 66