Whispering in the Wind

by Alan Marshall

  But Firefax had no strength left. Peter could feel him trembling beneath the saddle. He reined him in, patted his sweating neck, and spoke gently to him. He walked the horse round the valley until there was no fear left in him, then pulled up beside Crooked Mick and said, “Well I rode him and I’m sorry. It’s wrong to tame such a wonderful horse.’

  ‘I know,’ said Crooked Mick, who had got off Moonlight and walked over to Peter, ‘but you must remember that now he is broken he will become fond of you. He won’t miss his freedom.’

  ‘I’m glad of that,’ said Peter.

  He dismounted and stood holding the bridle while Crooked Mick swung himself into the saddle. ‘I’ll try Firefax out round the valley to see how he goes.’

  They cantered away and when they returned Crooked Mick was smiling. ‘Now, I’ll ride Moonlight and lead the bay. You must be riding Firefax when you reach the castle.’

  Peter mounted Firefax and they set off on their journey home. They were all very tired.

  19

  The Return to the Castle

  When Crooked Mick and Peter began their journey back, Greyfur had bounded on ahead. She wanted to prepare the King for their arrival and tell Princess Lowana that Firefax, the wild horse of the Deep Mountains, had been caught and tamed. Peter was anxious that Lowana be the first to hear the news so, when Greyfur reached the castle, she woke up the Bunyip who was still snoring and asked him to take her to the Princess.

  The Bunyip yawned and said sleepily, ‘My orders are to kill with a minimum of pain all suitors wishing to see the Beautiful Princess. Prepare yourself while I boil the billy.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ said Greyfur angrily. ‘You’re half asleep. Wake up.’

  The Bunyip sat up with a jerk. ‘Oh, it’s you!’ he exclaimed. ‘Where’s Peter? Did you catch the wild horse?’

  ‘I’ll only tell the Beautiful Princess what happened,’ said Greyfur firmly. ‘Take me to her.’

  The Bunyip rose slowly to his feet and plodded towards the castle muttering to himself. He rang a bell on the edge of the moat and down came the drawbridge, with a clang of chains and a heavy thud as it struck the edge of the bank.

  The Bunyip led the way across. He spoke to the guards who saluted him and they made their way down the corridors to Princess Lowana’s quarters where they knocked at the door and waited.

  When Lowana opened the door she was smiling. She had heard Greyfur hopping as they came down the corridor and she knew she must be bringing news of Peter. She took the kangaroo in her arms and they hugged each other.

  The Bunyip viewed them with distaste. He didn’t believe in kissing or hugging and muttered an explanation to himself, ‘Just like a woman! There’s no doubt when women meet they make fools of themselves. They give me a pain in the neck.’

  Indeed, he did have a pain in the neck, and he scratched it as he followed Greyfur and Lowana into the room.

  Here they sat down and Greyfur told them the whole story of the taming of Firefax. She finished by saying, ‘They will arrive at the castle any minute now. Get the King, Lowana. He must see them arrive so he can witness Peter’s success. He is going to be furious.’

  Lowana summoned her guards and sent them to the King’s chambers. She instructed the Bunyip to roar out an order for the people to gather together under the big tree.

  ‘Make your voice carry miles,’ she begged him.

  The Bunyip was pleased. He hurried down to the drawbridge, clearing his throat and trying out a few calls with such zeal that he frightened all the inmates of the castle.

  Lowana and Greyfur followed as soon as the Princess had put on her most beautiful gown.

  ‘That must be one of the most beautiful dresses you have,’ said Greyfur.

  ‘Do you think Peter will like it?’ she asked her.

  ‘Yes,’ said Greyfur.

  When they stepped across the drawbridge, the people were gathering beneath the tree. The King and Queen had portable thrones and Lowana and Greyfur sat on the grass beside them. The King and Queen had been clapped when they came out of the castle but the crowd cheered and cheered when Crooked Mick and Peter arrived.

  Crooked Mick reined in Moonlight at the edge of the bush and let Peter canter Firefax over the last hundred yards. The chestnut stallion was looking his very best. His fiery coat, which Peter had brushed so carefully just before they reached the castle, shone like burnished copper. Firefax cantered like a showhorse, with arched neck and a long rocking stride. He pranced as Peter reined him in before the King.

  The King was astounded at his beauty. He whispered to one of the courtiers, ‘What would that horse be worth on the open market?’

  ‘A thousand bucks,’ said the courtier from the side of his mouth.

  The King rubbed his hands together with delight.

  ‘So you have brought me the wild horse of the Deep Mountains tamed and fit to ride.’

  ‘He is tamed, Your Majesty,’ said Peter, ‘and that is what I was asked to do, but I have not brought him to you as a gift. He belongs to Crooked Mick who captured him.’

  ‘By what authority do you claim that Crooked Mick owns the horse?’

  ‘By right of capture. If it weren’t for Crooked Mick we would never have caught him. I also have the word of a King that the second task would be performed when Firefax was brought to you saddled and tamed and fit to ride. Nothing was said about you owning him.’

  ‘Good heavens!’ said the King to himself. ‘The way they bring in this “word of a King” as if we weren’t human. Anyway the third task will toss him and I’ll have him beheaded and the horse will be mine.’

  He then said aloud, ‘You have performed the second task satisfactorily but unless you can carry out the third and final task you can never marry the Princess and I will certainly execute you—or at least the Bunyip will,’ he added smugly.

  ‘ER…yes…of course,’ stuttered the Bunyip who had suddenly become embarrassed. ‘By all means… yes…yes. A jet from the right nostril and two from the left should just about finish him,’ and he winked at Peter.

  ‘You must still complete the last task,’ went on the King, ‘and bring me the crown of gold and diamonds that the witch who sweeps the moon cast into the castle lake when Princess Lowana offended her.’

  ‘I only pushed her off my windowsill,’ complained Lowana. ‘She was scratching at the window and I was afraid.’

  ‘I know, I know,’ said the King impatiently, ‘but she snatched the precious crown from your head and cast a spell upon you before throwing it into the lake.’

  ‘What was the spell?’ asked Peter while Lowana looked at him anxiously.

  ‘She said that Princess Lowana’s wedding could only take place if she was wearing the crown of diamonds and gold upon her head.’ The King looked mournful, ‘It was worth at least half a million dollars,’ he sighed, and he bent down and asked one of his courtiers, ‘What would it be worth today?’

  ‘A million bucks,’ answered the man.

  ‘Good heavens!’ moaned the King.

  He staggered from his throne and walked back into the castle lamenting his loss.

  20

  The Last Task

  It was morning and Peter’s friends sat beneath the big tree discussing the best way to recover Princess Lowana’s golden crown from the bottom of the lake.

  The Bunyip said that he could drink the lake dry and squirt the water into the creek but Crooked Mick pointed out that this would cause an immense flood, so they dropped the idea.

  Peter kept thinking of the witch whom Lowana had offended. He was certain that it was the witch who had taken him to the moon and he was trying to think of some way to send her a message. If she could show them the spot where she had thrown the crown into the lake, then they could ask the Jarrah Giant to wade out into the water and search with his long arm on the muddy bottom until he found it.

  He explained his plan to Greyfur and Crooked Mick and they thought it splendid. But how were they to get
messages to both the giant and the witch?

  ‘I could ride Firefax to the witch’s hut and on to the giant’s castle,’ offered Crooked Mick. ‘He’s been spelling all night and should be as fresh as a daisy now. I’d be back here tonight if I did the journey at a gallop.’

  ‘Could you really?’ said Peter, who knew the distance Crooked Mick would have to travel.

  ‘I’ll do it all right. If I’m not back tonight I’m sure the giant and the witch will be. That broomstick of hers is fast and she could go on ahead, while the giant can stride miles at a time. Both of them are sure to be here. But why is it so important to get them tonight?’

  ‘I want them to work at night,’ said Peter. ‘The sight of the giant might frighten people and I’m sure they’d be scared of the witch.’

  ‘I see. The sooner I start the better.’

  Crooked Mick did not take long saddling Firefax. He mounted, waved goodbye, and set off along the track with Firefax reefing at the bit as he held him in. The horse moved with long strides, his head held back by the taut reins; they were soon out of sight.

  Peter spent the day grooming Moonlight and cleaning his saddle while the Bunyip lay asleep under the tree. Towards evening, when darkness began to gather in the hollows and under the trees, Greyfur went into the castle to get Lowana. Peter wanted her to be with them when the witch and the giant arrived.

  Lowana was still afraid of the witch. She couldn’t believe Peter when he told her that she was now a kindly old woman, ‘The Magic Leaf has changed her completely.’

  But Lowana remembered how she had scratched at the window to get into her room and she wasn’t convinced.

  When Greyfur brought her to the tree she sat down beside Peter and asked, ‘What will I say to the witch when I meet her? She’ll remember I pushed her off the windowsill.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t kiss you. She will be sure you love her now. That’s what the Magic Leaf does.’

  He took her hand in his and sat there holding it. She forgot the witch and smiled up at him.

  ‘I love you holding my hand,’ she said.

  ‘I like holding yours. Will you marry me when I finish this last task?’

  ‘Yes. I’m going to live with you and Crooked Mick and cook your breakfasts and clean the house. I want to do all the things I’ve never been allowed to do. It will be wonderful.’ And Lowana rested her head on his shoulder.

  The Bunyip was disgusted.

  ‘I’ve never seen the like,’ he muttered. ‘Bunyips never hold girls’ hands. It’s just not done.’ He suddenly looked up. ‘What’s that?’

  A blue streak of flame was arching across the sky. For a moment it illuminated the trees with a ghostly light, then dived downwards. It described a flaming circle around the big tree, did a roll and a loop, and landed in front of the Bunyip who fell over backwards in fright.

  ‘How’s everyone?’ said the witch.

  ‘We’re certainly glad to see you,’ said Peter.

  ‘You’re very lucky to see me,’ said the witch. ‘I’m becoming far too fond of speed and re-entry is causing me a lot of trouble. I was in such a hurry I left a trail like a comet when I hit the atmosphere. I’m a bit singed this time but that’s all.’

  ‘Do you remember Lowana?’ asked Peter. ‘She is the Princess whose crown you stole.’

  ‘Of course I remember her,’ said the witch, coming over to Lowana and taking her in her arms. ‘I’ve always wanted to meet you again and tell you I’m sorry I tried to get in at your window. And to take your crown away from you: that was terrible. Crooked Mick tells me you want it back and I don’t blame you. I’ll show you exactly where I threw it.’

  ‘Lowana and I are going to get married when we have rescued the crown from the bottom of the lake,’ Peter told her.

  ‘Wonderful!’ exclaimed the witch. ‘I’ll never forget my first sight of you. I thought what a wonderful stew you would make…’ She stopped suddenly and became confused. ‘Dear me! What am I talking about? What I meant was—I thought what a wonderful husband you would make for a Beautiful Princess.’

  ‘You are not angry with me for pushing you off the window, are you?’ asked Lowana.

  ‘No, no, my dear. Being pushed off windows is nothing to me. I always have my broom to carry me away. Now we had better go down to the lake and I will show you where the crown is. I must hurry because I’ve got to reach the moon before it sets. A new satellite has landed on it and I may pick up another camera or two for my collection. Come along.’

  They followed her down the winding track that led to the lake. The moonlight had turned it into a silver disc and, as they got closer, they could see flocks of ducks resting far out over the water.

  The witch was just about to point out a spot near one of the groups of ducks, when the ground began to shake under their feet and they could hear the dull thud of giant footsteps approaching through the bush. The Jarrah Giant was coming. They could hear the trees cracking and breaking as his feet crushed them like grass.

  Then they saw a foot crush some trees not far away. It lifted and rose into the dark and another foot came down just beside them.

  ‘Something will have to be done about this or he’ll step on us,’ said the witch, looking up into the dark where a great round shadow hid the moon. ‘I’ll go up on my broom and talk to him.’

  She leapt on her broom and shot up into the dark. In a moment they could hear her angry voice far above them.

  ‘Watch where you’re goin’, you big mug. You nearly stepped on me.’

  ‘Sorry ma’am,’ said the Jarrah Giant. ‘I’m on my way to help some friends of mine.’

  ‘They’re at your feet now if you’re looking for Peter and the Beautiful Princess.’

  ‘Really? I remember him well. I’m glad he found the Princess. I’ll have a talk with him and find out what he wants me to do.’

  He bent down out of the night sky, a mighty body that seemed to Peter like a vast shadow descending upon him. Peter stepped out into the open and the giant’s fingers encircled him. He was lifted up and up till he found himself sitting on the giant’s palm looking into his face. Then the giant’s mouth opened and Peter saw his huge tongue, flapping like a dragon’s wing in a cave. He felt frightened and wished he was down on the ground with Lowana. But the giant’s voice was gentle.

  ‘Since you gave me that leaf I have become the happiest giant in the world,’ he said. ‘You’d be amazed if you knew how many people I have helped since you visited my castle.’

  ‘You were always good really, but you had been taught to be wicked. The leaf made you what you should have been. Crooked Mick sent you here because I knew you would help me.’

  ‘What do you want me to do?’

  The witch who was sitting on her broomstick a little above Peter, interrupted, ‘Let me tell him this story because I want to help you too.’

  ‘You didn’t sound very helpful when you spoke to me just now,’ muttered the giant.

  ‘Sometimes I fall back into my old ways,’ said the witch. ‘Just forget what I said. When I was a wicked witch I stole Princess Lowana’s crown and threw it into the lake. I put a spell on her so that she can’t get married unless she is wearing it. So you see she can never marry Peter until we retrieve the crown from the bottom of the lake, and the lake is very deep. What Peter wants you to do is to wade out and get it, after I’ve shown you the exact spot where I threw it into the water.’

  ‘That will be easy,’ said the giant. ‘When do I start?’

  ‘You had better put me down first,’ said Peter. He didn’t want to be carried out into the middle of the lake sitting on the giant’s palm, perhaps on the very hand that would be thrust beneath the water to find the crown.

  The Jarrah Giant bent and lowered him to the ground. Huge fingers surrounded him like a cage as his feet touched the earth, then they opened and he was free.

  ‘I’ll get the crown for Lowana,’ said the giant. He straightened himself again
and his big head rose up, and up, above the trees to where the witch was waiting to give him his instructions.

  ‘Out in the centre of the lake there is a flock of ducks,’ said the witch. ‘Can you see them? They are black dots against the silver.’

  ‘I can see them easily,’ said the giant.

  ‘That is where the crown is,’ went on the witch. ‘Just beneath them. They will take off when you get close to them, but remember the spot where they were resting on the water and feel round the bottom of the lake there. The crown will be lying on the mud.’

  ‘How deep is the lake at that point?’ asked the giant.

  ‘The water will just about come up to your waist, but I’m afraid you’ll sink into the mud a little. Would you like to take the trunk of a tree for a stick to help you?’

  ‘No, I don’t need sticks.’

  The Jarrah Giant took a long stride and his huge boot struck the surface with a splash. He kept walking till the water had risen to his waist and the flock of ducks had taken off with frightened quackings.

  He stood there a moment, outlined against the moonlit water, then bent and thrust his hand beneath the surface. But it was too deep for his hand to reach the bottom so he took a deep breath, plunged his head into the water, and disappeared from sight. A minute later he suddenly burst up through the surface with a gasp that sent a shower of water drops right across the lake.

  For a moment Peter and Lowana thought it had begun to rain. Greyfur threw them a rug she had taken from her pouch and they wrapped it around themselves.

  ‘Oh!’ Greyfur exclaimed as she stood watching the giant. ‘It’s only our big friend gasping. Now he’s gone down again.’

  The giant stayed beneath the water for over two minutes this time and, when he finally broke the surface, he let out such a gasp that the trees around the lake waved their leafy branches as if a gale had gone through them.

  He waded a little further and again explored the bottom of the lake with his hand. This time he found the crown and he straightened and held it aloft, so that they could see it sparkling in his hand like a nest of stars. When he got ashore he handed the crown to Lowana who was so excited that she fumbled with it in her hands when she tried to put it on. Peter straightened it for her and stood back to look at her.