see two poor souls trekking through horrid conditions on their way to a better spot. Why else would we be out in a place like that if we weren’t expecting to get to a better place in the end? That idea of home kept us moving. Little Ambrose was chasing after a feeling, but it was enough to keep him going. I tried to think that I was continuing on to get back to my small apartment with my couch and my boring life. Not even my mind would accept that as a good reason to suffer freezing conditions. I tried to think up another. I wanted to see my family that I was unfortunate enough to not remember. My mind wouldn’t take that either. And then I finally found something that I knew the whole time. I was there to get Ambrose back to that great feeling of his. My mind accepted that readily and I once again had the strength to continue.
This new path we were creating took us into a valley cut by a large glacier. I picked Ambrose up and put him onto my back where he linked his arms around my neck. I then lowered myself onto the glacier. The surface was uneven and I feared the thin dusting of snow blocked my view of a crack or crevice I could lose my balance on. My other fear was of slipping, but the farther I went the less I expected my feet to slide out from under me. I took steps carefully. Tiny ridges made it difficult to find good footing.
Ambrose yelled something into my ear, but a particularly strong gust carried his voice away. When the wind died down he tried again.
“Do you see that?”
I looked wildly around expecting to see a hairy snow beast bounding toward us. Thankfully that was not the case. There was something on the glacier in front of us though. It was a giant snowman, towering over us. It did not sway or give any movement to the wind. There did not appear to be enough snow for it to be created, and yet there it stood. Its arms were large tree branches and it had large round stones, possibly from a far away stream, as eyes. It even had a scarf that looked to be made from a long blanket. The only thing it was missing was a hat. This may have been a clue that the hat was nearby, and probably much larger than I was anticipating. It was nowhere to be seen, and so I continued to the other side of the valley which was still some distance away.
It took a long time to cross the glacier. After an hour I found solid ground and Ambrose got down from my back.
“It’s going to be very hard to find this hat.” I yelled through the wind. My teeth chattered as I talked.
“Unless it’s easy to find.” Ambrose said optimistically.
“We can only hope. But I want us to stay together this time.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere.”
He stayed close and we began our search anew. The search did not get any easier. It seemed to be at first because the ground was much easier to cross than the glacier, but the wind still howled and the cold only seemed colder. I didn’t know how far a hat could travel in that much wind but if it went far I knew we would never find it. I couldn’t be killed by a bomb or a surge of water, but I didn’t know if I could freeze to death. I had a sinking feeling that I was going to find out soon.
12. The Hat and the Nomad
We went up a small ridge. From the top I saw the most bizarre sight. My heart dropped. There was a forest down there. All the trees still had green leaves on them but were covered in ice. The strange part was that there were thousands of black top hats all over the place. They hung from trees and littered the ground. My fear of never finding the hat dropped from my mind.
Ambrose started down to the trees. “We should try them all on and see which one works.”
That was as good an idea as any. We were once again invigorated with the plethora of hats. I suppose it was like finding thousands of keys to one door, but I tried not to think about that. Ambrose ran around the icy trees putting hats on and taking the ones that didn’t work and making a special pile for them. The cold and wind didn’t seem so bad after that. We both ran around quickly putting hats on. The ground was slick but I didn’t care now. I slipped fell multiple times, but the idea of getting out of the cold only made me run faster.
Icicles hung long and low from most branches but they didn’t impede us any. Either my body was too numb to feel when I crashed into them or I simply didn’t feel them because of my invincibility. Ambrose was the same way. I knew he was like me, I only wished I knew what that meant.
“I’m going to go over here.” Ambrose called.
“Alright, but don’t go too far.”
We went in opposite directions. The forest was large and the hats seemed to multiply. Some were too small and others were so large they could have fit several of the giant snowmen in them. I carried a few of the small ones with me so Ambrose could try them on. I looked for him but couldn’t see him from where I was. We must have gotten away from each other without meaning to. I called to him.
“Hey . . .” He called back.
It was close. I saw a hat hit the ground. I moved to it slowly. That may have been it. By the time I got to it I could no longer distinguish which one it was. Several lay in the same little area. I tried them all on. The moment the last one hit my head the forest disappeared.
I was now standing on the same dirt road that we were on before. The fences were still there and the fields lay beyond. Ambrose stood nearby, nodding happily.
“We did it. We are almost there.”
There was something off about him. He looked pale. I shrugged it off, assuming he was still cold. We were now wearing short sleeve shirts and blue jeans. The jackets were gone.
It was early morning. The first rays of light peaked over the horizon so we could see the road ahead. Ambrose scuffled along slowly. he definitely did not look well.
“Is everything alright?”
“I don’t feel good.” He groaned.
“What is it? Was it the cold?”
“I don’t know.”
I put him on my back again and carried him the rest of the way. The sun came up and it was turning into a nice warm day. The freezing conditions from before were just a memory. The morning passed quietly. I hoped that Ambrose would get better. He didn’t complain about feeling any worse.
A man sat in the road as we entered the afternoon. He mumbled to himself and chuckled at something only he could hear. He stood up when he saw us coming.
“Hello there.” He said, stepping into the middle of the road. “Headed to Amna?”
“And what is this Amna?”
That name was attached to a kingdom and an office building. I was curious to see what it was now.
“It is the great city up ahead. You’ll never have as much fun as you will in this city. I can be your guide. I will show you all the hottest spots.”
I walked past him. “No thank you.”
He came up beside me. “Ah, but you don’t want to miss all the excitement. What are you going to town for?”
“A hotel, and possibly a doctor.”
He clapped his hands together. “I know of all the greatest hotels. There is only one in this city and it is the Amna Hotel. It is by far the best. And as for doctors, I have a list. I can sell you the list of the finest doctors from all the cities. I made it myself. I travel a lot you see. I go from city to city to show travelers the greatest times of their lives. That usually ends in a visit to the doctor.”
“I would like the list but I haven’t any money.”
He looked put out. “Then how will you stay at the hotel?”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Never mind the sad points, let’s only talk of what you can do with my help. I can get you a job so you can pay for the hotel.”
“I think I’ll find my own way.”
“Is there anything else I can help you with? I know about everything.”
I waved him away and then realized he possibly had some information I could use.
“Wait. Do you know of a kingdom named Amna, or a giant cliff, or an adorable king?”
“That cliff thing sounds familiar.
Is it overlooking a great sea of water?”
“Yes.” I said. “Have you been there?”
“Sure have. I grew up right there. My home town is right next to the cliff. You had to go right through it to see the cliff.”
“I don’t remember anything before standing on the edge of the cliff.”
“That happens.” He said. “My grandmother is always cooking with this crazy spice she loves. If you’re used to it you won’t notice a thing. But if not it can make a person forget everything they’re doing. Some of the neighbors try to get her to stop using it. Occasionally someone will just walk right off the edge. It’s very sad.”
“I don’t know about all that.” I said. “But I really wish I had just turned around to see what was there.”
“Oh well. I guess I’ll be seeing you. There might be more people coming up behind you.”
I waved and kept walking. I should have asked him how far the city was. I didn’t have to wait too long. Within five minutes I could see buildings. I misjudged how far they were. It took quite a while to get close. These buildings were long and gray. I suspected that they were small factories.
The road went between two and down a steep hill. At the bottom of this hill was a sprawling city on the edge of a wide sea. The sounds of bells and hundreds of conversations hit my ears.
“We’re here.” I said to Ambrose.
He whimpered something in return. I had to find a doctor. I made my way quickly down the slope to the city.
There were many tall apartment
A Translation of Inspiration Page 15