Hatched

by Bruce Coville

  “As I’ll ever be,” I replied, trying to keep the quiver and the quaver out of my own tones.

  “The boulder that your teacher wrote about is back that way,” said Brad, waving his arm. “I’ve climbed it many times.”

  “Then lead the way.”

  The night was surprisingly cool. A heavy dew had fallen, and soon the fur on my back legs was soaked. (My talons and the eagle portion of my front legs are waterproof, of course.) I considered flying, but I wanted to stay with Brad. Also, I didn’t want to set off that “radar” thing he had told me about.

  As we neared the boulder Brad whispered, “Looks like no one showed.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “If there was a griffin by the rock, we would see it by now.”

  “Why should there be a griffin by the rock?”

  “Isn’t your teacher a griffin?”

  “What makes you think Master Abelard is a griffin?”

  “Well, you’re a griffin. So I figured your teacher must be a griffin, too.”

  “That is so human of you!”

  “How do you know what’s human?” Brad responded quickly.

  He sounded angry, and I realized I had been careless. Master A taught me long ago that humans are very sensitive when it comes to having their assumptions challenged. It is better to lead them to the truth slowly. If pulled along too fast they seem to prefer to cling to their illusions.

  “Sorry,” I said. “That was rude of me. But why did you assume my teacher would be a griffin? Do you think all teachers and students must be of the same species?”

  “Um…I guess not.” Then he laughed and said, “In fact, I’ve had a couple of teachers that I’m pretty sure weren’t human!”

  I felt relief that the uncomfortable moment had passed.

  “So what kind of, um…creature—”

  “We prefer ‘being,’ ” I said, interrupting.

  “What kind of being is your teacher?”

  “He’s a gnome.”

  Bradley let out a cry of triumph. “Hah! I guessed there might be gnomes involved in this.”

  “Why in the world did you think that?”

  “I’ll tell you later. We’re almost there.”

  He was correct. By the beam of Brad’s nonflashing “flashlight” I could see that we were close to the big rock. While there was no one in front of it, as we moved slowly around it we came to a group of gnomes.

  Several of them cried out in alarm when they saw us.

  “I warned you that he was a griffin,” said Master Abelard, who was in the center of the group. (Well, I thought it was Master A.)

  One of the other gnomes snapped, “Yes, we knew we would encounter a griffin. But you didn’t say he would have a human with him!”

  His insolence enraged me. “Shall I eat them?” I asked the gnome I thought was Master Abelard.

  “Control, Gerald. Control,” he replied, using the words Master A had repeated so many times when he was teaching me the finer points of being civilized.

  Though it went against everything in my instincts, I stopped and took several deep breaths…which was lucky for the gnomes. After all, they were smaller than bunnies and would have been that much easier to swallow!

  The one who appeared to be in charge stepped forward and said, “What is your connection to this human?”

  “He is my friend,” I replied. “His name is Bradley, and he came with me to meet my teacher, who is right there in your midst.”

  “Um…actually, that would be my brother,” said the gnome I had thought was Master Abelard.

  I let out a squawk. Brad put a comforting hand on my neck, and I was happier than ever that I had asked him to accompany me.

  “What are you saying?” I asked the gnome, who in every way possible appeared to be my teacher. “If you are not Master Abelard, then who are you?”

  “I am his twin brother, Eduard. In a way, I am the reason you’re here, since it was me who Abelard was seeking when he convinced you to come to the human world.”

  I felt dizzy.

  “The problem is,” Eduard continued, “my twin did not know that New Batavia is sealed against intrusion. As a result, he must undergo a trial for having entered the city uninvited.” He paused, then added, “That’s why we asked you to bring your bag of treasures.”

  My stomach knotted, and my heart began to beat faster.

  My treasures!

  Brad spoke up, earning my undying gratitude. “If Gerald has to ransom Master Abelard, it sounds to me like he was kidnapped, not arrested.”

  The head gnome had been staring at Brad. Suddenly he asked, “Are you from the Riddlehoover farm?”

  “Yes. I’m visiting my grandmother for the summer.”

  One of the other gnomes stepped forward and whispered in the head gnome’s ear. He nodded, then turned back to Brad and said, “Theo tells me we sent a healing mission to you last summer. Well, that’s all right, then. You are on the Temporarily Approved list. If you weren’t, we would have to do something drastic.”

  “Approved for what?” asked Brad. “And what kind of drastic?”

  “Approved to potentially be aware of us. We live in secret, and staying secret is necessary for our survival.”

  I noticed that he did not answer Brad’s second question. But Brad replied with a third question.

  “How secret can you be when there’s a whole big story about the town having gnomes?” Brad asked.

  The gnome smiled. “As long as most people think the story is a fun bit of folklore, it’s useful to us, as it encourages others to not believe anyone who accidentally stumbles on the truth. These days a ‘gnome-spotting’ is almost always treated as someone trying to pull a prank. Even so, we must enforce strict rules about who can enter or exit New Batavia. Discovery by the human world would be a catastrophe.”

  I spoke up then, saying, “Master Abelard is a gnome, not a human. So why was it wrong for him to enter?”

  “For reasons that range from safety to ancient grudge, we Batavians prefer to remain secluded from the Enchanted Realm as well as the human world. And to go back to your question, young human,” he said, turning to Brad, “we are not asking for a ‘ransom’ for Abelard Chronicus. The treasures of Gerald Overflight are meant to serve as bond, to make sure Abelard does not flee before his trial.”

  “Does that mean I’ll get them back after the trial is over?” I asked, feeling an enormous sense of relief.

  “As long as your teacher makes his appearance in court, of course. Now, since you are here, we need both of you to come with us so we can assess whether you are a danger.”

  “Come with you where?” Brad asked.

  “You’ll see. You will be our guests for a few days.”

  “I can’t be gone for a few days!” Brad cried. “My grandmother will be worried sick if I’m not home in the morning.”

  “We’ll deal with that,” the gnome replied. “Now, follow me.”

  From Brad’s Real Journal

  7/4 (continued)

  When the gnomes said they wanted us to follow them I figured we were going to some secret place where they wanted to…well, work out whatever it was they had in mind. I did consider bolting and running in the other direction, but since they had helped me get better last summer, I decided to go along.

  Besides, for all I knew they had some kind of gnome magic that could stop me, or had set up some crafty gnome traps.

  As we walked, the gnome who was in charge of the group said, “My name is Karel Hummel. You may call me Karel.”

  Something about him introducing himself that way made me feel a little more comfortable with him.

  Then he said, “I will be in charge of your well-being while you are in our world.” Which made me wonder if he was going to take us into the Enchanted Realm. I liked that idea, but I wasn’t sure Gerald would be happy with it.

  We started out, half the gnomes walking in front of us, the other half walking behind. It was s
low going, for two reasons. First, the gnomes were so small—though I have to admit they moved pretty fast for people whose legs are only about three inches long. Second, it was not always easy for Gerald to follow them, since he had to keep tucking his wings against his sides to get between trees that were too close together for him to pass easily.

  At last we came to what I knew to be the biggest tree in the forest behind Bibi’s house, one I had seen many times on my rambles last summer. I couldn’t put my arms even halfway around it. Roots thicker than my legs rippled out from it in all directions.

  When the entire group had come to a stop, Karel slapped his hand against the thickest of the roots and shouted a word I didn’t understand.

  To my astonishment, a section of bark lifted up like a huge flap. It had been covering a doorway about six feet high and three feet wide. The door was vast compared to the gnomes but a good size to accommodate Gerald and me.

  “This is the main stairway to New Batavia,” said Karel. “You two must enter by this route. The rest of us will meet you below in the city.”

  I saw that one of the gnomes had opened a small door located at ground level, just inside the space Karel had revealed.

  “Go ahead,” said Karel. “The rest of us can’t enter until we’re sure you’ve gone in. You’ll feel some pressure, but don’t worry. It won’t hurt you.”

  I glanced at Gerald and got a definite sense that this would go more smoothly if I went first.

  So I stepped through the door.

  Karel had told the truth. The instant I entered the opening I felt pressure over my entire body. It was kind of like when you are swimming and go deep underwater. It wasn’t painful, but it was definitely uncomfortable. Startled despite Karel’s warning, I tried to back out. I couldn’t! I could only move forward…forward and down, as what opened before me was a spiral staircase leading into the earth.

  Gerald must have heard my surprised shout, because he asked if I was okay.

  “I think so,” I answered. “It just feels strange.”

  “All right, I’m coming in after you.”

  I was about four steps down and turned back to look. Gerald was forced to tuck his wings tightly against his sides to step through the opening. As soon as he was in, his eyes bulged and he cried, “What is this strange feeling?”

  Like me, he tried to back up. When he found that he couldn’t, his eyes grew even wider and he cried, “Brad! Brad, I’m being squashed!”

  “It’s okay,” I said, hoping I was telling the truth. “The gnomes warned us about this. Just follow me.”

  I continued down the winding stairs. Looking ahead, the passageway seemed to be getting smaller, but not so small that I couldn’t fit through it.

  Behind me Gerald was muttering nervously. But he was sticking with me.

  The stairway wound down…and down…and down…and DOWN!

  The pressure grew ever stronger. It was like diving into a lake, then going so deep you think your ears are going to pop.

  “Gerald, are you all right?” I called.

  “I think so, Bradley. And we can’t stop here. We must keep going.”

  I continued downward, fighting the discomfort. Every few steps I thought my head was going to bump against the roof of the stairwell.

  It never did.

  I should have realized what was happening. I think my mind was just refusing to accept it.

  Finally I came off the last step, onto a small landing.

  Ahead of me was a green door. I waited for Gerald, then opened it and stepped through.

  Saturday, July 4 (continued)

  The gnomes shrank us! When we came out at the bottom of that crazy stairway, Brad was shorter than a gnome (as he is still a boy). I was only a little bit taller than one myself.

  “Welcome to New Batavia,” said Karel.

  “What have you done to us?” cried Brad…which was silly, as it was perfectly obvious what they had done.

  “Merely arranged it so you could fit here,” replied Karel. “Don’t worry, it’s not permanent.”

  “The shrinking won’t wear off while we’re down here, will it?” I asked as I had a sudden, horrifying vision of growing back to my normal size and being wedged into this miniature underground world, unable to move!

  “Of course not! It can’t. The only way to return to your regular size is to walk back up the stairway…which you will be allowed to do when the time is right.”

  “Does that mean we’re prisoners?” Brad asked.

  “We are asking that you not leave the city for now. But you will not be imprisoned in a cell or anything like that. Indeed, you will be free to roam about and study our world as much as you wish.”

  That sounded good. But then a stern look crossed Karel’s face and he added, “At the end of your visit we will have a hearing to determine whether it is safe to let you return to the world above.”

  I did not like the sound of that, not at all!

  From Brad’s Real Journal

  7/4 (continued)

  My first sense of the place we had come to was that it was enormous, almost impossibly big for an underground world.

  Then I realized that it wasn’t nearly as big as it seemed—it was just that I was so much smaller than I’m used to being!

  I’d been hoping I would grow a few inches this year. This was like the ultimate ungrowth spurt!

  It is totally freaky to think about…which might be why I keep seeing this place as if it’s scaled to my normal size. My brain is refusing to accept that I’m only four and a half inches tall!

  I was also extremely upset about Karel’s threat that we might be kept here forever. I wonder what Bibi would have to say about that, since she seems to have a connection to the gnomes.

  Setting aside my worries, I was fascinated by the place we had entered, which was a virtual underground city.

  “There’s a human town named Batavia,” I said. “In New York State, over near Buffalo.”

  (Geography is one of my better subjects, though you wouldn’t know it from my grades.)

  “We had the name first,” Karel replied. “We brought it with us from the old country.”

  “When did you come here?”

  “Nearly three hundred years ago. Now come along…we’ll show you to your rooms, and I’ll leave you something you can read to get a little of our history.”

  New Batavia was dimly lit, reminding me of the twilight world described in Sherlock Holmes stories, when it is dark in London and the city is illuminated by gas lamps.

  In fact, there were actual gas lamps all along the wide avenue we were now following. (No fog, though, so it was not quite Sherlockian.)

  When I asked what powered the lamps, Karel answered, “A fuel we distill from the sap of pine trees. We created the process ourselves.”

  I could hear pride in his voice when he said this. Gnome technology!

  The avenue had many curves and turns. This was because it had to wind around the tree roots that enter from the top of the world, then continue down through the “floor.” Also it was lined with houses, each neat and trim. Some were made of wood, others of stone.

  Gnome children played in many of the yards. Some were romping around with mice and chipmunks that were clearly their pets. I was dying to take a picture of that, but given the gnomes’ desire for secrecy that would clearly have been a bad idea!

  Children and adults alike stopped to stare as we went past. I figured this was partly because I was a human, but even more because Gerald is a griffin.

  After a little while we came to a large (in gnome terms) stone building, half again as tall as all but the biggest of the houses.

  A sign out front said TUCKER’S TAVERN.

  “This is where you will lodge,” said Karel. “It’s a comfortable place, and the rooms are decent. Your meals will be provided in the tavern’s main dining room.”

  Turning to Gerald, he said, “If you will hand over your treasures now, I will give you a receipt f
or them. Once we finish the paperwork your teacher will be free to join you here. As long as he does not flee before his hearing, the treasures will be returned to you when it is over.”

  Gerald looked at me, and the pain in his eyes almost made me cry out. I knew his treasures were important, but until that moment I had not understood how truly vital they were to him.

  “Will you undo the pack, Brad?” he asked in a small voice.

  I did as he asked and could feel him trembling as I worked the straps. I handed the pack to Karel, who passed it to one of the other gnomes and said, “Inventory the contents and write up a detailed receipt.”

  I heard Gerald stifle a sob as Karel led us into the tavern.

  I like old buildings, and the inside of Tucker’s Tavern, with its polished dark brown wood and its stone-paved floor, was beautiful. Rich smells from the kitchen made my mouth water, though I knew it would be a long time before breakfast.

  If not for the fact that I was still kind of freaking out about being only four and a half inches tall, I would have been very happy to stay in this place.

  Karel led us to our room. To my surprise, there was a bed for me…and a nest of some sort for Gerald.

  Karel must have read the expression on my face, because he said, “We knew from Abelard that we would be welcoming a griffin, so we prepared this nest for him. We were not expecting a human youth as well, but it was easy enough to have a bed moved in here.”

  So we may be prisoners of a sort, but at least our captors are very thoughtful.

  When the gnomes had left us, Gerald said, “I am so sorry, Brad. I had no idea when I invited you to join me tonight that this is how things would end up.”

  He sounded on the verge of tears. I couldn’t tell if that was because he was frightened, because he felt guilty about having brought me into this situation, or because of his treasures. Maybe all of those things.

  “It’s all right, Gerald,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. “I don’t think they’re going to hurt us. And as long as they let my grandmother know where I am—I have to trust them when they say that they will do that—then I’m kind of enjoying this. It’s an adventure!”