Hatched

by Bruce Coville

  “Not much,” said Herb glumly. “The only thing that might make a difference is if we could prove there’s an endangered species on the land. In that case they would be forced to go to the second-choice spot for the project.”

  “Wouldn’t gnomes count as an endangered species?” Brad asked.

  Herb chuckled, the three gnomes scowled, and Bibi said, “You might be able to make that case, except for the fact that the whole point is to let the Batavians remain secret. Besides, the term ‘endangered species’ definitely refers to plants and animals. Finding a genuine endangered species would take a minor miracle.”

  Suddenly Brad leaped to his feet and cried, “I think I’m about to come up with a miracle!” Turning to Bibi and Herb, he said, “How much time do we have?”

  “A week, maybe two at the most,” Herb replied. “The time for challenges to the decision has nearly expired. Things are moving fast now.”

  Brad nodded. “I have an idea. I don’t know if it will work, but at least hear me out.”

  Everyone signaled that they were willing to listen.

  “Okay, here it is: What if we could bring in a new species, one that had never been seen here before?”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Herb.

  Turning to me, Brad said, “Gerald, what is your favorite food?”

  “Bunnies,” I answered without hesitation.

  “What kind of bunnies?”

  “I like the pink ones best,” I replied. “But I can’t get them here.”

  “There you go!” Brad cried. “Pink bunnies! What if Gerald went back to the Enchanted Realm, caught some pink bunnies, and brought them here to release? They would certainly qualify as an endangered species. You’d only have to look at them to know they were the only ones ever seen in the human world!”

  “I don’t know, Bradley,” Bibi said. “Introducing a new species can have terrible consequences. Look at the rabbit situation in Australia.”

  “But it’s not the same, dear,” put in Herb. “When rabbits were introduced into Australia, they were a totally foreign species and had no natural predators. We already have rabbits here, just not pink ones.” Turning to me, he said, “Gerald, how different are your pink bunnies from the rabbits you’ve been catching since you got here?”

  “Not much,” I said. “They’re a bit sweeter, is all. And maybe a little bigger.”

  “Doesn’t sound that disruptive to me,” said Brad’s great-uncle Lukas.

  “But how do we get them?” Eduard asked.

  “I am a great bunny catcher!” I replied. “If I can get back to the Enchanted Realm I will happily gather some bunnies to bring back…even if it means I have to catch them without eating them!”

  “But can you catch them without hurting them?” Bibi asked. “When eagles catch a rabbit, their talons dig right into it. There’s no point in bringing back a bunch of dead rabbits.”

  This made me laugh. “Eagles are much smaller than griffins. Their feet are not big enough to hold a rabbit without digging into its sides. My mighty talons can easily wrap around a bunny!”

  “This might actually work,” said Herb. He stood and began to pace, as if he were too excited to sit still.

  “I believe you’re right,” said Master Eduard.

  “Even so, it will not be easy,” said Master Abelard. “Gerald, your beak and talons are meant for rending and tearing, not capturing and caring. Plus your instincts are all for eating.”

  “I know,” I moaned, thinking of the deliciousness of the bunnies.

  “I think I can help!” said Brad. “If I go with Gerald I could take the bunnies from his claws and put them in…um, whatever we need to bring them back in.”

  “Perhaps the women who hold up the sky could weave some nets for you!” cried Master Eduard.

  “My wife is leader of one of the weaving groups,” Karel said. “I believe she has a good amount of mesh on hand right now. She could make some carry sacks pretty quickly.” He looked at me and said, “Probably it would be best to make a set of two, with a connection across the middle that would let Gerald sling them over his back.”

  “How many bunnies would we need?” Brad asked.

  “The more the better,” Herb answered. “Some to prove that we’re not making this up, others to set free on Agatha’s land so that the investigators we call in can find specimens on their own and verify their presence.”

  “Oh, wait,” said Brad’s great-uncle Lukas. “What’s to keep the rabbits from leaving this area and going somewhere else? They won’t do us any good if that happens.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Karel said. “We have whole teams of rabbit-wranglers. We can keep them close by with no problem.”

  At Herb’s words “the more the better,” I had had a stupefying thought: What if I could get my horrible sibs to help with this? If all three of us came back here with bulging packs of bunnies, the effect could be overwhelming!

  I saw two things that might help me to convince Violet and Cyril to join this mad project.

  1) It would involve catching bunnies, which they like to do at least as much as I do. On the downside, we would have to forgo eating them, which they would not like. But they enjoy the hunt as much as the feast, so maybe that wouldn’t be a problem.

  2) I could challenge the sibs to come to the human world—a thought so daring it would make me seem unbelievably bold in their eyes.

  Short version: I loved this idea!

  “Have her make three sets of bags if she can,” I said to Karel. “I am going to try to enlist some help!”

  From Brad’s Real Journal

  7/6

  Holy magic meatballs, I’m going to the Enchanted Realm!

  Of course, there were complications with my plan.

  First of these was that Gerald and I would have to get big again to carry it out. Getting big was easily enough accomplished—all we had to do was go back up the shrink/grow stairway.

  The problem was, we had to get permission to do that.

  Which was why it was a good thing Karel Hummel was on our side and was convinced that what we were going to do was necessary.

  “I can’t get permission,” he said. “But I can get you into the stairway anyway.”

  What he didn’t say, but was very clear, was that he would be doing this at great personal risk.

  Next Herb pointed out that I would need gloves to handle the rabbits. “ ‘Bunnies’ may sound fluffy and harmless,” he said. “But they have claws and sharp teeth, and wild ones do not like being handled!”

  “I left a pair of work gloves on the kitchen counter,” Bibi said. “They’re thick and sturdy, and should be about the right size for Brad.”

  Next was the issue of how we were to enter the Enchanted Realm. The best way would be for Master Abelard to guide us. But if he left the colony before his trial, Gerald’s treasures would be forfeit! So that idea was out.

  In the end, Master A simply explained to us that since Gerald belonged in the Realm, all we had to do was go three times widdershins around a church. Since there was a fairly isolated little church not far from Bibi’s farm, that would not be a problem.

  “What if someone is waiting to arrest me once I go back to the Realm?” asked Gerald.

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” said his teacher. “Unless someone has done some deep research, they won’t be looking for you to come in where you will.” (I knew it was Master Abelard speaking and not his brother because his boots were black, whereas Master Eduard’s were a rusty brown. It was the only way I could tell them apart.)

  Once all that was settled, Master A said he wanted to have a private conference with each of us, to give us a pep talk. There was some fuss about this, but finally the other adults agreed.

  I went first.

  “There’s something you need to know about returning from the Enchanted Realm to the human world,” he said when we were seated in his room.

  Then he told me that according to th
e lore and rules of the Realm, Gerald would have to fly full-speed headfirst into a solid rock wall to come back to this side of the Transcendental Curtain.

  “You’ve got to be kidding!” I cried.

  He shook his head. “I am quite serious. And the common belief is that anyone trying to go through one of those walls must do so with absolute confidence, total assurance that the wall will yield. If not, it will remain solid and you will smash into it and die.”

  “I don’t think I can manage that,” I said, my voice weak.

  Master Abelard smiled. “You don’t have to.”

  “What do you mean? I have to come home!”

  “I mean, it’s not true. The idea was put out as a way to prevent excessive traffic between the two worlds. In truth, the wall yields whether you believe it’s going to or not. Perhaps I should have told Gerald this, but I think it was good for him to believe in his belief, if you see what I mean. He needs more confidence, and his success in going through the cliff the first time was good for him.”

  “So why are you telling this to me?”

  “Because Gerald will probably mention it to you, and I feared you might choose to remain in the Realm rather than risk death trying to return.”

  “Oh” was all I could say.

  “It will be important to make sure you’re flying toward the right cliff. Gerald should be able to recognize it, but he may have been so panicked the first time that he won’t be sure. So I want to give you some landmarks.”

  Then he described a series of peaks and cliffs I should watch for to be sure we were on track. The landmarks sounded very clear. Even so, I wrote them down in my pocket journal. This was a world where I had never been, and now I had the task of making sure we flew through the right stone wall so that we wouldn’t die in the process!

  I was about to back out, but then I thought about Dad and how much I want to be worthy of him.

  Excerpt from remarks at memorial service for Dr. Arthur Ashango

  Dear Friends—

  We have gathered today to celebrate the life of Arthur Ashango, a good man taken from us far too early.

  Dr. Ashango—Art, as most of us called him—had a thriving practice here in New York City. However, he also was committed to doing volunteer work with Surgeons for Peace, making two trips a year to provide free medical services in underprivileged countries. A passionate advocate for children, Art did most of his work in connection with orphanages.

  Sadly, during his last trip, his medical work was interrupted by a massive earthquake. Being who he was, Art immediately plunged into the orphanage connected to the clinic where he had been working. The condition of the building was perilous, and there were numerous children trapped within. That twenty-three of those children are alive today is due to his selfless courage. He pushed the twenty-third of those children ahead of him, propelling the little girl out of the building just before it collapsed.

  I have known many good men in my life. Arthur Ashango was the best of them. I join with his wife, Delia, and his son, Bradley, in mourning his death. Despite their great loss, I hope Delia will forever cherish her husband’s courage and humanity, and that Bradley will see in his father a model of the kind of man he may become himself.

  Though he was taken too soon, his mark is indelible.

  Dr. Paul Miller

  Pediatric Surgeon

  Danziger Memorial Hospital

  Monday, July 6 (continued)

  After Master Abelard’s mysterious meeting with Bradley, he called me in. I crouched on the floor in front of him, still startled to be looking him in the eye instead of gazing down at him!

  To my surprise, he held in his hand the armband from Alexander the Great.

  Looking at me solemnly, he said, “At great personal risk, Karel Hummel removed this from the courthouse in order that you might wear it on your journey to the Enchanted Realm.”

  “Why bother?” I said, a trifle bitterly. “I’ve read the notes on my treasures. I know there is nothing special about this. Alexander only wore it for a single day.”

  Master Abelard smiled a slow smile, one that I know well.

  “You underestimate me, Gerald. It was I who provided this armband to your brother, and not simply because Cyril was desperate to come up with a gift for you for your seventh Hatchday. I wanted you to have this in your possession. This armband is no mere one-day wonder. Alexander wore it in many battles, and it is imbued with his strength and his spirit. I am going to put it around your upper foreleg. When I do, the strength of Alexander himself will join with yours! This will give you power and confidence to do what must be done. Are you ready for it?”

  Humbled, awed, I nodded.

  Master Abelard wrapped the bronze band around my right upper foreleg.

  As Izzikiah is my witness, I felt strength and power descend upon me!

  “Are you ready for the journey?” asked Master A.

  “I am ready to fly to Mars if need be!” I replied.

  “That’s my good student! That’s the griffling I have been teaching these last years!”

  At that point I would have done anything for him.

  ALERT

  From: The High Council of New Batavia

  To: All Households, Levels I, II, and III

  Date: July 8

  Householders—

  As you undoubtedly know by this time, New Batavia is in danger of inundation. Though we are still hoping to avert the catastrophe that will occur should the humans proceed with their Wetlands Preservation Project, our chances are dimming.

  The threat is not immediate, and we will have warning. However, we are asking that everyone begin preparing to leave the city at a moment’s notice. Plan on bringing only your most treasured possessions and whatever money you have at hand.

  As always, once Up Above, secrecy will be essential. For this reason please carefully review the pamphlet “Rules for Aboveground Behavior.” We are aware that most of you have not felt a need to consult this booklet for many decades. But if the entire city is forced aboveground, these guidelines will be essential to avoiding discovery…which is essential to our survival!

  Hieronymus Bronk

  Mayor

  From Brad’s Real Journal

  7/8

  Holy mouthwatering, fresh-baked snickerdoodles, was that an adventure!

  Our hope was to accomplish this in a single night—for Gerald and me to travel to the Enchanted Realm, capture the rabbits, and return to New Batavia, all before dawn.

  After the skylamps had dimmed for the evening, Karel Hummel led Gerald and me to the shrinking/enlarging stairway. Bibi and Herb wanted to come to see us off, but Karel insisted that the fewer beings involved, the better. I think he was probably right.

  I knew Karel believed what we were doing was necessary and important. I also understood that he was putting himself in personal danger by opening that door, as we had not been cleared to return to the Up Above. If we didn’t succeed, if something happened so that we didn’t make it back, he would be in for severe punishment.

  According to Bibi, who had been out walking around, the mood in New Batavia had become nasty and grim. Everyone was blaming everyone else for the approaching calamity, and only a few bold voices were calling for wise preparation against the looming disaster.

  The trip back up the magic stairway was as disturbing, in a reverse kind of way, as the trip down had been. I constantly felt that…well, that the whole world was sucking at me, pulling me apart.

  But I wasn’t coming apart, just getting bigger.

  When Gerald and I stepped out of the tree, we were our normal size.

  “What now?” Gerald asked.

  “Back to the farmhouse to get Bibi’s gloves. Then we walk to the church and go to the Enchanted Realm!”

  I was quivering with excitement…and almost paralyzed with fear.

  Wednesday, July 8

  I didn’t write anything yesterday because I was too exhausted. But now I can tell my part of the
story…which I am itching to do.

  When we got back to Brad’s home, it was clear I couldn’t fit through the door of the farmhouse. So I had to wait in the barn while Brad fetched the gloves.

  I was in a state of high fuss—excited to be returning to the Realm but also terrified of what would happen when we got there. Would I be discovered? Caught? Imprisoned for fleeing to the human world? (Not to mention having been seen!)

  And Izzikiah alone knows what the consequences might be for bringing a human in with me!

  The truth was, we couldn’t let such a discovery happen. If I was detained, the entire city of New Batavia was going to end up underwater! Oh, the gnomes would almost certainly get out before that happened. But they would lose their homes and almost everything they owned.

  More than that, they would lose the underground world they had worked for centuries to create! An entire city, drowned.

  And once that happened, it was almost certain they would be discovered. It’s one thing to hide from the human world by only coming out at night, and only in small numbers. It would be an entirely different thing to suddenly have over six thousand gnomes living above-ground! Someone would certainly find them. And what would come of that?

  I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t hear Brad approach until he said, “Gerald?”

  I leaped into the air with a squawk and was immediately embarrassed for having done so. That was the old me, not the one who wore Alexander’s armband!

  Brad was kind enough not to laugh. All he said was “Ready?”

  “Ready, steady, and ready,” I answered, using Master Abelard’s phrase.

  So we set off. It was after midnight, and there was unlikely to be any traffic on the little country road. Even so, we stayed well to the side of the road, walking through the woods. It would not do to be spotted, not for either of us.

  It took about half an hour to reach the little church where we would make our transit back to the Enchanted Realm.