by S G Read
‘I’ll stay put and watch.’ Ben offered.
‘And I’ll watch the other way.’ Sherman added.
‘Right let us pick enough fruit to feed us all.’ Stuart ordered.
They moved forward as one, with Ben and Sherman keeping watch. They picked all the fruit they could reach and stored them in their tee shirts. As soon as they had picked all the fruit, they looked about for a safe place to eat it.
'I think we should go into the forest far enough to be out of sight,' Sherman suggested, 'we know trees and we can look after ourselves.'
'Is there a seconder for that motion?' Stuart asked, although he would have much rather been eating.
'I second it.' Molly answered.
This time there were no recriminations about her just saying it because Sherman suggested it.
'Are there any amendments?' Stuart continued.
No one spoke.
'All who are in favour and as you are carrying fruit I will allow you to nod your head.' Stuart asked.
There was enough head nodding for Stuart not to bother with the againsts.
'Carried, let's look for a place.'
They crossed the stream, some very carefully as they were laden with fruit. In the forest, they found cover and settled in a suitable hiding place to eat the fruit. They carefully laid the fruit on the ground and then found somewhere they were willing to sit. When they were all settled the feast began, as Stuart ate he wondered what would have happened if they found this sort of tree in the jungle before they actually became a team. He imagined a free for all and some fruit ending up wasted as two or more boys fought over it. It caused him to smile.
'A penny for your thoughts.' Jenny said quietly when she saw him smile.
'I was just thinking what would happen if we had come across a fruit tree before we became a proper team.' He replied.
'It doesn't bear thinking about,' Sherman admitted, 'and I am sure that not all of it would have been eaten.'
Stuart and Sherman looked across at Ben and he noticed that they were all looking at him.
'What can I say, I am sure I would have been first in the queue, one way or the other.' Ben admitted.
When the fruit they had picked was gone, they were still hungry, luckily, by now, there was more on the tree. They looked to Stuart without speaking but as they looked at the inviting fruit, they saw the three bears arrive.
'What are they doing here?' Celia asked.
‘I think we have upset their routine, we must take their things back as soon as we can.’ Stuart answered.
'This seems to be the only food in the wizardom, apart from ducks and headless Acephali.' Toby answered. ‘Unless they could catch a Su.’
The three bears proceeded to eat all the fruit. The noises they made as they ate made stomachs rumble in the team but they kept watching. When the bears had eaten all the fruit, they left.
'It won't matter as it regrows straight away.' Simon whispered.
He sat watching for it to regrow but long after the bears had left after eating all the fruit nothing had happened. The others kept looking, as well while they talked among themselves.
‘Why don’t they reappear like they did last time,’ Simon complained after a few minutes, ‘and I thought the three bears ate porridge?’
‘Yes Stu, why doesn’t it reappear?’ Ben asked, he was still hungry as well.
‘How do I know?’ Stuart declared. ‘Why don’t we all try looking away at the same time, and no sneaking a look of it won’t work!’
‘Do you think it will work?’ Simon asked.
He was willing to try anything for food.
‘I don’t know do I but we weren’t looking at the trees last time the fruit reappeared.’ Stuart answered.
They all looked the other way, making sure that the person next to them did not keep watching, and they all had their backs to the stream.
‘How long will it take?’ Simon asked.
‘Not long.’ Molly answered. ‘Look.’
They all turned to look and saw the tree, with exactly the same amount of fruit on it, as before the bears ate it.
‘Okay, lookouts make sure it is all clear and we’ll collect more fruit.’ Stuart ordered.
They used the same system, to ensure nothing caught them out in the open and soon ended up sitting in the same hiding place, eating more fruit. They sat there for a while afterwards to build up energy and rest, and then it was time to discuss their next move.
‘So what do we do next?’ Stevey asked.
‘Well we don’t want to stay here too long.’ Toby declared. ‘Or sooner or later the little leprechaun with white shoes will catch us unawares and turn us into stone again. I’ve tried that already.’
'Why should he come over here when the wizard's palace is that way?' Molly asked.
She backed the question up by pointing in the direction she meant.
'For the same reason he found us in that cave, someone tells him where we are or perhaps he might decide to come round this way and try to get behind the wizard's palace,' Toby answered, 'he is mad remember.'
'Oh yes, I'd forgotten that bit.' Molly agreed.
‘So where do we go?’ Stuart asked.
‘There is some high ground opposite the place we came in, which the leprechaun has no need to go near. We could find somewhere to hold a meeting up there where we should be safe.’ Ben suggested.
‘But won’t we be in danger from the Gryphon or that other thing?’ Celia asked.
‘It was an Opinicus.’ Toby explained.
‘Thank you Toby,’ Celia retorted, ‘the Opinicus and the gryphon.’
‘We can keep out of sight of them under ledges up there.’ Ben answered.
‘Are there any?’ Sherman asked. ‘I mean big enough for me to hide under, I'm a bit bigger than you?’
‘I don’t know,’ Ben answered, ‘but I think there is.’
‘We won’t reach there before dark though, will we?’ Colin retorted.
‘Well we can’t stay here, can we?’ Ben exclaimed.
‘No we can’t.’ CJ agreed. ‘So we can go and have a look for somewhere before it gets dark.’
‘It gets dark quick in here, doesn’t it?’ John declared.
‘Well, when it does we need to have found somewhere safe to rest, just in case in case the nasty leprechaun comes along.’ Stevey replied.
‘So do we go?’ Stuart asked.
‘As I don’t want to be turned into stone while I am asleep again, I vote we find somewhere else and soon.’ Sherman ordered.
'Do we cross the stream and carry on close to the rocks or do we go through the trees?' Simon asked.
'We were all right close to the rocks.' JC answered.
'But we are good in trees,' Sherman added, 'even me.'
'So lets us have some proposals then.' Stuart replied.
'I propose we go on as we were.' JC declared.
'I'll second that proposal.' Toby said immediately.
'I propose we go through the trees for a while.' Sherman retorted.
'I second that proposal.' Molly said just as immediately.
'We'll vote on the amendment first,' Stuart announced quietly, 'as it is what we are supposed to do. All those who are in favour of Sherman's amendment?'
Seven hands rose in the air.
'All those who are in favour of the original proposal.'
Seven hands rose in the air, Jenny did not vote.
'As it is a tie, I will decide what we do. I have to evaluate the chance of the mad leprechaun coming this way and our skill in the forest and compare it with walking close to the rocks.' Stevey answered.
As he spoke, he looked at Jenny, wondering why she had not voted. She merely smiled at him.
'Your argument is good Sherman but I think we will go back to the rocks.' He declared.
They all nodded, except for Molly who looked suitably put out. They checked to see if the route was clear before they emerged from the forest and hurried over to the str
eam. They crossed, after making sure they could not see anything they did not want to meet and moved over to the rocks. With one scout in front and one bringing up the rear, they moved on.
After another hour with darkness falling they came to a left turn which they assumed would just lead them back through the mountain passing the place the Acephali were eating the fruit, one of them had collected. They ventured up the opening a little way and found a cave entrance.
‘Well it is somewhere to sleep.’ Sherman declared. ‘I’ll go in to make sure it is safe, even though it was JC's idea.’
‘I’ll go with you Sherman.’ Molly announced. ‘If we meet anything, you can get it with your axe while I claw its eyes out.’
‘If it is the Acephali, all you have to do is to pull the head of the shoulders and it is helpless.’ Toby advised her.
Sherman and Molly walked bravely into the cave. They did not hurry to help their eyes become accustomed to the light in there. In the failing light they saw the glint of eyes in front of them it the almost darkness of the cave.
‘Get it Sherman.’ Molly urged.
‘You lot again!’ A voice they recognised complained.
It was the red shoed leprechaun. Molly walked back to the entrance.
‘You can come in, it’s that other leprechaun again.’ She announced.
‘Not again!’ CJ complained. ‘I didn’t sleep to well last night!’
They all filed into the cave and found a place to settle, trying to keep as far away from the noisy leprechaun as possible. When they settled, they started to talk amongst themselves.
‘So what’s the plan, Stu?’ Toby asked.
‘I’m working on it, Toby. I have an idea but we need more facts before we can put it into practice.’ Stuart answered.
‘What sort of plan?’ Toby probed.
‘One that will enable us to get the book from the Wizard and his apprentice then make it out of here in one piece.’ Stuart answered.
The leprechaun’s snoring started as though it was preordained, it was deafening for the members of team in there with him.
'I think he’s asleep.’ JC announced.
There was a ripple of almost silent laughter, but when the snoring grew louder, so did the laughter. They were soon all helpless with laughter but they did not wake the leprechaun. The laughter continued and rose with every snore until it slowly died.
‘It is amazing how he does that.’ Celia declared when she settled down to sleep.
Chapter 6
The group of ones woke and looked out, the sky was clear. They all moved out from under the ledge they used for cover when they slept. It seemed strange, for once there was no Gryphon trying to swoop on them. They moved back and waited undercover, hoping to catch sight of it, just in case it was trying to catch them unawares. It paid off. Suddenly they saw the gryphon, as it flew toward a ledge with a leprechaun firmly clenched in its claws.
‘He’s in for a shock.’ Toby declared. ‘I think that was the white shoed leprechaun.’
'I bet the leprechaun is waiting until he lands before he turns him into stone.’ Simon exclaimed. ‘It’s what I would do, or they would both be killed.’
‘Well, while they are busy, we should get down and along the other side, or we will meet the others as we go down.’ Stuart ordered.
‘Shouldn’t we see what there is further up this track we are on, so that we know for the future?’ Jenny asked.
‘If we do find out what is up there, does that mean the other group will know as well?’ Molly asked. ‘Does it work like that?’
‘Now that is a really interesting question.’ Toby answered. ‘Can we look up there Stu, so that we can ask the others if they know what it is like when we meet them?’
‘If we meet them. They might well be made of stone by now and on display in the wizard’s garden.’ JC declared.
‘How do you know that the wizard puts them in his garden, JC?’ Celia asked.
‘I don't know, I just know, somehow.’ JC answered.
‘So do I,’ Sherman added, 'odd isn't it?'
‘So if we look up here, they will know what it is like up there,’ Toby exclaimed, ‘and I think that answers your question, Molly.’
‘Right, we go and explore up there,’ Stu agreed, ‘but we watch out for flying predators, even though the gryphon had the white leprechaun, there is always the opinicus.’
And after the leprechaun turned the gryphon to stone it will be reborn and it will still be hungry.’ Simon warned.
‘There is that,’ Jenny agreed, ‘and we have no idea how the leprechaun will get back down from that ledge. We certainly don’t want to meet him.’
They moved forwards, with lookouts watching for any danger, they were looking in all directions, Stuart was taking no chances. They explored along the trail, noting the places where there was cover and the places where there was not. They followed it all the way along and up as the trail sloped up toward the rocks in front, until they met a dead end, a wall of rock.
‘Now if there ever was a good place to open a magic doorway, this is it.’ Stuart declared. ‘It has to be on the cliff top in the outside world, so there will be no need to slide down a flume and get it wrong if we go out here.’
They turned back to go back down and the lookouts took up their positions again, to make sure no one was in any danger.
The group of twos woke to find the red shoed leprechaun gone again. One by one they stretched and one of them peered carefully outside, to look for danger. It was daylight so when they knew it was safe to do so, they filed out and the lookouts moved to their positions. They walked out on to the track where the Acephali lived, turned right and headed for the main track. Once they were sure it was safe, they turned left and walked on, going the same way they had been going before they stopped. An hour later they met another left turn and dallied wondering which way to go.
‘I bet this is the straight on from that crossroads we met earlier.’ C.J. declared.
‘So it doesn’t matter which way we go, it is all new to us then.’ Denis replied, pointing out the obvious.
‘Until we hit the crossroads, that is.’ Toby added.
‘So which way do we go?’ Stuart asked.
‘We vote.’ Sherman answered.
‘Okay. Who votes left?’ Stuart asked.
No one raised his or her hand.
‘Going back the way we are walking?’ Stuart asked slyly, as they all were poised to raise their hands.
Hands flew up but shot down again.
‘Anyone for going the way we were heading.’ He asked.
A flurry of hands went up.
‘Carried, we go on.’ Stuart declared with a smile. ‘I was just being thorough.’ He added.
They walked on exploring as they went. Watching the skyline for the gryphon or the opinicus, either of which might be hungry. At the same time they were watching the trail, both in front and behind for the white leprechaun. The area was either rocky, with tall rock faces, which contained large crevices where anything could hide, or it was grassy with flowers growing and strewn with boulders. To them the grassy areas looked less dominating. There were trees every now and then where they walked but they could remember the Ben eating tree, that meant they kept away from them as well, just in case . They chose to sit and rest in a grassy area, away from the trees and not near the edge of the forest. As they sat there talking, the leprechaun with red shoes came walking along.
‘When your brother turned you to stone why didn’t he turn you back again when he realized you were the real you?’ Simon asked when the leprechaun reached him. The question had been nagging him for a while now, it seemed the right thing to do.
‘He doesn’t know how to turn things back from stone. He only knows how to turn things to stone with a single gesture, mainly so that he can try to stop the apprentice from having it all his own way.’ The leprechaun answered. ‘Normally I get eaten by something during the day, it made a change being turned to stone.�
� He added and walked on but stopped again. ‘Do you know how to turn things back from stone then?’ He asked.
‘We might do.’ Celia answered. ‘Would it help?’
‘That spell could be useful in the fight against the apprentice, I’ll mention it to my brother when I see him, if I get close enough.’
‘That's if he doesn’t turn you to stone again, before you have a chance to tell him.’ Ben retorted.
‘There is always that.’ The leprechaun answered and walked away.
They sat there and watched him walk away. They were tired from walking a long way and were in no hurry to move on. It showed in the way they slumped onto whatever they found to sit on. They sat in little groups, to make sure they could not all be attacked together.
‘So has anyone any idea where we are yet?’ Celia asked.
‘My best guess is a nether world somewhere but I have no idea how we got here.’ Toby answered.
‘I have, Simon opened the door and in we walked.’ Ben answered. ‘Now all we have to do is to sneak up on that sneaky apprentice, nick the other book when we find it. Then find the other book, the one Simon lost and leg it out of here. Hurry to the flume cave, close the door Simon opened and put the books back on that ledge. After that all we have to do is chose the right flume to slide down, or we are all likely to end up dead.’
‘You make it sound so easy,’ Sherman chuckled, 'my one fear is getting stuck in the flume like a cork in a bottle.'
‘What if we wait until the white leprechaun is doing his sneaking up on him bit again and nick the book while he is occupied?’ Ben suggested.
‘It doesn’t last long enough.’ Toby replied.
‘It is a shame the white leprechaun is finger happy, or we could tell him how to sneak up to make it last longer so we have more chance.’ Simon declared.
‘Yes with him on our side we might have a chance.’ Stevey agreed.
After a short rest, they walked on by mutual consent and reached the next road. This was the road they assumed led back to the crossroad. The left hand turn they could have taken. They saw the stream again and another fruit tree laden with fruit.
‘Are those bananas?’ Celia asked.
‘And oranges.’ Molly answered.
‘On the same tree?’ Jenny asked.