The Cult of Kishpu

by J. J. Shetland

  “The Noble Prize for Global Nature Protection,” Paula told her squad.

  Once again, the whole city was applauding him. It was the biggest of all applauding.

  Feeling very honoured, Lukeson bowed to everyone. “Thank you,” he said.

  Then the USA President joined the stage. “In honour of G.C.A.’s success of ending a world war, we are going to celebrate with a party in all of the underground cities tomorrow.”

  The animals and the humans cheered.

  “The food will be vegetarian food only,” said Lukeson.

  “I shall spread the word to every animal city, Madam President,” Tugson said.

  “Thank you, Captain,” the USA President said. Then she turned to the human soldiers. “Every human soldier will repair all the damage we’ve done. Every building will be repaired and every new tree will replace a crushed one. No, make that two trees per crushed tree. Dismissed.”

  Soon everyone, human and animal, got very busy.

  Lukeson addressed Squad I. “Squad, tomorrow will be a day off for us all so have a good lie-in. Dismissed.” As the squad moved away, he turned to Louise who was looking very sad. He approached her.

  “Congratulations,” the wing-princess said.

  “Thanks.” Lukeson knew what was upsetting her. “Do you want to go and see your sister?”

  Louise didn’t really want to, but she thought that her fears will only haunt her forever if she didn’t confront them. So she nodded and followed Lukeson to the city morgue.

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  Lukeson ordered the morgue animal workers to let out Princess Sarah. He and Louise watched them walk to the wooden drawers, opened the one with the deceased wingwoman and put her on the wooden morgue bed in the middle of the room.

  Louise leaned over her sister. Her face was battered, bruised and scarred all over. Her whole body and clothing was soaked in her own blood.

  Even though Louise knew she and Sarah were never really close and always argued and called each other names, she still loved her sister. Why did this have to happen to her? What did a lovely person like her do to deserve an evil sister who wanted to kill every creature of the Earth including her and rule it? She didn’t know whether she should feel happy about it being all over and her stress and anxiety caused by Sarah was behind her or if she should be sad because she had lost a family member, no matter how cruel she was.

  Lukeson gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Louise. I’m sorry for what’s happened to you. Rustom is very new to G.C.A. and needs to learn –”

  “Even if you arrested her and took her to the Mental Cloud,” Louise said, “Sarah still wouldn’t change, Rhys. She’d escaped and carried on trying to take over the world without ever giving up, even if she reached the age of a thousand years and without the help of Petunia.”

  “Well, just be grateful you are the opposite of her,” Lukeson said. “Shall we lock her up again?”

  “Can you cremate her?”

  Lukeson and Louise turned around to see a still depressed King Strigiformes approaching them.

  “Father, how did you get into this underground city?” Louise asked.

  “I tracked you down and asked your magical friend with a trunk to teleport me here,” he said. “Besides, teleporting is much quicker than flying. Can you cremate her?”

  “Well, I can have the cremation chamber ready in twenty minutes, Your Majesty,” Lukeson said. “But are you sure you want to burn your daughter? Just like that in seconds?”

  “I didn’t decide this in seconds,” the king said. “While you guys were finishing off the witch and her cult, I’ve been pondering about Sarah and I’ve decided that burning her is the best way to make sure she cannot cause any more trouble, even when dead. Also I strongly believe this will also be the only way I can really let go of this depression.”

  Lukeson thought the king was not thinking straight and his grief of having a cruel-hearted daughter was clouding his mind. He wanted to tell him that that burning Sarah was not the easiest or the best way to get over depression, but he knew the king was in a very upsetting state and reasoning with him right now was not the wisest of things. He checked with Louise and she nodded to burn Sarah as well. “Very well, Your Majesty. If that is your wish.” He ran off and spoke to the morgue animals.

  * * *

  The Royal Sky Family joined Lukeson at the metal cremation chamber as they sadly watched a Princess of the Skies burn. He thought he should take them to a pig or a parrot psychologist to help them with their struggling grief, but when he saw them cuddling each other, he thought he should just let them work it out together.

  “Any chance Sarah might rise from dead despite being burnt, Rhys?” Louise asked. “It’s just what Kathy and Larissa have told me about what happened to Petunia before the English Civil War.”

  “Well, I can’t promise anything,” Lukeson said. “But I think it’s highly unlikely because Petunia was born with magic powers and Sarah wasn’t. She was barely an apprentice and all the powers she ever had came straight from her Kishpu stone.”

  Then he saw Louise and her father still had their eyes glazed on the chamber. After having a big yawn, he decided to leave and hit the hay. Then he was stopped and wrapped by the arms of Louise.

  “Promise you’ll never leave me,” she said.

  Lukeson knew why she was feeling like this. She had a very lonely childhood and she had just lost her only sibling. “I would like to promise that, but you know I’m just a normal human. I can get killed, get a serious illness or die in an accident as easily as anyone. But I can promise this. I can see you more often if you like.”

  Louise wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and smiled. “I’d love that.”

  “As far as my end reaches, it’s okay. But what about your end? I bet your father’s going to keep you busy, training you to be the future Queen of the Skies and everything.”

  “Well, then, my first act as queen will be able to grant myself enough hours off so I can come and spend time with you whenever I want.”

  Lukeson and Louise laughed. Then he was greeted with a kiss on his lips. He was surprised. In their two-year friendship, he had never thought he would receive such a kiss. He liked it. It made him feel more special than his position in G.C.A. He smiled and went to return the favour when –

  The door behind them opened and Lukeson annoyingly saw Rustom approaching them. “What is it, Rustom?”

  “It’s what Tugson, Skipton and the mer-guys want, sir,” Rustom said. “Tugson sent me to make sure you’re ready for tomorrow’s meal, speech and shit.”

  “Don’t swear in front of your commanding officer or the Princess of the Skies, Private!” Lukeson snapped.

  “And Skipton wants you to persuade Tugson to let him leave Blackpool and come here tonight for tomorrow’s celebration.” Rustom seemed to ignore his sergeant’s stern instructions about rude language.

  “Well, tell Skipton that Blackpool needs him,” Lukeson said. “They need him to help them celebrate the special day tomorrow. And if he stays, he will be ten times the man his cruel father ever was.” All of what he said was true, but one truth he didn’t say was that he didn’t really want Skipton to come because he always got drunk quickly and easily at dinners and celebrations. He always boasted about how he was overworked and underappreciated. “And tell Tugson everything for tomorrow will be sorted out. Now, what does Chris and James want?”

  “It’d be easier to go and see them, sir,” Rustom said. “They’re at the river.”

  “Right. Dismissed, Rustom.”

  As the rhino walked off in one direction, Lukeson, Louise and Strigiformes went in the other direction. As they walked, they were pleased to see human soldiers and G.C.A. animals working together to repair the town and planting more trees than it ever had when it was first built. They headed to the warm river passing through the middle of the underground town. That probably would be where Chris and James were, being mermen. Luk
eson was hoping it had better be serious because he was really tired and wanted to crash down. He didn’t want to hurt Louise, but if she asked him out for dinner tonight, he couldn’t be asked.

  They approached the small river and saw in it Chris and James in front of Mer-King Coralbeard and his Mer-Chief Pavia.

  “Ah, Sergeant Lukeson,” Coralbeard cried happily.

  “Sergeant Major Lukeson now, Your Majesty,” Lukeson told him as he bowed. The Royal Sky Family joined him in the bowing and sitting down on the warm green grass.

  “King Coralbeard has been looking for us,” Chris said. “He knows the truth about Petunia.”

  Coralbeard started to break down into tears. “I apologise for nearly drowning your two soldiers and I also apologise for all those missiles I launched to the peoples of the lands in blind anger. I know there is nothing I can do to wash the blood of the dead humans of my hands, but I will do everything I can in my power to make amends and restore peace between us.” After a long pause, nothing happened. He feared that Lukeson wouldn’t forgive him, but even if he didn’t, he wouldn’t blame him. He had no one to blame except himself for letting Petunia get the better of him. Then he nudged Pavia to speak.

  “I apologise for being cruel to your soldiers as well,” Pavia said.

  “As a reward for doing the right thing,” Coralbeard said, “Chris and James are now Corporals in the Atlantic Ocean Army.”

  “Congratulations,” Louise cheered. She and her father applauded.

  “Well deserved, guys,” Lukeson said, applauding. “But what you haven’t told me, Your Majesty, is how you knew it wasn’t mankind that murdered your daughters.”

  “Well, before we went to rescue Mengy and Paula from the magical skeletons in the Tikal Pyramid,” James said, “we were spotted by the king’s guards and used some magic from Mengy’s orb to flee them. But I dropped my phone in progress.”

  “The guards picked it up and they gave me it when they reported back to me,” Coralbeard said. “I watched the video and discovered who Lady Clam really was and what she did. Then I ordered my entire army to search for her. I tried to find Chris and James and tracked them to here. They finished telling me everything just when you came here.”

  Lukeson turned back to the mer-king. “As Land Ambassador, I accept your apologies, Your Majesty. Is our peace still back on?” Lukeson asked.

  “Of course.” Coralbeard held his hand out and his Land Ambassador shook it.

  “Now, did Chris and James tell you that this place was spotted by the human world and they know about G.C.A., the sky people and you?”

  “No, they didn’t,” Coralbeard said, starting to sound worried.

  “But Lukeson and Tugson made reasonable and satisfied negotiations with the humans, Your Majesty,” James told him. “Once again, we are truly safe with G.C.A.”

  Coralbeard and Pavia gave Lukeson applause.

  “There’s going to be a massive celebration for winning this recent war tomorrow,” Lukeson said. “You’re invited, King Coralbeard, Mer-Chief Paia. And, in answer to your next question, here is how you and your mermen can come.” He leaned down and whispered in the ears of the mermen. The more they listened, the more interested they became.

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  Corporal Stuart Potter was chilled as he watched all the animal chefs and waiters preparing the wooden dinner tables laid out on the street outside the Victoria HQ. He felt as he had never been so successful in his life. It wasn’t his promotion that helped him feel the good feeling, but overcoming the struggles that he had all his life. He knew there would be more struggles to overcome, but he was glad he finally discovered his strength to help him through them. He had come a long way from being the poor, nervous, down-on-his-luck zebra Lukeson found hiding at Loch Ness.

  “Wow. I like your kilt.”

  Stu Pot, who was wearing a black blazer, white shirt, a dark red bow tie and a dark green kilt with black patches, turned around and his eyes widened. Approaching him was Kathy in her shiny, sleeveless, strapless dark purple dress. She had golden earrings in her ears and her hair was tied up with green ribbon.

  Stu Pot thought she was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen in his life. “Wow yourself,” he stammered. “You look…” He tried to think of what to say that wouldn’t make him feel embarrassed afterwards. “Wonderful,” he finished at last.

  Kathy smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

  “I want you to call me ‘Stu Pot’ when we’re not on duty.” Stu Pot smiled as he put his hand on her right shoulder. “That’s an order.”

  “Yes, Stu Pot,” Kathy said, saluting him.

  Both zebras just laughed.

  “How was your very first lie-in?” Stu Pot asked.

  “It was great.” Kathy had never had a lie-in since she joined G.C.A. She became a workaholic to run from her upsetting childhood. Now that she had confronted it, discovered the real truth behind it, fought and defeated it, she felt like she could finally let go of it and relax more. But she never forgot when Petunia took her in when no one did. If it wasn’t for her, Kathy wouldn’t have become the zebra she was today. Now she knew the good things Petunia did as well as the bad, she still didn’t know how she should feel about her death.

  “Well, as we all know, no one is all good or bad,” Stu Pot said. “Some good comes out of bad things and some bad comes out of good things. Just be grateful who you grew up to be, Kathy, despite the people you grew up with.”

  Kathy smiled. “I’m sorry I didn’t socialise with you guys as much as I had with Rachael. I guess I wasn’t ready to move on or embrace the change when it happened. And now I realise the best friends and the best family I’ve ever had in my whole life is you guys.”

  That was another thing Stu Pot thought he would never hear from Kathy in his life. Those words meant a lot to him.

  Then they moved in closer to each and leaned their faces in even closer. Just when their lips were about to greet each other…

  A flashing orange light made the zebras jumped. It vanished and there stood no one, but Huian Meng in an orange Chinese dress.

  “You look great, Mengy,” Kathy said.

  “You should be on the front cover of a Chinese Proud,” Stu Pot said.

  He got a bashful look from Mengy and a throat clearing from Kathy. “All right, Kathy, you should be on the front cover of Proud, too.”

  Kathy smiled again. “Thanks, Stu Pot.”

  “Hi, guys,” cried Pedro’s voice.

  Stu Pot, Kathy and Mengy saw the three penguins joining them. Paula was wearing a sleeved red dress and Larissa was wearing a short sleeved white dress with pink flowers.

  “I’m sorry about Pedro,” said Paula. “He says what he’s wearing is the best he’s got.”

  Pedro was wearing a leather jacket, a white shirt, black trousers, a blue cap and sunglasses. He was dancing around like one of his rapper idols.

  “Pedro, I’m sure you can at least lose the cap and the sunglasses,” Paula said.

  Pedro groaned.

  “We’re going to a very special occasion, Pedro,” Kathy told him. “You’ll regret not looking your smartest.”

  Pedro took his cap and sunglasses off immediately. That was no surprise for Larissa. She didn’t know her brother as well as she should, but one thing she did know about him was that he never argued with Kathy. His aunt knew that as well.

  “Hey, how’s it going?”

  Everyone saw Rustom joining them. He was wearing black trousers and a white shirt with a black bow tie under a black blazer.

  “You look smart,” said Paula.

  “Good,” said Rustom. “Because this is the smartest outfit I have and I never had to wear it until now.”

  “But if you had a wig,” said Kathy, “you wouldn’t look like a scarecrow made out of rocks.”

  Rustom just laughed mockingly as she giggled.

  “Splendid.”

  Everyone turned around to see Lukeson in his service dress uniform app
roaching them. They stood to attention.

  “You all look perfect for this event,” Lukeson said. “At ease.”

  But they didn’t move.

  “I said, ‘At ease’,” Lukeson repeated. When they still didn’t move, he noticed they were looking up. He looked up and saw a lady with wings in a sparkling, sleeveless golden dress landing in front of them.

  “How do I look?” Louise asked.

  “You look like the sky has a second sun,” Lukeson said.

  They chuckled together.

  “How do I look?”

  Lukeson and Louise looked at King Strigiformes, still wearing his war armour, landing near them.

  “Hmm, you look fine,” Lukeson said. “Though I think your armour could be polished a little.”

  “And you need a haircut and a beard trim,” Louise said.

  “I am the King of the Skies!” Strigiformes snapped. “I can look whatever I want!”

  “Then why did you ask us for our opinions?” Louise asked.

  “Must be early stages at taking criticism,” Lukeson whispered to her. She chuckle in reply.

  “What was that?” Strigiformes demanded.

  “Uh, we really should be going.” Taking Louise by the arm and being followed by Strigiformes and Squad I, Lukeson led them to the tables.

  “Hey, guys!”

  Everyone saw Chris and James each fitting in a giant plastic fish tank their size with black plastic wheels on the outside. They could move the fish tank they were sitting in thanks to a small plastic silver steering wheel in front of them.

  “Well, what do you think?” asked Chris. “These are our seats for dinner.”

  “Thanks for arranging this, Rhys,” James said.

  They were soon joined by King Coralbeard and Pavia, each steering the fish tanks with wheels they were in.

  “Very good,” said Stu Pot. “Very clever.” Then he turned to Paula. “How did you do it, Paula?”