by J. M. Wilson
“They dropped bombs, on the land?”
Berty knew what a bomb was. His own people used them for mining, but he had never heard of bombs being dropped on the land.
“Why?” Asked Berty, more wide-eyed with this tale than the thought of an asteroid. “Not on the land Berty. The Humans aimed for each other, and in doing so, they hurt not only themselves but a lot of the Manushi too.”
Berty was touchingly horrified that Humans would actually do such a thing to each other. The more he knew about the Humans, the more horrified he became. Eventually Berty would be taught of the horrors of the Human race, but as a rule, that came much later in their schooling.
Silverton listened as his companions chatted. They came up alonside the edge of the crater. Stopping at the edge of a mangled and exposed tree root, Berty and Dena’s conversation was interrupted.
“We’re here.” He said, as they stopped at the entrance of a solitary dwelling.
They had arrived at his grandfather’s home.
Silverton explained that his grandpa was very old.
“Over two hundred years”, he said, but he didn’t know exactly. His grandpa had stopped counting at two hundred. Informing his family that there was, ‘No point in counting any more. He was old, and that was that!’”
The dwelling, etched into the side of the crater, and just behind the mangled tree roots, had a very small entrance. This was just the type of home that many elderly Manushi chose. The stand-alone dwelling was unusual for the Manushi, who usually have highly social tendencies.
The living room could barely hold all four of them, once they had stepped over the threshold.
Dena and Berty watched the old man’s face light up, as he looked up at his grandson. Silverton took his grandpa’s hand.
He looked frail and thin.
All the bones in his face and hands stood out like he was just a skeleton that had been loosely covered in skin. What was striking about this elder Manushi was his thick, straight hair, that he wore in an unusual manner. It was long, and drawn up into a band on top of his head. The rest of it, as white as snow, hung like a horse’s tail, cascading down the back of the old man’s earth coloured, and rather shabby clothing. His eyes were Silverton’s eyes, thought Dena, milky with age but blue like an ocean, bordered with thick white lashes.
Silverton introduced his grandpa as Tub Jellyman.
Many Manushi names came from their occupations traditionally.
From his small armchair, next to his wood burner, that strangely for this time of year, had a few golden embers crackling in it, Mr Jellyman explained that he in fact had not been a preserver of produce.
He had not had an interest in his fathers business, but rather had an inquisitive mind. He had trained as a scientist.
He went on to say, that his name had been a great source of fun to his colleagues.
He laughed with his two young guests.
His grandson had heard this story a million times.
Silverton smiled at his grandfather’s joy in being able to tell the tale to a new audience, and his delight in seeing his guests laugh.
“So!” moving closer to the warmth of his wood burner, “What brings my brightest, and most favourite grandson here?”
He turned to Dena and Berty and said, “He takes after me!”
“I’m your only grandson,” said Silverton.
“Hence my favourite!” Quipped his grandpa.
Silverton rose to his feet and went to a shelf stacked with books.
Obviously familiar with his grandpa’s things, he went straight to an atlas.
As he talked, and briefly told of the events that had unfolded over the past few days, he searched for a map of Lincolnshire.
When he found it, he opened it out, and laid it on a small wooden table in front of his grandpa.
The three youths moved and positioned themselves around the table too.
“So you see grandpa, we have to find it. ‘The Wood’ ”.
Mr Jellyman had facilitated his grandson’s thirst for knowledge, since the day he had been born.
Today would be no different.
He didn’t even look at the map, but turned to Dena.
“Tell me Dena, what did you hear when you were coming away from the Highest Council meeting?”
Dena repeated her version of events, that had taken place the day before.
“And you say you have never heard of ‘FarFrom Wright’. Curious!”
Mr Jellyman took a deep breath.
He composed himself into a comfortable position, as if he was about to tell a story. He pulled at a blanket at the side of his chair, and placed it over his legs.
Silverton helped.
A chill had shuddered through him.
He thought how this tale had a whiff of ‘FarFrom’ written all over it.
He began.
Some of what he recalled was a repeat of what Silverton had told them earlier.
Some of the story, not even Silverton had heard before.
Jellyman had worked, on and off, with Tinzel Wright, when Wright had first come to the region.
“Tinzel had been a pillar of the community.
A star scientist.
He rose in fame and notoriety for his excellent works.
He was taken into the confidence of the Highest Council.
Eager to learn from him…. to help him break the boundaries of science, as we knew them then.
Tinzel was given access to some of the most confidential material in Manushi history. This material had been secretly, and delicately preserved and stored, by the Highest Council, passed down by the Senior Elect, from one generation, to the next, for centuries.
He was welcomed into their world of secrets, and traditions.
With this newfound knowledge, Tinzel began to push the boundaries of science with his studies into the power of the mind.
At first he used volunteers to help develop his hypotheses.
Then they began to experiment on the Humans.
We Manushi have had to manipulate Human minds at times, for our own survival. Sort of…. subtly redirecting Humans a bit, here and there, as necessary, as the Human race blundered its way about the Earth, altering the natural balance of things.
As the Humans’ Industrial Revolution began to take hold, the Manushi way of life became even more threatened.
The Manushi started with gentle techniques aimed at moving them on.
Away from us… A bit like we do with the underground mammals.
All harmless enough at first… But that was to change.
Tinzel wanted to go further.
His question being, ‘What exactly could we do with this developing knowledge?’ Tinsel became secretive.
He began to withdraw into himself.
We all assumed, at the time, that it was the eccentric behaviour of a rather brilliant scientist.”
“Although we all noticed this, it was not behaviour that we overly considered and wondered about.
We were, after all, rather busy scientists ourselves!”
“We were first alerted to the possibility of something more sinister, when it was discovered that some of the material that Tinzel had been given exclusive access to, had actually been removed from the Highest Councils’ place of safe-keeping.
Indeed! What was strange was that the materials we thought he would be making use of, weren’t in fact, what had disappeared.
It was the ancient scrolls pertaining to the magic practiced by our very early ancestors.”
This is when things got a bit scary, and in Jellymans opinion, moved away from true science as practiced by scientists and into the realm of magic.
“To be sure.” Said the old man. “None of us were practicing magicians.”
“Magic!” In unison, all three spoke out.
“Magic,” Jellyman asserted.
“Many, many years ago, before our ancestors began harnessing the power of the mind, we looked, and behaved very differently
.
We had wings for a start!
It is believed by some, that our early Manushi forefathers practised a form of magic. Little is understood of this magic.
Many of the scriptures of those times have been lost.
So, over time, did the art.
We have few writings from those times, and few things available for studying, but what we do have, is, without doubt, fascinating!
As with all things though, our lack of knowledge and understanding, can make things dangerous.
Would he listen?
No! He would not listen.
Tinzel would not be told.
He began to dabble.
He thought that if the power of magic could be harnessed, as the power of the mind had, the two could be combined to the greater benefit of the Manushi, or, on a more sinister level, to the greater benefit of Tinzel Wright.
This practise was dubbed, ‘Black Science.’ ”
“The Highest Council was deeply concerned about the direction Tinzel was going in. He started to experiment on the unsuspecting, as well as volunteers and Humans.
On one occasion, I believe he had control of the minds of six of the elect!
For twenty minutes!
The direction of the meeting was turned upside down in this time, to the great dismay of the other six.
Finally, because Tinzel could only control the minds of these men for a short time, his hold over them was released.
Tinzel told the elect that this was a demonstration of what could be achieved so far.
He urged them to think.
By giving him more time, and more backing, who knows what might have been possible?
Obviously the Highest Council was appalled at what he had done to them, but they did buy into the notion that this could be a ‘powerful something’, should they be able to understand what they were dealing with and harness it?
Yes, this was a fairly innocent demonstration, but what could Tinzel have done should he have been able to fully understand, manipulate, and harness this power?
It doesn’t bear thinking about.”
Jellyman told his audience of three, that he did not know what Tinzel had achieved with his mix of magic and science.
“He knew that his demonstration was not the final straw for the Highest Council.
He had gone further with ‘Black Science’.
How far?
He did not wish to guess.
Too far?
That was for sure.
What he did, that led to him being finally exiled, is not discussed.
The fact that the facts of this case remain with the chosen few, has led to speculation amongst those of us who are ‘Not in the know’.
That is really how he became infamous.
His scientific achievements in Science never remembered.
Only his mistakes.
As the tales of his wrong doing changed hands year after year, so eventually did his name. As the tales of Tinzel Wright got bigger and more outrageous, he went from being known as Tinzel Wright to being known as FarFrom Right!”
Dena and Berty, wide-eyed with the tale, shook their heads in bemusement.
This was the first they had ever heard of such a man.
Jellyman was genuinely surprised that the two Mytons did not know of him.
“I hear,” said Jellyman, “His place in exile is where he still practises his form of ‘Black Science’.
So rumour has it, his neighbours are exiles also.
They go to this place willingly.
Not many leave…
Only place he can be?
I suppose, no-one wants to be associated with him these days?
He’s a man of mystery.
And danger. A man that you shouldn’t meet, let alone get to know… Or cross.
This place is known as ‘The Wood’.”
“Where is ‘The Wood’ Grandpa?”
Grandpa, Jellyman looked at his grandson.
“No-one knows Silverton.
And I don’t want you to figure it out.
Stay away from this.
FarFrom might be FarFrom Wright, but he is no fool.
He’ll not thank you for interfering in his business.
I mean it Silverton!
You must stay away from this!”
“If you go ahead with this crazy idea to find ‘The Wood’, instead of one child being missing, there could easily be four!”
The three left Grandpa Jellymans with less hope than when they had arrived. Silverton had told his Grandpa he would honestly think about what the old man had said, and be careful.
The last thing Jellyman said to them as they left was,
“ Don’t be careful…Be sensible!
Stay away from this!...It’s too big for you!”
Silverton had really thought his Grandpa would have had some answers, would have been able to give them some direction.
“Well,” said Dena, “We have some idea of who and what we might be dealing with now, but still no idea how to get there…Wherever ‘there’ is.”
They where back out in the open, with a search party no doubt, not too far away.
This meant time was running out.
They set off again with as little information about how to get to ‘The Wood’ as they had when they had started out this morning.
With the chance of being caught looking more likely than the odds of finding Ruby, the three of them were feeling anxious.
They needed a place to hole up and think.
None of them had an appetite for going underground again, but the local area was well known by all Mytons, more so, by those who were looking for them, having the advantage of age.
They could not risk getting caught and having the memory of Ruby obliterated. Looking out over the surrounding lands of the Wolds, with its many fields and meadows, interrupted by small pockets of woodland, the three scanned the area for a decent hide-out.
There was a wind whipping up.
The clouds chased tirelessly across the skies, casting moving shadows over the land. At one moment the sun shone brightly, illuminating the man-made patterned countryside, only to be plunged back into shadow, as it was momentarily covered by the galloping clouds. This dramatic light-show, accompanied by the warm winds excited the birds and the insects as they hurriedly went about their business. They set out on each day’s activities in their quest for survival, and survival of their kind. For the best part, they did not stand out within this idyllic country scene. They were part of the scenery.
“We could go high? High up. I don’t think they would be inclined to look for us up there.” Offered Silverton.
“That would take up too much mind space.” Chipped in Dena,
“We need to be concentrating on solving the mystery of how to get to ‘The Wood’. How can we do that if we are concentrating on flying up there?” Dena replied. Swallows darted past them, swooping on the breeze and then upwards again with the rising thermals, avoiding the three Manushi again and again, rising, falling, swooping and turning.
Barely taking any notice of them, the three tried to think.
Where could they hold up, figure this out and be safe?
Again the swallows ducked and dived in their seemingly effortless quest for food.
“That’s it!” said Berty, “They wont be looking for us on the back of a swallow.”
The bird did not mind.
The weight of the three was inconsequential to it.
The only thing it needed to do was feed.
Within the feathers of the swallow, very much out of sight, the three sat back to think.
Urgently think.
Whatever searching was going on below them was not their concern.
Somehow they had to find ‘The Wood’.
They all sat in silence, wondering and thinking, each in their own world of thought, contemplating a solution to their urgent problem.
‘The wood’..? A banished place..? An outlawed ma
n..? Outlawed neighbours..? Black Science..? Human child turned Manushi..?
What did this Human child have to do with FarFrom?
Over and over, thoughts and questions, and still no answer.
It was no good,
“How are we supposed to know about this stuff, no one teaches you this at school?” fumed Dena, frustrated and weary with dead-ended thoughts.
“ I have to say!” said Silverton, “I am really not used to having more questions than answers rolling around in my head, let alone questions with no answers at all?”
Back at the bomb-crater home of the old timer, Berty had been listening and watching old Mr Jellyman intently.
He thought of how Jellyman spoke of magic and the mind, and how he hadn’t even looked at the map when Silverton had laid it out on the table. Maybe because he didn’t know where ‘The Wood’ was?...or maybe…?
Although slightly embarrassed at what he was thinking, he spoke out,
“Perhaps you’ve just been thinking with what you’ve been taught?”
Silverton and Dena looked at Berty intrigued.
“Perhaps we need to think differently…In a totally different direction, away from anything we have been taught?...‘The Wood’ Dena!...The Wood isn’t somewhere, it’s where it is!..Look! Firstly Ruby entered ‘The Wood’ on the edge of the meadows.
And then she saw it from Myton.
Maybe you don’t find ‘The Wood’ with a map?
You find it with your head!”
Silverton immediately caught on to Berty’s train of thought.
“Do you know what Berty? You’ve got something. ‘The wood’, loosely, is a form of illusion. We have to summon it with our minds. ‘Sounds just like some of FarFrom’s work’, from what Grandpa said ”
“You two are going to have to talk me in on this one,” said Dena, “ because I am totally lost.”
The guys sat her down and explained.
She thought it was crazy, but then why not?
Everything else was crazy right now.
“With three Superior minds,” Silverton said, whilst winking at Berty, “We shall summon ‘The Wood”.
Having taken leave of the Swallow’s back, they sat side by side in another Conker tree, arms looped.