By the time Grikkl stopped playing, Adah, Nelda, and Jeep were winded and giggly (that is, if Nelda could do either). It looks like a garden party, right and proper, they all agreed.
First to arrive, Louise and Anna popped out of the air and bounced onto the sofa. Their faces glowed with excitement. Adah hugged them and gave a tour—which didn’t take long. “Looks just like you described it—only better,” Anna whispered to Jeep.
Chris and Helen arrived bearing two baskets. One held MeToo. Chris held out the other one to the hostess. “I didn’t come empty handed. Here are goodies made from truffles—truffle trifle and truffle crepes.”
“I’m impressed! You actually cooked from scratch.” Adah said, (and so was everyone else who tasted them later). Adah hugged each of them in turn. “You don’t mind if I call you Helen and Chris, do you? No need for formality today.”
Once Helen was seated, Heather and Yawn re-attached themselves beside her on the chair, and didn’t move again. She sat quietly through the goings-on. Everyone squeezed around the table packed with fancy faduki goodies and Chris’s truffle treats. The food tasted great, but couldn’t compete with the company.
A giggle announced the arrival of unexpected guests. “We heard there was a party going on,” said a less wrinkly gnome who shimmered like Adah and Grikkl. The twinkle in her laughing eyes left no doubt that she squeezed all the delight possible out of every moment. Her pudgy figure was decked out in a floor-length, lacy blue cape. And her long gray hair streamed down her back.
Her companion was as thin as she was wide. His child’s face with super-big eyes perched on a body tall enough to be a grown-up. But there wasn’t anything remotely grown-up about him or his manner. He moved with such fluid grace he seemed to flow. From head to toe he was covered in a forest green suit that clung to him as tightly as paint would.
Adah laughed and rolled her eyes. “All right you two—you’re invited then. But you’ll have to sing for your supper.”
She turned toward those at the table, “Meet Layda and Taloo. You’d think they’d have seen enough of me the last few months. But noooooo, they still want to know what I’m up to. You can’t stand to miss a party.”
The new arrivals squeezed into the cozy circle. Taloo told hilarious stories about the mischief of fairy folk, like how a dancing troupe caught a ride on a fox, but then didn’t know how to slow it down so they could get off. Such a character! Everyone except Helen laughed until their sides ached.
Taloo showed off his newest trick. He rested his right hand on the floor, then stretched his left arm up until it actually touched the rock ceiling. Once both arms were solidly placed, he maneuvered his body around until both legs were stretched out straight, parallel to the floor. Then he started to wiggle all over so fast he was nothing but a blur. The rapid vibration created a tone that echoed through the room and made everyone tingle head to toe—further exaggerated by the Chadwick Soda.
“How can you do that, Taloo? Does it hurt?” Jeep exclaimed.
“It’s easier if you don’t weigh much. Want to see me tie myself in a knot?” Taloo asked, as he twisted his legs around each other and performed other absurd contortions.
Louise advised Jeep, “We don’t want to see you trying to do that yourself.”
“I think I can resist.” Everyone burst out laughing.
Adah and Layda sang several songs. After The Bird Song, Louise whispered to Jeep, “The freedom of flying is even better than you described.”
After that, Layda sang a song by herself, about water. It started as a drop that fell from the clouds, hit the ground and was sucked up through narrow roots, then moved through stems and leaves before returning to the air¼ only to become a cloud again. And sometimes the water was only a drop, but at other times it was a puddle, or a river, or an ocean. And sometimes it was still, and other times it was a waterfall or a torrent, driven by the wind. By the time Layda finished, everyone there knew the ways of water.
As the song faded, a commotion arose—noisy growls and vigorous banging. The ruckus came from MeToo and Nelda as the dog rolled around on the ground. He growled and made happy sounds as Nelda scratched and petted him all over. What an amusing pair—barking, humming, and bumping about. Watching his dog having so much fun with Nelda made Jeep think, I wish it were me, too.
~~~
Adah faced Louise and Anna. “My dears, Jeep told me about all your assistance in rescuing Helen. Even though plans changed at the last minute, your help made a big difference in its success.”
She became serious, like a noble queen with an important task to do. “Suitable thanks must be given today. Louise, in honor of your worthy endeavors against the forces of darkness, I hereby present you a comb from fairyland.”
With great formality she handed Louise a gold comb decorated with sparkly blue stones. In the manner she’d seen in movies, Louise curtsied deeply and said a soundless thank you. That got her an approving royal nod from Adah.
Adah repeated the words to Anna and bestowed another gold comb, only this one had green stones. Anna also curtsied deeply in grateful homage. The sisters felt like they’d been knighted.
Adah continued, “As you’ll discover soon enough, my dears, these are enchanted combs. You’ll never again have a bad hair day. Your hair must obey the comb’s arrangement. It’s is a small gift, really, but will remind you of the worthy role you both played in the never-ending war between good and evil.” The other guests applauded in tribute.
“Enough of such folderol,” said Grikkl. “Let’s have more treats and music.”
He was persuaded to play Arla and tell the tale of how she came to him. So the party continued in the same light-hearted way.
All too soon, Taloo and Layda announced that they had to go. After hugs all around Layda said, “Let’s all get together again sometime,” in the way that grown-ups do. In a twinkle they were both gone, leaving everyone breathless.
During the party, Helen’s face held the same far-away look. She ate and listened without sharing in the fun.
Adah leaned over and gently stroked Helen’s cheek. “How sad for you. To know the value of love and caring, but to be unable to share them.”
Chris put his arm protectively around his wife. “It’s hard to see her miss out on the love from Jeep and me. Glad as I am that she’s healthier, she’s still so empty.”
Adah agreed. “I share your concern, Chris.”
She focused her full attention on Helen. “My dear, Grikkl did a terrific job with you, to be sure. No one could have done more for you in all the world...” She paused, letting the silence hang far too long.
“Except me.” Adah sat without moving, waiting for her words to sink in.
“This is what I know. This is what I do. You all knew I’ve been in the land of babies before they’re born. It’s my job to fill their little krindles with binkles. Once in a while, a baby’s krindle breaks, and I must fix it. It’s not easily done, but I know how.”
Adah held Helen’s hand and stared into her eyes, “Helen, I want to do this for you, if you’ll let me. I want to repair your krindle.”
Helen didn’t answer, but everyone else around the table did. “Yes! Oh, yes! Do it!” they all exclaimed as one.
And so it came to be.
~~~
Helen didn’t recover overnight, even with Adah’s exceptional skill. Jeep detected fleeting signs of her old self almost from the beginning. Helen was impatient to make up the lost time.
She sang to herself—mostly sing-songing tunes from her childhood. Once again, she devised weird and silly ways to do everyday chores to keep the habit gods from taking over her mind. She and Chris held hands and grinned a lot. They’d go off by themselves on long ferry rides.
But what made Jeep happiest was her delight in being near him. They talked and talked, just like before. Mother and son had healing to do. So sharing memories about their time apart helped them rebuild their fragile, broken feelings. The same kinds of discus
sions were happening between Helen and Chris, too.
Each day Helen could remember a few more details. She told Jeep, “For the longest time, my brainpower was turned down so low it didn’t work at all. I was about as smart as a turnip. But since my thoughts didn’t hang together I didn’t miss anything, didn’t want anything. Nothing mattered much.
“The empty sameness changed for me after you began coming. One day, I felt you touch my arm—and I liked that. When you spoke to me the words didn’t make sense, but I liked the sound of your voice. Once in a while I knew who you were—but just for a moment. Oh Jeep, imagine how wonderful it is to go from being like that to how I am now. My life was given back to me.”
“It was given back to both of us,” Jeep corrected her.
“And Chris, too,” she added.
~THE END~
Turn the page for a message from Grikkl.
A Note from Grikkl
Unlike books about fantastic adventures you can only imagine...
THE POWER OF THE BINKLE IS NOT MAKE BELIEVE.
It’s REAL. It’s ALIVE. (Oooh... I just felt a binkle just saying that.) The power of the binkle is within you. It’s a force that can be drawn upon and directed to achieve great and wonderful things. It connects you with everything you admire—or aspire to become.
YOU ARE THE HERO AND THE STAR OF YOUR LIFE ADVENTURE. And when you tap into Binkle Power, day in and day out... your life changes. You become stronger. You get along better with other people and yourself (I might add). The forces of Nature open to you in ways you never even dreamed of.
Reading this book is only the beginning. You have unleashed Binkle Power in your life. Now here’s a secret...
The more Binkles that you give to others... the more you have for yourself.
Now that’s Magic!
Grikkl
~~~
A Note from the Author, Faith Lynella
To You and Fellow Binklers
Binkles are a powerful way to connect people, ideas, and noble visions. One way to keep them strong within yourself is to spend time with other people who like to binkle (binklers). Share them with others who care about finding more of that energy. Talk about it among yourselves. Sharing your special experiences with each other is even sweeter because readers know the special-ness is the sign of a binkle.
That kind of communication keeps the krindle* strong. It helps to bring binkle power into more things you do every day. That’s why I set up two websites just for readers of this (and future) books. Just because you finished the book, it doesn’t mean you’re done with what the book is about.
I have long said that “anyone who knows about binkles is in the Binkle Movement. You do know about them, so you are. You can also stay informed about them and future books in this series at:
http://www.catawampuscompass.com
The Binkle Mindset
As you can see, there’s more to binkles than a few books. It’s a way of looking at what happens to you. It is a way of finding healthy and upbeat energy in places it is easily overlooked. It’s a way of spotting what’s important (and what isn’t).
Since you know about binkles they are part of you. And they will become more so as they open your eyes and open your heart to the energies of life. Please binkle any time you get the chance, and I can promise that you’ll love what happens to you. Even better, tell your friends about them—you are already binkling with them, you know.
Binkles and joy to you,
Faith Lynella
Allusions in the Book
Chapter 1 - Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
Chapter 2 - Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
- Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - (twice)
Chapter 3 - (Cerberus) A mythical character – Greek myths - One of 12 Labors of Hercules
Chapter 4 - Helen of Troy - Greek legends – Troy and Sparta
Chapter 5 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Grimms Fairy Tales & Disney movie version
- Camelot – any of the King Arthur (Round Table) tales
- 1001 Arabian Nights: Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves - Sir Richard Burton
Chapter 7 - Pinoccio - C. Collodi & Disney movie version
- Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Chapter 10 - The Adventures of PeterPan - J.M. Barrie
Chapter 11 - The Bluebird - Maurice Maeterlinck
Chapter 13 - Dr. Doolittle - Hugh Lofting
- Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Cannon Doyle
Chapter 15 - The Little Engine that Could - Robert Cringely
- “Dr. Livingston, I presume?” The first words Stanley said to Livingston in Africa
Chapter 18 - Sorcerer’s Apprentice – music composed by Paul Dukas
Table of Contents
Contents
Before You Start
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
End
The Binkle and the Catawampus Compass (Binkles and Magic) Page 16