The Journey to Northumberland and the Rise of the Undertoads

by Kenneth Mullinix

  *

  Louis immediately turned away from the others, and started the long climb down the face of the broken dam, then onwards northwards towards the city of Elphame as the others headed south towards the backside of Morpeth Lake, and down the mountainside at the opposite end.

  Never looking rearward Louis trudged through the muddy wasteland of the northernmost end of Northumberland, towards his final purpose. The travel was difficult. The earthen roads had been washed away from the busted dam and the overflowing water. There were now traumatized and crushed trees marring the countryside at every turn. Uprooted broad roots, broken rock, and twisted thick branches littered the ground everywhere that Louis tried to step.

  Wreckage and ruin is all his sorrowful eyes beheld.

  Every few miles fatigue overcame him. A quick bite to eat, a small drink of water, a little rest then another fast read in one of Mr. Beamer's books. The ever resourceful Louis made dutiful progress as the hours passed by.

  Not a bird could be seen in flight and not a sound was heard around him, only the calmness of emptiness. Louis was duly alone and he knew it. He could feel it in his soul that it was true, that the land draug was a non-living being. She was a black-hearted soul, and her evil powers were already at work, she was pulling on Louis's juvenile and very suggestible mind the closer he advanced towards her.

  Trying to keep his mind clouded and busy now became his sole purpose as he advanced towards the dead city. Louis could feel the unwarranted advances of the evil spirit trying to enter his mind anytime he was not in deep thought with his mind, his constant daydreaming and wonderings now were almost his downfall, he had to be strong and control his thoughts, before the daydreams were his asset. As he read in his books, Mr. Beamer had clearly outlined several pages directly relating to defeating these mind games. Although Louis was strong-minded how truly strong-willed was he?

  Late afternoon arrived as Louis entered the far outskirts of the dark city. Abandoned out-buildings that had long ago been left in disrepair lined both sides of the decaying road. The black dilapidated buildings stretched as far as the eye could see. Windows and doors were shuttered with broken and rotted wood beams, roofs were missing, wooden fences and gates had been left for nature to reclaim.

  All the while that little Louis pressed forward the black granite Tower of Hagby loomed large in front of him and pressed down upon him. It depressed his spirits and challenged his resolve. It was if this sole building had a personality and a soul of its own. It reeked of evil, and the smell assaulted his senses with the changing of the winds.

  The aroma he smelled was that of death, it was as sickly sweet as it was foul and un-fragrant. Knowing that loss of life surrounded him, he feared no living creatures larger or smaller than him with vile thoughts would attack him in this lost city. Freely walking up the road Louis now thought of his mom Hattie May back home in Centerville, he believed he could smell her baking bread coming from her kitchen. He missed her tucking him into his soft, warm bed, and her soft goodnight kisses upon his forehead, each and every night. He had to continue with these thoughts throughout his journey it could keep him safe and sane in his mind.

  His mind continued to wonder, now thinking about how much he missed his father who had been away at war overseas for what seemed so long now. Was he safe, would he be home soon? Did he miss his only son? He used constructive daydreams and the daydreams released his mind, helping him to overcome the visual horrors that surrounded him.

  Louis finally entered the lost city of Elphame's main plaza. Looking upwards he crossed the last expanse in his long and dangerous journey towards deliverance. He now stood at the base of the hated and reviled Hagby Tower. The black pearl solid granite blocks reflected and refracted an odd color of ink black and dark blue hues over the little wizards face as the Northumberland moon shone mysteriously overhead.

  Removing his thick jacket for a moment Louis knew that he could not enter the dark tower just yet. Time was of the essence but Louis felt that he could not hastily enter the royal domain of the land draug. Mistakes were not a luxury he could afford in this foreboding city. He had to deeply think before he was to confront the Ice Queen.

  Louis grabbed his coat, slung it over his shoulder then headed for a small boarded up shop at one end of the square. He forced his way through the front door, after that he found a place to sit down, to rest and contemplate.

  Slumping down into a well-worn sofa chair, pulling his thick jacket over his body then lowering his head down upon his chest, he suddenly became very drowsy. Closing his sleepy eyes and letting his mind release further into a state of well-being, Louis slept deeply.

  His dreams this afternoon did not haunt him like in the past. Serenity, stillness and calm claimed his thoughts for some strange reason. His mind was playing wonderful tricks upon him inside of his deserving forty winks. He believed he was lazily drifting in a soft, perfumed fluffy white cloud high above Centerville, Indiana. Looking below off the edge of the cloud he saw his comfortable farmhouse with the white picket fence surrounding it. He saw his favorite swing-chair sitting on the front porch with a sprawled out Muncy deeply sleeping the afternoon away. His tail was wagging in rhythm with the cadence of the swing. How Louis wished he was sleeping the afternoon away with his best friend and buddy.

  Slowly drifting northwards on a sweetly scented, velvety and inviting spring wind, the Centerville schoolhouse with all of his friends playing outside in the playground now came into view below him. Growlin Harry was chasing Stuttering Sammy across the baseball field as Becky Turner pushed Jay Loren off the swing set. Louis began to miss all of his friends and family again, and all the fun they had together. Gently floating now over downtown Centerville only enforced his yearnings tenfold.

  His pleasant dream-state came to a sudden halt faster than a house-fly escaping a rolled up newspaper.

  A stinging bite on Louis's neck brought him without delay out of his peaceable sleep. Slapping lightly at the side of his neck as fast as he could did not end the gentle and friendly attack. Promptly opening his lazy eyes Louis spotted his two old friends.

  "Nary be the fairy of lighthearted thoughts...winks...blinks...flickers and flashes and twinkles. A wizard we must trust, a fairy tender not..."

  "Dulinnor the Companion Bird, I see you still have a hitch-hiker riding for free upon your back. Has he been a burden? You should charge him a dime for each ride" said the playful Louis.

  Rubbing at the small bite mark, Louis widened his eyes, and his mood at once lightened.

  "Times of no delay can only wait for a next day. Little wizard has done well. Can't you tell? Free, freely, freedom so soon be the delight...not till the new mornings light..."

  "Atamo your twisted and bent words are as confusing to me as ever, but it is sure great to see you again. And I am so glad that your teeth are so small, or you would be drawing blood with each hello and goodbye. I would be a half pint low if your teeth were bigger. Then you could call me Half-Pint. Good fairies have to bite don't they? It makes them happy."

  Dulinnor darted and dashed about the small room high above Louis's head and shoulders as Louis stood up and began to dance a little jig.

  "Dancing, singing, bells soon will be ringing if wizard delays one day and rest the night away. Chose the fight, times must be right. Nary be the fairy of lighthearted thoughts...winks...blinks...flickers and flashes and twinkles. A wizard we must trust, a fairy tender not..." said Atamo as he circled about the room one more time on the back of Dulinnor his Companion Bird.

  As Louis slowed his dance the words of Atamo echoed again in his ears, "I hear you Atamo. That is three times now you have said that to me in the last week or so. What are you trying to tell me? Nary be the fairy of lighthearted thoughts...winks...blinks...flickers and flashes and twinkles. A wizard we must trust, a fairy tender not. I do not understand your words. Where is Glorandal the Porter or Broomstick when you need them?
Speaking of Broomstick, did the Morpeth dam break, and the ensuing floods miss the Kingdom of Gwynedd and Deganwy Castle? Is everyone safe are all of my friends safe?"

  "The stone walls of Deganwy are strong as your friendships, never breaking...hearts not aching..." said Atamo as he smiled at Louis.

  "Well I did understand that Atamo. I am so glad that I did not cause any undue harm to my friends and yours, and that the Kingdom of Gwynedd was not destroyed by the dam's water. Have you seen Molly, Tessie and my other two friends? Did you pass them on the road on your way here?"

  "The stone walls of Deganwy are strong as your friendships, never breaking...hearts not aching...heading towards the castle soon be ready for extraction. Fairy circle tender soon will be needed...so friendships never broken."

  "That is good news. From what I can understand of your words to me, all is well and everyone is just waiting for my return from my last deed here? Why have you come to this awful place? Are you here to help me, or are you just checking up on me. Help me understand Atamo."

  Atamo pulled on the ragwort of Dulinnor's back to guide him gently, into a better line of sight with Louis. The small hummingbird dropped down in elevation, he now hovered in flight directly in front of Louis.

  "Only a lastly word of thought and remember...I see you are safe...rest is a must. Broomstick is wayward bound to help you gain ground. Ice Queen is trick-ster, cheat-ster do not trust her. She knows you are here, rest then finish your quest. A wizard not a fairy tender...courage my modest friend...courage..." said Atamo as he winked, and blinked...I will send two other friends to help you tonight being the time is right..."

  Trying to ask another few questions of Atamo the Astral Fairy proved fruitless; Louis could not. Leaning forward the little fairy whispered something into one of Dulinnor's ears.

  They went absent.

  As quickly as they had arrived, was a quickly as they both departed. Out through the front door of the broken down store, away they were flying back towards the Kingdom of Gwynedd and Deganwy Castle, back towards their comfortable homes.

  Racing to the front door Louis sadly watched his two friends rapidly fly off southwards. Standing on the sidewalk outside, Louis looked upwards again at Hagby Tower. A new, harsher reality was brought to bear upon Louis as he stood there. He now realized that he might not survive this and that the foreboding evil tower looming into front of him could harbor his coffin and soon become his stony burial chamber.

  His light-hearted mood became gloomy again knowing that he was once again alone in the last place he ever wanted to be, or ever thought he would find himself. Literally Louis was at death's door and would soon be knocking on it, hoping to be allowed in.

  As Louis entered his temporary quarters he began to decode and try to understand the words of wisdom imparted to him by Atamo. Slumping back into the sofa chair Louis ran the words over and over in his mind. He could make sense of most of them and of those he took them to heart, and as for the ones he could not make sense of, they encircled and entwined his mind like a test mouse caught in a never-ending maze in a awful scientific experiment. Those twisted words drifted off into infinity and infinite space as Louis became weary again.

  "Atamo told me to rest tonight and not rush into the tower, and that this could be my downfall to not think this through. He said two friends of his are coming. And he said to be courageous. Rest I will tonight here and I will be courageous in the morning, at least I will try. But most of all and the best news is, all my friends are well and still heading down the correct road in the right direction back to the fairy circle. The castle is still standing and everyone who lives there survived the floods of Morpeth, and the other good news is that, Broomstick is on his way to help me.

  Atamo is indeed a good friend. I will take his advice."

  After starting a very small fire at the back of the room, Louis reheated a small batch of leftover soup that Tessie had made a day before. Eating a few bites of dried lake trout and a few handfuls of berries, Louis was satisfied and ready for sleep. Searching about the shop Louis found a few old pillows then pulled down the cloth window blinds. He fashioned a fairly comfortable bed for the evening, at the back of the room by the fire. Knowing that nothing else was living in this city but a semi-dead land draug in the house next door, Louis was able to bundle up against the chill of the softening evening temperatures and fall into a semi-somnolent and somewhat restful sleep.

  Closing his weary eyes Louis began his endless nighttime dreaming but the dreams of this night had more purpose and meaning than any night's dreams before. Backwards thinking Louis again tried to reason out his relationship with Frank Frankle, Mr. Beamer's involvement in this world and his own shortcomings that brought him to death's door. As his mind relaxed it expanded and grew in wisdom and insight.

  Remembering the farsighted and visionary words found in Doctor Northumberland's book (giving to him by Mr. Beamer) Louis brought his mind-eye into focus, which was something he had never known before. Releasing his hatred against Frank Frankle brought his "First Eye". He remembers seeing Frank punch Short Stack in the eye, blackening it instantly. It caused so much grief and pain to Louis...and Short Stack...that he could not ever forget the sorrow he saw on one of his friends face. High-thinking and remembering of Doctor Northumberland's words opened his eyes to the problem.

  His First Eye opened: The Eye of Sight.

  As his mind expanded outwards into space once again his "Second Eye" focused. The eye of reason, meditation, and reflection became apparent to him as he slumbered well into the night. To become a high-thinker Louis released his hatred against the violent act against his friend, and reasoned that Frank was driven to that act by way of all of his friends treatment of him, and by the treatment of others against Frank, leading up to that one singular moment in time.

  Louis had been a part of the teasing, hateful words, mockery, and joking about Frank's weight over the years. He now understood the pain he and his friends had caused Frank, and how it had affected him, and filled him with hate of the world.

  His Second Eye opened: The Eye of Reason.

  Louis now finally understood the truth and his role in bringing this to fulfillment. He now meditated and reflected over the loss of his friendship that he had once had with Frank. His young mind was now maturing beyond his years because he knew to not confuse knowledge with depth, with the transformation of the consciousness and awareness of itself. The mystical gaze built upon the first two eyes collided in his mind as his mystical "Third Eye" opened to him. The Third Eye he saw in front of his forehead, it lingered in time and space. It glowed blue and radiated wisdom, bringing into focus his other two eyes.

  His Third Eye Opened: The Eye of High-Thinking.

  His training was complete; he saw the "Eye of Providence".

  As the lingering hours passed, he slept upon the doorstep of his destiny. Louis now felt he was ready to bring this story to a close.

  Being small for his age, having red hair, bright red freckles and having a tendency to daydream Louis had been bullied and picked on his entire young life, because of this, although not to the same degree as Frank Frankle had, this he felt it gave him an insight into the deep horrible feelings that Frank was experiencing.

  The smallest words of hatred can cause so much harm to so many, and it is so easily done, and done without thought sometimes, and done in hatred of yourself at other times. Louis now reasoned that he would have to give Frank a heartfelt apology to be able to be friends again. If Frank would accept his apology, or not, was another thing, but Louis had to try, his spiritual and physical journey was now complete, and the truth would set him free.