Andrew and the Quest of Orion's Belt (Rise of the Fallen)

by Ivory Autumn

  Chapter Twenty

  Ambush

  Andrew scanned the endless field of purple flowers in the dimming twilight. The sun was starting to set, and a cool breeze blew through the field of flowers, making them ripple in waves. They had all searched for hours, but Ivory was nowhere to be found.

  Maybe she's fallen asleep in the flowers,” Freddie offered.

  "Or," Talic interjected. "Maybe she doesn't want to be found."

  "Maybe she's just a wanderer," Rhapsody said, staring at the distant hills. "Wanderers can never sit still in one place for very long."

  A strange look crossed Andrew’s face. "Or, maybe..." He stopped in his tracks, as if struck by a sudden idea.

  “What is it, Andrew?” Rhapsody wondered. “Do you see her?”

  Andrew made no answer. Instead, he knelt down, eye level with the flowers, with his hands outstretched. Concentrating hard, he grabbed a flower stem in both hands, and closed his eyes. Gradually, a pulsing wave of energy flowed through his body, down his arms, and through the flowers, passing through its leaves, on into the next flower, until the whole field was hit as if by a great shock. The feeling of it was different than in the valley of the Chewthumps. Here he felt the heat rush through him ready to devour and consume, instead of give life. The power of it knocked him, and his friends, flat on their backs.

  Rhapsody was the first to recover. He stood up, brushed black soot off his clothes, and surveyed Andrew's handiwork. The beautiful field of flowers was completely gone; burnt leaves and stems stood smoldering like burnt trees after a horrific forest fire. The smell of smoke drifted through the air. He sniffed, scowling in dislike.

  Freddie and Talic stood up and looked at the dead field. A peculiar kind of fascinated horror glinting in their eyes. “Amazing,” Talic breathed. “Just amazing.”

  Andrew groaned, and slowly stood up, feeling weak and shaky.

  “Just think what you could do to weeds." Freddie let out a low whistle.

  Andrew gave Freddie a weary look and then turned his gaze to the field, looking for any sign of Ivory. But he saw only bumpy ground covered in smoldering ash, burnt flowers, and naked rocks. It was a sickening scene.

  Andrew turned to Rhapsody and faltered. "I don't know what I was thinking. Ivory's not, here."

  “Let's look further,” Rhapsody said, not fully convinced that Andrew’s work was in vain. They walked through the ashes, searching for any trace of Ivory. As they neared a low slope in the field, Andrew slipped on a loose stone. The earth beneath him gave way, and he fell down a long hole, disappearing in a puff of black ash as if by magic.

  Before the others could comprehend what had happened to Andrew, the earth where they stood, crumbled and gave way in the same manner, sending them sliding downward.

  The world flashed by them as they tumbled down a network of carefully-crafted tunnels, only to be shot out, in one big heap in a pile of leaves at the bottom.

  “Oh!” Andrew moaned, spitting leaves out of his mouth. “Talic, get off me.”

  “Sorry,” Talic murmured, shoving Andrew and rolling off him. “You know how I like smashing things.”

  “Where are we?” Freddie wondered, gazing around him in wonder.”

  Above them, they could see a full moon shining over a great forest of huge dandelions the size of giant redwoods. Peering from behind the dandelion leaves were glowing eyes of strange bewhiskered creatures.

  “Slowly,” Rhapsody cautioned, motioning for them to stand. “We're being watched.”

  Leaves rustled, and hushed whispers could be heard on the wind. Rhapsody pointed through the thick foliage at the glowing eyes that peered at them from the dandelion leaves. A single dandelion tuft randomly drifted downward and landed in front of Rhapsody.

  “Hmm…” Rhapsody murmured, stooping down to examine it, only to have a rock hit him squarely in the back of the neck, knocking his staff to the ground.

  He let out a low groan. A furry creature brushed against him only to snatch his staff, and scurry away.

  “Give that back!” Rhapsody cried, standing up and shaking his fists at the fleeing creature. “That's mine, you horrible squirrel!”

  “Come and get it,” a small voice squeaked. “Come…come and get your glass stick!”

  “Alright,” Rhapsody roared, stepping towards the foliage. “I think I will!”

  “Wait, Rhapsody,” Andrew warned, pulling Rhapsody back as more rocks came at them. “You are very bad creatures!” Rhapsody thundered, standing with a dignified posture amid the volley of rocks. “You are very naughty, and very wicked!”

  At his words the air was filled with snickers.

  “Brainless beasties!” Rhapsody cursed, shaking his head and scowling. “Your heads are all filled with moth dust, and spider webs. If you don’t treat us better, something extremely terrible will happen to your forest of dandelions!”

  At that, the snickering abruptly died, and a blanket of severe quiet fell over the dandelion forest. Even the rustling grass hushed. The low chime of crickets ceased, and the evening breeze held its breath.

  “Rhapsody,” Talic whispered, “you've made them mad.”

  “Pig wash!” Rhapsody retorted. “They’re already mad!”

  Talic’s eyes filled with fear. “Yeah. They are.”

  “Look!” Freddie cried, pointing above them as the air filled with drifting dandelion tufts, with Twiskers parachuting down around them like glistening snow, encircling them from every side.

  “OUCH!" Freddie yelped, as a furry creature landed on his back and bit his arm.

  “Stay back!” Andrew yelled, unsheathing his sword and glaring at the creatures with wrath in his eyes. The sword’s brilliant light filled the darkness with an awesome glow, causing the small creatures to howl in fear, and back away. Andrew felt the light of truth from the sword fill his entire being, and bathe him in confidence, and perfect clarity. Together, united, he could feel the courage of his friends mirrored in the sword. In that instant he knew there was nothing to fear. The sword could not lie. Andrew was beginning to understand just how sharp the truth was.

  “Calm yourselves!” Rhapsody cried, above the frightened howl of the Twiskers. “We mean no harm.”

  “You are trespassing. That’s harm enough,” a fat, fluffy Twisker said, stepping bravely forward. “Surrender your swords, or YOUR lives are forfeit.”

  Rhapsody gazed with troubled eyes at the numberless concourses of furry creatures that surrounded them. Their big glowing eyes stared at them in hate, and their sharp looking spears and arrows were pointed hostilely in their direction.

  “Surrender?” Rhapsody repeated, tipping a Twisker spear point away from his face, “Huh. I was just going to ask you little whiskers to do the same.”

  The Twisker captain scowled and shook his whisker- covered face. “Whiskers? We are not whiskers. We are Twiskers!"

  "Oh," Rhapsody grunted. "So sorry. Please forgive me for the my mistake."

  “Then, lay down your swords!” the captain commanded, watching him with careful eyes. "You are, after all, outnumbered."

  “Ah...minute, if you please,” Rhapsody said, waving his hand in the air. “Let me first converse with my comrades---alone. Decisions like these need…ah…careful consideration.”

  “Hurry, then,” the Twisker retorted, folding his arms, and bobbing his whiskers up and down as he nodded.

  “You are most considerate,” Rhapsody said, gathering Andrew, Freddie, and Talic close to him. “There isn't much time. We’ve got to act fast. They outnumber us by the thousands, and one wrong move could be deadly for us. Andrew, using your sword is out of the question. Not one whisker of theirs must be harmed."

  "But why?" Andrew asked. "I don't understand?"

  Rhapsody cast the Twiskers a careful glance. "Because, after you brush away all the fluff, they are very good sort of creatures. And harming them, would be a very bad idea."

  “What do you suggest then?”
Andrew wondered.

  Rhapsody put a firm hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “I want you to..."

  “Time's up!” the Twisker captain shouted. “Have you made your choice?”

  “Ah...” Rhapsody mused. "We need one more minute."

  "You've had long enough to decide!"

  "Well..." Rhapsody faltered. "We have decided to...er...” he paused again, and glanced at Andrew, subtly nodding in the direction of one of dandelions, as if trying to get Andrew to follow his gaze.

  Andrew stared in the direction Rhapsody had motioned to. There, in the center of the clearing was a enormous gray dandelion. The moon shone behind it, causing its giant tufts to glow like it was indeed the distant planet itself. Andrew instinctively knew what Rhapsody wanted him to do, without speaking a word. Rhapsody wanted him to destroy it, and show them his power. How strange he thought, that one minute, Rhapsody was telling him to not use his gifts, and then a moment later, he was practically begging him to.

  “Your decision?” the captain shouted, snarling in disgust at Rhapsody.

  Rhapsody looked up and nodded, as if he’d forgotten what he was about to say. “Oh yes, yes. We’ve decided, that our situation, is pathetically sorrowful, to be precise. And after considering all the logistics, and all the statistics---the ramifications of our situation, we have decided that our decision could lead us to consequences that are unalterable. As the leader of our party, I have concluded that the outcome of our survival is of the most importance, and it is based upon the very choice you have now laid out before us.”

  “And that means?” the angry Twisker snapped, his whiskers quivering with impatience.

  “You don’t know what that means?” Rhapsody balked. “It means that...” he paused, and glanced over at Andrew, who had snuck away, and was now approaching the giant dandelion. All eyes followed Rhapsody's gaze.

  “What is he doing?” the captain shouted. “Guards! Stop him!"

  "It's too late," Rhapsody's woeful voice called above their cries. Masses of Twiskers thronged in about them, screams filled the air, and small arrows whizzed past Andrew's head. Amid the turmoil, a sudden flash of light filled the forest. All of the Twiskers paused, and watched as a bright wave of energy passed through Andrew's hands and crept up the stem of the dandelion, like liquid silver. The top of the dandelion exploded, and a loud popping rumble shook the earth. A smell like boiled spinach drifted through the air. In an instant, fireworks of flaming dandelion tufts rained down around them.

  The mob of Twiskers dropped their spears and screamed in terror.

  “Help!” they cried. “The world…the world…is ending! A dandelion killer! Save us, oh save us!”

  “Look at them run,” Andrew murmured, watching as the fleeing Twiskers scattered like cattail fluff in the wind. He leaned against the ashen stem of the dandelion, feeling lightheaded. His hands burned, and his heart beat uncommonly fast.

  “Good work,” Rhapsody said. "You read my mind, exactly."

  "Would you mind reading mine!" A loud, high pitched voice piped behind them. "Because I'm very angry right now, and I want you to know the rude nasty thoughts I'm thinking." The creature moved boldly from behind a dandelion leaf, and stood in front of them, in all its Twiskery glory. Its long whiskers reached out as it moved and brushed Andrew's face. Its glowing eyes blinked at them in curiosity. Moonshine shown through the creature’s dandelion leaf-like ears. It stood on its hind legs and sniffed the air, and scowled. "You travelers have made quite a lot of trouble for me today. First a red headed carrot haired girl practically lands in my lap, and now this!" He motioned to the smoldering dandelion in disgust. "Ugg. What is a Twisker to do?"

  “Wait?" Andrew said. "Red hair? You know where Ivory is?"

  "Ivory?" The Twisker repeated. A faint smile crossed his face, and he quivered again. "Oh, you mean the carrot. Yes. I know where she is."

  "Then show us to her,” Rhapsody commanded. “Quickly.”

  The Twisker twitched its exceedingly long whiskers and scowled as if Rhapsody had offended him. “My, my, you’re bossy too. I should have known as much. All you two legged hairless creatures are very, very bossy, very, very rude, and very, very, ugly.”

  "Ivory," Andrew questioned, lifting his sword, and pointing it at the Twisker. "Is she safe?”

  “Yes. Yes, of course she is!" The Twisker said, jumping away from Andrew's sword.

  A look of relief crossed Andrew's face, and he lowered his sword. “Good!”

  The Twisker stroked his long, whiskers and smiled. “Now that your pointy object is finally lowered, I may be open to negotiation for her.”

  “What kind of negotiation?” Andrew queried.

  “Oh, nothing too complicated. I just want you to write a book about me.”

  “You want me to what?”

  “Yes. I want you to write a book, and fill it with the brave things I have done for you. I want everyone to read it and know how amazing I am.”

  Rhapsody raised his brows. “And what is the name of the brave hero I am to use when I write this book?”

  The Twisker stood tall. “Gogindy." He smiled and stuck out his chest, fluffing his whiskers to attention, like a puffer fish. "Gogindy is my name."

  “Very well then. A book you want, a book you shall have.” Rhapsody took a piece of parchment from his cloak, and using an feather quill, wrote the words, “Once upon a time there was a brave Twisker named Gogindy, who saved Ivory from death. THE END.” He handed it to the Twisker. “I have written everything I know of you. It is a very short book. With a very good beginning, and a very brave hero. ”

  The Twisker took the parchment and stared at it, frowning. “This is not a book! What do you take me for, an idiot?” The Twisker tore up the paper into tiny bits, howling, and breathing in rage.

  “Calm yourself," Rhapsody said. "Someday, soon, if you take us to Ivory, there will be not just one book, but several books filled with great deeds you will someday do."

  "How do you know that?" Gogindy asked.

  "Because," Rhapsody said, "I just know."

  The Twisker sat on its hind feet, twitching its ears and whiskers apprehensively. He stared at Rhapsody, inspecting him with very careful eyes. “Hmmm. You just know? Huh." He reached out and made Rhapsody bend down so he could feel Rhapsody's orange beard. "Huh. You have whiskers too. But not half so grand as mine. Funny, its the color of autumn leaves."

  Finally, Gogindy stood back, and nodded. "I trust you. Bewhiskereds always tell the truth. It's the shaved ones you have to watch out for. Fine. I believe you." He turned, and then stopped in his tracks. "Wait. If I take you in, and king Dandywheel finds out, he will have all my whiskers shaved off, and he will hang me by my three tails. And that’s just the normal punishment. If he finds that I’ve helped you in addition to everything else that I’ve done, I’ll be tortured!”

  “What else have you done?” Rhapsody wondered.

  “Oh, too many bad things to count. There was a man. I found him, helped him. But he left. He wasn’t as bossy as you, though. And thanks to you ugly humanies I’ll probably be stuffed with dandelion tufts and roasted on a spit. Oh, decisions, decisions. Why must they be so hard? Why…oh why?”

  “Nothing will happen to you,” Rhapsody promised. "I promise. We will protect you."

  Gogindy's eyes grew big. “You would protect me?"

  "Yes," Rhapsody said. "We all would."

  "Wow...my own personal body guard. This could be handy. Very, very handy..." Gogindy's big eyes filled with delight. "FINE! I guess one night won’t hurt too much, even though you all smell very bad. Very stinky. And one more thing, that nasty creature who killed the dandelion will have to sleep outside."

  "Sleep outside?" Rhapsody repeated.

  "Yes. I don't want him to kill my home."

  "He won't kill your home," Rhapsody said. "I promise."

  Gogindy looked from Rhapsody to Andrew, then let out an exasperated sigh. "Okay fine! Told
myself once before that it was dangerous to keep humanies, but I can't help but feel sorry for you pink, hairless, creatures, like little helpless rabbits with no fur. If we could only get rid of that nasty smell, and your bossy ways, I'd think your kind would be downright tip-top smaffy.”

  “Smaffy?” Freddie repeated.

  “Yes,” Gogindy said.

  "What does that mean?" Talic wondered.

  "It means..." Gogindy said, casting them a mysterious glance. “Never you mind what it means. Come, if you must. Follow Gogindy, if that is your desire.”

  He beckoned to them then scurried through the green moonlit forest of dandelions. They followed the Twisker under huge leaves, over big rocks and past small gurgling brooks, until they reached a huge dandelion with a truck the size of a large redwood, with great jagged leaves reaching outwards.

  “Welcome to my humble, but comfortable home,” Gogindy said, leaping onto a dandelion leaf nearest the ground, letting his weight bend it until a small opening was revealed, and a warm yellow light shone out through the darkness.

  "You may all come in, except I'm still very nervous about that one," Gogindy said, pointing to Andrew.

  "He has to come too," Rhapsody said. "I promise, that he will not harm your house in any way."

  Gogindy nodded. Fear quivered through his body. His whiskers trembled, and his lower lip dipped into a sad frown. "Fine!" He finally said. "Come in if you must. But if you so much as wilt a single leaf in my house, or harm it in any way, may you live in itchy tormented sleep for the rest of your life, and may fleas bit your armpits for all eternity!"

  Gogindy held the leaf door open, and watched Andrew with careful trepidation as he slowly followed his friends inside his home. They all quietly slipped through the door, feeling rather surprised by the spaciousness inside. It was a comfortable round room, lit by pleasant glowing mushrooms that gave off a warm green glow. Small, wooden stairs were built into the side of the dandelion, spiraling up its tall green walls. Each set of stairs led up to separate wooden platforms, over which hung small green hammocks made out of leaves.

  “As you can see,” Gogindy said, pointing to a hammock above them, “The carrot is safe and sound, sleeping. Shall I wake her?" Before they could answer him, Gogindy ran up the steep set of stairs to the side of Ivory's bed, and called out in a shrill voice. "Carrot! Wake up. I have brought your friends to you, a whole stew of them, onions, garlics, potatoes, and chili peppers. Now you won't be a sad, lonely carrot anymore.” Gogindy was so excited that he grabbed onto the side of the hammock, and tipped Ivory out onto the floor.

  Thump.

  Ivory groaned, and slowly pushed herself up.

  "See!" Gogindy said, grabbing Ivory's cheeks, and directing her head, until she saw her friends standing below her.

  Ivory let out an excited cry, and ran to greet her friends.

  "Ah," Gogindy laughed, very pleased that he had reunited the carrot with her friends. "I have finally done something right. Come, all of you, you must eat, and talk, and tell me about yourselves." Gogindy smiled and proudly led them to his small, round kitchen table, with green moss growing over the top of it, and several glowing mushrooms spring up from its damp wood.

  “A smidgen of a snack, would you desire?” Gogindy asked them, bustling around the room, setting food on the table. “A small delicious treat, perhaps?”

  “Yes, that would be nice!” Talic exclaimed. “I’m starved.”

  Gogindy looked up at Talic in surprise. “Starved? I’m not sure if I can help you with that particular ailment. I’ve heard that starving humanies eat weird things like old shoes, ropes, and cockroaches. I’m afraid my menu doesn’t have any of those things. But I do have...” He stopped short, and stared to a figure lurking in the back of the room.

  "Oh dear..." Gogindy breathed. "Is that you, dear fellow? Please tell me that it is, so I don't have a heart attack. You left without so much as a goodbye. And now you turn up here again. There are better ways of presenting yourself. Better ways of entering a stranger's house. Like saying hello, or asking to come in. Or ringing the doorbell. Which I don't have. But if I did have a doorbell. It would be the polite..."

  The group at the table froze. Rhapsody quickly stood and glared at the man, and slowly drew his sword.

  The stranger stared back, his hand swiftly moving to his own sword.

  Gogindy's whiskers flared up like rooster feathers, burying his tiny face beneath layers of whiskers. Only his big eyes shown out through the mop of whiskers. “STOP, YOU SAVAGES! There will be no sword banging, no blood gushing in my house, never, never, never, NEVER!” Gogindy jumped onto the table and banged two pot lids noisily together. “There’s no need to fill the air with salty, human-stinky, perspiration---neither of you are enemies. We are all friends here!” Gogindy, breathed in and out in short breaths, until his puffy whiskers slowly settled back down. "There, now." He nodded towards the stranger. “We are all friends here. FRIENDS!"

  “Oh,” the stranger put his sword away. “Why didn't you say so?”

  “I just did,” Gogindy snapped. “Why on earth didn't you knock, and where have you been? Do you know how worried I was, how frightened?”

  “You were worried about me?”

  “No, I wasn’t. Never! Now tell me where you were!”

  The stranger chuckled bitterly. “I was stealing a horse from the bandits who stole a bunch of horses from the east caravan. Lucky for me, those bloodthirsty brutes were camped not far from here, dead drunk. They never saw me. Got the very best horse, too.”

  “You should be very proud of yourself,” Gogindy said, sending the stranger an angry look. “Stealing from a thief only causes trouble! You have better not led those bandits back here. Or I shall throw you back where you came from. And I hope you didn't bring that horse near my house. I don't need that grass-eating animal digesting my door.”

  “No one saw me come here. And I promise you your door is safe,” the man said, stepping nearer to the table. “I can assure you of that.”

  “Good, good,” Gogindy exclaimed, waving a plate of food in front of the man. “Now eat, visit, and rest. Eating together is the best thing strangers can to, for one can not eat together and not learn to be friends afterward. Eating, is what keeps us alive, and eating together is what keeps us all friends. It keeps us, bound in digestion to the things we eat, and the conversations we consume. Then in the morning, as sure and long as the whiskers of St. Twisker of old, you all must be sure to leave as quietly as you came."

  The stranger bowed low to the group at the table. His serious face was hidden under his hood, so that all they could tell of the man that he was tall, and well built, with a commanding presence. “Forgive me,” the man said. “Gogindy is right. I'm sorry. I believe we haven't been properly introduced.”

  “No, we haven’t,” Rhapsody retorted, squinting at the man, and frowning. “Who are you?” The man took a step nearer to Rhapsody, and pulled his hood back away from his face. "I am no one. Only a lost soul.”

  "Are we not all lost souls?" Rhapsody asked.

  "Perhaps," the man replied. "But I have lost more than most."

  "And what have you lost?"

  "My identity."

  Rhapsody's eyes lit with great interest. "You do not know who you are?"

  "No," the man said. "I don't."

  "Where did you come from?" Rhapsody asked.

  "The Dandelion Den river!" Gogindy cut in. "That's where he came from. I found him nearly drowned, and pulled him to shore."

  "How did he get there?" Rhapsody wondered.

  "I do not know," Gogindy said. "I only know what I already told you. He was nearly dead. He had a nasty gash on his head, and looked half starved, and half naked, like a war victim. Good thing I had a stash of people clothes on hand, from previous rummages of mine. I think he probably came from the prison camps down below the hills."

  "So, you have no recollection of who you are?" Rhapsody asked,
analyzing the man's features. He had a desperate, lost look in his eyes and a confused expression on his face.

  He shook his head. "No. I don't know who I am. I only remember fragments of misplaced memories, if I can even call them that."

  Rhapsody slowly stepped around the man, inspecting him quietly. "Hmmm. You do remind me of someone..."

  "Who?"

  Rhapsody shook his head. "Ah, no. It couldn't be. It's silly."

  "Please," The man urged Rhapsody, "if you know anything at all..."

  "How would I know who you are?" Rhapsody snapped. "I just met you."

  "But who do I remind you of?" The man insisted.

  "A hobo."

  The man scowled.

  "What do you remember of your past life," Rhapsody asked.

  The man sighed. "I remember...a man riding a white horse alongside of me, hunting through a beautiful green country with terraced rice fields and, a young girl, with brown hair, waiting for our return. But, I can't seem to remember much of anything else that makes any sense."

  Rhapsody stroked his orange beard, like it was a brittle cascade of tumbleweeds. "Terraced rice fields...huh..."

  "Yes," the man answered. "Do you know if such a place exists?"

  Rhapsody nodded. "Yes. Such a place does exist."

  "And where is that?"

  "Danspire, it is the land of the rice patties, every inch of that land is full of rice. It's beautiful."

  The man looked at Rhapsody, drinking in every word he spoke. "What else?"

  Rhapsody frowned, and shook his head. "It is a land full of lies. Heaps, and heaps of lies. There are so many lies there that the city is clouded by them, darkened, and overcast by the thickness of deceptions sold, bought, and carted there. It's a wonder the rice fields grow, because the lies are now so thick they block out the light of the sun."

  "Danspire?" the man wondered. "Would you take me there?"

  "Why would I take you there?" Rhapsody balked.

  "Because I want to know who I am. I'm sure if I go there, I will remember."

  "Hah," Rhapsody laughed. "The lies grow so thickly there, you would remember nothing, but perhaps a false memory of a past life you never had."

  "Please," the man asked. "I would do anything to know."

  "Anything?" Rhapsody asked, slowly raising his eyebrows.

  "Yes, name your price."

  Rhapsody glanced behind him at Andrew, and smiled. "Fine. You must come with us, and be our bodyguard. And then, if our journey takes us to Danspire, as surely it will, perhaps you may learn who you are."

  The man's face filled with hope. His hands quivered, and a misty sheen filled his eyes. He stepped away from Rhapsody, and straightened his shoulders. "It is done." The man’s soft, brown hair was illuminated by the warm glow from the light of the room. His eyes mirrored the faint feeling of pride that had been hidden only moments before by sorrow. He had a strong jaw, and a smooth marble face that looked just, full of silent suffering, and great compassion. "I will protect you, as I would my own name, if I had one."

  "But you do have a name!" Gogindy cried. "I gave you one, the day I found you. Or have you forgotten that already. It's Monday."

  "Monday?"

  "Yes, it seems like an appropriate name. After all, Monday was the day I found you."

  The man stared at Gogindy, amused. His hazel eyes were filled with quiet pride. His brown hair hung in locks about his face. He looked youthful, yet much wiser, and sadder than most men should look at his age.

  "Well, okay, Monday," Rhapsody said, nodding to Monday. "You are no longer nameless. Gogindy has given you one."

  After Rhapsody spoke, there was a long awkward silence where everyone stared at each other, no one knowing quite what to say.

  Gogindy finally let out a loud howl, and pounded his small fists on the table. "I can't stand it! Someone say something, anything! If there is anything a Twisker hates, it is long blank moments in which there is nothing said. Utterly detestable! The world’s silent enough, without people helping the quiet out. If silence got its way, it would take over the world, and all we would do is think. That’d be awful, just awful. I can’t even imagine.”

  “Can’t imagine thinking?” Rhapsody asked, looking at the Twisker with worried eyes. “The world would be a much better place if more people spoke less and listened more.”

  “Oh…you just don’t get it, do you?” Gogindy cried. “You’d have to be a Twisker to understand.” Gogindy twitched his long whiskers, causing several dishes on the table to fall to the ground and shatter.

  “Oh, the disaster!” Gogindy cussed, sweeping up the mess with his long whiskers. “I go through several sets of dishes a week. If ever you get a Twisker a gift---dishes would be most appreciated.”

  “What about scissors?” Andrew asked. "Then you wouldn't need dishes."

  Gogindy's eyes grew wide. He stopped sweeping, and stared at Andrew as if he had uttered something terrible. “What did you just say?”

  "Scissors?"

  "Oh!!!!" Gogindy howled, trembling. "The terror! Never say that word again! Ever! All that a Twisker is or ever hopes to be, comes from their whiskers. From their courage, to their strength, all that is in the whiskers. If his whiskers were to be cut, it'd be like taking his life. He'd be utterly useless."

  "But why?" Andrew asked.

  “Why? Why!" Gogindy snapped. "If you had ever grown any whiskers, you wouldn't have to ask such a stupid question. If you’re not careful, when you’re asking an unsuspecting unintelligent, question the Questiongrabber will snatch your tongue and tie it into a big knot.”

  “Who?”

  “There it is again!”

  “What?”

  “You just spoke another!”

  “I did?”

  “That makes three? Please, stop! Stop!” Gogindy held a protective hand over Andrew’s mouth and gazed around the room in alarm. “Good,” he panted, “I think, you’re safe. But you must cease this onslaught of questions.” He scurried over to his little cabinet and came back with a plate of food, heaped to overflowing, and stuffed a great big muffin in Andrew's mouth.

  “Hurry, eat, fill your mouth, fill your belly. Eat lots and lots, and lots. Just don't ask any more stupid questions!" He looked at Andrew’s plate and shook his head, as if the small corner with an empty space on it offended him, and then dumped a pile of red berries over the spot.

  “Eat,” he said. “It’ll give you strength to fix the dead dandelion.”

  "What dead dandelion?" Andrew asked.

  "Another brainless question. What dead dandelion? As if you didn't know. You know, the one you turned into an ugly burnt stick of charcoal. You need to fix it, if you're ever to leave this place. If you step one foot out of my house, your cover will be blown, and..."

  Rhapsody's sighed, and stared directly at Gogindy. "It's not possible. Andrew needs his strength for more important things.”

  “But, what could be more important than fixing a dandelion? Besides if you don’t let him do it, you’ll never get your special stick back, the Twiskers stole.”

  “I know.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes.”

  "Can't I try?" Andrew asked. "I don't see what harm would be in trying, especially if it could make it easier for us to get out of here. It would give me more experience."

  Rhapsody shook his head. “Andrew. No. It's out of the question. I don't want you using your gifts on a whim.”

  “But, don’t you need your staff back?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, it’s already decided. I’ll do it in the morning.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  Andrew narrowed his eyes, and locked his gaze on Rhapsody. "It's my decision."

  Rhapsody slowly nodded. "Fine. But I won't be responsible for the consequences that may follow."

  “Then it's settled!” Gogindy cried, whooping for joy. "Tomorrow, after you fix
the dandelion, I shall be the hero of the Dandelion Den, and all will be put back in order!"