by L. R. W. Lee
Chapter Eleven
Where’s Methuselah?
The next morning, Andy packed a backpack with everything he thought he might need: a blanket, rain poncho, two changes of clothes, matches, a compass, the gold key, the sword hilt of Methuselah, and more. He then dressed in his scratchy leggings and tunic. I still don’t understand why I’ve been chosen, but maybe… He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Maybe I can help. I did almost destroy the castle after all.
With a nod, Andy exited his room, listing to the left under the weight of his pack. In an alcove to the right of the door, a two-foot tall statue of a victorious knight, its foot pressing down on an enemy’s neck, looked up and waved. “Fare thee well, lad!” Andy did a double take. He’d passed this statue many times. It had never moved, let alone spoken. He shook his head. I must be imagining things.
Andy leaned down.
“I’m Sir Lancelot,” the little man squeaked. To the captive under his foot he warned, “Clarence, stop squirming. Show some dignity, man. I’m trying to have a conversation here.” Then, turning his attention back to Andy, he said, “Sorry about that. These barbarians lack manners.”
“Oh. Hi. I’m Andy. Nice to meet you. How is it that you can talk to me?”
“You now possess a gold key about you.”
“Gold key. Oh…really? The gold key makes you alive?”
“At your service.”
“Thank you.” That is totally awesome! Andy glanced both ways down the hall then leaned back in. “I’m headed on a mission to retrieve the scale of a red dragon. But don’t tell anyone.”
“On my honor, you have my word.” The little man saluted.
“Uh…carry on, Sir Lancelot.” Andy returned the gesture as he headed toward the stairs.
“I will, sir!” echoed the knight, clicking his heels together. “Fare thee well!”
As Andy made his way toward breakfast, each statue he passed greeted him. Wow! This is amazing.
The King’s boisterous laugh met Andy as he entered the dining hall. “Andy, you’re only going for eight or nine days. Are you sure you need all that? You’re going to have to carry it all.”
“I wanted to be prepared,” he reasoned, taking his pack off and resting it against a nearby wall.
Andy overheard Mermin whisper to the King, “He may pack lighter for the next twip.”
The King chuckled his agreement.
Let’s hope there’s no “next trip.”
Andy did not mention his experience with the castle artwork as he ate breakfast. He finished his cereal, excused himself, and joined Alden in the kitchen. Marta was just putting the last of the food she had prepared for their journey into a large backpack that held Alden’s supplies. She looked at Andy and gave a half smile. “I don’t know why the King is sending you two on this trip. It could be very dangerous.”
“We’ll be careful. I promise.” Andy gave Marta a big hug and a kiss. She feels like Mom. He swallowed a lump in his throat, forced a laugh, and asked, “Can you have some chocolate chip cookies ready for when we get back?”
Marta nodded and ran her hand down his cheek. Then, turning to Alden, she hugged him as if she would never see him again. After giving a heavy sigh, she wiped her eyes.
Alden shouldered his backpack. Despite its weight, he uttered no complaint. Joining the King and Mermin in the dining hall, Andy grabbed his backpack and slung it on, tilting precariously in the process. When he had righted himself with a little help from the wall, he felt the side pocket for the key and the sword hilt. Good. Right where I packed them.
The four headed down the grand staircase to the entry. Whooshing, creaking, and groaning met them as a servant heaved the gear to lower the drawbridge.
True to form, the fog occluded the end of the span where it came to rest. Mermin handed Andy “A New Beginning,” which he had retrofitted to be worn like a hat. Andy put it on and buckled the chin strap. “It’s really light.”
In just a few minutes, the fog thinned and then cleared for a good distance.
Alden, who was seeing the invention for the first time, dropped his jaw. “This is awesome!”
“Thank you, Mermin!” Andy grinned.
“My pleasure.”
The King placed his hands on Andy’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “It is no accident that Methuselah has appeared. I have great confidence in you.”
Alden cocked his head and Andy fidgeted before replying, “Thank you, sir.”
The King and Mermin gave Andy and Alden hugs, then the two boys headed across the drawbridge toward the city of Oops.
“What he did he mean by that?” Alden probed as they walked.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Alden frowned and shook his head.
The two hadn’t spent much time together since the end of the festival, what with chores and preparations going on. Now, the silence forced an awkward hush. Should I ask him about why he seems upset with me?
The thought vanished as a farmer pushing a large wooden cart full of produce passed by. The burly man sent them a questioning look as he continued on his way. The next pair of men they passed raised their eyebrows at seeing them. Andy overheard one of them comment about the sudden lightness of the fog.
“We’re probably quite a sight,” laughed Andy, trying to lighten the mood. “Between our overstuffed backpacks, this shiny silver bowl on my head, and—pardon me for saying, Alden—your neon-green hair, we’re a piece of work!”
Alden gave a half smile.
A bit farther down the path, they passed a young girl leading a cow by a rope halter. The cow seemed happy enough to follow since she enticed it with an apple. The girl recognized Andy from the festival and congratulated him on his heroic actions. Alden gave Andy a passing frown.
Soon they came upon a gaggle of women carrying baskets of clothes on their heads, all heading to do laundry in the Crystal River that flowed nearby. The ladies were cackling to each other like grackles, but when one spotted the boys, she heaped praise on Andy. The other ladies echoed enthusiastically, to which the corners of Alden’s mouth fell.
At one point a herd of goats nearly ran over Andy and Alden. A shepherd boy following behind struggled to manage them. It was clear who was boss, and it wasn’t the boy. He kept running back and forth to either side of the herd, yelling and waving his arms, trying to stop the animals from going into the trees that lined the path. The animals ignored him. One goat stopped right next to Alden, stood up on its hind legs, and tried to nibble the food it smelled in the top of his backpack. Alden backed away, and the shepherd boy ran over, apologizing profusely. It registered who he was speaking to seconds later and he gasped. “You saved your friend at the festival!”
Andy nodded.
More apologies followed. But when the goats decided to bolt, the boy excused himself. Andy and Alden felt sorry for him, but they knew there was nothing to do to help the kid.
By lunchtime, the boys had reached the southernmost end of Goozy Bog. They found an old oak tree whose branches shaded more than half the road, removed their packs, and sat down to rest.
“Mermin’s invention is working great!” Andy observed. “I’ve never seen it so clear.”
“Yeah,” Alden agreed, but said no more.
Andy took off his pack and the fog-clearing cap. “Oh, that’s better.” He ran his hands through his hair and moved his arms in circles, stretching his sore back muscles. “What did your mom pack us for lunch?”
Alden rummaged in the top of his backpack. After spreading the various parcels on the ground, he announced, “Fried chicken.”
Andy bit into the still-warm, savory meat with enthusiasm. After downing four drumsticks and a fresh roll, he wiped his greasy hands on some nearby grass.
“My dad took me camping in the woods one time.” Yeah, the only time, what with Dad always so busy running his company. Andy didn’t mention that, but recounted his memories of the event as Alden finished e
ating.
Lunch complete, Andy replaced the fog-clearing cap while Alden repacked their provisions. They picked up their backpacks and set off once more.
“My pack feels heavier than it did this morning,” commented Andy.
“Yeah, mine too. Maybe we shouldn’t have brought so much.”
They picked their way down the path that wound around Goozy Bog. Alden knew where most of the patches of quicksand were near the road and did his best to steer them around those, but sometimes the path turned soft as the bog spread its tentacles, seemingly dissatisfied with its current bounds.
While Andy had never experienced quicksand, he vividly remembered his nightmares after hearing Mermin’s stories. They rounded a bend, and Andy saw bubbles rising from a particularly muddy part of the bog. “What’s that?” He pointed.
“I’m not sure, but I once heard that’s where a person got sucked under, only they’re still not dead. Those are their air bubbles.”
A chill went up Andy’s spine. “I thought Mermin said if you get sucked under in quicksand, you die because you can’t breathe.”
“I don’t know, I’m just telling you what some folks say.”
“Well, if whoever is in there didn’t die, why doesn’t someone help them out?”
“Lots of people have tried, but they’ve never found anyone under there. He must be so far down no one can reach him. He’ll stay there forever.”
Andy’s eyes grew wide and he gulped. What a horrible way to live…or die…or whatever that person’s doing.
They walked on for a bit and started seeing enormous trees off to their right. The trees were bigger than any Andy had seen, and he’d seen some big ones. He remembered the trip he and his family took to Sequoia National Forest. Now those were huge trees! One of them was so big, you could drive a car through the middle of it. But these trees were at least twice that size! And they grew so thick the boys couldn’t see far into the woods, even though it was midday and Mermin’s invention cleared away the fog.
“What is that?” Andy asked.
“That’s the Forest of Giants.”
“Those trees are gigantic!”
“Remember what Mermin told us about the guy who got dragged in there and was never heard from again?”
“I remember,” shuddered Andy. “There sure is a lot of scary stuff out here. It was bad enough when Mermin was telling us about it, but now that we’re here—”
“You just have to know what can hurt you and stay away from it.”
“That’s easier said than done. I’m glad you’re here.”
They continued walking on the path. Before long, Andy had the strange feeling they were being watched. He glanced into the forest but thankfully didn’t see anything. I’m just imagining things, he kept telling himself.
But as they continued, the feeling plagued him. Every time he thought he heard something in the trees, which was often, he glanced over to see…nothing. It was a creepy feeling.
“I feel like we’re being watched,” Andy confided at last.
“I’ve had that feeling too. Let’s just keep a look out.”
The sun began casting late-afternoon shadows across Goozy Bog. After all the walking, the boys grew hungry and chose to stop and rest for a few minutes. Alden located bread and cheese in his pack and handed some to his companion.
Andy sat on the ground as he ate. He leaned against his pack, which cushioned a large boulder by the side of the road. He felt the side pocket for the gold key and the sword hilt. He found the key right away but couldn’t locate the hilt. He popped the last bite of snack in his mouth as he turned to more closely examine his pack. Plunging his hand to the bottom of the pocket, he felt around. Nothing. Panic began rising. He hauled the contents out in seconds and took inventory. “What happened to it?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t find Methuselah! It has to be here. It was there this morning before we left the castle, I felt it!” He pushed back the cap.
After a second search of the contents of his backpack, Andy had to accept that the sword was missing. He thought back to where they had been, trying desperately to determine where he might have lost it.
“Did you have it after we ate lunch?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t remember checking my pack for it after lunch. We have to find it!”
Andy and Alden packed up their gear and began retracing their steps. With the sun getting lower in the sky, the Forest of Giants looked more threatening and Goozy Bog more ominous. Running most of the way, heavy packs bouncing, they reached their lunchtime location just as the sun set—Andy knew the orange glow would be gone within minutes.
“You look over there and I’ll look over here,” Andy instructed.
Several minutes of searching turned up nothing, and Andy’s panic grew.
Alden interrupted the search several minutes later. “It’s getting dark. You keep looking. I’ll find some wood and set up camp.”
Andy’s thoughts raced. How could I be so stupid? Stupid, stupid, stupid! It has to be here! It just has to be!
In no time, Alden had a roaring fire built. Andy continued his search, stumbling in the dark over tree roots and rocks.
“Why don’t we pick up the search in the morning?” Alden suggested from his seat on a log next to the fire where he prepared dinner.
“I have to find it tonight!”
A long while later Andy stumbled over a rotten log and fell to his knees. As he stood, he thought he saw something shining in the firelight not far away. He crept closer. Could it be? He had nearly reached it when he felt his footing slip, and he sunk down to his knees.
“Alden, help! I’m stuck in quicksand!” He struggled to escape, and with every movement the muck pulled him closer to its hungry belly. Just then he heard a woman’s voice celebrating his misfortune…
“Wahoo!” she cheered, clapping enthusiastically.
“Imogenia, I can’t believe you did this! Stop it! Get him out this minute!” a man’s voice chided.
“What? I didn’t do anything. He did this to himself. He saved me the trouble. Ha, ha!” the lady cackled. Andy barely noticed in his panic.
Alden reached Andy just as his waist disappeared below the surface. “Don’t move! The more you move, the faster you’ll sink!”
“What should I do?”
“Try floating on your back. You should stay up long enough for me to find a branch and pull you out.”
Andy moved as slowly as possible. He had taken swimming lessons a couple years ago at summer camp, and while he wasn’t any good at most of the strokes, he had mastered the back float. But floating in water proved completely different than quicksand. No sooner had he laid back than thick sand started to ooze into his ears and smother his hair. All he could think about were the people who had suffocated. He glanced out of the corner of one eye, trying to locate Alden, but there was only darkness.
“Alden! Don’t leave me!”
A minute later, Alden appeared carrying a freshly cut branch about an inch in diameter. “I had to find one that was strong enough to drag you to solid ground. There aren’t a lot of smaller trees to choose from around here. And the dark made it take even longer. Okay, I’m going to lay this over your arms. When you feel it, grab hold. I’ll pull you out.”
Andy did as Alden instructed. As soon as he felt the leaves from the branch touch his chest, he grabbed hold. Moving too quickly, his head went completely under and muck went up his nose. He closed his eyes and gasped for air—the ooze took advantage and filled his mouth. He coughed and sputtered and nearly let go, struggling to stave off his rising panic.
“You’re almost there!” Alden encouraged.
After several terrifying minutes, Andy felt Alden’s hands grab hold of his tunic and pull him to solid ground. He rolled over, coughing and spitting goop from his mouth, then wiped his eyes. “I thought I was going to be sucked under!”
“I wasn’t going to let that happen.”
/> Andy caught his breath and staggered up, heading to rest near the fire. The quicksand had a strange, unpleasant smell, like decaying fish. He stripped and used the soiled clothes to wipe as much as possible out of his hair, off his face, and from between his toes and several other crevices, but his efforts proved only partly effective—the quicksand stuck like superglue. Only the pouch around his neck escaped complete saturation thanks to the protection his tunic afforded. He finally gave up, changing into clean clothes and donating the dirty set to the hungry fire. While he felt a little better, Andy knew it would be morning before he could find someplace to wash.
“So much for retrieving Methuselah tonight,” Andy moaned as he ate. “But at least I know where it is.”
After they finished dinner, Andy turned to Alden. “Thanks for saving my life. I guess we’re even.”
“Yeah,” Alden replied, half smiling as he stared at the ground.
That sure sounded fake. He ran a hand against the back of his neck before opening his mouth to speak, but Alden cut him off.
“Let’s turn in. I’m beat.” Without waiting for consensus, the Cartesian grabbed his bedroll and lay down with his back toward Andy and the fire.
Whatever. Andy shook his head, then smoothed out his bedroll and covered up against the chilly night air. His thoughts refused sleep admittance, however, as the terror of nearly being sucked under marauded through his brain. Only his mind turning to the challenges that lay ahead overwhelmed the nightmares making them seem like child’s play—the nebulous evil he was to overcome, the Forest of Giants, evading detection at the watchtowers, battling a dragon. His stomach twisted.
Andy’s inneru interrupted, “Remember when you used to be afraid of monsters under your bed at night?”
Andy remembered the terror he had felt so often when he was little.
“If you had to get out of bed when your room was dark, you used to stand on your pillow and take a running leap so the monsters couldn’t grab your legs and pull you under.”
Andy smiled, recalling those times. How’d you know about that?
“Remember when you told your sister how scared you were of monsters under your bed?” continued his inneru, ignoring the inquiry. “Ha, ha! She scared you good that night. She hid under there and jumped out when you got up to go pee after the lights were off!”
That wasn’t funny. I wet myself!
“Oh, come on. Lighten up. It was too funny!”
Okay, maybe it was a little funny…
“So, when did you finally stop believing there were monsters under your bed?”
I…um…I don’t know.
“From what I’m seeing, it looks like you stopped being scared shortly after that talk with your grandfather when you visited him a few summers ago.”
Andy’s mind recalled the conversation. Grandpa had told him, “Being afraid is normal and keeps you alive many times. However, the minute you realize you’re afraid, you have a choice. Either you can allow your fear to control you, or you can choose to control it.” Andy swallowed.
Yeah, I remember the night after he told me that. I woke up and had to go pee. I remember, I grabbed my toy sword and hopped off my bed. I stood there and challenged the monsters to come get me if they dared. I wasn’t going to wet the bed just because of them! None ever showed themselves. Come to think of it, I didn’t worry about monsters after that.
Several minutes later Andy deduced, If I don’t name my fear, I can’t fight it. It’s just scary…no, terrifying. But if I admit to it—if I name it—I can choose to control it because then I can see how it affects me…
The image of standing paralyzed in the face of a dragon’s blast skittered across Andy’s mind. He inhaled sharply.
Okay, I’m afraid I’ll freeze when I fight that dragon. He exhaled loudly, willing courage to show itself. If that happens, at least I’ve said it. Hopefully that’s enough to keep me moving.
His mind brought forth another fear: The Forest of Giants scares me. I don’t know what’s in there.
The admission didn’t banish his fear, but it shrunk it from gorilla-sized to bunny-sized, and he breathed easier until his thoughts dug up his deepest worry: the evil I’m supposed to fight… His heart raced.
“Andy!” the voice in his head startled him, and he pivoted his head about the campsite. “One step at a time. With practice you’ll get better at managing your fear.”
Andy exhaled. Right.
It felt strange to admit. Usually he tried to ignore and bury his fear, hoping it would go away lest others think he was weak and pick on him.
Minutes later, Andy escaped to dreamland.
Andy and Alden awoke the next morning to the sound of bleating goats. One long-horned beast had knocked over Alden’s backpack. It now gobbled up moonberries from among the spilled contents.
“It’s eating our food!” Alden yelled, sitting up.
Andy leapt from his blankets and charged the goat. The creature took one look at Andy’s spiky hair and bolted. Not only did Andy have a major case of bed head, but the dried quicksand made it look like he had multiple horns. The “herding challenged” boy they had met yesterday made his way over to them and once more apologized profusely. He also mentioned there was a public well in the village of Oohhh where Andy could wash up.
After the unwelcome visitors had left, Alden inventoried what remained of their provisions. The goat had eaten nearly half of their food. They would need to ration what was left.
Andy headed back over to where he had seen Methuselah in the dark. Ugh. Stupid. If only I’d waited for daylight. The hilt rested behind a patch of dense ferns right where he had set his backpack during their lunch stop the day before.
“I had no idea we were so close to quicksand,” he mumbled to himself. He walked over and snatched it up, declaring, “Found it!” Unwilling to repeat the problem, Andy dropped both the key and hilt in his pouch and tucked it under his tunic. While the weight of the hilt made the drawstring pull at his neck, it was a trade he happily made.
They packed up their gear and quenched what remained of the fire. With Andy’s cleanliness challenges, Alden volunteered to wear “A New Beginning,” and after buckling it under his chin, the boys headed toward the village of Oohhh. Andy couldn’t wait to wash up. The grime between his toes started chafing, working like sandpaper and making his skin raw. Even after stopping a number of times to brush off what he could, every step became more and more painful. How much farther?
While the Forest of Giants still gave Andy the creeps as they passed, the pain in his feet and elsewhere gave him something else to focus on. Hunger stopped them before they could reach relief, however. The boys ate a quick lunch and continued on. Andy fingered his pouch for the gold key and Methuselah as they set out.
After passing the farthest limits of Goozy Bog, they passed only a handful of people before reaching the village of Oohhh around mid-afternoon. The well the shepherd boy mentioned was not hard to find—the large stone structure stood in the middle of the town square. Multiple buckets, each with a long rope, hung from posts around its generous circumference. Several women had gathered to fill water jugs as well as to get their fill of town gossip.
While Andy would normally have been modest, his body was so sore from the chafing sand that he stripped down to the bare essentials in front of everyone, silencing conversation and drawing stares. Alden sat down nearby, removed the fog-clearing cap, and waited. Andy drew water, overhearing mutterings about Cartesians as he started washing.
“Got stuck in quicksand, boy?” one woman remarked. “You’re lucky to be alive!” Several others made similar comments and more snide remarks about Cartesians.
Andy ignored them. He hoped Alden turned a deaf ear as well. He doused his face and then his hair—Ugh, my hair is gross. It took a long time to get the worst of it out, but finally Andy finger-combed his hair into submission, getting it to lay flat on his head instead of sticking up all over like he’d inserted his finger in
to a light socket. He grabbed his backpack, headed behind a nearby building, and changed into fresh clothes.
He reemerged to hear a woman commenting to Alden, “Didn’t you win the Tower Chase competition at the festival? I recognize your bright green hair.”
“Yes, I did,” Alden replied, beaming.
“Then your friend must be the one who saved you,” continued the woman, pointing at Andy.
“Yes, that was me, ma’am.” Andy puffed out his chest.
At this, the woman shouted, “Hey, this kid is the one who saved his friend from the poison dart at the festival!”
A host of villagers immediately surrounded the boys, praising Andy for his heroic actions.
“You must be relieved that your friend saved you,” one villager gushed to Alden.
“Yeah…relieved,” Alden smiled begrudgingly.
A round, silvery-haired woman stepped forward from the crowd. “I’m Bee, the innkeeper’s wife. You must join me and my husband for dinner tonight, to celebrate.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” replied Andy. “We’d like that.”
He glanced over at Alden and saw a frown flit over his face.
“What’s the matter?” Andy asked as they followed Bee.
“It’s not important.” Alden said no more.
Andy shook his head. He wanted to press him, but the moment wasn’t right.
Bee hustled them homeward. In fact, she was in such a hurry that for a brief moment the thought “What’s the rush?” tickled Andy’s mind. He checked the pouch for the key and Methuselah. They were both there, but Methuselah felt warm—warmer than usual at least. That’s weird. No, I’m just imagining things.