But Sometimes One Wished....
Everything had Changed, Dear Readers, and the Wizard was afraid! He knew that nothing ever stayed the same... and yet, how often had he stood in this very spot and not seen This very Chamber? When had he looked away.... and if he were to stand very still... would he see the changes unfold before him? He had no answers for this, but he knew in his bones, that much more than this had changed! Trouble stalked the Land, and he felt Powerless to push back the Evil. For he knew the Darkness was Inevitable... it was written in the Stars and the motion of the Planets themselves.... but the Evil was not! It had somehow gained a foothold in the Land, spreading lies and distrust, turning neighbor against neighbor, a poison that was invisible and insidious and thrived on Fear. And yes, even he was afraid! There were rumors of a great Plague that was sweeping through the Cities and Towns... the Grim Reaper was on the move and taking a Terrible Toll! And in which era it flourished most... he could not be sure... for Plague had come before.... and would come again.
Of this he was certain!
But that was not what worried him the most....
The Greater danger was the Fear....
the lies, the distrust, the loss of common decency...
the erosion of Faith!
And he knew this Deeply himself, for everywhere he looked
all he saw was the Darkness.
When had his Dreams been stolen...? He wondered....
He could Remember standing at the Fountain of Dreams...
and could feel the Summer breezes
and hear the gentle music of the water...
But Something had Shifted....
He could not be sure if he was Dreaming....
Or seeing another's Dreams...
For suddenly a Selkie swam up from the depths of the fountain!
She was singing a Haunting song
in a Language he did not understand...
It was as though she was seeking the Lad... Peregrine...
For he stood there at the Fountain too...
But did he hear the Selkie's Song...?
And what was she seeking from him....?
And where had he gone....?
For the Wizard did not remember
seeing him dogging his shadow in recent days....
An idea that had not bothered him until now...!
Where had the Lad gone?
And I hope you will recall, Dear Readers,
another young Lad who often was found playing in the Castle ruins,
even though he had been warned not to many times!
Tommy was ever fascinated by the ancient Castle,
and the idea of Treasure that he might find!
And he had been present when
Perry had found the Great Sword "Harbinger".
Tommy had returned to the Castle again and again
in the hopes that he too could use that sword!
And he was headed there again this lovely Autumn afternoon.
He had ridden this way on his pony "Prince" many times before,
but it all seemed different this afternoon.
The path was not as clear and the ground was rougher.
He had not noticed when the path had shifted.
And he was not paying much attention to the world around him...
when suddenly a ray of sun caught his eyes....
It made him blink... and then he wasn't sure
of what he was seeing before him....
But Prince was frightened!
He reared up suddenly, tossing Tommy from his back,
then turned and ran for home!
Tommy was left lying breathless on the ground.
And then he saw what had spooked Prince....
Well, he thought... he wasn't silly enough
to be afraid of a bunch of old skeletons!
He wouldn't let that keep him from going to the Castle...
even if he did have to walk the rest of the way!
But as he approached the Castle on foot,
he thought how much bigger it looked than ever before.
Maybe he hadn't approached from this direction before...
or maybe not on foot...
But he didn't remember seeing Battlements like that before!
And the steps to the door seemed
much more forbidding than he remembered....
But perhaps that was because he usually went into the Stables below...
But those great doors were closed fast.
Perhaps he didn't need to go right inside yet, he thought...
perhaps he would look around first...
he could hear the ocean below the cliffs...
and a haunting song carried on the wind...
He'd never gone to the cliffs edge before...!
It was a sharp drop to the ocean far below....
and a heavy fog was lying just off shore.
He could hear the song better the closer he came to the edge...
And then he noticed something right below him...
It looked like a boat...
with someone about to get in and sail to sea...
He could barely make out the figures....
Was that the other boy... "whats-his-name"...?
What was he doing getting into a boat....?
With a fog rolling in?
And I am sure you realize, Dear Readers,
that Peregrine had heard the Selkie's song
when she first sang from the Fountain of Dreams.
It had sounded like the most beautiful song he'd ever heard!
And after a while the words had taken shape in his mind...
"Peregrine...." she sang... "You must come to me...."
"I saved you from the sea..... now you belong to me..."
He could hear them chanting endlessly....
and he tried to stay away.
But day by day... week by week,
the song grew more insistent...
and changed...!
"Peregrine..... your life is your bond... as good as your word..."
"You must bring to me the Enchanted Sword...."
It began to torment him!
And at last he gave in and thought...
"what have I to lose?"
He retrieved the sword from the chest
where they had left it long ago and strapped it to his back.
The little boat he had sailed many times before....
He pulled it to the water's edge...
He did not even mind that the fog was rolling in....
He just wanted the song to stop...
And the Selkie to go away....
And he didn't care about the Sword.....
Not at all....!
But the Wizard did!
And he feared he was too late....!
Well, Dear Readers, Time does not stand still...
Even though we might sometimes Wish it could...
We are all at its Mercy....
You will have to wait....!
To be continued......
