Bugley, the Ugly Bog
PART II
Bugley was just drifting off into a lovely nap when Ferdinand hopped onto his big belly and ordered, "Up, up, up! Must keep moving!" "Why must we keep moving?" complained Bugley. "Because I'm restless, that's why. And when a Dwarf Dragon gets restless, he gets into trouble." "Very well, then," grumbled Bugley as he struggled to his feet with a grunt. At least the pack wasn't heavy any more, since they had eaten all the food.
Ferdinand decided to try walking for a while, since his wings had become a bit weary. He landed in front of Bugley and began to walk. Bugley had never seen a dragon walk any distance at all, so when he saw Ferdinand waddling to and fro like a duck out of water, he chuckled to himself. They walked and walked for a very long time, and the forest floor began getting bumpy and hilly. There were fewer and fewer fire trees, and more and more of some VERY tall trees that were unfamiliar to both Ferdinand and Bugley. The trunks and limbs of these trees were such deep azurene they were almost nightshade, and the leaves were so high it was hard to see their shape, but they appeared to be thin and spiny—such a pale fernfoam that they seemed almost nonehue. The dark fernfoam-coloured feddleferns were slowly being replaced by tall, fisselfoam grass with little nightshade seed pods. Great nonehue rocks were everywhere, seeming to pop up just any which way. The ground was soft azurestone, and Bugley guessed it must be from the mixture of the dark azurene bark of the trees and the nonehue rocks. It was a strange but beautiful land. Bugley noticed that the sounds of the Fire Forest had ceased—no winger calls or chipper chatter. The land had become almost silent except for the tinkling sound of something high overhead. A soft breeze blew and the sound grew louder, dying down with the slowing of the breeze. Bugley decided the sound must be coming from the treetops. "Ferdinand... Will you fly up there and investigate that tinkly sound?" asked Bugley. "I'm curious about that myself," agreed Ferdinand, who in seconds reached the treetops. The breeze was much stronger there and he had to work to keep control. Finally, Ferdinand managed to break off one of the leaves-which was not like any leaf he had ever seen. It was more like a pale fernfoam crystal. He flew back down to show it to Bugley. "What do you think of this?!?" shouted Ferdinand as he dove straight at Bugley, nearly shiskabobbing him with the long, sharp object. "First of all, I think I'd like you to put it down before I come close to it." Ferdinand lay the large sparkling thing next to Bugley's foot. Bugley looked at it carefully. "Why, it's not a leaf at all! It's a crystal. But how could a crystal grow from a tree?" Bugley exclaimed. He walked up a little hill to reach one of the tall, dark trees. The surface of the tree was smooth looking, so Bugley reached out his paw to feel its trunk. To his amazement, the trunk was made of stone. "What a strange place this is," he said. "Ferdinand, come feel the trunk of this tree." Ferdinand rubbed his wing against the tree and exclaimed, "This isn't a tree! This is an enchanted Serpenknight. My father once told me the legend of the Serpenknight. I never knew they were real!" "Tell me too, please," urged Bugley. Ferdinand drew a deep breath and began...
"Father said that the Serpenknights once lived in the parts of Forever Waters that were too deep even for the blowfish to swim in. They were only able to surface at night, for the two suns would make them shrivel up and fall apart. The night gave them plenty of time to terrorize Forever Waters though. As you can see, they were giants. When they came up from the deep they would eat ANYTHING in their paths. They were the ONLY creatures in all of Imaginaria that ate flesh. The more they ate, the more warlike and quarrelsome they became. The water creatures learned to hide in small underwater caves, and the ones that needed to breathe air would all come out of the water and onto the shores together at night. The Serpenknights became angry and sought the powers of evil in hopes of finding a way to come onto the land and eat the animals that found safety there. Soon their greedy cries were heard by the evil Demon of the Deep who lived in the deepest, darkest place in Forever Waters. The Serpenknights went down to the Demon and pleaded for a magic spell. They were given wings to fly, but the Demon was SO evil that it didn't warn the Serpenknights about the second part of the spell... if the Serpenknights were to ever stick their heads into the earth, they would turn to stone. When the Great Unicorn heard that the Serpenknights would soon fly over the land, it told all the animals to dig underground and hide. The Unicorn disguised itself to look just like a Serpenknight, and then guided the rest to the hiding animals. The Serpenknights dove straight down, and with open mouths lunged into the holes, hoping to eat the helpless animals. Instead, they turned to stone, and the salty water on their wings turned to crystals. Father said that in the end, the Imaginarian ALWAYS turns evil into good, no matter how long it may take. Just look how beautiful they all are now, and hear how wonderful their music is! Father also said their teeth became seeds, but I don't see anything but grass growing. I wonder if that's what grew from their teeth seeds."
Bugley agreed, "It must be. There's nothing else here but the Serpenknight Trees and those huge nonehue rocks." "Oh, my!" squealed Ferdinand. "The ROCKS grew from the teeth!" Bugley was confused, "But rocks don't grow, do they? Let's go look at one."
They ran excitedly to investigate. "You're right, Bugley! These rocks aren't rocks at all. They're giant nuts with no shells." "Shall we eat some?" asked Bugley, taking his sharp claws and carving out a chunk as big as Ferdinand's head. Bugley bit into the crunchy nutmeat. "Mmmmm... it's rather sweet, and creamy rich. It's delicious, don't you think?" "Oh, yeth," mumbled Ferdinand, "Ith wndrflll!" "I'm going to fill our pack with as much of this as I can fit in," announced Bugley... and he did just that.
Ferdinand and Bugley, who had been feeling quite tired before their discovery, were now full of energy and ready to resume their journey. Bugley skipped along, while Ferdinand flew a few feet above his head. They continued in this manner for many miles. The two suns finally sank into the Forever Waters. It was quite dark, but the two were not at all tired. "How strange it is that we're not sleepy—or even the least bit tired after so many hours of travel," said Bugley, scratching his head. "I could fly all night!" chirped Ferdinand. "Still, we should try to rest, shouldn't we?" suggested Bugley. "I suppose so," admitted Ferdinand. "Maybe we could make a bed of the grass." The two pulled armloads of the soft, tall grass and spread it out into a nice, cozy bed. They lay down side by side and looked up at the seven moons and the sky filled with colorful stars. Gazing at the wonders above them, they felt small and unimportant—not special adventurers seeking a SPECIAL PURPOSE. Soon they drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
The dawn came with a gentle breeze that made the crystal softly tinkle. Ferdinand was the first one up, so he pulled out the map his father had drawn. He followed the trail with his claw... up the dragon caves, over the foothills, through the long valley of the Fire Forest, and up through the Serpenknight's hills to the mountain's edge. According to the map, they should have been able to see the Great Mystic Mountains from where they were, but Ferdinand saw nothing but miles and miles of soft, colourless, rolling hills. Bugley was now awake and peering over Ferdinand's shoulder at the map. "Is something wrong?" asked Bugley. "Only that the mountains are missing!" fussed Ferdinand. "No they're not," said Bugley, pointing to the mountains on the map. "Not THOSE mountains... THOSE mountains!" exclaimed Ferdinand as he pointed to the empty horizon. "Oh, dear... This is quite a puzzle, isn't it?" said Bugley. "Maybe we took a bad turn." "No, not according to the map," insisted Ferdinand. "Hrmph... this IS a mystery," said Bugley, resting his chin on his paw.
"Simple minds have simple visions, I always say," said a high-pitched voice. "Who said that?!?" shouted Bugley in his most threatening bog bellow. "Well, at least you can HEAR," said the voice. "Show yourself AT ONCE!" demanded Bugley. He was soon quite sorry for having said that, for when the voice took form, stepping forward as if walking through a doorway in thin air, it proved to be quite hideous and extremely large. Bugley jumped backwards, slipping and falling. He rolled head over and end down the sloping hill, while Ferdinand flew up into a Serpenknight Tree.
"Are you going to EAT us?" cried Ferdinand, still thinking of the wicked Serpenknights. The huge monster peered at Ferdinand with its pale azurene eyes. It had almost no distinguishable features, and that made it terrifying to the tiny dragon and the trembling bog. It had no scales or soft fur... not even feathers... just mounds and mounds of pale, hanging skin and some long nightshade fur that fell down from the top of its strangely shaped head. "Eat you?" cried the melodious voice. "Why that's the silliest thing I've ever heard," laughed the monster. "Would you eat your own family, little Gatherer? Or you, little Dragon? I think not. You are as much a part of me as my own motherling and fatherling, and THEY would not eat you either. Gargantuans do not eat the flesh of their little brothers and sisters." "Gargantuans?!?" shouted Bugley. "Is that what you are? That is where we are going...to Gargantua. Can you take us there?" Bugley was breathless and excited. "No... Alas, I cannot, for one cannot return to a place where one already IS." "What foolish talk is THAT?" scolded Ferdinand. "Obviously you are HERE, not THERE." "Oh, I wish it were so," sighed the Gargantuan. "But HERE I am only a dream." "Can you not help us find our way to the Great Mystic Mountains?" pleaded Ferdinand. The voice and the creature faded from view as it spoke, "You must close your eyes and look to the star inside if you wish to climb."
"Huh?" was all Bugley could say. Ferdinand remembered, "Lady Crystal Eyes talked about it one time, and she said it was right here," and he touched his forehead above his snout. Bugley frowned, "How can you see the stars if your eyes are closed?" "No, no, no," tisked Ferdinand. "Not STARS... THE star, and it's invisible if your eyes are open." "Well," said Bugley closing his eyes, "it's invisible with your eyes closed, too. I can't see anything. It's as dark as a cave. The Gargantuan said that the star inside was the only way to see the path to the Great Mystic Mountains that lead to Gargantua, so we're going to have to learn. Perhaps if we close our eyes and are very still, the Imaginarian might help us," suggested Bugley. So they did. They sat still for nearly three whole minutes, but nothing happened. Bugley began to pray: "Oh, Imaginarian... won't you show us the star inside so that we may find our way to the Great Mystic Mountains?"
Bugley waited for a moment, and then heard a voice say, "Far too restless... far too restless for such seeing. That is what you are. Perhaps when you are very old. Certainly you are NOT ready now." "Who is it THIS time?" complained Ferdinand. He turned and saw no one. Suddenly, a purolettia light appeared in the distance. The light grew larger and larger, and stopped right in front of Bugley. The light began to take shape. Why, it looked just like Lady Crystal Eyes. "Is that YOU, m'lady?" cried Ferdinand. "Please forgive me. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just that we're rather discouraged right now." Lady Crystal Eyes smiled, "You mustn't be discouraged so soon, little ones. Your trials have not yet even begun." "Everything has been so nice up to now, m'lady," snuffled Bugley. "Why can't we just keep having a pleasant, happy journey?"
"Would you prefer to learn NOTHING?" To be no braver or smarter or wiser?" scolded Lady Crystal Eyes. Bugley thought very carefully. "Well... I WOULD like to be brave and smart and wise, but do I have to suffer?" "It is only from IGNORANCE that one TRULY suffers," said Lady Crystal Eyes. "So... one must suffer through ignorance to gain wisdom. When one is wise, one cannot suffer from ignorance. Do you understand?" "No," said Bugley, with a blank look on his face. "Well, then, my dear, it is for you to have faith and obediently follow my instructions. Can you at least do that?" "Yes, m'lady. I have every faith in you, and I will try my very best to do as you tell me," promised Bugley. "Your best is all that I shall ever ask of you," smiled Lady Crystal Eyes. "Now... Are you ready to go forward on your journey?"
Bugley put the heavy pack over his strong shoulders, stood straight up and glanced over at Ferdinand. who was hovering a few feet off the ground. "Yes, m'lady... We're ready." "Follow my light," said the great and beautiful Dark Dragon, and Lady Crystal Eyes disappeared, leaving nothing but the purolettia light.
The light began to move forward, so Bugley and Ferdinand followed. The light started up a hill that neither Bugley nor Ferdinand had seen until that very moment. "This wasn't here before," said Bugley with a frown. "You're right," said Ferdinand. "There was nothing here at all before."
The hill became very steep, and soon Bugley was climbing over huge rocks with barely a place to put the tips of his claws. Ferdinand flew ahead, and sat on top of the huge rock face Bugley was climbing. One of Bugley's claws got stuck in the rocks and broke off. His paw began to bleed and was throbbing with pain, but he couldn't stop climbing until he reached a place flat enough for him to sit on. "This must be one of the trials Lady Crystal Eyes mentioned," thought Bugley. "I don't think I care very much for these trials." By the time Bugley had reached Ferdinand, he was exhausted and in a great deal of pain. The sky had grown very dark, so they would have to stay all night on the small ledge. Life in the Land of the Whispering Wind had never been painful. In fact, this was Bugley's first experience with pain. It certainly was NOT pleasant. "Do you know what?" cried Ferdinand. "We haven't eaten since yesterday, and I think I could eat a MOUNTAIN of food." Suddenly, Bugley's mind left his miserable paw and settled in his empty stomach. "You are SO right, Ferdinand," said Bugley. "Now I'm thankful that I lugged this heavy pack of Serpenknight Teeth Nuts up the cliff." Not long before, however, Bugley had considered dropping the heavy pack. He carefully pulled out a fistful of food for each of them, and they savored every yummy bite. Soon they forgot about everything... the cliff, the climb, and the purolettia light that had led them there.
When dawn came, Bugley was asleep on his back, snoring so loudly that the sound echoed down the canyon wall and back up again, as if there were two sleeping bogs. Ferdinand was curled up next to Bugley, making little Dwarf Dragon noises that sounded a bit like a squeak, and a bit like a whistle. The cool morning breeze awakened Bugley as if ruffled his fur. He slowly rubbed his eyes and sat up. He blinked and looked down over the ledge. He almost fainted at the sight before him. How could he have climbed so high? The trees below looked like tiny whiskers growing out of a Limb Nibblers chin. Why, they were as high as the clouds! But what was even more amazing was that when Bugley looked UP, it seemed as if they had just begun to climb. "These must be the Great Mystic Mountains," he said.
Far away, back at the dragon colony, little Edwing was crying his little heart out over the disappearance of his big brother. Not so much because he was afraid for Ferdinand, but because he had been left behind with no one to play with. Jarvis and Visila were very concerned for Ferdinand, but when Lady Crystal Eyes informed them of where Ferdinand was, and that she was keeping a close watch on both Bugley and Ferdinand, Jarvis said, somewhat perturbed, "Well, then, M'lady, will you see that he learns a lesson or two along the way before he sleeps in his own cozy bed again?" Lady Crystal Eyes smiled and said, "You can be quite sure of that, my son." Visila only wiped away a grateful tear and said, "But please, let no harm come to him." The divinely wise dragon then swooped Visila up in her great wings and whispered, "I will promise you this, he shall return to you as good as new." That was enough for Visila, because the words of a powerful, Dark Dragon were as good as fact.
Back on the cliff, Bugley and Ferdinand were both half awake now. Ferdinand gave one last yawn and said, "Perhaps I should fly out a ways to help plan your climb. It is rather impossible to see anything from this angle." "Please do," urged Bugley, "I will need all the help I can get." Ferdinand's feet effortlessly left the ground, and he zipped up and down, and to and fro, in front of the mountain's near-vertical face. "This looks hopeless," he shouted from about twenty feet away. There is no way to go either up or down as I can see." Bugley's face looked horrified. "Do you mean to tell me I'm trapped here?!?" he shouted back. Ferdinand flew back to his friend and perched on his broad shoulder. "Don't worry, Bugley. We'll think of something." But since neither Ferdinand nor Bugley had practiced thinking, they sat and sat, and only wished for an answer to their problem. Fortunately, they had practiced wishing many times, and were able to sit and wish for things for hours. "I wish I had wings!" cried Bugley. "I wish we were back home eating a big dragon dinner cooked by my mother," said Ferdinand. "I wish there was a giant cavern right behind us, and we could walk straight through to the other side," said Bugley. "Well, I wish..."
Suddenly, Ferdinand stopped wishing and said, "Look! It's the Gargantuan we saw before!" They were both actually happy to see it this time. "Have you come to help us?" asked Bugley. "No," said the Gargantuan, "I have come to ask for your help." "But we are trapped here on this ledge. We can't help anyone!" said Bugley. "Then I shall die before the last full moons," said the poor creature. "Even if we COULD find you, what could a young Bog and a little Dwarf Dragon do to help you?" asked Bugley. "You are not a Bog, you're a Gatherer," said the Gargantuan. "I have seen your face carved in the Temple walls. You are mentioned in the SONGS OF DESTINY. The Gatherer comes to save the Princess." Bugley felt rather annoyed, for he was quite sure of the fact that he was a BOG, and this was the second time someone had disputed it.
"Are you the Princess?" asked Ferdinand. "Yes, I am—Princess Angelina, daughter of His Royal Highness, King Demitrius and Queen Helena of the Byscanian Dynasty, sovereign rulers of Gargantua and all its outlying regions, protectors of the faithful Gargantuans of the..." "Do you mind not going on so?" interrupted Bugley. "I would like to concentrate on getting off this ledge." "Yes, of course, forgive me," apologized Princess Angelina. "It has become a habit, I'm afraid. I practically learned that speech before I could speak my first words. It is all part of being a Princess. One must know one's purpose in this world, don't you know? But as far as getting you off that ledge, if I were you, I'd just use those stairs." "What stairs?!?... or rather, what ARE stairs?" "THOSE are stairs," said the Princess, pointing to the cliff face behind them. "Those places to step up and up." "We have been on this ledge for an entire day, and there are no places to..." Suddenly, Bugley saw the smooth, strangely shaped stones. He had never seen anything like them, and they did appear as if one could go up and up on them. "How clever," he said, running his paws over the smooth, angled stones. "Very clever, indeed." He turned to thank the Princess for her advice, but she had vanished.
"Have you noticed, Ferdinand, how difficult it is to see things on this journey? I think you and I are part of someone's not-very-funny joke," complained Bugley. "Either that, or these things are being put here by magic to help us," considered Ferdinand. "I had not thought of that," said Bugley, feeling a little ashamed for not thinking more positively. "Well," said Bugley, "We may as well make use of these ... What did she call them?" "I believe she called them 'up and ups'," said Ferdinand. "I believe you're right," said Bugley, and he began to climb the 'up and ups'.
Bugley had taken only a few steps when he happened to look down at his paw and notice that his claw was as good as ever, and the wound was completely healed. "I wonder if all Bogs heal this quickly," he thought. And since he could not remember anyone ever getting hurt in the first place, he said, "Well, no matter, I am happy to be feeling good, and that's enough to know for now." Bugley and Ferdinand climbed higher and higher, Bugley on the 'up and ups' and Ferdinand in the air. Now they could not see anything but clouds below them. It looked as if the ground were made of fluffy nonhue dandy puffs, and if you jumped into it you would just sink a little, and then pop right back up again. "This must be what a Far Flyer sees when he soars on the wind," thought Bugley, and once again he wished he could have wings.
At that same moment, Princess Angelina woke up from her nap, wondering about the strange dream she had experienced. She remembered an earlier dream with the same creatures in it. She felt a little troubled by it at first, but then said to herself, "Don't be so childish! It was only a dream!" She leapt off her bed and ran down the stairs out into the garden to play.
Though Bugley and Ferdinand had thought the Princess to be a hideous monster, by Gargantuan measure, she was quite beautiful. She had lovely, azurene, almond-shaped eyes, full rosy cheeks and milky nonhue skin. Her silken nightshade hair had just the right amount of curl to it, and fell softly and luxuriously about her face and shoulders.
Bugley climbed the winding stairs for six days, and each night there was always the perfect resting place. Ferdinand would fly up ahead and wait all day for Bugley to catch up. Ferdinand found himself also wishing that Bugley had wings. Both travelers suffered in their own ways, Bugley from carrying the heavy pack, and Ferdinand from boredom.
On one occasion, Ferdinand decided to climb with Bugley to avoid being bored, but he soon decided that boredom was much more fun. They both noticed, however, that they never really felt tired in this place, and most times would go all day without stopping. They stopped only when it was too dark to continue.
Finally, one morning they woke up to find they had reached the top. Now the 'up and ups' were going down and down, so they decided to simply call them 'down and downs' when they went down, and 'up and ups' when they went up. This time, instead of clouds, they could see a magnificent valley with many waterfalls coming out of the surrounding mountains. The waterfalls fed into an enormous lake surrounded by lush, fernfoam meadows, and groves of fruit trees growing in abundance. Beautiful flowers and berries covered the hillsides.
Bugley soon found himself running down the stone steps with great joy. "Oh, Ferdinand! Isn't it beautiful?" he cried. "Let's go for a swim when we reach the lake!" "Oh, yes, let's! My scales are cracking from the dryness," shouted Ferdinand. "My fur is filthy and I smell bad," laughed Bugley. "Yes, I know," teased Ferdinand.
In no time they were splashing and dunking each other in the glassy waters of Elusive Lake. After their swim, they went over to the nearby fruit trees. "How strange," said Bugley. "I was sure this was a bananco tree, but here are a bunch of lollyberries... JUST what I was wishing for!" "But look, over on this branch, is a big, juicy rose plum, just what I was wishing for!" exclaimed Ferdinand. "Perhaps we should try wishing for something else," said Ferdinand. "I would like some mox cream and sweet 'tata pudding with honey dripping down the sides, and some soup with little fernfoam onions. Oh! and some fresh, hot dragon rolls, like your mother's," said Bugley, licking his lips. Instantly everything appeared before Bugley on a stone table, with big stone seats for both of them. "We must be dreaming," said Ferdinand, but he reached out and picked up a dragon roll that was still warm. "Don't tell my mother I said this, but these smell better than hers!" Bugley took a big mouthful of sweet 'tata pudding and mox cream, and his eyes rolled back in his head in delight. "How long has it been since we've had some home-cooked food?" asked Bugley. "A couple of years I think, according to my appetite," said Ferdinand with his mouth full. The funny thing was, it had been exactly twenty-four days since they had left the dragon colony, and in all that time, they had nothing to eat but the Serpenknight Tooth. It was a wonder they hadn't starved to death. Instead, they had been full of energy and had forgotten all about eating until now. Here they could eat to their heart's content and never run out of food. "It is strange how different life can be from one day to the next," thought Bugley. "I will enjoy this place for a little while before we move on. After all, our hard climb deserves a reward."
Bugley and Ferdinand did enjoy all the pleasures the enchanted place had to offer. Not only could one wish for food, but one could wish for music or flowers... or to become a bird or a unicorn. The possibilities were endless, and Ferdinand and Bugley wanted to try them all. They spent each day exploring new wishes and new food combinations, until one day they got curious about what might be on the other end of the lake. So, they both wished themselves to be fish, and began to swim across the lake to its most distant shore. It was quite a long swim, for the lake was many miles across. They saw other beautiful fish and many interesting water creatures, as well as some lovely underwater plants. They took little fish bites out of some of the plants that looked particularly tasty. "Mmmm...This is quite good," blubbed Bugley, "but I don't think I would like it as much if I were a Bog right now." "I don't think you'd like being at the bottom of the lake, either. Let's swim to the top and take a look," blubbed Ferdinand.
Two colourful little fish heads broke the glassy surface of the lake. Off in the distance they saw two giant swans swimming back and forth. As they drew nearer, they could see that the swans were crossing in front of a big, flat piece of stone with a small row of up and ups (or down and downs, depending on which way one was going) leading to the water's edge. When they went further, they saw that beyond were huge pillars with strange symbols and some images carved on them. Beyond the pillars was a structure that had been carved out of the rock face of the mountains. Though Bugley and Ferdinand had never seen an actual building, and had no idea of what it was, they both thought it was very beautiful.
The stone mountain seemed to have several colors of crystal and amberlight rock running in veins at such an angle as to camouflage the building. They swam underwater past the criss-crossing swans, right up to the 'up and ups.' They then wished themselves back to normal. Suddenly the Centurion Swans caught sight of the intruders. "STOP! STOP WHERE YOU ARE!" they honked. "You must leave this place AT ONCE!" they squawked. "I know I didn't wish for them," cried Bugley. "Well, neither did, I" defended Ferdinand. "But perhaps we could wish them to go away," "An excellent plan," said Bugley. So they both wished as hard as they could that the giant swans would disappear... but they did NOT. Bugley closed his eyes and wished as hard as he could, but while his eyes were closed, one of the giant birds swan over and bit him on the nose. "OUCH!" cried Bugley, "Who gave you the right to bite a poor, innocent Bog on the nose?" "The Imaginarian, that's WHO!" cried the swan. "No one is allowed to enter the Hidden Valley or swim in Elusive Lake, let alone sit on the very steps of The Imaginarian's Temple of Dreams... unless one has been given a special invitation from The Imaginarian." "But I HAVE," cried Bugley. "The Imaginarian came to me in a song when I was listening to the Whispering Wind, and I was told to find a Special Purpose." "Oh, well why did you not say so to start with, instead of sneaking up that way?" said the swan. The other swan added, "If you would have just told us you were the Gatherer, things would have been different." "I am NOT a Gatherer, I am a BOG," thought Bugley, but he decided it was better not to say it out loud to the giant nose-nipping birds. "Well, in any case," said Bugley, "we are just resting on our way to Gargantua." "Oh, yes," said one swan, "we know all about it. It is in the SONG OF DESTINY. The journey was foretold, but the details are a secret. Only The Imaginarian knows."
Just then, Bugley got a look on his face that someone gets when they realise for the first time something they should have known all along. "The Imaginarian is HERE?" he gasped. "Oh, my goodness! Oh, dear! I'm not ready. I'm not... I mean... I can't just meet... or just talk... I'm not worthy of... and I'm a little scared, too. My thoughts are not... well... they're not terrible, but really... it's impossible to control all of one's thoughts..." Bugley felt as if he had flutterbies in his stomach and as if he might faint any minute.
"What is the matter with you?!?" scolded Ferdinand. "What are you babbling about." "Yes, why are you so afraid of the one who loves you more than you love yourself," said a soothing voice from behind. Bugley turned to find himself face-to-face with... a HUGLUMP! "Who are you?" demanded Bugley. "I am the one you fear." "YOU! Surely not," laughed Bugley. "I can't believe that The Imaginarian is a Huglump." "Would you prefer a Bog?" said the same voice coming from the form of a handsome Bog that replaced the former Huglump. Bugley was so startled that he slipped off the steps and toppled backwards into the lake. He dragged himself out of the lake, a very wet... and a very embarrassed Bog.
The handsome Bog said, "Don't worry, my child, I know your heart is in the right place, even if your mind wanders. It's not entirely your fault, you know. You see, everyone thinks their thoughts are trapped inside their heads, but that is not so. Thoughts can travel everywhere, even into someone else's head. Just because a bad thought pops into your mind, doesn't necessarily mean it was YOUR bad thought. The important thing to remember is not to dwell on that bad thought, but simply make it leave, and think of something good in its place."
"Did Bugley wish you into being a Gatherer?" interrupted Ferdinand, changing the subject entirely. "Because I would like to wish you back into that first creature. I've never seen one of those before." "I can become any creature you desire," laughed the handsome Bog as he patted Ferdinand's head. "Not because YOU wish it so, but rather because I wish it so. For I wish you to feel safe and happy with me, to love me as I love you... To know that I am the friend behind all friends, the mother behind all mothers, and the father behind all fathers. And you are my very own children. That is why I change my form." Ferdinand, who had not been listening very carefully, proudly said, "We can change our forms, too." "I see," said the Imaginarian. "Have you always had this power?" "Well... no... We only recently gained the wishing power, but we do it very well. Watch, and I'll show you." Ferdinand wished to be a giant swan, like the one that bit Bugley on the nose, but nothing happened. "I don't understand," said Ferdinand, tensing his whole body, trying to wish even harder. "Why can't I change now?" "Because I do not wish it so," said The Imaginarian in a fatherly voice. Now it was Ferdinand's turn to realize that this was no ORDINARY creature. "Who ARE you?" he stuttered. "I am the one you prayed to," said The Imaginarian. "You... you... YOU are The Imaginarian?" questioned Ferdinand. "Many call me by that name," answered The Imaginarian. By this time, Bugley and Ferdinand were so shocked that they had to sit down before they FELL down. They just sat there, mouths hanging open, staring at the Imaginarian.
Finally, the two began to cry because they were so happy to be with the Imaginarian at last. "May we stay here with you?" began Ferdinand. "Oh YES! May we?" joined Bugley. "You have been in this place far too long as it is," chuckled the Imaginarian. "Why, the seven moons will be full at the same time in just a few weeks." "OH NO! We only just arrive a short time ago!" cried Bugley. "We couldn't possibly leave you so soon!"
"You have been here for two of the five-moon cycles already," said the Imaginarian as be patted Bugley's head and continued, "And have you forgotten the poor Princess? It is your SPECIAL PURPOSE to save her. Don't you want to fulfill your destiny?"
"What could be more fulfilling than being with YOU?!?" cried Bugley. The Imaginarian smiled... "But I WILL be with you, Bugley. I am ALWAYS with you. I will help you at every turn. You must go soon, for the Princess grows weaker each day."
"Forgive me," said Bugley, bowing his head. "I've been selfish. I will do what you have asked of me." The Imaginarian smiled and said, "That is the attitude that pleases me, Bugley. Go with my blessings and with faith at your side." With those words, the Imaginarian, the lake, the trees, the grass and the great stone mountain just DISAPPEARED!
The Whispering Wind
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If interested in my artistic partner's illustrations or artist's proofs,
E-mail me with a snail-mail address, & she'll have some info wing its way to you.
