The Ankulen Page 17

  The two locations I chose to make adjacent for this party were Flower Fields and the Mountain. Both were in sorry condition, but I quickly fixed that by spreading a rainbow across the sky and picturing the places how they used to be.

  Then I sat down on a rock to wait for my guests to arrive.

  “So, where's the party?” asked Derek, raising an eyebrow.

  “It'll be here soon,” I assured him, “wait and see. I just invited the guests.”

  “Let me guess, you homed them?”

  “Aye,” I confirmed. “And since I just restored their homes to former glory, they know I'm here, so it shouldn't take them too long to find us.”

  No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the first Water Baby emerged from the water. Three more surfaced a second later, and soon five more.

  “What on earth are those!” Derek exclaimed.

  I swiveled my head upwards to see that his eyes were trying to pop out of his head. I smirked. “Those are Water Babies. Aren't they cute?”

  “They're blue.”

  “Of course,” said I. “They have to blend in with the water.”

  “I think they're cute,” put in Megan.

  While my brother and sister argued about how cute my darling Water Babies were, I stood up and walked over to the debated creatures, who were just crawling onto the dry ground. “Looking for someone, sweeties?” I asked, kneeling down in front of the nearest blue baby, Bonnie by name.

  “Oh, yeth!” Bonnie exclaimed. “Denny! Da culler back, so Denny must be here!”

  “Must she?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

  “Well … da culler back, and see da onwie one who tan bwing back culler.”

  I laughed and held up the Ankulen so that they could all see it. “Well it happens that I'm Jenny, and you're right. I am back.”

  Gasps erupted from the babies, and they pressed their webbed hands to their cheeks.

  “Yo Denny?” whispered Bobby, another Water Baby.

  I nodded. “I grew up in my world. I'm still Lady Jenifer, just bigger than I used to be.” I licked my lips, then broke into a broad grin. “Now, who's up for a party?”

  There was an instant chorus of “Me! Me!”

  I rumpled Bonnie's hair, then stood up. “Well, then let's have a party!” I announced. “Just as soon as my other guests get here, of course.” Cue chorus of “Yay!”

  Laughing, I turned back to my siblings. “And these are the Water Babies.”

  “They're adorable,” declared Megan. Derek rolled his eyes.

  “Awe dey tummin' to pawty, too?” asked Bobby.

  “Of course,” I replied. “They're my brother and sister, Derek and Megan. And these,” I turned to Tisha and Chris. “Are Sir Christofer and Fair Maiden Letitia. I decided to make them my age, so they grew up too.”

  The Water Babies, needless to say, were thrilled to meet them, and Megan soon found herself sitting on the ground with as many Water Babies in her lap as would fit – a surprisingly large number. She became sopping wet, but didn't seem to care. Tisha was called upon to explain why she hadn't visited in a “lon, lon, time!” Chris entertained with stories of adventure. Derek stood awkwardly by himself, snapping at any Water Baby that even thought of approaching him.

  “They're only babies!” I indignantly told him when I discovered what he was doing.

  “They're getting me wet.”

  “It's only imaginary water. I can dry you off with a tap of my Ankulen.”

  “Can't you dry them off and stop the problem altogether?” Derek suggested.

  I recoiled from the thought. “They'd die! A Water Baby must be wet at all times or they'll crumble into dust.”

  “Aren't you the one who came up with them? You can make them to be able to live without water, can't you?” His look was pointed.

  “I'm sure I could if I wanted to,” I returned with a look that was just as pointed, “which I don't. I like my Water Babies just the way they are.”

  Derek rolled his eyes, causing me to sigh. Oh, well … at least I tried. I turned away and wandered to the edge of Flower Field to await the next company of guests to arrive. I didn't have to wait long.

  To the untrained eye, the winged creatures that flew towards me would have appeared to be common butterflies, but I, the person who had made them up, knew better. These were the Flower Fairies. Their purpose was to take care of the flowers like the Wood Children did the trees.

  Their fast, high-pitched voices are impossible for anyone but themselves – and me – to understand. They were excited, so they were even worse than usual, which meant that even I had trouble understanding them.

  “Slow down! Slow down!” I cried, laughing. “Yes, I'm Lady Jenifer, and yes, I fixed your flowers. You're welcome. Actually, I was going to have a party. Yes, I know parties are fun. That's why I'm having one.”

  I was now surrounded by the brightly colored Flower Fairies, and I could see their girlish, humanoid forms clearly, though their large flower petal wings beat too quickly for even me to focus on. Two of them, Rose and Petunia, were playing toss with my ponytail.

  “Hey, I have an idea,” I exclaimed, deciding that I would much prefer them out of my hair for a moment. “Why don't all of you go collect as many flower petals as possible, then half of you drop them on her,” I pointed to Megan, “and the other half drop them on him.” I pointed to Derek. “Do it all at the same time, and don't let them see you until you drop the petals. It can be a surprise party that way!”

  They all began talking again, and I deciphered that they thought it a very good idea, and they would begin at once. They did want to know who the boy and girl were, though.

  “Derek and Megan, my brother and sister,” I explained. “Now go!”

  They flew away, and I felt a twang of loneliness. Their best friends, the Leprechauns of Green Valley, were gone for good. I could make new ones, but it wouldn't be the same.

  With subdued step, I walked back to the River to talk to the Dwarves and Goatherds who had gathered on the other bank. The Dwarves live inside the Mountain and make jewelry. The Goatherds live outside and herd goats. Neither had I given the ability to swim. Normally, this wasn't a problem.

  “Could I interest you gentlemen in a bridge?” I shouted over the roar of the river.

  “Aye, ye could, sister,” bellowed King Gold of the Dwarves. “But I'm a-feared that only her Ladyship, Miss Jenny 'erself could make one to span the likes of this mighty bit o' water.”

  “Well, you happen to be in luck, gentlemen,” I said, tapping the gems. “I'm Lady Jenifer.” I closed my eyes and spread a bridge made of rainbow over Rushing River.

  With speed surprising for such short legs, the Dwarves ran over the bridge, then en masse, bowed before me. “By my beard and golden throne,” declared King Gold, “ye are the Lady Jenifer.”

  The Goatherds, who were slower only because they had to make sure the kids didn't leap off of the bridge, ran up to me. “Eh, isn't this a fine day?” asked Dickon, the oldest and accepted leader of the Goatherds. “When Sir Erran kem by wi' his colored fruit and joyful tidin's, I didn't rightly know whether to b'lieve him or not. But, eh, he was right, weren't he lads?”

  There was an eruptions of “ayes” from the Goatherds, so I announced my partying plans. Both Dwarves and Goatherds agreed that it was a good idea.

  The Flower Fairies soon returned with the flowers. Needless to say, Megan was thrilled with them while Derek … wasn't. Now that everyone I had planned for was there, I decided to kick this party into full swing. I tapped a musical wind to blow over us, and added several tables heaped with every treat I could imagine. I knew that the Dwarves would easily have them cleared by the time they went to bed.

  Dancing began, and Megan and I joined in just as heartily as any imaginary person. Sure, we weren't nearly as nimble as the Goatherds, or as graceful as Chris and Tisha, but that was neither here nor there. We were having fun. On a whim, I homed Sir Erran. He had finished handing out frui
t to everyone, and I wanted to give him one last task before I died.

  When he arrived … well, it seemed I had forgotten to deal with Chris's resentment of his rival knight.

  “What are you doing here!” Chris demanded, breaking away from the dance and marching over to where the armored knight had just dismounted.

  Sir Erran took a step back, blinking in surprise at the outburst from this seemingly strange knight. He was used to the eight-year-old Chris. “Good Sir,” he said, diplomatically. “I do not mean to tread upon a private affair. I have been traveling about, spreading the good news of Lady Jenifer's return. This is no mere rumor, my good friend, I have seen her myself with my own eyes. I would give you proof, but I gave … Oh, Lady Jenifer!”

  He bowed deeply as he saw me walking towards them. Chris was about to say something that he would regret, so I took it upon myself to interrupt.

  “If I didn't want Sir Erran to be here, I wouldn't have invited him,” I said simply, folding my arms over my chest. “It's good to see you again,” I said, turning to Sir Erran. “Thank you for letting everyone know of my return.”

  “It was an honor to serve you, Lady Jenifer,” said Sir Erran, straightening. “But who, may I ask, is this good knight who apparently bears such hostile intent?”

  Breaking into a broad grin, I answered, “You know him well, for he is Sir Christofer, my personal protector. I decided that I wanted him to be a year older than me, like it used to be.”

  Sir Erran bowed again, this time to Chris. “Forgive me for not recognizing you sooner.”

  Chris was staring at me in surprise. “You invited him, Jen?”

  “Yes. We need another dancer since Derek is refusing to participate. Megan found Sir Erran quite entertaining at lunch yesterday, so I thought that he would suit the purposes perfectly. What say you, Sir Erran?”

  He bowed for the third time. “I would be honored to thus serve you.”

  Megan was thrilled to have Sir Erran join the dance, so much so that I decided that, should I survive the fight with the Polystoikhedron, I might just make him her personal protector.

  The party lasted late into the night, but eventually the Water Babies stared yawning, so I sent them back into Rushing River. Then the Goatherds announced that it was time for them to tuck in the kids for the night, and the Dwarves needed to return to their forges. I sent the Flower Fairies to bed and cleaned up.

  Chapter 21

  In Which I Catch the Polystoikhedron and Derek Surprises Me

  ONLY Chris, Tisha, Derek, Megan and Sir Erran remained, and I soon imagined up a few tents and sent my imaginary friends to bed, leaving only my brother and sister to keep me company. I wasn't quite sure what to do with Derek, but I had something I needed to discuss with Megan.

  “If you are going to be my Len, you must become acquainted with the Ankulen,” I said. I glanced at Derek, who was sitting on a rock. He still hadn't forgiven me for the flower petals.

  Excitement and fear warred in Megan's eyes. “Get acquainted with your Ankulen? How?”

  For the first time since that morning when Chris and I found it in the stream – oh, how long ago it seemed! – I slid the Ankulen off of my wrist. “Hold out your hand.”

  Wide-eyed, Megan thrust her hand towards me. Her lips parted, but no sound escaped. I flipped her hand palm-up and set my Ankulen upon it, but did not remove my hand.

  Megan gasped. “Its warm!”

  Despite my intentions to remain serious, one corner of my mouth quirked. “Well, I've been wearing it. I have a warm arm.”

  The humor had the desired result, as a tiny smile appeared on Megan's lips and she relaxed visibly.

  “I want you to close you eyes,” I instructed. Once her eyes were closed, I shut mine, focusing on my Ankulen and Megan's hand. “Relax,” I whispered. “It must see the real you so that it knows that you can be trusted.”

  After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and told Megan to do the same.

  “That … that was amazing!” she breathed. “I … I could actually feel your imagination. I could feel it!”

  I laughed as I withdrew my Ankulen from her hand and replaced it on my wrist. “It's pretty cool, isn't it? Well, now it knows that you're my chosen Len, and you know your way around.”

  “It felt like there were parts missing,” Megan mused, wrinkling her nose.

  I nodded, my seriousness returning. “The Polystoikhedron has eaten much, and I haven't had the time to rebuild, since it's kinda pointless to do so when it's being eaten almost as fast as I can make.”

  Megan frowned. “But it's been eating for eight years …”

  “Not exactly,” I said, sighing. “From what I have gathered, it was quite some time before the Valley of Song was attacked. Not only that, but time doesn't flow the same here as it does in the real world. I'm guessing that I only have a few months' worth of damage to correct.”

  Megan nodded distantly, then the line appeared between her eyes again. “Jen … is … is it possible that you will die and the Polystoikhedron live?”

  I sighed again. “It's very possible. The Polystoikhedra are neither Imagination, nor Dreams, nor Reality, but something beyond that. It's impossible to kill them, they can only be destroyed.”

  “Isn't that the same thing?”

  “No. If it were dead, it would be gone for good and would never pester another Anka or Anku again. I can only destroy its power and break its hold on the Ankulens and imagination it has devoured.”

  “How … how will you do it?”

  I frowned hard. “I don't know. Hopefully, I'll discover that tomorrow. But Megan, if I fail, if I die and the Polystoikhedron lives, you will not become my Len.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it would be pointless. The Polystoikhedron would still be here and Megan, I hate to say this but, you're not strong enough, nor do you have enough motive to fight it.”

  “But I …”

  “No. To you, this is just a pretty place that needs help. And no matter what books may say, you can't fight as hard for a pretty place as you do for your home turf. This is my home turf. If I don't win, you can't either. So no, you will not become my Len if I fail. Don't even try. The Ankulen will have its orders.”

  I then proceeded to give her a crash course on all the functions and features of the Ankulen. How to imagine things into existence, how to adjust things that are already there, how to summon things, how to home people … and so on and so forth. If I thought it might come in handy for her to know it, I told her.

  At last I stood up. “I'll be going to the Green Valley in a few hours. Until then, I would appreciate it if I'm not disturbed.”

  “Where are you going?” Derek asked, in an accusing voice, just as my fingers touched the railing of the rainbow bridge.

  I froze, taking a deep breath. “I'm going to go do something that I haven't done in far too long.” I turned and looked him in the eye. “I'm going to go pray.”

  Something in my tone must have convinced him I was serious, since he didn't say anything more as I turned and marched up the mountain. I did not pause, nor even slow my step until I reached the top, where I knelt and began to pour out my heart before the Lord.

  I was scared. There I was, with a Polystoikhedron in my imagination, knowing that, in just a few short hours, I would fight it – and only three before me had survived. While it was reassuring to know that it was possible, the number of failures was staggering. It was so hard to win, and so easy to die. Frankly, it was tempting to follow Tisha's advice, toss the Ankulen, take my siblings, and run. I knew that Derek, for one, wouldn't blame me, and there would be another Anka or Anku to fight this fight another day.

  But God had chosen me this day. As tempting as it might be, I couldn't turn my back. I had to fight. I had to try.

  “Lord,” I prayed, “give me strength. Give me courage. Give me wisdom. I can't fight this beast without them. I can't fight it without you.”

  I prayed until the sky grew brigh
t and I felt my imaginary friends stirring in their tents. Then I stood up and made my way down the Mountain, pausing only to pet a few goats. Peace had settled upon me. I knew that, whatever happened, it would be to God's glory.

  “Good morning!” I announced, stepping off of the bridge. The imaginary friends had not yet emerged from the tents, so I set about fixing some breakfast out of the few leftovers from the night before, humming an off-key tune.

  “You seem to be in an awfully good mood,” grouched Derek. “Aren't you the one who's 'going to die' today?”

  “It's a very good possibility,” I confirmed, turning to him with a smile. “Not many have fought a Polystoikhedron and lived to tell about it.”

  “And you're happy about it?”

  “I'm happy that God has chosen me to do something important,” I said. “If I live, well, it'll be so that I can do more to bring Him glory. If I die, then I'll be with him in a moment. I have nothing I need to fear.”

  Derek made a growling sound in his throat, but at that moment, Sir Erran emerged from his tent, so I turned my attention to the knight. “Apple pie sound good?”

  “I would find it most appetizing,” said Sir Erran, bowing and accepting the slice I held out to him. He sat down on the ground to eat it.

  “I have a job for you,” I announced, as soon as he was finished with it.

  “I would be honored to accept it.”

  “Good. I would like you to ride in that direction,” I pointed towards Flower Field, “for some ways. There is a Fair Maiden named Janessa trapped in a tower and guarded by a dragon. She needs rescuing. Are you up to the challenge, Sir Erran?”

  He was on his feet in a moment. “I will succeed or die trying!”

  “Thank-you. You have relieved a great burden from my mind.”

  He leaped onto his horse and galloped away, not even bothering to bid us good-bye.

  “If she means that much to you, why don't you just poof her down yourself?” asked Derek.

  I turned to him with raised eyebrow. “Until a few seconds ago, neither her imprisonment, nor Fair Maiden Janessa herself existed. The weight that has been taken off of my mind is the fact that Sir Erran is now employed.”