Do you like stories with mystery and suspense? Strange and “wyrd” ones? Well, if you do, keep reading and enjoy Eggcentricsagas. If you are just joining Eggcentricsagas, you might want to start from the beginning: A La Mano: Part 1-The Treasure
Rajiv bent down and tried to wrest the crystal ball stand away from Kapi. He straightened up and lifted the monkey and the stand into the air. Kapi let out a piercing cry and held on tightly as he dangled from the brass ring like a crystal on a chandelier. “Let go Kapi!” Rajiv commanded, but the monkey kept a firm grip. Rajiv tried shaking and swinging the ring, but Kapi refused to let go as he chattered and howled.
Finally, to stop the commotion, Edward intervened. “Let him have it, Rajiv! Drop it!”
Rajiv lowered the stand and let go. The monkey dropped to the ground before scampering away with it. He stopped several yards from them and sat down. Holding his prize to his chest, he scowled at them.
Rajiv looked at Edward. “Mr. Angel, is that…”
“Yes, Rajiv, I do believe that is the stand for the crystal ball of Madame Glass.”
“But what is it doing here?” Charlotte asked. “Why was it buried?”
Edward shrugged, removed his coat and asked her, “Can you hold this for me?” She agreed and he handed it to her. Then rolling up his sleeves, he stated, “Let’s find out why.”
Charlotte watched as he climbed up the slope to where Kapi had been digging. Then she looked at Rajiv. The boy had been trying to approach his pet, but every time he came too close, Kapi would run a little distance away from him. “C’mon, Kapi, I won’t take it. I promise,” Rajiv reassured the monkey. But Kapi would have none of it. He wanted to keep his treasure and continued to elude capture.
Eventually, Rajiv gave up chasing Kapi. Instead, he sat down and pretended to ignore his pet. Reaching into his shirt pocket, he took out some peanuts and turned away from Kapi. The boy began to shell them. The monkey, seeing his favorite treats, began to draw nearer. Little by little, he crept forward, stopping about five feet in front of Rajiv.
Rajiv spoke to him and showed him his open palm filled with goodies. “Do you want a peanut, boy?” Still clutching his find, Kapi cocked his little head to the side, his eyes darting between Rajiv and the peanuts. The boy threw one to the monkey. Kapi put down the fortune teller’s stand and sat on top of it while he ate the nut. Then Rajiv took off his turban and deposited a stack of peanuts on the top of it. He positioned the turban on his head and pointed to it. “See? There’s more where that came from,” he told Kapi.
The boy tossed a few more peanuts that landed halfway between him and his pet. Then he placed his hands under his rump to show Kapi that he wasn’t going to reach for the golden trophy. Driven by his desire, Kapi relented and did what his master wanted. Leaving the stand, he and climbed up onto Rajiv’s shoulder and proceeded to eat the nuts. Keeping his word, Rajiv sat still and did not try to retrieve the ring.
Charlotte turned back to see what Edward was doing. He had found a sharp stick and was poking at the ground. She called up to him. “What did you find?”
Edward stopped what he was doing and climbed down the slope. He walked back to her. “Something is recently buried there. Using the stick, I found it about two feet under. We have to go back to camp. I need to inform Big Boss and then return with a shovel and a lantern.”
“A lantern?”
“Yes, so I can see what I am doing. I am coming back tonight and don’t want anyone to know what I have discovered until we know what I have found.”
Rajiv, with Kapi on his shoulder clutching the gypsy’s brass stand, came and stood next to them. “You mean, we, Mr. Angel. Kapi found it first.”
Edward laughed. “You’re right. We. Now, we, had better get back before anyone gets suspicious. Remember, mum’s the word.” He made the action of zipping his lips to the boy and then motioned up the hill. “After you, kid.”
Rajiv started up the hill with Edward and Charlotte behind. When Edward got to the top, he turned back and put out his hand to help Charlotte over the ridge.
Climbing over, she told him, “Thank you.”
Smiling warmly at her, he replied, “You’re welcome.” Gently holding her hand, he motioned his head towards the way they had come. “Shall we?”
They followed Rajiv and Kapi, already skipping ahead. As they walked down the train tracks holding hands, he asked her, “So, tell me about the future. What happens in sixty years? Are we flying all over the earth in airplanes?”
“Yes. Airplanes have become bigger and bigger. In fact, they have sent men into space on rockets and orbited the moon. The plan is to actually walk on the moon.”
Edward stopped and looked at her. “Wow! Really?”
Charlotte laughed and nodded. They continued to walk again.
Buoyed by the exciting news in technology development, Edward eagerly asked, “So does humanity live in a Utopian world?”
“I wish. No.” She shook her head sadly. “Even with all of the advances in science, there is fighting and war.” As they walked back to the carnival, she told him about all the social strife.
Raising his bowed head, Edward turned to her and offered a little positivity. “Perhaps, somewhere in the future, love will prevail…”
As they neared the edge of the woods, they dropped their hand-holding, and Edward called Rajiv to stop.
Charlotte turned to him and tentatively asked, “What do you think is buried there? Under the bridge?”
“We won’t know until we dig a little deeper.”
Next: The Magician’s Hat No. 2: Part 7-The Seventh Son
