Exercise Your Imagination! Do you like stories with mystery and suspense? Well, if you do, keep reading and enjoy Eggcentricsagas. If you are just joining Eggcentricsagas, start from the beginning: A La Mano: Part 1-The Treasure
Janelle was in the kitchen talking to Ravenna’s daughter while she made dinner. All three children and Magic filled on the living room couch. Herman was sitting in one armchair and Ravenna in the other.
“Where is Mason’s costume?” Ravenna asked.
“We left it in the garage. When story-time is over, we’ll go and he can change into it.”
“Were you filled in on all the details you missed?”
Mason nodded yes, but Herman shook his head no.
“Okay, well, the prince and princess convinced the king and queen to come with them to the Palace of Hope. They had the Gems of Destiny, the Dagaz Diamond and Neptune’s Pearl with them.”
“Okay,” Herman replied.
“So… Everyone was there on the Portico of Judgment. The Supreme Court Jester, Thaddeus, Cora, Goban, Owl, Hummingbird, the Moon King, Sun Queen, and various representatives from the two kingdoms. Delighted, the Jester smiled broadly at the two teenagers in front of him. Suddenly, a large, puffy white cloud appeared above them. There was deep rumbling within it that grew louder and louder. Glowing, the cloud shot sparks as if fireworks were in the middle of it.
All at once, with a thundering boom, the cloud burst into sparkles that showered down towards the group. In awe, they watched as the glittering mass swirled around and around and lowered onto the ground. Whirling briefly, the shimmering dust devil dissipated. When the cloud of glitter had finally settled, the Crone of the Tree with her dazzling white hair stood before them. The Jester bowed to her, and the assembly followed suit. She nodded in response.
‘The Royal Jewels, please,’ she said and held out her hands. The Moon King gave her Neptune’s Pearl. Removing the Dagaz Diamond from his backpack, the Moon Prince looked at the Sun Queen. She nodded in silent agreement. Thaddeus handed the stone to the tree spirit.
The Crone motioned them forward and led them to the atrium with the Tree of Life. Statues in a State of Forgetfulness, the Sun King and Moon Queen were still there. When they saw them, their spouses sighed and wished they had done things differently.
The Crone stopped, and with the attentive crowd gathered, she spoke. ‘The Supreme Quest has ended as the Ones have united. Join hands, please.’ She looked at the royal family members standing in front of her. ‘Now, do you understand the Power of Four?’
The adults nodded their heads. Cora and Thaddeus looked at each other and then at their respective parents.
The Crone asked the Sun Queen and the Moon King. ‘What do you suppose you must do?’
In unison, the king and queen each took their jewels back from the old lady before giving them to their children. Cora held the diamond, and Thaddeus grasped the pearl.
The Crone addressed the prince and princess. ‘We have given you a substantial gift and you must pay it forward. Now that your journeys are complete, you must answer this question and then finish your Supreme Task. Remember what you did on your journey to help solve this riddle.’
Looking each of them in the eyes, she quizzed, ‘What is the more you take, the more you leave behind?’
Cora recalled her journey. Traveling with Owl to the seashore to find Raven, searching the riverside, walking through his lair to find Frog, following the Unicorn’s eye through the cold, foggy forest to Mermaid and the pearl, entering the Crystal Cave, and stepping down the darkened stairwell to find the Moon King on his throne.
Thaddeus recollected his journey. Traveling with Hummingbird to find Opposum and Squirrel, falling through the roots of the Old Lady of the Woods, following Tarragon through the tunnels of Fairyland, walking with Goban to Alchemy Mountain, hunting through troll lairs to find the diamond, collapsing on stairs before climbing them, and then more hiking up Coal Mountain to the queen’s chambers.
Simultaneously, the Prince and Princess bemoaned, ‘So much walking.’
Then they looked at each other and joyfully solved the riddle together. ‘Footsteps! The more you take, the more you leave behind!’
‘Very good,’ the tree spirit congratulated, before waving her magic wand. The Sun King and Moon Queen came back to life and hugged their family while the assembly cheered and clapped. When the crowd noise had quieted, the old lady said, ‘Now it is time to make a Supreme Memorial.’ Waving her magic wand again, everyone found themselves on the border between the lands. The Crone held two shovels.
She told the teenagers, ‘You must plant your Gems of Growth and see what happens.’ Doing what they were told, the prince and princess did and stood back as they heard rumbling. From out of the ground arose two towering trees that stood side by side. An oak grew from the diamond, and from the pearl, a willow had sprouted.
Informing the two before her, the wise woman stated, ‘You have planted the Seeds of Destiny. From pressure and clarity comes the richness of strength and stability. From wisdom and experience comes flexibility but, more importantly, your dreams and imagination.’ Turning to the others, the Crone advised, ‘These trees will remind us how important the Two Kingdoms are to the planet.’
All were silent and reverently regarded the trees until the old lady spoke again. ‘Now, let’s go have some fun!’”
Ravenna looked at Herman before he laughed. The storyteller finished her tale. “And that’s how the Sun Princess and the Moon Prince saved their planet. The End.”
Herman lightly clapped, and the children followed suit. He went to the window and assessed the twilight. “Looks like it is time to get on your costumes.”
The girls got up and went into Zerlinda’s room to change. Herman and Mason left for their garage to get Mason in his outfit. Ravenna put Magic away into her bedroom and closed the door after promising the big, black cat he could come out later when all the Trick or Treaters were gone.
Then Ravenna waited in the living room. Soon, there was knocking at the front door, and she answered it. Mason was standing there in his costume, with Herman standing behind him. Over his gray sweats, Mason was wearing a large cardboard box that covered his trunk with a neck hole cut out. It was spray-painted silver and had flexible, metallic air duct hoses for the arms. Decorating the front of the box were simulated gauges and buttons. Herman had strapped a colander to Mason’s head. Having the look of a space helmet with coils, spark plugs, and wires, there was also what appeared to be an old TV antenna attached to the top of it.
Herman announced him. “This is Space Robot! The next robot to be sent to Mars!”
“Come on in, Space Robot!” Ravenna welcomed them as she ushered them in. “Did you make your costume, Mason?”
“Yea. My grandpa and mom helped me.”
Ravenna smiled at Herman and then said, “It’s really neat!”
“Thanks,” Mason replied shyly and looked down.
Zerlinda and Myrtle ran into the living room.
“Baba, can you help me with my fairy wings?”
“Sure! Aren’t you beautiful! And Myrtle is so pretty, but scary!”
Myrtle smiled at her and then asked, “Grandpa, can you help me tie on my witch’s cape?”
“Of course.”
The two grandparents helped their grandchildren with their costumes. The mothers had come in from the kitchen with bags for the candy.
“You sure you don’t mind taking the kids around, Dad?” Janelle asked Herman.
“Not if Ravenna doesn’t,” he answered.
“Of course not. Let me get my coat,” Ravenna replied. Then she told her daughter, “I put Magic away so he can’t run out the door.”
“Good idea, Mom.”
Ravenna put on her coat as the children scampered out the front door into the deepening dusk. In the distance, they heard laughter, talking, and ringing of doorbells. Herman held the door for Ravenna as she stepped outside. Then he offered his hand. “May I, m’lady?”
She nodded and placed her hand in his as they followed the children into the night.
Up Next: A New Eggcentric Saga
