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
Ravenna and Zerlinda walked from the kitchen into the living room after they had cleaned their dishes. Magic opened his eyes and raised his head to look at them. Sprawled out on the seat of Ravenna’s armchair near the warm, roaring fire, the big, black cat was basking in the heat. “Magic! Where am I to sit!?” Ravenna exclaimed. In answer to her query, Magic put his head back down and stretched his forelegs out even further. He had no intention of removing himself from her seat.
“Here Baba,” Zerlinda suggested, “sit here in Mommy’s chair and I will sit on the floor. Magic looks tired from all his prowling while we were gathering apples from the tree in the garden today.”
Madame Mariposa tittered at her granddaughter’s statement. “Yes, I suppose we can indulge him just this once. He keeps the gophers away.” She sat down and Zerlinda took her place near the fire. Satisfied that he was getting his way, Magic closed his impressive eyes and napped again.
“Remind me. Where was I?”
“The Crone of the Tree had just disappeared.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Where the crone stood, in her stead were four items. A lamp, a knife, and two scrolls of parchment tied with turquoise ribbon. One ribbon had a golden heart charm tied to it, and the other ribbon had a silver heart charm. A murmur of wonderment, as well as discontent, arose from the crowd. A piece of parchment had magically appeared in the hand of the Court Jester. He read it, and when he understood its meaning, he whistled. Holding the document high in the air, he waved it at the people. Finally, when all were attentive, he read part of the manuscript to the assembly.
‘The Supreme Proclamation: The Supreme Fool, Jester of the Royal Court, shall hereby be the director of the Supreme Directive. He shall oversee the Operation of the Supreme Journey. The Son of the Moon, Thaddeus, and the Daughter of the Sun, Cora, are to be summoned to the Portico of Judgment. There they shall hear the following Supreme Declaration and given Supreme Tools to help them in their Supreme Search. Then they shall each read their individual scrolls and begin their Supreme Quests.’
Another moan emitted from the congregation as they were of the mind that this was a competition. The Moon Kingdom people distressed because the Prince was the chosen one. It disappointed those of the Sun Kingdom that were present with the choice of the Princess. Both were teenagers with certain reputations. The dwellers of each region didn’t like their options.
The Queen of the Fairies in the Moon Kingdom was the first to speak out. ‘Thaddeus?’ she questioned skeptically. As no members of the royal Moon family were present, she thought she could speak openly. ‘While he has strength, courage and is daring, he can be petulant and lazy.’
“Baba, what does petulant mean?” Zerlinda asked.
“It means that he is like Mason when he makes fun of our story time and pulls your hair. Crabby and spoiled,” her grandmother replied. Thinking of Herman, Ravenna wanted to add, “The acorn doesn’t fall far from the oak,” but she bit her tongue and continued her story.
“As no one present contradicted her, the Fairy Queen persisted. ‘Although he is charming and captivating, he wants to be told this over and over. I don’t think I know anyone in the kingdom that stands in front of the mirror as much as he…’ Low snickers issued from the gathering. Hearing this, she became emboldened and added, ‘Besides, the boy is not as nearly serious or clever as he should be. He is fickle and irresponsible. Is this a game or a quest?’ Outright laughing erupted.
When it subsided, the Captain of the Sun Guard interjected. ‘I, too, have some doubts about Cora,’ While she can be practical, logical, and staid, she is worrisome. She wants to lead but lacks the self-confidence and conviction that she is on the right path. Her concern is with admiration and not of guidance. A true leader takes control. This girl can be prone to fits of fancy when she becomes smitten.’ This last statement caused a flurry of talk amongst those gathered.”
“Baba, what does smitten mean?”
“Smitten means something strongly attracts you.”
“You mean like Magic hunting gophers?”
Ravenna chortled. “Yeah, kinda like that.”
“The Court Jester yelled furiously, ‘Silence!’ and they quieted down. ‘We shall follow the Supreme Proclamation without further discussion.’
And so summoned, the young teenagers and all assembled on the Portico of Judgment. Thaddeus and Cora stood in front of the Court Jester as he read from the parchment.
‘When you head to the Source,
Your way will be difficult
You must follow the Three
To find the One
This One shall be given to the One
When the Ones are United,
Understanding the Power of Four
Will come to Be
This is where the Quest ends
And there you will solve
The Riddle of your Journey.’
Then the Court Jester presented the two scrolls and items left on the ground by the Crone of the Tree. He gave the lamp to the princess, and to the prince, he gave the knife before indicating they set those down and read their scrolls.”
Ravenna stopped and rolled her head around to loosen her neck muscles. Then she consulted her watch. “Well, kid, time for bed.”
“Can’t you just tell me what was on the scrolls, Baba dear?” Zerlinda coaxed.
“Nope. Save that for tomorrow.”
Zerlinda’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as her ploy failed, but then she chirped, “Since it’s the weekend, do you think Mom would let Myrtle sleep over tomorrow night? She told me she wants to hear your story too.”
“I think so. You can ask your mom in the morning.”
Next: The Myth of Madame Mariposa: Part 6-Following
