ROCKING CHAIR
Yoss, our charborr Prophesy adventure was over and done, a neat completion of success. There were no lake charborrs, and so such never had been. They existed only in the thoughtful imaginary legends of the Forest charborrs.
“How do you know this?” asked Kar.
“I am Harick,” I answered, holding up my hands to display the twenty-two rings.
Kar was impressed enough to agree for true and all and firmly that I seemed so such to finally completely believe in my Harick self. And also, too, she said she was most heaped high with pride to be the first jrabe jroon to know me. And also, too, on and on and on she chattered as we flew back to the Danken Wood. As a fluttering beeketbird she circled me, nattering a flow like as she sometimes does. All I needed to do to please her was to nod and shrug from time to time. Yoss, she sailed along in her glee.
For the next few weeks I demonstrated to Kar much of my newly known knowledge. She was fair eager in particular to see me use and to hear me explain the powers of my rings. I announced I would reveal the secrets of one ring each day. She shrugged like we do. She said, “Even the ones we already know?” I said, “Yoss.” She said, “Even the three rubies, which we know do the same thing?” I said, “Fairly thought. One day then for all three rubies.” I started with the ring at the base of the little finger on my right hand and moved across to the ring at the base of the little finger on my left hand. Not a single jolt of shock did I receive when I pulled on the rings, chanted over ‘em, twisted ‘em. I knew about ‘em. I knew. Day after day I fizzed us or put us in bubbles or sped us to Clover and back or transformed myself to match any fantastic shape Kar could dream up or lit my hat luminous or made pies and cakes appear or drenched us with rain and dried us or any and all of the other tricks and conjures it took to bring me to the final ring.
I reached the final ring on the day Kar chose to depart for Fan Wa’s Island. Her duties as Queen Jebb of the Acrotwist Clowns called. The final ring circled the base of my left little finger. It was gold-leafed in an overlapping Dragon scale pattern mounted with a tiny black pearl. Kar and I both already knew one thing it could do. It could control my mischievous Wand.
“Well, Bek, does the Wand control ring do something other besides?” asked Kar after we stepped outside to say good-bye one to the other.
“I don’t know,” I said with smile.
“What do you mean? I thought you now knew what you didn’t know, don’t you?” she asked.
“I do, but not all … yet,” I said.
“But you will, and when you do, I’ll be the first you tell,” said Kar.
“Of course,” I replied.
We shrugged like we do.
“Visit next month and check the Clock. We’ll have pie fights and a shifting contest,” said Kar.
I nodded. She shimmered a shift to winged blue cloud and flew off. I watched until she was a speck in the sky. I retreated inside my edible cottage, breaking off the lemony doorknob and crunching on it. I looked around my cottage, my home. I swallowed the last bits of door knob and crossed the room to where my crystal ball sat glowing blue. I passed my right hand above it, murmuring. The Charborr Forest appeared in the globe. Fine tall black trees, healthy, vigorous. I passed my hand again above the crystal ball. The Koil, pulsing a bright pale green, wobbled on the apron of the Dome. A pale green shining pyramid of charborrs rose to a fine high point in the cavern. Peace and satisfaction seeped through me. I turned to my new piece of furniture. What new piece of furniture? It was a rocking chair conjured by me to demonstrate for Kar one of the powers of my lattice weave gold and silver ring which I wore around the base of my right thumb. Soft I sank in its marshmallow cushions and slowly began to rock. I was Harick. I knew what I didn’t know. I gazed at the peaceful blue glow of my crystal ball. I looked forward to a time when it would glow yellow yet one more time again.
THE END