BP & G; The Mad Wizard

[joegoda]

On the Edge of the southern desert, Allen, son of Albert, was tending the crops. There was beans and corn to talk to and encourage to grow tall. There were potatoes and beets and carrots to weed and water. Allen was a good son, the only son of Albert, and he worked hard to keep the crops strong and healthy so they could be taken to Newton, on the other side of the Ridge Mountains that lay to the south of the southern desert.

The southern desert was not named the southern desert because it was the desert on the southern edge of any thing. It was called the southern desert because it was the south most point on the northern side of the Mountain range that, as far as anyone knew, ringed the entire planet.

Allen knew that there were towns and villages on the southern side of the Ridge. He had even visited some of them in his short nine year lifetime. While there, he had heard old-timers talk about seeing mysterious and wondrous animals. Horses with the upper body of a man. Men that had the legs of a goat. Talking trees, talking animals. Mermaids in the depths of the ocean, which lay far, far to the south of the Ridge, and was a place that Allen hoped to visit someday, someday.

Wondrous and strange. His father, the wisest man in the world, had told him that the tales may have been true at one time, but no longer. If there had ever been such things in the world, his father had said, it was long ago and far away, and quite likely the result of having had far too much berrywine in the belly. His father had told Allen to stay away from berrywine, as it would cause him to see many odd things and would cause him to do many stupid things. Allen nodded and told his father he would stay away from it, because Allen was a good boy, and believed that his father knew all there was to know.

Allen, son of Albert worked hard in the fields. He knew it was his job, and he also knew that when he was out there, among the fields, he was happiest. His mother worked hard, cleaning the house and taking care of the family, and Allen wanted to make her very proud of him. His father worked hard, too, plowing the fields and taking care of the livestock, which would also be sold in markets on the other side of the Ridge.

It was a good life, a simple life, though sometimes a bit lonely for the only son of a farmer. He had asked if he would ever get a brother or a sister to play with, but he could tell this made his parents sad, and so he quit asking. He was determined that the crops would be his brothers and sisters, and this satisfied him, because he could talk to them, and they would talk back, telling him tales of all the things going on in the world.

He mentioned this to his parents one day, and he could see that it made them appear sad too, so he never mentioned his brothers and sisters in the field again. It didn't stop him from talking to them, however, and a great many days had been spent hearing about the wonders and magics that were happening elsewhere. Allen was waiting patiently, as patient as a bean sprout, and he was waiting for the time he could go visit some of the places he had been told about.

He was especially interested in finding a valley where magic was, where dragons once fought, and the river was alive. He had wondered if the plants and crops there would have different stories to tell. And so, he waited for the time when he would sprout up tall enough and be old enough to move out on his own. He would make his parents proud of him then, being a world explorer, yes he would.

On this day, a bright sunny day when the corn was cheerfully singing a ballad about dancing moons, and the beans were murmuring in their sleepy way, Allen heard and saw an odd sight.

Out on the white sands of the desert a bird with one wing had crashed and was sliding along the surface. It was moving at a furious pace and it's one wing, standing straight up into the air was a blinding white against the blue of the sky. Allen wondered how a bird with only one wing was able to move so fast, and how it was able to make such a noise as it moved.

The bird on the desert went "Woooooo Hoooo!" and then would fall silent. Allen asked the corn if it had ever heard of such a thing, but the corn could not answer that it had ever heard of it. The beans, actually more intelligent than the corn, was also unaware of such a creature. Allen didn't ask the carrots or the beet, as they generally had their head buried in the sand and only noticed the movement of the earth and the creatures under it.

Amazed and stunned Allen watched as the one wing moved close, and then lickity split!, move past and quickly far away. It was a sight that Allen would not tell his parents about, but would, in time far into the future, tell to his children and to his grandchildren. The children would nod and smile at the old man's words, as they had been raised to be respectful of their elders.

The children would do the same with the story of how he fought the last dragon on the far side of the planet and rescued their mother and grandmother from the beast, who was about to eat her, because you see, sea dragon's favorite food is, after all, mermaids.

Soon the wing was out of sight, and Allen, son of Albert, would sigh. Then he would turn back to his brothers and sisters and get back to the business of taking care of them. He would shake his head a lot that day, as he had seen his father do, and say, as he had heard his father say "Strange and wondrous things about." Another shake and then "Strange and wondrous."

"Woooo hoooo!" exclaimed Pockets, as he held on to the single mast. Above and around him, rippling in the wind, was a single sail. He had wondered if this would work, and it had, far beyond his wildest expectations.

Applying a little bit of his 'frigerator concept to cool the heated coils below the deck he stood on created enough steam that he was literally riding on a cushion of air. With the sail attached to the wooden deck, and a good breeze, he was able to out run any horse. He decided he would call his invention a 'sail board', because that was exactly what it was.

His heart was pounding and the blood in his head was singing, as he saw the ridge mountains growing larger and larger. He tacked the sail just a bit, and the board shifted towards the windward side of the mountain. The wind, bless it's heart was blowing him towards the exact split he knew would take him to Newton.

He felt like he was going home and smiled and laughed and sang pirate songs. He was, after all, sailing. "Wiz", he cried with the wind at his back and bugs in his teeth, "I'm comin for you!"

He felt like he was going home.

Comments

[shackrlu.livejournal.com]

"Strange and wondrous"
That made me smile!

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I kind of liked it. BTW, I have finally figure out where this ALL came from. Quite possibly the most influencial movie I ever saw. It was called the Bone Flute, made in 1957, I think, and tho I may have seen it at a theater, I watched it in a dream. If you think that's confusing, you should be in my head.

[hdsqrl.livejournal.com]

"...as patient as a bean sprout." I love that!

So...*tilts head*...I think I'm still figuring this all out, but I like!

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah...have you gone back and read the first set of stories? You really should!

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

If you want, I can send you Bags and Pockets first book, as I have it in word document form. I keep thinking that one of the places I submitted it to will say "By gom yes! We want this!"

[hdsqrl.livejournal.com]

*sharp intake*

Yes! I'd love that!! (megan_mcleod225 at hotmail dot com, please!)

:D

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

Heading your way, Ma'am.

[journiey.livejournal.com]

Hey Can I Get That Too? You HAVE MY Number Mr lol

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

Commin your way, Journiey, my love!

[journiey.livejournal.com]

Ya Know? That Makes Me Very Happy :)

[journiey.livejournal.com]

Strange And Wonderous Indeed :)