CHAPTER NINETEEN
The abrupt sound of wooden doors being flung open and hitting stone walls woke the boys and they both sat up, startled, in the bed. Gerdie stood at the doorway to the old castle room where they had slept. She had a wide grin on her face and she spoke with purpose.
“Time to go, boys. We’re all set!”
Oliver grabbed his glasses from next to him and put them on. He noticed that Gerdie had a backpack on. “Where we going?” he asked.
“We’re going to see a very special friend of mine, remember?” she pulled the backpack up, which conveyed how heavy it actually was.
Elliott wanted to ask more questions. He always felt that there were more questions to be asked, but he didn’t. He slipped out of the bed silently and walked toward Gerdie. He was becoming accustomed to suppressing his curiosity.
The three made their way through the castle and through the big wooden entry doors. Outside, the sun was shining directly overhead and no stars could be seen. It was comforting to the boys as they followed Gerdie along a path that led to the woods. They were going in a direction away from the cave that they had crawled through when they first reached the island- in the opposite direction from where Gerd had landed the sky taxi. This was a part of the island they had not yet traversed.
Gerdie began humming as she walked. As they hiked through the dense woods, she swung and chopped loose vines down with a machete she had unsheathed from her side. As they moved further into the woods, the trees and vines grew more dense, making it darker.
“My, I haven’t gone to see Tess in some time,” Gerdie said under her breath as she pulled down a thick vine.
“Tess?” Elliott asked instinctively. Just as he asked about the name, he felt slightly guilty for being curious again.
Gerdie looked back at the boys, still walking forward on the overgrown path. “Yes, Testuda.
As I said, she’s an old friend- old and big- very big. And, she’s very wise and you will learn from her, I’m certain.”
Oliver then noticed that the path that they were on was beginning to slope downward. Every few feet, a step would be present. He glanced back and could then tell that they had gone down quite a bit of a hill. He wondered about it, but continued walking.
Elliott looked upward at the trees and vines. They seemed different. As they continued further, the color in the vines and leaves faded from green to grey. Other things were changing about the woods, too. The ground was getting softer and the smell of mud and clay grew stronger every step.
The boys were engrossed in the details of the path and both noticed a peculiar haze suddenly cross their faces. Looking ahead, the boys could see fog. The bright sun that was once lighting their path was now only a silvery glow all around. It was erie to the boys.
Elliott stopped in his path. “Um, Gerdie? How much further into this are we going?” Gerdie turned, her face suddenly serious. “It’s a bit further- you’ll be fine.”
Oliver looked ahead and, seeing a denser fog, he alerted his brother in a loud voice,
“Brother, that must be cloud. We’re walking down into the clouds!”
Elliott knew Oliver was right. Without even thinking, he said aloud, “I knew this island
didn’t look this big. We just couldn’t see any of this. How far down does it go? Isn’t this dangerous?”
Gerdie smiled, but it seemed forced. “Yes, this is cloud, but it’s fine. We’re not going to fall into the nothing down there. Trust me.”
Elliott was nervous, but slowly walked toward Gerdie who, in turn, spun around and resumed walking into the misty cloud. Soon, the boys found that the trees were more spaced out and the woods were thinning. They eventually left the woods entirely and were walking through a muddy pit. There were large boulders nestled into the mud and, as they continued through the mist, they could make out the largest of the boulders they were approaching.
Gerdie then stopped her pace and took off her backpack. She opened the top and retrieved a set of wooden planks that she set down in the mud to form a seat. Sitting down in the chair, she let the pack fall to the side and she sighed. She looked straight ahead at the large boulder, which was still a good ways ahead.
“You’ll meet Testuda right up there,” she said, not looking at the brothers as she did. Elliott became very nervous, “You’re not coming with us?”
“Nope. What Tess says to you is for you, not me. I’ve spoken to her plenty to know that.” Oliver was nervous as well, but he wondered about what was ahead. He didn’t even realize that he was stepping toward the boulder. Elliott responded, wanting to care for his brother and the two stepped carefully through the mud. They moved slowly and it took them some time before they were in front of the large boulder.
The two looked around them but could see no one through the dense fog. Elliott spoke softly, not sure if he really wanted to find out who was there, “Hello?”
There was no response and Oliver looked up to his brother, “Let’s go back.”
Then there was movement in the mud below them. The brothers became afraid and stepped back. The mud began bulging up beneath them and they stepped back to be away from where it was lifting. The boys were afraid but did not scream or run as they watched the muddy glob lift into a hill that tilted the large boulder backward. It continued rising until it was a large object towering above them. It seemed to come from under the boulder and be attached to it somehow.
After hovering for what seemed like a long time to the boys, the sides of the object opened to reveal two eyes.
Oliver gasped, “Brother, it’s a turtle!”
Then a mouth opened on the face and it responded in a weathered old voice that shook as it slowly spoke, “Tortoise.”
“It talks!” Oliver yelled.
“I live on land and don’t go underwater, I’m of the tortoise family.” The tortoise slowly turned its head down to look at the boys below it. “Hmm, I see too much optimism. You will be disappointed. Yes, disappointed indeed.”
Elliott’s voice cracked in fear as he questioned the tortoise, “Why do you say that?”
The tortoise huffed and mud dripped down from its nostrils. “You two have not learned. You have not understood. You cannot be content with all the questions you hold onto.”
Oliver interrupted the old tortoise’s slow speech, “Are you Testuda? Tess?”
The tortoise’s eyes closed. “I am indeed Testuda the Wise. You may not call me Tess. We are not friends. I do not wish to be marred by your inability to be complacent.”
Elliott still questioned further, though he was still afraid, “How is it that you think you know things about us? We haven’t ever seen you and you’ve had your head in the mud.”
“I can see plenty on you,” she replied. “This terrible curiosity exudes from you like a bright light shinning on those who just want to sleep in peace. But, I suppose you’ve come hear to seek a bushel- an answer- the wisdom of the great tortoise.”
The boys did not answer.
“Fortunately, you are not beyond saving,” Testuda continued. “I can lead you to the path of contentment as you so desire.”
Elliott felt that he was becoming confused. Did he desire what Testuda was offering?
She continued in a slow pace that made the boys feel dreary and less inclined to question, “I can see you both wanting something- something that isn’t there. You wish to have a purpose here, but these things are what make people unhappy. They set goals and they fail and they fail and they lose and they fall to lows that destroy their spirits when the answer is to find yourself in the flow that is already arranged so perfectly already in pure complacent acceptance. You will feel peace at not having a nagging goal and find contentment in the tasks of mundane that are what make the islands thrive.”
The words of Testuda made both brothers feel sad and their stomachs felt more and more queezy as she continued. The “wisdom” that they were receiving seemed contrary to everything that they felt.
As her head began descending back into the mud, Testuda offered her last bit of wisdom to the boys, “Go now from me and sit. Sit for days. Sit for weeks if needed. Just sit until you can accept everything as it is given to you. When you have reached the point of true acceptance, you will no longer be plagued by this terrible feeling of purpose you possess.” Her eyes closed as she completed her desent back into the mud, “Then, you may return to see me. Then, we may all enjoy the slumber.”
Elliott and Oliver stood in silence before the great tortoise’s shell, which now resembled a boulder once more. They felt terrible. They felt sadness as they returned to Gerdie, who said nothing at their return. She simply packed her seat in her backpack and began leading the boys back through the fog and into the woods. The three spoke not a word as they followed the path back toward the castle. When the reached the end of the woods before the castle, the sky was dark and the stars were shinning overhead. Neither boy looked up, they both continued with their heads down as they walked through the fabric-strewn entry-way and into their room.
Gerdie produced a towel from her backpack and leaned down to wipe the mud from the boys’ feet. When they were clean, she helped them into the bed and, just before leaving the room, she whispered, “You are beginning to understand. This is good- soon, you will not think anything of the mysteries of this sky. Then, I can take care of you two as my own and we will all be happy.” She was smiling wide as she shut the door, darkening the room.
Elliott and Oliver stared up in the dark room. They didn’t feel well.
Oliver began crying and, though Elliott wanted to comfort his brother, he laid in silence. After some time, Elliott finally spoke, “No.” He spoke in a determined tone as he repeated it, “No.”
Oliver stopped crying and paid attention to his brother. Elliott repeated it once more, “No!” Oliver sniffled and responded, “Brother?”
Though it was dark, Elliott turned his head toward his brother to speak, “Is Testuda wise,
just because she says she’s wise? What if she’s wrong. I don’t want to be like that and I don’t want to not be curious and I don’t want to feel like nothing matters at all.”
Elliott had to calm himself so that he wouldn’t speak too loudly, “We can’t forget, Oliver. We’re getting out of here and going back home. Back to the Earth, which is below the clouds.”
Oliver became inspired by his brother’s conviction. “Yeah!” he said a little too loudly. Elliott put his hand over his brother’s mouth to signal to not cause alert. The two laid there in silence for some time, thinking about what was on Earth, remembering the life they had before be thrust into the Sky Islands.
As they thought of different plans for escape, they eventually fell tired and began to fade into sleep. Just before the boys did, however, they both heard two sets of feet, shuffling about on the other side of the door to their room. There were some whispers and they both could make out the last thing said between the two mysterious figures- “We’ll wait until they are asleep.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
The boys awoke feeling strange. The wind was loud and lashed at their faces from a propellor above them. They were in the back of a sky taxi. Neither boy knew how they came about getting into the back of the vehicle, but they knew something was wrong as they both felt unusually groggy.
Oliver sat up and immediately looked to see who was driving the vehicle, but a board had been placed between the front of the taxi and the bed. Oliver was afraid and moved closer to his brother, who was beginning to sit up.
“Elliott, what’s happening?” he asked.
Elliott rubbed his head, “I don’t know, Oliver. Can you see anything?”
Oliver inched up and looked over the side of the taxi bed. In every direction he could see there were only clouds. Suddenly, the vehicle sputtered and jolted downward. The boys fell back into the taxi bed. Then, the propellor started again and the vehicle became steady.
The boys looked at each other with scared expressions. They both were thinking the same thing and Oliver voiced it, “Cad.”
​
The trip seemed to take forever. They were definitely traveling further than they had gone before. Periodically, one of the brothers would look over the edge of the taxi bed, but there were no changes in the scene - only a sea of clouds all around. The night sky above shown bright blue light from the moon. Finally, the propellor slowed and the vehicle seemed to start a decent. This made the brothers nervous. They were unsure of where they were going, but it didn’t seem good.
The vehicle slammed into the ground and the propellor stilled. There was a pause and then a voice commanded from the front of the taxi, “Out.”
The boys recognized Cad’s voice. The were afraid and did not exit the taxi until another voice said, “Bad, curious boys need to be punished.”
Oliver whispered to Elliott, “Was that Gerd?”
Elliott addressed the voices in the vehicle, “Why are we here? What’s going to happen here?”
The voice of Cad responded immediately, “Them questions are precisely why you’re here- that and tricking people and causing confusion and breaking stuff. Now, OUT!”
Slowly, the boys climbed over the side of the taxi and crouched behind it. The propellor started as soon as they were out and the vehicle began climbing into the sky, leaving them to whatever lie ahead.
The island they were on was small compared to the other islands. This island, however, had no grass or trees. It was only a dark, clay that made up the ground. As all the other islands, propellors spun surrounding the edges of the land. In the center of the island was a giant cave and surrounding the cave were large bones sticking up out of the ground. This made the boys very afraid.
Elliott’s voice was shaky, “Um, Oliver? I think I know where we are.”
Oliver reached up and took his brother’s hand. He was shaking as Elliott said to him, “This is the Island of the Beast.”
There was a rumble that vibrated the ground as if something had hit the island very hard. The boys were huddled together. Elliott looked around the island, “Maybe, we could hide before it comes out.”
They were at the edge of the island and ahead of them was only clay up to the cave. Oliver pointed above the cave, “We could climb up there.”
Elliott didn’t like the idea because it would mean getting closer to the cave, but he took a
deep breath and gathered his courage. He noticed that the air seemed thin once more and there was an animal smell, like that of a wet dog.
The two inched toward the tall mound of stone that made up the cave. They were careful not to make a sound as they did. On the ground, in front of the cave, were markings of some of the letters from the sky alphabet, but mixed in, the boys saw an “a” and an “e.” They were nearly to the opening of the cave when a gust of wind whipped at them from in the cave. Oliver screamed in response and then put his hands over his mouth. Then, the boys heard heavy footsteps- very heavy footsteps. They had no time to respond as a shadowy figure was seen moving in the cave. It was a very large something, whatever it was. It approached the exit of the cave toward the brothers, but stopped short, still in the shadow of the cave. It seemed to be studying the boys, who were frozen in place with fear.
​
Slowly, the creature stepped from the cave and into the moonlight. It was four times the size of the boys and had a body like a gorilla - with long arms that stretched down to the ground. It’s head, however, was like that of a warthog - with tusks jutting from its bottom jaw. Its eyes were dark to where it was indistinguishable as to where it was looking. It was the scariest thing either boy had ever seen. It looked down at the boys and huffed.
At the sound of the creatures exhale, the boys both screamed and stepped backward. They continued screaming and moving back away from it, but the beast didn’t approach or make another sound.
After some time, Elliott noticed that the creature had turned its head down toward the ground and slouched a bit. It appeared to be sad. Oliver, clenching onto his brothers garment, asked in a trembling voice, “What is it doing?”
Elliott took another deep breath and tried to calm himself and his brother. He put his arm around his brother and whispered, “I don’t think it wants to hurt us.”
“Then, what does it want?” Oliver responded. “I don’t know, but maybe we can help.”
This made Oliver look up to his brother, “Help? We’re going to help it?”
It took everything in Elliott to take a step toward the Beast. With every little step, his courage increased. The Beast slowly turned its head up toward the brothers. This made Elliott stop and he and the Beast stared at each other. After some time in silence, the Beast actually spoke, “Are you real?”
The Beast’s voice didn’t match its form. It was the voice of a little boy. Oliver let go of his brother and said, “It can talk.”
The Beast sighed, “You’re just illusions, come to point at me and be afraid.”
Elliott, still trembling, responded, “We’re not illusions. We were brought here.” He immediately realized that telling the Beast they were real was a bad idea, as now he knew they were really there. He took a step back and asked, “Are you going to eat us?”
This question made the Beast sigh again and sit down on the ground. “I’ve been asked that question before,” he said. “I wouldn’t ever eat anyone. I guess people think that because I look so scary, I would eat someone.”
Oliver pointed at the bones around the opening of the cave, “But, there’s bones!”
The Beast glanced back and answered, “I don’t know what those are from. I didn’t put them there. They have always been there.”
Elliott was becoming more relaxed after hearing that the Beast wouldn’t eat them. Having that understood, his curiosity peaked, “Well... what are you? Where do you come from, if you say these bones were always here?” Elliott didn’t feel like he had to hide his curiosity from the Beast.
The Beast leaned back on his large arms, “The thing is, I don’t know.”
Oliver cocked his head to the side, “You don’t know?”
“Nope, I don’t know - or, I don’t remember, anyway. I can only remember being here. It’s
been a really long time.”
“Well, if you don’t eat people,” Elliott returned, “what do you eat?”
The Beast sat up and pointed to a spot in the clay that appeared discolored and harder than the rest of the land. “A tall lady comes right over there and she always has a big bowl of fruits and crunchy things to eat. She asks me how I’m doing, but I still don’t think she’s nice. She seems to be friendly, but she’s not really my friend.” The Beast’s head looked down further, “I never had a friend.”
This made Oliver very sad. He suddenly felt sympathy for the Beast.
Elliott was still inquisitive, “How does the lady get here? Is she in a sky taxi?”
The Beast shook his head, “No, I don’t know how she gets here. She will call to me when I’m in my cave and she’ll just already be here. I don’t think she’s real. Sometimes, it seems like someone is here, but then they are not. And, everyone leaves - no one stays or ever comes back.”
Oliver suddenly stepped toward the Beast and blurted out, “We’ll be your friends!” He looked back at Elliott and his brother nodded in agreement to the Beast.
The Beast glanced back and forth at the brothers, unsure how to respond. Then, it seemed as if the Beast’s mouth made a smile under his large snout and tusks. He stood and approached the boys slowly. His approaching brought back a fear in the boys, but both brothers pretended not be scared.
The Beast leaned down, getting closer to the boys, “Really and seriously?”
“Yep!” Oliver responded, “We’ll be your friends.”
The Beast stood up taller, “And you won’t leave?”
Elliott’s face crinkled. He didn’t want to lie and knew that they didn’t plan on staying there on the small island with the Beast. “Well, we can’t stay, we have a home to get back to.”
The Beast’s smile faded.
Noticing, Elliott assured, “But, we can come back! Yeah, we can come visit and even bring stuff with us!”
This made the Beast smile once more. He fell back, sitting down, and the ground shook in
response. “My name’s Aiden.”
Oliver responded immediately, “I’m Oliver and that’s Elliott.”
Elliott wasted no time in questioning Aiden, “So, you really don’t know how you got here or
where you came from?”
“No, I just remember my island.” He looked off into the distance, “But, sometimes I dream
about being a boy. I have lots of dreams. I dream about big rooms with long tables full of food.
And, I dream about climbing on things that are not like these rocks, but are... uh, metal. And, in all of my dreams, the tall woman is there.”
The Beast looked down, seeming sad again, “And, I dream about kids pointing at me and being scared. And people not wanting to see me. It makes me sad. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” He turned his attention back to the brothers, his spirit seeming to brighten, “But, now you two are here and I finally have friends.”
Oliver walked to Aiden and put his arms out. He couldn’t get his arms all the way around one of the Beast’s massive arms, but he still tried to hug him. “We’re good friends, Aiden.”
Tears welled up in Aiden’s dark eyes. After a moment, he stood suddenly, “Hey! Want to see my toys?”
Elliott was definitely curious at that, “You have toys here?”
“Yeah! Well, I mean, I made them from rocks and stuff, but yeah, hold on and I’ll get them.” Aiden was still muttering something to the boys as he disappeared into this cave. As soon as he was out of view, the boys could hear a sky taxi approaching. It was a dingy yellow and they knew it had to be Cad returning. The taxi landed suddenly and Cad and Gerd leapt from the front seats. Their eyes were wide and they appeared afraid. They ran to the boys, frantically tripping and panting. Gerd grabbed Oliver and Cad took Elliott and the two men began dragging the boys back toward the sky taxi.
“Wait!” Oliver yelled.
“What are you doing?” Elliott asked, trying to break away.
Between breaths, Gerd responded, “Didn’t know there really was a beast!”
Cad added, “We were teaching you a lesson, but I ain’t feeding ya to some monster!”
“He’s not going to eat us!” Oliver yelled, “He’s nice!”
But, neither of the men listened. They drug the boys to the taxi and shoved them into the
bed. The boys protested, but as Gerd made sure the boys were secure in the bed of the taxi, Cad started the propellor and they lifted into the sky. The boys tried to yell back toward Aiden, but the sound of the wind from the propellor made it difficult for their voices to travel.
As they looked down, the Beast appeared carrying a load of strange-looking items. He looked up at the taxi leaving and became noticeably sad. He looked down toward the ground. Oliver cried, “He thinks we left him!”
The boys watched on as the Beast then became angry. He threw the toys onto the ground
and, with his massive fists, began pounding the ground below. The island shook so great that the boys could see its movement from way up above. The vibration made the propellors on the edges of the island begin to slow.
Cad rose the taxi far above but hovered, watching on, “What is it doing?”
Elliott answered, “It’s a he. And, he’s upset. He thinks we left him.”
Gerd huffed, “We did leave him. He was about to eat you two.”
“No, he wasn’t!” cried Oliver.
Aiden continued pounding at the ground and the propellors slowed further. The whole island began to move downward. Cloud began drifting across the surface of the island. Aiden noticed the clouds and that he was descending. He stopped pounding and just stared up at the boys. It was apparent how hurt he was.
As the boys watched the slow descent of the island into the clouds, the morning sunlight shot across the sky, making the boys squint. As the light passed over the vanishing island, Elliott thought he saw, standing on the island, a little boy in place of the Beast. He had a rash on his face. Before Elliott could confirm what he thought he saw, the island disappeared completely into the clouds.
Oliver flung his head back and began crying loudly. Elliott became angry and turned to Gerd, “Why do you make us go? He wasn’t mean. He doesn’t eat people.”
“We were saving your lives!” Cad yelled back from he driver’s seat.
Gerd didn’t speak. He looked down, an upset look on his face. He appeared to understand that they may have made a mistake in not listening to the boys. “Well, it’s done now,” he finally said.
​
The long trip back was taken with no one speaking again. The only sound other than the roaring wind was Oliver sniffling. His glasses were covered in tears and he didn’t wipe them away. Eventually, the energy spent in being afraid and going through the event on the Island of the Beast overtook the brothers and they fell asleep. As Elliott fell into slumber, he thought he heard Gerd sniffling and crying quietly to himself.
​
​
The brothers awoke feeling well-rested. They were tucked in neatly in their beds opposite each other in the Queen’s castle on Capital Island. The boys immediately noticed Ralph, the guard, standing in the doorway, his long axe at his side. With the bright sun peering into the windows in the hallway of the castle, Ralph looked like a dark silhouette and the boys could barely make out his features.
Oliver found his glasses next to him and put them on to better see. “Hey, it’s Ralph,” Oliver said, happy to see his friend, but the events of the previous day quickly came over his memory and he looked down and sighed.
Ralph noticed and showed sympathy, though he still remained stoic as ever, “I’ve come to learn that you both had a difficult day yesterday of which the details have not been fully made known to me. I offer you my sympathy.”
Elliott pushed the covers down from him- they were tightly wound around his body. “How did we get here?” he asked “And, um, did you tuck us in, Ralph?”
The guard cleared his throat and stuttered a bit, clearly showing his embarrassment, “Yes, well, um, you see, finding that you two were having a rough time, I felt that you should sleep well and I always sleep well when I am tightly snug in the covers.”
Oliver made a curious face, “Who tucks you in, though?”
Ralph became uncomfortable at the inquiry and locked his jaw tight. Then, a strange look came over his face and he looked away from the brothers. He seemed to be trying to remember something.
Elliott turned and put his shoes on. He wanted to speak to the Queen about the Beast immediately. He knew that the Queen knew about Aiden and assumed it was she that was feeding him. The description of the “tall woman” that was “not nice” certainly fit.
“We need to go to talk to the Queen,” he insisted.
Ralph did not protest, “Indeed, she has requested your presence.” He stepped away from the entryway and began walking down the hall.
Elliott quickly caught up and Oliver, not wanting to be left, ran to catch up, leaving his shoes behind. His bare feet made slapping sounds with every step on the cool, stone floor. The bottom of Ralph’s long axe tapped ahead of the boys and Oliver noticed.
“Why do you have an axe?” Oliver inquired.
Ralph stopped his march and halfway looked back at the boys. He thought for a moment and then said, “I suppose that’s a logistical question and not too curious.” He stuck his chest out as he explained, “The axe is a symbol. It conveys strength, protection, and majesty. You see, boys, sometimes the very appearance of the axe itself is enough to not have to use the axe for any, um, intended purpose.”
He turned to face the boys, expecting them to be impressed. Not seeing the reaction he wanted, he huffed, “It’s also standard-issue, it comes with the suit of armor.”
The three marched on around the long corridor. Bush leaves shuffled in the wind from the courtyard beyond the long windows. It was pleasant to the boys and Elliott’s anger began to calm.
They finally reached the large, arched doors that led to the Queen’s chamber. As soon as the boys had reached the threshold, the doors opened on their own. The boys stepped into the chamber to find that it was slightly different once again. It was hard for the boys to even point out the specific differences, but they knew there was something different. The ornate patterns in the walls and long tapestries still hung. The only thing that appeared to not have changed in any way was the large, circular stain-glass window, which seemed to be the main source of light for the large room.
The brothers heard the Queen’s voice, though they didn’t immediately see her, “I hear that you have had an ordeal.”
Elliott looked around but didn’t see the Queen. There was a platform that appeared to be where her throne was, but a thin veil fell all the way from the ceiling of the chamber and completely hid the throne and, presumably, the Queen. Elliott took a deep breath and gathered his courage to confront the Queen, “We know about Aiden. We met him.”
“Ah, the Beast?” her voice showed no surprise or remorse. “Yes, I suppose he didn’t eat you.”
Oliver blurted out, “Why can’t we see you?”
The veil rippled suddenly as if it were alive and then calmed back to its resting state. The Queen’s voice now seemed angry, “You may not question me. Of all the offenses of curiosity, you should never inquire about my ways. The answer to all of those inquiries is that I am the Queen and whatever I’m doing is for your benefit and is best.”
This made Oliver nervous and he inched closer to his brother. Elliott was still focused on his friend, “Aiden was lonely- he didn’t have any friends. And, now he’s... he drifted below the clouds.”
“Then he is gone,” the Queen showed no emotion.
“But, he can’t be!” Oliver shouted.
The Queen sighed behind the veil, “He did have a friend.”
“But, he said you weren’t very friendly to him,” Elliott returned.
The Queen chuckled, “You assume I have been the one feeding him.”
Elliott was taken aback. He wanted to ask, aren’t you? but was afraid to question the Queen. The veil rippled once more and the Queen said, “I had hoped you two would have come
closer to finding where you fit in on our islands. It appears, however, that you are stuck in the ways of the islands you came from.”
Oliver began, “We’re not-” but he stopped short, knowing he wasn’t supposed to speak of where they came from.
Elliott had a strange feeling, because for a brief moment, he had forgotten his home on Earth and tried to remember the “islands” that he had come from. He quickly shook off the feeling, though.
The Queen continued, ignoring Oliver’s outburst, “I have more for you to see, then. There is plenty for you to discover. My islands are full of wonder and great beauty. Perhaps you have not found where you both connect most with. I shall send you both to Usurab Island. You will surely connect with many new friends there and feel more comfortable. You see, I am only looking out for your best interests- always.”
Elliott was not satisfied with the Queen’s plan and felt that he had seen enough of the islands. Still, he felt that he couldn’t express his feelings and pressed his lips tightly together.
“For now,” the Queen spoke in a tone of confident tone, “you two should take a walk. Consider releasing those cares that bother you so. You will feel so much better and fulfilled.” There was a sound of rustling beyond the veil and, for a moment, the boys could see the Queen’s pale face through the thin veil. “Now, go,” she commanded, “I shall direct you when it is time.”
There was a single wave that went up the length of the veil and it seemed to the boys that the Queen was no longer beyond the veil. This gave them an uneasy feeling and they walked quickly out of the chamber.
Ralph was not guarding the doorway, which was strange to the boys. Oliver began to be triggered and started pacing. He crossed his arms and hung his head down. Elliott comforted his brother, “Let’s get out of the castle.”
Oliver agreed and they continued down the corridor to the door leading to the south end of the island, where the rocks and “beach” were. Oliver lept through the door and ran away from the castle. The expending of energy was a release to him. He payed no regard to his bare feet against the sand and rocks.
“Oliver!” Elliott had a hard time keeping up. The boys ran down the hill, which faded from grass to sand and sloped down into clouds. When Elliott finally reached his brother, he found him standing still, gazing ahead. Elliott took a moment to catch his breath and then finally looked up to see the sun setting in the distance. It was a beautiful sight- the sun shimmered off of the clouds as if they were ocean water. It was comforting to Elliott and he commented aloud to his brother, “Wow, it is a beautiful sunset.”
His brother pointed ahead, “No, brother, look.”
Elliott then noticed the two children sitting atop a large boulder. They were both turned away from the brothers, watching the sun set, but Elliott recognized that it was the little girl they had met previously. Her long, black hair and pointed ears were distinct. It was also the same boulder she had been sitting on before.
Oliver looked up to his brother, “What was her name?”
“Um... Rita,” he responded. “That’s it.”
“And, she’s from the North Side,” Oliver said and then bolted toward the kids.
The brothers slowed their pace as they approached the children. Rita turned toward the
brothers and greeted them in a quiet tone, “Hello again.”
As Elliott and Oliver walked around the boulder, they could see the second kid was a little
boy. A rash covered his face and, seeing it, the brothers gasped.
“Please, don’t laugh at him,” Rita asked.
Elliott smiled, “Oh, no- we would never do that!” he felt immediately drawn to the little boy,
“When I was younger, I had the same thing.”
The little boy’s face lit up, “You did? I never met anyone else with it.” The boy looked
down, “Then, you know how people stare at you and point and can be mean.”
Elliott nodded, “Yeah, but they just don’t understand.”
The little boy slid down off of the boulder and smiled at the brothers, “My name’s Aiden.” Elliott and Oliver both repeated the name in exclamation, “Aiden!” This startled the boy and
he stepped back, away from the brothers.
The brothers stared at him, wondering if this were just a coincidence or if there was a
connection between the little boy and their friend, the Beast. After an awkward moment, the little boy said, “Um, well it’s nice to meet you.”
Oliver looked at Elliott, confused. Elliott was unsure what to think, much less what to say. Rita slid down the rock and addressed the brothers, “Well, we have to go back to the North Side. We only have enough day light if we leave now.” She reached down and took Aiden by the hand, “C’mon friend,” she said as the two ran up the hill away from the brothers.
The boys stood in silence, watching the two kids all the way until they had disappeared from view. Oliver finally said, “He has a friend.”
The brothers looked at each other and smiled. They were still unsure of what was happening, but the exchange left them with a positive feeling. They turned toward the setting sun. It seemed to be floating in the clouds on the horizon. Elliott turned and looked in the opposite direction. Sure enough, the stars were twinkling brightly.
Elliott turned back toward the sunset, suddenly becoming serious. He felt a wave of courage and determination come over him. He thought purposely about all the details of his home and life on Earth. He held his head high as he spoke to his brother, “I know how we’re going to get off the islands.”
Oliver looked up to his brother, but Elliott kept looking at the sun set. “We’re going to have to find out what powers the propellors.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
