A Story in 26 parts - R
April 4, 2008“Right then you - tell me what’s happened” Merlin asked the Mouse.
The mouse looked quizzically at Merlin, then continued to nibble away. David stirred in the background. “Where is everyone?” he asked.
The mouse smiled as it nibbled. Merlin walked across to the court bench where he had been standing when the court was in session and picked up his Ash Stave. Standing very tall, he banged the end of the stave on the ground three times. The stone court, that had seen so firm and real, suddenly crumbled to ashes all round, and within a few moments the ground was back to the grass clearing that it had been. The mouse started to run away… but it too felt itself changing…
Albert felt groggy. “Why is it that I can never see anything through to the end? Why does something always happen to me that causes me to miss the plot?” He raised his head - no wonder he felt groggy - all he could see was things whooshing past him… like he was caught in a column of water! “Oh no” he cried “I’m in the column of water that Merlin created! If he disperses the water, with me in it, then I’m doomed!!”
Merlin looked at the mouse, who was now twitching quite uncontrollably - lumps and bumps appearing and disappearing and moving under its fir. “Ernisto - did you really think you could hide as a mouse?” and with that Merlin gently tapped the mouse - and it exploded into a dragon. “That’s better” said Merlin “Now we can talk. Tell me, what’s happened to Albert”
“Albert is safe for now - but we have him as a bargaining tool. I have dispersed my troops back to their village - I need them no more. What I need is for you to return things back to as they were.”
“Do you mean that?” asked Merlin
“Yes” said Ernisto “I had a good thing going with the Aquanauts and Spartanites until you and your ‘merry gang’ turned up. Now I want my kingdom back”
Merlin rubbed the back of his neck. “Now I can do that - but that will mean destroying trusts and friendships and oaths that I have made. I will be ruined as a Druid”
Ernisto sneered. “No matter to me. I have Albert, you do not. You want him back - I can give him back. Could you really put your promises against the life …. OF YOUR SON?! Oh yes, I knew Merlin - I knew the truth. All the lies that Albert was fostered to you by Morganna ElfQueen to raise as your son - yes I know she tricked you, beguiled you so many years ago…. and you yourself only found out when Albert reached his 307th birthday. So - how clever are you now? What you gonna do?”
Merlin stopped to consider. He’d had his doubts about who knew - and was glad that Albert’s friends were now unconcious or frozen - and so could not hear the conversation. But could he trust Ernisto, who had been taught by Merlin but so thoroughly corrupted by Morganna to become the evil personified here and now. He reckoned that he knew where Ernisto had put Albert - and that by adding another person to the column of water in the Elf Kingdom he wouldn’t have any time left.
“You want it back? As it was?” Merlin asked Ernisto. Ernisto nodded.
“Then with a heavy heart, it shall be done. Return Albert to me first”
“You must think I was born in the last century!” exclaimed Ernisto “Nu-hu. You do the work, I give you back Albert.”
Merlin turned. He raised his hands, holding his ash stave in his right hand. He made three commandments in ancient language, pointed the stave towards the sun, then with a might never seen before struck the ground. The Ash stave splintered as it hit the earth, the sky suddenly turned jet black and all became very, very still.
Merlin looked up… the black sky started to swirl, colour starting to return like a rainbow as it swirled faster and faster, becoming a funnel of energy that slowly drew to a point… over the column of water. And then… the clouds touched the top of the water. The air screamed as if two plates of metal were grinding together, the steam of the connection started to create a horizontal ring of smoke… and then finally, with a huge roar like the biggest wave crashing on the shore line, the energy from the connection pulsed out, knocking everyone over. Everything went black.
