Ben and Lucy: The Sunken Kingdom

The eyes that peered out of the door widened as Lucy and the band approached in the sled. The wooden door swung open and out stepped a round little man. Lucy nearly laughed out loud at the sight of him. All of about four feet high and just as wide. The chubby man first looked at Lucy then over to Growler and finally to Mathilde. At once when he saw her his face lit up. A broad smile flashed across his face.

“Mattie! What brings you across the river?”

Growler was puzzled at this. He had never met this man before and now it seems that Mattie had been his long lost friend.

“Old Paddy Whitterfizz is that you! So good to see you!”

“Oh, are you ok?” Paddy Whitterfizz finally realized that Mattie was hurt.

“Oh, just my leg. Probably broke it. You know me.” Mattie added with a laugh.

“You always did know how to get into trouble.”

“Ok, what is going on here?” Growler could not keep himself quiet with all this familiar talk going on. He was beginning to get a tad miffed. He knew Mattie had a past where she was once the life of the party. Since she had met Growler and became his wife those days had ended. Growler and Mattie had become isolated. Exactly the way Growler had always wanted it. Matilde was always more animated, which was what attracted her to him. Here though was a connection to her past and that made Growler uncomfortable.

“Hello, so is this the man of your life Mattie?”

“Yes, this is my man, Growler”

“Growler?, mmm interesting name.”

“My real name is Samuel but all who know me call me Growler.” Growler added aggressively.

“Now dear, be nice.”

“And this is our new friend. Lucy.”

“Greetings little one, please all of you come in.” Paddy moved inside. Growler had to lower his head to get through the doorway.

As the three entered the house, the warmth within welcomed them. The front room was cozy and understated. The place also looked a mess. This was not a place that had seen many visitors. Paddy lived alone.

Paddy Whitterfizz had always been a loner. He was never really accepted by anyone and he lived on the outskirts of the town. Mattie was one of only a few that had shown Paddy any kindness in the past. Paddy held Mattie up on a pedestal because of this. She was always kind and never thought of Paddy as a nuisance.

“Oh, please excuse the mess. I don’t have many visitors here.” Paddy added as he moved books and papers off of the couch. Lucy exchanged a whimsical smile with Growler. His face did not turn. The ceilings were low and he was uncomfortable in this place.

“Please sit down while I get some tea made.” Paddy said trying to be the good host.

“Oh that would be lovely.” Mattie added, being polite as she could. Even she looked around the room noticing the various items strewn about. Cups and saucer lay about, some with small pieces of bread crumbs on them. Spoons remain at attention in the cups. Lucy picked one up and soon discovered that there spoon was actually stuck to the side.

“Please give that to me.” Paddy quickly grabbed the cup out of Lucy’s hand. He quickly cleaned up the sitting area so his new guests would feel at ease. The round man bounced around the room. Lucy and Mattie smiled each time the chubby man passed them. Lucy thought of Paddy as being a clumsy version of Santa Claus.

Paddy asked “So what happened and how did you hurt your leg?”

“Uh, we are on a trip to visit um..”Growler stumbled.

“Lucy’s family.” Mattie added quickly. Mattie looked at Lucy.

“We are traveling to visit Lucy’s brother Ben.” This made Lucy wince. Lucy had not thought about her brother as they were escaping the White Tiger, but now the realization that her brother was still missing hit her. She began to cry.

“Oh, my dear child. You must be in a hurry to see him.”

“Oh yes I am desperate to see him.” The tears continued down her cheeks.

Mattie looked at Growler guiltily.

“Well, whatever I can do to help, I am yours.” Paddy said compassionately.

“Oh Paddy Thank you so much.” Mattie quickly responded trying to change the subject.

“Can we stay her tonight?” Growler asked abruptly.

“Uh, well yes. I guess we can make room here somewhere. First let’s have some tea and catch up.”

“Lucy, everything will be alright. I am sure he is ok.” Mattie tried to calm Lucy down.

“Do you have a bathroom?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, dear and running water.” Paddy chuckled trying to add some humor.

“Let me show you.” Paddy walked Lucy down the hallway leading to the other rooms. The two left the living room and entered the Dinning area which was also the kitchen. They continued to the back of the house and turned right. There Paddy swung the door open and turned on the gas light. This was the first time Lucy had even seen a gas light in this new world. She hesitated while observing the light. Paddy immediately picked up on this.

“I see you like my light. It is new. I installed it myself. Everyone thinks I am crazy having this. They say I will burn the place down but it is a lot easier to have this than a candle that you have to carry around.” Paddy was proud of his light. One of the few things that Paddy did well. He was always trying new inventions. Lucy had noticed that about the house were many papers and drawings, probably from his ideas.

The room came to view as the gas light grew stronger. The room did not fit the rest of the house. Where the house was small and unassuming, this bathroom was spacious with a huge tub.

“Please feel free to take your time.” Paddy added knowing that Lucy wanted to be alone.

“If you wish I can draw a bath, this is gas as well.” Paddy said beaming with pride. His was the first house in all the land that had gas throughout.

“Thank you, you are very kind.” Paddy and Lucy exchanged smiles. Both knew that each one had connected. Paddy closed the door as he left, leaving Lucy alone.

Lucy sat down on the bench and began to cry. All the emotions of the day flooded over her. What was she going to do if Ben was gone? She laid her hand on her backpack. She felt something. Lucy reached inside. Her hand grasped a handle. As she pulled on the handle the object emerged from the backpack. A golden mirror or looking glass of some sort. Lucy examined it. Made just for her hands it fit perfectly. Golden handles with adorning emeralds. The mirror was neither heavy nor light. It was just right. Lucy liked the way it felt in her hands. It was giving her comfort.

“Now what are you for?” She said asking it almost expecting an answer.

As she spoke the glass began to glow. A glimmer of blue surrounded the glass. Tracing a circle where the glass met metal. Lucy looked at the back of the mirror. Jewels and finely detailed etchings similar to a coat of arms. Two lions on either side of a triangle with a river or stream running underneath. Inside the Triangle were characters that Lucy had never seen before, but she instinctively knew that they were of a language, possibly a single word. She turned the mirror back over to look at the glass.

She could see herself in the reflection, as the blue illumination intensified the image in the mirror became cloudy. The handle grew warmer. She could see a mist moving inside of the mirror. An image began to form inside, the mist disappeared and the image became clearer and clearer. It was nighttime. She made out the moonlight and the images slowly came into view. She realized that the place was in the woods. Branches were moving back and forth. It appeared as if the view was coming from someone. She was now seeing what this person was seeing. The mirror grew cold. She jumped. There was Max! How could that be? She focused hard to see the images. Other creatures came into view. This time a huge bear. The bear turned and looked at the mirror. It was saying something to her. She strained to see its lips. She could not make any words out. She had never watched a bear speak so there was no way to understand its words. The bear turned and pointed to the right. The mirror looked over. There through the trees she could see lights in the distance. The lights looked like lights from fires. Smoke rose about the glimmer of lights. The mirror looked back to the left. There was Max again. Max looked straight into the mirror. Fear was showing in his eyes. The mirror looked over Max’s head. The trees were moving in the distance. The mirror looked around seemingly focusing on the various trees. Looking for something. It stopped moving. A foot of a tree. Huge roots sprang up from the dirt. The mirror moved toward the tree. A hole in the ground. Quickly the image moved into the hole. Suddenly Lucy yelled out loud. “Ben!” She realized the person that she was looking through was Ben. She could now see his backpack straps over his shoulders. She knew the clothes, the ones he had on when he fell over the cliff. He was ok, alive! She closed her eyes. Breathed deeply. She opened her eyes again. “No!” The image in the mirror was gone.

“Lucy. Lucy. Are you ok?” Growler was the first at the door.

“What is wrong?” The door swung open. Lucy ran into Growler’s arms. He held her tightly. Lucy was no longer crying but happiness now filled her eyes.

“I saw him! He is alive!”

“Lucy, what are you saying? Who is alive?”

“Ben. He is with Max.”

“Where did you see this?”

“Here in the mirror.” Lucy gave the mirror to Growler.

Growler looked at the mirror, only himself looked back.

“What?”

“In the mirror I saw what Ben was seeing.”

“Let’s get you back out in the main room and give you some tea. Then you can tell us everything you saw.” Growler held Lucy as they made their way back into the liver room. Mattie and Paddy were quiet as Growler led Lucy back.

“What happened?” Mattie finally asked.

“I saw Ben and Max in the mirror. They were with a huge bear. Hiding from something in the woods.”

“The woods?” Growler asked with concern.

“Yes” Lucy responded.

Mattie and Growler exchanged glances. Their faces reveal their grim concern.

“What is it?” Lucy asked.

“The only woods from where Ben fell would be the forest of ..”

“Rocknor” answered Paddy finishing Growler’s sentence for him.

“Rocknor? What is Rocknor?” Lucy said understanding that the others were not happy with this news.

Growler and Mattie looked down at the floor. Paddy looked back at Lucy with concern. His face tensed up.

“Yes, Rocknor. It is a place where it is forbidden to travel at night.”

“Why?” Lucy asked loudly.

“There are things that live there that would even make the White Tiger fear.” Growler added.

Lucy trembled. She never thought the White Tiger would fear anything. She knew that these things must truly be terrible.

“We need to go find him. Growler we can’t leave him there in the night.” Lucy was now frantic. Her happiness was now consumed by this fear.

“We cannot go there tonight. We would not be able to find him now.” Growler was resilient about not going back out. Lucy knew this deep inside but she was not liking it.

Paddy brought tea out to everyone. Growler waited until all were situated before he began to tell of the Rocknor Forest.

“Rocknor was not always terrible. Once the forest was alive with beautiful creatures with lots of fruit trees and peaceful settings. It was once a retreat for the humans that lived on that side of the river. It was that way for centuries. Until one family began to have children. On the foot of the ridge on the outskirts of Rocknor, at that time there was a village named Rocknor, a family settled there. Bo Klingston and his wife Rebecca had moved from the eastern side of the river, where we are now and wanted to start a new life with new opportunities. Bo was the son of a respected and average man in the town. No real issues there. Everyone knew the family and came to help them build their house. The house came together nicely. The Klingstons were well liked and as the years progressed everything seemed normal. In fact others moved across the river to join them. The young couple decided to have children like anyone else.” Growler exchanged a glance with Mattie and then he continued.

“Rebecca was healthy and her pregnancy went as normal. On the night that she went into labor a terrible storm blew in from the west. High winds, torrential rains, violent weather, with lightning never seen before. The storm went on for hours and hours, some say it raged as long as Rebecca was in labor. Then the storms stopped abruptly. It is said that as soon as the babies were born, the weather calmed down.”

“The babies?” asked Lucy.

“Yes, the babies. You see the little lass was carrying two in her womb. A boy and a girl.” Growler paused. Everyone looked at Lucy. “Twins?”

“Yes Lucy, twins. Just like you and Ben” Replied Mattie.

“Please go on.”

“Well when the winds stopped. One could hear the joyful cry of a newborn. In fact at this time, the winds carried the noise of both children.” Growler then turned silent. Lucy looked at him, waiting to hear more. She turned to Mattie and then to Paddy. No one said a word.

“So what happened next?”

“Then the noise that signaled the coming evil. At first there was a screeching heard in the air. Then the earth shook. The whole village shook, boulders came down the mountains. Several homes were destroyed, including the Klingston’s.” Growler looked at Lucy then to Mattie. She signaled Growler to continue.

“People rushed to their home, fearing the worse. As the rubble was cleared away first Bo and then Rebecca were found crushed to death.”

“Oh my, what about the twins?” Lucy asked.

Growler continued solemnly.

“All feared the worse, that the entire family was wiped out, then a faint voice began to be heard, then another. Two babies were now crying. The stones were moved away to reveal the twins holding each other in the rubble. Miraculously, the two were safe. The town grieved for the loss of Bo and Rebecca. The town threw their love towards the two twins that had been saved.” Growler shifted in his chair. Lucy continued to thirst for more. Mattie and Paddy knew the story well but still could not resist listening to the story being told by Growler. They knew the history and tragedy that would soon follow. As Growler continued to recite the history of the twins, he revealed how they grew up and how the townsfolk slowly and steadily turned their backs on the children. Mattie and Paddy were now slightly shaking their heads. So soon had the villagers forgot the parents and the love the village had for them.

Lucy was sympathizing with the twins. Growler continued the story of how the twins grew up, they were adored by the village at first. Each family would take care of the children and often the children would move from one house to another with ease and autonomy. The freedom of the twins began to make the other children jealous. The twins would come and go from house to house and if one family’s rules did not please them then the twins would leave and go somewhere else where the rules matched their wants.

“The twins continued this lifestyle more and more, once loved by all, the twins began to be the envy of the village itself. Things began to disappear from houses. The twins were the first to be blamed. As I said the other children in the village had grown jealous of the “special ones” and now a few had banded together and started plotting against the twins. The twins really did not need to steal anything since they belonged to the village and had free reign they did not need to steal.” Growler then paused.

Paddy broke in. “The twins went from the darlings to the devils.”

“Yes Paddy, that is right. Soon everyone had their doubts about the twins and the doors around town were slowly starting to be shut on them. Once the doors were wide open and the twins could move from one house to the next, but now people started making excuses to not let them in. They were too busy for the teenagers.” Growler looked sad.

“What were their names?” Asked Lucy.

“Funny, it took you this long to ask. Well their given names were Lucan and Benita”.

“You made that up!” Lucy responded, she already understand the similarities to her and Ben’s names.

“No, my dear. This is the truth” Replied Mattie.

“Oh really?” asked Lucy astounded.

“Yes, my dear. It seems you are a match. Almost.”

“More like a mirror image. The same but flipped.” Lucy added.

“Mmm, I see your point my child. Very good. Let’s hope you are the flipped image of these two in heart as well.” Paddy added.

“Why?” Lucy questioned.

“Why? Ha those two turned the village into the most dreaded place around.” Paddy’s emotions started to show. His face grew red and intense.

“What do you mean Paddy?” Lucy looked at him with innocent eyes.

“Those two soon felt themselves more and more isolated.” Growler continued. “ Once a teenager is alienation, then their spirit changes. Hope turns into despair. Joy and love turn into suspicion and hate.”

“The twins then discovered that they had special abilities.”

“What kind?” Lucy asked.

“Magic”

“Magic, that does not seem so strange to me anymore in this place.” Commented Lucy.

“Yes, there are many different kinds of magic, some good and some bad.” Growler said sternly.

“So this magic that the twins had was not a good magic was it?” Questioned Lucy.

“Yes, dear. Magic coming from anger and spite can only breed into something vengeful and dangerous.”

“What happened? Please continue” Lucy was now anxious to hear the rest.

“Not now, it is too close to bed time, and we all need our sleep. Perhaps in the morning we can continue this over breakfast. We need to get you to sleep little girl.” Growler did not want to tell her more in fear that nightmares would take her in the night.

“Oh, I can stay up. I’m not tired. “ Just as Lucy said this she yawned.

“Ha, ha, ha. Yes but we are all tired just the same. Paddy what kind of sleeping arrangements can you make for us?” Growler turned to the friendly host, trying to change the subject.

“Uh, well. This house does not see too many visitors and let alone ones that stay overnight. I am afraid I don’t have too much.”

“Don’t worry Paddy. I can pull something out for us.” Replied Lucy smiling and looking at her backpack.

“Yes, Paddy you will be amazed at what can come out of that bag.” Growler smiled back at his little friend.

Lucy look up at Growler and felt the giant’s warm heart glow inside. Paddy watched in amazement as Lucy pulled a mattress out of her bag. Light and yet big enough to support even Growler’s size. The mattress was light as air, Lucy held it with one hand. As Growler laid down upon it, to Paddy’s amazement the giant was fully supported. Lucy pulled another one for herself as Paddy moved his couch to one side of the house to allow for the new beds. Covers and pillows then followed. Once all was pulled out, Paddy picked up the small bag and began to exam it.

“How fantastic! There must be some strange magic behind this thing.” Paddy could not control his amazement and wonder of the magical bag.

Once the beds and linens were laid out, Lucy went and returned from the bathroom after preparing herself for bed. No sooner had she rested her head on the pillow then she was quickly out fast asleep. Mattie smiled at Growler.

“Oh to be young again. So quickly she can fall asleep.” Mattie said what the others were thinking.

Growler and Maddie settled down in their bed, Paddy returned to his bedroom, then the lights were turned out and a quiet calmness filled the house. Soon the peaceful house was quiet, except for the snoring of Growler and his lovely wife. Paddy covered his ears with his pillows and he too drifted off to sleep.