Good versus Evil!

by Katrina Kahler

  “Blond hair, blue eyes, he’s almost as strong as me. What’s not to like?” Gail asked.

  “Ditto,” Mika said.

  “He is a decent guy,” Sebastian said a bit begrudgingly.

  “The man can dunk!” Bart said.

  “I mean do you think he could be Lancelot?” I whispered.

  They all looked at him.

  “Wow, he so could be!” Brett said.

  “Okay, after class I will try to get him to hold my pencil somehow,” I suggested.

  Gail looked at me wide-eyed. “Is holding my pencil some new fancy thing I don’t know about?”

  “No! Remember? My staff is disguised as a pencil,” I whispered.

  “Oh right!” Gail replied, her eyes lighting up.

  Bart and Brett just snickered.

  Art leaned over my shoulder. “Why would Lancelot now be called Larry Page?” he asked.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Who knows? Maybe Morgana wanted him to become a page and act like a servant. Turning the greatest knight in history to a page seems like something she would do.”

  “Good point,” Arthur admitted.

  “How are you going to get him to touch your pencil?” Mika asked.

  “I’ll figure that out…” I said.

  My mind drifted back to the old days, Lancelot and I were out riding horses through the beautiful countryside. Arthur was away at a council of Kings and Lancelot had taken it upon himself to watch over me. I always enjoyed his company. The sun glistened in a bright blue sky. The birds sang happily. I looked at Lancelot and smiled.

  “See, I told you I was on your side!” I heard the sadly all too familiar voice of Morgana say.

  I looked up, yanked out of my daydream. I saw Morgana sitting legs crossed on top of the piano. “Do you like my gift?” she asked. “See, I told you I was on your side.”

  I stomped towards her. “What are you talking about?” But then it hit me. “Oh, you’re the mysterious benefactor who finances this art class….”

  “Guilty as charged,” Morgana grinned. “I mean, come on people, what good is learning without The Arts? The Arts are what make life fun and exciting! Have you learned nothing from watching my shows?”

  “Well they are reality TV and mindless talk shows,” I said.

  Morgana nodded. “Good point, honey. But you gotta give the masses what they crave in a form that’s easy to digest.” She smirked at me. “Well, now that I’ve taken my due credit, I will bid you a fond farewell,” she said hamming it up.

  “Wait!” I ordered.

  Much to my surprise, she stopped. “Yes?”

  “Why are you doing this for me?” I asked.

  Morgana looked me in the eyes. “Gwen, we are not that different. We both wish to lead. We know the world is a place of beauty but there are also troubles…”

  I pointed at her. “I think you’re one of those troubles!”

  “Dear, it’s impolite to point,” Morgana said, taking hold of my finger and forcing it down.

  “Okay, why do people keep freezing time?” I heard the voice of Nina Waters say as she stormed into the room. There was literally a rain cloud complete with thunder floating in the air above her.

  “Oh hi, Nimue,” Morgana said calmly.

  Nina floated up to her. “What are YOU doing here?”

  Morgana kept her cool, even though it was now raining in the classroom. “Just telling Gwen that I’m here to help. That we have the same goals to make the world safer. And that there are bigger problems coming than poor little old me.”

  Morgana snapped her fingers and was gone.

  “You’d better not hurt Excalibur!” Nina screamed at the space Morgana had been in. “Ah, that woman really steams my corn!”

  “Do you think there are bigger evils in the world than Morgana?” I asked Nina.

  “Gwen, kid, there’s always a bigger problem. That’s how the universe keeps us on our toes.”

  “Ah, how did Morgana get Excalibur?” I asked meekly.

  Nina sighed. The force of her sigh knocked me back a bit. “Gwen, back in the day, I was Excalibur’s keeper. But, I was never its boss. Excalibur is drawn to those who will lead. And for all her flaws, Morgana will lead. I think the question is now…will you lead?”

  “Why don’t you lead?” I asked.

  “My role is to heal…” Nina said. She disappeared. The class started moving again.

  “How did you get over here?” Ms. Nickles asked me.

  “I’m fast…,” I said.

  “Why are we all wet?” Paulie asked.

  “Sweat!” I insisted.

  Gail leaned into me and smiled. “Quick thinking there!” she whispered.

  My Notes:

  First off, let’s start with the great things! Arts class is amazing! I LOVE IT! It’s so fun and relaxing and stimulating at the same time. The entire class just seems to let themselves go. I mean, even Art snapped his fingers and tapped his foot to the music. Bart and Brett sang in the chorus! Come on, how much greater can it be?

  Plus, it helped me to notice Larry Page, a guy who very well may be Lancelot. Sigh. Yeah, I just wrote “sigh”. Lance and I used to be so close. I’ve missed his compassion and bravery. He was a rare human being. Forget my feelings for him; our group needs him. He was the greatest of all the knights.

  On the downside, I owed all of this to Morgana…Yep, Morgana claims she wants to help me be all I can be or something like that. I just can’t trust her.

  Chapter 6

  After school that day, my knight friends and I met at my house to discuss and work out a plan. I figured that I needed Merlin, Fern and my parents’ input. After all, they were older and would occasionally have some good ideas.

  We all sat around our round dining room table eating cookies, drinking juice and talking. Even Art decided to come. He and Sebastian sat by my side. It felt good. Yeah, I didn’t believe Art and I would become as close as we had been back in the Camelot days, but I still liked having him by my side, on my side. He may not have wanted to lead, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to contribute.

  “So, you have a candidate for Lancelot?” Merlin asked.

  “Yes, Larry Page, he really stood out in art class,” I smiled.

  “What’s your plan for getting him to touch the staff?” Merlin asked. “I assume you will keep it in pencil form which means he’ll have to grab it while you are holding it.”

  “Yes,” I said with a nod. “I’m going to have him sign my yearbook.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Gail blinked a few times. “Ah, did the yearbooks come out and I missed them?”

  “No, they haven’t,” Mika said.

  “I’m going to have him sign one of last year’s yearbooks,” I explained.

  Sebastian looked at me. “But you, Mika, and I weren’t in this school last year.”

  “Doesn’t mean I can’t have a yearbook,” I said. I pointed to the middle of the table and chanted, “Lest Yaer’s Yaerbuuk epaer!” A hard copy book materialized in front of me.

  “So cool!” Sebastian grinned.

  I picked up the book. I showed it to my knights and advisers. I bowed.

  Gail gave me a polite little clap.

  “Man, I’ll never get used to you using magic like that,” Art told me.

  I looked at him. “I’ll take any advantage I can get.”

  “Yes,” Fern said, “agreed. Just be careful not to let the magic become the end all or the first thing you always turn to. If you become too dependent on magic, you can… get turned into a cat.”

  “A very handsome cat!” Merlin said.

  “Still a cat, a cat who can’t do magic!” Fern said.

  “Still a cat who can drop people with his farts!” Merlin bragged.

  “So, what about the fisherman prince?” Mom asked, desperately trying to steer the conversation away from Merlin’s farts.

  Bart and Brett both typed away on their phones. “Well, this town does have a dock. If we
are going to find a fisherman prince, that’s the place to look. During the weekend, the place is buzzing.”

  “Sounds like a good place to start,” Sebastian said.

  “Agreed,” I nodded.

  “It would be helpful if we had Lance on this quest,” Gail said wistfully.

  “That’s why tomorrow we must find him!” I said firmly. I thought for a second and then added, “I hope.”

  Dad looked at his watch. “Okay, it’s getting a little late. I think your friends should head home, and you know, be with their families and do their homework and such. After all, it sounds like there’s nothing more to do tonight.” He paused. “We love that you have friends and a team but a little family time would be nice.”

  Art stood up. “Your dad makes a good point. Plus, there’s a soccer game on tonight that I want to watch.”

  Bart and Brett just looked at him. “We actually have homework for our programming class.”

  Mika and Sebastian stood. “Yeah, believe it or not, but our parents have been complaining they don’t see enough of us. So, we’d better get home too.”

  Gail sat there. She looked at everybody looking at her. The others had picked up on my dad’s drift that he and Mom wanted to talk to me alone. Gail looked at them all nodding their heads towards the front door.

  “Oh, I get it!” Gail said popping up from her seat. “I can hit the gym and lift some weights. Today’s my heavy day!”

  Within a minute or two, I sat at the table with my parents, Fern and Merlin.

  I glanced at Mom and Dad. “I assume you guys are worried about Morgana helping out and claiming to be on my side.”

  “Yes, of course we are,” Mom frowned.

  “A little,” Dad said. “I bet she’s afraid of you.”

  “Hardly,” Merlin chuckled. “That woman is afraid of nothing. I know demons that break into a cold sweat and start biting their nails and tails at just the mere mention of her name.”

  “So, do you trust her?” I asked Merlin.

  “No, of course not. She’s the reason I’m now a powerless, farting cat.”

  “Good point,” I said.

  Merlin lifted a paw. “But just because I don’t trust her, doesn’t mean that her goals and our goals can’t align. After all, I’m sure she wants the grail, or the cup of knowledge, or whatever it’s called these days. And it’s not like Excalibur goes to anyone who is willing to lead. The grail needs a pure soul. And Morgana is anything but pure. Legend says even as a toddler she took pride in her diapers killing the poor souls who changed her.”

  “Oh yuck!” I said. “That is so gross. But do you know she insists there is an evil worse than her in this world.”

  Merlin sighed. “I don’t know of one. But that doesn’t mean she’s lying. Of course that doesn’t mean she’s not lying.”

  “That’s not very helpful,” I told Merlin.

  “Agreed,” he said.

  We heard a knock on the door. “Yoo-hoo, can I come in? I have a fresh pie I baked for my favorite family!” It was the familiar voice of our neighbor, Ms. Harris.

  “The door’s open,” Mom called to her.

  “No dear, it’s quite closed,” Ms. Harris replied from the other side of the door.

  “I mean it’s unlocked,” Mom said.

  “Oh, silly me!” Ms. Harris replied. The knob turned. The door popped opened and Ms. Harris bobbed in, holding not one, but two pies. “I couldn’t remember if you people liked apple or cherry, so I made both!”

  Ms. Harris had to be somewhere between her late sixties and early seventies, yet she still had a kick in her step. Her hair was now gray and it was always neatly tied up in a top bun. Her skin only had few wrinkles. Her eyes were active but lonely. As far as I knew, she had never married. She walked over to the table and put the pies down.

  “They smell great!” I said.

  “Thanks, Gwen,” Ms. Harris smiled at me. She looked over her shoulder towards the table. “You know people, I hate to ask, but my house is so big and so quiet. I’m well….”

  “Julie, would you like to stay for dinner?” Mom asked.

  Ms. Harris grinned. She sat down at the table. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” she grinned.

  “Not at all,” Mom said. “We love it when you stop by.”

  “And bring pie!” Merlin said. He threw his paws and tail over his mouth.

  Mom and Dad glared at him.

  Ms. Harris giggled. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pill. “Looks like it’s time for one of my special meds. I swear I just heard your cat talk.”

  “Yeah, the mind can play tricks on us!” I said.

  “Speaking of tricks,” Ms. Harris said. “I think I have a few bats in my attic. They bang off the walls at night and make it hard for me to sleep.” She looked at my dad. “Claude, do you think you could go shoo them away before we eat!”

  “Of course,” Dad said standing up. “Let me go get a broom.”

  I followed Dad out. “Let me help.” I don’t know why I did that, but something inside told me Dad would need my help.

  Turns out I had over-reacted. Dad and I got to Ms. Harris’s house, went up to the attic and sure enough, all she had were a couple of nice normal bats. Dad opened up the attic window and guided the bats out with the broom.

  My Notes:

  Well, we had a plan of action. Was it a good plan? Yes. Was it a great plan? I guess that was depending on whether we were lucky and found the fisherman prince and Lancelot. Sometimes you need a little luck in life.

  Okay, I also must admit I had let Morgana get inside my head a little. To the point where I was afraid every little thing would turn out to be a big magical thing. I must remember to stay calm and keep a clear head.

  Chapter 7

  The next day, I waited for the perfect chance to get Larry Page to sign my last year’s yearbook. The entire school day passed by and I just couldn’t find the right moment.

  I leaned on my locker, watching, waiting, and hoping. My hands began to sweat. I don’t know why I felt so nervous. I guess it was because Lance had been a special person in the life I lived so long ago. Having him back in my life and a part of our quest could be a huge deal. I needed the perfect moment.

  Gail walked over to me. She pointed to Larry as if I couldn’t see him standing there next to Harry Mann and Steven Ernest. Harry was kind of a cool band kid. Steven was a decent cross-country runner but a bit of nerd. I was glad the tall cool Larry seemed to like kids who weren’t part of the cool kids’ group.

  “Ah, have you figured out if Larry is Lancelot yet?” Gail whispered to me.

  “Ah, no…” I said.

  “Whatcha waiting for, girlfriend?” Gail smiled.

  I didn’t take my eyes off of Larry. “The right moment…”

  “I remember a wise woman once told me a LONG time ago, sometimes we need to make our own right moments,” Gail told me using my own worlds from long ago against me.

  “That was a different time a different me,” I replied.

  Gail nodded. “A different time, yes. But as for a different you…maybe. But this you is just as gifted, if not more so.” She turned her attention to Larry and shouted, “Hey, Larry Page! Get over here, Gwen needs to talk to you.”

  Larry heard Gail. She shouted so loud, I think any Larry Page who might have been walking along outside the school might have heard. Larry smiled and strutted over.

  Gail whispered to me, “See, you’re still adorable, and guys love adorable!”

  “Ah, hi, Gwen!” Larry said, giving me a toothy grin as he leaned on a locker.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian and Mika walking towards us. I do believe Sebastian seemed a little anxious.

  “What’s up?” Larry asked, drawing my attention back to him.

  I felt my face heating up, starting to blush. Face, don’t blush, I thought to myself. It didn’t work. I took a deep breath.

  Gail gave me a little shove. It sent me flying in
to Larry.

  “Oops, sorry!” I said.

  “That’s all good,” he said, catching me. “What’s up?”

  “Would you mind signing my yearbook?” I asked. I realized I didn’t have my yearbook in my hand, but Gail passed it to me.

  “Ah, the yearbook isn’t out yet,” Larry stated the obvious.

  I showed him the book. “This is last years! I wasn’t here so I feel like I missed out. So, to get to know everybody better I want them to sign my last year’s yearbook,” I stammered.

  Larry took the book and flipped through the pages. He grinned. “There are no other signatures written anywhere!”

  “Right, that’s because I’m starting with the letter P. I like to do things differently,” I said. “And you, Larry Page, are the first of the P’s!”

  Larry grinned. “I guess I am!” he said, far more proudly than he probably should have.

  I handed him my pencil/staff. “Here you go…”

  He glanced down at it, without taking it. “Ah, that's a pencil,” he said.

  “Yep!” I said.

  “Yep!” Gail added.

  “But aren’t we supposed to sign these things in ink?” Larry asked.

  “Ink smudges, pencil doesn’t,” I replied quickly. “I like a neat yearbook.”

  “Good comeback,” Gail whispered to me.

  I offered the pencil to Larry. He gripped the other end of the pencil. I expected magic. A tingling. Something. I got nothing.

  Larry took the pencil. “How do you want me to sign it?” he asked.

  “Just plain old Larry Page will do,” I said, trying to mask the sadness in my voice.

  Larry signed my book. He smiled at me. He handed me the book back. “Thanks, buddy,” I said. I turned and walked away.

  I huddled up with Mika, Sebastian, and Gail who looked even sadder than I felt. “Not him, huh”? Gail asked.

  “Nope,” I said.

  “Maybe the staff doesn’t work in pencil form?” Mika suggested.

  “Merlin said it would,” I sighed.