by Willow Rose
Sara looked down at a wide trail of slime along the river side.
“This is like five feet wide,” she said.
Manolo nodded.
“So we have a snail that is five feet wide and ten feet tall, if we go with what the monastery people says.”
“That is one big snail,” Sara said.
“Let’s follow the trail,” Manolo said and started walking in the slime. It made a squishy sound under his boots.
Sara followed him making the same sound with her feet.
The more they walked, the fresher the slime seemed to be and the harder it was to walk in. But luckily they didn’t have to walk long before they saw in the distance something huge lying by the side of the river. As they came closer they saw it was a shell about the size of an ordinary house. In fact that was what Sara thought it was until they came closer and realized that it was round and twisted. The snail was nowhere to be seen so they figured she was in her house, sleeping.
“Let’s wait for her to wake up,” Manolo said and sat down on a rock.
Sara did the same. They both heard a loud breathing coming from within the shell. It soon turned into a loud snoring.
So they sat there until the sun came up over the mountaintops and a little longer than that, since Abigail was a snail that liked to go to bed late and sleep in in the morning. Manolo and Sara shared some bread while they waited. After a while Sara dozed off for a couple of minutes and was woken by a loud voice.
“Heeeeeyy!-Now-have-I-got-company?-that-has-to-be-the-biggest-surprise-in-years.-I-am-so-happy-that-you-are-here,-it-has-been-such-along-time-since-I-last-spoke-to-any-one-my-mother-always-used-to-tell-me-I-scared-everybody-away-with-my-speedtalking-but-boy-now-I-can-certainly-prove-her-wrong.-Not-that-she-was-ever-right-about-anything-she-said-about-me-that-I….”
“Hey!” Manolo yelled. ”Stoop. We don’t understand a word you are saying to us. Could you slow it down a little bit?”
But the snail didn’t seem to be listening at all to anything Manolo said. She just kept talking in this high-speed pace and they didn’t get a word. She was waving her feelers around while talking, and Sara and Manolo had to move around to avoid being hit.
“Now-what-was-it-she-used-to-say?-Oh-yes-that-silence-is-golden.-Well-I-don’t-believe-in-that.-It-is-not-that-I-can’t-stop-talking,-ofcourse-I-can-stop-talking,-but-it-is-just-that-I-never-get-to-talk-to-anyone-anymore-and-I-really-miss-talking.-Now-what-were-your-names-again?”
The snail stopped talking and looked at Sara and Manolo with expectation.
“I am sorry, I don’t think I quite got that,” Sara said.
“What … are … your … names?” The snail said with great articulation.
“Oh, I am Sara, this is Manolo.”
“Well-hello-Sara-and-Manolo.-How-nice-it-is-to-meet-you.-I-am-Abigail.-Now-where-was-I?-Oh-yes,-my-mother.-Now-where-is-she?-I-can’t-seem-to-remember-where-I-put-her…”
Sara stared at Manolo that looked as confused as she.
“A speed-talking snail?” Sara whispered.
Manolo nodded.
“Apparently so.”
“She doesn’t seem to be dangerous.”
“Only if you try to actually listen.”
“So you understand her as well?” Sara asked.
“I understand more than you think,” Manolo said. “And I do understand that we have to be careful not to get crushed.”
Suddenly the snail stopped talking and looked at them with a hurt look.
“Now-here-we-go-again,” she said her feelers hanging down to the ground. “It-is-that-old-story-about-the-couple-that-were-just-married-again-isn’t-it?-And-the-soldier?”
Now she talked a little slower and Sara seemed to understand even better than before.
“How-many-times-do-I-have-to-say-that-I-am-sorry-for-that?-I-keep-telling-them-it-was-an-accident.-I-was-just-so-happy-that-someone-finally-came-out-of-their-hiding-and-would-talk-to-me.-But-I-am-so-clumsy.-I-didn’t-see-them-standing-there.-I-swear-I-didn’t.”
“So it was an accident? You didn’t kill any of them on purpose?”
The snail made a high shrieking sound.
“No!-I-could-never-kill-anyone.-I-just-can’t-seem-to-control-myself.-It-is-like-I-keep-thinking-I-am-still-small,-like-I-used-to-be.-Like-snails-normally-are.”
“So you haven’t always been like this?”
“No-no-no!-I-used-to-live-with-my-family-of-snails-in-the-forest.”
“So what happened?”
“Sensisaron-came-by-one-day-and-picked-me-up-from-the-ground.-Then-she-laughed-and-put-a-spell-on-me-and-made-me-in-to-this.-The-villagers-have-been-scared-of-me-ever-since.-They-don’t-understand-that-all-I-want-is-to-have-someone-to-talk-to.”
Sara and Manolo looked at each other. They both felt they were getting closer to the fortuneteller now.
The snail looked pensive and then she started looking around while turning. Manolo threw himself at Sara so she wouldn’t be hit by the swinging house and tail and they ended up in the mud.
“Now-where-did-I-put-my-mother?” the snail said while turning around itself a couple of times.”I-know-she-was-here-somewhere-when-I-went-to-bed.”
Suddenly Sara saw a small snail in the mud just beside her. She picked it up and showed it to Abigail.
“Is this her?”
Abigail stretched her long neck out of her shell with a creaking sound. She stared at the snail in Sara’s hand like she was examining it. Then she smiled.
“Conrad!-Thats-my-little-brother.-I-have-been-looking-for-him-for-weeks!”
Sara put the small snail on Abigail’s head.
“Now maybe you can help us with something?”
The little brother was crawling all over Abigail’s head now and she laughed a deep and resonant laughter that echoed in the valley.
“It-is-so-tickling-when-he-does-that,” she said.
Sara tried again.
“Well could you?”
“Sure-what-can-I-do-for-you?”
Abigail leaned her whole head down in front of Sara and turned it a little to the side and really looked like she was listening.
“We need a rhyme to open a gate in a mountain rock. The inscription says that you have it.”
Abigail lifted her head up high in the air. She looked like she was very confused.
“Me?-now-where-would-I-get-a-rhyme-from?-Me-who-can’t-even-remember-where-I-put-my-family.-How-am-I-supposed-to-remember-a-rhyme?-That-is-not-something-we-snails-do.-Remembering-rhymes.-Now-I-have-never-heard-such-nonsense …”
“She is rambling again,” Manolo whispered.
“I know. We have to stop her. To make her focus.”
Sara cleared her throat.
“Excuse me!” she yelled.
But the snail just kept going on and on.
“Now-why-would-they-even-think-that-a-snail-like-me-could-ever-remember-such-a-thing-as-a-rhyme.-Now-I-have-never-even-heard-one.-I-am-not-sure-I-even-know-what-a-rhyme-is …”
“Excuse me!” Sara yelled again this time so loud it made an echo.
The snail stopped and the head came down to Sara again. Abigail looked her in the eyes.
“Yeees?”
She sounded like an old lady, Sara thought.
“Can you please try and remember if there is anything you know about opening a doorway in the mountains. Anything at all. A verse or a rhyme or just a word.”
The snail’s big eyes looked very pensive for awhile and suddenly it was like she remembered something.
“Well I ….”
“Yes?”
Sara looked at her hopefully.
“I … no.”
Abigail shook her head.
“I-am-sorry,” she said with a sad look.
Sara felt heavy as she sat down.
“It’s okay.”
Abigail made a turn and went to the river where she drank some water. As she did, something appeared on her shell.
“Manolo, look,” Sara said and pointed.
They both went closer, and as they did it became more obvious to them that it was a kind of inscription. It was letters and words engraved on the side of her shell.
But since Abigail kept turning they had to jump for their lives every time and they never could focus long enough on the engraving to get all the words right.
“Abigail,” Sara said. “Could you do us a favor and stand completely still for a while?”
“Okay.-Like-this?” she asked and posed for them.
“Precisely.”
So Manolo started reading the words out loud.
“Dies … irae, dies … illa Solvet …. saeclum in favilla.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means the day of wrath, that day which will reduce the world to ashes,” Manolo said.
“Now-that-was-a-weird-ryhme.-I-tell-you-it-was-my-first-rhyme-and-it-sounded-weird …” Abigail started talking again and as she did she turned around getting Manolo stuck under her body.
“Manolo!” Sara yelled. ”Move Abigail, move!” She started pulling Manolo’s hand and pushing Abigail away.
“Oh-no!-I-am-sorry,” Abigail said and moved her body from Manolo. He was pressed down into the mud when Sara pulled him out.
Abigail kept moving around all confused and still talking.
“Oh-no!-Not-again.-What-have-I-done.-I-do-sure-hope-that-the-boy-will-be-alright.-I-will-never-forgive-myself-if-he-doesn’t.-Oh-no!”
Manolo got back on his legs and luckily he was fine.
“I am fine!” he yelled, but Abigail didn’t hear a thing. She was tossing and turning and spinning around herself causing her big body and shell to crush flowers, bushes and even some trees.
“Abigail. I am fine!” Manolo yelled.
She stopped and turned around. Then she moved with the speed of light towards him with a big smile.
Manolo took a few steps backwards in order for her not to hit him.
“Oh!-I-am-so-glad,-I-am-so-glad-I-didn’t-hurt-you!”
Sara and Manolo had a hard time leaving the snail, since she was so very happy finally to have someone to talk to, she did just that. Talk and talk and talk. And they didn’t want to hurt the poor snail that had been so lonely for years, so they stayed for awhile and talked to her. Even though it was more like listening, since they could never get a word in.
But after an hour or so, they began to be tired of all her rambling on and they wanted badly to leave. They tried a few times to interrupt her, but never quite got through to her.
“Excuse me?” Sara tried. “Please, Abigail, we really have to move on now, see we have to …”
But the snail just kept on talking, telling them about every little thing she had ever seen or done. In the end they stopped listening altogether. The words were too many and they came too fast.
“Well-did-I-ever-tell-you-about-the-time-when-my-sister-accidentially-stepped-on-one-of-her-feelers-causing-her-to-tumble-on-to-her-head?-No-I-don’t-think-I-did.-Well-one-day-my-sister-was-…”
And so it went on and on and on.
Not knowing what else to do, Sara simply had enough. She got up and yelled at the snail:
“I am sorry, but we really have to leave now.”
Then she reached out and grabbed Manolo’s hand and they started walking. All of a sudden the snail became quiet behind them and they stopped.
“Well-I-am-so-glad-I-could-help.-I-sure-do-wish-you-guys-could-stay-a-little-longer.-I-hardly-ever-have-visitors-let-alone-anyone-to-eat-with …” she said as they turned around and smiled at each other. They left the valley to the sound of Abigail’s voice still rambling on.
12
THE BEADS OF SOULS
They walked without talking for a long time. Sara kind of had enough of that for while and she was wondering about that strange rhyme they had found. She wondered what the meaning was of it, as it had such an angry sound to it, and then she wondered if Manolo knew more than he was telling her.
“Have you heard that rhyme before?” she asked a little later.
Manolo didn’t answer. Instead he stopped and took off his bag and guitar.
“It is time to eat,” he said and handed her some bread.
They ate in silence. Sara looked at the guitar. It had been a long time since Manolo last had played for her.
“Will you play something for me?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“We don’t have the time for it.”
Sara sighed. She missed the old Manolo that was childish and fun and loved to play music. Ever since they had gone on this quest he had been so serious and adult. Would he ever be the same again? she wondered.
“You do know that rhyme, don’t you?” she asked.
Now it was his turn to sigh.
“You do!” she said.
“Well … yes, okay? Let’s just leave it there.”
“No. I want to know what it is.”
Sara could tell he was struggling inside of himself. He was biting his upper lip, which he always did when he was concerned. Then he made a decision and told her: “Dies Irae, the day of Wrath is a thirteenth century medieval Latin poem. It describes the Day of Judgment, the last trumpet summoning souls, where it will be decided who will be cast into eternal flames of hell.”
“Oh, okay,” she said while eating. “So what does that have to do with this gateway that we are trying to get into?”
“The poem worries me.”
“Why?”
“It is dark. It has to do with the dark spirits that live in the underworld and we shouldn’t be having anything at all to do with that sort of thing. Especially not you.”
“Why not?”
Manolo gazed at her with a secretive look in his eyes.
“Because my job is to protect your heart from evil,” he said and got up from the ground. He looked at her and reached his hand out.
“Are you coming?”
The cloud hadn’t moved one inch when they got back to the mountain. It was still hanging over the mountaintop exactly where it had been when they left.
Manolo approached the mountainside and touched it with the palm of his hand.
“This is it,” he said and looked at Sara. “Are you ready for whatever awaits on the other side?”
“Yes I am,” she said. ”The book told me to find Sensisaron and the cloud leading us to her told us to enter this gate, so that is what we will do.”
Manolo smiled.
“Okay. Then let’s do it.”
Sara stepped forward and looked at the solid rock in front of her. Then she took in a deep breath and started reciting.
“Dies … irae, dies … illa Solvet …. saeclum in favilla,” she said with much determination and power in her voice.
The words echoed as they hit the wall. Then something happened to it. The wall started moving. Dust and sand fell and Sara took a step back to not get hit by anything. It was like the mountain wall dissolved in front of their eyes and when all the dust was gone, a beautiful ancient door made of olive wood appeared. It was carved and overlaid with gold. Small snakeheads with red ruby eyes stared at them.
“Wow,” Sara said and looked up at the astonishing tall door. It had golden handles shaped as big rings. She took one of them and then pushed the door.
It creaked and squeaked like it hadn’t been open for centuries, which it probably hadn’t. The door was blocked by a lot of sand on the backside of it so Manolo helped Sara push it all the way open. A dark hallway appeared in front of them. It seemed to go deep into the mountain. Manolo found a branch outside and made a torch of it. Then he blew fire on it to light it.
He used the torch to explore. The ground was filled with the finest white sand and it seemed to continue like that as far into the hallway as they could see. There seemed to be no animals on the ground or on the walls so they stepped forward in the sand. As they did the ancient door closed behind them with a bang.
Sara looked at Manolo.
“Guess there is no
turning back now,” she said and started walking.
As they walked deeper into the mountain they started to feel confident that this wasn’t such a bad place after all. No animals hanging from the ceiling, no one crawling on their legs or surprising them by sitting on their back.
Nothing but the finest sand on the ground to walk in.
But as you probably guessed by now, it didn’t last long. As they walked, the hallway suddenly took a turn and around that turn waited two big black scorpions. They had to be size of Moeselman’s German Shepherds and were grasping at them with their claws. Their narrow tails were elevated in a forward curve over their backs, pointing with its venomous stinger at Sara and Manolo.
Sara felt her heart jump and stopped. Manolo started swinging the torch in front of them to keep them away.
Sara heard a sound from behind her and turned around. Out of the sand came another black scorpion. Now they were surrounded.
The scorpions grabbed at them with their claws, making snapping sounds. Sara was terrified.
Manolo stretched out his arms and closed his eyes. He started reciting:
“Ignem ... ignem ... ceram … sicut faenum …”
He lifted his hands slightly and out of the sand grew flames of fire. Then he said it again:
“Ignem ... ignem ... ceram … sicut faenum …”
He started turning around and the fire followed him creating a ring of fire in the sand around them. The scorpions hissed and took a few steps away from the burning flames.
Then Manolo lifted his hands even further up and elevated the ring of fire so it lifted off the ground. He looked at Sara.
“Follow me,” he said and started walking. As he did the ring of fire started moving with him. “Stay close.”
As the scorpions felt the flames coming closer they backed up. Manolo and Sara kept walking towards them faster and faster while the fire burned around them, and finally the scorpions turned around and started running. Soon there were nowhere to be seen.
Manolo exhaled deeply and let his hands come down. Then he bowed his head and kneeled in the sand worn out. Slowly the fire died out and they were alone in the sand again.
A bright light shone at the end of the tunnel. Sara saw it and pointed.
