‘Then I took a really deep breath and blew it hard through my fingers, giving three piercing whistles.
‘We waited. Nothing. I whistled again. Ah Chu was trembling, but he stayed still. And then faintly, so faintly I wasn’t sure if I’d heard it, there was an answering whistle.
‘I signalled once more. This time the answer was much closer. Now Stoneface and I signalled backwards and forwards until finally there was the sound of breaking branches and crunching footsteps, and Stoneface burst through the trees.
‘“Are you all right? Who did this to you?” he cried, running up to us.
‘“Look out for the viper! There, near his feet!” I pointed to Ah Chu.
‘Stoneface threw his satchel with a thud, right near the snake. It slithered away in fright, into the trees. He pulled out his knife and I heard Favourite Aunt gasp. Quickly he cut through the ropes, cursing as we described the evil doings of those villains.
‘“What did they look like?” he asked grimly.
‘When I described the men, Stoneface knew exactly who they were: the three meanest and most dangerous members of his old band of robbers. And what’s more, he knew where they would be taking the orchid.
‘As we charged through the forest, back to the village, Stoneface told us more. “It’s a well-known fact amongst robbers,” he explained, “that the Baron is someone who can be relied upon to get rid of stolen goods – for a fee, of course.”
‘“Let’s hope we get to the Baron’s house before they leave,” fretted the Professor.
‘We raced into the village, calling for help. People dashed out of their shops, and soon a group of strong men were running with us, down the road towards the bridge, and up the path to the Baron’s house. He came out to see what we were all doing at his gate but before a word could be said, we spotted the robbers. They were down at his jetty, their pockets stuffed with banknotes, climbing onto a boat moored there.
‘“I’ll catch them!” yelled Stoneface, galloping ahead.
‘We all pounded after him, with the Baron sprinting to catch up with us. Down at the water we arrived to see Stoneface seize the rope hanging off the boat, and haul it in.’ Tashi grinned. ‘I’ll never forget the Baron’s face as the robbers were reeled in, like fish on a line.’
‘So you caught them!’ cried Dad. ‘And the precious orchid was saved!’
‘Yes, it caused a big stir,’ said Tashi. ‘The Professor had thought it was very rare, but in fact it was better than that – it was a new species, never seen before. And guess what they called it!’ Suddenly Tashi stopped, embarrassed.
‘I know!’ said Jack. ‘They called it after you!’
Tashi gave a small smile, ducking his head. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Tashi is part of its name. It’s in all the books, the Professor even sent us a copy. I got a certificate, and the newspaper people came to take our photographs.’
‘And what happened to the Baron?’ asked Dad. ‘Was he roasted slowly over a spit? Burnt in a bonfire of banknotes? Pecked to death by his peacock?’
Tashi laughed. ‘Well, as you’d expect, once the thieves were caught everyone went looking for the orchid. The Baron hadn’t had time to find a good hiding place for it, so they discovered it in the first place they went looking – his greenhouse. And of course he had no idea how the orchid got there. He said the robbers must have sneaked it in when he wasn’t looking. As usual, he slithered out of it all.’
‘Just like that snake!’ exploded Dad.
‘Well, at least he lost the orchid and his money,’ Tashi pointed out. ‘The orchid was taken to the Botanical Gardens in the city to be studied and the University was very pleased to receive a sudden big donation in the Baron’s name.’ Tashi smiled, as if he’d just put a lolly in his mouth. ‘The Baron looked sick when everyone thanked him and he went stumping about the village with a face like thunder.’
‘I’d have liked to see that,’ said Dad.
‘It’s strange, you know,’ Tashi went on, ‘a few weeks later, the Professor and I found a cluster of those very same orchids growing in the forest. People came from all over the country to look at them. And naturally the Baron wanted to sell tickets!’
TASHI THE BRAVE, PART ONE
JACK PUT TWO fingers to his lower lip and blew. Nothing happened. It was the twenty-sixth time that day, the last of their camping holiday.
‘Never mind,’ said Dad, who was in a good mood after catching three fish. ‘That whistle could shorten a person’s life span if they weren’t prepared.’
Tashi, collecting kindling up ahead, chuckled.
Suddenly, an ear-splitting whistle tore the air.
Dad and Jack jumped. They dropped their fishing gear. ‘I thought you were going to warn us before you did that!’ Dad called to Tashi.
When they caught up, Tashi turned to face them. ‘It wasn’t me,’ he said. ‘Look, my hands are full of sticks.’ Jack saw that he was trembling slightly.
The three stood staring at each other in the twilight. Shadows shivered at their feet, and a hook of moon swung above the trees.
‘Well,’ said Dad quietly, ‘what was…’
‘Wheeeee whea wheeeeeeee,’ the terrible whistle came again.
The Stoneface whistle.
‘That’s so weird,’ Jack shivered. ‘How…’
‘Run!’ cried Dad. ‘Back to camp!’
The boys lit up the path with Dad on their heels. It wasn’t until they reached the camping ground and they’d told Mum, who was calmly setting a billy to boil on the fire for tea, that Jack suddenly began to laugh.
‘What’s so funny, for heaven’s sake?’ asked Dad. ‘I haven’t had such a fright since the rat peeped out of our garbage bin.’
‘Look,’ Jack pointed to a flowering gum. ‘On that branch.’
They all looked up to see a grey bird with a long lacy tail.
‘That’s a fine bird,’ said Dad, ‘but I don’t see…’
‘Well, it’s like this,’ began Jack.
‘Like this,’ said the bird.
There was a shocked silence.
‘What on earth…?’ whispered Dad.
‘Lyrebird,’ said Jack. ‘Remember, Tashi? We learned about them at school. They can mimic anything – chainsaws, mobile phones, electric drills, whistles… They do it to attract a mate.’
‘The things we do for love,’ said Mum.
‘Or fear,’ grinned Jack. ‘You should have seen Dad run.’
Dad snorted. ‘Anyone would have got a fright! Such an amazing invention!’
‘It’s not an invention, Dad, it’s a bird. That’s the whole point about how amazing it is.’
‘You’re right,’ said Dad. ‘And when you’ve got a very active imagination like me, you can’t help inventing all kinds of wild and scary…well. A very fine thing, the imagination.’
Tashi nodded. ‘And very powerful. Sometimes more powerful than we know.’
‘Ooh,’ said Dad. ‘Is yours firing up?’
Tashi yawned. It was such a huge yawn and took so long to finish that Mum had poured the tea by the time Tashi could say, ‘Yes, but I’ll just change out of these wet things first,’ and he wandered off up the track to the tent.
Later, when dinner was ready, Mum called Tashi. There was no answer. When Jack went to have a look, he found Tashi curled up in the tent, fast asleep.
Jack came back to the fire.
‘Don’t wake him,’ said Mum. ‘He was up before all of us this morning.’
‘Yes,’ said Jack. ‘He discovered that great little fishing spot at the bend in the river.’
‘Hmm,’ sighed Dad. He picked up his fork, then put it back down. ‘Does this mean we won’t have a story though? On our last night around the camp fire?’ His shoulders slumped. He gazed sadly at Jack.
‘I could tell you a Tashi story,’ Jack said. ‘One you haven’t heard.’
Dad looked up happily. ‘Yes! He must have enough stories to fill a book, I reckon. So, what’s this one about?’<
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Jack thought while he chewed. He listened to the crickets chirping steadily through the darkness that was creeping in round the fire. When he’d finished listening he said, ‘Well, it was like this. Tashi was in the village square one afternoon with his friends, when a rider came galloping up to the main gate. Everyone watched as he got off his horse and nailed up a notice from the Palace. They crowded in to read it, and soon the air was buzzing with excited whispers.’
‘Oh, wasn’t that the way to travel?’ Dad said. ‘You know, I did a lot of horse-riding when I was a lad. Loved it! You–’
‘No interrupting,’ said Jack.
‘I was only remarking…’
‘What did the notice from the Palace say?’ asked Mum.
‘Well, it was such exciting news,’ Jack went on, ‘that Tashi had to run straight home and tell his family. “You’ll never guess!” he cried, as soon as he burst into the house. “The Emperor is going to hold a contest to find the bravest person in the land. There will be a prize of Great Riches for the winner. And guess what else? They’ve worked out that our village is in the very centre of the land, so the Emperor and his court are coming here next week to judge the contest. They’ll be staying at the Baron’s house.” At this, Tashi’s mother rolled her eyes. “And can you imagine,” Tashi went on, “who is coming on ahead to make sure everything is in order? Tiki Pu!”
‘“Oh no,” Grandma groaned to Tashi, “I thought we’d seen the last of that sneaky uncle of yours.”’
‘Me too,’ put in Dad.
‘Well,’ Jack went on, ‘during the next few days, Tiki Pu arrived to make sure the Baron had repapered the best bedroom for his royal guest, and had plenty of peacocks in the garden. When Tashi stopped by to admire the peacocks spreading their splendid tail feathers, Tiki Pu suddenly emerged from behind a pear tree.
‘“What are you doing here?” he barked. “Look, if you’ve come to invite me to dinner you’re going to be disappointed. I have a very important job here, can’t you see? You’ll just have to go back and tell your mother I’m much too busy and grand to be visiting the family now.” And he waved Tashi away, as if swatting a fly.’
Dad thumped the ground with his fist, knocking over his tea, which scalded his knee. He jiggled it in the air with fury. ‘Urrgablungaberr!’ he cried.
‘Yes,’ said Jack. ‘But as Tashi told Grandma when he got home, at least Tiku Pu will be staying with the Baron this time, and not taking over his bedroom.
‘And now all sorts of people began drifting into the village. The Warlord, a Bandit Chief, the River Pirate and other warriors from all over the land rode in with their followers, hoping to show what great fighters they were.
‘The Emperor frowned when he saw them. “Being a good warrior isn’t always the same thing as being brave, you know. Still,” he nodded to Tiki Pu, “let’s see what they can do. It will be a good afternoon’s sport, I suppose.”
‘Lots of ordinary folk who had carried out acts of bravery streamed in too. They came with their families and friends so that the village was soon bursting with visitors. All the spare beds were filled and a little settlement of tents was set up down by the river for the overflow.
‘Pedlars arrived with cartloads of food, and entertainers flocked in, shaking up the sleepy town. Every night Tashi and his friends could hardly wait to go down to the river to see the fire-eaters and hear the music. They swayed and swirled to the sounds of flutes, fiddles and drums. Mi Tu – you know, Tashi’s friend with the wonderful voice – stood on a fruit crate, singing beautiful songs that made people dance and cry. He drew the crowds like nobody else.
‘But on the third night, Tashi had a horrible nightmare. He dreamed he was back in the time when ghost monsters had drifted through the village, terrifying households, slithering over animals and villagers, sliding into people’s open mouths and stealing the breath out of them.’
‘Ugh!’ shuddered Dad. ‘I remember…the ghosts were disgusting, all thick and gooey and see-through, like egg white. And they were everywhere.’
‘Yes,’ said Jack. ‘But Tashi had threatened the ghosts, remember? He tricked them by saying that his very good friend, the Red-Whiskered Dragon-Ghost, would gobble up the moon if they didn’t leave the village alone. “You will all live in nights of total darkness,” he’d told them.’
Jack’s voice tolled out through the shivery firelight as he repeated Tashi’s warning.
‘But then he saved the village,’ Dad put in quickly, as Mum inched up closer. ‘And the ghosts were very afraid and left because they didn’t know there really was no such creature who could eat up the moon. Tashi had just made up the Red-Whiskered Dragon from his imagination.’
‘That’s right,’ agreed Jack. ‘But Tashi said that in his nightmare, the Red-Whiskered Dragon-Ghost was so real. He dreamed he was being chased by it: no matter how fast he ran, he could never get away. The Red-Whiskered monster was no ghost – he seemed like a real dragon!
‘All through the day after the dream, Tashi was haunted by a feeling of dread. It was a heavy, tight feeling, like not being able to get enough air. Even when he was with friends at the schoolhouse, he thought if he turned around suddenly, he’d see the Red-Whiskered Dragon right there, just about to reach out and grab him.
‘It wasn’t until the day of the judging that Tashi was able to throw off the spooky feeling. On that morning, everything seemed different – sunlight poured cheerfully through the window and he bounced out of bed, eager to see his friends and hear the Emperor’s decision. Who would be the bravest person in the land?
‘The morning was hot and hazy, with a whiff of far-off smoke in the air. And it grew hotter still as a long line of hopeful people waited in the square to be presented to the Emperor. There was a young woman who had saved her little brother from a rampaging buffalo; a boy, armed only with a small knife, who had rescued his friend from the deadly clasp of a giant squid; a girl who’d pulled her mother feet-first from the jaws of a tiger; and many more.
‘The villagers stood rapt, listening to these tales of bravery. “It was better than a play,” Tashi said. But as the strangely smoky afternoon wore on, several people began murmuring. The murmur became louder until one name was heard clearly. “Ta-shi! TA-SHI!”
‘Wise-as-an-Owl stepped forward. “Your Mightiness, we have a boy here in this very village who has proved himself brave not once but many, many times. His name is Tashi.”
‘“That’s the one!” cried the villagers.
‘“Did you know that he once rescued our children from the Warlord?” cried Mrs Wang.
‘The Emperor looked stern at this, and the Warlord became very busy buckling his sword.
‘“And what about the time he saved the village from Chintu the Giant?”
‘“And his brother, don’t forget,” someone else called out.
‘“And how he fought the flute player who had bewitched our children,” cried Not Yet.
‘“And he’s such a lovely boy,” said Granny White Eyes. “Do you know he once took me for a ride on his magic shoes? It was wonderful.”
‘“Yes, but that’s not brave, Granny,” Big Wu explained.
‘“No, but it was kind,” she insisted.
‘“And let’s not forget how he brought back the Magic Warning Bell when the River Pirate had stolen it.” The Emperor sat up at this and glared at the River Pirate, who suddenly remembered he needed a haircut.
‘“Yes,” said Princess Sarashina, “and I am sure it has not slipped your mind, Honoured Father, how Tashi cleverly and bravely rescued me from the demons?”
‘The Emperor nodded. “No, of course I couldn’t forget that. But I was not thinking of a child winning the prize.”
‘“Why not?” asked the Princess. “Bravery has no limits of age.”
‘The Emperor pondered for a moment. “Very well. Bring Tashi forward.”
‘But before they could do it, the Magic Warning Bell began to ring and people looked up from each o
ther’s faces, and out across the horizon.
‘“Fire!” yelled Lotus Blossom, hopping up and down, pointing to the next valley. And there came the bitter smell of burning, rolling in on clouds of yellow smoke.
‘Just then, a family from the other side of the forest staggered into the square. “We’ve seen him, we’ve just seen him! With our own eyes! A great Red-Whiskered Dragon! He caused a fire in our valley.”
‘A Red-Whiskered Dragon? Tashi went white. He edged over to Wise-as-an-Owl. “I thought I had just made him up to frighten away the ghosts when they were threatening our village, remember?”
‘“Well, he’s real enough for us,” said a man who overheard Tashi’s whisper. “But his fire is not the worst thing about him–”
‘“What?” said Lotus Blossom. “What could be worse?”
‘“His appetite,” replied the man. “He eats everything, anything. An hour ago he ate my house. Luckily there was no one home!”
“Fire!” yelled Lotus Blossom
‘“Only the cow in the barn,” the little boy turned to his father. “He ate her, too, remember. I hate that dragon!”
‘Another family from the next valley had just joined the crowd. “I saw him gobble up the apple orchard of our neighbour,” the grandfather said. “If he isn’t stopped, we’ll have nothing to eat.”
‘A shudder of fear drifted up through the crowd.
‘Tashi plucked at Wise-as-an-Owl’s sleeve, drawing him away from the square. “I really did think I had just made up that dragon, you know.”
‘“It happens sometimes, Tashi,” Wise-as-an-Owl said softly. “When someone has a very powerful imagination and they see something in their minds, the thing becomes real when they say its name out loud.”
‘“Oh, no! But do you think I could pull it back into my mind again?”
‘“Yes, but you would have to meet it face to face and look it in the eye.”
‘Tashi gulped. “Look into the eyes of a fire-breathing Red-Whiskered Dragon?”
‘Wise-as-an-Owl clicked his tongue sympathetically.
Tashi and the Wicked Magician Page 4
