He curled into a ball, afraid to survey the extent of his injuries. From the beginning of his journey and through every adventure, he had never shed a tear for himself. Now he sobbed into his tiny hands with abandon, the sort of torrent which only comes in the worst of times and feels like it will never end.
The flood finally ebbed and became short hiccups. Toby sat up stiffly, wiping his tears with his tail. This reminded him of how he had nearly lost his furry appendage and almost started him off again.
Toby coaxed his battered parts to work together and raise him to his feet. His shoulder blazed with pain and blood oozed from small cuts and scrapes, but he was whole. He could walk. The top of the cliff was invisible from where he stood. No heads peeked over the edge, no erratic voices floated down. The children must figure he was dead. They had stolen his most valuable possession anyway, his pack. How would he make it home?
“Trust me,” the Voice whispered inside. “I will see you through.”
“See me through!” Toby shouted, “See me through? Look where you led me! If you really cared, why would you lead me into this pain? I have no food, no shelter… I don’t know if I can even get out of this ravine!”
The sunlight glinted on a shiny object under a bush. His canteen. Now Toby remembered- he had strapped it to his waist so he could fit more food into his pack.
He stumbled to the bush and picked up the small container. Incredible! It was undamaged. He shook it, and the magical sound of sloshing water filled his ears. He moved forward, listening. Yes, another sound answered the first. Through the brush, a stream bubbled from the rocks.
He bathed his wounds in the cold water and wished for the medicine Gramble Howard gave him when he was hurt, medicine that could take ailments away in an instant. Pain or not, he would survive.
With every stumble and jolt of discomfort, he remembered the savage children and what they intended to do. Reality washed over him. The tumble down the cliff had probably saved his life.
He followed the stream for over an hour and finally emerged back out on the road. The heat had lost its intensity and evening sounds began to settle over him. Toby knew it would be time to turn for home soon. He considered the boy who had begun this journey and found it hard to recognize himself. This world of up above swirled with colors and emotion, beauty and untold sorrow. Survivors had been found, friendships were forged with amazing people. When thoughts of the countless lives lost in the disaster rose up, he hastily tried to think of other things. One thing he hadn’t found: who had been responsible and why these terrible acts had been committed. A bright glimmer shone through the wreckage; life remained, it could not be entirely snuffed out.
Half of his quest remained unfinished. He wondered if this idea of a Creator was a mere pipe-dream, a child’s castle in the air, never to be realized. Did he, Toby, possess a mortal soul? His steps became slower with every discouraging idea until he found himself standing in the middle of a field with no memory of how he came to be there. Bright stars bled through a dark sky, spilling light on his upturned face.
He raised his small hands to those lights, feeling almost as ridiculous as the man who waited for his car to evolve. Night breezes tickled his cheeks like the phantom whiskers he sometimes thought should be there.
“Toby, my child.” This time the words echoed around him, swirled through the tall grass, reached up to tickle his nose with such tangible realness he almost reached out to pluck them from the air. Such majestic tones, like he always wished a father could be. So full of love Toby thought his heart might burst from joy.
For several moments, Toby forgot what his lips were meant to do. Finally, he remembered. “Yes, Awesome One, I am Toby.”
“Toby,” the Voice repeated, making Toby wonder if he had ever truly heard his name spoken until this moment. “It is time for you to know who I Am.”
Toby gathered his courage into a bundle and poured out the results. “Sir, I know I am just a hodgepodge of parts forged by lonely old people who wanted a grandchild. I will never be of much use to anyone, but I have to know. Is there a chance? Do I have a soul in my deep inside? I must have something, it is the most powerful thing I have ever experienced… until…“ His voice dropped to a whisper, “until this moment.”
The Voice laughed. He laughed! “Oh, Little One, I fashioned the earth, the skies, and yes, even your friend’s rocky seat. With great sorrow I watched my children destroy one another in a race for power and greed. I knew of your grambles schemes to create you even before they plotted them.
“So I made plans of my own. While they strung borrowed DNA like random beads on a wire, it was I who knit you together. I caused your tiny heart to beat with good will and care for your fellow man. I gave you clear vision and the desire to seek out the beautiful things left in this tired world. No breath is taken unless I deem it to be so. Therefore, I breathed life into your being and, at the same time, gave you a soul.”
Toby fell to the ground in reverence, tears of joy and love dripping into the grass. At last he knew the God he sought. For a long time he lay there, allowing the Creator’s majestic Spirit to pour over him in waves of comfort and love.
When he could think to speak again he said, “Lord, what should I do now?”
“Because you have accepted my love into your heart, you will come to live with me someday in my Kingdom. Until then, I have a message for you to share with all who listen. I Am. I Am the Creator. I Am in control, and my love has no limits or boundaries. To become my children they need only accept my love into their hearts, like you have done. You have already found the dusty books speaking of me, continue to study these and you will know me better.”
A peace settled over Toby. When he looked back over his childhood he understood God was there through every piece of his life, even before he was born. This love would always be inside of him and ready to spill out on anyone he encountered.
He stood to his feet. “I will do as you say, my Father.” He turned and walked back towards the highway and home.
THE END
The Further Adventures of
Toby the Trilby
Angela Castillo
Copyright © 2014 Angela Castillo
All rights reserved.
ISBN:1497541859
ISBN-13: 978-1497541856
To my family. All of you.
I love you dearly.
CONTENTS
1
NIGHT SKY
11
2
DANGER IN THE TREES
19
3
A THANKLESS RESCUE
27
4
INTO SNAPPING AIR
35
5
MIA’S MEMORY
43
6
ESCAPE
53
7
SPACE STORY
63
8
THE ROAMER
63
9
A MATTER OF TIME
73
10
DREAD
81
Thank you, God.
1
NIGHT SKY
Stars. Mysterious dots twinkled in patterns, separated by countless miles. Space Toby could not fathom, even though he’d lived above ground for over two years.
The evening’s breeze hinted of the coming autumn and Toby’s large, furry ears quivered where they poked through two holes in his knitted cap. Keeping them warm was always a challenge in the cold season, even after he decided to let his hair grow long. Below him, the lights of the little house where he lived with Mia, Gramble Shana and Gramble Lenora flickered in the dusk.
Toby’s feet dangled over the side of the tree platform. Every month spent building his ‘star observation deck’ over the summer had been worthwhile. Few things brought him more excitement than stars and planets in the night sky.
Soon he'd be forced to give up the platform for winter. But not his little house. The grambles had finis
hed a new fireplace this year so he and Mia, his adopted sister, could stay above ground.
“Toby, want supper? Fresh corn and chicken!” Gramble Lenora's words strung out in a melody, like an old gospel song.
“Yes, I’ll be there in a minute!” He peered down at her.
Gramble Lenora’s lips, painted ruby though she was long past seventy, pursed into a pout. "You got your sweater on? I don’t want you catching cold!”
“Yes, Gramble Lenora!” He swung his telescope around and peeked through the metal tube to glimpse, just once more, the full moon’s pale, wise face.
A flash of light exploded through the lens. Toby pulled back to rub his eye. I’ve never seen a star that bright. The stream of energy burst in methodic beats until it disappeared behind the line of trees.
Maybe a satellite? Those giant crafts still orbited the planet, though dead and silent for over forty years. A horrific force had shut them down, along with every other machine on Earth. The same weapon killed all the humans on the surface of the globe, though people lucky enough to be sheltered under layers of rock were spared for some unknown reason. Even after all this time the source of the weapon remained a mystery.
What could the light be? Toby’s mind raced through the possibilities. For years he watched thousands of movies in the grambles’ gigantic film library, and paid special attention to ones about space travel. Rockets blasted into space on news reels, and science fiction movies portrayed every possible kind of spaceship, but nothing like tonight’s light.
The image still burned in his brain, pulsed there like a living thing. He squeezed his eyes shut to focus on the memory, to see a tangible shape. Whatever caused the light landed deep in the forest. Far too dangerous a journey just to satisfy his feline side’s curiosity.
He sighed, polished every speck of dust from his telescope and put it away in the worn, leather case. Though the cavern’s storage rooms held hundreds of telescopes, microscopes and binoculars, this one was special present from Gramble Edward.
###
One morning, while visiting Gramble Edward's office, the elderly man had slid the telescope off the top of a glass speciman case. "Belonged to my father." He handed the faded container to Toby. "Ever since the day we pulled you from your glass womb, I planned to give this to you when you were old enough. Fourteen is a good age, I think." Watery blue eyes shone behind the round lenses of his glasses.
"Was your father a doctor?" Toby tugged the cover open to reveal a black enamel tube.
"No, he sold shoes." Gramble Edward traced his finger over the dusty case. “A humble man with a simple business. He worked hard, six days a week, to save for my education. My father fought off cancer long enough to watch me cross the stage and accept the piece of paper he helped me to achieve.” He gestured to the shelves of books, heavy with dust. "Here I am, with no one left to heal.”
Toby jumped up. “That’s not true! You helped all of us through sickness and Valerie brings her family for check-ups. And you are teaching Mia…”
Gramble Edward’s face brightened. “Yes, Mia has been a good student. Toby, I will always be thankful for the day you brought her to us.”
###
Toby's stomach grumbled, pulling him back to the present. He checked the sky once more for crazy lights. Just the same, friendly stars as always. His foot felt for the top rung of the ladder. Then a voice broke into his thoughts, sure and sweet as always, the voice of his Father, God.
"Toby, follow the light."
"Father, the journey might take days.”
"I have sent you out, and brought you home before. Do you trust me, Toby?"
Toby bowed his head. “Yes, Father, I trust you.”
###
Though many warm evenings brought some or all of the grambles up to the surface for a home cooked meal instead of what the replicators could provide, tonight onlyGramble Lenora, Gramble Shana and Mia sat with Toby around the table to eat by the light of flickering candles.
Toby bit into an ear of corn. While he enjoyed the crisp vegetable’s texture, he dreaded the little white bits that always stuck in his teeth. He chewed for a moment then banged the hot ear down on his plate. His fork clattered.
Lenora darted him a look. "Problem, Toby?"
“Er, ahhh, problem? Hmmmm...”
"Just spit it out and let it drool," said Gramble Lenora.
Though Gramble Lenora had helped raise Toby, the way she worded things still jarred him at times.
Mia sliced the kernels from her ear of corn and they landed, like golden teeth, on her plate. A wisp of bright hair fell in front of her face and she blew it away. "If you like, I'll tell my news first, Toby," she murmured, without looking up.
"Great.” Toby pushed his corn aside and picked up a chicken wing.
“I’m going into the forest tomorrow,” said Mia. “Valerie said cat’s claw vine and willow tree bark are needed for the gramble’s arthritis medicine.”
“Cat’s claw?” Toby looked down at his hands. Gramble Colleen, the biologist, and Gramble Gregory, the genetic scientist, hadn’t thought filling in a few basic cell building blocks with cat DNA would make a difference when they created his tiny embryo fourteen years ago. Much to their surprise, he had been born with a cat's tail, ears, and rather furry toes. A year ago another change had taken place.
One by one, his fingernails had painlessly fallen out. Then, tiny pinpricks of claws began to emerge. Just like a cat, he could retract them at will. Even though the grambles tried to help him embrace his differences, the claws still made him feel a bit self-conscious and Toby always wore gloves unless he wanted to climb a tree or eat.
“Can’t you wait a little while before going into the forest?” His words came out sharper than intended.
Mia’s blue eyes widened. “No, I have to go before the first frost. Valerie thinks it could come any day. Why? What’s the matter? You never minded trips into the forest with me before.”
“Of course I wouldn’t mind.” Toby studied his fork. “It’s just... I have to leave tonight.”
The table erupted with voices.
“Tonight?”
“Where are you going?”
“Can’t it wait?”
Toby closed his eyes. Life in a house full of women had certain drawbacks. “Father has given me a new adventure.”
“God has another mission for you?” Mia's voice dropped to almost a whisper.
“Yes. When I was stargazing tonight I saw a bright light stream through the sky. It landed in the forest, maybe a day’s journey from here. Father told me to find it.”
“Why?” Gramble Lenora asked. “Why would Father ask you to do something so dangerous?”
“Rescuing Mia was dangerous,” Toby pointed out. “And Mia was shot by an arrow when we first met Valerie’s family. God has reasons. He always does.”
“Toby, we trust you to hear the Lord’s voice and to follow.” Gramble Shana handed him a plate of cornbread. “But perhaps Gramble Edward could come along.”
“I have to go alone." Toby took a golden square. "I move faster on my own, anyone else would slow me down and put both of us in greater danger, especially if we were attacked by a wild animal or a drifter.”
"Surely I...” began Mia.
“No, you need to gather those plants.” Toby shook the crumbs from his cloth napkin into his plate. “Winter is hard on the grambles, and medicines from the replicator are not as effective. We must follow our own paths and pray for God’s protection.”
Mia scraped her potatoes in a mushy little pile and poked at them. “I agree.”
Gramble Lenora and Gramble Shana exchanged glances across the table.
“Children, you have always listened to us and respected our advice, but we have to trust you to learn your own ways. We’ll tell the other grambles, but I’m sure they will understand.” Gramble Shana's eyes grew misty, and Toby knew she was thinking of his first adventure
###
Two years ago. The day he
returned, along with Mia, from a very dangerous journey. He led her into the cavern’s main entrance, designed to usher in the millions of refugees who never made it in from the disaster. Then on through the small porthole and down the ladder. He’d steadied Mia as she descended, since her shoulder still throbbed from an injury she’d received on the trip.
Instead of the darkness he expected, a light, bright and round as an egg yolk, rested on the cavern floor beside Gramble Shana’s bent form. The elderly woman’s wrinkled face nodded over her embroidery, and even in her peaceful state seemed more aged than only a week before, when she had bid him a tearful goodbye.
She waited for me... how long has she been here? "Gramble Shana..." he touched her hand.
Her head, framed by white braids like a crown, tilted upwards and her eyes fluttered open. "Toby," she whispered. "My boy is home."
A joyful time followed. The grambles were delighted to take Mia as one of their family. Gramble Howard and Toby finally found the cargo elevator so they could bring supplies up to the surface and build Toby and Mia's little house. Shana and Lenora joined them above ground, while Horace, Edward, Colleen and Gregory chose to stay in their comfortable, familiar laboratories below.
###
Toby’s pack was larger this time than the one from his last journey. The grambles insisted he pack enough food for at least a week along with a first aid kit.
“Please bless and keep our Toby.” Gramble Edward’s voice trembled as he prayed over Toby. His weathered hand rested on Toby’s shouder.
The Toby the Trilby Trilogy Boxed Set Page 6
