Jojo dazed off as he watched the snail moving silently across the clear plastic container. He pictured himself holding a feather and flying the way Dumbo the elephant did in the movie. The snail’s eye tubules retracted and curved to closely examine the upturned stem of a leaf. It lowered its head and wrapped its mouth around the leaf.
“You’re eating a lot.” Jojo whispered. “You’re going to have a big poop!” Jojo rested his head on the desk in his small room as he fell asleep listening quietly to the snail munching on the leaf.
Pause, pause, pause…
There was a loud crunch in the fog. Amelia looked down at the ground. Zeke had vanished. The gold lamé shoes remained. She felt panic strike. Amelia stared hard at the fog. Anxious anticipation mounted as if she was the helpless girl quaking in the shadows waiting for some ghoul to attack.
A long form grew more opaque as it extended through the fog toward Amelia. Her heart skipped a beat and then she shrank back as the fog receded to reveal the head and body of a large elephant moving toward her. Amelia dug her gold lamé heels into the ground trying not to crumple, wondering how she was going to run.
“Your chariot has arrived.” A deep male voice sounded in the fog.
Amelia looked around. Her voice unfulfilled by her breath held tight, Amelia could only silently worry. Who said that?
I don’t think you have to go very far to figure out that one. The waiter said something like that earlier this afternoon and now I am making the same offer of giving you a lift. The voice was happening inside Amelia’s head. Eyebrows sharply arched, she studied the elephant’s left eye as it seemed to twinkle at her. This is too weird, she thought, as the elephant’s enormous body broke through the fog. You’re thinking to me?
In a manner of speaking, the elephant replied. My name is Hrim, and I am not a bad escort for you to conjure up when traveling through this realm.
The great elephant sidled up next to Amelia who backed away in short steps. A large howdah was perched on the elephant’s back and strapped around his belly. A rope ladder extended toward her from the top. The elephant’s skin was thick with creases and his legs and feet were as big around as Amelia’s body. His toenails glimmered suddenly and mesmerized her attention.
Nice, huh? Hrim invited compliments. Amelia bent down to look more closely at the huge foot the elephant held up for her inspection. The nails were impeccably manicured and each was vibrating a different color of the rainbow.
“Very nice.” Amelia nodded nervously though feeling a little less threatened by the beast. “You said I conjured you?” Amelia returned to the topic of the elephant’s arrival.
Indeed I did. Listen, why don’t you climb onboard? I move very slowly through these parts and it would be nice to arrive at our destination before nightfall. As Hrim finished his thought the fog began lifting.
Amelia felt herself engulfed with vertigo as waves of color and light moved into place producing the lush foliage and sounds of an Indonesian rain forest. The air became hot and humid. Touching her fingers to her brow she felt small beads of sweat quickly forming. Everything seemed so real.
Amelia regained her balance as she noticed her clothes had changed to a khaki safari outfit. She looked at her feet. The gold lamé shoes remained. What the hell is that about? Amelia started to stomp her foot and stumbled off her other heel. “Dammit!” She cussed as she kept herself from falling. The wild calls of birds were exchanged overhead in reaction to her shout. Amelia looked up and watched the treetops shift noisily as a pair of small monkeys chased each other across the limbs.
Will you be joining me? The elephant snorted even in thought.
“Where are we going?” Amelia turned to observe the trail she was standing on with the elephant. Well I don’t think it leads to New York City, but you never know. Hrim eyed her carefully.
Amelia bent over slightly, patted her thighs and clapped her hands. “Zeke!” she called out, “Zeke?”
I believe he’s with Sherry and Jill getting a drink of water and having a little snack. The elephant volunteered. Amelia reeled at the idea of the elephant knowing what was happening when she didn’t know herself.
“This is a dream! My dream!” Amelia asserted. “How can you know what’s going on in my private life?”
I believe your little buddy already explained that one. Amelia thought she saw Hrim smile.
“You’re laughing at me?” Amelia cocked her head in Zeke-like fashion to take in the wide grin of the elephant. Shaking her head she desperately tried to stay on topic. “If you can know where Zeke is, why can’t I?”
But you do know now. Hrim seemed to understand what was bothering Amelia. This takes a little getting used to Amelia. Hrim wagged his huge head and trunk around at the scenery. “Dreaming is an art,” he said, then frowned, thinking, though most humans consider it a novelty.
Amelia squinted as she listened to the alternating blend of thought and spoken word. The elephant motioned his trunk toward the ladder. I promise. You’ll get better at this with time. You’re right, this is your dream. What say we get on with it?
Amelia looked at the elephant in utter disbelief. Tears welled up in her eyes.
What? Hrim lowered his head and eyed the tears as they drifted down Amelia’s cheeks. What did I say?
“You didn’t say anything.” Amelia sobbed.
Okay, so what did I think? Hrim ventured again.
“I don’t want to get better at this with time.” Amelia broke into a full sob. “I want to know I’m going to be okay! I want to go home!” Amelia cupped her face in her hands and turned her back on the big beast. Amelia felt something soft brush against the back of her hands.
Here. Take this. She peeked through her fingers at a handkerchief held in Hrim’s trunk. “Just a little something I dreamed up for you.” Hrim tried a little humor as Amelia dabbed her eyes. Listen. We’re going to help you get home, don’t you worry. But you’re going to have to try and let me help. Come on now, climb on board and trust your imagination. It works even when your consciousness is on the blink.
Amelia put her hands on the ladder. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said as she grabbed the ropes and started climbing to the top, “but I don’t have much choice.”
Well, you’re just starting out. Just keep an open mind. The elephant’s thought carried a reassuring feeling into Amelia’s head and her heart relaxed a little. She climbed the ladder and arranged herself on the howdah thinking about how dreams never meant very much to her. Usually I’m so tired by the time I go to bed at night that I’m too tired to dream.
You and everyone else in America, Hrim replied. But you’re really just too busy to remember. Trust me, you dream.
“Well at least I knew I was American.” Amelia wondered how she could know these things but could not remember what sort of work or other endeavors kept her away from Zeke so much that she felt guilty and would dream him limitless treats. Then again she wondered if Zeke was her one and only memory or just a character in a dream. No dream she ever remembered seemed to be as vivid and inclusive as this dream.
Let’s play a little game. Hrim suggested.
“Okay.” Amelia tentatively agreed.
Would you like a drink?
“Yes, I would.” Amelia noticed her throat was feeling dry.
How ‘bout a SNOWEE? Hrim suggested. As Amelia thought about her favorite blue- colored treat from childhood, a cup filled with crushed blue ice appeared in her hand. “Whoa, that’s a little like Bewitched!” Amelia scooped the already melting treat with a spoon.
Better, Hrim replied. You don’t have to do the nose-twitching thing. Hrim paused for a moment, then added, You must have always wanted to take a safari through the rainforest.
“I love nature.” Amelia wondered how she knew that.
These things come back to you. Hrim thought.
What do I do for a living? she asked. Where do I live?
I’m sorry, but those questions seem to be out of bounds
right now, Hrim answered.
“What do you mean, out of bounds?” The howdah rocked as Hrim ambled down the jungle path.
Well, it’s your dream. You can bring to it whatever you wish at any time. Apparently you have brought a touch of amnesia to it if you can’t remember who you are or what you’re doing here.
“But you knew I loved blue SNOWEEs.”
That’s nice, but not exactly confidential information. Amelia wondered what else the elephant might know about her habits. Remembering that Zeke told her she was in surgery, she tried for more information.
“Something happened to me. I don’t remember that either. I need to find out what I’m doing here.”
That would be helpful. The elephant nodded his head.
“But you can’t be helpful?” Amelia couldn’t conceive of how she could be expected to know what was going on in this dream by herself. Then again, she couldn’t really expect an elephant to know either.
Hrim reached the end of his trunk back and patted Amelia on the hand reassuringly. She jerked her hand away yet felt amazed at the animal’s compassion. I’m sorry. I can’t help with that yet. But you will make much better progress once you understand how things work. That must be our first order of business. The pair grew silent for awhile as the howdah swayed back and forth. Amelia felt herself growing sleepy from the rocking movement and closed her eyes. She listened as the tall foliage pressing in from the edges of the trail was separated by the elephant’s chest, parting and scraping along his legs and belly. It reminded her of the sound of a snail eating in its terrarium. Amelia’s eyes popped open as she gave a little jump on the howdah.
Careful there, Hrim thought in calming tones. Don’t fall off.
“I’m a teacher!” Amelia gasped. “I’m a teacher and I have a snail in my classroom!”
Close, but no cigar. Hrim shook his head. Amelia bristled at the elephant thinking it knew better than her.
“Of course I am!” Amelia insisted. “I remember a snail.” She waited. “A snail named Dumbo!” she shouted. The jungle went silent. “And,” she continued in elevated tones consistent with a great ah-ha moment, “I remember the sound it makes when it eats.”
Sorry. The elephant wagged his trunk back and forth in the air. You’re picking up on someone else’s dream. Amelia tried to process what the elephant meant.
The rustling of the brush ahead on the trail caught Amelia’s attention. She looked out but couldn’t see what was coming.
“Hello? Hello!” a small boy’s voice called out. Amelia looked down as the caramel skinned boy appeared below the elephant. He was dressed in a white cotton shirt and short pants. His head was wrapped in a turban and he held a feather and a clear rectangular container in his hand.
Amelia looked at the elephant expecting him to talk to the boy. The elephant stood silently gazing ahead.
“Can I help you?” Amelia asked. As if I know what I’m doing here!
“Is this Dumbo?” the boy asked. Amelia shot a look at the elephant and then back at the boy.
“Not exactly,” she replied. “His name is Hrim.”
“Can I have a ride?” he asked. The elephant continued to wait without participating in the conversation. Amelia looked at the boy and decided he seemed harmless enough. A little more company couldn’t hurt, she thought.
Wise choice, Hrim thought to Amelia. Amelia looked down at the boy. He did not seem to have heard the elephant’s thoughts.
“Okay, where to?” she asked the boy.
“The village,” the boy replied, climbing up the ladder. He handed the feather and the small clear box to Amelia as he positioned himself on the howdah. Amelia looked inside the box. The bottom was littered with leaves and a snail shell hung from the underside of the lid, the snail evidently sleeping inside.
“That’s Dumbo,” he smiled. “I’m Jojo.”
Amelia smiled back weakly, thinking. And I am not a teacher. I don’t have a snail in my classroom. I don’t know who I am or what I’m doing here. And I’m riding on an elephant in a little boy’s dream.
We are going to the village, Hrim thought to her. You’ll learn more there. Once again Hrim began moving down the trail.
“Is that—is that it?” The boy’s small face beamed at Amelia.
“Is that what?”
“This!” He cheered thrusting his arms in the air almost victoriously then peered seriously into her eyes as if he had just discovered a best kept secret. “This is the pace of a royal elephant!” he smiled.
Pause, pause, pause…
As the day progressed Amelia felt her body moving with the sway of Hrim’s steps through the jungle. Her red curly hair glistened when the sun shot through the foliage overhead and lit up the howdah. She was noticing that things would change based on her thoughts. She sipped on her SNOWEE cup which seemed to endlessly renew its contents and watched Jojo playing with his snail.
Dumbo crawled from one hand to the other growing from his large marble size until he filled Jojo’s hand like a baseball. Then the snail would shrink until it reached its original size again. Jojo held it in front of his eyes and watched it change colors. Like Hrim’s painted toenails it shifted through the colors of the rainbow.
When the howdah was in the sunlight too long and Amelia began to feel hot, she wished for an umbrella and one appeared overhead to shelter her from the heat. For awhile she wished for music and she could hear all of her favorite songs playing one after another through a small boom box that materialized beside her on the howdah. Her dream seemed to be without condition except for allowing her to know why she was having it.
As they traveled, Hrim effortlessly moved through dense jungle, across a deep stream and now they were climbing high on a mountain path. The slope of the path was steep and the edge fell away sharply toward the valley below. Amelia tried not to look down. She wasn’t afraid of heights as much as she was afraid of the edges between her and sheer drops. She couldn't stand to see someone standing on an edge. All edges should have railings, she thought. Just that quickly a railing manifested the entire length of the trail.
That’s really not necessary, Hrim thought to her.
“I just thought a little safety net wouldn’t hurt,” she shrugged. Jojo looked at Amelia as if she had performed a great feat of magic.
“Ah, that is so cool!” Jojo looked at the railing and smiled at Amelia. “Do you really think that skinny piece of wood will stop this big old elephant from falling over the edge?”
Hrim’s foot slipped on a rock. Amelia gasped for air.
Hrim caught himself from slipping into Jojo’s imagining that he would fall. Whoa! I really don’t think ending up at the bottom of this precipice will further your interests. Hrim thought to Amelia. What say you get both your imaginations under control? Amelia looked strangely at Jojo suddenly aware of having little experience with children.
“Let’s just think safe thoughts," Amelia tried. “The railing made me feel safe but Hrim knows the way and he’ll stay on the trail.”
Amelia allowed herself to look over the edge. Below the railing the safety net she mentioned stretched across the entire valley and red fire engines were visible through the trees. It was as if she had imagined them to be on-hand in case of an emergency.
“I like fire trucks.” Jojo smiled sheepishly. Amelia smiled back at the boy realizing the fire trucks were his idea. There was something that made her feel a little uneasy about being influenced by the imaginings of an eight-year-old boy. There's no telling what he could dream up! she thought.
How about something like this? Hrim stopped in his tracks and Amelia looked forward. Walking toward them on the path was a huge Bengal tiger. Its eyes flashed neon green as it approached them holding its head low. The big cat stopped and sniffed at the air, then snarled and tossed its head from right to left. The tiger seemed not to be stalking as much as blocking the threesome.
“Jojo?” Amelia ventured, her eyes fixed on the beast. “Do you like tigers too?�
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Jojo followed Amelia’s gaze to the Bengal on the trail and jumped.
“Darius!” Jojo muttered in alarm. The Bengal cat was poised stealthily on the path. Neither the elephant nor the cat advanced. Amelia felt panic running through her arms to her numbing fingertips. Her skin was cold and the sweat from the heat became clammy. She eyed the tiger carefully.
“You know this tiger Jojo?” Amelia asked.
“Um-hmm.” Jojo kept his eyes on the big cat as he breathlessly crept toward the front edge of the howdah.
“Is he friendly?” Amelia held out a hope.
“No ma’am. He’s real mean!” Jojo whispered. Slowly, Jojo opened his hand and revealed the snail that again grew to the size of a baseball. He rolled the snail onto the howdah as it continued to grow. In a few moments Dumbo was as big as a coffee table and was crowding Amelia and Jojo on the howdah.
“Jojo,” Amelia hissed, “I think I’m safer up here!” She gripped the weave of the platform. "Dumbo here is about to push me over the edge."
“Don’t worry Miss Amelia. I’ll save you!” Jojo sounded like a superhero in a Saturday morning cartoon, “I’ll save you!”
Was that an Underdog impersonation? Amelia wondered.
Jojo stood up on the howdah and mounted his snail as if it were a horse. “Hi Ho Dumbo!” Jojo shouted pointing his arm into the air. The snail lifted off the back of the elephant and hovered over the howdah for a moment. Then the snail thrust his eye tubules periscopically upward and rocketed high above the trail. Dumbo skidded to a stop and snapped himself around to face the tiger like a missile waiting to be fired.
The cat crouched at the sight of the boy on the snail flying overhead. Slinking back several feet the big Bengal pressed its rear end into a group of rocks. The snail made a sound as if it were equipped with twin jet engines and swooped down toward the tiger. Amelia watched as the snail pulled up and almost grazed the tiger’s head as it completed the pass. Jojo looked back over his shoulder and gave an excited shout. A moment later the boy and his trusty snail came about again and took another dive toward the tiger. His approach this time was from behind coming over the top of Hrim and thundering down the path toward the cat.
Gold Lame' (That's le-mayy) (Gold Lame' Series) Page 2
