by Rudi James
Alex tried to reassure him. ‘I’m sure he doesn’t really think that.’
Hogarth didn’t reply.
‘Where exactly would we be going?’ Alex asked, trying to change the subject.
Hogarth's expression became thoughtful. ‘We won’t actually leave this spot, but will simply enter my realm; a kind of parallel point in time.’ He looked expectantly at Alex. ‘So you’ll come?’
Alex looked dubious. He still couldn't really take in what was being said to him.
‘How do we get there? How did you get here?’ he asked, trying to conjure up a picture, in his mind, of how they would travel.
Hogarth became excited, sensing that Alex was about to accept his invitation. He fumbled with the pouches around his waist. ‘Look here, let me show you.’
Alex looked into the now open pouches and saw that each one contained a different coloured powder.
‘Each one of these powders has its own purpose,’ explained Hogarth, scrambling off the wall. He dipped his hand into the first pouch and brought out a small amount of yellow powder. ‘This one will make me invisible,’ he announced.
He tossed the contents of his hand into the air and stepped back a pace.
Alex watched open mouthed as a shimmering yellow circle of luminous dust appeared above Hogarth’s head. What appeared to be millions of pinpoints of light sparkled and danced as the circle slowly descended. When it was low enough, Hogarth ducked under its outer edge and stood up quickly inside its perimeter. Almost immediately the ring transformed itself into a brilliant cylinder of yellow light and then was gone in an instant, without making a sound.
Alex stared in disbelief at the empty space where a moment ago Hogarth had been standing. He stood up from the wall and quickly glanced around, but could see no other sign of life. He had only the trees and their rustling leaves for company.
Hogarth’s voice sounded out of thin air. ‘Well, are you impressed?’
Before Alex had time to reply, there was a flash of white light and his companion reappeared.
Striding forward, Hogarth showed Alex the contents of another pouch. ‘This one contains blue powder and will take us to my realm,’ he announced. ‘Are you now interested in coming along?’
Alex hesitated.
‘There’s no need to be afraid,’ said Hogarth. ‘All will be under control.’
Alex thought for a moment. His interest had certainly been aroused. He wanted to know more about who Shirrac was and he was itching to see Hogarth’s world. ‘All right,’ he said slowly, not without some apprehension.
Hogarth whooped in delight and did a little jig on the spot. ‘My friends will love this. They’ll be pleased to see you too.’
Alex interrupted. ‘By the way, you don’t even know my name.’
‘Oh yes I do Alex,’ replied Hogarth. ‘I always take the greatest of care before I make an entry into another realm. I watched you for some time before deciding to make an appearance. You’ve just done well in some exams, you’re looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home and you’re fond of a young lady called Jane.’
Alex felt himself flush slightly. ‘You rascal,’ was all he could say.
‘Don’t be angry,’ said Hogarth, looking sheepish. ‘I have to know that it’s safe before making an entry. Besides, there are certain rules to time and realm travel; one has to be reasonably sure that there will be no major upsets by entering someone else’s space. That could be dangerous for everyone. Anyway, that’s a complicated subject which I don’t fully understand myself yet.’ He looked at Alex. ‘Shall we go?’
Some of Alex’s earlier fear began to return, but it was a different kind of fear. He was about to embark on an unknown journey and if it hadn’t been for his immense curiosity and tremendous sense of adventure he would, just then, have refused Hogarth's invitation. His sense of adventure, however, took over completely.
‘Let’s go for it,’ he said.
Chapter two
Into The Realm
Hogarth beamed with uncontrollable delight and then became a little more serious. He held Alex lightly by the arm.
‘Look, there’s something I need you to do before we begin.’
‘Oh, and what might that be?’ Alex asked, his apprehension returning.
‘Nothing much, just something to ensure our passage runs smoothly,’ replied Hogarth. ‘I need you to learn a short rhyme which you must repeat when I tell you.’
‘A rhyme!’ exclaimed Alex, looking puzzled. ‘I didn’t hear you say a rhyme when you made yourself invisible.’
‘I know,’ said Hogarth. ‘I don’t really need to, but as this is your very first time at this and as you will be my passenger, so to speak, we require . . . er . . . how shall I put it, a concentration, a focus, a combining of mind force if you will.’
Alex made no immediate reply to this and then asked Hogarth to say the rhyme. Hogarth obliged.
‘Magic circle silver dust
to take us to my realm you must
when blue surrounding light is gone
deliver us to time zone one.’
After Alex had recited the verse four or five times without any mistakes, Hogarth was satisfied. He delved into one of his pouches and brought out a small amount of silver-blue powder.
‘Alex, I’d like you to stand next to me.’ He thought for a moment. ‘Actually I would prefer you to go down on one knee or something. You’re much taller than I am and we should really enter the circle so that it surrounds us at more or less the same time.’
Alex approached Hogarth and did as he was asked. Crouching down and bending forward a little, he managed to make himself roughly Hogarth’s height.
‘There’s one more rule, Alex,’ Hogarth said. ‘I have to make sure that you haven’t changed your mind.’ He looked at Alex hoping against hope that he wouldn’t back out.
Alex’s emotions at that moment were a mixture of fear and excitement. The excitement outweighed the fear.
‘I’m not changing my mind. Get on with it.’
Alex sensed, rather than heard, a sigh of relief from Hogarth.
‘Well, if you’re ready then,’ Hogarth said, holding out his palm with the powder on it.
‘Ready,’ replied Alex.
‘Fine. Once I throw the powder in the air you must do as I say.’
Alex nodded.
The powder was tossed in the air and from that moment on time seemed to freeze for Alex. He looked up and watched the formation of a brilliant silver-blue circle of light. This one swirled and rolled like a giant smoke ring and seemed to take ages to descend. It was actually only a few seconds.
Alex looked around him; at the trees and the winding lane down which, a few minutes earlier, he would have walked home. The thought that he might never see home again suddenly flashed through his mind. He recalled his early childhood, when his parents had warned him about the folly of talking to strangers or accepting lifts in cars from them and so on. Yet here he was with the strangest stranger of them all; a being from another dimension. What was he, Alex, doing here? What on earth had possessed him to . . . he squashed the thought. He was almost fourteen and he could take care of himself.
A nudge from Hogarth brought him back. He looked up and saw that the ring of light was almost level with their heads.
‘Now!’ said Hogarth. ‘Move inside the circle and begin the rhyme.’
Alex’s heart was pounding, but he moved forward and began to say the verse with his companion. ‘Magic circle silver dust…’
The moment the rhyme was finished the ring, instantaneously and without a sound, transformed into an intensely bright cylinder of silver blue light which entirely encased the pair of them. Alex was speechless as he looked around him. The light was so bright yet didn’t blind him or even hurt his eyes. He was aware of a slight pressure on the top of his head and the sensation that he was travelling upward in a lift at phenomenal speed. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the cylinder of light vanished.
>
Alex found himself blinking in bright sunlight, but what really unnerved him was the realisation that he and Hogarth were hovering in mid-air looking down on the landscape. He remembered what Hogarth had said about making sure it was safe to make a descent. They remained aloft for some time and Alex took the opportunity to look closer at what lay below him. His head began to clear after the dizzying experience of the cylinder.
They were about five metres above the ground, overlooking a small grassy hill that sloped gently down towards more level land. In the near distance he could see small cottage-type dwellings grouped haphazardly in batches of five or six. They were either white or sandstone but the roofs, circular and thatched, were of every hue and shade imaginable. Beyond these dwellings a thick forest stretched, way into the far distance where he could just make out the unlikely contours of sand dunes.
The more Alex scrutinised the general surroundings the more he had the feeling they were somehow familiar. Not the actual appearance of anything, but the shape of things. Then he recalled Hogarth’s remark about not really leaving the spot but only entering a parallel point in time. It dawned on him that this was the same space occupied by Wainfirth. The contours of the landscape were undoubtedly those of Wainfirth. Even the cottages he could see were nestling in the hollow at the base of the hill; just like the houses in Wainfirth. The hill they were hovering above was the embankment that carried the winding lane he had been walking along before Hogarth had made his appearance.
‘You can relax now Alex, I’m going to bring us down,’ advised Hogarth.
Alex, his thoughts interrupted, became aware that he was holding on very tightly to his companion's arm. He took a deep breath and relaxed his grip.
‘Okay, I'm baffled. How do you control our hovering like this and then our landing?’
‘It’s all part of the magic of the powder and the circle,’ replied Hogarth. ‘Although it's not really down to magic,’ he added. ‘Coupled with will power, or mind power if you prefer. You’ll learn everything soon enough.’
Just then something caught Hogarth’s eye. ‘Oh no!’ he exclaimed. ‘There’s Shirrac. Now I’m for it. I was hoping for a chance to explain things. I didn’t want him to catch me like this.’
Alex could now see the figure of a man running up the slope. He had a shock of thick snow-white hair and was wearing what appeared to be a sand-coloured robe. There was also something around his neck, but Alex couldn’t make out what it was from that distance.
As Shirrac ran up the hill towards them, Alex became aware that they were slowly descending and that Hogarth was obviously agitated at the sight of the running figure.
‘What’s wrong? Why are you so upset?’ He asked.
‘You’ll find out in a minute,’ replied Hogarth.
As they came closer to the ground Alex noted some activity in the distance. People had appeared from out of the small cottages and were looking towards the hill. He didn’t have time to take in any more for they had landed on terra firma and were now facing a very irate Shirrac. He was waving his arms about and shouting.
‘Hogarth what’s the meaning of this, where have you been? What do you think you’re playing at?’
Out of the corner of his eye Alex could see his companion shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, looking sheepishly at the ground like a scolded child. It became very clear that Hogarth had acted without the full consent of his superiors.
Alex suddenly felt most uncomfortable himself as he realised that he probably shouldn’t be there and that Hogarth was wrong to have brought him. He listened as Shirrac continued his reprimand.
‘You should have told us of your intentions. I might even have considered giving you some personal instruction if I’d known you were that determined to practise your realm travel. You know full well that you’re not advanced enough to try it on your own, and to risk the well-being of an outsider is unforgivable.’
Alex listened in dismay. What had Shirrac meant by ‘not advanced enough’ and what risk had Hogarth taken, he wondered. It seemed that the little fellow was in some way not fully qualified to do what he had done. His thoughts were broken as he became aware that Shirrac’s voice had calmed down.
‘Well, I suppose what’s done is done. The least you can do is introduce me to your friend.’
Hogarth stopped shifting around on his feet and looked up, still with a sheepish expression.
‘I’m sorry Shirrac,’ he said quietly. ‘This is Alex.’
Shirrac turned to face Alex and at that moment Alex felt he was looking into the face of wisdom itself. The features were smooth and the eyes the same vivid blue as Hogarth’s. It was hard to describe, but it was obvious that Shirrac was much older than Hogarth without actually physically looking so. The sheer aura of wisdom which seemed to surround him imparted an impression of age.
Shirrac could see Alex’s discomfort.
‘I hope you’re not too alarmed at my seemingly harsh words with Hogarth,’ he said. ‘The young ones have to be reminded every once in a while of the way to go. I’m just glad that you both arrived safely.’ Shirrac looked thoughtful. ‘Did Hogarth ask you to say a verse?’
Alex nodded.
‘And did he give you the option to change your mind before entering the circle of light?’
Alex nodded again.
‘Hmmm . . . then it seems Hogarth did everything right. Perhaps I’ve underestimated him. Perhaps he’s almost ready for his realm wings after all.’ Shirrac smiled warmly at Alex. ‘Come, young man, please relax. Now that you’re here I may as well introduce you to everyone, or at least some. You are obviously adventurous, a quality I like, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.’
Alex’s unease was beginning to dissipate. ‘Thanks, that would be great.’
While Shirrac had been speaking, Alex had been able to take a closer look at the object around his neck. It was a large, apparently solid gold, amulet. Engraved on it was a depiction of the Earth’s solar system with another system, unknown to Alex, next to it. It was a magnificent piece of craftsmanship.
‘Come then, let us go down into the valley,’ continued Shirrac. ‘You can meet Drum and some of the others.’
The three of them started down the slope and Alex became aware of how very warm it was. From the position of the sun it must have been mid-morning. He also noticed that Hogarth had cheered up immeasurably, no doubt as a result of Shirrac's remark about realm wings.
As they made their way down, other figures appeared in the doorways of the cottages and began running up the hill towards them. They were waving and shouting and babbling with excitement. Alex could see that a couple of them were girls, or maybe women. It was hard to tell, for these people were so small and their ages so indeterminate.
‘I can see Leena and Jissi and Bremmish!’ shouted Hogarth. ‘They’ve probably seen you Alex,’ he said, ‘and can’t hold back their curiosity.’
Alex said nothing but inwardly agreed. He was beginning to feel a little out of place, a giant amongst pygmies. Shirrac was the tallest of them so far and even the top of his head barely reached a couple of inches below Alex’s chin.
About halfway down the slope the first of the figures, one of the girls, reached them. As she approached she couldn’t keep her eyes off Alex. Her face was a picture of curiosity and bemusement.
She too had smooth features, and her emerald green eyes had the same vividness as Shirrac's and Hogarth’s. Her jet black hair had been billowing up as she ran, but now dropped to its normal level and she looked a little dishevelled after her run. She stood in front of them without taking her gaze off Alex.
‘This is Leena, my younger daughter,’ Shirrac announced, his hand making a sweeping gesture in her direction.
Alex looked at her and was greeted with the biggest beaming smile he had ever seen.
‘Hello,’ she said.
‘Meet Alex,’ said Shirrac.
Alex smiled. ‘Hi.’
Just then the other girl,
who had been running behind Leena, arrived, breathless.
‘And this is my older daughter Jissy,’ continued Shirrac.
‘Hi,’ Alex responded, smiling directly at Jissy.
‘This is Alex,’ said Shirrac.
Jissy looked at Alex and greeted him rather shyly. She had smooth soft features, chestnut hair and dark green eyes and she was quite a bit taller than her sister. She smiled more modestly than Leena who was still beaming; practically from ear to ear.
A third figure had stopped about halfway up the hill and appeared to be waiting for them.
‘That’s Bremmish waiting for us down there,’ remarked Hogarth.
‘Then let us go down and meet him,’ said Shirrac.
The five of them made their way down the slope and when they were about two metres away, Bremmish, standing with his arms behind his back and legs apart, suddenly said, rather bluntly, while quite cheekily looking Alex up and down, ‘And a strange specimen indeed. Yes, a strange specimen.’
Alex felt slightly uncomfortable at this greeting but said nothing.
Shirrac intervened. ‘Don’t be so rude, you’ve seen members of the tall race before on your realm visits with Drum.’
‘But not any with hair that colour,’ replied Bremmish. ‘I think I’ll call him Golden Dancing Hair.’
‘His name is Alex,’ Jissy chimed in defensively, on Alex’s behalf.
Shirrac turned to Alex. ‘Don't mind Bremmish, he’s always been outspoken. Always says what he thinks. It's his major fault, if you can call it that. He’s embarrassed me on more than one occasion.’
Alex shrugged his shoulders. ‘Think nothing of it.’
As if suddenly realising that he was perhaps being rude, as Shirrac had said, Bremmish extended his hand towards Alex.
‘I’m sorry; I didn’t mean anything by what I said.’ His voice was deep, but not quite as gravelly as Hogarth's.
Alex took Bremmish’s hand and shook it vigorously.
‘Don’t worry, I wasn't offended.’
Shirrac interrupted once more.
