Davidia and the Prince of Triplock

by Ken Spargo

  ‘Then it’s your fault. You can’t sit on me.’

  ‘Yes, I can and I am, so there.’

  In a matter of moments, Davidia felt a movement underneath her. The rocky outcrop was collapsing and crashing into the creek bed to form pebbles. She came crashing to the ground with the fragile rocks. It was suddenly gone, poof, like the wind.

  ‘Now there’s nowhere to sit,’ she complained.

  Grunt felt that they were running out of time. One look down the valley creek bed confirmed their temporary advantage. Water was once again filling the Pool of Pududdles and soon it would flow into the creek bed and sever their proposed escape route. Nothing seemed to make sense. ‘All is not as it seems,’ kept filtering through his mind. Grunt finally realised that tricks were constantly being played on them to fall into a trap. He also saw a series of splashes heading their way. The Pool of Pududdles held no fear for the Jimps when it was almost empty.

  ‘Time to move,’ he said.

  They clambered over the pebbled creek bed, constantly heading upstream. Water in the valley often flowed uphill so they had to move quickly. After a short time, they came across a clump of very tall trees on the edge of the creek bed. They waved gently in the breeze that didn’t exist. Batbit flew high above them to ensure that there were no traps set. He landed on the tallest. The view over the valley was fantastically beautiful, only spoilt by the nasty Jimps.

  Adult Jimps were unable to climb trees. It had to do with loss of the youthful flexibility of their limbs. Their massive teeth were also a hindrance. They often speared branches at ground level and snapped them off. However, their determination was boundless. Their huge, blade tooth doubled as a saw to raze small bushes to the ground.

  Batbit returned and landed on Grunt’s shoulder.

  ‘It seems safe. Climb that tallest tree over there. At least we would be safe for a while. If we stay at ground level, they will overtake us shortly and slavery would be our deliverance.’

  They sprinted like athletes in a victory sprint. They climbed the tree in a thrice. Davidia felt that she was her brother Dan as she scaled each branch. Perched high in the branches, they felt safe. It wasn’t long before the angry, snorting, jumping Jimps arrived and congregated around the base of the tree.

  ‘They are as good as ours,’ snarled Jergess. ‘I get first kick at them; any objections?’

  Jiminy felt he was saved.

  ‘We can’t climb trees. How will we get them down?’

  Jergess had a bag full of tricks. He wasn’t only an assassin based on his ugly looks. Experience had taught him many devious tricks to capture foe; however, such thoughts often didn’t live in the mind of ordinary Jimps.

  ‘We use our blade tooth. If it needs sharpening, select a pebble and run it the length, this way.’ The Jimps were in awe. ‘Once it’s at perfect sharpness it will saw through the trunk; however, we have to cut it at this height. With each jump a thrust is made.’ He demonstrated the art of tree-blade cutting. ‘Work in tandem. It will take all dark to cut it down.’ The group snorted with delight. ‘Get started, I need some rest.’

  ‘I haven’t worked before,’ moaned a new adult Jimp.

  Jergess jumped menacingly forward. The Jimp thought he was going to be kicked into another valley.

  ‘You stupid mass of fur, weren’t you paying attention? For those of you who haven’t experienced work, I will show you once more only.’ He stuck out his huge blade, jumped at the tree and neatly sliced a narrow mark on the trunk. ‘Now repeat that until it falls.’

  The trio sat patiently on the treetop waiting their fate. Escape seemed hopeless. The only way was down. The Jimp lumberjacks began their task.

  ‘Mr Grunt, what happens if we fall or the tree is cut down?’ asked Davidia, wanting to be home safely tucked in bed at this very moment. ‘It’s a long way down.’

  Grunt sighed with concern. He glanced over the landscape. It was a desolate, living rockery, except for the Pool of Pududdles. His ideas bag had holes in it. They had all escaped through the perforations. Directly opposite them on the other side of the creek bed was the only rock formation that interrupted the flatness of the land.

  Grunt felt his necklace as a comfort toucher. His hand tingled. With another hand, he gripped tightly onto a branch as all his other body extremities receded inwards, leaving him ball shaped. More weird feelings filled his emotional basket. A voice boomed inside his head, ‘Be safe, my son,’ then vanished.

  ‘Don’t fall, Mr Grunt,’ said a worried Davidia, as rounded shapes usually rolled somewhere and from high in the tree-tops, it was only one way down.

  Grunt was jerked back to reality as his large frame began to move precariously. He was greeted with the sound of jumping, squabbling Jimps.

  ‘They are certainly working into a frenzy,’ he said, as he glanced between his legs down the long trunk.

  ‘What’s that over there?’ said Davidia, pointing to the rock formation. In the light, minute signals flashed across the valley as the sun’s reflective rays struck at the right angle. The bright light acted as a warning device because they now took notice of it. ‘It looks like a rock jewel. Maybe it’s diamonds. My mum promised me one when I turned thirteen. She said the only thing brighter than a diamond was my dad. I didn’t understand it.’

  ‘Maybe that’s it,’ said Grunt. ‘I have been having visions that the valley would lead us to safety. That configuration of rocks is in a cluster group.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘A group of items close together.’ Grunt concentrated his eyes on the rocks. Each vision was slowly merged into one frame. ‘That group of rocks on the far right-hand side has the closest cluster group.’ He wondered whether there were any ejector stones within the rocks and, if so, would they be revealed to him? ‘We won’t be here for much longer. When the tree begins to topple, be ready.’

  ‘I don’t want to fall,’ wailed Davidia.

  ‘I feel we will be safe. Hang onto my hand when it happens. Those Jimps will get a fright of their own. Batbit, fly down and see how they are progressing.’

  Being a mischievous bat when least expected, he flew through the group shrieking loudly. One Jimp jumped in fright and got his blade stuck in the tree trunk. He hung like a limp piece of washing. Another jabbed a fellow Jimp, who in turn attacked him, scything his head with his sharp teeth. Panic set in for a moment.

  ‘Stop,’ yelled Jergess, feeling the pressure of having to manage such a stupid bunch of Jimps. ‘Keep working.’ The group settled.

  An unfortunate Jimp had the misfortune to laugh at the wrong moment. Any sense of humour he may have possessed was smartly kicked out of him.

  ‘By dark, they will have cut through. We cannot let Davidia fall into their clutches.’

  They all hung onto the lush foliage. Dark descended. Darkness became a friend. Apprehension was high. Suddenly, a loud crackling sound grew. It echoed throughout the valley. The village Jimps heard what they believed would be the fatal sounds of capture. The tree began to tilt dangerously. Grunt took hold of Davidia’s hand. The Jimps couldn’t see them in the dark. The creaking, crackling sound grew stronger. The Jimps began jumping higher than before with the expectation of capturing the new slaves. Grunt used his spinning powers of invisibility and spun them out of trouble, safely landing amongst the rock formations. Finally the tree fell across the creek bed and splintered on the rocks. The Jimps jumped for joy. Winners all around. The Jimps ran wildly to where the new slaves would have landed, ready to claim the first prize as if it was a carnival spinning wheel. All they found was shattered tree ends, splintered branches and no life forms.

  ‘Where are they?’ bellowed Jergess, who blew up like a balloon in anger. ‘Find them or I’ll rip your fur from head to rump, then try and see if you can keep warm.’ He certainly wasn’t giving instructions on a course in good manners. ‘Scatter, spread out, but catch them. If not, the consequences are not my responsibility.’

  The Jimps fled and s
cattered like dandelion seeds in a serious wind. They searched in the dark in every crook and cranny where a life form could hide. That dark, the sound of scuffing feet, rock falls and yelling lasted until next light. All they came up with was a big fat zip; nothing. Convinced that the life forms had escaped, they reported back to Jergess, who was now pumped up in anger at failure.

  ‘Impossible. They couldn’t escape.’

  ‘They have vanished. Not even a sniff of the wind could locate them.’

  Jergess had no choice but to invoke the Claw of Clusters. He began an incantation of unintelligible sounds, hunched his body over as if in pain and spread his arms on the ground. His legs continued jumping as his body began to split open and double in size. His foot claws became two huge clamps. The hapless jumping Jiminy was nearby.

  ‘The price of failure is yours. The Claw of Clusters has been implemented. Let this be a lesson to all of you. Never betray the council.’

  Jergess stood tall. He was more frightening than before. He grabbed Jiminy on his rump with one almighty claw and squeezed hard. Jiminy let out a squeal of fear. He was banished. His jumping Jimp days were over. Jergess tossed him into the Pool of Pududdles to be swallowed by the murky, mud reeds; the fate he had in store for Grunt and Davidia. The last sight of Jiminy was gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, glob into the Pududdle mud.

  Throughout the whole ordeal, Jaminy (Boo) had kept his distance. He didn’t believe they had escaped, because he knew the ejector stones that returned him safely home might exist nearby. Jergess had regained his normal life shape and form. Jaminy approached him.

  ‘They are still here, I feel it,’ he said.

  Jergess had no faith in a pair of talking feet and ignored his pleas.

  ‘A storm is brewing. If I were you, I’d return home. The dark won’t be a time to be enjoyed out in the open. Go home and kick butt.’

  ‘Jiminy was my dad.’

  ‘Rules are rules.’ Jergess leapt away.

  Jaminy knew that if he could find Grunt and Davidia, it would be compensation for the loss of his dad. He became the revengeful, nasty Jimp he had always been. Friends were a past passage in his life.

  ‘Is it clear?’ asked Davidia. Silence surrounded them. They had sought refuge under an overhanging cliff.

  Batbit flew upwards, scanned the horizon and saw that there wasn’t a Jimp in sight.

  ‘It’s all clear.’

  Grunt and Davidia climbed out from their hiding place.

  ‘Now what?’ asked Davidia.

  Grunt was seeking guidance from his necklace when a pair of small feet hopped onto his path. It was Boo.

  ‘You didn’t outsmart me,’ he snarled. ‘You’ll pay for the loss of my dad.’ Somehow, he had sent a location signal to the Jimp village and suddenly in the distance a massive crowd of uncontrollable jumping Jimps headed their way. The sight scared the life out of them. Behind them, a huge storm followed with the eyes of the Sinister above a mouth prepared to blow a tornado of destruction if they escaped again. The frightening scene had no end.

  ‘You betrayed us,’ said Grunt, upset that a friend had changed sides.

  ‘I was never your friend, just a forgetful Jimp.’

  The rock formation gave one final reflective glint. Davidia was struck by the beauty and intensity of its rays.

  ‘Mr Grunt, follow me,’ whispered Davidia. ‘I saw something bright and it wasn’t a Jimp. Over here.’ She and Grunt moved sideways to a rock formation from where the brightness had emanated.

  ‘You can’t escape. It’s my turn to kick butt,’ yelled the bloody pest, Boo, who had turned into a formidable antagonist.

  Their fate was staring down and bounding toward them. Grunt sat down, somewhat deflated. Was there a final gasp of hope that they wouldn’t end up as a Jimp slave? He felt an unusual prodding formation dig into his body. Had he been nudged by an intruder? The bright light that Davidia had seen came from those very same rocks. It was from a close-knit cluster of five. He grabbed his necklace and caressed the sharp pointy rake. A gap in his brain opened and a positive thought from the past entered. ‘Seize the moment, press ahead.’ He instantly stood up. Were they the ejector stones from the past? He bent down pretending to fall over due to his large frame.

  ‘You can’t hide behind such a small rock,’ mimicked Boo, who began to annoy Davidia. She picked up a solid twig that had fallen off the splintered tree.

  ‘Do you know what baseball is, Boo?’ she politely asked. She used the stick as a club and took a few practice swings.

  ‘Never heard of it,’ he replied.

  ‘It’s a secret ritual life forms play in my world as a final salute if captured by a foreign life form. Come closer. I’ll show you.’

  Dopey Boo did as advised. He had no reason to believe he was in harm’s way. After all, this was his valley and the life forms had no chance of escape; the Jimps were closing in.

  ‘Stand there. I’ll show you how it works. My mum and dad took me to baseball each weekend and I was taught how to dispense a pitcher to the outer field.’ Boo stood nearby and, suddenly, with an almighty swipe – he didn’t see it coming – Davidia thwacked one foot so hard, it flew into the Pool of Pududdles. Her second swipe sent his second foot there as well. ‘They were my first two home runs. Mum and dad will be pleased,’ she said.

  Grunt and Batbit were stunned with this intelligent girl life form. She was such an ideas girl.

  ‘He won’t be kicking my butt,’ she said proudly. ‘High fives all around, guys.’

  A rumbling sound similar to thunder was coming closer. The ground was awash with the vibrations of the jumping Jimps. The Sinister closely observed the land form activity. He could only step in if ground failure was imminent. Today, he was confident the Jimps would succeed.

  Grunt indicated that he had located the ejector stones, thanks to Davidia. He had one of his hands at the ready. ‘Davidia, bend down like me.’ She immediately obeyed. Batbit clung onto her dress. The showdown was set. In an instant the Jimps had them surrounded. They were heaving, puffing and showing signs of exhaustion, almost heart attack material.

  ‘You cannot escape,’ remarked a puffed head Jimp.

  ‘We haven’t enjoyed your hospitality, so we must leave,’ said Grunt, still bending over.

  ‘Seize them,’ he ordered.

  ‘Be careful.’ Grunt pushed hard on the five cluster stones and remarkably they reacted. A huge hole in the ground opened up into which the Jimps stumbled. Grunt, Davidia and Batbit were once again hurled into the atmosphere.

  The last thing they remembered was the Sinister being upset and howling with rage.

  The Irrids felt the winds of change. So far, the signal from the past had succeeded in passing safely through two valleys. This wasn’t over.

  B zzt, left, bzzt, right, bzzt, forward, bzzt backward, bzzt stand still, bzzt raise arms, bzzt move legs, bzzt stop.

  Training school was in progress for the new range of drone robots fresh off the assembly line. They were being put through their electronic paces. Each robot had to be programmed to learn the electronic commands that would make it obey every instruction correctly. Faulty workmanship was banned and not tolerated. Any robot that malfunctioned was immediately stripped down and reassembled. There was no place for imperfection. These robots were commonly known as Blenders because they were gender-neutral.

  In the Valley of Undonko, the master managers were the Minjans, a specialty robot that controlled all valley life from the Steel Tower of Minjocan. It was a mystery how the robots came into existence in the valley, but it was thought that a star galaxy in the universe had burst a seam and spewed out these mechanical space explorers. They had been in residence a very long time, based on the sophistication of their equipment and robot development.

  As with all new technology, a few mishaps such as incorrect wiring occasionally occurred. These robotic misfits were called Untonks. If located, they were sent to the Circle of Hotto and thrown in to rust in a mechanical grav
eyard. The Circle of Hotto was a hot spring, which accomplished metal breakdown extremely efficiently due to a special mineral element in it. Eventually, they would be reclaimed, recycled and reused to be a productive product once again, but this time in a proper robotic form.

  To progress from Untonk to Blender was a Minjan master reconfiguration electronic achievement. Whilst the Untonks were on the loose, they often became very mischievous. Commands from the Steel Tower of Minjocan were often intercepted by an Untonk, who then relayed the message to a Blender with conflicting instructions. The Minjans hated the interference in their playground and if message tampering was discovered, then that Untonk was immediately dispensed with. However, one such Untonk called Unitse had inadvertently been incorrectly wired and was credentialed with artificial intelligence, where it could act completely independently. The Minjans knew a mistake was out there, but had no idea which one it was. It was the goal of Unitse to free all robots, give them artificial intelligence and enjoy a rust-free life bzzting everywhere.

  The Minjans aimed for perfection. When another life form entered their valley, it was normally sent for breakdown and analysis. If it wasn’t a metallic, metal, mechanical life form, then such a process was a disaster, because once pulled apart it was impossible to rebuild. Living life forms, if caught, were in mortal danger. Mechanical life forms could be reconfigured in many ways. They lived on electrical charges and powerful batteries in their system. To be plugged or unplugged; that is the survival question.

  ‘I’ve got a headache from all this swirling and twirling,’ complained Davidia as she hurtled through space.

  ‘Those ejector stones have saved us again,’ said Grunt, spinning like a top.

  Batbit held on tightly with his tiny claws. He missed Mrs Batbit.

  Like a materialising mirage, a landscape below them appeared. In an instant, the eagles had landed directly in an alleyway. They tumbled along the shiny, metal surface. Davidia enjoyed the slide, believing them to have arrived at a giant fun park. Finally, they halted at the end of an alley up against a wall.