Louis in the Land of Tetra

by Frank J. Ling

  “Brilliant, Louis. Again, you have demonstrated your superior intellect in solving difficult conundrums,” Mr. Bixbee complimented.

  “What did he say?” asked Gus.

  “He said Louis is smart and gets us out of trouble,” Crystal replied.

  “I wish that guy would say things that I can understand.”

  A voice spoke up, weak but familiar. “Could I have something more to eat, please?”

  “Shining Star! And look, he’s standing!” said Crystal with delight. She ran over and gave him a big hug.

  She reached into a food sack and took out a slice of bread. “Here you go. Eat as much as you want,” she said.

  Shining Star took small bites and then quickly finished. “Could I have another one?” he asked.

  “Of course you can!”

  Shining Star swallowed it in one gulp.

  “I guess you’re feeling pretty good. Your stripes are getting pretty bright now.”

  “Thank you all for saving my life. I don’t know how I will ever repay you for your kindness to me.”

  Shining Star felt so emotional that he looked as though he would cry.

  “Just be our friend. That’s more than enough payment for us,” Louis said.

  Everyone nodded and agreed. It was a happy moment for them. They hugged Shining Star with joy.

  “We have to get going. We’re still lost and need to get out of here,” reminded Louis.

  “But what about the ants? How are they going to find their way out of here?” asked Crystal.

  “Believe I do, that I can help you with this,” said an unfamiliar voice.

  “Who said that?” asked Louis.

  A small dog-like creature revealed himself from the dense shrubbery. He looked like a small collie. He had a very friendly face.

  “Oh, pardon me. Introduce myself, I must. My name is Chalandoor. A Wise One of the Deep Forest, am I.”

  CHAPTER 13

  THE PERPLEXING PORTAL

  “Being followed, you are,” Chalandoor the Wise One observed. “Great peril are all of you in.”

  “I knew it! I just knew it! Remember all the times I felt we were being watched? It means I wasn’t imagining it,” Louis said with obvious relief. “I was beginning to think I was going crazy.”

  “The danger comes from the ones you cannot see,” the Wise One said cryptically. “They are hard to detect, but detect them, I have.”

  “I thought that Mr. Bixbee was hard to understand, but this Wise One makes no sense at all!” Gus said in exasperation.

  “As I mentioned in the beginning of our journey, it was Chalandoor and his tribe of Wise Ones who took care of me when I first arrived on Tetra as a boy. I am forever grateful to them for saving my life and educating me,” Mr. Bixbee offered.

  “Regardless, the Wise Ones are still rather difficult to understand even for me,” Mr. Bixbee agreed.

  “Greetings be to you, my friend. Long it has been since we last met. Although I know you are you, you do not appear the same as when I last saw you. Taller and older, you appear. But, I suppose, that is the way with your kind. Why do you come to the Dark Forest once again?” asked Chalandoor.

  “I was taking a calculated risk that you would eventually find us. Your deep sense of helping those who are lost has not changed, fortunately for us. Our purpose in coming here is to ask you for assistance in returning my friends back home to their world,” said Mr. Bixbee.

  “Chalandoor, you mentioned we were in danger of something. Could you tell us about that?” asked a worried Crystal.

  “Well now, in regards to the question you ask, the ones who have journeyed with you unseen have been with you since the beginning of your quest. Their purpose is to take from you that which you posses.”

  “Are they hungry? We just fed a bunch of big ants,” asked Gus.

  “No. Your food, interested in, they are not.”

  “Then what?” asked Louis.

  “It is that which you wear. They desire it greatly.”

  Louis looked at himself and realized the Wise One was referring to his sweater.

  “I don’t understand, Wise One. Why would anyone here be interested in my sweater?”

  “To explain this, we must go to my village. The answers that you seek are there. Quickly, we must go, for the ones lurking in the shadows mean you harm.”

  “Wait! What about us? We are still lost. How will we find our way out of here? Have you found us just to abandon us?” pleaded the mother ant.

  “Forget you, I did not,” responded the compassionate Wise One. He reached into a pouch hanging from his neck and took out a small shiny jewel.

  “This gem will make music when the right direction you are headed. The music will stop if going the wrong way, you are. Continue on the path in which the music is made and you will find your way out, you will.”

  The mother ant took the gem and said, “Thank you, Wise One. We are grateful for your assistance. And thank you Louis, for sparing and saving my life and the lives of my children.”

  “It was our pleasure,” said Louis.

  They bid each other farewell. Chalandoor took off for his village in a flash. The surprisingly swift Wise One was hard to keep up with, even for Shining Star.

  “Hey, wait up, Chalandoor! You’re running too fast for us! Slow down, so we can catch up with you!” Crystal shouted to him.

  “No, we must hurry, we must. Slow our speed and we may not live to run again! Faster, we must go. Faster!”

  “He must be really serious about this,” said Gus. “We better move it!”

  They doubled their efforts to keep up.

  The Wise One led them through the densest part of the forest. The ground was covered with beautiful multicolored leaves. The leaves were very slippery and it was difficult for Louis and his friends to run without slipping and sliding. They had to be especially careful because they were nearing the edge of an extremely high cliff.

  Chalandoor continued his quick pace and did something unthinkable to the rest of the group. He headed directly toward the cliff and ran as if he were going to leap off the brink.

  “Hey, watch out! Slow down, Chalandoor! Slow down! You’re getting too near the edge. Watch out!” Crystal shouted after him.

  He did exactly the opposite. Chalandoor increased his speed and took a gigantic leap out over the cliff and disappeared.

  “Chalandoor, are you down there? Where are you?” shouted Mr. Bixbee.

  “Hey, are you okay? Say something to us!” screamed Gus.

  “I would fly down to look but I am still rather weak from my ordeal. I feel stronger but I still cannot fly,” said Shining Star sadly. “I wish I could be of more help.”

  “Don’t worry, Shining Star, we understand. We’re just happy that you are getting better,” Crystal comforted him.

  Mr. Bixbee headed toward the edge of the cliff.

  “Hey! What do you think you’re doing? That’s dangerous!” said Gus.

  “Yes, I know, but I am prepared to take the risk. I must go down to save my dear friend. I do not see him, but he must be down there!” said an emotional Mr. Bixbee.

  Mr. Bixbee had been a very reserved person for much of his life. He rarely took chances or ventured into uncertain situations. Meeting Louis and his friends, however, had dramatically changed him from being a lonely recluse to someone who deeply cared about others. It was an extraordinary transformation of character.

  He lowered himself over the edge and climbed down a few steps but stopped when he heard Chalandoor say, “No, you must not. I am here.”

  Mr. Bixbee turned to look but did not see the Wise One.

  “What? How can this be?” Mr. Bixbee was startled by Chalandoor’s voice and almost lost his grip. Mr. Bixbee scrambled back up quickly.

  “What happened? We thought you were climbing down to look for Chalandoor,” said Gus.

  “I was in the midst of doing just that, until I heard Chalandoor instructing me not to. I do not understand h
ow this could be so. Did we not all see him leap over the edge?”

  They agreed that was what they saw.

  Crystal glanced over to where Chalandoor leaped and exclaimed with surprise, “Look! It’s him!”

  “It’s who?” asked Gus.

  “It’s him!” she said again.

  They looked straight ahead and past the cliff. They saw Chalandoor’s face floating in the air. There was no body, just his face.

  “Here am I. You must jump over the cliff to be where I am, you must,” he smiled. He said it in a manner as though it were the most natural thing to do in the world. His point of view was not shared by the rest of the group.

  “I don’t know what this is all about, but I’m not going to jump over a cliff!” Gus said emphatically.

  The rest of them agreed that it was a very dangerous, if not foolish, thing to do.

  “You must trust and believe, even though you cannot see,” encouraged the Wise One.

  Louis remembered his mom saying very similar words to him many times before. The meaning of what she said was suddenly made clear to him now — believing in what you cannot see can sometimes be as valid as believing in what you can see. It is up to each person to make up their mind on what they want to believe in. This is what his mom and the Wise One were saying.

  “Maybe I understand something now,” he said to everyone. “I’m going to jump over the cliff!”

  “No. Don’t, Louis. You’ll fall!” Crystal pleaded with him.

  Louis walked a few steps away from the cliff as though he had changed his mind but turned around and ran unexpectedly past her. He took a giant leap over the edge.

  “Louis! No!” she screamed.

  Louis seemed to float in space for a second and then disappeared in midair.

  “What has happened to Louis? He has vanished!” Mr. Bixbee said, astonished. “This is unbelievable!”

  “No, it isn’t. Believe it,” said Louis.

  They watched in wonderment and saw Louis’s face floating in the air next to Chalandoor’s.

  “This is sorcery!” exclaimed Mr. Bixbee.

  “It is not! No!” Chalandoor emphatically denied.

  “If you wish to be where we are, over the cliff you must leap. You cannot come where we are unless you believe. If you doubt at all, you will plunge to the bottom and be no more,” sternly warned the Wise One.

  “Come on, guys. You can do it. It’s the only way you can get over here,” added Louis.

  “And where exactly are you?” asked Crystal.

  “I would be extremely interested in knowing that myself,” said Mr. Bixbee.

  “I’m in the village of the Wise Ones. I know you can’t see it but this is where we are. The only way to get over here is by overcoming your fear. You have to believe that you won’t be harmed. That’s how I did it.”

  “But what I know is only reality. If I make the leap over the cliff, reality tells me I will surely perish,” Mr. Bixbee responded.

  “That’s what you have to overcome. You have to believe in what you can’t see.”

  Shining Star said, “I believe what Chalandoor and Louis says is true. I will do what they have requested and make the jump.

  “Well, that’s easy for you to say. You’ve got wings! You’re still too weak to fly, but you could glide down safely without being harmed,” noted Crystal.

  “You are correct. This would not take any faith on my part if I were to do that, that is why I am tucking my wings away.”

  Shining Star opened and stretched his wings out as far as they could and folded them back against his body.

  “There, it is done. My wings are in a locked position. All Zeeboo’s tuck their wings in this manner just before they go to sleep. This is to prevent us from accidentally flying away in our sleep. I am locking my wings to prevent myself from gliding. In doing this, I will not be able to rely on my wings to save me.”

  “You can’t do that! We worked so hard to save your life. Now, you’re putting yourself in danger again. I was only trying to point out that you weren’t taking as big a risk as the rest of us. I didn’t mean any harm,” Crystal said with great concern for Shining Star.

  “Please do not worry. I will not be injured.”

  Shining Star galloped toward the edge of the cliff. He took a bounding leap and vanished just as Louis and Chalandoor had before.

  “Absolutely astonishing! Incredibly unbelievable! Fantastically outrageous!” blurted out Mr. Bixbee.

  Crystal watched in amazement. “I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m ready to go. It actually looks kind of fun and exciting!” she said.

  “Crystal, can we both make the jump at the same time?” Gus asked Crystal. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared to jump by himself. He was embarrassed about the way he felt; after all, he had the reputation as a fearless kid in school.

  “Okay. I’m with you. We’ll both jump together.”

  Crystal seemed to understand Gus’s feelings and did not poke fun at him. She realized that, deep inside, Gus had fears and doubts like anyone else.

  “Okay,” she said. “We’ll do it on the count of three. Ready?”

  “Ready!”

  “Here we go! One. . .two. . .three!”

  They ran and jumped high and long past the edge of the cliff. They, too, promptly floated for a few seconds and vanished.

  Mr. Bixbee stood in silence with his mouth gaping wide open in bewilderment. He had never witnessed anything like this before. He was a very logical person, and these events did not fit into any experience he could relate to. There was no doubt in his mind that what he saw had occurred. The problem for him was to rationally explain what had happened. People just don’t disappear into thin air!

  If he couldn’t explain it, he couldn’t accept it as true. And if he couldn’t accept it as true, he couldn’t make himself jump over the cliff. It was all so very complicated for him. In his case, being overly intelligent was more of a hindrance rather than a help.

  Crystal poked her head out from nothingness and said to Mr. Bixbee, “Come on and make the jump. See? We all made it over here safely. It’s your turn now!”

  “I cannot. What you have done does not make any sense to me at all. It is not possible for me to attempt this feat. If I try, the results will truly be terminal for me.”

  “Stay, you cannot,” said Chalandoor with urgency. “The leap, you must make if you want to be safe. Those who have followed you from the beginning are coming, they are. Look, the Shadows are almost upon you!”

  Mr. Bixbee saw an onslaught of many shadows, without any observable bodies, sliding effortlessly over the terrain, advancing ever closer. These moving shadows did not make any sense to him. He continued to be staggered by the many events that were so unexplainable. His life had been relatively uneventful, calm, and predictable until his journey with Louis.

  Mr. Bixbee walked off several paces from the cliff to calm himself but abrupt doubts continued to fill his mind. Everything about this was so illogical to him. He wondered if he could make it across. If he didn’t make it, he would crash on the rocky crags below. The thought made him shiver with fright.

  Louis sensed Mr. Bixbee’s fear and disbelief and said, “Think of it this way, Mr. Bixbee. If it wasn’t safe, how did all of us make it over here? You may not understand it, but you can see what happened. None of us fell. We’re all safe. If the height bothers you, just make sure you don’t look down when you jump. I promise that you won’t get hurt if you do that. Trust me.”

  Mr. Bixbee considered what Louis said and replied, “Well, my young friend, I am an old man. Perhaps I have lost my childlike faith in believing in the things that are unseen or impossible. However, in saying this, there is something that I do believe in, and that is your integrity. I believe you would not purposely put me in danger. And upon your word, I will do as you say.”

  “You can do it, Mr. Bixbee! You can do it. I know you can,” Crystal shouted.

  “I believe w
hat Louis said to me. I believe,” he mumbled.

  The dark shadows moved hurriedly along the ground — shadows of horses with many horns protruding out of their heads. There were hideous looking beings riding on their backs. The shadows moved swiftly and silently. The shadows did not need anyone or anything to cast them. They existed alone. They were figures without substance; shapes without form. They were the Shadow Warriors.

  “The shadow army has arrived! Jump you must! Jump you must, now!” shrieked the usually calm Wise One.

  Mr. Bixbee looked over his shoulder and saw the horrible fiends. It was time to take action. He took a running start and hurtled himself over the cliff. He couldn’t help gazing down; he gasped at how elevated he was in the air. Panic set in and he waved his arms in desperation, as if doing this would help him fly to safety.

  “Mr. Bixbee, remember — we all made it. You can make it over here too. Don’t look down!” commanded Louis.

  All of them were watching Mr. Bixbee intently, practically willing him over to where they were.

  With one great monumental effort, Mr. Bixbee focused his complete attention on his friends. He stopped waving his arms, and his body started to miraculously hover. He was awestruck, to say the least.

  “Look at me! I’m doing it. I’m floating in the air!” Mr. Bixbee said with childlike enthusiasm.

  While still suspended in the air, an unseen force pulled him toward his friends. He was drawn slowly through an opening in the air. When he reached the other side of the portal, he tumbled to the ground and found himself safe and sound. He did not recognize the location and was totally unfamiliar with it. He glanced at his surroundings and saw many quaint looking huts and structures dotting the area. Everything looked so serene and peaceful. It was quite a contrast to what he was experiencing just moments before.

  “You made it! For a second there, I thought you wouldn’t,” said Gus.