Louis in the Land of Tetra

by Frank J. Ling

  “I am heartened that you did not express your doubts to me while I was floating in the ether. The consequences, for me, would have been fatal.”

  Gus did a “Mr. Bixbee” imitation and replied, “I am gratified to be informed of your endorsement of my assessment.” Gus grinned.

  “What did he say?” asked Crystal.

  “Gus said that he is glad,” said Louis.

  “Gus, you’re definitely starting to sound more like Mr. Bixbee. It’s kind of spooky,” she laughed.

  “Indomitably, this is a good thing,” said Mr. Bixbee.

  “I’m not even going to ask what that word means,” Crystal sighed.

  There was laughter and relief. They all made it safely to the other side, wherever the “other side” was.

  “Where is this place?” asked Mr. Bixbee.

  “Enter, you have, into the village of the Wise Ones. It is hidden from all who seek it. It is found only by those who know. We have entered here through a transfer portal, we have.”

  “This intrigues me. How did you find this portal and how does it function?”

  Chalandoor went on a lengthy monologue and explained how the Wise Ones had lived in the Deep Forest for thousands of years, hidden and safe. But their covert existence was compromised when they were accidentally discovered by a wondering pack of Peajays.

  The Peajays were the most unfriendly and unlikable animals on Tetra. If anyone was unfortunate enough to meet a group of them, the Peajays ate their food, slept in their houses, and took things without permission. Once these horrible creatures found a “host,” it was virtually impossible to get rid of them. They were parasitic, rude, selfish, and extremely irritating. Paradoxically, they bore a remarkable resemblance to harmless lambs.

  The Wise Ones were totally overrun by these nasty beings and tried to reason with them to leave, but it was of no use. Even the legendary patience of the Wise Ones ran out because of these nasty pests.

  But one weakness was known about the Peajays — they were deathly afraid of cliffs. Chalandoor suggested that the whole village move to the edge of an extremely craggy cliff. Hopefully, Chalandoor reasoned, the Peajays would be too petrified of the new locale to live among them.

  The village moved to the largest cliff in the forest and, as the Wise Ones had hoped, the Peajays were terrified of the new, towering location — they would not come near.

  Their tactic worked! The Wise Ones celebrated their victory. It was, however, a short-lived one.

  Evidently, the Peajays were more resourceful than they appeared to be. After several days of avoiding the village, they returned walking backwards, facing in the opposite direction, away from the high cliff. They concluded that, if they couldn’t see the cliff, they wouldn’t be frightened! It was an inventive solution for them, but a terrible situation for the Wise Ones.

  The Wise Ones reckoned, if they couldn’t get rid of the Peajays, they would try to get along with them as best as they could. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was better than continuously moving from location to location.

  #

  One day, some young pups were playing and punting rocks off the cliff to see who could kick the farthest. Some of the rocks vanished into the air without a trace. They thought they were imagining things but, after several more attempts, they were convinced of what they saw. They reported the bizarre incident to the leaders of the village.

  After investigating, the Wise Ones realized that the pups had stumbled upon an extremely rare transfer portal. Anyone going through one of these peculiar things would be transported to some other location. Some Wise Ones thought the portals led to other dimensions while others believed they went to far unknown places on Tetra.

  No one knew why they existed, however, the Wise Ones theorized that the holes were tunnels or gateways through space and time. It was all very complicated and they believed that, one day, this mystery would be solved.

  Some things were known about these strange entryways. It was common knowledge that there were two types of portals. The first were “one–way-streets” — you could enter them, but could not come out again. The second type were “two-way-street” portals, in which you could freely go back and forth at will. But being able to exit and return to the same locations was a very rare situation. In most cases, the two-way-street portals would change destinations, and the traveler would never know where he or she would end up.

  In spite of the uncertainty associated with going through transport holes, Chalandoor proposed they leap through and see what was on the other side. If the other side was habitable, the members of his village could hide away from the Peajays or any other enemies that might attack or victimize them.

  They formed an expedition party to explore the transfer hole and see if there was a habitable location on the other side. Seven Wise Ones volunteered with Chalandoor as the leader.

  They pinpointed the transfer hole’s exact location and size. They did this by throwing rocks at the invisible hole and noting where the rocks disappeared and where they didn’t. From experimenting in this way, the dimensions were determined. The hole was more than ample enough for any of them to pass through.

  Everyone was quite excited. Although the undertaking was perilous, the possibility of being free of the Peajays was more than enough incentive for them to take the risk. Chalandoor jumped over the cliff and through the portal, with the others following close behind.

  They fell to the ground and to their delight, the other side was beautiful and serene. They explored the vicinity for several days and found the area safe and sheltered from danger. Fortunately for them, the transport hole was a two-way street which did not change locale and led safely back to the cliff area. The decision was made. The village would relocate and make it their new home.

  Moving day proved to be a celebration and an extremely emotional affair for the Wise Ones. It was a celebration because they would finally be rid of the Peajays. It was emotional because they would have to leave their beautiful huts behind.

  The occupants of the village bid their beloved dwelling places goodbye and made the leap, one by one, through the transfer hole; all except the Peajays, of course. They were petrified at what the Wise Ones were doing. How insane! They were leaping from the high cliff into nothingness!

  It was evident there was no way to follow the Wise Ones, so the Peajays headed off in pursuit of new, hapless victims.

  Knowledge of the whereabouts of the transport hole’s location was restricted to the residents of the village. The Peajays never disclosed the location because no one would have believed them. Besides, transfer portals were so rare, they were considered by many as mythical and nonexistent.

  Chalandoor finished his story and said, “Invite all of you, I do, for you to eat something in my hut.”

  “I’m glad that you said that because I am totally starved,” said Gus.

  The others laughed in acknowledgement.

  On their walk through the village, the pups and adults greeted them with friendly smiles, waves, and the wags of happy tails.

  It was a strange experience for Crystal because all the villagers reminded her of Mac, her Shetland Sheepdog. After seeing so many Mac look-a-likes in the village, she realized she missed him a great deal. It was one more thing that made her extremely homesick.

  Chalandoor’s hut was made of rainbow-colored leaves, branches, and small red logs. Each hut in the village had its own distinctive color scheme and design. It was obvious that the Wise Ones took great pride in decorating their abodes. Chalandoor’s was no exception, but his was the most remarkable looking hut in the entire village.

  Chalandoor trotted in and motioned for the others to enter. The doorway was large enough for a Wise One, but was rather small for the rest of them. They lowered their heads in order to go through the small entryway. The interior was well-lit with many bright glowing flowers. They remembered seeing these types of flowers in the Dark Forest.

  The interior of the hut was much larger
than it appeared from the outside. This puzzled Louis and the others. Chalandoor explained it was the result of them living on the other side of the transfer hole. Many things did not follow conventional logic or physics. In time, the Wise Ones accepted these oddities and enjoyed the safety of their surroundings.

  Chalandoor brought out various things for his guests to eat — an assortment of multicolored nuts and vegetables, cookies and bread. The food was extremely tasty and flavorful. Everyone asked for second and third portions.

  “My, much eating you have done. The food is delicious, is it not?” Chalandoor asked.

  “Absolutely, it’s the best-tasting food I’ve ever had,” replied Louis.

  The others nodded enthusiastically between mouthfuls of food.

  “I’m glad we’re taking a break. My feet have been feeling very tired. It’s from all the walking,” Crystal said.

  “Did everyone forget about me?” a high-pitched voice said.

  Crystal looked down and saw the familiar fuzzy face of Kompaqk, the shape-changing creature, poking his head out her large front pocket.

  “Oh, Kompaqk! I don’t know why I always seem to forget about you. I’m so sorry. You must be as hungry as us. Have some of these nuts and cookies.”

  The little furry creature jumped out, ate with abandon, and gorged himself with so much food that his stomach bulged out rather obnoxiously. He finished his last bite, burped loudly, and rolled over on his side to take a nap.

  “What great company he is!” Crystal said sarcastically. “He stuffs himself silly and then falls asleep without saying a word!” Crystal laughed.

  “Here, let me put him in one of the empty food sacks. He looks much heavier now than before,” observed Louis.

  She picked him up and said, “Now that you mention it, he does feel heavier. I bet it’s from all the food he eats all the time. No wonder my feet hurt. I’ve been carrying all this extra weight!”

  “Reminds me, he does, of the Peajays which lived among us for such a long while. Happy are we, now that they are gone,” said Chalandoor.

  “Speaking of gone, we’ve been gone from our home for a long time. We came to ask you how to get back to our world,” Louis remembered.

  They were so relaxed and refreshed; they had almost forgotten the reason for coming in the first place.

  “Since your arrival on Tetra, your adventures have been made known to us, they have. You have defeated many tribal leaders, we have heard. Great are you, it would seem,” remarked Chalandoor.

  “I’m not great. I just did what I needed to do to protect my friends, is all,” replied Louis humbly. He wasn’t used to so much praise and attention. It almost seemed like a dream to him.

  “To help you return to where you once came, I must show you something, I must,” Chalandoor said.

  He went over to a large bookshelf and searched intently for something. He removed an ancient looking book and flipped carefully through the aged yellow pages. The book was so fragile and worn; it seemed to be on the verge of disintegrating at any moment. The Wise One took several minutes before he located what he was looking for.

  “Found it, I have.” He placed the open volume on a table. “Here, recognize this picture, do you?”

  The page was filled with meticulously written characters arranged in neat rows and columns. The beautiful script was comprised of elaborate scribbles, patterns, and shapes. In the lower left corner, appeared a very faded image; it was small and very difficult to make out.

  “It’s too faint,” Louis said. “I can’t make out what it is.”

  “Here, this may help you, it will.” The Wise One handed a tiny magnifying glass to him.

  Louis peered through the dusty scratched lens and was able to make out something familiar, something he had seen many times, but was not able to recognize.

  “I don’t know. The picture is in really bad shape. It’s so pale and tiny.”

  “Perhaps, a stronger device, you need.” Chalandoor handed Louis a larger magnifying glass. “Here, your eyes should see better, they will.”

  Louis squinted at the picture again and gasped out in shock.

  “What do you see, Louis? What is it? Tell us!” Crystal said with concern.

  He looked up and said slowly, “What I see. . .what I see is a picture of my sweater!”

  Chalandoor smiled knowingly and nodded his head in amusement.

  “What does this mean? How could a picture of my sweater be in this book? It doesn’t make any sense at all!”

  “When first I saw your sweater, I knew who you were, I did.”

  “How could you know me? I’ve never even been here before!” Louis said with bafflement.

  “This will help you understand, it will,” Chalandoor read from the foreign text for everyone to hear:

  “An outsider will come and defeat three kings,

  he will bring peace with two hearts that are within a formed ring.

  The garment he wears protects him like so;

  he is safe while he wears it, wherever he goes.

  Throughout the land of Tetra he will come to rule,

  because he has come to help and do what he must do.

  He must fight the shadows and the darkness that dwells,

  if he is able to conquer, then all will be well.

  What is to happen, these words cannot speak,

  will he be of strength or will he be weak?

  These things have been written since the ancient of days,

  will he succeed against the evil and all of its ways?

  The outcome is veiled and cannot be shown,

  It is truly a mystery that cannot be known.”

  The words of the book seemed to burn into everyone’s mind. It was fantastic, but there couldn’t be any other conclusion except the one Crystal and the others were thinking.

  She broke the silence and said, “Louis, I think this book is talking about you! The three kings must be the three tribal leaders you defeated. It’s describing your mom’s ring. You said it had a ruby that looked like two hearts, right? And it mentions your sweater protecting you too. It all adds up. These passages are describing you!”

  “I just don’t know. It’s too fantastic to believe,” Louis said in a stunned voice.

  “Time and events are not as you believe them to be. You think things which occur cannot be foretold? Even if you believe not, it does not make it untrue,” scolded the Wise One.

  “If I may interrupt, I think I can shed some light on the matter,” said Mr. Bixbee.

  “The volume that Chalandoor has shown you is the Book of Tetra. It chronicles the history of Tetra. The ancient Wise Ones have been the guardians of this book for approximately seven thousand years and are extremely meticulous about its accuracy and content. Not only does this book document what has transpired, it also documents what will transpire.”

  Gus responded and said, “I think we all understand how they can keep track of what has happened. They’re like historians, right? But how can they tell about things in the future?”

  “That is quite an astute observation you have made, Gus. Your cognitive and reasoning skills are truly on the upswing,” said Mr. Bixbee.

  “Thank you,” Gus smiled.

  Mr. Bixbee explained, “The answer to your question lies in the fact that some Wise Ones possess the ability to momentarily view into the future and give prophetic utterances. The mechanism of how this works is a mystery to all. Since the chronicling of Tetra’s history first began, there have only been a handful of Wise Ones with this unique talent.

  “Whenever a Dreamer enters into this rare state of being, he is compelled to record the events through poetic verses. These forecasts often appear cryptic and obtuse and it is not uncommon for a Dreamer to be totally void of the meaning or understanding of what he has seen or written.”

  “Is Chalandoor a person who can do this?” Gus wondered.

  “Correct. He is a Dreamer. That is why the Book of Tetra is in his possession. He is c
harged with the duty of protecting and revising the manuscript, as necessary. The book will be passed on to the next Dreamer when Chalandoor’s life is near its end. There has never been a break in the line of succession of keepers of the Book of Tetra.”

  “Well, I’m sure that this is all very interesting to you, but what does this have to do with me?” said Louis impatiently.

  “Believe, do you not, that you are the one who has come to defeat the evil ones and bring peace to Tetra?” said Chalandoor in his odd manner of speaking.

  “Why, of course not! How can I believe something like that? I’m not a conqueror. I’m just lucky that my sweater has protected me so far. I’m just a boy trying to get back home, is all,” Louis said.

  “The garment you speak of, it does not, to you belong!” Chalandoor said abruptly.

  “What do you mean it’s not mine? My mom gave this to me for my birthday.”

  “Many things you do not understand, young one. The garment which you wear belongs to another.”

  Chalandoor referred back to the tattered book and turned to another page.

  “Here, read and believe with your own eyes, you must, if you are to know the truth of what you wear,” he said.

  “I don’t know how to read this writing.”

  “I can be of assistance. I was educated by the Wise Ones and am well qualified to decipher the script,” Mr. Bixbee offered.

  He pored over the odd characters and exclaimed with surprise, “Hmm. Hmmmm. Unbelievable!”

  “What is it, Mr. Bixbee? Louis asked. “Don’t keep us in suspense.”

  “This is quite unexpected, to say the least. According to this ancient document, your sweater is originally from Tetra!” Mr. Bixbee exclaimed.

  Mr. Bixbee read further and explained, “Long ago, the garment was made by the Wise Ones from the wool of a Rothgan beast. The Rothgan, a gigantic blue, reptile-like creature, was as harmless as a Binkee. Although it looked extremely ferocious it was, by nature, very peaceful. The fascinating thing about this animal was the property of its wool. The wool exhibited supernatural power to heal the creature from injury. It also enabled the creature to ward off enemies through a protective, unseen barrier. A good thing since the creature was basically helpless.