The Fossegrimen Folly

by Michael Almich

  "Done." Daniel said and joined Shy on the closest bean bag.

  ***

  After a breakfast of fried egg, bacon, and cheese on an English muffin, Shy hiked back up to the Forest Cabins by himself. He decided to walk the forest floor of what he felt was the perimeter of the cabins and their walkways. He walked with his neck craned upward, and was amazed again at how skillfully the structures were hidden from below. There were only a couple places where he caught a hint of what lay above and that was only because he knew what he was looking for. Once, when he was looking upward, out of the corner of his eye, he thought he could see a rope hanging to his left from a large branch overhead. When he turned to look at it, it would vanish. Shy stopped immediately, sensing he was onto something. He looked up again and again, and from his periphery vision he thought he could see a rope or cable hanging down. When he looked over, it disappeared.

  Shy had seen too many weird things in the last two weeks at this camp. He just couldn’t bring himself to let it go. Instead, he walked to where he thought he had seen the rope, and looked up again. Sure enough, there it was, not four feet from his left hand. He scooted over while he looked up. He flailed with his left hand trying to reach it.

  "What in the world are ya doin?" Boomed a deep voice.

  Shy jumped. He hadn’t heard anyone walk up to him, but here was Gust, just behind him.

  "Ya got some fire ants in that sleeve of yours?" Gust asked.

  "No," Shy answered a little unsteadily from being surprised, and he took a step backwards.

  Gust stepped forward in time to Shy, invading his space once again.

  "What were you doing out here?"

  "I was just looking around, hiking a bit, and waiting to meet with Daniel. He’ll be meeting me in a few minutes." Shy thought that sounded really lame, but something about the way the white-haired man kept stepping closer, made him nervous.

  "Ha! You weren’t by chance trying to pull this were you?" And with a step back away from the retreating Shy, he reached out his arm and caught a braided rope around his forearm. The rope appeared first where it touched his arm, shimmered in the sunlight, then disappeared.

  Shy gaped, and didn’t answer.

  "Ha!" Gust barked out a laugh. "Close your mouth boy, you aren’t seeing things. From what I hear, you have already seen enough that something like a magic rope should be no big deal. There are many and more things to discover at this camp, but you have to be willing and able to see them."

  He grasped the rope with his left hand, and it momentarily became visible again. Then just as it began to fade from Shy’s sight, Gust pulled down on the rope, and his whole body was yanked straight up into the air!

  Gust disappeared into the needled foliage above. As Shy held up his palm to block the shafts of sunlight that streaked through the trees, he spied movement above. Shadows shifted and Gust floated back down to Shy via the same rope. He smiled at Shy’s incredulous stare. "We have many of these hidden gems here. Each of set of cabins has their own unique ones. I assume that is what you were wandering around looking for?"

  When Shy nodded, he continued, "Go ahead give it a try. Hold on tight on the way up, and when you get up there, step onto the platform and let go of the rope. That will reset it. Then simply jump onto it and it will glide you down slowly. After you’re done, let’s take a walk and talk a bit. I can even show you another secret entrance."

  Shy hesitated until Gust prodded him on with a nod of his head. Shy edged up to where he thought the rope was then swung his arm back and forth, in an attempt to locate it. Finally his arm hit something rough and dry, and Shy saw the rope spark into his field of vision. He wrapped his left hand around it, then, glancing at Gust, he grabbed the rope with his right.

  "Get a solid grip, and when you’re ready, pull downward." Gust instructed.

  Shy did as he said, and the next thing he knew he was shooting upward into the air like a ride from an amusement park. He was exhilarated! The rope slowed as he reached a platform that was hidden from below by branches. The platform was connected to a wider plank walkway by a small rope bridge. Shy tried to get his bearings. He thought he must be somewhere near the Eagle Cabin. He made a mental note to explore this further. Reaching out his arms again he located the rope that he had edged away from. Shy grabbed the rope again with both hands and jumped onto the rope. He pinched it between his feet as he was smoothly lowered back to the ground.

  Gust’s eyes were on him. "Well, what do you think of your magic rope?"

  "It’s great! Are there more?"

  "I’m sure that you could discover more. Many of these secret passages, entrances, and exits could exist. They have all been made with nisse ingenuity and a bit of fairy magic. I only know of what you boys call the Elevator, and one other besides this rope."

  "Will you show me?" Shy found the nerve to ask.

  "I will. Follow me."

  Gust turned and set off immediately at a brisk pace. Shy found himself almost jogging to keep up. "You know that this area has been special for a long time. Even before those Scandinavian fairy folk appeared. The native people could always feel the power, the magic of this area…. Keep up now… don’t dawdle"

  They had traipsed back into the more heavily wooded area, and Shy was having a hard time keeping up. The pines here grew over and around boulders that Tad had told him were leftovers from the glaciers that had once covered this area. Shy estimated that they were getting close to being underneath the Hive. As he was looking up for it, he ran into the surprisingly solid back of Gust.

  "Sorry," Shy mumbled.

  Gust ignored the apology and pointed to a huge pine. "What do you see there?"

  "A big tree," Shy answered

  At that, Gust cocked his head and gruffly said, "Look closer."

  Shy looked back at the tree. It seemed no different than any of the others, except maybe its size. He walked across the bed of dried needles towards the tree. He waved his arms through the air, to see if he could find any invisible ropes, but there was none. He reached out toward the tree, and the tree shimmered like a mirage! As the image of the tree shimmered, Shy caught a glimpse of a circular staircase rising from the forest floor.

  "It’s a form of fairy Glamour, boy." Gust’s deep voice and the fact that he had sneaked up directly behind Shy unawares made Shy jump. "Just like the rope you saw, Glamour is used by fairy creatures to hide or distort things that humans see. Not many are able to see through this because there is an aspect to Glamour that affects most people in here." Gust pointed to his head. "It visually distorts, but also mentally makes one’s mind kind of, well, slip past the object. It will make most people just glance past, and not explore any further. But you…you seem to be able to deflect some of that magic. You need to work on that Shy," he said as he turned Shy toward him, and placed his hands on his shoulders. "You need to develop that skill."

  "Yep, now that I think about it, the fairy folk will not be real happy that you can see through their tricks, so be careful who you let know about this, and be careful when you use it. I may need to keep a close watch on you. You are doing the geo-caching tonight?" Gust asked, but Shy could tell he already knew the answer. "Rely on your maps, and stay with your partner. Stay safe!" With that Gust was striding off abruptly, his long legs carrying him swiftly into the distance.

  Shy looked back to the old growth pine, or the image of it. Again, if he looked hard, the image would blur and shimmer, and he could see a spiral staircase. He moved to the tree and after testing it first with his hand, he slid into the image, and onto the spiral staircase. The tingling sensation he expected never came. Evidently one could not feel Glamour.

  The spiral staircase was wood, but well crafted. He began to climb, and as he did, he looked out through the magical mirage. He could see out clearly, but the world looked slightly dimmed, almost faintly brown. He then set himself to figuring out exactly where in the Forest cabins this staircase was located. He had guessed that he was close to the Hive,
and that turned out to be quite true. When he reached the top of the stair, he realized he was looking out onto the platform that the boys would jump from into the hive. The very same platform where he had first heard the words "You can."

  As he turned to look around the platform before he tried to exit, he heard a squeal, and then deep grumbling . He had inadvertently stepped into, or onto, Tom T!

  "S…sorry," he mumbled. The diminutive nisse scowled as he hopped on one foot, holding the other in pain. Shy quickly reached into his pocket and grabbed the extra English muffin that he had grabbed at breakfast. He quickly set it next to the nisse. Tom T stopped jumping around, and, nose twitching, he gave Shy one last glare. Then he turned toward the muffin and began to gobble it up with gusto. It’s as if he hasn’t eaten, Shy thought, but then stared in wonder at this mythical creature fully revealed to him. He was only about two feet tall, and very hairy. He was dressed in bib overalls with hair sticking out all over. His bare feet were calloused and hairy. Shy thought he looked like a miniature grumpy old man.

  "How come I can see you? I mean, instead of just your arm, or just part of you, like the other times?"

  Tom, still stuffing his mouth, looked up and glared at Shy again. When he had finished chewing, he said, "Glamour does not work inside Glamour. Tom T has no choice…. Glamour does not work …… inside Glamour" he repeated, then he glanced quickly in all directions, slid through the imaginary shell of the tree onto the platform, and vanished!

  Shy then understood, since Tom T had been under the spell of the tree image, his trick would not work, but when he left the top of the stair case and passed into the open of the platform, his Glamour spell took over and he was again invisible.

  Shy looked around. Should he step out? Would anyone see him? Should he risk getting caught and have to explain it? He thought it must be close to 9:30 now, and the quickest way to get to his meeting with Daniel was from the platform he was on, and through the skyways of the Forest Cabins.

  He decided to take a chance. So, he looked in all directions, and slipped onto the platform. He was now on the opposite side of the tree, or the staircase, from the Hive. That way, if anyone had been looking out from the Hive, they would not see him. He stood still now, out in the open again. No one appeared. He was safe, no one had seen him. He hurried off to the Elevator to meet Daniel. He was excited about discovering his two new entrances, but should he share them?

  ***

  Daniel and Shy explored the area around the cabins for the remainder of the morning. They tried to find new entrances, but try as they might, they could not find any. Shy wanted to show Daniel the new discoveries he had made that morning, but something held him back. He didn’t want Daniel to think he was weird. So as they drifted closer to lunch, they also drifted toward the river gorge. They talked as they went, and Shy found out that Daniel’s parents were also divorced. Shy opened up to Daniel about his parents a bit also. They turned south onto the river gorge path, near the overlook where they had been with Tad a week or so past, and their talk turned toward their upcoming geo-caching practice that evening. As they talked, Shy got the feeling that Daniel was a little nervous about being out, in the deep woods, alone, after dark. Shy felt comfortable enough by now in his orienteering skills, that he wasn’t worried about getting lost. What was worrying him, though, was Tad’s story about getting captured by the trolls. What if he and Daniel came across a troll? Tad had said that they converged on him so quickly. Plus, Shy still wondered what that floating light was, that he had seen his second night at the Hive. He had imagined a troll type creature was carrying a lantern, but was that just his imagination?

  "What are you thinking about?" Daniel asked as they continued down the path. "You just got really crabby or really angry…. I could tell by the look on your face."

  "No, I was just thinking about that story that Tad told us…"

  "About the trolls?" Daniel prodded. "I am really kind of worried about that. You seemed like it doesn’t worry you."

  "Oh, it does. We’ll be ok, though" Shy pretended to be brave. "Tad said that Gust will be out in the woods with us, watching to make sure we are safe."

  "That old fart? That doesn’t make me feel much better."

  "Well, remember Tad’s story? Gust helped to save him," Shy explained.

  Daniel didn’t reply at first. Finally, he said, "I don’t know what I believe about all these stories. I mean, we definitely saw the nisse, right? Tom T?"

  Shy nodded and, encouraged, Daniel went on.

  "I mean… trolls, will-o-wisps, fairy creatures…. Can it all be true? Scary, but exciting all at the same time…." Daniel drifted off. They had come a long way. They were now south of where the path from the Lodge connected to the river gorge path. They had missed the turn, and now, on an unknown path, they could hear voices from up around the bend in the path ahead. The voices were clearly coming closer. Daniel held his finger to his lips to signal Shy to be quiet, and they edged off the path, into the undergrowth and a stand of maple trees.

  Around the bend came Crutch and his cronies. He swaggered forward down the path with several boys buzzing around him. They were excited and riled up. Shy listened closely, but only heard snippets of what they were saying. He did catch something about "tonight," and "get them," but that was it.

  After they had moved further down the path, Shy and Daniel moved out from their hiding spot. "Did you hear what they said?" Daniel asked excitedly.

  "Something about tonight…"

  "I think they are planning to get back at you. I think they are setting a trap for us tonight! Let’s follow them and see if we can figure out what they are planning!" Daniel boldly suggested.

  "What if they see us?" Shy questioned the plan.

  "So what, we are just out for a hike," Daniel smiled a steely smile, "and if they want to start something, well, we’ll see how hungry they are."

  "How hungry they are?" Shy looked at Daniel, to see if he was kidding.

  "Knuckle sandwich." Daniel smiled again as he raised his fist.

  Shy admired how brave Daniel was, as they set out. They followed the path back north, and when they could hear Crutch’s gang again, they slowed. The pair tried to get close enough to hear the jumble of voices, but it was difficult to accomplish without being seen. At one point Shy definitely heard a chant start up. "Cry, cry, Shy…. Cry, cry, Shy…" It sent chills down his spine that the bully had swayed those boys enough that they now seemed to hate Shy.

  Soon the two could hear that the Cave boys had veered off the trail and were now bushwhacking through the brush and trees. Then they stopped and began to talk in whispers. Shy and Daniel looked at each other. Had they been spotted?

  They crouched low and moved up through the trees, slowly getting within hearing distance.

  "I saw it with my own eyes," said a boy with close set eyes and a face like a weasel. "Shy’s geo-cache will be right here." He tapped the base of a tree stump.

  Daniel and Shy raised their eyebrows and looked at each other.

  "So how are we going to trap him?" Crutch emphasized the question by shoving his fat freckled finger into Claude, the weasel boy’s chest.

  "I don’t know Crutch…. I just saw Gust and Clancy and their little map…. It had different names marked with a star in different locations…. One of the names was Richard's, and since he is doing our night geo-thing, I figured that the map must show where each person’s cache is. That’s all I know… I don’t know how to trap Shy…" Crutch had just backed him up, with his finger, against a tree. He couldn’t back up any further, and Crutch was evidently still exerting pressure on him, because the weasel boy began to squirm.

  Suddenly Crutch released his prey, "So, who has an idea on how to use this information to GET Shy?"

  His emphasis on the word "GET" definitely sounded ominous to Shy. He and Daniel were so close to the group of Cave Cabin boys now, that Shy felt sure they were going to get caught. He barely dared to breathe.

  A t
all gawky kid with huge eyebrows and a butt chin stepped up, "I saw a trap once that had a loop of rope laying on the ground, hidden under the leaves, and tied to a bent-over, little tree. When the person steps in the loop, you cut the rope holding the tree bent over, and the loop closes around their ankle and the get whipped into the air, upside down."

  "Richard" Crutch scolded. "I told you, we want an alibi! We don’t want to be anywhere near the trap…… stupid."

  Richard slipped back into the group. Shy actually felt bad for him because even though he was plotting on trapping Shy, it still was horrible to be on the receiving end of Crutch’s bullying.

  "We could dig a hole!" growled a big burley kid. "We could cover it with sticks and then leaves… then when Shy steps on it…. WHAM! He falls to the bottom."

  "How are you gonna dig a hole that big by tonight?" Crutch said as he rounded on him. "No, it needs to be something good…. Something quick and easy, but something that can't be pinned on us. That Clancy woman is already threatening to send me home. It definitely needs to be something we can deny. Did they say how they were going to hide the geo-cache? Or did you see anything about where specifically?" Crutch asked the weasel-faced boy.

  "No."

  "Hmmmmm…. I bet they are going to hide it in the hollowed out space, by the roots here….. I got an idea"

  With that, Crutch turned so abruptly and quickly that Shy thought he would run right into him and Daniel, but he veered away at the last second. The two spies waited until Crutch’s gang had been gone for several minutes before the made their way back out into the open.

  "Should we go tell Gust, or Clancy?" Shy asked as he slapped away the ferocious mosquitoes that had been tormenting him.

  "I got a better idea," Daniel said, "let’s turn the tables on them. "Come on, it’s almost lunch time…. Let’s go recruit some help."

  ***

  By the end of lunch, Daniel had the entire group gathered around his seat at the end of the table. Shy lifted his head and nervously scanned the other tables. His eyes didn’t meet many others as they were all involved in their lunchtime conversations. There was Claire, laughing and giggling with a red haired girl. There was Crutch slapping the weasel faced boy on the back as he sat down. There was Gust, looking right into Shy’s eyes…. He had been talking to Tad, and they both turned their heads to look at Shy. Shy quickly dropped his head back into the huddle of boys, hoping he had not ruined the whole plan by drawing attention to them. He cringed, feeling guilty and waiting for the inevitable hand placed on his shoulder followed by Gust’s deep voice booming, "What’s going on boys?" The hand and the voice simply did not come, however. When Shy sneaked a quick look back at the head table, Gust and Tad had resumed their conversation, and did not turn towards him again. Shy dropped back down and mentally checked into the heated conversation taking place among his friends.