Instead of a quote, I decided to include a video. Cheryl Wheeler is a great song writer and quite a good storyteller. This song is the way I feel all the time about my life with Donna.
Chapter Three
The Meeting
The tribal meeting room was all but full when Polly and Mr. Popper got there. The elders were there and the magicians. The mystics and shamans, and the musicians. The clowns and the comedians, and of course Bon Bon. Bon Bon was a rather large English labrador. She was completely black except for a small patch of gray on her muzzle and she always wore a red collar. When I say she was black, I don’t mean the conventional black, but a black like space. Something so dark that only the light makes it possible to see. The same way the sky can only be seen at night, because the stars are there.
Bon Bon was well known and respected within the tribe, for her wisdom and special powers. She did not have the gift of speech, but she would communicate through her expressions. When she made her eyes look very small and round, she was sad, or wanted something to eat. When she made her eyes large and dark brown, she was in excitable agreement, or she wanted something to eat. When she barked she was angry, protective, wanting something to eat, or looking for squirrels. When she made her top knot head, she was not sure, uncommitted, or wanting something to eat. And when she made the triangle face, she was in complete knowledge and understanding of the situation, and had an answer to the problem, or she wanted something to eat.
Polly and Mr. Popper took a seat and waited for the proceedings to begin. There was much talk and much anticipation in the air.
A hush fell on those present as the door opened and the three tribal heads interred the room. They were cats. Not huge lions, or panthers, but small house cats. Otis, was a large tabby Tom cat, with a tiny, squeaky voice ; Fern, his twin sister, was small and black, with white feet that would blossom into flowers as she opened and closed them, padding the air; and Veaster. He was the old man of the tribe. Not regal like a king, or pampered like a head of state, but worn and weary. Like someone who has lived his life for others. He was gray, with the most hypnotizing yellow, snake eyes you have ever seen. He had two fangs that protruded from his upper lip and his back had a patch of hairlessness, where he had pulled his hair out with his teeth, out of anxiety. His ears were shredded from fights he had endured, protecting the tribe.
Veaster spoke first, “It has been reported that the sacred Music Water, that has been kept safe by the council in the chambers at White Side Mountain, has been stolen.”
With that the crowd went wild. People began to shout their questions and concerns. The magicians began to blow fire from their mouths and the shamans began shapeshifting into various mythic beasts.
“So that’s why my dreameradoo won’t play. Polly, this means the music is gone!” Mr. Popper exclaimed with the shock of someone who had lost the very keys to life as he knew it.
“But how can that be? How could someone ever have done such a thing?” Polly replied with great unbelief.
Then from the front came a small high pitched squeak. At first no one paid it much attention, but then, like a persistent alarm clock in the morning, they began to quiet down little by little until all that could be heard was the tiny voice. It was Otis. He was squeaking with all his might trying to calm down the crowd.
Now that he had their attention he began his speech, “Savages, please listen! This is very important. It appears that the Tigers have stolen the Music Water. We have eye witnesses that saw a tiger fleeing the chambers with the sacred water vase.”
Again, there was a small uproar at the mention of the Tigers, but Fern put a quick stop to it by opening her paws and making them into flowers, which always fascinated everyone.
“Please listen to what we have to share and keep your comments until we open up for discussion.” She said with an heir of authority. “Now Veaster would like to address you on the details and our plan to return the Music Water to the Council at White Side Mountain.”
Veaster began to share what they knew of how the Tigers had broken into the Chambers and stolen the Music Water.
To understand how important the Music Water is you must know a bit of it’s history. The Legend says, that over a thousand years ago, one of the fathers of the seven tribes , that existed then, known as Lazerham, was exploring a new mountainside in the central region of what is now called Middlend. He came upon a hole in the earth that was twice the size of a man. He went into the cavern and discovered that it was well lit by the morning sun shining down the hole. As he progressed, he found a clear pool of water that must have been several hundred feet deep. He reached down to touch the water and it sang a song. Now what was so surprising to Lazerham were two things. One was that no one had ever heard music before. There were no bird songs. No wind whistling in the pines. No chimes. No drums. No instruments of any kind. No one had ever sang or even whistled. As the legend tells, there had never been a sound that could be called a musical note, up until that moment. So, you can imagine Lazerham”s surprise. But an even bigger surprise was the second thing. The song that was being sung was a song about Lazerham. It was a song specially crafted for him.
Lazerham. You are a good man.
I have searched for you as the shepherds do,
for the lamb that has lost it’s way.
Lazerham. There is a plan
From the start we’ve been apart
But now let the music stay.
As the legend says, Lazerham went back to his village and told the elders of the tribe. They went before the elders of the seven tribes and it was decided that they would take a vase and fill it with the Music Water. Then they put the vase in the chambers, so that no one, but the Council would have access to it. They then filled in the hole in the earth, so that no one would ever find the water source and be able to use it for themselves. For, they feared that if it fell into the wrong hands the Music might make people do who knows what. They then decided that they would give a drop of Water to each tribe once a year. If that sacred drop was mixed with a lake of water it would give the tribe music for a full year. The music was strictly monitored by the elders of each tribe according to what they thought was fitting. At first the water sang wondrous things. It gave direction to people's lives. It brought healing to those that would swim in it. It brought comfort and great joy to all the tribes. But as the years went on that wonder became less and less. Some tribes only cared about the Music Water for entertainment. Some didn’t much care for it at all. The Water began to sing more shallow songs. As the tribes grew, they fragmented. At first just a few would split and start their own tribe, but then more and more. The more tribes there were, the more the Water became diluted. The elders would only give out half drops, and then quarter drops. Each tribe developed their own genre of music that they thought was best. Some tribes began to ban any type of song other than what the elders dictated. Some tribal members were beaten, tortured, and even killed for singing different songs.
The musicians of the Savage tribe were given freedom of song, but the Water became so diluted that it was hard to hear the deep music that their hearts yearned for.
“The plan to capture the Water Music from the Tigers and return it to the Chambers, will be a dangerous one.” Veaster cautioned. “The Tigers are fierce and very sly. They have been hunted for years and will not think twice to attack any man or woman. And they know the mountains. It will be easy for them to hide and they will be hard to track.” he warned. “For this reason we, as your elders, have decided that we must solicit the help of the Dillieyards.”
Once again the crowd erupted in a frantic commotion. The comedians started yelling bad one liners, and the clowns ran around squirting seltzer water down people’s pants and throwing pies.
“But they are the luck suckers!” someone shouted from the back.
“Quiet down, please!” Veaster shouted. “They may very well be luck suckers, but we don’t know that for sure. We need their tracking skills. You all know that they are extraordinary hunters, and have been tracking and hunting the Tigers for centuries. Without their assistance we may never discover the Tigers’ den. While I agree, that this could be very dangerous, we still think it is our only option.” he said with all the authority he could muster. “Now we have put together a team that we think would best be suited for this task. I will not force anyone who does not wish to go, but I would hope that you all would rise to the occasion and do the right thing for the betterment, not just of the tribe, but of the whole world, for with out the Music Water, how will we survive?” he asked with a heavy heart. “As I call your name please come forward. Mr. Popper.”
Mr. Popper stood, but Polly held his hand tightly and would not let him go.
“It’s alright Polly.” Veaster reassured. “You will be going with him.”
Polly didn’t know whether to feel better about this news, or not. She didn’t want either of them to have to leave, but she wanted to do what she could and if the elders thought she was up to the job, then who was she to think differently.
“We have chosen Mr. Popper, because of his musical abilities. We feel that when the vase is in his hands he will treat it with the utmost care. Making sure that it won’t break, or spill and that it will make it to it’s final home without incident.” he explained. “As for Polly, we know that she would worry too much if she were not along with Mr. Popper. Plus her abilities may also become very valuable.” he knowingly said, with a smile. The next member of the team, we deliberated about for quite some time. Ultimately we found that we could not do without him. That is Mr. Struggles.”
The crowd went crazy this time with shouts of, “Are you out of your minds!” and “This will be a “disaster!” and “You of all people should know what happens when he’s around!”
Mr. Struggles looked as shocked as everyone else. He was not used to being asked to do anything. Mr. Struggles had a reputation with the tribe that was not at all positive. It seemed that wherever he went things got harder. It was impossible to understand, but it was true. If he helped you wash your windows, one would break. If he helped you paint your house someone would fall off a ladder and hurt them self. If you asked him to go for a walk with you, you would twist your ankle and have to hobble home. He was nice enough, but no one wanted his help.
“Now, now!” shouted Veaster. “We have given this much thought and have consulted the shamans and they verified our decision. If Mr. Struggles chooses to go, it will be his decision and no one else's.”
There was still quite a bit of murmuring, but the crowd seemed to accept this decision.
“We feel strongly that, because of her strong sense of smell and her powers, that Bon Bon should also go.” he said with much enthusiasm.
The crowd nodded their consent and Bon Bon waged her tail, which showed her approval, or she wanted something to eat.
“And finally, for the rest of the team. This was a very hard decision, because of their young ages, but we have chosen the girls.”
There was a gasp that came up from the crowd and Polly went white.
“How can they expect them to do something so dangerous at such young ages?” Polly whispered to Mr. Popper.
“I’m sure I don’t know, but if the elders think that the girls can help, then I’m sure it will be fine. Plus, you know the strange and powerful abilities each one has.” Mr. Popper said confidently.
The girls had made their way down front. They looked so small in front of the huge crowd. The oldest was Keona. She was six. She was what some people would refer to as a firecracker. She was loud and full of energy. She loved to yell and sing and dance and run around. And most of all she loved to be silly and laugh. This was her power and it would serve them all well on their adventure. The middle child was Thea. She was four. She also loved to laugh and play and do the things her sisters did, but she could also be serious. A person could say the wrong thing to her and she would start to frown. Then she would become very serious. This was her power and it would serve them all well on their adventure. And finally the youngest. Una. She had gone over to Veaster and picked him up and was rubbing her face on his. He tried to get away, to no avail, and so gave up and began to purr. She had just turned two. She was also loud and loved to play and have fun, but if something happened to her she would cry. This was no ordinary crying. This was of a different nature. This was her power and it would serve them all well on their adventure.
“Now that you have all come forward, we should like to know if you all accept this great task that will benefit all of humanity?” Veaster asked with anticipation. “If you accept you will all leave tomorrow. Your provisions have been arranged and your course has been mapped. We know that this is much to ask of all of you, and there will be much danger and hardship, but you will be honored for your service for generations to come. What say you?”
They all of one voice said, “Yes we will go.” except for Bon Bon who made her eyes large and dark brown, which mean’t she was in total agreement, or she wanted something to eat.
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