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Speemsī cave. And Johnny Sweets gets a new little friend
Hey *o* Please come in and have a seat *O*
Have you brought the food today ... How very sweet of
you *O*
Flutes ... and a fine omelette *o* Chicken - both fried and barbequed - yummy *o* Spareribs and coleslaw *O* I
have to find Johnny now *o* Heīll love this *O* Japanese candy ... and a Danish apple pie for dessert *o*
Thank you, my
dear fri ... ends *o*
Hey, baby - thatīs the dessert - the thing you eat last, you know -o* Can you now be a sweet boy,
Johnny, and keep your fingers out of the whipped cream on the apple pie and sit down *O*
And the rest of you too - please
settle down comfortably *o* Then Iīll go on telling my story ...
The rock ledge the witch Vivian La Regina brought us to
were about a hundred yards up on a steep windy cliff side. And the mountain went further up into very low hanging clouds or
thick fog, so I was not even able to see where it ended. Johnny hugged himself because the wind was so cold. He was after
all only wearing a thin shirt and a pair of long legged shorts. And I had his sandals in my hands because he in all the confusion
had forgot to get them on.
I fared a bit better having a cardigan on though wind tugged in my long skirt so I had to hug
the cliff side not to fall over and doooooooown ...
Johnny probably guessed my vertigo were bothering me and came over
and hugged me to him so I wouldnīt have to see how far down there was.
"We havenīt got time for all that lovey-dovey nonsense’s"
princess Irma snarled. I could feel Johnny tense and whispered "No, darling!! We are "out numbered" so to speak by those two
having both wand and gun so will you please keep your temper, baby?" A moment later I could more sense than see Johnny nod
and relax a bit. And then he turned towards them but as the sweet man he is still kept himself between me and the drop so
I didnīt have to see it.
"What is it we are suppose to do here. I canīt see any dragon here - black or otherwise ..." he
said still sounding angry to me but clearly trying to control himself. Vivian didnīt answer. Just indicated we should follow
her. So we did - slowly and carefully.
And after rounding a corner on the ledge we saw a tall, narrow gap in the cliff
wall just broad enough for one human to enter at a time. "You two go in here" Vivian said pointing "The black dragon Speem
is at the end of this tunnel. How you get the Holy Grail from her I donīt care ... Whether you charm her or fight is up to
you. But you will get it for me or youīll be punished when you come back here without it"
For a moment I though about
giving in and telling her where the Grail was.
But Johnny whispered "Easy, Meepsie-girl - we will find a solution ... As
long as there is life there is hope, you know" ... I wasnīt so sure about that. Having heard some stories about Speem. But
he had been right so far. And I didnīt much like the thought of betraying a friend either no matter how tempting it was.
So
down we went. Vivian thoughtfully provided us with the sort of electrical lamps miners use fastened around their head so we
had our hands free. I thought of asking for the princessī gun. But didnīt think we would get it. And it wouldnīt amount to
much against a large - perhaps crazy - and at least magic wielding, fire breathing dragon anyway.
When we were well away
from the witch and her princess Johnny whispered "Now you do wish you had chosen Rambo instead of Sam, donīt you? He would
have ripped both gun and wand from them faster than you could say ... "Big old cry baby, you!" I am sorry, Meepsie-kin - I
am just a dumb actor ..."
I reached forward and hugged him a bit. And then whispered giggling in his ear "Rambo is played
by an actor - dumb or not - but ... you are my smart, sweet boyfriend. You did very well, I think, sweetie"
"I lied" Johnny
didnīt sound so sad now "You donīt have an appointment with Par-Salian at all"
And no, I hadnīt. But I still love Johnnyīs
way of trying to get us out of our trouble *o* Although what we should have done if Johnnyīs sweetness and charm havenīt got
us so many able friends, I donīt know ...
I'm not sure if threatening with violence - and violence done by other persons
- are more morally acceptable than doing the violence yourself. I was just one happy chicken that it had work so far *o* Now
we had to try and handle Speem as well too.
After about half a hours walking - and sometimes almost crawling on our hands
and knees - Johnny, who was walking in the front, whispered he could see a weak light. So we turned off our lamps and walking
cautiously forward to a stop just outside the tunnel - on another ledge at the side of a gigantic cave ... Lit by a greenish
flickering magical light which came from nowhere in particular and everywhere all at once.
Speemīs lair. Filled up with
gold and precious stones and other treasure ...
We should for a very long time stock still and listened intently and tried
to see through the eerie gloom after signs of the dragon being at home.
Finally Johnny sighed in a whisper "This will
take weeks. It is even more cluttered than our house at home" I hushed him - smiling a bit. Johnny-boy is just as able as
me to make a mess. But to be honest - he also does his fair half of the cleaning it up again *O* Especially if we can do it
together and talk while doing so -o*
But I didnīt think comments on the dragonīs house keepings skills - or rather lack
of same - would endear us to her if she happened to overhear ...
Then I smiled a bit broader and whispered "Anyway - the
Grail isnīt here, remember, sweetie? We will just have to convince Speem we are two very innocent little lambs lost in the
woo - erm, in her cave and just passing through. Get her to tell us where the other entrance is so we donīt have to go back
to those two bi ... women. And hope like crazy that she is not the kind of dragon who shoot - roast - trespassers under the
motto "Fry first. Ask questions later ...""
"There is another entran ... Oh, yes, of course there is" Johnny sound irritated
at himself. But still remembered to whisper "No normal size grown-up dragon could get through that little rabbit hole - seen
with dragonīs eyes, that is - we came through. I am just being stupid. Well - I think, she isnīt here or we would probably
have seen or heard her by know ... Should we try exploring a bit? Maybe we can find the way out before she comes back"
So
we walk cautiously down the narrow ledge. And I tried very hard to imagine that I COULD NOT fall down. That sometimes helps
on my vertigo *o*
Down at the actual floor of the cave there was a loads of precious items. But Johnny went straight for
a pile of clothes off in one corner and started to look through it hurriedly. After a moment I heard a quiet "Hurrah!! Come
over here, sweetie. Here is warm clothes. Arabic it seems ... I canīt see if it was originally intended for men or women since
it is just long flowing robes. But you try this bright red one on - there you go ... You look very beautiful, babe!!"
Now
I donīt know about that. I canīt see I am as beautiful as Johnny claims. But I didnīt mind hearing it of course -o*
On
the other hand Johnny blushed - but also looked quite happy - when I claimed he was more dashing than old Rudolf Valentino
in a royal blue robe made of velvet and with gold embroidery on the neck line and shoulders. He smiled - gorgeously - and
took a step back to take a deep bow ... And then a tremendous crash sounded behind him.
He had accidentally stepped into
and overturned a small table and tipped an ornate blue teapot standing on it to the ground. And almost at once after the crashing
sound one could a little child start bawling sounding terrified.
"A-a-a ch-child he-here ..." Johnny stuttered.
Then
he saw her sitting on the ground. A beautiful little girl about three yard old. With a lot of dark brown curls and dark eyes.
And howling like a banshee with bellyache! But Johnny quickly picked cute small siren up. Sat down with her in his arms and
rocked back and forth gently while he mumbled something sweet and comforting in her little rosy ear.
And since he has
a way with little children ... And old men - butlers - and women -o* - and doggies and dwaggies - I mean dragons *O* - even
most cats love him Not to mention Danish chi - women ... one fat Danish woman at least *O* What I mean is that the little
girlie was very soon looking just as adoringly up at him - with her thumb deeply buried in her mouth - as the baby squirrel
(or I for that matter *o* ) has ever done.
"There-there. Thatīs much better, isnīt it, my little sweet chops. Now can
you tell me - whatīs your name, darling?" Johnny cooed at her ever so gently
"What is she doing in a dragonīs lair is
probably more to the point" I thought. But left the "third degree" to the cutest cop ever to have graced the silver screen
*O*
"Yasmina" the child mumbled.
Or that is at least what I think she said. It was a bit difficult to understand her
with her thumb in her mouth like that.
Little by little though we managed to persuade her to tell what little she knew.
She was a little djinn ... Three years old as I had guess. But added firmly "Iīll soon be five!!" And Johnny just smiled and
said "Yes, sweetie. Of course you will" And noooo ... she didnīt know where her parents were. And their names were of course
Mummy and Daddy!
... O.K. she was only three, so it is understandable she didnīt know that much. But frustrating none
the less. We gathered though that she had apparently been abducted from a quite ordinary kindergarten’s playground -
somewhere in England if you could go by her accent - by some unscrupulous magic-thieves.
Maybe I better explain here as
I did to Johnny. That some wizards claim that if you get a djinn early enough in life and train said djinn firmly - or cruelly
in my opinion - you can harness this djinnīs formidable magic powers to your own dirty little ends.
No need to say my
sweet gentle Johnny was very outraged when I told him about that. So in order not to get him too excited - with the child
there and all - I didnīt tell him then and there that some people steal dragonīs egg right out of the nest too in order to
get a "tame" dragon later ...
"We got to get her out - get all of us out of here" Johnny said - sounding both worried
and angry. "Speem should not be allowed to keep this little one just like that! To do all kind of awful things to her. We
must also find her parents for her somehow. ... Vivian and the princess would probably love to have this little sweetie here
- instead of the Grail, I mean. ... not to mention what they might do to me - or us both even - when they find out that theyīll
not be getting the Grail either. So that is just all the more reason for us NOT to go back to them and to get out of here
before they get into their heads to follow us or something"
I agree with that. And suggested that he should stay put in
the corner by the clothes and take care of the baby - not a Mission Impossible for my sweetie - while I tried to find some
magic object that might get us out. I suggested that if Speem came they could hide in the clothes - though I doubted Johnny
would listen to that - but at least he would hide the child.
I also explained that "I donīt much want us to meet the dragon
coming in while we are going out. So I would prefer to "swoosh" out of here magically instead of risk walking out into the
dragonīs teeth. But since I "left home" so abruptly and therefore without my wand or wishing sticks or anything I have to
find something here we can use"
Johnny happily accepted my assignment for him. And I started to pad quietly around trying
to find something magical.
Now there was of course plenty of magic stuff. It was a dragonīs lair after all *o*
There
were magical swords which killed every time you draw them out of their scabbard - brrr!!! Further on I found a bridal dress
which according to the label attached from the shop would burn up the unlucky person donning it - what do one say to that
... Somehow all the magical things I could find had something to do with death and destruction, so I hurriedly replaced said
items on their piles.
Then I suddenly gasped out loud. "What is it, Meepsie?" Johnny called and started to get up.
"Ye-yes,
you be-better come and see, ba-baby .... I think, Spee-speem is dead ..." I stuttered.
So Johnny came over with Yasmina
in his arms. And she said - with very huge eyes and safely up on Johnnyīs arm - "Biiiiiiig dwaggie ..." And she was quite
right ... Speem had been enormous. But luckily for us she was now as dead as a doornail ...
"Well, that solves one of
our problems, I guess" Johnny said after having looked at the corpse with just as big eyes as the child for a little while.
"It seems somebody has stuck something - a lance probably - in her heart ... Perhaps Tom - erm, Sir Lancelot ... But now we
can walk out of here without any problem, canīt we, Meepser *o* ? ... unless the killer - nah, he would have said or done
something before now if he was still around, wouldnīt he? We havenīt actually been little quiet mice - eh, Yasmina-sweet *o*
? And he wouldnīt be that afraid - or NOT afraid at all - of us after killing her ..."
So we did just walk out. Peaceful
and quietly.
But first we took a couple of blankets and shawls in the clothesī pile to keep the child and ourselves warm.
As Johnny said; we might very well end up sleeping out at night.
We also emptied some wine bottles and filled them with
water from the spring in the cave too. Johnny was at first feeling sad wasting the very good wine. But when I said we couldnīt
very well give the child wine or get roaring drunk ourselves just now he quickly poured the costly drops out himself.
But
we left the actual treasures to other people. For all I know Speem might even have heirs somewhere.
And as Johnny so sweetly
claimed; he had all the treasure he wanted. All three of us together and in good health and likely to get out of all this
alive too *o*
... but this chicken is a bit shaken still thinking of those huge dead dragon eyes, so do you mind very much
if we leave the next chapter of the story until tomorrow? You don't ... Good *o* See you then *O*
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