EA#16:
Read From the Beginning or the start of Trial Two or Three
The Mountain in the Clouds, Part Nineteen
“
There I was, standing at the precipice of the waterfall, about to toss my body over the edge.
And there was Gumpelthwomp. The last person I would have expected in that dream or memory or whatever I was going through. It took me out of the past and back to my challenge.
This trial just became unusual, I thought. What did this giant have to do with my lesson in joy?
“What are you doing up there, Magi?” asked the large face as it pressed nearer to me.
“Well, that’s a…” I fumbled. “To be honest, I am not truly a Magi. I am not one to make lies. I only said it back there when you took me from Titanton because I was trying to save my life.”
I don’t know really why I fessed up. I guess I didn’t mind being honest now because I was not afraid of dying. I was trying to, in fact. But his reaction surprised me.
“Don’t worry, Magi man, I know you aren’t a god,” said Gumpelthwomp, noisily hunkering down on a ledge with his heavy rear end.
“You do, I mean, you know that? What made you come to that conclusion?” I asked.
“Well, after we left we all waited for the invisibility spell to happen,” recalled the giant, furrowing his brow. “And it didn’t.”
“Oh,” I said sadly.
“And then it did,” continued the giant.
“Oh,” I said, with some confusion.
“But it didn’t last. All of us went invisible like you said we would. But then we couldn’t see where we were going and all got into a mess, bumping into each other. Giggazzibar and I landed on top of each other and rolled down a hill. Some of the others started getting mad at each other and getting into fights. It was a big, invisible brawl,” concluded the giant.
“I see. So that made you realize the spell was not real, I guess?” I tried.
“No, it’s just that Giggazzibar hit me over the head real hard and said, ‘Stupid giant, that was no god, that was a man!’” Gumpelthwomp threw up his hands in defeat.
“Oh,” I muttered. The giants still didn’t cease to amuse me. “So what are you, uh doing here, Gumpelthwomp? Are you mad at me? Come to get me back?”
“No, Magi man,” the giant moaned. “Gumpel not mad. Gumpel sad. And you only one who listen to Gumpel. You call me Gumpel. Gumpel and Magi man can be friends?” His face turned to one of true pleading.
“Uh, I suppose,” I uttered in near disbelief. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d befriend a giant. “Did something happen, Gumpel?”
“Yes!” he roared, turning red with anger. “Gumpel lose Gigga! Gumpel lose all giant friends! They took them away! Gumpel tried to stop them, but Gumpel was stuck!”
“Slow down, Gumpel,” I soothed him. “Who took them? What happened?”
“The nasty T’hors!” shouted the giant in rage. “They took my love, they took my friends! When they were all tangled up fighting on the ground. The soldiers came in and surrounded them, chained them up, carried them off! Those bastards!”
“Wait, wait, hold on. Your love?” I begged of him.
“Gigga!” said the giant. “Gumpel love Gigga, but Gigga not know. Gumpel never tell Gigga. Now Gumpel can’t tell Gigga! Gumpel must get Gigga back!”
“But didn’t you say she rolled down the hill with you?” I asked my strange new friend.
“Yes, but Gigga went back up the hill. Gumpel got foot stuck. Damn them, they took all my friends and my Gigga! Stupid T’hors!”
“So they didn’t see you?” I asked one last question.
“No, dumb T’hors didn’t look down hill. Only took giants they saw. Gumpel fool. Gumpel weak. Gumpel not save giant friends! Gumpel not save Gigga love!” The poor creature burst into giant tears then.
“There, there, Gumpel, you couldn’t be any help to your friends if you were caught, too.” I said. “And I understand how you feel. I, too, have lost my love and my family and community. In fact, that is why I am here, too.”
“You are here to find them? To hunt down the ones who took them from you?” asked Gumpelthwomp.
“Uh, well, not exactly. It just happened to me earlier tonight. I am just trying to figure out what I am to do next…” I trailed off.
“On top of a waterfall?” the giant inquired.
“Never mind that,” I shrugged off his surprisingly intuitive question. “We have work to do, I think, you and I. Maybe together we can find each other’s people. What do you say?”
Gumpel paused for a moment with a quizzical look on his face. Then he brightened up considerably and said, “Ok, friend, we make team. Gumpel and Magi man find families together.”
“Good, good, Gumpel,” I sighed in relief. What an asset this giant could prove to be as an ally. “Could you just help me down from this ledge, first? It was quite a slippery climb up and I dare not try to go back down the way I came.”
“Sure,” said the giant. He stood up from his seat and held out a big, calloused hand towards me so that I could climb into his open palm. For a brief spell I remembered the last time I was in his hand, being crushed alive and carried to certain doom.
Funny, I had gone from suicidal and wanting to die to jumping into a giant’s hand and hoping he would not kill me. But I really had new hope that this was not the end for me after all. And how selfish I had been. It’s as I had just told the giant: I wouldn’t be able to help my family if I were dead.
“Please, Gumpel, could you promise to be gentle with me…” I pleaded.
“Sure, Magi man, Gumpel not squeeze life out of you this time,” the giant answered.
Ok, I thought, here goes.
I stepped one foot out to place it in his hand. Then I lifted my other and inched my body forward with a twinge of hesitation. I tried to trust in this act and let myself go. I put all my weight forward to land into Gumpel’s open palm.
As I placed my foot where I expected solid form to be, I found myself instead touching nothing. My body began hurtling over the edge of the cliff in free fall towards the rocks and waters below.
What happened? my mind screamed inside. Where was the giant? He had disappeared! What a time for the spell to take effect again!
I landed in the waters with a gulp of cold water. I was lucky enough not to hit a rock in my fall, and found myself being carried away in the rapids. Not expecting my plight it took me some time to come to my senses and claim control of my body. I began to flail my arms and legs to try to get my bearings. The water was fast, the night dark, and I was being bounced around from rapid to rapid and nearly crashing into rocks as I went. The terror of death once more gripped me, telling me again that in truth I did not want to die. I just didn’t know in this moment how I was going to live.
I hit something sharp and felt rock cut through the flesh of my thigh. Excruciating pain welled up in my leg and blood seeped out into the river. I was a decent swimmer in good water, but it was nearly impossible to navigate these rough rapids by hand. They simply dragged me along at their own whim.
Out of nowhere I dropped. An unexpected fall landed me underwater, desperately trying to pull myself back up. Some current below seemed to be begging me to join it. In fact, I think it was winning. My arms kept pumping towards the surface, but nothing in my muscles could overcome the pressure. I saw the world around me get darker and darker as I went deeper and deeper.
Surely this was my end, now, I thought. But I suppose it is what I asked for. If only I had had more resolve and not wished for my death. Damn me, what had I been thinking. One never knows when life can offer great change, and as soon as I had found a glimmer of hope in my newfound friendship with the giant, it was taken away from me.
I suppose it’s because I wished for it. It’s as they say, after all. Be careful what you wish for, for you just might get it. If it were a good wish, I suppose I wouldn’t be cursing the saying. But damnit now, can’t I unwish my wish?
Please, gods, I prayed. Please help me out of here.
The water kept pulling me down. The last of my air was escaping my lungs and began filling with water. My eyes became blurry as I began to drown and my muscles gave out in their last attempts at salvation. I had nothing left to give. I gave up, I let go, I let myself be carried to my end.
And then something grabbed me. A hand wrapped itself around my wrist. With the fragment of waking consciousness that I had remaining I peered up and saw a bright white light blazing above and a golden figure within it. The strong grip held me tight and effortlessly lifted me up away from those dark depths of the river. Up towards the surface. Up towards salvation.
But before I was fully free of the river, before I got even a glimpse of the night sky, I had completely passed into the blackness of unconsciousness…
“
Thanks so much for reading.
Please leave comments and share.
Blessings to you,
Matthew