the Second Letter

Something feels different. How could it be that we both end up in the same dream, and what's that glistening on the stone? A fantastic sword has mysteriously materialised overnight. How could it be formed? What magic has caused its miraculous manifestation? Could it be created by the power of our words alone... Some subtle shift in time and space?

Yes, of course! Now it is clear. It only took the 's' to move for words to be transformed and make the weapon appear.

Oh, and something else has happened - it seems that now we have been transformed too - we have become a knight and a princess, a transformation, which is not in the least disagreeable, well as far as I am concerned you understand.

So which is mightier, and which power is the greater? Is that our quest... words or sword? Or is its manifestation only a clue to that which we seek?

(located here is an illustration of the sword .. fig 2)

Its two edges gleam and glint in the sunlight. The duality of its powerful force contradicts and opposes; with simultaneous cause and effect it balances positive and negative. It can make the strong weak and the weak strong. To fall within its spell is to forget all judgement; and to lose oneself at the cost of losing all. Its cut so deep, and yet there is no blood? The answer to this perennial paradox many have sought, and many have been deluded, but there are none who can claim to be its master.

We stand together on the stone.

knight: are we to take the sword now?

Voice of the river spirit:


visible only to those on the same path
and that can be none other than you
on this journey at this place and at this time
go to the end and return
ask the same question again
it will lie safe til then

So now you and I must journey on, we travel as equals, for we have slept last night in the dark wood, and seen sights few others have witnessed, and now we are changed, for last night was a special night, Beltane - the night of Bright Fire.

It is the first day of May, and we will be wearing our mantle of torn blue for as many days as our quest lasts, and on warm nights we will rest under a blanket of stars.

Next to the sword there lies a compass and map. The map is inscribed in an ancient hand:

Squaring the circle

Each side of a square, clockwise round
at every corner a letter found
the first you have seen
for the second, cross a green
the third, South in a valley it hides
the fourth, West near a lake it abides
North again to the first
and then, last of all
words in stone cast in a wall

knight: So, which way princess?

princess: Now we know we seek four corners. I think it means we should go East.

We pick up the compass. On the map to the East, we note a village marked Oakendale, through which the stream also passes.

We stash away our map and compass and continue with our journey. We decide to follow the stream through the verdant valley. With ardent discussion of the events of Beltane en route time goes quickly, and we are surprised when we hear the chime of a clock, strike one. Through the trees we see the ground-hugging silhouette of sloping roofs, punctuated by a strange tower.

The buildings are all grouped around a green in a circle; an inn, an old oast house, a shop, a building for the worship of gods, a blacksmith, and a row of cottages. The Inn has a picture of the adjacent old oast house on its sign, and above the shop we can just make out the words Oakendale Stores. At the circular temple are golden astrological symbols around the clock, which is divided into moons. An acorn finial adorns the conical roof.

In the centre of the green stands a deserted Maypole.

knight: Must be lunchtime?

We can hear a smith at work, but we see no one. Outside the smithy is a row of circular horseshoes hanging. The stream drives a water wheel next to the smithy. All the buildings are made from stone and have circular windows.

princess: So lunch, then?

We both head for the inn. When we enter, everyone is busying themselves with various games; a group swing a weight around a stick to knock over skittles, others are grouped around a roulette wheel.

knight: Wonder what’s on offer?

We notice a menu chalked on a circular blackboard - Omelettes, Round of toast, bowl of soup.

Speciality of the house carbonated crumpets and croutons

Moll: Sommat ‘ot luvs?

unseen male voice: Rolly Moll, apple pie's off

And so we learn that his little round barmaid's name is Rolly Moll.

princess: Oh that would be good.

Moll: Fancy some chargrilled crumpets and crusty croutons? Chef's good at burnin' stuff!

On each of the two rounds of toast made from a circular loaf sits a poached egg, while the accompanying soup is tomato, with onion and oregano.

knight: Do you think they are trying to tell us something?

princess: I really don’t know?

Moll: Would you like apple pudding?

princess: That sounds wonderful

Moll: 'ere you are?

knight: How much do we owe you?

Moll: Owe nothing my luvs – tis on the 'ouse!

princess: Oh thanks.

We notice that on the bar mat is an inscription:

Ode to Odin’s Gold

If you now are of any doubt
owe nothing to folks round about
some words only can be told
find Old Odin’s shoe of gold

princess: So who’s Odin?

Moll: He be Old Odin Blackmoth, the blacksmith

We finish our lunch, and briefly speculate on our next move and why the apples in the pie were tomatoes. We decide it better not to query it, but head for the smithy, thanking Rolly Moll for her hospitality as we leave.

Moll: Our ‘ouse is your ‘ouse. Our ‘ome is your ‘ome.

We stoop as we leave though the circular door, bidding farewell.

****

(located here is an illustration of Volund .. fig3)

Volund: Arfanoon…

The smith inclines his powerful head towards us. We pull back our shadows from the round door as the smith wipes his gold stained hands on a rag, and fills the doorway. He wears a knowledgeable smile and nods to himself as he muses.

Volund: Now what business could a pair like you be wantin' on this day?

We try to speak at the same time but are unsure what it is that we should ask. The smith laughs deeply, and steps out into the sunlight.

Volund: There now, let's have a look at yer. You had a good night then eh?

He laughs with fervour and we wonder what picture we portray to this fine figure.

Volund: Volund, they call me. Come now speak and be done you vagabonds.

The smile did not leave his hairy face.

princess: We've come from Rolly Moll. Why are your hands stained with gold?

He looks suspiciously about and stoops back into the building.

Volund: I think you'd better make yourselves welcome, out of this hot sun now eh?

Inside, the air is smoke heavy, and weighs down on us. He offers us a drink and takes two round vessels from a shelf upon one wall. The thick brownish liquid he pours from a jug smells berry sweet.

knight: Thanks, that gold upon your hands, then?

Volund: Now come on drink up first, let ol' Volund further the hospitality of Oakendale. Wouldn't do now would it if you went off talking bad of the smith. I'm the best you know, though I say so myself."

The drink is warm and delicious and we have no sooner taken the first sip than we have finished.

Volund: Sit down, sit down.

He ushers us into the corner where an old bench stood heaped with rugs and cloth. We sit down on the coarse fabric and begin to feel hot. The smoke clouds the doorway. The clay walls and dirt floor are warm from the sun.

Volund: A bit hot in ere eh? No matter, it'll all be fine soon? You just rest a while now.

His voice large; bangs against the low ceiling.

It appears now that another figure is in the room. A different voice, two voices becoming distorted and louder by the second. We look at each other through what appears to be thickening smoke, something is wrong. We feel ourselves slipping slowly towards a hazy place, we realise that Volund's hospitality has been given with motive. The drink has been drugged. We can taste it now, a slight leafy tang.

Volund: Take em west, Moll.

The words slip slowly across the room from the figures and dissolve.

****

We wake in the darkness with a jolt.
knight: Was it something you said princess?

We realise we are lying upon straw in a wagon. It lurches over another rock and our bodies are brought together.

princess: I don’t know, was it, knight?

knight: Perhaps Volund took over from Odin Blackmoth while he was at lunch?

princess: And I thought that Molly was such a nice lady too! Oh well.

knight: Well, we seem to be in some sort of horse drawn wagon, and did I hear them say we’re going west? That’s back the way we came. Damn! Kidnapped and going the wrong way, and we didn’t even end up with a gold shoe.

princess: But we did, look! I snuck it off the hook when it got smokey.

knight: You’re brilliant! Oh, but hold on. It’s certainly gold but it’s just an ordinary horse shoe shape.

princess: You mean a horse 'U' shape?

There is no time to develop this conversation as the canvas flap back of the cart flies open, and we are faced with the familiar sight of Rolly Moll beaming up at us once more.

Moll: All right my dears, out you get! You asked the wrong bloke there all right! Odin was who you should ‘ave seen.
I was supposed to take you back to the start, but I took pity on you. So I've brought you ‘ere, to my cousin 'Gene.

Moll takes us into the small cottage. There was a woman at the stove.

Moll: Ere you are Gene, here’s a couple of waywards for you to look after.

Gene: You not stoppin’ Moll?

Moll: No tis too far. Got to get to back to Bill and the bar.

Gene: I’ll make up a bed in that cosy corner.

She collects some bed linen from a cupboard and continues to chatter while going about her duties.

Gene: Now my dears, how would you like to exchange a U for an O? Tis important that you find them in the right order or it’ll turn out all wrong. Now ‘ere’s a promise, if you can tell me the answer to a riddle and my name too, you may have what you seek. Fair exchange, for that be no robbery! Wot about writing me a spell? But it has to spell right, or it won’t work? Now here’s my question… the cloth I wear is not for mending,
yet tis torn and blue?

But we are tired, and before we can even think of an answer we fall asleep in the cosy corner that Gene has made up for us with bed linen. As we drift away in our dreams we trust the spell will come.

In the early light of the day we wake at the same time and talk excitedly in whispers, for we realise we both have been given part of the answer, but need each other to solve the rhyme.

We rise to the smell of new-made toast. Taking it in turns to say the lines, we write them one by one on the breakfast table with a charcoal stick from the fire

knight: Two more letters makes your name........ completE
princess: An E then a ..........................................U
knight: Bring us Odin’s ...............................gold rinG
princess:Make our wish ..............................come truE
knight: the cloth that you wear....... that’s not for mendiN’
princess: for what tailor could stitch up the torn sky of bluE?

Eugene: Why, so tis the cloak I where when I wakes up somewhere new. And tis my full name restored too. So, I can’t say no. Hmm, now for that ring of gold you seek my dears?’

She holds her hands over the oil lamp on the table. A golden halo suddenly forms. In a few seconds, the halo materialises into the a golden circle, and it drops with a clunk onto the timber tabletop.

We thank Eugene, and carefully pick up the beautiful ring, and place it in the bag. With it Eugene hands us a scroll on which there is a poem.



....................................after 'n'
........................a number...ten before ten
.................the moon...........the world, the sun
.............everything, nothing.......the universe as one
...........a letter before ‘p’...........................simplicity
.........eternity, full yet empty.............................infinity
.......both forever..........................and less than an instant
.....the face of time and..........................a timeless moment
....complete and whole...............................the endless snake
.....it is what positive and negative...............................make
....where numbers begin..............................open and closed
....it has the strongest skin.............................and envelope
......encompassing space........................... an exclamation
.......in upper case, a cycle.........................a wheel round
..........an egg, an ovum........................a startled sound
............an orbit.......................we can not even begin
.................to absorb it..............beginning of time
.....................beyond reason..............and rhyme
..........................a binary..................'no'
....................................omnipresent
.........................................zero



Eugene: Now my dears, I need to give you a clue to find the next letter, even if you already know what it is, you still need it. Go to my friend’s house and speak her name. She is most particular about it, mind. Here is the clue you need.

Eugene writes it out on a scrap of paper and hands it across the farmhouse table.

knight: What does it say?

princess: We'll read it properly when we get outside, let's make a start to look for the next letter.

knight: Bye Eugene

Eugene: Bye you two, good luck!

Before venturing far, we take time to study Eugene's clue...

at the end of the day
ever without end
three from seven to choose
two from seven to lose
if you should words confuse
Merlin's mistress fair
holds it high up in the air