"Grandpa, tell us a story," said a girl and boy who were both about five years old.
"What kind of a story do you want to hear?" asked the grandpa.
"I want to hear a story about dragons and magicians and neat stuff like that," said the boy as he sat down on the rug next to the old fellow's chair.
"Oh not me, I want to hear about a fairy princess who grows up and marries a handsome prince," protested the girl as she chose a warm comfy spot on Grandpa's lap.
"That's girly stuff. Tell us about how a hero beat up and captured a really evil dude and then all the people gave him all kinds of presents because he had saved them," said the boy.
"My, my. That's a lot to put into just one story. Do you really want to hear about all those things?" said the grandpa as he scratched his chin and thought about the stories he knew and the places he had been.
"Yes grandpa, we really do," said the girl as she snuggled deeper into the old man's lap.
"Well, if you really want to hear about all those things, then the best story I could tell you is the one about how your daddy helped save a world."
"My dad helped save a world?" said the boy in disbelief, "How did he do that? Did he take pictures of somebody who was going to steal an atomic bomb or something? And then he gave the picture to the police and they caught the guy and that's how he saved the world?"
The grandfather looked at the boy and smiled as he listened to his imagination rattle on. "Well it would sure have been something if that had really happened. But, the story I'm going to tell you is a true story. And do you know why I'm going to tell you a true story?" Both children shook their heads so the old man answered his own question. "I'm going to tell you a true story because they are the best kind. Now get on up here with your sister and let me tell you about what happened when your daddy was just a younger. In fact, he was just a little older than you two are now.
When I was growing up on Thordon, most of that growing up was without a mommy or a daddy. I suppose that had my mother lived to see me stand as a man, she would have shed as many tears from frustration as from pride. But, she was not around. So as my son's height grew towards my own, I had no pattern to fall back on.
Shawnreann and I came to this world just after Thordon had been healed. Now by Thordon's time, it had been five or so years that we had been away. But time marches differently here than on Thordon, so almost twenty earth years had passed along.
Shoren Christopher Lovengat was born with all the magic and charisma that you would expect of a halfelf of royal decent. Even though we were new to the land, everyone found him most irresistible. The folk who lived near us would flock about just to gaze at the child. He had exquisite features.
His hair reminded you of the rays of sunshine that break through the clouds and reveal as bright a noon as any you have seen. And his eyes were the color of fresh clover honey as it sits in the hive waiting to be treasured. When a woman came into his view, those eyes brightened so that all who looked upon them were sure that he would be a most handsome man once he was full grown.
Before Shoren could talk, he would wiggle his little fingers on the flutes his mother made and blow out whimsical little childlike tunes that entranced his playmates and endeared him even more to the neighborhood mothers. When he was learning to walk, he would watch the ways that other folk moved and as soon as he could stand alone, began to emulate the grace and agility he had seen and admired in them.
He seemed to pick up at a remarkable age the ideas and talents that would lead him down the paths I had trod in my youth. And when I would see young girls try to sneak him kisses, it would make me think of Sheerone and the ladies who gave me refuge when I didn't really need any.
Do not misunderstand. You're not listening to the bragging of a father blindly rambling. Shoren spent the whole of his youth excelling in everything.
In school, he had the highest grades. In the community, he was always being recognized as an outstanding citizen or scout. And you can be certain that he did more than most to fill the school's trophy case in athletics. His trophies included archery, swimming, track & field, and soccer. It seemed as though there wasn't anything that he couldn't do. But in the pursuit of all this glory, a rift began to form.
From the first day of his life, Shawnreann and I taught our son in the language of our fathers. Night after night Shoren would fight off sleep so that he could listen to the tales of a far-away world of dragons and elves and magic and such. But as Shoren got older and more involved with his friends, what they thought became more important than the memories and dreams we wanted to share with him.
It started out small. When we spoke to him in elven, he would only answer in common or English as you call it. And if conversation turned to the subject of Thordon, he would make some excuse and leave the room.
He was so bright and so quick to learn. He was never without a laptop computer. He even bought what gear he needed to record information onto disks because he never wanted to miss a thing. It didn't make sense to us that he would wish to know so little of who and what he truly was. It was when Shawnreann and I approached him about going home for a visit that the rift turned into a chasm.
"For Pete’s sake Dad," Shoren said angrily, "I'm almost eighteen years old. You don't really expect me to still believe all those fairy tales and bedtime stories. Do you?"
"Shoren, the stories your father told you about Thordon are true. I know, I was there," said Shawnreann. "And if it wasn't true, how could we have taught you the elven tongue?"
"Elven tongue? You're as bad as Dad is," said Shoren, "Where are you really from, Scotland or somewhere in Ireland? I don't care where it is. I just expected you to tell me the truth."
Shawnreann started to say something but before she could, Shoren cried out, "C'mon Mom, I'm darned near an adult. Level with me."
I took Shoren by the arm and pulled him to face me. "Your mother has never lied to you. We are from Thordon. You are halfelf. And there is magic running through you that you haven't begun to understand."
Shoren jerked his arm from my grasp and said, "Get off it Dad. I'm too old for your stories." And he turned and stormed out of the house.
All that afternoon, while he was gone, Shawnreann and I talked about just how Shoren might best learn the truth about Thordon for himself. We came up with a plan to send him home. We plotted and planned out every detail. Since his graduation from high school was only weeks away. Hints would be accidentally dropped of a gift to beat all gifts.
A few days before the big surprise, Shoren heard his mother and me talking about an ocean voyage and the stage was set. He confronted us about his gift being a cruise and we gave up trying to keep it from him. On the morning after graduation, he was packed and eager to embark on his first adventure away from home.
The talk that Shoren had only heard part of was just after Shawnreann had contacted Lex and Cat about taking our son on their ship and introducing him to the things he should know about our world. They would have a cabin all ready for him. If he was on board ship, we felt the shock of being in a world he didn't believe existed might be easier to take. It could at least be easily controlled.
I packed a bag of holding that I had stored away with the tools, instruments and weapons that Shawnreann and I had found most usable when we were back home. I even packed my old set of dragonslayer armor so that his mother could be certain he'd come home in one piece. Everything was ready. The hardest part of the journey would be getting Shoren to willingly step through a portal that would take him home.
Aside from her instruments, setting this up was the best magic I ever saw Shawnreann do. She placed the portal at the front door of the house. Then I went out the back door and around to the front drive. I pretended to check things out on our car as if I was preparing to go somewhere and Shawnreann loaded Shoren up with his backpack and my bag of holding. She called to me from the window that Shoren would bring everything out in one trip and that she would be out in just a minute.
Shoren asked what she had in the old sack and she said that it was some old things we were going to drop off on the way. Shawnreann said that she would check the back door lock and meet him out front. Then, she gave her son a kiss on the cheek and headed for the back of the house. Shoren shifted his backpack and the bag of holding so that both of his hands were free. Then he picked up his laptop and reached for the door. In the next moment, he stepped out our front door and onto Hope's Wind.
JOURNAL ENTRY: The sky was blue. And the sea was the right shade of green. The air smelled with the right freshness of sunshine. But with all this, I could not deny that something within me declared that I was no longer on the earth that I had grown up to know. I looked about. The vessel on which I stood seemed almost oriental in design. It had one great sail that rose up from the rear of the ship like a dragon's fin rising up out of the water. The only other structures in my view were a small room up near the ship's wheel, a mast behind that, and what looked like a little house sitting below the sail. About mid ship, I could see a large square opening that was lined on two sides by stairs that led down toward the belly of the vessel. And at both sides of the hull, there were what looked like paddle wheels that stuck out into the water.
The folk that I could see off near the helm seem either unaware or uninterested in my sudden arrival and I thought that perhaps if I closed my eyes, the hallucination would vanish and I would be back home again. But as I closed my eyes, the sounds of the sea did not disappear. When I cracked one eye open just a bit, the only thing that was different was that a couple was quickly walking toward me.
"Shoren, you’re right on time," said the man with his hand stretched out in greeting. "I'm Lex and this is Cat. She's the captain, but I still like to pretend that I'm in charge."
The woman broke in, "I was so happy to hear that you could join us on this voyage. When your mother told us how handsome you had grown, I thought she must be exaggerating. But to see you now, well I'm just glad I'm the only woman who lives on board. We'd never get any work done around here."
I stood there shaking the man's hand and my mind rushed back to stories of my childhood. Lex was the Death Knight who was redeemed and then help save the kings. Cat was his wife who had become a pirate in order to find him. I tried to speak but it took me a few moments before I could make any words come out.
"Where am I and how did I get here?" was all I could say. I wanted to make sure I had said it right so I said it again, "Where am I, and how did I get here?"
"Why you are home, Dear, on Thordon. And this is my favorite ship. She's called Hope's Wind. Isn't she lovely?" The woman smiled gently, softened her tone and said, "You came through a magic portal and you are perfectly safe. Your mother and father are dear friends of ours and we promised to show you Thordon for them."
Lex lifted the old sack from my shoulder and said, "I know this must be a bit of a shock. After all, this is your first time on Thordon. But the tales you grew up hearing of our world are all true." He took me by the arm and we started for the stairs. "Why don't we show you to your cabin and you can take some time to relax and unpack."
"Throby is so excited about you coming that he has been baking all morning," said Cat as we walked down to the first level of cabins. "I'll let him know you are here. A bit of lunch will settle your spirits." We reached a door which Cat unlocked and then handed me the key. A boy walked up behind her and dipped his head in a short bow of respect.
"Roloft here will be close by and ready to help you in any way. All you need do is call."
I looked at the boy as my hosts walked back toward the stairs. In the face, we looked about the same age but he was a good foot shorter than me. I thought at first that he must have been ill as a child. Because he was altogether sort of smallish and frail. He was nice enough looking. He had the curliest hair and it made him have kind of a wild look. I realized that sticking out from under those curls were the tips of ears that were distinctly pointed. The boy knew I was looking him over and he grinned nervously. He spoke. And even though it had not been English, I understood it to be an offer to help me with my bags.
"Oh I can get this," I told him, "But Cat did say something about lunch. It isn't going to be anything weird is it?"
Roloft looked up at me. "I'm sorry. Would you rather I spoke in common?"
It was then that I knew I had to face facts. "Are you an elf?"
"Well of course I'm an elf," said Roloft as he picked up the sack that Lex had set down. "What did you think I was, a troll?" He stopped and looked at me. "Have you never before seen an elf?"
I walked in and plopped down on the bed. "I've never before seen anything and honestly I'm a little confused," I told him. "This morning, I was getting ready to go on a cruise and now I'm on a ship right out of some swashbuckler's movie complete with an elf boy as my personal sidekick."
"Boy? I dare say that I'm older than you by thirty or forty years," said Roloft, "But you are not the only one who is confused. You use words that I do not understand. Sidekick, I think I understand but what are cruise, swashbuckler, and movie?"
"You may call it something different, but everyone knows what movies are. You watch them on television or in theaters."
"Oh I've been to a theater," said the elf as his face brightened. "Just after I first went to Mythrindell, I saw a ballad of Stephan's acted out."
"No, I don't mean live theater. Movies are pictures, moving pictures. Wait a minute. I'll show you." I reached into my backpack and got out a disk. I slipped it into the laptop and turned it on. A video of New York started playing and Roloft stared at the screen.
"What magic is this," asked Roloft? "Even Insees are not so small as the folk living in your box."
I turned off the computer and shook my head. "They don't live in the box. It’s just a picture of the people. They live in a city on my world. And trust me there's nothing magic about it."
"This is more like magic than anything I've seen," said Roloft. He was so busy looking at my computer that he didn't notice the knock at the door. I was digging in my backpack and asked him to answer it. Whoever it was knocked again and Roloft opened it so quickly that the person behind the door was startled too.
"Whoa lad," a voice sounded, "It’s only me. Captain said that you and our guest would be wanting some lunch."
"Come on in," I called, "I'm starved." I wasn't paying attention when he came in and set the tray on the table. I turned to thank him but no one was there.
"I'm down here, lad," said the little man. I looked down and before me stood a round little fellow who couldn't have been more than two or three feet tall. He had a broad grin and shining eyes. I couldn't tell what color hair he had because he wore a cloth tied about his head. But my first impression was that he had a most pleasing temperament.
"You're Throby. And that would make you a..."
"Halfling, my boy, and head of the kitchen. So if there's something special you get a taste for, I'm the one to see," said Throby. He looked at me as if he could read my mind and said, "I realize that you have been away so you've never seen a halfling before. But surely, there be folk as small as me on your world as well."
"Only kids," I blurted out.
"Goats," asked Roloft?
I had to think of the word Dad had used. "Youngers. Only youngers are as small as you."
"Well, if you think I am small, wait till you see a gnome," he said. Then he turned to swat Roloft on the knee and said, "What's he going to be thinking if Miss Ka-ree comes flitting about?" His own joke filled his heart with laughter and he toddled out of the cabin and back down the hall.
Now Dad had told me once that a halfling's laugh is contagious and I suppose that must be true. Because as we listened to Throby's laughter fade out of earshot, we couldn't help but smile. The smiles turned to giggles and before we knew it, we were rolling around laughing our hearts out. It was a good thing too. Because when we finally did stop laughing, we were both pretty much over the shock and a friendship filled the space where fear had been.
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