The Binkle and the Catawampus Compass (Binkles and Magic) (6 page)

Well—there hadn’t been any. None at all! And until the awful night Helen broke down, neither of us saw it coming. I can’t put much trust in doctors or their scientific mumbo-jumbo. They haven’t fixed you, and it looks like they never will.

Although Chris started out every visit determined to stay cheerful, it was nearly impossible to keep it up. Before long his tortured feelings would bubble up.

“I miss you so much. I’d give anything if¼” Once such heart-wrenching emotions spilled out, his self-control deserted him. He had to go right away.

He kissed his wife goodbye before rushing from her room with tears glistening in his eyes. His visits to her took all the stuffing out of him.

Sadly, Chris never told Jeep any of this. So the man and the boy each suffered their cheerless grief alone.

Chapter 5—

INSIDE THE CHAMBER OF ANCIENT WISDOM

When Jeep could walk easily without pain, Grikkl asked, “Ready for an adventure?”

“Sure, but aren’t I having one already?”

“Just you wait, Laddie, just you wait... Let’s get going.”

Grikkl handed the boy one of his heavy woolen robes. The arms were long enough, but it was cut so short it fit Jeep rather like a jacket.
Wow! That’s right. I’m a kid but already a lot bigger than Grikkl is
.

Once they got bundled up, Grikkl walked up to a cavern wall. With a flip of his wrist he pulled back a bright tapestry. Jeep saw a door cut into the otherwise unbroken rock—with nothing but a large keyhole on its rough-hewn surface. Grikkl inserted the heavy key that dangled from the golden chain around his neck. The door quietly swung open away from them. Ahead Jeep could see nothing but darkness.

Cerberus leaped eagerly into the opening. Adah handed a lighted lantern to Jeep and another to Grikkl. After they stepped into the passageway she closed the door behind them with a solid thunk.

They walked single file—first Cerberus, then Grikkl, then Jeep. The ceiling of the tunnel was high enough for Jeep to walk without having to squat down. The narrow tunnel twisted at odd angles sometimes going up and sometimes going down—shifting direction for no apparent reason. Jeep stumbled over the uneven footing and twisted his ankle more than once. However, Grikkl didn’t have any difficulty and bounced along barely touching the ground. Jeep notice there wasn’t any of the kittens cracking by Grikkl, either.

Cerberus impatiently led the way, as he repeatedly ran ahead and returned to them before running off again. Jeep’s mood echoed the dog’s high-spirited eagerness
. I can’t wait to get there, even though I don’t know where we’re going.

Although the tunnel was cut through solid rock, in some places the ceiling was shored up with heavy timbers. Tiny rivulets leaked down the rocky walls here and there. Jeep dodged drips from overhead, and a few times he needed to leap across places where water had puddled.

Every so often Jeep saw unfamiliar letters painted on the rock walls.
Could these be road signs for gnomes? I wonder what they say. Or maybe we’ll run into a bunch of dwarfs down here.
When asked about what they said, Grikkl just grunted. Although Jeep never found out what the symbols meant, he later encountered similar figures all over the underground domain.

Before the procession went very far the tunnel ended at a solid wall of rock. Cerberus sat—with the patience one feels while waiting for the light to change. Grikkl set his lantern down, freeing his hands. He majestically raised both arms upward, then chanted, “Gaggoob boonaaa taamooloodem...” Grikkl repeated the melodious cadence four times. His voice was so low it sounded like the earth itself was groaning.

At the end he dropped his arms and picked up the lantern. For a long minute nothing happened. But then Jeep noticed a tremble underfoot, followed by a rumble, then a breeze. Ever so slowly, the rock slid back just wide enough for the three of them to slip through.

Once on the other side of the rock wall Grikkl clapped his hands in an irregular rhythm. The rock closed behind them, leaving no sign it ever moved.

Jeep was getting used to such unexpectednesses (so does that mean they cease to be a surprise?).
It’s just the way magic works
, he reminded himself, no more amazed than he would be for the arrival of an elevator back home. The procession continued its downward journey until halted by another wall of rock.

This time Grikkl blew musical notes (ta-ta-tee-ta-dum) on a whistle hanging next to the key. Like before, the rock wall creaked and moved aside. On the procession went, down, down, down, ever deeper into the earth.

Why are so many protections necessary, I wonder? Surely no one could get in here
if they’re not supposed to
. Jeep’s thoughts were interrupted when they reached two massive wooden doors that blocked the passageway. Each door had its own keyhole and looked exactly the same.

At this obstacle Cerberus took charge. The dog sniffed around each door and made tiny woofing sounds. He paused to listen and would then woof more loudly. Cerberus repeated the process as he ran back and forth between the doors. To Jeep’s ears the only sounds he could make out were the ones caused by the dog. Finally Cerberus stretched out in front of the left door.

Grikkl patted Cerberus, “Good dog,” as he inserted the same key around his neck into the left-hand door.

Grikkl told Jeep, “One of these doors is enchanted and leads to The Path of No Return. I’ve never figured out where it ends up, but there’s no way back to this world from there. But it’s not the same door every time. Even I don’t know which is safe. But I can always trust Cerberus to make the right choice.”

~~~

The heavily-carved wooden door swung open into a large rock chamber. Inside was so black that their lanterns couldn’t penetrate the darkness. After they entered and closed the door Grikkl mumbled a moment and gestured with his hands. The candles on the walls began to burn, making the room as bright as twilight.

They snuffed out their lanterns and set them by the door. Jeep asked, “Why do you bother with lanterns if you can just wag your fingers?”

“There are spells in the tunnel.”

Jeep rolled his eyes and said with exaggerated sweetness, “Oh yes, that explains it.”
Just another answer that doesn’t explain anything.

Grikkl marched around and through the mystifying piles of strange objects stacked everywhere in the large cavern. Jeep could barely contain his curiosity as he gawked around. Most of the chamber was still in shadow, but Jeep could tell it was huge. The ceiling was probably 20 feet high. In the dimness Jeep couldn’t even see across to the other side.

As soon as Grikkl reached an area arranged for sitting, he again worked his lighting spell with quick hand motions so it felt like a cozy living room. Then he settled in and gestured for Jeep to do the same. Once Grikkl got his feet propped on a nearby crate, Jeep assumed they wouldn’t be leaving for a while.

“Where are we, Grikkl? I feel like I said ‘Open sesame!’”

“You’re righter than you know, Laddie. Some of this stuff was in that fabled cave as well.”

“But why?”

“We’ll get to that soon enough. I’ve brought you to a place with priceless and irreplaceable treasures—every one of them remarkable in its way. These objects are one of a kind and most of them influenced the course of history in a positive way. They’re not mine, just so you know. I’m merely their caretaker, sworn to protect them.” He sounded a bit in awe of the responsibility, as he gazed across the vast collection with respectful amazement.

“Wars. Battles. Quests. These things you see here were often present, sometimes as the prize. Or at least they were nearby as a witness to events that were changing the world of their day. Many of those stories have been faithfully retold in history texts and legends—no doubt with some exaggeration. Grand stuff...” His attention wandered off to the ancient past. Jeep waited in respectful silence—although not patiently. Later, with a shake of his head, Grikkl pulled himself back into their present place and time.

“Before we go on, there’s something I need from you. Grikkl assumed a solemn expression. “Promise me... Promise me, Jeep, you’ll never tell anyone that this place exists or what you see in here. Even to know about this chamber puts you in a very small group—most of them not human.”

“You can trust me not to tell.”

“Tskkk! What kind of vow is that? Make your words more resolute! More determined—it’s an oath I’m asking for. This chamber and all it represents is dead-serious. You might have to defend your pledge someday. People have died defending this secret.”

“I get it. My lips are sealed! I will not tell anyone about this place or what I see or hear in here.”

“Certain?”

 “You can trust me, Grikkl. Honest.”

“I think you’re right. That’s why we’re down here, Laddie. I
am
trusting you.” Grikkl’s face brightened and twinkled as he dropped his stern manner.

“The official business is done. So go have a look around. Just be careful—many objects are very old and fragile. Put whatever you handle back exactly where it was.”

Jeep didn’t need to be told twice. Poking through piles stirred up a billow of dust. He sneezed and reached into his pocket for a tissue. Instead he found his compass and pulled it out without thinking. From long habit, he tried to get a fix on North. The compass needle kept spinning around, and never stopped. Jeep shook it several times but the needle wouldn’t slow down.

Grikkl had been watching and laughed out loud. “That won’t work down here, you know. There’s no way you’ll ever get an accurate reading.”

“Because we’re way underground?”

 “No—it’s the unusual concentration of high-vibration energy here. That’s what’s making your compass go catawampus. A lot of other things can’t work here either, like clocks and radios. Nothing that used electricity”

“Because it’s magic¼?” Jeep ventured.
Anything strong enough to mess with magnetic forces has got to be pretty powerful—or magical.

 “Something like that.”

Jeep’s attention was attracted to a pile of swords, shields, and helmets stacked as though ready for a tournament. He fingered a badly scratched shield, feeling the coldness of the coarse texture and the deep gouges along its surface.
Wow! These scrapes probably happened in battles where ordinary people fought—maybe even died.

He imagined himself as a daring knight in early England as he strutted about holding a round shield and swinging a short sword. When he put on a helmet he could see hardly anything through the narrow slit before his eyes. He could barely hold his head up because of the weight, and the helmet’s sharp bottom edge gouged into his shoulders.
So heavy!
How could anyone move around in this and still fight? I’m sure I could’ve done it, though. I’d have liked being a knight
.

Jeep yelled, “Hey, Grikkl, is this stuff from Camelot?”

“How could you tell?”

“Any chance you knew King Arthur?”

“No, a bit before my time. That was about the Sixth Century A.D, and I’m only 800. A really long time ago, that was.”

“Hard to think of you as too young. Only 800. Good one!”
Some historians argue that King Arthur and Camelot never happened, that they were just a myth. But I never believed it. This stuff
proves it!
This is the solid, touchable history.

Nearby, Jeep saw heaped-up trunks and crates that overflowed with pirate treasure—gold coins, jewels, elaborate carvings, and gold bars. And over there, stacks of framed pictures that showed knights and warriors engaged in deeds of valor. And there, Indian relics... And over there, rugs and tents... And there, stack after stack of thick, aged books... And here, and there, and there..., wherever his eye landed. Jeep saw one incredible wonder after another. A person could spend years and not see it all—let alone getting into all the crated-up stuff.

I can only guess what’s in all those boxes and piles. Like I’m in a king’s treasure house. No doubt, there’s an amazing tale that goes with everything that’s here.

Grikkl busied himself gathering some heavy books and rolled parchments. Too soon, he called, “No more exploring today, Laddie. Get settled—we’re going to be talking for a while.”

“Grikkl, how’d all this stuff get here? It’s way too much to carry. Besides, the tunnel’s way too narrow for it to get through.”

“Exactly so, I thought you’d spot that. This much treasure couldn’t have gotten here even with a lot of helpers.”

“Then, how’d you do it?”

“Not all done by me—not by a long shot. It happened over a long stretch. Think of this place as being where two realms touch. On the other side of where we’re sitting is fairy country—a whole different reality. Most of this stuff was brought here by way of fairyland. Right through these rock walls. Not much toting or grunting that way.”

“Huh?”

“It’s just a different dimension. Both are real, in their way—and not that far apart. And once you figure out how to move easily between them, it’s no big trick. And there are other dimensions besides. You humans only live in one of them and don’t have any idea what you’re missing.”

 “If you say so... So what is this place? Why?...”

“You’re in the Chamber of Ancient Wisdom, a protective home for irreplaceable treasures from long ago. They bear witness to important conflicts between good and evil that changed the course of the world.

“But what’s all this stuff for?”

“What you see here isn’t just tons of precious old stuff, not by a long shot. This place is sort of like a museum, some items are thousands of years old. Everything brought down here played a role in the never-ending war between the forces of light and the forces of dark. Sometimes good prevails, and sometimes it fails for a time. But the noble efforts of innumerable brave people have managed to keep the power of good from being snuffed out.

“What you see here are reminders of things that matter—like honor and courage. Keeping these treasures in a safe place prevents vital links to ancient times from being forgotten. As long as these objects are here, memories about what the people involved contributed to the world will not be lost.