......Continued “Who are you?” screamed Henry. His memory had returned to him. “You asked for my help, didn’t you?” the gargantuan spider spoke. “I didn’t,” argued Henry who was already prepared for the worst. “Didn’t you shout that someone should tell you what’s happening to you?” “Was that why you’re here?” Henry asked. “Yes,” the spider replied in a friendly gesture, “I’m the guard of the power of this kingdom. Where you opened last month is called the Power House. It contained all the powers of this kingdom.” “I don’t believe you,” said Henry in an audacious tone. “I never saw a single wand in it—in fact I saw nothing,” Henry expressed repugnance for the weirdo right in front of him as he spoke. He had earlier fixed his thought on the fact that giving up the ghost right there now would be preferable to staying alive, since the difference his initiation had made ever since becoming a citizen was just that it had, according to his own thought, raised his troubles to the power of ten. The yardstick Henry had used no one knows. “I said I never saw a single wand in there,” Henry repeated, “So, you ain’t guarding any power,” deduced Henry. To Henry’s surprise the creature’s face beamed with what Henry had felt was a smile, then it said, “You’re right Henry, I’m guarding nothing, yet I’m guarding the Power House. Since its construction about four hundred years ago, no one had come near it let alone open it.” “But I opened it, what’s the consequence?” said Henry with great brusqueness, not wanting to dabble into the Spider’s ambiguous speech, since he was not expecting anything other than ambiguity from an ordinary animal, which had even made amazing attempt in the first place to speak. ‘Death of course!” said the Spider. “Then go ahead, kill me,” replied Henry like one tired of life. The large spider released a great draught from his nostrils and it blew Henry away along with the mighty black web which was taken off Henry’s head, yet Henry’s feet seemed glued to the ground. Henry’s mirror, having been airlifted by the gust from the spider’s mouth, was smashed on a rocky structure behind Henry. The spider moved a foreleg, which was about twenty meter long, and almost placed it on Henry’s head. The great spider had only four legs; two forelegs and two hind legs. His forelegs appeared to be twice the length of the hind ones. Henry had envisaged dead, so he fastened his eyelids together, as though not wanting to witness the death of himself. Amazingly, the creature said, “Henry, I can’t do that.” The spider placed his leg to the ground again. “Why?” Henry asked, overwhelmed with shock. “Because you’ve got a destiny no one can reverse.” “Tell me, what’s my destiny?” asked Henry immediately, his head raised as if to look probingly into the large face of the spider, but Henry wondered if the strange thingamabob before him would notice his two puny eyes at all. “It’s not of me to tell,” it replied soberly. Henry was gutted. “Then free me and let me go.” “It’s not of me to free you either,” it replied, but in an amiable manner. “You see Henry, nobody can spend up to a week in Gyrus and survive, but you did it. You’ve set a record nobody can break. You’ve spent over three and half weeks in Gyrus. Can you see those beards?” Henry was not a bit interested in the Spider’s natters. All he needed was instant freedom or death, but the first appealed to him more now, since the spider had already said he had got a destiny. Henry had already made up his mind to try find it out, at least, before bidding earth (or Gyrus) goodbye. “Great spider let me go.” “It’s not of me to free you, I’ve told you before. Ain’t you enjoying my company?” smiled the spider. “Not a bit,’ shouted Henry with a tone of bellicosity. “You’re not wise scraggy old spider. If you spare my life and keep me captive here the magistrates will kill me. Why not kill me now or let me go now?” “None of the two is good for an option. You still have about four more months to stay in bondage here.” “Then after that—” “After that I’ll release you to the Magistrates to do whatever with you.” “Okay, I’ve got two things to ask you, perhaps you’ll tell me the answers,” said Henry who was feeling that the time had come to clear his mind off the doubts and uncertainties that had befuddled him most. “Ask them, I’ll answer,” said the spider to Henry’s elation. “Professor Wilson’s Seventh Question, can you remind me what it was—now?” he said inquiringly, but the spider said, “Huh—uh, one problem about you magician is ‘now’. You want everything done ‘now’. Fame now, answers to mysteries now. That’s why you’re powerless.” “Powerless,” Henry’s eyes developed into a bulge. “What d’you mean?” “You’ve got no power all you magicians. The ordinary ones are more powerful than you are.” “It’s a lie,” said Henry without giving it a second thought. “It’s the truth,” the spider affirmed. “Ordinary men have power of self-control, magicians don’t have. They can refrain from revenge, you can’t. They even live longer than you do. Tell me, do you know when you’re going to die?” “How can I know?” said Henry. “Why should I want to know? All I want to know is the Professor’s Seventh Question,” he added still. “That’s what I’ve just told you,” said the spider slyly. “You’re lying,” cried out Henry. “You never told me any Seventh Question.” Henry never realized that the spider had provided the answer in the course of its conversation. “It’s better for you not to know, but if you insist on knowing someone else will let you know the answer to it later.” Henry said, “What about my second request?” “Ask on, I’ll answer it.” ‘Kim will be fighting with Harrison, but Harrison’s receiving help from the Power Guard. I want to pass this message to Kim. Can you tell him on my behalf?” “Someone has told Kim already,” said the Spider. Then it sighed and said, “It’s that same chap that will give you the answer to the Seventh Question.” “You’re not straight forward,” Henry maligned. “That’s because I’m bending backward. It’s my posture,” replied the spider. “That’s not what I meant?” grimaced Henry, then diverted, “Go away from me spider, you’ve not rendered a single help.” “Are you saying that my help’s no more needed?” asked the spider playfully. “You’ve not helped me before now, have you?” “Look behind you, your mirror,” the spider called his attention to his broken mirror. Henry looked back and realized that it had been mended already, just as it was the day he had received it. “It’s a small thing. Nothing to fuse about,” shrugged Henry intending to frustrate the spider. “You sure of what you’re saying?” said the spider in a disappointed tone. “Yeah, sure—just a mirror.” “Well, magicians are ungrateful; I’ll never mend a mirror for anyone again in this planet. It’s an oath that cannot be altered,” said the Spider with a tone of sincerity. Then it sulked and withdrew from him. It swiftly made a hollow in the ground and got itself into it. Of its own accord the hollow closed its mouth to bury the spider alive. Harrison smiled as he placed the mirror gently in a safe place. He had just finished communicating with the Power Guard through it. The man had asked him to come to his place to get his own wand. In a short moment, Harrison was there. “Here’s it,” said the Power Guard as he handed Harrison his wand. “You’ve got to practice with it overnight. You know Kim’s a Mystery Maker, so don’t be fooled by his tricks.” “I’ll be very careful sir,” Harry assured. “You can go now.” “Thank you sir,” said Harrison as he bobbed briskly to the Power Guard. As he pulled the door open the man said, “Harrison one more thing.” “What sir?”
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 07:20:01 +0000
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