THE BEGINNING

COURTLAND

FLATLANDS

THE RUTHLESS GINZBIRD OF BADER

MOORELAND

THE VALLEY OF LEDGE

THE SIFTON

RETURNING HOME

This work is dedicated to all who have suffered from injustice.

Never do we know where opportunity lies.
Even disappointment may open a door,
And give us a chance to grasp a prize,
That we never considered before.

On the eastern edge of the world surrounded by ocean waters is a group of islands called the Islands of the Great Eastern Ocean. These islands are off the track of the trade winds that bring typhoons, tsunamis and other storms and disturbances to that area of the world and they are on the edge of the monsoon path so that during the rainy season, the islands are washed by a gentle rain rather than the heavy, curtain like downpours that deluge other lands.

The temperature is warm the year round, though not torrid as expected in the tropics. This difference is due to the southern breeze that blows over the islands throughout the four seasons. It is a gentle land inhabited by people who, though also gentle, retain the strength and character of their distant ancestors who sailed to these islands from other lands in ancient times. The islands and the sea give to the people an ample and healthy diet.

Life on the islands was filled with contentment and happiness. Alas, it came that the happiness and contentment must be tried. And tried it was. Jealousy arrived wearing a back pack filled to bursting with envy, deceit and selfishness and it contrived to bring about unhappiness by using love.

A woman named Cora fell in love with a young man named Geoffrey who loved her in return. They were happy together and planned to marry so that they might have many children. However, they did not know that jealousy had arrived and found his way into the heart of Lady Rhanna.

The islands were governed by a council, the leader of which was the High Lord. The council members were chosen by the people to make the laws and determine matters that effected the entire community. The High Lord was also elected but once elected, he and his family became nobility so that his children were referred to as Sir, for the sons, and Lady, for the daughters. Lady Rhanna was the daughter of the High Lord of the islands. She was also a young woman filled with love and that love had found an object in Geoffrey. She loved him beyond all reckoning, beyond all reason. Her affection for him caused her to become jealous of Cora who had Geoffrey's love. She determined to take him for herself regardless of the pain that it would cause Cora.

Lady Rhanna used her standing among the people to spread false rumors about Cora. And she managed to be around Geoffrey as often as possible. It was not long before the plan worked and Geoffrey began to return Rhanna's affection and neglect Cora. Cora took it poorly. She pined for Geoffrey when he was not with her which became more and more frequently for he had become enamored of Lady Rhanna. Soon he too was in love with Lady Rhanna as she was with him. When Geoffrey told Cora that he loved her no more, she wept. She begged him not to leave her, but in vain.

The High Lord learned what his daughter had done and was troubled. She had acted dishonorably, but what could he do? Could he punish his own daughter? Could he tell the council? What was he to do? He was sworn to do justice. But was this a situation in which he should involve himself? He sought advice from Wesley.

Wesley lived in a cave above the sea and liked to lift heavy objects without touching them. He called what he did "levitation" and practiced it constantly, even while thinking deeply, which he often did. Unfortunately, he was sometimes interrupted while doing so and would be distracted resulting in the thing that he was levitating crashing to the ground and breaking into pieces. All around his cave were the broken remains of vases, glasses, chairs and tables and other things so badly smashed that what they once were was impossible to recognize. Wesley could not identify their prior form either because once the echo of the crash faded, he would be absorbed in something else and forget all about them.

When the High Lord arrived outside his cave, Wesley was sitting thinking about the manner in which the sun travels across the sky from East to West. The unerring path of the great globe of light filled his imagination as he levitated a delicate vase made to hold only the most beautiful of flowers. The arrival of the High Lord distracted him and sent the vase crashing among its predecessors and shattering into the smallest fragments. "Oh drat!" Wesley exclaimed at the loss of the vase. He wished to examine the pieces to determine whether it might be repaired but instead he hurried outside to greet the High Lord.

As the High Lord approached, he saw a figure coming toward him with black flowing hair and long yellow cape billowing out behind. The person coming toward him was a man of average height for an islander with an overbite and eyes the color of coal.

He was smiling broadly. However, his smile changed to a look of concern as he approached the High Lord and saw the trouble that haunted him in his face.

"My lord," said Wesley. He held out both hands in the island fashion to the white haired man before him. The High Lord was slightly taller than himself but shared his dark eyes. He was dressed in brown trousers and shirt. The only indication of his rank was the purple sash that he wore across his chest. The High Lord took Wesley's hands in his own and smiled at his friend. Wesley then took him by the elbow and led him into the cave.

Inside the cave, the High Lord was amused by the pieces of glass and wood that lined the base of the wall. "What was it today?" he asked.

"A vase," said Wesley. "Though not a very valuable one," he added. "Come, sit down and I will make tea for us."

"Thank you," the High Lord responded.

"Just tell me what you wish me to do," Wesley said while making the tea.

"Is it that apparent that I come for help?"

"Yes. I only hope that it is not a problem of tragic proportions."

"It may be," the High Lord said. "It concerns my daughter Rhanna."

Wesley did not respond. The image of Rhanna appeared before his mind's eye. She was a slight young woman with black hair cut short and dark eyes the shape of flower petals. The site of her made his heart sing, even though she was not actually before him. The mention of her name brought to him the sound of her voice and the fragrance of her company. He smiled slightly at the thought of her.

"Did you hear me?" the High Lord asked.

"Oh! Yes, my lord. What has happened? If I may ask. She is well I hope."

"Yes, she is well. But I am troubled to the depths of my soul."

Wesley's brow wrinkled with concern. He was reluctant to hear what was the matter but he knew that he must hear and must advise the High Lord concerning his daughter and Wesley's beloved.

The High Lord told him what had occurred between Cora, Geoffrey and Rhanna. "It threatens to divide our people and cause bad feelings among them that can only lead to grave trouble. Yet, Rhanna is my daughter and I love her. I don't know what to do."

"You must do what is best for the community, of course. When you became High Lord you swore to place the interest of the community first and now you must do so, even if it means punishing Rhanna."

"I don't know that I can do that."

"Then you must resign," said Wesley. "You have taken an oath."

"Yes," the High Lord responded. "But who could take my place."

"No one is indispensable," said Wesley. "But, if I may, you would be letting down the people who elected you were you to resign. They have placed their confidence and their hope in you. To leave them without your leadership because of a family matter would be a betrayal of their trust in you."

"I came here for you to advise me," the High Lord said, "But you make my task more difficult."

"You came for me to advise you not to make your task easier."

"True," admitted the High Lord. "What am I to do?"

"When in doubt, always do what is right," Wesley said.

"You know what that means?"

"I do," responded Wesley.

"You may never see her again," the High Lord said.

"You know then?" Wesley asked.

"I have known of your love for Rhanna for some time, my friend. I regret that she has not returned it."

"Thank you."

"No. It is I who must thank you for recalling me to my duty. Good day, Wesley."

"Good day, my lord."

The population of the islands was gathered in and around the Great Meeting Hall. They filled the hall and flowed out onto the surrounding veranda and onto the grass around the building. Almost all were there for the governing council was to decide what must be done about Lady Rhanna.

The High Lord sat in the center of the council that was seated at a long table in the front of the large room that formed the interior of the hall. He looked sad and weary for he had not slept in many nights. Wesley refused to enter though. Instead, he waited outside away from the crowds of people.

The people had not come to enjoy Lady Rhanna's discomfiture or to cheer her embarrassment. They loved her and felt badly for her, but they also loved their islands and their way of life and that required that Lady Rhanna be disciplined. Therefore, they gathered to support both her and the law of their land.

She entered quietly. Indeed, many made way for her but others had to be told that she had arrived, so silently did she appear among them. She proceeded to the center of the hall and then to the front where she stood before the long table with her eyes averted to the floor at her feet.

"You know why you are here?" the High Lord asked.

"Yes, father," Lady Rhanna replied.

"You have done wrong by Cora," the High Lord said.

"Yes, father," she replied. A murmur of approval passed through the assembled people at her agreement that she had done wrong to a fellow islander. "I ask that she forgive me. I meant her no harm, though I caused her harm."

"We have determined that you must atone for what you have done." The High Lord hesitated. "You are to be banished," he said hastily as though the words made his mouth taste bad. A gasp rose from those present and a hum of conversation. Lady Rhanna remained silent; she did not even look up.

"No!" cried Cora. "No. She does not deserve such a punishment. She fell in love. She was selfish," Cora said. "But banishment is too severe."

"I have not finished," the High Lord said.

"I forgive her," Cora said. "Please don't send her away."

The High Lord did not respond. "You have committed an injustice. Therefore, you must atone. You must bring justice to places where it is needed or from which it has fled. When you have done so, you may return here to these islands and all will be forgiven. However, you must learn justice by doing justice. Only in that way will you truly clean away the wrong that you have done not only to Cora but to the community of which you are an honored member."

"Yes, father."

"Do you understand?"

"I do," Lady Rhanna said. "I shall do as ordered."

"Immediate passage has been arranged for you to the western edge of the world. Go." Lady Rhanna turned to leave without speaking. As she did so, the High Lord called after her, called after her in a trembling voice, not as High Lord but as her father, "God be with you."

The assembled people parted to allow her to pass. As she went among them, they too said to her, "God be with you."

Outside the hall, Wesley stood before her. She stopped and looked up for the first time. Wesley stood there wrapped in his yellow cape. "Come," he said. "I will walk with you to the ship that is to take you away. I wish that I could go with you."

"You must remain here," Lady Rhanna said. "The people need you, as does my father."

"Yes, but I would still prefer to share your trouble rather than remain behind."

"Thank you, Wesley," Lady Rhanna said quietly. She looked around at the people looking at her as she went. They wished her well. She thanked them but it was not them that she was looking for.

"He is not here," Wesley said.

"I am glad that he is not," she said.

"Are you really?" Wesley asked. "He wished to be here but I would not permit it."

"Truly?" Rhanna asked.

"Truly. He too wishes to go with you but it is forbidden."

"Yes," Lady Rhanna said.

"I have done something that you will doubtless disapprove but he will be with you."

"How?"

"I have made him into a dog that will travel with you."

"You didn't."

"I did. He awaits you at the boat." Rhanna did not know whether to laugh or to cry thinking of Geoffrey as a dog. "Call him Gef. I have also arranged to help you in your labors. When necessary, all you need do is say `Come forth` and you will be aided."

"Thank you, Wesley."

"You're welcome. God be with you, Rhanna." They arrived at the boat and a large red haired dog ran up to them and jumped up to put his front paws on Lady Rhanna. He wagged his tail wildly. "He will return to his normal self when you again approach these islands."

Rhanna smiled at the dog and petted him. The two then walked quickly up the gang plank of the boat. At the rail of the boat they turned to look again on their homeland as they moved out to sea. Soon, they were gone from view. The people turned away from the pier and started home, many with tears in their eyes, including Wesley and the High Lord.

To each of us is given the chance to do
That which helps our fellows, and us too.
Alas, too often we look away,
Too many times ignore,
The passing chance to seize the day,
Like the heroes who've gone before.

In the country of Courtland it was always winter. Not the winter of bright white snowfalls, ice skating and sledding but the winter of grey skies that send down sleet and freezing rain on the country and people. Not the winter of cold clear nights and snow blanketed fields but of grey frost that makes all that it touches lifeless and dull. However, it was not always so.

There was a time when Courtland was a happy place where the seasons changed with the calendar and spring came with its budding flowers and its warm, sun filled days or its nourishing rain. Spring was invariably followed by summer with its green fields and soft, refreshing breezes which gave way to autumn and the falling leaves and burning fireplaces followed by winters replete with snow and ice covered ponds upon which to skate and white covered hills on which to sled. But that was before the monsters came and took up residence in the caves above Courtland. With them came the clouds and the sleet and the freezing rain. The children began to disappear and the people became frightened.

The first monster was the Altman, a female creature covered in black drapery with a long beaked, meat eating bird on her shoulder called a debra. It was whispered that the Altman was born in a diamond mine and made of coal. The debra whispered into the Altman's ear and told her what she wished to hear. She also ate anybody who tried to tell the Altman what she did not wish to know. The Altman brought her followers to Courtland with her and ordered them to take over the peoples' homes and force the people into the streets and the fields. These followers, the Windels, the Hoffmans and the Fergusons served the Altman and the debra by bringing the children of Courtland to them. The Altman wanted all of the children. The people did not know what she did with them but they were afraid and hid their children.

The fame, or infamy, of the Altman, the debra and their followers spread far and wide. In the far north where the sun never shines, two creatures learned of the Altman and what she was doing in Courtland. They immediately set out for the country to do battle. They were the Meskill and his sister: the Kaye. When they arrived in Courtland with their own followers, a great battle occurred in which the Altman was defeated. She and the debra and their followers were destroyed and eaten by the Meskill who gave their bones to the Kaye to pick at, except for the debra which was cooked on a spit and eaten by the Meskill's wife the Batts, who only eats pets. The people of Courtland were grateful and declared a holiday throughout the land to honor the Meskill and the Kaye. They prepared a feast from the food that they had concealed and brought their children out of hiding. Though they were concerned that the sun still did not shine, they went forward with their holiday.

Alas, the Meskill and the Kaye also wanted the children. Therefore, they turned on the people of Courtland and demanded their children. They dressed in black drapery like the Altman and sent their followers, the Griesas to seize the children and bring them to the caves above Courtland. The Griesas were also given leave to punish all who resisted them, which they did.

At the caves, the Meskill's wizard, Jacob, hypnotized the children and made them believe that they were going on a holiday while sending them to a dark place from which they never returned. The people were vexed; they had been tricked and now were left to deal with two monsters. However, they had no alternatives. The Meskill and the Kaye appointed their follower Leval as Premier of Courtland and he would do nothing to displease them. They also appointed Jack B. as their Chief Judge. Jack B. was known as the Walker because when the people came to him to seek justice, he told them that they would have to go elsewhere and walked away from them.

Therefore, the people of Courtland were defenseless and without any power to protect themselves or their children from the Meskill and the Kaye. All attempts by the people to seek their rights and freedoms resulted in their being accused of wrongdoing by the Griesas and punished. The people tried to send messengers to other lands and other countries to seek help, but the Griesas closed the borders. They set up blockhouses in the doleful Dolinger Wood and the damp, smelly Kimba Swamp (the only way in or out of Courtland except over intractable mountains) to keep the messengers from leaving the country. When they captured the messengers, they took them to the Meskill and they were never seen or heard from again. Thus, the people were left to suffer as though the devil had them by the throat with no relief.

Each day that passed brought new outrages and injustices for them to suffer while the only relief they had was in prayer. But their prayers were not answered and they began to lose faith and hope that they would ever be happy and free again.

Many years after the Meskill and the Kaye came to Courtland, a young woman crossed the border into the country. She came through Dolinger Wood and Kimba Swamp onto the grey, frost covered plain. She was a slight woman with dark eyes the shape of flower petals and jet black hair. She had a dog with her, a red haired dog named Gef. The dog trotted along next to her for she walked with a quick stride. When the Griesas guarding the frontier saw her cross into Courtland, they were surprised, indeed, astonished. In all the time that they guarded the border to prevent Courtlanders from leaving, not one person had attempted to enter, not one. Until now. They did not know what to do, whether they should chase her away or whether they should capture her and take her to the Meskill. They sent a messenger to the Meskill who told him about the woman. He told them to bring her to his sister so that they might learn what she was doing in Courtland, where no person ventured. He then told his wife about the woman and her dog. "A pet dog!" the Batts said.

The young woman, whose name was Rhanna, continued walking along the plain though she buttoned her parka and put up her hood against the sleet and freezing rain. On the sides and in front of her, eyes watched from ditches and culverts, from rocks and hills but she paid them no mind. An old man approached her and her dog. He was white haired and bent with age; he looked into the roadside ditches as he walked and called, "Vincent!". When he saw Rhanna, he looked for a place to hide but there was none. "Hello," she said to him.

"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want here? We have nothing more to give," he said.

"I have not come to take anything from you," she said. "Don't be afraid."

"I am always afraid," the man said. "Everybody in Courtland is afraid."

"Why?" Rhanna asked, but the man did not answer. "Who is Vincent?".

The man saw the Griesas approach. He turned away and ran as fast as his old legs would allow without answering Rhanna's question. Suddenly, out of the grey sky came a creature draped in black with fangs from which ice sprouted when she smiled. She stopped before Rhanna and Gef. It was the Batts. She looked hungrily at Gef with red veined eyes. However, she stepped back when the dog bared its teeth and growled at her." I have come to welcome you and your dog to Courtland," she said to Rhanna, though without taking her eyes from Gef.

"Thank you," Rhanna said politely from inside her hood that concealed her face in darkness from which only her petal shaped eyes shined out.

"You have a very nice dog," the Batts said.

"Yes, he is very nice," Rhanna replied. Gef only growled. A group of Griesas approached to protect the Batts.

"He is not friendly," the Batts said to Rhanna.

"He is usually friendly" she responded.

"We have few visitors to Courtland," the Batts said. She looked up from the dog to Rhanna for the first time, but she could not see her face inside the hood of the parka, only her eyes that shined from the darkness. Those eyes made the Batts turn pale and step back among the Griesa. "Why do you come here, my dear?" she asked.

"I am passing through on my way to the east," Rhanna said.

"Ah," the Batts responded. "You must visit my sister-in-law, Kaye," she said. "She will be happy to meet a traveler. You must tell her all about your journey."

"Thank you; I will," Rhanna said.

"We will look after your dog while you do so," the Batts said, once again casting hungry eyes on Gef.

"No," Rhanna responded in her quiet voice. "Gef stays with me wherever I go."

"Oh," said the Batts, "but the Kaye is an exalted personage. You would not want to insult her by bringing a dog into her presence. Would you?"

"No, I wouldn't wish to insult her. Therefore, I will be required to send my regrets and go on my way without meeting her."

"Oh, no!" the Batts said. "Perhaps we can make other arrangements. Where will you be staying the night, my dear?"

"I shall seek an inn to rest myself," Rhanna said.

"Oh no," the Batts smiled and icicles formed on her fangs. "There are no inns in Courtland. You must stay with us. We so rarely have visitors here. You must tell us all about the world outside."

"I know little of the world that I can tell others about."

"But we know nothing," the Batts said. "I will see you again at my sister Kaye's." She then rose into the air and vanished. Rhanna and Gef continued on their way, the Griesas stepping aside to let them pass. As they walked over the plain, the eyes continued to watch.

"The dog was ferocious," said the Batts to her husband.

"So you did not dine?" asked the Amalya, the Meskill's assistant, with a smile. But the Batts did not answer the question. "The woman frightens me," she said. "It is as though she were not alone. I had the strangest feeling that she was accompanied though I saw only the dog. It was as if many others stood with her."

"She is only a woman," the Meskill said in a harsh, choking voice.

"But I fear her, my husband. She must be destroyed."

"You are afraid because she is the first visitor that we have ever had," the Amalya said. "Let us play with her before we destroy her, and learn whether there are more coming into Courtland. Then you can eat her dog."

"No!" shouted the Batts. "She must be destroyed now. She is good, I tell you, and will do us harm. I looked into her eyes and found no evil there. She must be destroyed."

"You speak as though she were justice itself," the Amalya said. "I doubt that we have anything to fear from her and her dog."

"Enough," said the Meskill. "We will wait until the Kaye has had a chance to see her. Then we will decide whether to destroy her now, or destroy her later."

The Kaye lived in a smaller cave that was guarded by her serpent followers, the Murphy and the Sullivan. They permitted no creature near their mistress. They frightened all away who tried to see her or, if they could not frighten them, they destroyed them. This was because the Murphy and the Sullivan were in truth the Kaye's masters. It was they who ordered her, rather than the other way around and they did not wish others to know this for they wanted power and if the Meskill learned that they were his sister's masters, he would be angry and destroy them.

However, when Rhanna and Gef approached, they could neither scare them nor destroy them because the Meskill had ordered that the Kaye meet with them. Nevertheless, the two slithered to the entrance to meet the visitors and intimidate them. The two serpents rose up and hissed and spat and said terrible things to Rhanna and Gef. But when the dog barked and ran at them they slithered away, leaving a trail of slime on the floor of the cave. When they were safe in the darkness, they hissed and shouted and threatened but they did not approach. When the Kaye's Minister of War, Bellicose, approached to greet the newcomers, the Murphy and the Sullivan slithered away and into the Kaye's chamber. Like everybody else in Courtland, except the people, Bellicose was draped in black. He was not only Minister of War but also Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of New Visitors. Since there was no war, no foreign affairs and no justice in Courtland, he had little to do until now. And he did not know what to do now that he had something to do. So he looked at Rhanna and at Gef. And at Rhanna and at Gef. And at Gef and at Rhanna. He then said, "What do you want?" to Gef. The dog barked. Bellicose stepped back, startled at such a rough greeting.

"We're here to see the Kaye," said Rhanna softly. Bellicose stepped forward again, casting an uneasy glance at Gef as he did so. "Nobody sees the Kaye," he said.

"Then we will go," responded Rhanna. "Come, Gef." She and the dog turned away and began to leave the cave.

"No!" said Bellicose. "I haven't finished. Nobody sees the Kaye without an invitation. But since you have an invitation, you may enter. I will show you the way." Bellicose rose to his full height and turned away from Rhanna. He started to walk toward the rear of the cave when he noticed that Rhanna and Gef were not following. "Come on," he said. "I have not got all night."

Rhanna did not move. "You are rude," she said.

Bellicose rolled his eyes with impatience. "Of course I'm rude; I wear a black robe. I am permitted to be rude."

"Not to me," Rhanna said.

Bellicose stepped forward angrily but stepped back again when Gef growled. He was about to speak when he saw Rhanna's eyes looking out of her hood at him. They made him tremble as they had the Batts. "Who are you?" he stammered.

"My name is Rhanna," she said. "I am here to see the Kaye."

"This way, please," Bellicose replied. He bowed and motioned her to proceed before him. As she walked into the darkness of the cave, a soft light seemed to surround her and light her way.

The Kaye wore a black robe. She had grey curly hair over her head and face which was square with shaking jowls. When Rhanna entered her chamber she was sitting behind a high bench, listening to the Murphy and the Sullivan hissing instructions into her ears. The serpents withdrew into the darkness as Rhanna approached.

"I am pleased to greet you, my dear," the Kaye said in a high pitched voice.

"Thank you," responded Rhanna.

"We have few visitors in Courtland. And no dogs. So we are curious about a young woman who would come into our country unannounced. Have you a visa?"

"No."

"Well, surely you understand that a foreigner cannot come into a country without a visa. That's the law."

"I am only passing through."

"It makes no difference," the Kaye shouted at her. "You must have a visa. It's the law."

"Then I will get one," Rhanna said softly.

"Courtland issues no visas," the Kaye responded.

"Then I will leave," said Rhanna.

"No. You have violated the law and must be punished. Yes, you must be punished."

"How can I violate a law that requires a visa if there are no visas?"

"It's the law," the Kaye said. "That is all that need concern you. Why do you wear that hood over your head? Are you cold?"

"Not with my hood on."

"You mock me," the Kaye said.

"I answered your question," Rhanna said.

"Take your hood off and let me look at you, my dear."

The Murphy and the Sullivan slithered out of the darkness to get a closer look at her as Rhanna removed her hood. When she had done so, the two serpents shuddered, cold blooded as they were. The Kaye trembled.

"You are a lovely young woman," the Kaye said. "Why have you come here?"

"I am passing through on my way to the east," Rhanna said.

"You are not alone."

"My dog is with me."

"There are others too; I know there are. You cannot fool me."

"No, Gef and I are the only people or animals."

"You have come here for a reason, haven't you?"

"I am passing through to the east."

"I sentence you to ten years in prison for entering Courtland without a visa. If you wish to continue your journey, you will tell me why you are here."

"I have told you."

"Do you not know who I am?" the Kaye asked. "Are you unaware of my position? I am an exalted personage. You must show me respect."

"Respect is earned," Rhanna said.

The Kaye turned to Bellicose. "Have her taken away and put in the prison," she said.

"Yes," Bellicose bowed.

"No," said Rhanna softly. "The days of injustice in Courtland are over." Gef barked and Rhanna raised her arms. "Come forth!": she called.

As though out of the earth, an army of soldiers and sailors appeared behind her. Soldiers and sailors from all wars and from all ages, soldiers and sailors who had fought for freedom and given their lives for justice, soldiers and sailors from Marathon and from Carthage, from Masada and from Orleans, from Waterloo and from Gettysburg, from Ladysmith, the Argonne, Normandy and Leyte Gulf, Inchon and Hue and many other battles.

The Kaye stood and shouted at them, "Get out of my chamber. How dare you! Do you not know who I am?" She produced a weapon from under the bench she was sitting behind.

But they struck her down and destroyed the Murphy and the Sullivan as they attempted to slither away. Only Bellicose escaped by running from the cave.

The soldiers and sailors then formed ranks and marched from the cave. Outside the entrance, part of the group went down onto the plain while another group followed Rhanna to the cave of the Meskill.

Outside the cave, the Batts flew down and demanded, "Who are you?"

"I am Lady Rhanna from the Islands of the Great Eastern Ocean."�

"I will destroy you!" The Batts charged at Rhanna but the soldiers and sailors struck her down; she fell from the mountain and burst into flame.

On the plain, Bellicose met a large group of Griesas rushing to the aid of the Meskill. He stopped them and formed them into ranks. Now he was war minister.

"We must destroy this army," he said. "What to do? What to do?" He paced before the Griesas who were impatient to act. More Griesas joined the group. "Half of you charge the mountain and protect the Meskill," he said and half of the group hurried toward the mountains. Bellicose looked toward the mountains and saw the soldiers and sailors coming towards him. "What to do? What to do?" he said.

He chewed his finger nails and pulled at his ear. Then he smiled. "I know what we will do," he said. "They are great soldiers, men of honor and integrity. We will use that weakness against them. Get the people and use them as shields."

The Griesas hurried to the ditches and the culverts, the hills and the rocks from which the people watched Rhanna pass by. They forced the people to stand between themselves and the soldiers so that the soldiers would not be able to shoot. The Griesas then aimed at the soldiers and waited until they were close enough to shoot at them.

However, the soldiers were professionals and had sent a detachment ahead to hide on the plains where they covered themselves with earth and weeds (camouflage). When the Griesas passed by them, they jumped up and ordered the Griesas to drop their weapons. The Griesas turned to face them, the people ran away and hid again in the ditches. The soldiers and sailors fired and the Griesas fell back toward the Dolinger Wood and Kimba Swamp. However, the firing of weapons set the wood and swamp afire. The Griesas escaped the fire and returned to the plain where they faced the soldiers and sailors. A great battle erupted filling the plain with noise and smoke and flame. The people lay down in the ditches and covered their heads against the danger, the smoke and the noise. But the battle was brief. Soon, all the Griesas were destroyed including Bellicose. The soldiers and sailors again formed ranks and marched back toward the mountains to get the remaining Griesas between themselves and their colleagues on the mountains. After a brief but terrible battle at the foot of the mountains, the Griesas were all destroyed. No one was left to protect the Meskill and his assistant and followers.

However, as Rhanna attempted to enter the cave, she and the soldiers and sailors were fired on from inside. The fighting men charged in firing as they went. The firing soon ended. When the smoke cleared, she and Gef entered the cave. The Meskill, the Amalya, Jack B., Premiere Leval and Jacob were destroyed and burning. All was silent. Then Gef was heard to bark.

He was at the back of the cave scratching at a place on the wall. Rhanna approached and found a door. The soldiers broke it down and rushed inside. But all was quiet there.

Inside was a large room, a very large room, in which many children were working. They worked on tread mills and at machines that were turning out small items for sale. When Rhanna entered the children stopped working to look at her and the soldiers.

"Is one of you named Vincent?" she asked.

"Yes," said a little boy who approached her with frightened eyes.

"I am Rhanna," she said. "I have come to take you home to your grandfather. Would you like that?" she asked.

"Yes." he said. Rhanna took his hand.

"I have come to take you all home. From now on, you are free," she said to the children. "Follow me."

The soldiers and sailors formed two lines to protect the children, just in case they had failed to destroy all of the Griesas. The children followed Rhanna through the lines of fighting men and out of the cave where they covered their eyes from the bright light.

The sun was shining. And the people were rising from the ditches and the culverts and coming out from behind the rocks and the hills where they were hidden. The sun felt warm on their faces.

They looked towards the mountains and over the plain. Through the smoke from the battles and the burning Dolinger Wood and Kimba Swamp, they could see Rhanna and Gef leading a group of small people down the mountain paths toward the plain. When they saw who the small people were, the women covered their mouths to prevent themselves from screaming and the men covered their eyes from the glare of the sun (or so they said later). They began walking toward the mountain and the children. But they were soon running. When the children saw them, they too broke and ran toward them. They met at the foot of the mountains and embraced and wept with joy and laughed and danced.

Their mission accomplished, the soldiers and sailors returned whence they had come until needed again. Rhanna, patted Gef who licked her hand and wagged his tail. They then turned away to continue their journey to the east, confident that the seasons had returned to Courtland.

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The finest quality to possess
Is dedication to that which is just.
The finest quest is to redress
The evil caused by violated trust.

The country was called "Flatlands" for so long that many of its residents did not remember its ever being known by any other name, if it ever was known by another. The name described the contour of the country; there was hardly a hill in the entire land. And its vegetation was also curiously flat, the primary flora being known as a "flat bush". Nevertheless, it was a pretty country: green and lush and filled with a dark soil that was good for the growing of all kinds of crops including every kind of food that its climate would allow. Because of its beauty and its rich soil, the farms of Flatlands had once been legendary for their fruits and vegetables. But no longer.

The land was now neglected; its farms were unworked. No fruits or vegetable were grown in Flatlands anymore. Where once, it supplied the neighboring lands with food, it now imported all of its needs. Where its people had once been industrious and hard working, they now were idle and resentful. Where once it was a happy land, it was now suspicious and harsh. This was because of the "junta" (pronounced "hunta").

The junta was a group of four judges who had usurped the power and authority of the people by punishing the right to speak and to petition the government. By misusing their power to determine the facts of disputes and apply the law, which is what judges are supposed to do, they ordered that all activities that might interfere with their power and authority be stopped and those who engaged in such activities be punished. In this way the junta made the elected leaders and legislators of the land nothing more than figureheads without power or authority to do anything of which its four members did not approve.

The result was that the people of Flatlands were no longer free but mere components in the great machine of the state driven by the junta which determined how they worked, where they worked, what they were paid and where they must live. There were a few rebellions. However, those who rebelled and sought freedom and liberty for themselves and their fellow citizens were arrested or forbidden to earn a living to support their families. As a consequence, the people did not even question the junta for fear that they too would be punished. The common expression became: "Just because I know it doesn't make it so". Truth and honor, the impulse to do what is right, were no longer found in the land. The people turned on each other and harmed each other, crime became epidemic and the people grieved for the loss of the life that they once lived.

However, the junta did not care. Its only interest was power and authority. That people were harmed by its actions meant nothing to its members. The four were happy with their positions and cared not at all for others. They surrounded themselves with a personal police force that protected them from the resentment of the people and that pursued those who might bring liberty back to Flatlands. And they lived in great houses, guarded and surrounded by fences to keep the people away from them.

In their positions as judges the junta members discriminated against those whom they considered supporters and those whom they considered adversaries. Supporters were protected, adversaries were punished. Supporters were rewarded, adversaries treated as enemies. Every part and portion of the community was treated in this manner.

The churches were attacked as subversive, which means that they opposed the junta and supported freedom. Many were closed; others were attacked by the supporters of the junta so that people were afraid to attend them for fear of being attacked themselves for praying there. Those churches that remained open and were not attacked were those that agreed to support the four judges and preached what they were told to preach by the junta. However, many people of Flatlands refused to attend such churches. They prayed in private for an end to the reign of the junta and the return of freedom to Flatlands. But, when it was found out that they did so they were arrested. Their names were printed in the newspapers and read over the television and radio by the news media that supported the junta and suppressed news contrary to its interests. Their children were taken from them and placed in special schools to be taught to support the junta. When their parents were released and returned home, the children no longer loved them because they had been taught falsely that those who do not support the junta and who love their country and think for themselves are bad people.

A man named Peter stood in the middle of a circle of people. "We can no longer allow the junta to determine how we live. We are free human beings," he said. "Freedom and liberty are the right of everybody not just the few who have power. Something must be done," he said. A group of men in body armor arrived and approached him with weapons drawn. When the people who were listening saw the men in body armor, they hurried away. "Don't go," Peter pleaded, but the people were gone. And he was taken away at gunpoint.

He now stood before the bench in a courtroom on the second floor of the courthouse. He was short, thin, almost elfin. The bench towered above him so that he had to bend his neck as far as he could to see above the rail of the bench. The eyes of four men, who were leaning forward in their chairs, looked down from the bench at him. They were the members of the junta.

"Liberty is the right of everybody, is it? You believe that we have broken the law, do you?" one of the judges asked.

"I do," the man answered.

"And who are you to judge us who are judges?" another asked.

"I know the difference between right and wrong and what you are doing and have done to this country is wrong. It is a violation of the laws of men and of God."

"And you have decided to expose us, have you?" asked a third judge.

"Yes, I have."

"You are very courageous for so small a man," the first judge laughed. He then became serious. "Or very foolish. Whichever it is, though, will do you no good."

"You will regret your insolence," the fourth judge said. "It is not for you to decide what is right and what is wrong. It is not for you to determine how we should act or how we should conduct ourselves. Those decisions are for us to make, nobody else."

"Yes," said the second judge. "That is for us and no one else."

"It is for all men who believe in justice to decide. Truth and honor belong to no one. Justice is the inalienable right of all."

"Perhaps for others," the third judge said. "But not for us. We decide what justice is. It belongs to whomever we decide it belongs to. It is not for you or anybody else to decide."

"We have given some thought to what should be your punishment," the first judge said to the man. "You have a family. You have a home. You have a profession. We have determined that you no longer be permitted to earn a living or practice your profession. Those who seek investigation of the actions of judges are not to be permitted to earn a livelihood. You and your family will regret that you sought to judge us. Think about your courage when you and your family are hungry and cannot afford to buy food. Take him away," the judge said to the guards.

"I'll be back," Peter said as he was led away. "Justice will return to this country. I don't know how; I don't know when. But I know that it will return and you and your supporters will be turned out."

"Take him away, I said." the first judge replied.

"How rude he is," the third judge complained as the four left the bench.

On an evening in early spring, the day was sinking into the west in a pageant of colors and lights. The sun was red, the sky blue, the clouds that stood just above the horizon were painted pink by the fading light. However, the people of Flatlands did not notice the beauty of the sunset; they went their way with their heads down so that they could not see anything that they were not supposed to see or that might get them in trouble. Nor did they notice the woman coming from the same direction accompanied by a dog. She was young with short black hair and eyes the shape of flower petals. She and the dog stopped for a moment and turned to admire the scene created by the setting sun. She then scratched the dog behind his ear and continued into Flatlands.

As she passed the people of Flatlands, she smiled to them. However, her smile was not returned. The few people who looked at her, either looked quickly away or sneered at her for smiling. These latter, those who sneered, were supporters of the junta. They knew that she had not been in Flatlands long or she would not be smiling. It won't be long before the smile is wiped from her face, they thought. The woman took note of them as she passed.

She continued on into Flatlands until she came upon a police officer near the court buildings. He was dressed in black and wore boots. In the holster at his side was a large pistol; a radio was attached to his belt and a bulletproof vest protected his upper body. She stopped to ask for directions to a hotel where she might spend the night.

"Who's asking?" the police officer responded.

"I am," the woman replied.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Rhanna."

"That your dog?"

"Yes, he is," Rhanna said. "Where might I find a hotel?" she asked again.

"A hotel? You're new here?"

"Yes, I am."

"What's your business here?"

"I'm passing through on my way east," Rhanna smiled.

The police officer grunted and turned away without answering her question concerning a hotel. Rhanna shrugged her shoulders smiled at her dog Gef and walked on. However, as she walked, she knew that the police officer was watching her and speaking into his radio.

"They don't seem to care for strangers here," she said to the dog. Gef barked in response. When they reached the city center Rhanna became aware that she and Gef were being followed. "Six of them," she said aloud. Gef began to growl but she petted him and told him not to let the followers know that they were seen.

Though it was dark and getting late, Rhanna sat down on a bench beneath a lamp post to rest. Those who were following her and Gef remained in the dark beyond the light spread by the lamp. Rhanna knew they were there though, and where each one was watching from. Gef was vigilant, guarding his mistress.

After a few moments' rest, Rhanna rose to continue her journey. When she did so, a woman came from the darkness into the circle of light cast by the street lamp. The woman stood just inside the light and did not approach. Rhanna paid her no attention but turned to go.

"What is your business here?" the woman called to her.

"Excuse me for answering a question with a question," Rhanna said, "but who are you to ask?"

"I am a captain with the Flatlands Bureau of Security (FBS)."

"I am passing through on my way east," Rhanna said.

"Where are you coming from?" the woman asked.

"West," Rhanna replied. She then started to walk away. Five men entered the circle of light and surrounded her and Gef who barked at them. They backed away from the dog. "Why do you interfere with me?" Rhanna asked. "Am I in custody?" she demanded.

"No," the woman responded. "We will be watching you though, all the time that you are here, we will be watching you."

"And what do you expect to see?" Rhanna asked.

"Are you mocking me?" the woman demanded angrily.

"I'm asking a question," Rhanna said.

"You had best be careful here," the woman responded. "We don't put up with trouble makers," she said. She and the others then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Rhanna smiled and petted Gef. "Good boy," she said. They then continued their search for a place to sleep for the night.

"A stranger, eh?" asked Judge Spiton, a member of the junta. "A young woman, you say. When did she arrive?" he asked.

"Last night at about dusk," Captain Tweakavage of the FBS, the woman who questioned Rhanna the night before, said.

"You spoke to her yourself?" asked Judge Tracer, also a junta member.

"Yes, sir. I did."

"And why are you suspicious of her, Captain? She's just a young woman with a dog," asked Judge Black, another junta member.

"I can't say, sir. But there was something about her that makes me uneasy. I believe that she may be a trouble maker. It's a feeling I have. Call it an educated guess if you like but I just know that she is going to be a problem."

"We can't very well authorize her arrest just because you have a feeling about her, even a feeling based on an educated guess," the last member of the junta, Judge Splatt, said.

"Sure we can," Tracer responded. "We can do anything we like. She's a vagrant. She doesn't have an occupation."

"And we're not going to let her obtain one either," said Black. "We don't let troublemakers earn a livelihood in Flatlands." The other three members murmured in approval.

"Where is she now?" asked Spiton. "Is she still in Flatlands?"

"Yes, sir," Tweakavage answered. "She is only a short distance from here. She is traveling east though."

"Then she may be on her way out of the land?" Black asked.

"She may be, sir. But she is moving so slowly and appears to be observing rather than traveling with any definite purpose that she is possibly not leaving."

"Arrest her," Judge Tracer said.

"And shoot the dog," Splatt added.

"Yes, sir," Captain Tweakavage saluted and left. Outside the courtroom, she gave orders to her subordinates through the radio that she carried. She then left the courthouse to supervise the arrest of Rhanna and the shooting of Gef.

Rhanna did not have to look behind her at the people following her and Gef. She knew they were there and she also knew that they would come to arrest her shortly. She knelt on one knee and put her arms about Gef's neck and whispered into his ear. Gef barked. When Rhanna rose, Gef ran from her and continued running until out of sight.

Rhanna then turned and walked back to those who were following and said to Captain Tweakavage, who had just joined them, "You wish to speak to me?"

"Yes," Tweakavage said. "How did you know?"

Rhanna smiled pleasantly. "You are here to arrest me."

"Yes," Tweakavage responded. She was becoming uneasy before this slight young woman. "Where's the dog?" she asked one of the subordinates who was following Rhanna and Gef.

"It ran away."

"He," Rhanna said.

"What!" asked Tweakavage.

"Gef is a male, a he not an it."

"Where is he?" Tweakavage demanded.

"He ran away," Rhanna smiled.

"Take her," Tweakavage said to the others. They took hold of Rhanna's arms and put handcuffs on her wrists.

"What am I charged with?" Rhanna asked.

"You'll find out," Tweakavage said. "Take her to the lockup," she said to two of her subordinates. Then to the other three. "Find the dog."

Gef lay beneath a thick bush in the darkness made by its shadow. He wanted to whine because he knew that Rhanna was in trouble and he was sad, but he knew that he must be quiet for to make any noise at all would give him away. He felt like a coward because he was hiding under a bush rather than helping his mistress but that is what Rhanna told him to do until she called for him.

Suddenly he heard a noise. It was an indistinct noise, a rustle or a shuffle maybe; he was not sure. But he knew that someone was near and approaching ever closer to him. And he also knew that it was unlikely that whomever it was would be friendly, not in Flatlands. The crunching of a leaf confirmed that someone was near. Gef turned his head and smelled the odor of a man. Then, he saw him through the branches of the bush, at least he saw the man's legs and his hands. In one of his hands he held a gun pointed towards the bush that Gef was under.

The man was approaching very slowly, very carefully, very quietly, at least quietly for a human though not for a dog who can hear and smell better than a person. Gef watched him approach until he was only a short distance away. Then, he crawled slowly away from the approaching man. He looked about to see whether there were any other people nearby. There was another man approaching a nearby bush in the same way and a woman near a bush farther away from Gef. This meant that, though they may suspect that he is near, they do not know where he really is; otherwise, they would all three be around the bush that he was under. Gef crawled in the opposite direction until he was sure that none could see him when he stood. Then he ran away.

After some time he found himself in a deserted part of the city where there were abandoned factory buildings and boarded up houses and stores. He crawled beneath the stairs of an old house and laid down. He lay quietly resting for more than an hour when he heard Rhanna's voice calling. "Come forth!" she said. Gef crawled from beneath the stairs and ran toward his mistress's voice.

Rhanna walked quietly between the two men. Captain Tweakavage walked behind her. Those who escorted her were uneasy. Their eyes moved from left to right and up and down and their heads turned continuously, looking, searching, observing. They felt as though they were being watched rather than watching, as though they were being followed rather than following. They were accustomed to frightening and intimidating people, but now they were frightened and intimidated. The experience was so new to them that they did not realize what it was. Indeed, the captain could not understand why her hand trembled. She placed it in her pocket so that the others would not see.

When they arrived at the courthouse, they ordered the guard to call for additional people. The guard looked at Rhanna, who smiled at him, and then at the captain. "Do as I say!" the captain ordered. Four more guards responded to the call and surrounded Rhanna. She merely kept smiling but said nothing.

"You are amused, are you?" Captain Tweakavage asked. "We will soon wipe that smile from your face," she said. "Take her to the courtroom," she ordered the guards. But Rhanna refused to go. She did not speak, she did not even move. She stood where she was and they could not move her. "Take her I said," the captain shouted.

"Unhand me," Rhanna said softly. The guards let go their grasp and moved away from her.

"What are you doing?" the captain demanded. However, when she looked again at Rhanna, her hands were free of the handcuffs that had bound her wrists. "Who are you?" the captain asked.

"I am Lady Rhanna from the Islands of the Great Eastern Ocean and I have come to free the people of this land. Come forth!" she called. As the echo of her call faded, men appeared as though from a dream. They were the police officers who had died in the line of duty protecting the people and who had struggled and battled against the forces of crime and injustice throughout the ages. Hundreds, then thousands came forward at her call. "Take them," she said motioning toward the guards and Captain Tweakavage.

"You can't do this!" the captain said as she was unarmed and her hands were placed in handcuffs as Rhanna's hands had been.

"Follow me," Rhanna said. She started for the stairs to the courtrooms but stopped when she heard a bark. She stopped and waited for Gef to join her. She knelt down and hugged the dog before again climbing the stairs.

The members of the junta were having lunch in their separate chambers when they heard a commotion on the floors below them. They came out into the hall at the same time, angry that they were disturbed while eating. They ordered their guards to learn what was the cause. However, before the guards could leave the floor, Rhanna led her followers up from below and confronted the judges.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Splatt, a piece of spaghetti stuck to his chin. "Who are you?"

"I don't care who she is," Spiton said. "Arrest her," he said to the guards. However, they were frozen with fear at the officers surrounding them. "Arrest her, I said," demanded Spiton when nothing happened. Gef barked at him and he retreated behind one of his trembling guards. "And shoot that dog," he said pointing to Gef.

Judge Black merely looked about, confused and questioning while Tracer attempted to strike Rhanna but was stopped by the officers and held fast by his arms.

"You'll pay for this," he said. "I'll have you in jail if it's the last thing I do. I'll sentence you to life, all of you."

"What do you want?" Black asked softly.

"Take them into the courtroom," Rhanna said. "We will deal with them in there."

"How dare you," Splatt said as he and the others were led to the courtroom. "Do you know who we are? Take your hands off of me."

Inside the courtroom, the four judges were placed before the bench. Rhanna sat on the bench but it was too high for her; she could not see over the edge to the four junta members standing on the floor below her. She came down from the bench. Two officers brought a table for her to sit behind and a chair for her to sit on.

"Who are you?" Black asked.

"I am Lady Rhanna from the Islands of the Great Eastern Ocean. I have come to return freedom to the people of this land. In order to do so, you must be removed."

"You wouldn't dare," Spiton said.

"Be quiet, Charles," Black said. "What are you going to do with us?"

"I should do to you what you have done to so many. You have used the law to aid yourselves and harm those who objected or sought to return freedom and liberty to this land. You have used the jails and the courts for your own purposes. You have corrupted the press and law enforcement. You have intimidated the people and poisoned the minds of their children.

"However, I will not visit vengeance upon you, though you have earned it, for vengeance is not justice. No, we do not seek revenge or retaliation for that would make us no better than you are."

The officers who came to aid her nodded in agreement. The four junta members looked about them and to each other with fear in their eyes.

"You will be exiled from here forever. You and your followers will leave this land, never to return. You will take with you the media members and the church members who aided you and the guards and police who supported your tyranny. If any of you ever return here, you will face the ultimate penalty. Be warned. Take them away."

"May we not go home and retrieve our possessions?" asked Splatt.

"The possessions that you stole from the people? No. You are being given your lives, nothing more." The officers took them away and expelled them from Flatlands. They also expelled the followers and supporters of the junta.

Word spread quickly that they were leaving and crowds formed to watch them go. The people along the road cheered as they went by. Many yelled at them and wished them ill. However, the officers would not allow anybody to hurt them. Soon they were gone from Flatlands forever. While they were going, Rhanna visited Peter. She told him that he was free to practice his profession again and to support his family again for justice had at last returned to Flatlands, just as he had predicted. He thanked her.

The next day the newspapers had headlines that told the people who did not know that they were free again. In a remarkably short time, Flatlands was again exporting food and its people were again happy and industrious. However, Rhanna did not wait for that; she knew that it would come in time. The police officers who came to her aid returned whence they had come until needed again. And she and Gef continued their journey to the east. Indeed, with the exception of Peter, the people of Flatlands did not even know that Rhanna and Gef had been there. They both thought it best that way.

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"They" always know what is best for us,
At least that's what we're told.
In our own thoughts we should have no trust.
To think for ourselves, "they" say is bold.
"They" will decide our future fate,
And until "they" do, we are to wait.

The people of Bader walked and moved about with their eyes on the sky: watching, seeking. They hurried in their progress and, often, fell or collided or tripped and injured themselves because they were looking up rather than forward. Then, when they saw what they were looking for, they would hurry for shelter and cower there, still looking up toward the sky.

After running for shelter, a woman with copper colored skin and black hair stooped down beneath a short tree with her eyes looking up. However, she was distracted by a soft voice from behind that asked, "Why are you hiding?"

When she turned toward the voice, she saw a young woman with black hair and flower petal shaped eyes looking back at her with an amused smile on her lips. At her side was a red dog with long hair.

"The Ginzbird," the woman replied. "It's hunting," she added and returned her attention to the sky. However, after a moment, she returned her attention to the young woman. "Take shelter," she said. "If it sees you it will swoop down and grab you or your dog before you can get away."

"Will it?" the stranger asked. She stooped down next to the woman and held the dog to her.

"You're not from here," the woman said to the stranger.

"No," the stranger responded.

"My name is Jill," the woman said.

"I am Rhanna. And this is Gef," she said of the dog while roughing the hair on his head.

"What brings you to Bader?" Jill asked.

"Passing through on my way east," Rhanna answered.

"There it is!" Jill pointed to a large soaring creature high above them.

Rhanna looked into the sky as the creature passed the sun casting its shadow over the ground below. Gef barked. "Is that what you are afraid of?" She asked.

"It's a predator," Jill said. "It takes people in its talons and they are never seen again. It especially seeks out children and the elderly."

"Why has nobody shot it down?" Rhanna asked.

"It's been tried but without success. It stays too high until it spots its prey and then swoops down quickly, grabs its victim and is gone as quick as that."

"Is no one safe from it?"

"No one," Jill said. "And at no time. It hunts both day and night. That is why we must move about with our eyes on the sky, so that we know when it is searching."

"Day and night?" Rhanna asked.

"Yes. It is always hungry."

"Has it been here for a long time?"

"As long as I can remember," Jill answered. "And I was born here."

"It must be very old for a bird," Rhanna observed more to herself than to Jill. She then petted Gef and opened the backpack that she was wearing. From inside she took a quiver of arrows and placed it on the ground.

Jill watched her as she took pieces of wood from the pack and assembled them into a bow. "What are you going to do?" Jill asked.

"I'm going to shoot down the Ginzbird," Rhanna said.

"You can't do that!" Jill said.

"Why not?" Rhanna asked.

"Because.... I don't know but you can't.  It's not allowed.  They say it can't be done.  It will come for you. It will see me."

"We will see what it does," Rhanna responded. "Which of these should I use?" she asked herself as she fingered the arrows in her quiver. They were divided into three groups each with different colored feathers at the end of the shaft. "The red is retribution, the black is punishment. The silver is justice." Gef barked again. "Yes," responded Rhanna. "Justice it is."

"You talk to your dog as though he understands you," Jill said.

"A habit," Rhanna smiled. She placed the quiver on her shoulder and then she strung the bow with string also taken from her pack. She pulled the string to test the tautness of the bow and then stepped out from beneath the tree.

"Come back here!" Jill said. "It's dangerous out there! It will see you. And me. "

"You're in no danger," Rhanna said as she stepped farther from the tree until she was in a clearing from which she looked to the sky where the Ginzbird continued to soar. Gef ran out from beneath the tree to join her. After a few moments, the Ginzbird began to circle in the sky above them. Though it was so high that it was difficult to see, it appeared that the bird's head was dipping down to view the ground more closely.

Then, suddenly, it began to dive. Closer and closer it came toward Rhanna and Gef, growing larger in their sight as it did so. It raced toward them out of the blue sky as its shadow darted along the ground toward them. Larger and larger it grew in their eyes until it blotted out the sun. Larger and larger it grew until it was all that Rhanna and Gef could see. They now saw its dark, vulture like eyes and its hooked and pointed beak. It slowed slightly in its descent and extended its talons to grip its prey. Rhanna watched its descent without concern. As it extended its talons, she could see the dry, broken skin around its ankles. It was now almost close enough to take her in those talons.

Just then, Rhanna lifted her bow and shot an arrow with a silver feather at the creature. The arrow struck home in the center of its chest. It screamed, a harsh, high pitched, siren like scream, and fell to the ground in a pile of bone and feather. Gef ran to it and sniffed at it but the ruthless Ginzbird of Bader was lifeless.

"You did it!" Jill, who was now standing at Rhanna's elbow, said. "You destroyed it. It's gone."

"It's gone," Rhanna said. "You have no need to fear this monster any longer."

A crowd of people began to gather to view the fallen creature. "Thank you so much," Jill said.

"You're welcome," replied Rhanna. She then returned to the tree where she had left her backpack and put away the quiver and the bow. She and Gef then continued their journey to the east.

A short distance from the fallen Ginzbird, Rhanna took hold of Gef's collar. "We had best not go too far," she said. "I expect that we will be needed again before very long. Let's find a place to rest."

They came to a clump of trees beneath which they laid down on the grass, Rhanna with her head resting on her backpack. She and Gef slept for more than an hour, there on the ground. However, they were soon awakened by a group of people who included Jill.

"There's another," Jill said. "It is hunting even as we speak. We had to gather the children and run for shelter. The people are sorely disappointed. What can we do?"

"We will find out how many there are and then decide," Rhanna replied. She and Gef followed the people back to where the Ginzbird that she had destroyed lay broken and lifeless. High above, another soared in the sky. The people hurried away to find shelter before it dove for them.

"We must learn where they live," Rhanna said to Gef. "Then we can destroy them all and end their terror."

"How do we do that?" asked Jill.

"I'm not sure yet," Rhanna responded. "For the moment though, let us take shelter."

As they did so, the soaring Ginzbird dove toward the ground. It took its fallen comrade in its talons and flew away with it.

"It will be back," Jill said.

"I'm sure it will," replied Rhanna as she watched the creature fly away from them.

"It will be back for the person who shot the other down," Jill said.

"Perhaps," Rhanna replied.

"What will you do?" Jill asked.

"I will have to decide."

"You may have brought revenge upon us."

"Yes," Rhanna said. "But you will never be free of the terror if you don't act. It does not go away of its own will. It must be stopped."

"We lived for many years with it. Now it will be angry."

"You spent many years in fear and many of your people were taken. That is not living," Rhanna said. "That is enslavement." She continued to watch the shrinking spot in the distant sky.

"I wish you had not come here," Jill said.

"That's because you're afraid. Don't be."

"It is easy for you to say; you're not from here."

"No, I'm not. But you are and you too must act." Rhanna rose and came out from beneath the shelter. "Come on, Gef," she said and started running in the direction that the Ginzbird flew.

"Where are you going?" Jill called after her but Rhanna and Gef were out of earshot. Jill shrugged and ran after them.

The mountain was high and rugged. From the distance it looked like a skull with two empty eyes looking out over the plain below. Rhanna and Gef and Jill took shelter from the sun beneath a tree below the mountain. They set up a camp and sat down to wait. Jill did not wish to join them but she was persuaded by Rhanna who told her that she must take part in the saving of her homeland; her people could not rely on others to do it, certainly not alone. She remained reluctant but she joined them nevertheless.

They waited many hours beneath the tree. Indeed, each grew restless with the passage of time. But they knew that somehow they must remain there, they did not know quite why. Then, they saw it. The Ginzbird emerged from one of the caves that formed the empty eye sockets of the rocky skull and flew toward the settlements of Bader.

"That's it!" Jill said. "We've found it. We've found their lair. What do we do now."

"We must find how many there are."

Jill did not respond for a long moment. Then she said, "Please don't tell me that we're going up there."

"I know of no other way," Rhanna said.

"I can't," Jill said. "I won't."

"Then they will come for you and those you love."

"Don't say that."

"We must act or we must accept. There's no third way."

Gef began walking toward the mountain. Rhanna followed. Jill hesitated but soon joined them.

The mountain was high, its sides dusty and rock strewn. It was difficult for the three to climb. Indeed, they had gone only part way when the day began to fade and the sun approached the western horizon. Therefore, they made camp on the mountainside among a group of large boulders where they would not be seen from the air. Rhanna made dinner, though it was a cold meal; they did not wish to make a fire and give away their presence. They then slept until dawn.

Next morning they continued their ascent of the mountain. However, the ground was difficult and it was late afternoon before they approached the mouths of the caves near the top. Jill wished to wait behind while Rhanna and Gef explored the caves, but, on second thought, she decided to stay with them rather than wait alone on the exposed mountainside.

As they approached the openings, the air seemed to fill with a horrid smell, as of decay. They came up to the entrance of one of the caves and quickly stepped inside. When their eyes had accustomed themselves to the darkness, they saw a large area strewn with bones that had been picked clean by the creatures. They were strewn about in piles and singly and almost covered the entire floor of the large area. There were thousands of bones there.

A movement in the darkness attracted their attention. They looked closer and saw eight of the Ginzbirds, large, black, pulling meat from a carcass and eating it. It was the carcass of the monster that Rhanna had destroyed. When she saw what was being done, Jill screamed. The creatures turned from their gory work to the three.

"Let's get out of here," Rhanna said.

"I'm sorry," Jill replied. She was crying from fear and horror.

They started to back toward the entrance. The monsters started toward them with loud screams that echoed through the cave and filled Jill with such terror that she could not move. Rhanna pulled at her but she was frozen to the spot. Her legs would not move. The Ginzbirds came closer, almost near her.

Gef ran between Jill and the monsters. He barked and snarled and bared his fangs and snapped at the creatures who retreated from him. He ran after them, biting at one, then another. The Huge birds screamed in fear. They flapped their wings at him but Gef continued to come on, to force the monsters back away from Jill. The birds retreated toward the back of the cave. With Gef in pursuit.

Rhanna grabbed Jill's arms and the two ran from the cave. "Your dog," Jill said when they came back into the sunlight.

"He'll be all right," Rhanna responded. "Hurry."

They ran down the mountainside until they found a pile of rocks behind which they could shelter.

When they regained their breath, Jill began to weep again. "I'm so sorry to be so much trouble," she said.

"No trouble," Rhanna said.

"It was horrible."

They heard a bark and stood to greet Gef who came down the mountainside. They petted him and hugged him and he licked their faces and wagged his tail.

"Thank you so much, you wonderful dog," Jill said. Gef licked her face again. Rhanna took him by the collar and pulled him close to herself.

She hugged him. "You're a good dog," she said.

"What do we do now?" Jill asked. There are so many of them.

"For the moment, we should wait to see if they come looking for us," Rhanna replied.

Hardly had she spoken then one of the creatures left the cave and circled in the sky above. It was a large bird with gold stripes on its black wings. Rhanna, Jill and Gef remained hiding from it among the rocks on the mountain. After searching for a time, the creature flew off in the direction of the towns and villages of Bader.

"It's looking for us," Jill said.

"Yes. It is," Rhanna agreed.

"What are we going to do? If it finds us we have no defense."

"We will be all right. But we must wait until it returns so that all of them are together when we go for them."

"Go for them! What do you mean `Go for them`? I don't want to go for them, I want to get out of here and never come back again."

"We must destroy them and end the terror and the attacks against the people of Bader."

"How are we going to do that?" Jill asked. "There are eight of them and two of us."

"Three."

"All right, three, but they are still eight and each is larger than all three of us."

"We will have help. Don't worry."

"I am worried. And I'm afraid too. What help? The people of Bader are terrified. They won't help. Unless you have something in that backpack that's a lot larger than itself, we aren't going to get any help."

"Have faith," Rhanna said. "All will be well."

"Faith! I'm having a nervous collapse here. Faith is the one quality I'm short of at the moment."

Rhanna laughed. "It's going to be all right," she said.

"Do you really think that we will have help?" Jill asked.

"I'm sure of it," Rhanna responded.

"I wish I were sure too."

The three settled down to wait and to decide. The Ginzbirds passed above but did not see them in their shelter

"The Supreme Court," Rhanna said.

"What?" asked Jill.

"The Supreme Court. That's what they remind me of. In the United States there is a Supreme Court that has nine justices who wear black robes."

"That's quite interesting," Jill replied. "But you may have noticed that we are for all intents and purposes trapped here. We can't leave. And we have no food."

"Yes, I know," Rhanna said.

"Well, then, what.." Jill was interrupted by Gef who began to bark and turn around in circles as though chasing his tail. "What's wrong with him?" Jill asked.

However, before Rhanna could answer, she was interrupted by a loud scream. Coming over the mountain behind them was one of the creatures who had found them. Jill looked toward the noise and she too screamed as the monster came closer.

Soon the air was filled with siren like screams as the monstrous birds called to each other. The sky was soon blotted out by their shapes and their feathers. Gef barked in frenzy turning and baring his fangs toward one, then another of the creatures, but there were too many. Jill tried to run away but the birds chased her back to the shelter which offered protection no longer.

Rhanna reached for her back pack but it was too far away. They were now surrounded by the creatures who hurtled toward them with their talons extended to grab the three.

Rhanna raised her voice and called, "Come forth!". Instantly, as though out of the earth, hunters appeared on the mountainside. American Indians in loin cloths and paint with bows and arrows, buckskin clad American frontiersman and mountain men dressed in fur were all about the three. Modern huntsman and ancient hunters from Asia and the steppes of Russia appeared at Rhanna's call.

With their bows and their muskets, their bear rifles and their modern weapons they shot at the creatures. Some fell immediately, others scattered and fled. But the hunters followed them and tracked them to the caves where they dispatched them all quickly. Moments later all was silent.

The hunters returned and dragged away the carcasses left behind. They smiled and signaled to the three and left them to return whence they came.

"What happened?" Jill asked. "Where did they come from? Who are they? Where did they go?"

"It doesn't matter," Rhanna said. "They're gone now. And so are the Ginzbirds."

"They're gone? Gone where? Who are you?" Jill asked.

"I am Lady Rhanna from the Islands of the Great Eastern Ocean. And this is Gef. You're free now. The terror is over."

"This is a dream, right? It's not real. Is it?"

"It's time for us to go," Rhanna said. She collected her backpack and she and Gef started toward the east, continuing their long journey home.

"Wait!" Jill called. "You can't just leave like that. The people will want to thank you."

"They can thank you," Rhanna replied.

"Me? I didn't do anything. Wait," she called, but Rhanna and Gef were already beyond the range of her voice. Jill watched them go until they were out of sight. When they were gone, she returned to Bader where she was greeted as a hero. Now, the people no longer hurry about in fear. And they only look to the sky to admire its beauty.

    Often we forget
    That responsibilities must be met
    In our desire for comfort and ease
    We do only what we please.

It is said of G. Elmer Patek that he has no more backbone than a croissant. What that means is that he has no courage; that he acts out of fear and takes the easiest path to an objective rather than do what is right when doing what is right may require courage. A person of courage is said to have backbone. A pastry, such as a croissant, has no backbone at all. Hence, the metaphor.

Of course cowardice, tragic though it may be for the individual, is not often a vice that harms large numbers of people or threatens to do so, except in time of war or emergency. However, Patek was the leader of Mooreland. Therefore, his lack of courage was a tragedy for many and a cause of injustice.

There were a number of people in Mooreland who knew that they could bully Patek because they knew that he would not fight back. He feared to lose his position as leader. Yet, by doing whatever it took to keep that position, he rendered the position useless because it meant that he was no leader at all. Thus, he had the name of leader but neither the power nor the authority. Those were taken from him by his opponents and their minions who decided what justice in Mooreland was and who should receive it. Therefore, friends of those people received the fruits of Mooreland's government while those who were not their friends received nothing. Even worse, they often lost what little they had because those of whom G. Elmer Patek was afraid used their authority, and his, to take it for their friends and supporters. Taking people's property in this manner is called "plunder". Those whose property was plundered and freedom curtailed applied to Patek for help, but he was silent and permitted the wrong to continue, even against his own supporters.

One man became weary of this plunder of the people and demanded that Patek take action. Kailin, for that was his name, demanded that Patek direct his police to investigate and his prosecutors to bring charges against the wrongdoers and return to the people the property that was plundered from them and the justice that they were denied. However, Patek did nothing for he was afraid and for demanding that he take action Kailin was laughed at and labeled a crazy man and a crank and was imprisoned. Patek did not laugh, but still he did nothing because he feared that by displeasing those who had imprisoned Kailin he would lose his position as leader.

While imprisoned, Kailin had an accident and lost three fingers on his left hand, leaving only the thumb and small finger on that hand. This led to a curious incident that had unexpected consequences for the people of Mooreland. After his accident, Kailin was released from prison. While dining, he sought to get the attention of a waitress by holding up his damaged hand. A person in the room believed that he was doing so as a sign of rebellion. The act soon spread throughout Moorelend and people who supported Kailin and wished to be free of Patek and his masters, began holding up their hands in public with the small finger extended. This became a sign of rebellion.

In response, Patek's masters imprisoned Kailin again, and anyone else who held his or her hand up with the small finger extended. Before long, the jails were filled with those whom the people called "finger rebels" but were called crazy men and "finger criminals" by those who imprisoned them. The people saw the finger rebels being arrested and placed in jail and despaired of ever being free of Patek and his masters.

Mooreland and its people settled down in a resentful silence as winter came on and snow filled the streets and the fields, the mountains and the forests. It was a particularly cold, snowy and windy day in Mooreland when a young woman and her dog arrived there. They walked into the teeth of the wind with their heads down to protect their eyes from the blowing snow. She wore a hood to cover her head and keep her ears from freezing. The dog was kept warm by his red fur.

Except for the whistling wind, all was silent as the snow covered the country over and stuck to the sides of trees, utility poles and buildings. The storm quickly covered the tracks that the woman and the dog made in the snow so that were they to turn and look, they would not be able to say where they had walked. However, they did not turn but kept moving forward at a slow but steady pace into the heart of Mooreland.

The Capitol of Mooreland is a tall building constructed of local stone, steel and glass with marble halls and high wooden doors. Smoking is not permitted inside and dogs are frowned on, even for blind people. Guards stand all around the building and many stand inside the front door in the lobby where they inspect everybody who comes through the door.

The woman and her dog stepped inside the front doors. Immediately inside, the dog shook off the snow which flew from his body in all directions. While the woman brushed the snow from her coat, a guard hurried over to her.

"Is that your dog?" the guard asked.

She looked at the dog, then at the guard. "Yes, he's my dog. His name is Gef." She smiled but the guard did not smile back.

"It can't come in here; it will have to wait for you outside," the guard said.

"He," the woman said.

"What!" the guard demanded.

"He," the woman repeated. "He is a he, not an it."

"I don't care what you call him," the guard said. "He can't come in here."

"It is snowing outside," the woman said. "He can't wait out there."

"That's the rule, lady. If you don't want to leave him outside, you'll have to leave and come back without him."

"I'm here to see G. Elmer Patek," the woman said.

"Makes no difference," the guard said. "The dog can't come in here."

The woman pushed her hood back and exposed her short black hair and her brown eyes, shaped like flower petals. She looked the guard in the eye and repeated, "I'm here to see G. Elmer Patek."

The guard stepped back. "What is your name?" he asked.

"My name is Rhanna."

"Follow me please," the guard said. As the three crossed the lobby, the guard, Rhanna and Gef, the guard's colleagues attempted to stop them but he waved them away and said, "It's all right."

They took an elevator to a high floor where the guard led the way to an office. He opened the door for Rhanna and Gef who walked through. A woman sat at a desk in a large anteroom. Her mouth opened to protest when she saw a young woman with a dog enter. However, the guard silenced her by holding his hand up and saying, they're here to see the boss. The woman watched them walk by her; her eyes opened wide but she said nothing.

The guard then opened an interior door for them. They passed through. Inside a large office, G. Elmer Patek sat behind his desk in a large office with a marble fireplace tossing a miniature basketball made of synthetic orange sponge through a miniature hoop. He paid no attention to his visitors until Gef distracted him by barking. He turned from the hoop and looked at the two people and dog standing before his desk. The ball bounced from the rim and hit him on the left shoulder but he ignored it. It bounced onto the floor behind him.

Patek was a tall, thin man with thick glasses in black frames. He leaned forward to better see the three before his desk.

"What are you doing here?" he asked the guard. "What do you want?"

"This young lady asked to see you," the guard said. He then turned and left the room, closing the door after him.

"We've come to see you," Rhanna said.

"About what?"

"About Mooreland," Rhanna replied.

"Mooreland? What about Mooreland? What do you mean?" Patek asked. "Sit down, sit down."

"Thank you," Rhanna said. "My name is Rhanna. This is Gef."

"I'm a busy man. If you have something for me, get to it."

Rhanna smiled. "You're not busy enough," she said.

"I beg your pardon," Patek replied.

"We have come here to help you. And to help the people of Mooreland."

"Help? Who asked for your help? What can a woman so young do to help? We don't need help here. Everything is fine. Who are you?"

Rhanna held her left hand up with the little finger extended. Patek gasped. "You're a finger criminal!" He reached for his telephone.

"Put it down," Rhanna said. "I told you; I am here to help you."

He looked into Rhanna's eyes and replaced the telephone receiver in its cradle. "Who are you?" he asked again.

"I am Lady Rhanna from the islands of the Great Eastern Ocean and this is Gef. We have come to make you the leader of Mooreland in fact as in name."

"I am the leader of Mooreland already."

"Not really. You must throw off those who decide for you, those who trample the law and the rights and liberties of your people."

"There are no such people,' Patek replied. "I make the decisions here."

Rhanna raised her eyes and called, "Come forth!". Suddenly the room filled with the spirits of leaders from the past: Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, Theodore Roosevelt and James Monroe, Abraham Lincoln and Michael Collins, Sun Yat Sen and Emiliano Zapata, Simon Bolivar and Giuseppi Garibaldi and many others until the room overflowed. "Tell them," Rhanna said to Patek.

He looked about the room wide eyed, his hand trembled. "What can I do?" he asked. "They've taken everything."

"Including your courage," Rhanna said. "You must take it back and remove them."

"But I can't, I can't."

"You can," the leaders said in unison. "You must."

"But McGuire," Patek said, almost weeping. "He's their man here. He'll know and tell them. They'll force me out."

"He's your counsel,' Rhanna said. "Not their's."

Patek looked at her. He then stood behind his desk and pulled himself to his full height. "How do you know so much about all of this? Who's your spy here? How dare you come into my office with your bag of tricks and accuse me and other fine civil servants of wrongdoing. Leave here at once or I will have you arrested for trespass."

"Sit down," Rhanna said. Patek sat down without protest. "You can start with McGuire. He is disloyal; his allegiance is to another party. He must go at once."

"You don't know what you're asking. I am not like these people. They have no fear of struggle or the law. They'll do anything to keep the power that they've accumulated. I can't stop them. I'm a man of peace; all I want is quiet."

"And the respect of your people?" Rhanna asked.

"I have the respect of my people." Patek stood again.

"They despise you," Rhanna said. Patek sat again.

"You are a very hard young woman,' he said.

"It's either do what you must or go and never return here."

"I could call out the Army," Patek protested. He looked around the room at the faces looking back at him. Many of those whom he now saw looking at him with disgust in their ghostly eyes were boyhood idols and heroes. It was all like a bad dream to him. He wanted to do what was right but he feared for his position and his reputation. Oh yes, he thought, they will make all sorts of accusations against him, anything to save themselves. And mud when thrown usually sticks. He was frightened, scared almost to death.

Yet, he told himself, he could not fail these. It was they who set the tone and the precedents of greatness and leadership in a troubled world. Their disfavor was more than he could bear, even if it was a trick by the young woman. He could not decide.

"You must," Rhanna said.

"Must what?" Patek asked.

"You must decide."

"You even read my mind. Who are you?"

The spirits faded from the room leaving just Rhanna, Patek and Gef. The room seemed so much larger with their departure.

"It's time," Rhanna said.

"I'll send a note," Patek said and reached for a pen.

"You must tell him."

"Yes, I must tell him."

Patek picked up the telephone. "Would you ask Mr. McGuire to come in to see me, please?" He replaced the receiver in its cradle. Just then, the door opened and a young man with curly brown hair entered. His face reflected surprise when he saw Rhanna and Gef in the room.

"You want to see me?" He asked Patek.

"Yes. We have to make some changes here, large changes. And I am beginning with you."

"What changes?" McGuire asked.

"I am letting you go," Patek responded. He was obviously nervous.

McGuire looked at Rhanna and Gef. "What is this woman doing here?" he asked. "And what are you talking about?"

"This woman is a friend of mine," Patek said. "And you are fired. I don't need you anymore."

"Are you feeling all right?" McGuire asked.

"I'm feeling quite well, thank you. I want you out of the building within fifteen minutes. Then I will have a guard escort you from the premises."

"You must have lost your mind. You can't fire me. If anybody will be escorted from the building, it will be you. What nonsense. Did she put you up to this silliness?"

Rhanna remained silent. Gef began to growl but she quieted him with a pat on his neck.

"Nobody put me up to anything."

"Well, you'd best get your head put back in order." McGuire turned and walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"He'll call them now and the trouble will start." Rhanna made no response. "You're very quiet now, aren't you?"

"Do what you must," Rhanna said.

Patek hesitated. He then lifted the telephone receiver. "Have three guards come to my office immediately," he said. He and Rhanna waited in silence for a few minutes. When the guards arrived, they looked suspiciously at Rhanna and Gef. "I want Mr. McGuire escorted from the building immediately," Patek said to them. "And he is not to be permitted to return under any circumstances."

"Mr. McGuire!" the chief guard replied.

"That's right. Immediately."

The guards looked at each other with surprise. The chief guard shrugged. "Yes, sir," he said. The guards left. As they closed the door behind them, the telephone rang.

"Get out of my office," McGuire said to the guards as they entered.

"I'm sorry, sir," one of the guards said to him. "We have orders to escort you from the building immediately."

"Orders from who?" McGuire asked.

"From Mr. Patek."

"I'll show that lily livered worm who's leaving the building." He started toward the door but the guards stepped in front of him. "Get out of my way."

"We have orders, sir."

"You wouldn't dare remove me."

"I was hoping that you would not make that necessary, sir," the guard replied.

McGuire looked from one to the other, then back to the first. "All right," he said quietly. The guards accompanied him to the elevator, down to the lobby and out onto the sidewalk where they bade him goodbye.

Patek lifted the telephone receiver slowly, looking at Rhanna while he did so. His hand trembled noticeably. "Hello," he said into the telephone.

"This is he," he said. He listened for a long time before speaking again. "Yes, I did," he said finally. "And he's going to stay out too. It's over." He then listened again for a long time before again speaking into the telephone. "You can threaten me all you like but it won't do any good. I'm going to do what the people put me here to do and anybody who doesn't like it can-" He winced as the phone on the other end was hung up with a noise so loud that Rhanna heard it. "She's angry," Patek said to Rhanna.

"Who is?"

"The Chief Judge," Patek replied. "But I don't care."

"They will use their power unless you act quickly."

"Yes," Patek said. "You're right. Would you like a job here?"

"Thank you, but no," Rhanna said. "I must leave soon."

"Leave!" Patek replied. "You can't leave. What will happen to me?"

"You will lead Mooreland," Rhanna replied with a smile.

"But..... Yes, I must lead. I must...." He again picked up the telephone. "Get me the chief of police. No, get me the Assistant Chief of Police first. Hello. This is George Patek. I want you to take a force to the High Court and have the Chief Judge removed from the building." He listened for a long moment. "I am G. Elmer Patek. If you don't believe it, come to my office. No. Stay where you are. I'll be over in a few minutes. In the meantime, put together a force of officers whom you can rely on.." He again listened. "Fine. Put the Chief of Police on." He waited. "Hello, chief? This is George Patek. I've decided to make a change. You're being replaced by the Assistant chief immediately." He listened. "Yes, immediately." He listened. ":The Chief Judge won't be able to help you, neither will McGuire be able to help you. They can't help themselves. I suggest that you prepare to leave Mooreland. Otherwise, you will be arrested and prosecuted. Good day." He hung up the receiver. "You know," he said to Rhanna. "I like this job."

"There are innocent people in jail," Rhanna said.

"Yes, there are, aren't there? And it's my fault. I should resign."

"But then who would lead Mooreland back to justice?"

"Someone more fit to do so than I am," Patek said.

"The people will forgive if you do what is right," Rhanna said.

"I wonder," Patek responded. "I've allowed terrible things to be done."

"The power of forgiveness is strong, stronger than the urge for revenge."

"I hope so. But I can't think of that now. Come, we'll go to police headquarters and release the prisoners on the way." Patek started for the door.

"No," Rhanna said. "My work here is done. It's for you to finish what you've begun. We must be on our way now."

Patek stopped at the door and turned to look at her. "No, not yet. Please don't go yet."

"I must. I have responsibilities also. All will be well; you'll see."

"But I'd like to thank you; the people will want to thank you."

"That's not necessary," Rhanna replied. "Do what must be done and see that justice and liberty are returned to Mooreland. That will be thanks enough. Right, Gef?" Gef barked.

"I've known you for only a few minutes but you've changed my life. How is that possible?"

"I have done nothing except to remind you of what you wished to be. There is no change, just remembrance."

"I must go or they will bring forces together," Patek said.

"Good luck," Rhanna said. "I know that you will be successful."

The storm passed and the people of Mooreland came into the streets. News of the change spread quickly. A crowd gathered at the prison and cheered the release of the finger rebels including Kailin. When Patek came out of the door they cheered him also.

Nobody noticed a young woman and her dog leaving Mooreland by the eastern road.

There are few comforts that one requires to live
But many lessons and examples to give.
To be warm and to fill the darkness with light
And to teach the children that which is right.

The Valley of Ledge is deep and can be approached only by descending from the surrounding mountains and plateau. Because it is a valley surrounded by higher ground, the smoke of fires and other air borne matter are sometimes trapped until a wind blows down from above to clear the air. For this reason, fires of all kinds are forbidden in the Valley of Ledge, though there has never been an emergency caused by smoke or fire. In the cold winter months the people must do what they can to stay warm without burning fuel of any kind. Also, without fuel burning there is no power, no electricity and, therefore, no television or radio, no computers, no lights and no travel because there were no cars or trains or airplanes. Thus, the people went to bed when it became dark for there was no light to guide them in the night. They lived an almost medieval existence. That was the law.

It was passed by the council of Ledge because the council members feared that the air would become dirty. However, there was no history of dirty air in Ledge. Therefore, many protested that the law was a hardship on the people requiring them to eat cold food and bathe in cold water. Nevertheless, the law was passed because a professor from the university wrote a paper speculating that the air might one day be made dirty.

The council then passed a law that required that the schools teach that the air would become dirty if the people were permitted to burn fuel. The people protested that there was no proof that the air would be made dirty but the schools obeyed. In order to stop the protests, the council then passed a law that required that the schools teach that the council is always correct and that the laws passed by the council are for the good of the people and must be obeyed. The schools did as they were bid. Then they were ordered to teach the children that those who opposed the council were disloyal to Ledge. The schools again obeyed and the teachers were all given pay raises for doing so. Therefore, when the parents of the children protested that their children were not being taught to question and examine, they were accused of disloyalty. When they threatened to place their children in private schools, the council outlawed all schools except those that it controlled. In that way children learned only what the council determined that they should learn. And they came to believe that being cold was the natural way of things.

In the spring of the year, there was great excitement in the Valley of Ledge. Someone started a fire. It was just a small fire, a camp fire, the purpose of which was to keep a young woman and her dog warm during the night and to cook a steak for them to eat while they camped under the stars. Small though it was, it caused a sensation, as did the smell of the cooking steak. Great crowds assembled to watch in admiration as the young woman cooked her meal, which she would have shared with them had they not been so many. Indeed, she considered using secret powers that she possessed to make the steak feed all but decided not to do so for fear of frightening those who would not understand.

The large crowds attracted reporters for the newspapers and the television and radio newscasters. They condemned the woman, who was a stranger to the Valley of Ledge. They accused her of horrific violations of decency and common goodness for lighting the campfire. They predicted that the valley's air would never recover from her actions. Indeed, they even condemned her dog. However, whether she heard them or not is unknown. She went ahead and cooked on the fire and warmed herself near it.

When the police came for her, she smiled at them and invited them to join her in her meal. The officers were tempted-the smell of the cooking steak was almost irresistible-but they had orders to arrest her and they were trained to obey those orders whether they knew them to be right or not. When told that she was violating the law, the lady asked what kind of law did not permit her to be warm or to cook her food. She laughed and said, "There can't be such a law." When told that the council decided the laws, she replied that it must be a silly council that passed such a silly law that did not permit people to be warm at night. The people nodded and murmured in agreement. The police looked at each other nervously.

Television commentators stood nearby talking into their cameras. They were horrified that a woman, even a young woman, would say such things about the council. She will be punished, they assured their viewers. However, though she must have heard what they said, the woman appeared unconcerned. She merely smiled and answered the police officers politely, her dark flower petal shaped eyes shining in the light of the controversial camp fire. The officers determined to take her into custody. However, when they approached, her red haired dog barked at them. She petted the dog, whom she called Gef, and bid him be quiet.

"What is your name?" one of the officers asked.

"Rhanna," she responded.

"Your dog is dangerous," the officer said.

"Oh no," she replied. "He just wants to protect me."

"It's against the law to have a fire."

"But how are we to keep warm?" she asked.

"That's not my affair," the officer responded. "The law is clear. And being a stranger here does not excuse you."

"Of course not," Rhanna said. "But the law is still silly. People must keep warm and eat hot food, just as their children must be taught to read, do sums and think for themselves."

"You are a trouble maker," a news reporter shouted from the distance.

"No," Rhanna replied. "I just believe in common sense." The people cheered her.

"Arrest her," the officers' superior said.

The officers approached to take her into custody. Rhanna stood up and looked each in the eye in turn. When she did so, each stepped back. One of their number attempted to take Gef by the collar but Rhanna said, "No!" And the officer also stepped back. "It is wrong to make people cold and to teach children nonsense rather than what they need to think for themselves. Show me to this council that you speak of."

"They are not in session," one of the officers replied.

"Arrest her," a news reporter demanded. "She lit a fire."

"Take her to jail," demanded another.

"She musn't get away with this," shouted a third.

Suddenly, the people in the crown of citizens of the valley began to move toward the reporters and newscasters and to surround them. Threats were made.

"Leave them," Rhanna directed, and the people backed away. Then she said to the police officers, "Call the council into session; my time here is short."

"What is it?" asked Rubin, a member of the counsel. "Why were we called here?"

"Someone started a fire," his father, the elder Rubin, responded.

"A fire?" asked Cohen, another member of the council. "What has that to do with us? The police should take care of that; that's what we pay them to do." Cohen then dropped his long frame into a chair, next to that occupied by the elder Rubin. Cohen's height was a contrast to Rubin's shortness, for the elder Rubin was very small, though he was among the most powerful of the council members.

"That's right," the younger Rubin agreed. He was a man of average height and wore a curly hair piece. Angry though he was, he smiled, a cold, humorless smile at the other arriving members as they came into the room.

Amann arrived and looked sleepy, though not from the late hour; he always looked sleepy. He was an elderly man who wore his hair combed straight back; he was followed by his secretary, a fawning man with red hair and then by San Giorgio, a thin, bald man, who was smoking cigarettes, the grey curtain like vapors of which followed him as did a man carrying his coat.

Malto came after-he was a small, frightened looking man-and then Ponterio who wore a perpetual frown, as though his stomach was always upset.

There were no women on the council. They did not trust women who too often wanted to do "the right thing". And who would argue endlessly for their position even after a decision was made.

The members took their seats and spoke among themselves. Anger moved about the council chamber, anger at having been called from their homes and other places so late at night, anger at having to deal with something that was a police matter, anger that anyone would dare disturb them. They were doubly angered when Rhanna entered the chamber and they realized that the reason they were there at such a late hour was because of a woman, and a young woman whom they did not know.

Their surprise at seeing her resulted in a momentary silence. But then the elder Rubin demanded of her, "What is the meaning of this? Who are you?"

"You're not even from here," Cohen said.

"Is this why we're here for some Quixotic young woman?" Ponterio asked.

The younger Rubin held up his hand. "Wait a minute, gentlemen," he said. He smiled his cold smile at Rhanna. "Welcome to the Valley of Ledge, young woman," he said. "What can we do for you?"

Gef barked at him. The younger Rubin sat back in his chair angrily, offended that a dog would bark at him and that Rhanna did not respond to his smile. However, she was paying no attention to any of the council members but was looking about the council chamber with curiosity. Indeed, she turned her back to the council members and examined the portrait of a former council member that was hanging on the wall. It was said that a council member had done something for the people of Ledge and the man in the portrait had died of shock.

"Excuse me, young woman," said San Giorgio. "May we do something for you?"

"Yes," Rhanna replied. She then turned to face the members and looked at San Giorgio. "Why do you have a man carry your coat for you?" she asked. "It is too heavy for you to carry it yourself?"

"That is my affair," San Giorgio responded. "Just who do you think you are?"

Rhanna did not answer but looked at Malto who avoided her eyes by looking down at his hands on the desk before him. Cohen stood up to his full height to address her. "What do you want here?" he demanded. "Who are you?" he asked. Rhanna ignored him.

She walked about the room feeling the warmth that was rising about her. Upon learning that the council was meeting, someone must have turned the heat on and it was just coming up now, spreading about the chamber to warm those who were there. Rhanna stopped in her inspection of the chamber. She knelt down and petted Gef. While doing so, she whispered in his ear. When she rose again, Gef ran from the room.

"Remove this woman from the chamber," the elder Rubin said to the police officers who were by the door. However, the police merely looked at each other without moving. "I told you to do something," the elder Rubin said more loudly. His face was turning red in anger at the failure of the police to obey him.

"My father just told you to do something," the younger Rubin said to them. But still they did nothing. "Do you hear me?" he demanded. But before a response could be given a commotion occurred outside the chamber. A man seemed to be yelling and a dog barking. The sounds grew louder as the people in the chamber listened and looked at each other in confusion, except for Rhanna.

"Get away from me!" the man's voice was heard to say. As though in answer a dog barked. "Get away I say!" the man's voice shouted. The chamber door opened and a man hurried in. He was a round man with no hair who was dressed in workman's clothes. Gef followed him into the room. The dog went to Rhanna and sat on the floor next to where she was standing. She petted him on the head and scratched his neck. The round man looked at the dog warily and then at Rhanna.

"Who are you?" Cohen asked the man. "How dare you come into this chamber."

"You take care of this building, do you not?" Rhanna asked him.

"Yes," the man replied. "I am the janitor."

"You have just turned on the heat, haven't you?"

"A little while ago. It takes a bit to come up and warm this large room."

"Thank you," Rhanna said. "You may go."

The round man hurried from the room, watching Gef closely as he did so. When the door closed behind him, Rhanna turned to the council members.

"You have a man to keep you warm here and you burn fuel for the purpose while denying to the people the same comfort."

"That's no affair of yours," the elder Rubin said.

"Leave here at once," Ponterio demanded of her.

"The people have as much right to be warm as you have," Rhanna said.

"Nonsense," Cohen said. The other council members nodded approvingly.

"And those of you who have children send them to private schools where they learn to think and to reason while you condemn the children of the people to schools that teach them falsehoods and little else."

"So what," replied San Giorgio.

"It's not your affair," Malto said to her. "We decide where the children go to school, not some foreigner."

"I demand that you arrest this woman," the elder Rubin said to the police. "If you don't I'll have your jobs."

The police looked at each other and shrugged. But they did not do anything.

"Remove her," Cohen demanded.

"Get her out of here," San Giorgio added.

"The law against burning must be repealed, as must be the school laws. Teachers should teach children what they need to become good citizens, not junk that is aimed at increasing your power."

"Is that right?" the elder Rubin asked. "Well, we're going to pass more laws just like them, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Rhanna smiled at him which caused him to again turn red with anger. All of the other council members were now standing, shouting at her. "How dare you!", "Just who do you think you are?", "Get out of here!". "Arrest her!".

Rhanna raised her hand above her head and said, "I am Lady Rhanna from the Islands of the Great Eastern Ocean. Come forth!"

At these words, the chamber filled with legislators from the past, members of the Continental Congress and the British Parliament, from the Irish and Australian and New Zealand Parliament, from the Hong Kong and South African Assemblies and that of Taiwan and Japan. Citizen advisers from every era and epoch appeared: from ancient Greece and Rome and from recent Canada and the United States, the Russian Duma and the Mexican Congress. The legislators and citizen advisors overflowed into the halls while the council members watched in astonishment. And then in fear.

"This is not happening," Cohen said.

"Shut up!" Rubin ordered him.

"What are we going to do?" Amann asked no one in particular.

"You're going to pass a new law," Rhanna said. "It's going to permit the people of the Valley of Ledge to consume fuel to keep themselves warm and to light the darkness and you're going to free the schools to teach what the children must know. Then you're going to prorogue this council and hold new elections at which none of you will run."

"Never," Ponterio said. "Never," he repeated.

"Oh, but you will," Rhanna smiled. "The people require it."

"And what about us?" the younger Rubin asked.

"You will be permitted to leave but never to return," Rhanna said.

Rhanna then held up copies of the new laws and the legislators and citizen advisors voted to pass them. Then they returned whence they had come until needed again.

"You can't do this," San Giogio protested.

"Take them away," Rhanna said to the police officers. They immediately came into the chamber and took the council members into custody. "Go," Rhanna said. "And never return to this valley, never."

"How dare you!" Cohen shouted at her, but the police took him by the arms and escorted him from the chamber. He was soon followed by the others.

A crowd of people formed outside the council chamber. When the council members were led out, the people hissed them. The news reporters praised them though. When the new laws were read, the people cheered, though the television and radio reporters were critical. But the people ignored the reporters and built a giant bonfire to celebrate their new freedom, the freedom to be warm and to travel and to educate their children. Then all waited for Rhanna and Gef to emerge from the chamber.

However, they did not come for they were already gone from the building by a rear door and climbing the road east out of the Valley of Ledge.

THE SIFTON

Once I knew a man who lived in the wild
Even in the most civilized of places.

In the city of Cadman, there is a park with fields and monuments and a playground. However, nobody reads the dedications on the monuments, nobody plays in the playground and the fields are overgrown. The only swinging done by the swings is when the wind pushed them, no one has ever climbed to the top of the monkey bars, the sliding pond stands derelict.

The laughter of children has never been heard in the park; the fields have never felt the running feet of children at play; the paths have never been trod by mothers pushing children in strollers or walking hand in hand with their young. The park has been abandoned since its construction. One does not even see squirrels running between the trees there. This is because of the Sifton.

The Sifton was once a man. He was a judge in the Cadman courts. However, he was never taught good manners. He was rude to others, overbearing, self important, harsh, corrupt and unfair. This made people dislike him. Indeed, even his own children avoided him. Hostility caused by his lack of manners only made him worse until he had a breakdown and ran away to the swamp on the edge of the city, across the road from the new park, where it lived among the crawling and slithering creatures. And when it found children anywhere near there, it seized them and brought them to the swamp where it forced them to hunt squirrels, mice and other rodents for it to eat.

As more children disappeared, parents went to the authorities to complain and ask for protection for their sons and daughters. However, the police chief, Agent Turkavage, told them that he did not believe that an investigation was called for at the present time. Though more children disappeared, Turkavage still refused to look into the matter. He did not tell the grieving parents, but he was afraid to investigate. He feared the judges of Cadman before whom he would be required to bring charges for they would protect the Sifton as a former colleague, regardless of what it had become and what it did. They would punish anybody, even Turkavage, who took any action against a former judge.

The parents of Cadman despaired. Those who had lost children cried bitterly and complained to the Governor and the Mayor, the council and other officials who governed Cadman, but they received neither help nor comfort. The authorities replied that nothing could be done. Those parents who had not lost children would not let their own go near the park or the swamp. However, there were those, as always, who did not obey. They allowed their curiosity to lead them to the swamp. The Sifton got them all.

Once captured, the children were afraid to escape because the Sifton told them that he would punish them severely when he caught them, and their parents too, if they tried to run away. One look at his pale, death like face with its high forehead and scraggly, dirt encrusted beard told them that he would do what he said. Therefore, they did what they were told, now that it was too late.

II

It was a cool April morning when a rumor spread that someone was in the park playing with a dog. However, the people were so frightened of the Sifton that not one of them would venture near the park to learn if the rumor was true. Indeed, the people of Cadman feared even to speak of it except in whispers.

When the rumor that someone was in the park reached Turkavage, he did not know what to do. For he too feared to learn if it was true. However, he could not refuse to investigate whether someone was foolish enough to risk the Sifton�s anger by going into the park. That was his job. Therefore, he armed himself and went to the park, hoping that the rumor was false.

When he arrived, Turkavage looked about without seeing anybody. Then, as he was about to leave, he saw her. She was a young woman with short black hair and flower petal shaped brown eyes. Her dog had a short red coat. They had the park all to themselves. The woman was throwing a frisbee and the dog was catching it in his teeth and bringing it back to her so that she could throw it again.

Turkavage watched them for a long while. The dog ran after the yellow disc that stood out against the green of the field and jumped into the air to clutch it in his teeth. He then ran with it back to his mistress who wore a blue hooded jacket that tied about the waist. She clapped when the dog caught the frisbee and laughed at his enthusiasm.

Turkavage shook his head at the foolishness of the woman. "Did she not know how dangerous it was to be there?" he thought. He wished to leave, as though he had not seen her, rather than get involved in any matter concerning the park, the swamp or the Sifton, but he knew that people would be waiting to learn what had happened and they would accuse him of cowardice. Therefore, he decided to speak with her and try to prevent anything from happening to her that he might then be asked to investigate.

III

Rhanna petted Gef on the head when he brought the frisbee back. She then threw it out again and laughed and clapped when he jumped in the air and caught it with his teeth. Though she was aware that someone was approaching from behind, she made no sign but continued to play with Gef. Ever since they arrived at the park, she was aware that she was being watched from the weeds in the swamp across the road, though she did not know who it was that was watching her so intently.

However, the man approaching did not come from across the road and those who were watching her continued to do so. "Excuse me, Ma�am," he said.

Rhanna tuned to face him. "Yes?" she replied.

"This park is not a good place to play with your dog. It�s believed to be a dangerous location, possibly," Turkavage said.

Rhanna looked about her at the park: the playground, the monuments, the fields. "It�s a very nice park," she said. "I see no danger here," she smiled.

Turkavage became nervous while talking to her but did not understand why. And her smile made it worse. "That may be but you must be warned and take care."

"Thank you," she said. She then returned to throwing the frisbee for Gef to fetch.

"It�s up to you, of course," Turkavage said to her. "I�m just trying to warn you." He then walked away.

"Thank you again," Rhanna called after him. When he�d gone, Rhanna once again threw the frisbee for Gef to catch. However, this time, it curved away and flew over the road and into the swamp. Gef ran after it nevertheless.

After a few moments, the sound of barking and a child�s screams reached Rhanna. She merely smiled and waited. Suddenly, a child broke out from the weeds and ran toward her pursued by Gef. The child ran as fast as she could and screamed loudly from fear of the dog. She ran to Rhanna and hid behind her.

"He won�t hurt you," Rhanna said.

"I�m afraid," the girl said. She trembled as Gef approached. However, the dog sat down a short distance from her.

"See," Rhanna said. "There�s no reason to be frightened."

However, the girl was not convinced. "I must go back," she said. "But he�s in the way."

"Back where?" Rhanna asked.

"To the swamp."

"Why do you want to go back there? It doesn�t look like a very nice place. I�d be afraid to go there."

"I must go back," the girl insisted.

"Then I�ll go with you," Rhanna said.

"No!" the little girl responded. "You can�t. He�ll seize you too."

"Who will?"

"I can�t say. Please tell your dog to move. I�ll be in trouble if I don�t go back."

Gef stood up and ran across the road and into the swamp.

"Where�s he going?" the girl asked. "I have to go back. He�ll be angry." She began to cry.

"Don�t be afraid. It will be all right," Rhanna said. She hugged the trembling little girl and comforted her. Gef returned from the swamp with the frisbee in his teeth and brought it to the little girl. "He wants you to throw it so that he can fetch it," Rhanna said.

"No," the girl said. "I have to go back now."

"You can play for a little while. That�s what children do."

"No. I�m not allowed to play. I must go." As she spoke, a howl came from the swamp that made the girl turn pale and tremble even more. "I have to go," she said. She ran away and disappeared into the swamp.

Gef dropped the frisbee on the grass and nuzzled Rhanna�s hand. "Yes," she said. "We have work to do."

IV

The swamp was made of pools of foul water and soft mud that gave off an offensive odor. Over all waved cattails with furry tops. Gef nosed around the edges of the swamp while Rhanna watched him. When he had finished he sat on the road bed and barked. Rhanna came over and examined the area to which he led her. She patted Gef on the head and ran her fingers through his coat. She then raised her hand and called out "Come forth!". In response to her call, the air filled with music. A violin backed by a full orchestra played Schubert�s"Ave Maria", a religious song that is a favorite of many opera singers. It is a tune of beauty that contrasted greatly with the ugliness of the swamp. The air seemed to fill with the music that filled every lane and trail of the park and the swamp. It traveled over the city of Cadman to the ears of its many inhabitants.

After only a few moments, heads began popping out of the weeds to see whence came the sweet music. All through the swamp children appeared, there eyes filling from the beauty of what they heard. Rhanna held out her hands to them and bid them come to her. They left the mud and water and weeds, the foul odors and the fear, drawn by the beauty of the music and Rhanna�s bid.

Suddenly, Gef�s ears stood. He heard a howl coming from the swamp. However, the children could not hear it because their attention was monopolized by the music. While Rhanna greeted the children, Gef ran into the swamp.

Behind Rhanna, others were drawn by the music. Parents came to learn what caused it and what it meant. They entered the park for the first time. The children and parents saw each other at the same time. Almost hypnotized by the music, they approached and greeted each other with an almost unnatural calm. The children found their parents and the parents their children. They hugged and kissed and wept. When all were together again, the music ended.

All was quiet for a moment. Then, a scream came from the swamp followed by a loud string of profane words shouted in a harsh voice. There was a rustle in the weeds and Gef appeared dragging a horrible creature by the collar. The creature with death like face and dirt encrusted beard, struggled and howled but Gef continued to hold him in his strong jaws.

When the children saw the creature they retreated as did the parents. Gef dragged it to Rhanna who looked down at it writhing on the ground before her. "You have terrorized these children and these people," she said to it.

It looked at her with red eyes. "I�ll punish you for this," it said in a harsh voice. "I am not alone," it said.

"You lie," Rhanna replied. "You must leave here and never return. Never."

"Who played that terrible music?" it growled in response.

"Did you hear what I said?" Rhanna asked.

The parents were now gathering together and approaching to see more closely the creature that had taken their children, though the children themselves held back. When the Sifton saw them approaching, it ran away. With its belly close to the ground like the rodents that it ate, the Sifton ran into the swamp. The parents were now running and shouting, "Don�t let it get away," and "Catch it." But Rhanna did not move.

Moments later a horrible scream came from the swamp followed by bellowing and howls of fright. Rhanna signaled to Gef who ran into the swamp and pulled the Sifton from a foul pool into which it had fallen in its haste to escape. It was thrashing and howling, trying to escape but was sinking to its death when Gef arrived and pulled it to safety. He then brought it back to Rhanna.

By now the parents had gathered and menaced the Sifton. "Why did you save it?" they asked. "It should have drowned," one said. "We�ll kill it," said another.

Agent Turkavage arrived and attempted to intervene to help the Sifton, but the parents would not let him through. They chased him away with taunts and accusations of compromising his integrity for a monster and threats that they would do what he feared to do.

The Sifton howled piteously and cowered and trembled with fear.

"Do as you wish," Rhanna said. "If you want your children to know that you have blood on your hands, that is your decision," she said. "I will banish it from here forever.  I will see that it roams the earth, despised, hated and held in contempt by all for the remainder of its days.  However, if you prefer to become just like it and do it harm, I will not stop you," she said. "The injustice will be yours."

The parents hesitated. They began to mutter among themselves. "You�re right," one of them said. "We must not become like that creature. Do what is just." They then turned away and went back to their children.

"Who are you?" the Sifton asked.

"I am Lady Rhanna from the Islands of the Great Eastern Ocean, " Rhanna replied. "Gef," she then said. The dog began to bark and nip at the Sifton. The creature howled but its howl frightened no one anymore. Gef bit at it and it ran, not to the swamp but away, away from Cadman forever.

After it had gone, Rhanna opened her back pack and took a comb and brush from it which she used to clean the mud and dirt from Gef�s coat. By the time she was finished, the park was full of laughing children and their parents who read the inscriptions on the monuments to them and pushed them on the swings and walked hand and hand over the paths or watched them run about the fields.

A short while later, the little girl that Gef had chased from the swamp came with her parents to thank Rhanna and Gef. However, all that she found was a yellow frisbee sitting in the grass.

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The sun had just peeked over the eastern horizon when Rhanna and Gef came to the crest of a hill that overlooked the sea. As they looked down upon the water, the rising sun touched it with fire that turned it the deepest gold and made their eyes squint at its brightness. Rhanna scratched Gef's neck and the two started down the hill to the shore.

At a pier awaiting their arrival was a three masted sailing vessel and its crew. A gangway connected the ship to the pier. Beside the gangway, Wesley sat in his yellow cape and brown clothes. He was levitating a life preserver while waiting for Rhanna and Gef to arrive. The crew of the ship leaned along the rail watching him turn the life preserver in the air and spin it around without touching it. However, their attention was distracted from Wesley by the arrival of a young woman and her dog at the pier. The crew cheered when they saw them. But the cheers were cut short when the mate ordered the crew to prepare to get under way.

When Wesley heard the cheering his attention was drawn to its subject, thus permitting the life saver that he was levitating to fall into the sea. When he saw Rhanna and Gef, he stood to greet them.

Upon seeing Wesley, Gef barked and ran toward him. He jumped up on him causing Wesley to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Gef stood on his chest and licked his face.

"Stop that!" Wesley said to him. "It's unseemly for one man to kiss another even if he's temporarily a dog. Stop it now."

Gef stepped away but sat next to him still wagging his tail. Rhanna approached and helped Wesley to his feet.

"Thank you," Wesley said. "I will keep my word," he said to Gef. And then to Rhanna, "your father has sent me to meet you and bring you home."

"Thank you," Rhanna smiled.

"He's very proud of you, as are all of the island people."

"I'm glad that you came," she said to Wesley. "I'm happy that it's you."

Wesley beamed in satisfaction of Rhanna's approval. His heart beat so at seeing her again that he feared she would hear it. He smiled so widely that his large teeth reflected the sun. "We'd best be going now," he said.

The three walked up the gangway to the ship. When they were aboard, the gangway was pulled up, the lines cast off and the engines turned on. The ship moved slowly away from the pier and out into the bay. Rhanna and Gef stood in the stern and watched the land grow smaller as it receded from them.

When the land had disappeared, Rhanna turned from the back and looked at Geoffrey standing behind her. She smiled. It was a long time since she had seen him as a man; indeed, she feared that she might miss him as a dog. But only for a moment did the thought occur. She put her arms around him and kissed him, a long passionate kiss. Then she stepped back to look at him again.

He was as handsome as she remembered with long, dark hair that danced in the wind, dark round eyes and a wide smile that revealed his happiness to be with her again as himself. "I'm going to miss being petted and having my fur scratched," he said.

"Perhaps Wesley can arrange something," Rhanna laughed.

"No," Geoffrey replied. "I think I can bear it." He took her in his arms again and held her for a long minute. He then stepped away and looked at her as though he had not seen her in all the time that they were traveling about the world.

Rhanna turned away from his eyes though. "It's not the same, is it?" she asked.

"No," Geoffrey replied. "We've been through too much. There was bound to be a change."

"Not a great change though."

"Not great but fundamental."

"True," Rhanna said. "We can't go back to the way we were. You must return to Cora. I must continue the work that I've started."

"Yes," Geoffrey replied. "But I will come with you, but as a man this time rather than as a dog."

"It won't be the same," Rhanna said.

"No, I won't be chasing cats any more."

Rhanna laughed. She then became thoughtful. "There's so much to do," she said. "So much injustice."

"We'll do what we can," Geoffrey said.

"Yes," Rhanna replied. "What we can."

"What will your father say?" Geoffrey asked.

"I'm sure that he'll understand. I'll ask Wesley."

"No need," Wesley said from behind them. "He told me that you would make that decision. He approves."

"Then it's settled," Geoffrey said.

"Yes," Rhanna said. "It's settled."

"First home for a visit though," Wesley said. "Those are my instructions."

The ship raised all of its sails to catch the wind and moved swiftly over the sea carrying Lady Rhanna back to the Islands of the Great Eastern Ocean.

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