Thanks for the update OP.

[center][/center]

Dybala11:
Thanks for the update OP.

u are welcome bros. Have you listened to my song?

sammyLuvin:
[center][/center]u are welcome bros. Have you listened to my song?

Yep, the chorus goes as thus - let me be your Romeo and you be my Juliet, your hero...
Thumb up though!

Dybala11:

Yep, the chorus goes as thus - let me be your Romeo and you be my Juliet, your hero...
Thumb up though!

Thanks for listening. The song is derived from a lyrics from a story called Bella Benson which I wrote in 2015

Dedicated to Dybala11 for listening to my song "My Juliet" and for commenting often.


CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HALLOWEEN GHOST

The distance from Gyrus, together with the speed of travel of Henry, could have possibly made Henry to forget how bedraggled he was. His plan was to quickly have a shave and a cool bath as long as he got to earth. He was still thinking about what the plan was when he began to hear sounds on the door:
“Who are those? Come inside,” said Henry. The door wrenched open and two dozens of people rushed inside. They had on them strange attires and their bodies were fashioned in such a way that one would be scared, but not Henry, whose appearance was far more horrifying than his visitors’ own.
Susie was among the Halloween clowns who had paid Henry a visit. She seemed to have led them there. They were combinations of males and females in an even ratio. They had red and black teeth. Their hairs were green, red, blue and some other colors that make them appear like witches and wizards in folktales. Some had swine-like and cow-like noses.
As they got into the room, Henry, knowing their intentions, said, “Welcome, you’ll make my dinner.” Henry had forgotten how horrible he was; if he remembered, he wouldn’t have appeared before them.
The smells from his body, his teeth especially, got to the snout-like noses of his visitors. They were engulfed with fear and were enervated too, by the strong, nauseating smell and with the thought they had; that they’d seen an old man—a wizard. They made shrilled noises as they fell, but only two of them escaped, having jostled their way out of the room.
It was then Henry came to the realization of what had happened.
While Henry was dealing with the Halloween visitors, Ted, having returned from Gyrus too, was walking towards the door to leave the room. His thought was to get to Henry immediately to warn him not to show himself to people until he had got rid of the whole lot of mess on him, but it seemed Ted was late.
As Ted made for the door, he began to hear some familiar noises. They were the same voices he was hearing before his departure to Gyrus, who were calling themselves bloodsuckers. They had now been staying at Ted’s door for two minutes (since the equivalence of the hours spent in Gyrus that day was only two minutes earth time) knocking hard at it to open it for them.
“We are the bloodsuckers! Come to us or we will come to you!” persisted the voices monotonously.
“Nonsense!” muttered Ted who was in a hurry. He pushed open the door and pushed his way forcefully through the bunch of Halloween clowns at his door. Some of them fell down feebly to the floor like some humans without backbones.
On getting to Henry’s door Ted met a large crowd making a lot of hullabaloo. Ted sensed trouble immediately seeing how each person was holding tight his or her nose. In a matter of minutes, the dean, being sent for, had arrived.

Henry’s pop-eyed view was roaming the room, especially the floor where the half-dead bodies laid.
“Henry what—?” the Professor said, but had to stop abruptly when he perceived the putrid smell. He soon opened his mouth again to speak, but his nostrils were secured by his fingers this time.
“What’s all these? Where d’you—?” He had to pause again, but this time with a latent intent.
“I—I…” Henry stammered with his palm guarding his mouth. He was wishing that the man would speak for him, and surprisingly, the man got the message.
“Okay, Henry you mustn’t need talk ’cos your mouth is smelling some kind of Hydrogen Sulphide gas, Isn’t it?” asked the man pretentiously. Henry nodded in the affirmative.
“And you’ve got some Nitrogen Oxides sprinkled all over your body too. In short you have a mixture of Hydrogen Chloride gas, Ammonia, some dangerous Peroxides, Turpentine, Camphor, Astatine, Carbon monoxides and lots more, on your damn body. Don’t you think such reaction’s going to bring about a very dangerous product? Don’t you know your genes can get mutated with such, or do you want to tell me that you haven’t had those things on you?” Henry made a gesture with some slow nods to show to all that the man was right.
“You’ve also exposed yourself to excessive Gamma rays, isn’t it?” Henry agreed still, like an android.
“Then you shouldn’t have been here! You’d better be in the fumed cupboard!” the dean shouted at him, feigning utmost annoyance. He commanded the on-lookers to drag out all the victims and shut Henry in thereafter. They obeyed in haste, shielding their nostrils from allowing the passage of the odor, just as a scientist dealing with radioactive substances would want to be shielded, having made their hands some ‘pieces of lead blocks’. The victims were bundled to the clinic.
Ted was about to get Henry’s door opened with the magic (so they could rub minds together) when his phone rang. Before he could pick the call the ringing stopped. Ted fastened his eyes on its screen and screamed, “Oh, It’s Uncle. He’d called for twenty times already.” Another call came again and Ted picked it up sharply.
“Hello Uncle,” Ted said, curiously expecting a response, but he heard a sigh instead:
“Urgh!” sounded his uncle, “Thank God you’re not dead.”
“Dead? Why should I be?” asked Ted in an unimaginable state of shock.
“I’ve called twenty times if I’m not making a mistake, but you didn’t answer any.”
Ted was slightly peeved, so he said, “Was that enough reason to think I was dead?”
“No Ted, I heard some breaking news on TV just now about an event in your campus. It was reported that a Halloween Ghost, in form of a bedraggled old man, had killed thirty people, so I put those calls through to you to confirm if you weren’t among the dead victims. I had almost given up on you when you surprisingly picked my twenty-first call,” elaborated Ted’s uncle with a tone of gladness.
“Uncle, no one is dead here in the CCUL—only three students fainted,” Ted lied. “Just that they were taken unawares by one of our students’ horrible appearance—not a Halloween Ghost at all—there no such name.”
“Sure?” his uncle asked wanting to get an assurance from Ted, but before he could reply a boy began to struggle with him, shouting, “Ted I’ll kill you! You pushed me like that? I will show you that I’m a true wizard right away! I’ll kill you!” Ted’s phone went flying in the air having been hit by the boy. The boy was one of those Halloween clowns Ted had pushed forcefully to the ground earlier in front of his door.
Ted had to pacify the boy perseveringly before the boy finally gave it a thought to forget about it. However, the boy parted with some of Ted’s cash, which he had given him in order to promote and facilitate the rate of the settling of the scores.
Ted boggled as he picked up his phone again. He was sure that his uncle would misconstrue the issue. He had to switch on the phone again, which had gone off by its impact on the floor. He put a call through to his uncle again:
“Ted! I thought you are dead! So you’re still alive?”
“Yes uncle, that boy was only joking with me.”
His uncle’s voice became harsh.
“Joking? Come home immediately!” said the man to Ted’s wonderment.
“No sir, I can explain.”
“I demand no explanation, just—” the man paused having heard Ted’s voice come in tandem with his. Then he said again, “I’m waiting for you right away!”
“Please uncle, the boy was only making some Halloween jokes with me.”
“Halloween jokes will result in Halloween death and it will make thirty-one dead students today. Get here in an hour, or else forget about me having anything to do with you. I’m hanging up now.”
“Uncle don’t!” yelled Ted. “Uncle! Uncle!” he vociferated continuously into the mouthpiece but there was no response from the other end anymore, since his uncle had ended the call.
With such threat of disownment expressed in an indirect manner by Ted’s uncle, he suspended the visit he had intended to pay Henry and rushed away to get a cab home. He would not want to be without any family member by disregarding his uncle’s instruction.

Henry, who was under house arrest, was fixing his gaze on things in his rooms malignly as if they all had hands in his current predicaments. He cogitated that the life he was leaving before getting into the magic was better than the one he was now living, which had been full of troubles trouble-infested since initiation day.
Henry had taken his bath many times to get rid of the smells on him, but it seemed they persisted. Henry had now put on a new outfit to cover up the smells, but it seemed he was just playing the fool, because the stench seemed to be retained more that way. His teeth still smelled despite the thorough brushing he had given them. His body remained raddled and unkempt even after the thorough and scrupulous baths.
Seated on his sofa, chin leaning on palm like someone in a lobby of an industry who was waiting to be called upon soon for a job interview, Henry’s door suddenly flung open with a jolt. His guess at the visitor was wrong having thought that it was Ted.
“Henry,” the visitor called after shutting the door behind him. It was Professor Wilson.
“Oh, it’s you Professor,” said Henry in exasperation.
“Yeah, it’s me as you can see. You still smell, why? Haven’t you had showers?”
“I’ve done that five times already but the odor persists. I’ve made use of five sponges, brand new.”
The man chortled silently and said, “Henry, you’re mischievous. Why did you stay back in Gyrus planet?”
Henry expressed shock at the man’s words.
“Sir, did you just mention Gyrus planet? I thought you didn’t believe my story back there.” The dean chuckled and said, “Why won’t I believe you? I had intended to have a mirror communication with you two nights ago, but you never showed up in my mirror. All I saw was abject darkness. I tried for over five times but later gave up thinking you’re dead.”
“Was that enough prove to have you convinced that I stayed back there?”
“No. Not until the Spider and yourself came to testify to this.”
“But why did you believe it when no other magician does?” Henry probed, fixing his gaze squarely at the man as if without doing that he wouldn’t hear the man’s voice.
“Henry, from Grandwala’s speech I got a clue. The Spider said he made a web to capture you. I’ve witnessed Grandwala’s web once, long ago. It’s very black isn’t it?”
“Yes, you’re right.”
“Isn’t a strand of it wider and thicker than an Elephant’s leg.”
“You’re right sir,” testified Henry to it.
“All these gave me the clue that the darkness I saw was only a strand of the web. You know how puny you were in it, so it’s not possible for me to have seen you in it. It overshadowed you.”
“Now I understand.”
“If any of my co-lieutenants and Magistrates had tried check you out earlier, perhaps they’d believe your story too.”
A great silence took over the atmosphere, which Henry ended:
“The Spider predicted that they will not believe me. He told me that all magicians are liars and believe in lies too, is it true?” asked Henry.
The man fumed in reply, “Don’t you bother your head over an ordinary Spider’s talk. Have you forgotten your Biology? Primates are higher animals, most intelligent and the wisest of all. Grandwala is no primate, so it’s neither intelligent nor wise.”
“But I think he was right,” said Henry, “because they never believed the truth as he’d predicted.”
“Hey, you’d better forget about Grandwala and thank me instead—for saving your life.”
Henry said, “Thank you sir—and Grandwala too.”
The man raged:
“I don’t even know if Grandwala had bewitched you. I suggest you get married to it.” Henry was excited, so he replied, “Is it a lady?” The Professor was vexed the more.
“I’ve got no time for balderdash; can’t bear your smells anymore.” He spat at the floor.
“I coined all those things out in the presence of those students just to put their minds at rest that you weren’t really a ghost as they’d initially thought, but here you are doting out meaningless talks, ‘ said the Professor in a serious disposition. “There’s big problem here,” he added.
“Big problem! How? Are they not awake yet?” The man chuckled briskly and said, “Don’t mention that. I don’t think they’ll rise up again.”
“Why?” Henry asked in great trepidation. “Ain’t it ordinary shock?”
“Who told you that? Listen to me, those smells from your body are too strong for them.”
“But many perceived it in Gyrus—none fainted, not even Dolly, the frail—”
“Shut that thing! Gyrus citizens are not ordinary, but earthly ones are. What I’m saying in excess is that the smell’s too strong for non-magicians.”
Like a death sentence came the dean’s words to Henry. He stooped low, looking at the floor as if expecting the solution he’d earlier planted in it to bud.
“Isn’t there a solution?”
“I don’t think so,” the man said in sympathy.
“But why? Why wouldn’t there be solution? I thought you told me in those days before joining the cult that there’s solution in magic?” In silence the man replied, “You’re right, I said that.”
“Then—”
“The problem here’s an exception.”
“Why?” Henry asked.
“Because you’ll not be able to do the impossible.” At the word ‘Impossible’ Henry’s heart lurked vigorously.

Mr OP, thanks for the mention. I can't imagine the extent of the horrible smell from Harrison's body, for it to permanently knock out those school mate of his.

�

ajela:



Waiting....

OK, but pls you don't have to quote my entire long post. You can just mention my username Sammy and make your comment. Thanks and pls are you enjoying the story?

Dybala11:
Mr OP, thanks for the mention. I can't imagine the extent of the horrible smell from Harrison's body, for it to permanently knock out those school mate of his.

Anything from Gyrus is in the most concentrated form. Fear Gyrus o

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sammyLuvin:
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We're waiting OP.

Dybala11:

We're waiting OP.

I'm on the road. Will do it when I'm settled.

sammyLuvin:
I'm on the road. Will do it when I'm settled.

Please don't forget us o, Mr OP. I've been checking this thread from time to time for new update.

"Listen Henry, the only solution is in your ability to do the impossible.”
“Do the impossible again?” screamed Henry in horror and his response intrigued the dean.
“Why d’you say ‘again’ as if you’ve done something impossible before?”
“I stayed in Gyrus for five months, have you forgotten? I opened the Power House.”
“It’s true,” whistled the man and dangled his head slowly sideways as if dancing to the tone of the whistle. Then he put his hand forward to have a handshake with Henry.
“Congratulations!” he announced at last. “You are capable of doin’ it.”
Henry was displeased. He was not feeling like going for any impossible task anymore.
“Sir, I can’t do any impossible shit,” Henry rejected. “My stay in Gyrus brought me nothing—but you promotion.”
“Hey, will you keep silent? You got a record with it, isn’t it?”
“Which record was that?” Henry asked ignorantly.
“The greatest Gyrus liar,” said the dean with a grin.
“It’s bad record,” Henry dismissed.
“Bad record or not, Henry it’s a record. Hear this, when I said I had forty awards then what d’you think I was saying? It was the addition of my magical, physical and academic record—both good and bad.”
“Hmm!” said Henry revealing a smile, but it was short-lived.
“Now pay attention, I have something to tell you. Concerning this issue, I made a mirror-communication with the magistrate. He told me that the odor on you is magic odor, which you’ve allowed the spider to bath you in.”
“The spider never did that,” Henry cut in.
“Keep shut,” commanded the dean. “It’s the same whether Grandwala put them on you or you got them for your long stay. All I know is that they came on you in Gyrus.” The man took a long intake of air, not minding the stench in there.
“He told me those victims will die in two days.”
“Jees! What’s the—?”
“The thing’s that you’ll have to fetch a Rose flower. It will be liquefied and injected to their bodies—that’s all.”
Henry’s heaves knew no bound.
“Sir, you scared life out of me. Why didn’t you say this all the while? I’ll be right back,” Henry said standing up.
“Where are you going? I—”
“To fetch the Rose flowers of course! I know where to find lots of them here in the Campus garden.” The dean pulled him back to his seat.
“You want to kill more people out there?” said the dean. “Just take a look at yourself.” At last the man whispered to Henry, saying, “It’s a Magical Rose flower—can only be found in Cyprus. It has just a single species.”
“Cyprus? What the hell?”
“I didn’t say it’s in hell, I said—” the man paused to see Henry scratch his head in horror. The man suspended the joke he had initially wanted to raise. “Here,” said Professor Wilson and gave Henry a map.
“Map! For what?”
“Go ahead, locate Cyprus in it.
“I know where Cyprus is; I don’t need a map. Jus’ let me know where in Cyprus, please!”
“It’s in a cave, called Selemis Cave. Ordinary ones cannot see this particular cave.”
It dawned on Henry that he was in for big trouble.
“Ain’t no dangerous thing in the cave?” Henry showed some manliness and waited for a response.
“There is,’ said the dean. “But only if you invite there troubles by plucking more than one stalk of the flower. Listen, Henry just one strand is all you need; else the keeper of the flowers will be after your life.”
“I’m afraid I can’t go there anymore.” He was petrified with fear.
“Then I’m afraid you shall have your name broadcast as a murderer of twenty, two days from now.”
Henry’s hot temper became calm by the man’s speech. He kept silent, but the dean was making him feel uncomfortable by stroking his beards.
“You look funny, Henry,” the man smiled. “I don’t think my beards can be as long as these till my death time.”
“I’d tried shave off the bullshit, it’s breaking the razors—shattered ten already,” vociferated Henry, but was not done yet, “The beard’s just too strong. The stain and stench on my teeth have deferred all kinds of abrasion.”
“Lest I forget, Henry to get rid of that—”
“Maybe you should keep that for now.”
“Why? It’s just as simple as the first.”
Henry had a change of mind.
“So… What’s it?”
“What’s the hardest mineral you know?”
“Diamond—so what?”
“That’s the object you’ll use to scrape off your beards.”
“It’s expensive,” expressed Henry, “can’t afford it.”
“If it’s ordinary it had been better. It’s a diamond knife.”
“Knife!”
“Yes, preserved under water for donkey years.”
“For who?”
“For who to use it. It could be you.”
“You think it’s me?” Henry lacked self confidence.
“Yeah! ’cos you need it.”
“Where’s it?” he asked promptly.
“Inside the Nile River.”
“Nile in Egypt?”shouted Henry for fear, but the dean replied, “Exactly. Besides, you’ll have to take your bath in the river too, to get rid of your body smells.”
Henry said after keeping silent a little, “I’m afraid I’m not going for any Diamond Knife. I’d better remain like this—” he glanced at the dean, “for the rest of my life.”
“Then I’m afraid you’ll have to die of your own body smells three days hence. The magistrate had also warned that he mustn’t spot you in Gyrus till you’re normal again.”
“He should have confronted me to tell me that to my face,” Henry said with a feeling of pride, in a way that had suggested that he was such a prominent figure that the magistrate was not able to say such directly to him. Henry soon got to know the reason why the magistrate had avoided him.
“He wouldn’t want to risk his health speaking to you,” said the Professor as he reached for the door.
The Professor’s departure left Henry thinking hard:
“Ted’s a betrayer, didn’t check on me at all,” Henry pondered.

“Ted, here’s the newspaper, see for yourself,” said Ted’s uncle eagerly.
Ted read it out:
“Thirty-five persons died in the Halloween festival in CCUL today. A boy, who had taken up the appearance of a smelly old man had caused this sudden death while trying to scare his mates…”
“You see what I’m saying,” said Willis Brown, Ted’s uncle.
“I see nothing, uncle didn’t you tell me thirty died earlier, but in here it’s thirty-five, how come?”
“The first news was on TV hours ago,” said Ted’s uncle. “This paper was just printed now. Perhaps five more died later.” Then he looked at Ted and said hilariously, “You’re lucky, else you’d have made the thirty-sixth—if you weren’t home.”
“Shit!” said Ted directing his anger to the reporters in absentia. “Newscasters are lie casters,” he deduced thoughtfully.
Ted felt a great urge to go look at his mirror. He acquiesced instantly by deciding to leave, saying, “I’ll have my bath.”
“That’s good,” remarked his uncle who was engrossed in the thing he was reading in the newspaper, “Wash all those Halloween enchantments away from your body.”
Ted rushed to the bathroom, looked into his mirror and found Henry’s hostile face in it.
“You’re no good friend,” Henry greeted cruelly. “You abandoned me when I need you most.”
“It’s not like that—”
“Where are you now?”
“Home—with my uncle.”
“Why?”
“He heard about you on TV and was scared. He sent for me immediately,” Ted said, speech sounding funny, since his nostril was blocked. “Are the victims now awake?”
“No Ted, that’s why I’ll need your help now.”
The smell was saturating the air, having been transmitted through the magical mirror. Ted began to perceive that his uncle would be sensing the smell soonest, so he said to Henry, “Henry, let’s use the phone. Your smell over here’s thick. My uncle’ll soon be here looking for—” Ted’s voice became almost inaudible, having heard something.
“Ted!” his uncle was already at the bathroom door, knocking. “Is any rat dead?” he asked, but no answer came from Ted in the bathroom.
“Ted! Ted!” cried the horrified man, knocking incessantly.
“I’m here,” said Ted at last coming out.
“You scare me. Why didn’t you respond in time?”
“I chose not to,” said Ted. “You promised me you won’t come to disturb me in the bathroom anymore.”
“Oh, Ted, I’m sorry,” apologized the man. “I was perceiving a smell—rotten smell. Can’t tell where it had come from.”
“Humph! I perceived it too. That was why I’ve not turned the knob yet to have a shower. I was scared.”
“What was the smell?”
“I don’t know,” lied Ted. “Uncle let’s get in, I’ll take my bath later.” Willis Brown led the way to the lounge, Ted followed behind.
Ted’s action of wanting to rush into the lounge was only to pick up his telephone, having conjectured that Henry would be calling any moment from then. Ted was already privy to what Henry would say.
As envisaged Ted’s phone began to ring even before the duo got into the lounge. Willis heard it first and said, “Ted, you have a call.”
“Thanks,” replied Ted as he walked to the table to pick it up. He stooped over the well-polished wooden table, and took the phone. Setting it to the loudspeaker mode so that his uncle would hear it too, Ted began the communication.
“Hi Ted.”
“Hi Henry.”
“Ted, where the hell are you? You just disappeared that way.”
“It’s uncle, he’s scared of the Halloween,” said Ted loudly so his uncle could hear.
“Uh—Halloween! How I wish everyday is like it!” said Henry slowly.
“You’d better not let my uncle hear that,” Ted warned, intending to let his uncle hear his voice.
“Why?” asked Henry. “Halloween is great fun of a thing. There’s no day like it.”
“I say don’t let uncle hear that, he’s Samhainophobic,” said Ted loudly and his uncle lifted his face from off the newspaper and looked towards Ted direction.
“It’s serious. Ted, today’s Halloween was the best I’d ever witnessed in my life. Joseph’s Halloween appearance caught three persons unaware today and they all fainted. They’re all awake now, laughing heartily and chasing Joseph all about.”
“As if I don’t know that too,” Ted said. “Uncle will never believe such a story. He said thirty and thirty-five people died in our campus today.”
Henry guffawed aloud as Ted ended hid words.
“Ted, you’ve got such a funny man as an uncle. Where had he had such a false story?”
“Stop it!” Ted shunned pretentiously. “He’s here with me. He’ll be embarrassed.”
“Ouf! I’m sorry. You should have told me that earlier.” Then using an impatient tone Henry said, “Anyway, why I called was to tell you we’ll be writing a Professor Wilson’s test exactly seven a.m tomorrow. Bye!”
“Hey, don’t you hang up yet!”
“Why?” said Henry pretentiously. “Got no credit to burn. I’ve got to begin studying right away—for the impromptu test.”
“You’ve got to speak with my uncle first. He’ll not believe me if I tell him this—just hang on a little.” Ted quickly passed the phone to his uncle, who had heard the conversation already, but had not been moved a bit by their talks.
“Young dude, are you sure of what you’re saying?” sounded Willis Brown’s voice into Henry’s ears.
“Yes sir, that’s the truth. The dean is such a mean fellow.”
“Young man, you know what?”
“No, I don’t know what,” replied Henry immediately.
“All you’ve said is a conspiracy between you two to deceive me,” said Ted’s uncle to their confusion. “I’ll call the dean myself to confirm this.” He cut the call off.
Ted was scared. He started protesting silently:
“I’m going back to school right away,” he grumbled. “My books are there, I’ve got to prepare for the test tomorrow.” His uncle gave no heed to his grumbles, being occupied with what he was doing; he was dialing the dean’s number. He had dialed it for five times already but it was engaged those times.
Ted had rightly guessed that Henry was the cause, discussing with the dean what to answer Ted’s uncle. At last Ted’s uncle’s call was through to Professor Wilson. The Professor’s statement corroborated the duo’s claims, admitting that he would set a test truly. The poor man was convinced.
“Ted, you can go now,” he had declared.
“Thank you uncle,” Ted replied, clinching with the elderly man.
In a short moment Ted was with Henry.
“Henry, why do you want me to come?”
“Can’t you see what’s on ground? Professor Wilson had just told me that those twenty will die in two days if we can’t get a Magical Rose Flower in a cave in Cyprus.”
“Stop fibbing,” said Ted waving a finger at Henry. “He never said ‘we’ I know, so I’m left out of this. You initiated this trouble, isn’t it?”
Henry was shocked.

“You said that Ted! You’re no more a friend, isn’t it?”
“I never said that,” Ted moaned. “I’m your friend; you know I always am. But since you joined this cult I’ve never had a day rest. Before you came I was enjoying myself.”
“So—Ted is it my fault huh?” Henry said in anger and Ted responded, “It was all your fault.” He gnawed at the back of his hand and said, “You didn’t wait to listen to my warning—that you should not show up before people here.”
“When was that?” asked Henry genuinely.
“After the meeting in Gyrus; I’d screamed your name to give you the warning but you were so much in a hurry then that you just—”
“You never called my name. What I heard was ‘hen’ so I thought maybe you’ve seen some chickens roaming about in Gyrus.”
“You are not serious,” said Ted trying to nudge Henry, but his elbow struck Henry’s spiky beards. Ted’s arm was bleeding.
“Upsy-daisy!” Ted screamed, seeing the bleeding arm.”Your beard’s just injured me.”
“I’m sorry,” begged Henry. “It’s as sharp as a sword now and hard too—like diamond.”
“Who said that?”
“The dean,’ said Henry and added immediately, ‘How to get rid of it is a second mission—we’ll get a Diamond Knife from the Nile River.”
“You’re not serious Henry. Your first mission I’m not sure of going with you let alone another.”
‘Ted you’d better be sure,” Henry said. Then he quickly sized Ted up with the look of his eyes and said, “Ted you’ve always guessed right in the past. Things you utter from those lips had always come to pass, so, Ted, you’ll tell me that the mission is possible and that will sure make it possible. C’mon say it!” Henry gave a clap to prompt Ted into action.
“What if I say it’s impossible, does it change anything?”
“Yes. If you say so, then I’d be sure it shall be so, because you’ve always given right predictions.”
“Like which ones?” said Ted as if he never remembered doing such.
“Like—Kim’s going to lose and—many more.”
“Oh, I’ve forgotten about that—such a fool!” recoiled Ted as if Kim was yet living. “No pity for Kim.”
“I was surprised Harrison won,” said Henry digressing, but Ted said, “I wasn’t here for that, was I? I thought you said you called me here to assist you.”
“I’m sorry,” Henry confessed. “So, Ted are you coming with me?’
“I don’t know. Just tell me more about the first mission.” He was out of patience.
“We’ll get a Rose flower in a cave in Cyprus. The liquefied form of the flower will be injected into the bodies of those patients. Ted, it must be done within two days, else we’ll lose them.”
“And my uncle’s confession shall come to pass,” deduced Ted.
“Why d’you say that?” asked Henry in disappointment.
“Uncle said it,” said Ted. “And his predictions had always come to fulfillment.”
“It will not this time,” responded Henry nervously. “According to the dean, the journey’s easy and free. No danger is involved at all. We’ll just go there and pluck up a strand from the root.”
Ted was doubting Henry, so he said, “Wait a moment, in the cave, do we have just a stalk of Rose flower growing?”
“No, there are many—”
“So, why can’t we pluck as much as we like?”
“We can’t do that,” replied Henry promptly. “Professor Wilson said if we pluck more than a strand we’ll be attacked by some creatures. I’m sorry I’d forgotten to tell you this earlier.”
“Can you see what I’m saying?”
“No, I can only hear it,” replied Henry humorously, but Ted ignored him.
“You’d have put us into trouble again,” said Ted. “I won’t take chances this time, that was why I probed you further.”
Anything more?”
“Nothing more; just that I want you to say that this mission is possible.” said Henry, regarding Ted as a Prophet. “Say that now, please!” demanded Henry.
Ted said, “This mission is Imp—” but Henry instantly put his hands across Ted’s mouth to stop him.
“Stop! Stop!” Henry yelled. “Don’t say that.” Henry’s eyes bulged out for fear.
“You can’t stop me,” said Ted, who had just managed to remove Henry’s hands from his mouth. Henry blocked it again, this time with more effort.
“Ted, I beg of you don’t say that.” Ted was almost suffocating, since Henry’s palms were blocking his nostrils too. He raised his arms as he struggled with Henry.
“Ted, promise me you won’t say that,” Henry said, not ready to leave Ted alone until he had agreed. Ted waved his two hands, gesturing his surrender. He let go of Ted’s mouth, but the latter yelled angrily at him.
“Henry, are you crazy? You want to suffocate me with those rat smells from your palms?” panted Ted.
“I’m sorry Ted,” pleaded Henry.
“I’d wanted to say the mission is important but you just…You’re not patient enough to hear.” As Ted mentioned ‘patient’ Henry called back to mind the words of Grandwala:
That’s why magicians are powerless; they lack patience.
“Grandwala was right,” said Henry softly, but Ted heard him and was intrigued.
“About what?”
“That all magicians are impatient.”
Ted ignored him.
“Oh, you’ve never told me your adventure in Gyrus,” reminded Ted, adjusting and fixing his gaze on Henry’s face, getting ready to hear him.
“They’re just too many Ted. By and by I’ll unfold them.”
“Just brief me, I’m eager to hear something.”
“Okay, Grandwala said you’ll provide the answer to the seventh question,” said Henry hilariously to Ted’s displeasure.
“That’s if you tell me the question,” said Henry. “How can I give an answer to a question not asked?” Trying to change the topic, Ted said, “Tell me something, did you die in Gyrus? The darkness I saw…”
“That was a strand of the Spider’s cobweb. It’s very black.”
“No wonder,” Ted said, then he realized that the ambience in the room had been permeated with the pungent odors from Henry’s body. Ted said, “C’mon let’s talk about the mission or didn’t you say they’ll die in two days?”
“It’s true, but Ted how do I get to Cyprus, by flight? I’m stinking, and take a look at this,” Henry stroked his beards and said, “They’ll suspect I’m a terrorist aboard.”
The door flung open as Henry spoke and the dean got inside.
“Henry, Ted, time to go,” said the dean.
They began to hear sounds of people howling in protest from the outside. Then the Professor said, “The whole campus is turned upside down now; journalists everywhere coming for you—we’ve only managed to keep them at bay. Boys, it’s time to leave.”
“How?” They expressed their surprises, knowing that they would be noticed as soon as they stepped out.
“So, Ted you don’t know how? You’re into magic for over two years, nothing’s in your head,” abused the dean, expressing surprises as he took out a well-folded paper from his shirt pocket. “Have it,” he said as he reached for the door.
They were shocked, not knowing what to do with it.
“But how?” they said and the man replied in annoyance, “Can’t you see Cyprus in there? Touch it and speak out your desire to get there. Bye!’ said the dean, getting out and shutting the door quickly.
“He’s not in anymore,” the dean lied to the angry students and the Journalists who had crowded around the place.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN JOURNEY TO SELEMIS Ted and Henry landed in a thick forest. “Is this Cyprus?” Henry asked in terror as they walked fearfully along. “I don’t know,” Ted replied. “All I know is here’s a forest.” “Do you still remember our mission?” Henry asked in a silly manner and Ted responded, “Yes, to fetch the Rose flower.” “I thought you’d forgotten,” Henry said. Ted replied, “I’m not like you who forgets things easily; forgot himself in Gyrus, forgot it was Halloween and forgot the seventh question.” “The seventh question! You don’t remember that too, do you?” Henry was in his elements again. “The seventh question?” said Ted uneasily, in a manner that was showing that he had never forgot the question at all. “Yes, you told me you’ve forgotten it too.” “Y-y—” Ted was just about to tell a lie by saying ‘yes’ when they suddenly saw a very huge Lion, whose mane was almost covering all the parts of its body. It was far bigger than any ordinary Lion they had seen in wildlife documentaries. “Henry, a Lion!” yelled Ted as he gave Henry a nudge. Henry had seen it too, before Ted cried out. His mouth had then been wide agape, not knowing what to do. They fleeted away quickly as fast as there feet would do. For the first time, Ted ran faster than Henry. “Ted! Wait for me!” Henry cried, forgetting that he’d once boasted to Ted that he had won the yearly racing competition in the high school three times. Maybe Ted’s hormones were more sensitive to danger than Henry’s own going by the way they had run, but no one could tell. However, both ran with all the strength they could muster, but the speed was far less than the one they utilized in Gyrus, though the effort exerted was more here. The Lion chased tirelessly after them but they forged along relentlessly. The Lion had closed in on them when they came out of the forest, yet it was chasing after them, increasing its celerity. Henry and Ted noticed an Island very close to them. They plunged into the water to get to the Island, but the Lion continued the chase. As soon as the boys got to the Island, the Lion jumped on Henry and began to tear Henry’s fearnought apart. Since the cloth was considerably thick, it retarded the rate at which the Lion would tear Henry to pieces. Ted, who had run far ahead, mustered courage and ran back to rescue Henry, if he could. Though intimidated by the Lion’s awful physique, Ted managed to stay somewhere not very close to the Lion and tried to shoo it away by making some nonsensical howls. It seemed it worked because the Lion suddenly looked away from Henry to Ted, then it ran away, plunging into the muddy water to get back to the forest. The boys were surprised. Ted rushed quickly to give Henry a hand. “Henry, are you hurt?” “No!” said Henry, “Almost.” But a little quantity of blood was seen flowing out from a cut on Henry’s forehead. “You saved my life,” Henry said, hugging him. “It’s nothing,” Ted replied, forcing out a smile. “Did you use the magic—to chase that thing away?” “Oh, I forgot,” said Ted, expressing shock. “I did that physically.” “I forgot to use mine too,” Henry said glimmering in shock. Then he remembered something again. “My sharp beards; I should have exploited it… to stab the Lion.” They stood, looking like idiots. “Where are we?” asked Henry suddenly. “I don’t know,” replied Ted. “What are we here for?” Henry asked further and Ted said, “I’ve forgotten.” The two friends stood still, gazing around the sandy island. They did not see any trace of such place being habited by anything. “Ted,” Henry called again. “Why are we forgetting everything?” Ted shrugged in response. Then they began to shudder in fear as they looked at the solitary beach. “Why are we forgetting everything?” They cried out and got several responses—the echoes of their voices. Amazingly an answer came after the reverberations: “Because you are in the Island of forgetfulness,” they heard a calm voice behind them. Turning to see the owner of the voice, they met the eyes of a hairy old man, whose face had no wrinkle at all. The boys were able to recognize that he was an old man due the grayness of the hair on the man’s hair and entire body. He was dressed in the ancient manner, putting on a long robe and a woven hat to match. Since the man was not having any cattle around, the boys were unable to pass him for a cowboy. The man had white full-grown beards and moustache; and eyelashes, which were bushy too. “Are you afraid?” asked the man. “You shouldn’t, because you’re in a very friendly environment,” said the man with a grin, in the Cypriot Greek accent. He waited for a response, but the boys were indisposed to speak. “Here is the border of Selemis where you are going,” said the man. “No one lives in this island and die at a young age.” “Why sir?” they asked. “As the name implies, it’s the Island of Forgetfulness. The only kind of food here is wine. It will make you healthy and strong and you’ll forget your sorrows.” The man grinned and continued, “Can you tell me why people die early in this earth?” “No sir,” they replied. “It’s because people remember past sorrows and focus too much on present troubles to the extent of forgetting past and present joys—and even the future ones. They don’t forget offences committed against them.” He paused to smile. The two boys were attracted to his wrinkle-free face. His skin was smooth too, like that of a fish. “Here, you’ll always easily forget about the offences made against you.” “Is that so?” their eyes bulged in wonderment. “Yes my son,” the man said. “Drink wine and rest. Tomorrow you shall depart.” If the boys had remembered that the ‘tomorrow’ mentioned by the man for departure was going to be the same day the victims in CCUL were going to die, they would have objected to it. However, they followed the man’s instruction tractably as they helped themselves to the wine in a gourd. They gulped it down rapidly. As they drank, the old man kept nodding his head and smiling in a satisfied manner. The boys soon fell to the earth and slept off, snoring away their sorrows.[

In the campus, the medical practitioners had given up on the apparently dead students, having applied all the skills they had at their disposal to no avail. It was twenty-four hours since the incident took place.
The dean was very much interested in the goings-on more than any other staff. He was thumping here and there for solution, though all his hope was on the arrival of the duo.
The head of the doctors had told him that the corpses were dead, but the dean had rejected his conclusion, believing that the patients were just in an inexplicable comatose. The head magistrate in Gyrus had told him that something of such would result after twenty-four hours.
“Professor, they’re dead, no two ways about it. These corpses are just occupying the bunks. Sir, we’ve got lots of sick ones out there who need to be admitted,” the doctor had said.
The dean was annoyed, since it was the third time the man would be complaining that day.
“What do you know, Doctor Clifford?”
“My profession—I know my profession. These are corpses,” the Doctor replied boldly, tapping Susie’s lifeless right hand. “There’s no two ways about it.”
“Keep shut!” the dean raged. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Professor Wilson Genius. I said these victims are not dead. If you won’t treat them then I’ll come treat them myself. In fact, I’m still on the cure.”
“But sir, you know nothing about medicine, do you?” challenged the Doctor.
“How dare you tell me such a thing? Combination of six disciplines, I’m sure is better than just medicine alone,” said Professor Wilson. All of a sudden his temper became calm.
“Doctor Clifford, I’m sorry for my manner of approach, but it’s the truth—they’re not dead,” he said, tapping the Doctor’s shoulder lightly. Then he whispered after looking at his watch, “In twenty-three hour, thirty minutes if they’re not up yet, then you can go on declare them dead and evacuate them from here.”
As the dean was walking out of the hospital, many of the relatives of the victims were already waiting in the lobby to ask him what was going on.
“They’ll be alright,” the man assured the weeping ones as he passed by them.

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Henry and Ted stretched their bodies and rose slowly, yawning.
“Where are we?”asked Ted.
“I don’t know,” said Henry. “Maybe in the land of the dead,” he added when he saw a hairy figure approaching, white all over. They were scared.
“Henry, we’d better run,” advised Ted, but the figure, which was now very close, gestured to them to remain. The figure came closer yet the boys were still scared. It was the old man who had given them wine the day before.
“Who are you and where are we?” they questioned the man whose disposition seemed freindly.
“You are in the Island of Forgetfulness. I’m the sage who gave you wine yesterday.”
“Oh, that’s true,” they remembered.
“Old sage, what have we come here to do?” asked Henry.
“Nothing, it’s just the passageway to Selemis, where you’re heading to.
“For what?” they queried.
“To get the Rose flower,” said the man.
“Oh, that’s true,” they remembered again. As they looked toward the forest, they saw the Lion that had earlier chased them to the Island running to the Island again with full speed.
“Look! The Lion!” Henry cried out. His heart palpitated for fear. “It’s coming for us.”
“Never mind Henry,” said Ted. “I’ll chase it away again.”
The old man laughed at Ted’s threat and said, “Don’t you go near the innocent Lion. It’s not possible for you to chase it away.”
“But I did,” said Ted and Henry corroborated his claim.
“You’re wrong young men. The Lion went away of its accord, because he had forgotten the reason he was chasing you then—just as you’ve been forgetting things, so did the Lion too.” The old man slowly nodded his head looking blankly at them as if his mind was somewhere else.
“Why was he chasing us at first?” Henry asked.
“For food of course,” Ted said but the man debunked the idea.
“You’re wrong. That forest is the Forest of Truth. The Lion had been commissioned to keep watch over the forest. He is called the Lion of truth. He detests liars. He sees into your heart if you tell a lie in the Forest of Truth or if you are just about to do so. He will tear such a one to pieces, but never feeds on the corpse.”
“But we’re not liars, are we?”
“Well, I won’t say precisely who was about to tell a lie between you two, since you are lucky already that you’ve escaped from its grips.”
Ted looked at Henry and said, “Maybe it’s him.” He pointed to Henry.
The man smiled. “Why d’you say so?”
“Because it was him the Lion caught.”
“You’re wrong,” said the man. “You’re the liar, because here again you’ve just told a lie against your friend.” The man was serious but he was not angry.
Ted felt that he could be wiser than the old man, so he said, “Then the Lion should have torn me apart even now if truly I’ve just told a lie.” Ted pointed to the Lion, which was then seated calmly on the sand.
The man laughed and said, “He can not remember his duty here. Maybe you both should take a walk to the forest again and see what becomes of you. I can assure you, no one will recognize your skeleton.” Then he said again, “Young boy, do you know something?”
“No sir,” they said. The man got up, beat his body to get rid of the dust on it and said, “For decades none had made the Journey to Selemis Cave.” The boys sprang up immediately, about to run from the man, because of what he had just said. However, Henry managed to ask, “Are you saying that you’ll kill us right here?”
“You’ve not offended me, boy,” said the man grinning. “I’m the judge here. The only offence worth death as far as I’m concerned is murder.”
Ted said, “But we never murdered anyone, how come we were almost killed?”
“By whom?” asked the man promptly.
“By the Lion of Truth,” they said.
“Oh! Oh! Oh! boys, the Lion of Truth is the judge of that forest; that was the only judgment the Lion had chosen to give to liars—death. If any one escapes the forest to this Island as you’ve just done, then no harm will come to such, since the offence would have been forgotten. But murdering someone here’s the only thing worth death.”
The boys got the man clearly now. Then they were smiling again, forgetting to ask the man for the reason many never got to the Selemis Cave for many decades. However, the man called their attentions to it again:
“Listen carefully; almost everyone tells lies and makes lies on earth. This Lion had fed on most of them before they could escape to this Island. The few who had even managed to get here never still got to Selemis. Many do go back to where they were coming from without continuing their journeys.”
“Why?” the boys expressed shock.
“Any journey to Selemis has a deadline. They forgot to go further on reaching this Island, demanding more wine every minute. They drank to inebriation. They forgot everything about the Journey they were sent, only to remember it later. By then it would have been late.”
The man looked at them closely and said, “You both are unique. You were satisfied with the little wine I gave to you.”
Ted and Henry were happy for the man’s declaration, yet they never felt like going forward to Selemis Cave, perhaps they had forgotten the mission. The two hugged each other fondly, congratulating themselves for being unique. Being engrossed in the clinch they were not able to pay attention to the old man who had started talking again:
“Only one man on earth had made the mission to Selemis Cave unhurt. His name was Herbert Cook,” said the man, but the boys were not paying attention. All they were engrossed in was the feeling of joy that had now overwhelmed them. “Till today, no magician believed that any one had made it to Selemis Cave, but they know that Selemis does exists in Cyprus. You boys are not listening to me.”
“We’re listening,” they replied, being jolted out of their lingering euphoria by the light nudges the man gave them both.
“Well, that piece of information may not be useful to you because—”
“Why?”
“Because you will forget it, even if you heard it clearly here.”
“We won’t forget,” they assured.
The man was going to prove them wrong, so he said, “Okay, remind me now.” They began to click their blank skulls as they set their faces upward as if the sky was a chalkboard on which the answer had been written. They gave up eventually and said, “We didn’t pay attention. Can you tell us again, even now?”
“Forget it,” said the man. “You’ll only remember that I told you something, but you’ll not remember it until the statement comes to you again verbatim by some other people.” The boys scratched their heads in disappointment.

Dedicated to Uthman2Senior for sharing my previous post

The Lion had come to the man and lain on his lap. It was having fun. The man said, “He can do the same thing to you if you want him to. Just call him to your side.”
Ted made a sound to call the Lion and it came, but Henry was scared of it when the thought of how the Lion had injured his head suddenly came. He tried to touch the wound, but it had left him.
“Wonderful!” Henry yelled.
“What?” demanded the old man.
“My wound’s healed; no more pain.
Ted looked at Henry’s forehead and remarked, “Wow! Henry, no scar’s left!”
“That’s what forgetting your pains does to you,” said the man and grinned. “It’s a pity you’ll not remember to put all the lessons you’ve learnt here into practice. The only thing you’ll remember is ‘I came to this place’,” said the man pitifully.
“Are you sure, old sage?” they asked.
“Sure, as long as you both are concerned.”
“Why d’you say as long as we are concerned? Doesn’t the same rule apply to everyone?”
“A little difference—anyone who murders someone, here in this Island, will forever remember the scene of the murder, because the memory will not stop haunting him.”
The man could read the dreads of what he had just said on the boy’s faces, so he attempted to calm them down by saying, “Why worrying? Cheer up boys ’cos such a thing had never happened—no one had murdered anyone over here, including the Lion of Truth—I guess you still remembered how he released you when you got here.” They shook their heads in the affirmative, but their faces were still creased.
“C’mon boys, cheer up! No Island murderer can even go scot-free let alone having that memory haunting such, because I’ll punish such at once—death.”
“Really!” they uttered.
The Lion came to Henry to rest on him too, but Henry shrieked and shoved its arm away. The man laughed at such move and rose up.
“I’ll be right back. You can relax here and have fun with the Lion. You can ride on it like a horse if you want to, because nothing’s impossible.”
Ted was glad about such announcement. He sprang to his feet and jumped onto the back of the Lion. The Lion raced from one place to the other in the jungle. Henry was still scared of the fierce-looking Lion. The Lion was taking a circular path within the Island. As it came near Henry again, Ted shouted, “Henry, come with me, let’s ride on it.”
“The Lion is a trick,” declared Henry. “It will hurt us.”
“Henry, remember the sage’s word; forgive and forget,” Ted said, having fun on the Lion’s back. Henry soon joined him on in the ride. The speed at which the Lion was travelling was enormous. On the creature’s back, Henry was feeling that the Island of Forgetfulness was another Gyrus, or even a Gyrus on Earth, when he reasoned the speed at which the Lion was moving. Henry himself had deduced from the difference in speed of the creature while in the forest and while in the island, that what was weighing the Lion down in the Forest of Truth was the word ‘Truth’ itself. Now that it was in the ‘Island of Forgetfulness’, it had forgotten the bitterness of truth.
“The truth is indeed bitter,” Henry had felt. For many hours, they persisted in the fun at the expense of the mission to Selemis; but the Lion suddenly became fierce and roared angrily as it set its face toward the Forest of Truth and increased its celerity, heading for the forest again, now in a straight course.
“Ted, hope this Lion’s not taking us back there to kill us!” Henry said in fright.
“That’s what I’m—” Before Ted could end his word the Lion had begun to gallop with great propensity as it was forging ahead still.
“We’ve got to jump!” they screamed in terror. In a short moment, Henry had jumped off the Lion’s back, having had lots of experiences in the past on how to jump down from a fast moving thing. Ted was not skilled at jumping, so he was scared. By a stroke of luck Ted jumped too, from the Lion’s back and landed with a heavy thud just right inside the water that was demarcating the Forest of Truth and the Island of Forgetfulness.
Henry, who had earlier landed on the dry ground, rushed impulsively towards the shallow water where his friend had just landed. He was intending to help Ted out of the muddy pond.
Afraid that Ted had been hurt, Henry said fast, “Ted, are you okay?”
“I—I’m not; but my bone is broken,” said Ted in pain.
“Sorry Ted,” Henry said, pulling him up. “I’m just lucky I wasn’t hurt like you,” Henry declared as they trudged out of the water.
As they got back to land again, now bedraggled, Ted said, “The old sage has lied to us that the Lion doesn’t hurt in this land.”
“You hurt yourself,” sounded a still voice beside Ted. It was the sage again. “The Lion’s innocent,” he added.
“It’s a lie,” they impugned.
“You shouldn’t have jumped from his back?” said the old man.
“Why? The Lion was taking us back to the forest to kill us!”
“You got it wrong. It was going back there, quite alright, but you two should have held tight to him. Why d’you think he has got such a bushy mane? If you stick to the back of the Lion of Truth it won’t hurt you.”
Henry felt that he had heard, “If you stick to the truth, you won’t get hurt”, so he tried to link it up with one of Grandwala’s proverbs. Henry soon came up with the thought that the man must be right, remembering how telling the truth in Gyrus had set him free earlier, in Gyrus, according to Grandwala’s prediction.
“Even back there?” said Ted pointing towards the forest.
“Since you’re on its back, no harm,” said the old man with no single wrinkle.

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Henry and Ted were scared, afraid that when the Lion returns it would still tear them apart again.
“Be at rest boys, why panicking? The Lion must have set his long-sighted eyes ahead of this Island to spot someone in the forest; I guess that was what he has gone after. It won’t hurt you.”
The boys doubted him still. In a short moment the Lion had appeared again. When it was close to them, they noticed something in his mouth, which was bleeding profusely. Taking a close look, they discovered it was a human. The Lion dropped the restless man on the sand and sat beside it, wagging its tail playfully again, as if it had forgotten that it was the one who had brought the bleeding human there. Turning the motionless man around, the boys gave a yell, “Power Guard!” It was the Gyrus Power Guard, Kent Robins. Surprisingly he spoke, but in a very low tone:
“Henry, T-Ted, you’re still alive! This Lion d-did not k-kill y-you!” he said as he spat out blood, “but it attacked me.”
“What are you here for?” the boys asked inquisitively but the man prevaricated.
“Truly I helped Harrison,” he confessed. “I—I gave him my w—wand at first, then I called him back when he was about to depart and gave him a fake second wand. But I told him the second was a fake,” the man paused to release a bloody cough again.
“The first I asked him to keep but the second I asked him to give anyone who m—may later want to come de—demanding for the wand; even if it was myself. Why I said it was because I knew Kim could come in my appearance to deceive Harrison, you know he was a mystery maker…”
The man groaned in pain.
“Kim came tr—truly in my appearance, demanding for the wand and Harrison gave him the fake.”
“Holy shit!” the boy yelled.
“So…you killed Kim!” said Henry, boiling in anger as he tramped cruelly on the Power Guard. The Power Guard was still holding on to his wand, which he had received back from Harrison.
“Stop it Henry!” said Ted pulling him, then he added, “Have you forgotten that he has not told us his mission here?”
“Oh, it’s true,” Henry’s eyelids flicked up, then the man confessed slowly, “I came after both of you to kill you, but—but this Lion stopped me.”
“You stopped yourself,” sounded the voice of the sage again, “This Lion is the Lion of Truth so it hates liars—like you. Probably, you what was in your mind when you got to the forest was the thought of the deceit to use in getting these innocent boys.” The Power Guard’s smeared head shook slightly in approval. He breathed heavily, almost dying. Just then the wand of the Power Guard attracted Henry and he said, “Hey Ted, look, his wand’s still with him. Let’s take it.” They snatched it quickly from him and impaled his body with it at once. The man fell dead. Just as they were fixing their smiling gazes at the wand that they had just acquired, they heard a pugnacious voice behind them:
“Why d’you do that?” fumed the sage in anger.
“He’s a bad man,” they replied.
“I’m the judge here. I told you I do not judge bad people; only murderers. I forgave him, so you should have done that too,” the man shouted. The boys shivered as they remembered the judgment for ‘Island Murderers’ which they had just become.
“But—sir if we left him alone, he’ll die all the same, ’cos he’s already wounded to a near-death state,” they gave excuses but the man refuted.
“It’s not true,” said the man. “If you’d left him alone, he would forget his sorrows and pains and he’d survive. You are Island Murderers—first Island Murderers—so you shall D-I-E!” the man roared critically at them.
“Please sir!” they yelled out their pleas. “We forgot that death was the punishment for murder here. Please!”
They persisted painstakingly in tendering their apologies but they all fell on deaf ears. The man approached the horrified boys fiercely and they moved backward in apprehension to avoid him.
“No apology!” he yelled suddenly. “Now you shall die!” As he spoke, he dramatically transformed himself into a very gargantuan Lion, twice as huge as the Lion of Truth, which was lackadaisical about the whole thing.
“Aargh!” the boys howled as they took to their heels. The speed of the Lion was enormous. It was almost going to grab them both at once when the Power Guard’s wand suddenly turned upward and lifted the boys off ground, away from the reach of the Lion. They landed gently in another land.
The wand of the Power Guard had a special ability; it was possessing discretion, knowing what to do at any given time. The boys landed safely in a rocky environment.
“Where’s this?” Ted asked.
“It must be Selemis; it’s full of caves.”
“Hey, we’re short of time,” said Ted glancing at his wristwatch. “The patients will die in an hour.”
“Gush!” said Henry in exasperation.

The boys walked along towards a cave. They were soon in the first cave they had encountered. The interior was benighted, though outside the sun was still glimmering in great splendor, since it was still daytime. As soon as the boys got into the cave, the Power Guard’s wand with them beamed a great white light of its own accord, so that they could view clearly the dim interior of the cave. The mass of the light was so great that it was cracking the structure rapidly. Massive boulders began to pour down as a result of the dilapidation of the cave by the intensity of the collision of the beams with the wall of the cave. The heavy falling masses nearly fell on the boys’ heads.
“Let’s get out of here, fast,” advised Ted and they got out of there in a hurry, unhurt. Amazingly, the illumination from the wand died off as they got out of the cave. However, Ted said in anticipation, “We’ve got to control this light.”
“Let’s see how to do that when we get to the next cave,” Henry said and in a moment they were walking to another cave, since in the first they never saw any Rose flower. When they got to the next cave, the wand beamed no light since the interior of the cave was not dark like the first. It seemed that the Roses in there had provided the illumination. The fragrant flowers were dazzling and sparkling.
“Hooray!” said Ted as they saw the Rose flowers.
“Let’s start plucking,” said Ted as he hunched happily and Henry seconded gladly by saying, “Yeah, pluck as much as you want.”
“I’m already doing that,” said Ted with a handful of flowers, which he was holding close to his nose to draw in the sweet-smelling fragrance oozing out of them.
“Ted you know something? I’ll hang them around in my room and invite Cynthia. The flowers will attract her to me,” said Henry as he stood straight briskly to gesticulate, leaving the plucking at that moment to Ted alone.
Ted said, “I’ll make a garden and plant them there. Henry, I will quit my career and opt for medicine.”
“Why?” Henry asked.
“The Rose flowers—they’ll cure all diseases. In a short time I’ll be regarded as the best Medical Doctor in the world.” Henry was fascinated by Ted’s taking talks. Instantly he felt that he would do the same.
“Me too,’ said Henry as he bent over again to pluck the flowers. Just then Ted saw some winged creatures swarming across to them. They appeared like giant ants, but they possessed wings. Ted screamed, “Henry, look!” Henry's neck turned his face toward the direction Ted had pointed at in the cave then he shouted with a shrilled voice as he saw the ant-like things too. They were as big as Ted and Henry themselves.
“We’re dead,” said Ted, not remembering to pick up the Power Guard’s wand which they had inadvertently thrown on the floor earlier when they were about to start rooting out the flowers. Just then Henry remembered something:
“Ted, drop those roses; pick just one,” cried Henry.
“Why should I do that?”
“That was the instruction,” replied Henry who was being lifted quickly from the ground by the creatures, as if a hawk was picking up a chick. Ted had dropped the Roses instantly, holding on to a single one.
“I’ve dropped them Henry yet they’re still coming after me,” said Ted, gazing up to Henry.
Henry shouted, “Then use the wand!” Ted looked beside him and saw the wand on the floor. Henry had almost been taken far into the dim inner part of the cave then and Ted had almost been picked up too by those creatures.
Ted pointed the wand at the ones around him. They were exploded at once.
“I get them!” he screamed happily, but was jolted quickly by Henry’s cry of agony. Ted took few strides and pointed his wand to the creatures on Henry. They exploded too, leaving Henry to fall from a lofty height.
“Aaaaargh!” Henry screamed as he tumbled downward rapidly. He fell and landed on his belly. Ted was afraid that Henry was dead. He came nearer and said, “Henry, are you dead? Say yes or no.”
“If I’m dead how do you expect me to say yes?” Henry moaned as Ted attempted to pull him up. He managed to remain standing, his body aching. Just then Henry saw the Roses they had cast away taking roots again.
“Look Ted, the roses are taking root again!” Henry was stunned.
“It’s amazing!” remarked Ted as he gawped at them.
“But why did we forget that we should have plucked just one strand?”
“Maybe because we’ve passed through the Island of Forgetfulness,” Ted deduced a brilliant one.
“It’s true,” countenanced Henry with a grin, then he announced, “Mission one is fulfilled.”
Ted’s face was wrinkled in annoyance.
“I hope you’re not telling me there’s another mission to carry out from here.”
“Yeah, there is,” said Henry apprehensively. “The Nile River, where the diamond knife lies.”
“Hope you’re not asking me to follow you there ’cos I’m going back to campus right away,” said Ted sternly.
“Well… I’ve got to go myself then, else I’ll soon be dead.”
“Go,” said Ted with a smirk, which made Henry express a cheerless mood. Ted noticed Henry’s gloomy mood and said, “Why are you looking at me that way? I thought I told you in school that I’m not going to any second mission.”
“Yeah, you said that,’ said Henry lowering his head in blues, then he gave Ted a hug and whispered into his ear, “Thanks.”
“We’re friends, ain’t we? So… no thanks,” said Ted. “Henry, can’t we go back together?”
“Not with these hard beards and smelly body,” said Henry quickly ending the hug. “Let me not transfer the smell to you.”
“Don’t you worry, I said we are—” Ted paused as the east wind blew up his cloth to his face. “Humph! My cloth smells too,” Ted grimaced.
“That’s what I was saying.” Henry glanced at his watch and said, “Wow! It’s past six already; Ted, time to go.”
“What! Henry, fifteen minutes more the victims are dead.”
“Wonderful!” Henry yelled, remembering the victims again. “Ted you’ll go now and I’ll go to Egypt too for the knife,” Henry spoke and added as an afterthought, “But how?”
“With the map of course!”
“Where’s it?” asked Henry and Ted gave a shrug.
“I don’t know. All I remembered was that we touched Cyprus in it in your room then we got to the forest. Who knows whether the map had remained behind in Los Angeles?”
Hearing it, Henry’s heart almost stopped functioning.
“Ted where’s the map? Where’s the map?” he wept sore.
“I don’t know for God’s sake. Check your pocket, I’ll check mine too.” They did that very quickly. Ted said first, “It is not in here” bringing out the inside of his pocket. Henry was ashamed to speak, having felt the paper in his pocket with his hand. Just then he remembered when he tucked it into his pocket while in the Forest of Truth.
“I’m sorry it’s in here,” said Henry soberly, bringing out the crumpled map. “I guess it’s crumpled by the Lion fight.”
“You’d better be grateful it wasn’t torn to pieces. Give me the thing; it’s time to go back to Los Angeles.” Henry glanced at the map in his left hand and said, “No, let me get to Egypt with it first.”
“Stop the joke,” said Ted in annoyance. “If you go with it to Egypt how do I get to America then? It’s just fifteen minutes left now—for the twenty victims, else they’ll die.”
Henry replied foolishly, “Then we must fight it out.”
Ted replied too like a simpleton, “That’s the only option.”
As if they were still under the influence of the wine they took in the Island of Forgetfulness, the two began the wrestling instantly. They stopped suddenly after struggling for two minutes.