Image by Vellectrum

The Wishing Map is a full-length fantasy that is being posted episodically at this site. To read the previous episode click here. To read the entire novel, begin here.

In an attempt to break free from the childlike naims (gnomes) who’d chosen him as their new Storysmith, Zack challenged them to tell their own stories inspired by patterns in the legendary rainbowwood planks.

“Perfect story, Thistlecress!” said Zack. “Now, bring out Tuber!”

“Why isn’t there a new plank?” voices asked.

“He’ll turn this’n over,” said Sniggle, and that satisfied them.

But Zack didn’t turn it over. “OK, Tuber, what do you see?” The crowd hushed, not out of anticipation, but confusion. For Thistlecress had already told the story, the only story that belonged to this piece of wood. But Tuber had been in seclusion and didn’t know this.

Tuber stared into the plank, and then a strange otherness came over him. Zack watched in awe as the old naim’s ecstatic vision caused him to tremble. “The morning sun is shining,” he began, “through a great cleft in the sky. For ‘tis a day when the sun an’ rain an’ wind an’ stars have all arrived at the same time! They’ve begun ter fight over whether it should be night or day, sunny or stormy, an’ a great war has braken out amongst th’ elements. For they can nay longer seem ter live side by side!”

Dozens of Root Naim children ran onto the field, pretending to be wind and stars. They collided with one another, tittering gleefully, knocking each other down.

Meanwhile, on the Leaf Naim side, what had begun as a rumble was becoming a roar, different from anything Zack had heard before. It wasn’t the raucous booing of opposing fans, it was a cry of outrage. Zack looked back at the ecstatic Tuber. His eyes were cast skyward. It reminded Zack of the picture of Saint Stephen in his old Sunday School Bible—just before Stephen was stoned to death.

“Ne’er traith!” screeched an outraged voice. It was Lyffwin. The phrase meant “falsehood!” More than that, it meant the vilest of kind of falsehood, the kind that purposely harms others through deception. Soon more Leaf Naims took up the cry: “Ne’er traith! Tuber speaks ne’er traith!”

Several hundred Root Naims shouted back, “Nay! ‘Tis Thistlecress as lied!”

“All Root Naims is liars,” yelled Lyffwin, “an’ all their stories is ne’er traith!”

“It’s Leaf Naims as lied from the beginning!” roared Bulgy, sensing his moment had come. Then, to demonstrate his indignity, he hurled a stone at the Leaf Naims. It fell a few feet away, but a retaliatory rock hurled by someone younger and stronger on the Leaf Naim side found a target:

A tiny Root Naim girl was struck in the head…

And fell bleeding to the ground.

φ

Thoughts: Choose your words carefully lest midair they turn into stones.

To read the next episode, click here.