valley unforgotten

"Shall we take a vote then?" said Merysom.

"That doesn"t make sense," said Polywan, "because we are right. You don't vote whether the sun will rise on the morrow, because it simply will."

"But it may not, come a time," said the magician, "and then you'd be wrong, and if we didn't take appropriate measures we'd be in the dark and cold."

The gnome started to say something else, then shut up. "All in favor of taking the high road," said the magician, "raise a hand." 

Most of the gnomes raised their hands, but no one else. "All in favor of taking the forest path raise a hand." 

The handful of faeries and the remainder of the gnomes raised up their hands.

"I count the highroad wins, by a count of two," said the magician. 

The sun went behind a cloud.

There was some muttering. 

Ramshies ran panting up and cried, "Beryloam is in the balloon, sir! Taking flight!" She pointed to a great bulbous blue dome rising over the trees towards the house.

"Oh no," said Merysom.

"Oh yes!  I saw him get in and Talymo thought it was a joke when she untied it and now there he goes and I think he wants down but who can help now?" 

"Indeed who can!"  The magician hurried that way.

The others followed.

They came up beneath the balloon just coming over the wood at the foot of the hill.  Talymo was running down from the house laughing or crying or both. 

"Beryloam!" the magician called up. 

"Master Merysom!" screamed the boy. 

"You must--" Merysom called up, then to himself:  "He's too high already--the fall...."

"Douse the fire quickly!" he called.

The boy ducked in the basket. The balloon kept soaring, higher over the trees.  The magician followed under, dodging trees and looking up.

"Master Merysom!  I don't have anything to douse it with!"

The magician swore again; to himself he muttered quickly, "If he can dump the fuel pail into the basket it will almost certainly catch fire. Then he will drift down while it burns and may or may not live... If I fetch a pail of water and summon some large birds--but there's no time!  Beryloam!" he cried. "How much fuel is in the burner?"

"It is almost full, master!" cried the boy, rising higher and higher.

The magician swore once again.

Then looking around at the gnomes: "Quick!  Does anyone have a bow handy?"

Blank faces shook.

He tried to put on a brave voice and called, "Beryloam, I think you are on your way to the world! It is okay. We are heading that way also, and you are a very, very bright boy. You were bound to go on your own sooner or later--this is abrupt, but you can do it. Be brave--remember all I've taught you! If you stay where you come down we will try to find you but it may be a week or more!"

"Master Merysom!" cried the boy, almost out of hearing. What he said next was lost to the magician.

Talymo said, "I gave him the--" But the magician ignored her, and turning to the others, said, "Well, he has found his own way from the valley. Mayhap we will find him again, or he us."

The others looked glum.

"I wish I was in the balloon," said Bodydody.

Meryshom ignored her. "Shall we start immediately?"

There was muttered approval.

"Hurry then to fetch what you will need and meet by the brook for luncheon, then off we go and shan't look back hear ye."

The gnomes and faeries went their ways, leaving the magician and his little ward who appeared poised now between sobbing and uncontainable excitement.

"When will we catch Beryloam?"

"When you are older maybe," he said, not thinking or caring. "You ought not have untied it." She threw up the flowers she'd been twining and said "I held on but then got scared and let go."