Scoga and the Island in the Waters of Time: Part 7

Scoga And The Island In The Waters Of Time

Part 7: The Elders

Scoga and I cupped our hands to our ears. One of the elders was talking. “Chakunga has done nothing,” he said, “that might allow us to speculate that his father passed on his knowledge! In fact, he never did!” The other elder looked surprised. “But he said he would!” “Makar, you know how forgetful the old chief was in his old age.” said the first elder. Makar grinned. “Well, if Chakunga won't do it, then we'll have to do ourselves.”

Then, without thinking of the ramifications, I sneezed.

The elders turned, and saw me and Scoga. The first elder strung his bow and notched an arrow. “If one of you two little rascals moved a foot, you get shot!” “Zoltzen, they're just kids. Besides, if you kill them and they find out, the village will practically explode and the hunt will be on.” Said Makar. He had a few teeth missing, and his eyes looked cunning and evil. Zoltzen looked even worse. Besides missing teeth, his face was crinkled into a ghastly smile, and “sleep” was encrusted on his lower eyelids. His feet were bare, and his toes were so splayed and lumpy that it must have been hard to walk. But both were in good shape, despite their ugly appearance. Zoltzen turned back to us. “Alright, get down. We'll see about you two later.” Makar produced some rope and they bound us to the trees. Then they left to talk in a more private place. The elders, however, had not thought to strip of our possessions. With much difficulty, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pocket knife that had come with me from the shipwreck. I began slowly cutting my bonds, centimeter by centimeter. I looked over at Scoga, and saw he had a hunting knife and was cutting his ropes as well. After ten minutes of cutting, we were free! But then the elders began to crunch over the leaves. Scoga and I looked at each other, and we ran.

And oh, how we ran. As soon as the elders discovered we had escaped, they uttered a wild cry and came bearing down on us with the speed and agility of a wolf. But we were young and strong, and they were old. But the had the bow. Zoltzen began sending arrows after us. One whizzed by Scoga's ankle, another caught in my jacket. But we kept on. At last we reached the guard trail, and there, right on it, was the guard. We had been gone long enough that he had made his way along the ridge and back. “What on earth?” He cried, as we came to a sliding halt in the bushes behind him, and an arrow in my jacket. But he found out soon enough.

The elders came crashing in through the undergrowth. Zoltzen was beginning to draw back his bow. Then he saw the guard. Scoga took out his knife and I my axe, and, gathering our courage, we came forward. The elders were trying to haggle their way out of the situation. “That boy stole my hunting knife! It's been in my family for generations!” said Makar. “Actually,” said the guard, “When I met these two coming up the mountain this morning, I noticed that very knife in his hands. And whenever I have seen Scoga up here, He's always had it with him.” At this, the elders turned tail and fled. “After them!” shouted Scoga. We ran through the forest and up the hill. Then Scoga whispered something in my ear, and then to the guard. We nodded. It was a good plan.

We turned back to trail and muttered curses that someday we would get them. Then as soon as we were on the trail, Scoga pulled out his hammock. It was a large hammock, woven like a fishing net. He gave the other hammock to me. We knew they would avoid the trail, and the guard said Scoga and I should go to the most likely spot they were to cross, which was a dense hawthorn thicket not far from here. We ran there as fast as we could, and then crouched in the hawthorns. We waited for an hour. We were about to go home when we heard whispering. The elders. They moved up to the path. “No one in sight,” said Zoltzen. They crossed the path into the thicket where we were hid. Suddenly, Scoga and I cast our hammocks over the elders! They shrieked and slashed and bit, but they were stuck, entangled in the netting of the hammock. “But it doesn't matter much,” said Makar, with his sinister grin,“The deed is done. Prepare yourselves for your worst nightmare.”