The Adventures of Philip and Sophie DOUBLE FEATURE by Drew Eldridge - HTML preview

Chapter 26

Farewell to the Forest

“Well, do you have everything?” asked Ava.

“I think so,” the boy answered, packing his bag. He stood up and took one last look just to be sure.

The cave was quiet and empty. He’d spent all morning cleaning it, preparing the ground for whoever might move in next. The only thing he couldn’t scrub o"

were the paintings.

“Take your time,” said Ava, sitting down next to him.

“There’s no rush. A part of you is going to miss it here, isn’t it?”

“ . . . Yeah, maybe.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay just one more night?”

“No, I’m ready.” He picked up his sta" and turned around. “Come on. Let’s go.”

As they ascended onto the terrace, he was surprised to

#nd all his friends waiting for him.

“Look! There he is!” cried Lumpy’s father, getting everyone’s attention. All the Brumbledumb apes started beating their chests. The little ones tossed fresh spring $owers into the air. “Three cheers for our hero! The one!

The only! The Invisible Hand!”

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“The Phantom Ape!” tweeted Sebastian, Dorabella and Edward.

“Robbing HoOoOod!” cooed the pigeons.

“BeEeEe-wolf!” buzzed Madame Bee.

Everyone seemed to call him something di"erent.

“Hip, hip, hurray!” they cheered. “Hip, hip, hurray!

Hip, hip, hurray!”

“Golly!” the boy gasped with a big smile. “Hi everyone! It’s great to see you!” But, as usual, it took him a long time to catch on. “Wait a minute,” he said, looking around, confused. “What are you all doing here?” He drew his sta" and got ready to $ght. “Is there some kind of trouble?”

Everyone started giggling.

“Trouble?” chuckled Lumpy’s father. “Not anymore.

Thanks to you, the forest is peaceful!”

“We’ve come to say goodbye!” cheered Mrs. Butter%y.

“Yeah,” croaked old Mr. Turtle. “You slow or something?”

“Really?” our hero gasped. Everyone nodded. “But . . .

how did you know I was leaving?”

The animals all looked at Ava.

“I told them,” she answered.

“YOU invited them here?”

Now he began to wonder if he were dreaming. Ava never did things like that. She hated his friends. Even more, she hated parties.

“Sure,” she shrugged. “Hey! Why are you all looking at me like that? So, I wanted to surprise him! You got a problem with that or something!?”

“Oh, Ava!” said the boy, his eyes $lling with tears of joy. “It’s perfect! The best surprise ever! Thank you!”

He reached out and hugged her tightly.

“Ugh! Yuck! Get o" me!”

Everyone lined up and took turns thanking the boy, 192

often giving him presents and asking questions about his journey.

“So, where are you going?” asked Dorabella, dropping some seeds in his palm.

“I’m not sure,” he answered, petting her.

“Do you think it will be dangerous?”

“Maybe.”

“What do you think you’ll !nd?” asked Mr. Squirrel, next. Out of his cheeks, he pulled two peanuts.

The boy shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“What if you don’t !nd anything?” asked Edward, giving a worm.

The boy thought about it. Though not for too long.

“Hmm . . . I’m not sure. I guess I’ll just have to keep looking, won’t I?”

Then young Sebastian #ew down. He landed right on the boy’s shoulder, carrying a lot more than just one gift.

In a leaf, he’d bundled all his most precious possessions. A walnut, some cherries and a twig shaped like a spear. It all tumbled out, making a great big mess.

“HELLO!” he exclaimed, interrupting his brother and pushing him aside. “Ahem! Allow me to introduce myself!

My name is Sebastian Ploomberry! And I am your BIGGEST FAN!”

“Hi! Pleased to meet you.”

“I SAW YOU FIGHT A HUNDRED APES!”

“A hundred?”

“It was magni!cent! The way you zigged! The way you zagged! The way you pounded their big, fat heads.

Pow! Pow! POW!”

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

“You mean . . . YOU REMEMBER THAT?”

“Mmmhmm! It was very brave of you.”

The biggest smile spread across Sebastian’s face.

“Oh,” he couldn’t help asking. “Can I please come 193

“Oh,” he couldn’t help asking. “Can I please come with you on your next adventure? Please! PLEASE!”

“Well . . .” The boy looked at Dorabella, who seemed worried. “Maybe next time.”

“Aww!”

“But I’ll tell you what. How about you take this?” The boy raised his sta" and drove it into the ground. “You can guard it for me while I’m gone.”

The little bird’s eyes lit up.

“Wow! Your stinger? Really?” He #ew up and proudly perched himself upon it. “OKAY!”

“Keep it safe, now. I’m counting on you.”

Sebastian pu"ed up his feathers and stood tall.

“I will!” he promised. “If anyone even looks at it, I shall peck their eyes out! If anyone touches it, I’ll go to the bathroom on their head!”

“Thanks,” the boy replied, gently stroking him.

When the animals were $nally $nished, Ava started nudging the boy.

“It’s time,” she whispered.

Hopping onto a rock, he addressed all of them at once.

“Well,” he announced. “I better get going. Thanks again for coming, everyone! It means a lot to me. Goodbye! I’ll miss you!”

The animals all cheered one last time.

“WeEeEe’ll miss you too! Snort, snort!”

“Wisely and slow now, sonny!”

“Farewell, neighHhHhbor!”

“BeEeEe careful!”

“Avoir un rafale, monsieur!”

“See you later, alligator!”

“Brekekekex! Koax! Koax!”

“Ooh Ahh! Ooh Ahh!”

Waving, our hero and his companion turned toward the sun and began their journey. The $rst stop would be the Wood of the Willows.

“Golly, it sure was fun seeing everyone again,” sighed 194

the boy, kneeling down on the mossy forest !oor. “I hope they’ll be safe while I’m gone.”

“You mean, you really plan on returning?” asked Ava.

“I’d like to.” He realized he needed a new spear.

When he found a stick he liked, he began sharpening the tip. “Just to visit . . . check up on things.”

“You really do love them, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

The boy stood up. He gave his new weapon a few test swings. “Hi-ya! Hi-ya!” It was even better than his last one. “HI-YA!” With hardly any e#ort at all, he pierced it right through an old tree stump. “Wow! Did you see that?

Now THAT’S a strong stick!”

Ava rolled her eyes.

“Don’t you get it?” she sighed. “It isn’t the stick. It’s you. You’re stronger now. Much stronger. I can tell.”

“Really?”

Then something else caught his attention.

“Hey, wait a minute . . . didn’t this stump used to be taller? He crouched down and patted around the base for quicksand. “Hmm . . . maybe it’s sinking.”

“It’s called a growth spirt, genius,” she answered.

“The stump isn’t shorter. You’re taller.”

He looked up, trying to see the top of his head, but couldn’t. So he went to a tree instead. He made a little mark on it and stepped back.

“You know what? I think you’re right!”

All of it made him wonder what else had changed.

Gripping his spear, he felt like seeing how far he could throw it.

“There will be plenty of time for that later,” said Ava.

“Do not think our journey will be easy. Many new foes await us. You can test your new skills out then. For now, let’s focus on moving.”

“Right!”

The Wood of the Willows was silent and peaceful, a 195

place so dreamy that even the birds couldn’t help whispering. You could hear the sound of a stream a mile away and rarely came upon a spot that wasn’t perfect for a nap. As the boy and Ava walked, they remembered all the fun times they had together.

“Hey, isn’t this the "rst place you took me exploring?

Look, there’s the "rst tree I climbed! And over there! The

"rst time I tasted blueberries!”

Of course, Ava’s idea of fun had always been very different from his.

“And there was the "rst beating I gave you! And there was where you got your "rst scar! Aw, look!” she sighed sweetly. “The "rst tooth I knocked out. You can still see the blood.”

The boy didn’t recall those memories nearly as fondly as she did, but couldn’t help laughing along with her.

Soon, they came to the old obstacle course she had made for him. Just for fun, he ran it again. Proudly, Ava watched as he bounded over every pit, rolled under every log and smashed through every barrier. He found his old boomerang and slingshot. Even more memories came $ooding back. All those hours he’d spent practicing! All those disastrous experiments! All those frustrating disappointments and failures until he’d "nally succeeded! How wildly he remembered celebrating! However, there was one memory that made him happier than all the others. It came to him just as he was sitting down next to a spring, after he heard some rustling in the bushes.

“Hello?” he asked curiously.

A pretty doe emerged and glanced at him, batting her eyelashes.

“Greetings,” she sighed gently.

Too stunned by her beauty to respond, all he could do was sit there, gazing at her.

“Hey,” whispered Ava, nudging him. “Who is that?

One of your friends? I don’t remember her.”

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“I’m not sure.”

At !rst, the boy didn’t recognize her. But the closer he looked, the more familiar she seemed.

“Sorry, do I know you?”

Her voice sounded even more familiar.

“You weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye to me, were you?” she giggled. “Don’t you remember? Well, I suppose it’s been quite a long time since you saw me. I was only a fawn . . .”

Suddenly, it started to drizzle rain. Far in the distance, he heard thunder gently rumbling. What remained of the sunlight gleamed on her pretty coat. She smiled and, like a

#ood, it all started coming back to him.

“W-w-wait . . . wait!” he cried, excitedly. “Is it . . . is it really you?”

The doe batted her eyelashes and giggled some more.

“Yes. It’s me. I just wanted to come and wish you farewell on your journey . . . and to thank you one last time for saving me all those years ago.” Then, after one last giggle, she bounded away into the mist where two fawns of her own were waiting for her.

“Who was that?” asked Ava. “Saving her? I don’t remember that. Hey, are you listening?” He stared dreamily as the happy family frolicked away together. “Hello?”

“No, I don’t think you would,” he !nally responded.

“You weren’t there. It happened the night before I told you I was going to be the forest guardian. She was the !rst one I rescued.”

“I don’t believe I’ve heard that story.”

“I guess I forgot to tell you.”

“Well, we’ve got a very long journey ahead of us. So, you can tell it to me now.”

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Chapter 27

The Legend of the First Labor

“The way I remember it,” began Ava, “it was as if you’d been hit on your head and suddenly forgot all I’d taught you.”“Well—in a way, that is what happened...”

“All that work teaching you to be sel"sh, and you chose the opposite.”

“I told you—I didn’t choose it. It chose me.”

“What did?”

“I don’t know what. All I knew was that it was my purpose . . . what I am . . . what I was meant for.”

“Well, whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t me who gave you that idea.”

“In a way, I think you did. Not on purpose, of course.

But now that I think about it, I’m not sure it’s a path I would have chosen if it wasn’t for you.”

“Now, you have some explaining to do . . .”

“Look, do you remember my "rst day of training, the morning after I crawled from the cave?”

“How could I forget? You were so pathetic.”

“I didn’t want to protect anyone then. I didn’t even really want to protect myself. But I learned something that day. Something that stayed with me ever since. You may not have been trying to turn me into the forest guardian, but from the very beginning everything you did was preparing me for it.”

“Atten-tion!” he remembered Ava screaming at him, waking him from his pool of strawberries. Her voice sounded quite a bit younger back then and her fur had much less grey in it. “Now that you’re out of the cave, it’s time to begin your training. Sit up!” she said, dragging him.“EeEek!” squeaked theboy.

198 “Open your eyes! Behold, young one, the world you

“Open your eyes! Behold, young one, the world you will one day conquer.”

“Wow! It’s so pretty!” The boy couldn’t quite talk yet, reader. But this is what he was trying to say. “Amazing!”

His little eyes !lled with wonder as he reached out. “I want to look at it!” he babbled. I want to touch it! I wonder how it tastes!” Whatever the big furry creature’s

‘lessons’ were, reader, they could wait. This was far more important to him! Little did he know, however, the !rst lesson had already begun.

“I’m going to go explore it!” he declared.

“Good idea,” replied Ava.

Following the scent of "owers and strawberries, he started crawling along the terrace, delighting in the way the soft, dewey grass brushed against his !ngers. But suddenly the grass ended. He came to a steep, rocky hill.

“EeEek!” he squeaked again, nearly falling o$. He looked down, where everything he smelled was laid out in the prettiest of meadows. He tried to reach out and pull it forward, but it was too far. Then he tried yelling down

“come up here!” But that didn’t work either.

“Problem?” asked Ava sweetly.

He pointed. “What’s . . . down . . . ‘dere?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. She came a little closer and sat next to him. “Why don’t you go !nd out?”

“It wooks danger-wous.” He peeked over again and gulped. Then he looked up at her. “Is it?”

But Ava just shrugged.

“Maybe . . . but on the other hand, maybe not.”

He crawled a little further and glanced back up at Ava, seeing if she looked worried. But she showed no signs of it. He asked one more time.

“Safe?”

Ava shrugged again—and then nodded.

“Weally?”

“Yes . . .”

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And now you see, reader, why it had to be a wolf who raised our hero. No human mother could have done such a thing! Exactly what you should never say to a baby or let them do, Ava encouraged. The boy listened, crawled forward and, just as you would expect, after a few steps fel down the rocky hill— “EeEek! Oof! OOF! OOF! OOF!”—bruising just about every muscle in his body as wel as skinning al his knees and elbows. Natural y, as babies do, he broke into a wail of tears, called up to her for help. “OwWw! Help! Wah! Help!

HELP” But no help came. Instead, all Ava did waslaugh.

“BAH! HAH! HAH! HAH! Oh my! That was precious! Good fall!” She hopped halfway down so he could hear her better through all his crying. “Lesson number one: be careful! Always mind your surroundings. Not everything is as it seems.”

“But you said—Wah! Wah!—it wasn’t danger-wous!

Wah!”

“Lesson number two. Everything is dangerous. The world is a brutal, hostile place. Always assume the worst.

Expect the unexpected.”

“But YOU said it wasn’t!”

“I lied.”

“You what!?”

“And that’s lesson number three. Don’t trust others.”

“ . . .Not even you?”

A sinister grin spread across Ava’s face.

“Especially not me.”

What a frightening, terrible world this was, our hero began to think. No sooner had he stepped out of his cave than he wanted to turn back. But there was no going back now. Looking around for a path up and #nding none, he started to panic.

“Help! Help! Get me out of here!” he cried, trying to stand, but failing. “Oof! Help! Help! Wah! Out! I want out!”

200 “Out?” laughed Ava some more. “There is no ‘out,’

“Out?” laughed Ava some more. “There is no ‘out,’

child. You are out.”

“But I don’t like that!”

“It doesn’t matter whether you like it. And that’s lesson number four. The world is the way it is. Don’t like it? Too bad.”

“But . . . but . . .” Unfortunately, hearing this only upset the boy more. “WAH!” Which only made Ava laugh more.

“Muah! Hah! Hah! MUAH! HAH! HAH! HAH!”

It was terrible, reader. He was trapped. Even worse, trapped with a complete psychopath. Even when he begged and pleaded, she laughed. He looked up at the birds and cried for help. He looked at the rocks. He called out to the heavens. No help whatsoever came.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Ava "nally said to him, noticing some rustling in the bushes.

“Wah! Wahh! Why not? Wahhh!”

“Because . . . someone might hear you.”

“Wah! So what? Wahhh!”

“Fine,” she shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Then the bushes started shaking. That got his attention. Next, he heard deep, heavy breathing and a growl.

“Eek! What’s that?”

“Something small, cute and cuddly.”

“Weally? That’s a welief,” he was about to answer.

But then he remembered the last time she gave him advice. “Wait! No! You’re lying again, awen’t you?”

“Good, you’re catching on.”

The bushes opened. Out jumped a young, wild piglet.

It had big teeth and two sharp tusks with blood on them.

“Agh! Help! Help! Please!” he cried, trying to climb back up again.

“Nope. I told you—you’re on your own. This is your training, remember?”

The beast started growling and drawing nearer.

“RrRrRr! RrRrRr! Ru$!”

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“Agh! But what do I do?”

“Figure it out,” she replied. “What do your instincts tell you when you see another animal?”

“I don’t know. Invite them to play?”

“No.”

“Eat stwaberries together?”

“Wrong again. Look out . . . he’s coming.”

“Agh!”

This is how our hero learned how to walk and run, reader. As you can imagine, he got good at it much quicker than most other babies.

“AaAaAagh!”

“RrRrRr! RrRrRr! Ru"!”

“Ouch!”

“RrRrRr! RrRrRr! Ru"!”

“EeEek!”

“RrRru"!”

“Good form!” said Ava, cheering him on. “See, you’re getting the hang of it. One foot in front of the other. One, two! One, two! One, two! MUAH, HAH! HAH! HAH!”

By the end, his behind was so blue with bruises, he could barely crawl. The little boar then jumped on top of him, trying to bite his neck. Surely, he thought as he grap-pled with it, Ava would come to his aid now. But she didn’t.

“Did you not hear me?” she reminded him. “I said you’re alone. Now, unless you’re not $nished whining and complaining, why don’t you try something else?”

“Something else? Like what?”

“You know what! The cave! Remember the cave! That bat! Do you remember? I do! You’re a killer, kid. A nat-ural! I’ve seen it. All you have to do is release it. Do it!

Now! Kill! Kill! KILL!”

The boy’s blood started to boil. He clenched his $sts.

“Grr!” he growled.

“That’s it!”

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“Grr! Hiii-ya!”

“Yes! YES! You’re doing it! Bite! Scratch! Jam that

!nger into his eye, kid. Woo! Hoo! He didn’t like that much, did he? Serves him right. Look, it’s working! He’s relenting! Retreating! Running away like a stinking coward. You see? You can do it!”

“OoOoOo . . .” the boy groaned. “OoOoOo . . .”

“Let that be lesson number seven. No whining or crying! If you whine, your enemies will dine. If you cry . . .

you die. Got it?”

“OoOoOo . . .” he continued. “Yeah . . . I think so . . .”

“Good!” sighed Ava, sweetly. “Now, get up! I said GET UP! On your feet, soldier!” She hopped down and kicked him in the ribs. “ON YOUR FEET!”

“OoOoOo . . . OoOo-kay . . .” Slowly, he rose.

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“Now, let’s have a look at this ridiculous body of yours.” He stood with his hands at his side as she encircled him. “Stand up straight! Shoulders back! Quit wobbling!

Close your mouth! Stop blinking so much! Suck in that gut! Remarkable . . . truly remarkable! It’s even worse than I feared. Look at those twiggy little arms! Those chicken legs! That melon head! No fangs . . . no claws . . . no fur.

And—wait a minute,” she stammered, pausing as she looked between his thighs. “WHAT IN THE HELL IS

THAT!?”

“Hmm?” he answered timidly, glancing down.

“Oh . . . umm . . . well . . . that’s my . . . my . . . my . . .”

“I KNOW WHAT IT IS,” she roared in his face. “I MEAN, WHAT’S IT DOING THERE? YOUR MOST

VULNERABLE PART—OUT IN FRONT OF YOU

FOR ALL TO SEE!”

“I don’t know,” the boy shrugged. “I didn’t put it there . . .”

“Well, get it out of my face OR I’LL BITE IT OFF!”

“Eek!”

He ran to the bushes and grabbed a leaf to cover himself with. But she still wasn’t #nished.

“Hah! Hah! Hah! Look at you trembling there. Maybe you’re right, and I shouldn’t train you. Maybe I should just eat you or leave you here for someone else.”

She drew his attention to some of the other animals watching, hungrily licking their lips. The only reason they hadn’t attacked yet was because of Ava.

“Eek! No, pwease don’t!”

“Why not?”

“Because—I’ll do anything you say! I’ll try harder! I pwomise!”

“Then you’ll be obedient from now on?”

“Yes!”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

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“Save the ma’am for your mother. You will address me as commander.”

“Yes, commander!”

“You won’t talk back when I call you names?”

“No.”

“No, what?”

“No, commander.”

“You won’t whine and complain?”

“No, commander.”

“You’ll follow the rules?”

“Yes, commander.”

Ava walked closer and glared at him.

“You know, it’s no wonder you were left in the snow.

Who could ever love someone so ugly and worthless?”

The boy lowered his eyes and started sni"ing. “Aw, what’s wrong? You going to cry again, cry baby? That was fast . . .”

“No . . .” he squeaked, wiping away his tears.

“Good . . . because if I EVER hear you cry or whine, or mope, or complain—you’re on your own! If words are enough to defeat you, you don’t stand a chance against a real attack.”

“I won’t!” he promised.

“And if I ever see you #ee from battle again—I’ll kill you myself. Understand?”

“ . . .Okay.”

“I said, do you understand?”

“Yes . . . commander.”

“Good,” she answered, $nally speaking gently again.

“So . . . what’s the next wesson then?” he ventured.

But the boy soon learned that when Ava spoke gently

—or smiled—it usually meant something even worse was about to happen.

“Funny you should ask . . .”

Such was the beginning of our hero’s childhood, reader. And it only got harder and harder. Ava’s schooling 205

was treacherous—lessons with titles like “101 ways to fall down a hill,” “ring around a rosebush,” “capture the stag”

and, her personal favorite, “how to take a beating.”

“Oof! Oof! Oof!” he’d muttered as she sat on top of him and pounded his head. “Oof! I . . .don’t think—Oof!—

I understand the—Oof!—the point of this wesson—Oof!”

“You’re not supposed to. Now hold still!”

“Oof! Oof! Are you sure—Oof!—it’s working?”

“Yes. Now, QUIET! No talking!”

“Okay . . . Oof! Oof! Oof!”

“Life is war,” she’d yell down at him as he crawled through her obstacle courses in the rain. “The objective of war is survival! To survive, you must be strong! To be strong, you must su"er! To su"er willingly, you must overcome your fear of pain! To overcome your fear of pain, you must become accustomed to pain! To become accustomed to pain, you must experience pain! Lots of pain!

That’s where I come in.

“As your teacher, it is my job to accustom you to pain.

From here on out, you will never know comfort. Your body will always be bruised. Your elbows and knees, always skinned. You’ll never walk without a limp or see out of both eyes. There will be much blood. And just when you begin to heal and think the pain is $nally gone, more and more will come. You will experience pain until you learn to forget pain. Only then will you be ready for the next lesson—fear!

“A creature is only as courageous as when it is terri‐

$ed . . . only as strong as when its disadvantaged . . . only as wise as when its senses are dazzled or shrouded in darkness! Everyone has a plan until they get punched, robbed, wounded, stranded . . . until they are starving, desperate . . . hunted. If you don’t know what to do under such circumstances, you know nothing of value out here. If you cannot make yourself useful when all you have is yourself, you are useless.

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“Make no mistake, young one, I did not take you in out of charity. I don’t love you. I don’t care about your ‘feelings.’ I’m not your ‘ma-ma’ or ‘da-da.’ I took you in to make a soldier of you. You’re an object . . . a tool . . . a means to an end. I’m building a killing machine. If you can’t ful#ll this function, then you’re expendable.

“Do not think this path will lead to your happiness. It will not lead to happiness, but to unhappiness. Joy, peace, prosperity . . . a good long life—and all that other nonsense

—these are all things you’re going to have to let go of. I cannot give you these things. I wouldn’t know how to give you these things. And even if I did know how, I wouldn’t because, quite frankly, you don’t deserve it. But what I can give you . . . what I do know . . . what I can promise you . . .

if you’re willing to stick around . . . if you let go, and em-brace the way of the wolf . . . is something far greater: POWER!

“What others believe is impossible, YOU will achieve!

Where others fail, YOU will succeed! Your desires, you will MAKE realities. And when you are met with an obstacle—be it an army . . . a barrier . . . even a dragon—instead of crying or curling into a ball, like all the others, YOU will RISE UP, CHARGE FORTH, make that #st of yours and SMASH THROUGH IT!

“But I can only give you the knowledge. You need to be willing to receive it. I can only show you the way. You need to be willing to walk it. Are you ready, child? Are you up for the challenge? The choice is yours . . .”

End of Preview

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About the Author

Drew Eldridge is a tutor from

Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has a Bach‐

elor of Arts Degree, majoring in Eng‐

lish from the University of Winnipeg,

specializing in Young People’s Texts and Cultures.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my family and friends for supporting one of my great passions in life. Special thanks to my illus-trator for helping make my story come alive. I would also like to thank my wife, Loralee, for helping with revisions and good friend, Lori Brammall, for reviewing the #rst and second drafts.

To download the free ebook, visit:

www.westertales.com

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