Pool
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Follow the river upstream until you come to a waterfall. Then continue east to the house of Pouli.
“More detail would be helpful,” Zoe remarked as she read Keeper Ruth’s note over Philothea’s shoulder.
Philothea giggled as tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped off her chin. Zoe handed her a handkerchief. She buried her face in it and let out a muffled sob.
She couldn’t stop thinking about the family they’d left at the temple. As if reading her mind, Zoe stated, “I’m sure they’re alright. Once your secret dad realized they didn’t have you, he took his barbarians and left.”
Philothea hoped she was right (about him leaving the Keepers, not about Emperor Zeno being her secret dad).
They started for the river.
“What was he doing with that ring?” Philothea asked.
“It was a seal,” Zoe stated. “And I think something would have happened if he had placed it on your finger.”
“Something?” Philothea asked. “What kind of something?”
Zoe shrugged. “You’d have started to glow or levitate?”
Philothea imagined herself glowing as she rose off the ground and couldn’t help but laugh through her tears.
“Clearly, he was using it to identify you,” Zoe answered. “Notice how he watched each of the girls for a moment after he had put it on.”
She was right. He was waiting for something to happen. Was the seal magic? Maybe Philothea was magic.
“Of course, if you are magic, then you must be part fairy or something,” Zoe speculated. “It’s got to be on your mom’s side. Your dad doesn’t seem very fairylike.”
“He’s not my dad!” Philothea objected.
“He’s rich,” Zoe pointed out. “You could do worse.”
“I don’t see how that’s useful if he wants to kill me,” Philothea exclaimed.
“How do you know he wants to kill you?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because he felt the need to bring an evil army of brutes to collect me!”
Zoe shrugged. “Meh. You gotta give me more than that.”
Philothea scowled.
They followed the river for what seemed like forever before they heard the welcome roar of the waterfall. When they reached it, they both drank deeply from the stream and stopped for a brief rest.
Philothea wished Keeper Ruth had specified how long they would have to walk east before coming to the house of Pouli. The note she provided was scrawled in haste. She was probably writing it as Philothea’s “secret dad” was breaking down the door. Not knowing how far they’d yet to go made their hike seem endless.
“I hope this Pouli has some real food,” Zoe mentioned as she popped a couple of blackberries in her mouth.
Zoe had just demonstrated her own magical power–voicing Philothea’s exact thoughts. Unfortunately, Emperor Zeno hadn’t had the decency to wait until after lunch before invading, so the two girls did their best to content themselves with what the forest offered. (Incidentally, the forest was a terrible host that thought serving food from tangled, scratchy brambles was a good way to entertain.)
“What kind of a man lives out here in the middle of nowhere, anyway?” Zoe added as they pushed through the brush.
At that very moment, Philothea noticed something unusual. They were approaching a steep hillside dotted with great boulders. A little ways up this slope, was the mouth of a cave. It was hidden in a patch of ferns and the only reason Philothea noticed it at all was because of the strange sounds coming from within–clattering, banging, and was that…singing?
Zoe shot Philothea a questioning glance and they both proceeded forward cautiously. When they came closer, they could hear it was a man’s voice singing the strangest lyrics they had ever heard.
“If only Pouli was a bird, how handsome would he be?
Pouli wouldn’t need to climb, he’d fly and he’d be free.
He’d eat his fill of worms and ants and other lovely things!
And fill his nest with pearls and gold and sparkly diamond rings!”
Zoe and Philothea looked at each other.
“What?” Zoe mouthed, again voicing Philothea’s thoughts.
“This must be Pouli,” Philothea whispered.
“Oh, I hope not,” Zoe sighed.
They both looked back at the little opening in the hill. The singing continued:
Back when Pouli was a bird, he had such lovely wings,
He sang for lords and pretty maids, and feasted with great kings!
Now that Pouli is a man, he lives in sorrow’s grip,
He takes no joy in merry songs and never makes a quip!
“I’m going to call him down,” Philothea said finally.
Zoe looked at her with one eyebrow slightly raised. Philothea blushed, she knew it was idiotic but what else was she supposed to do?
“How will we know whether or not this is Pouli if we don’t talk to him?” she pointed out.
“Might as well get it over with,” Zoe grumbled. “Hopefully it’s not a woodsprite or goblin or something.”
They both suddenly realized that the singing had stopped and snapped their attention back to the cave. Standing in the entrance, staring down at them with beady black eyes, was a peculiar little man. He was wearing a ragged black robe that had been repaired and re-repaired with white and silver patches. These patches dotted the garment up and down the front.
He had a tiny round face, straggly black hair, and very thick eyebrows that pointed downward between his eyes giving him a naturally angry look.
He regarded them suspiciously.
“Um…Pouli?” Philothea called. When he didn’t immediately respond, she let out a nervous little giggle.
The strange man giggled back. Not only did he giggle back, but he did a perfect impersonation of Philothea.
Philothea’s jaw dropped. Zoe’s eyes widened slightly.
Was he mocking her? Philothea laughed in disbelief.
The little man imitated her again but this time, he continued the awkward little sound mixing in other kinds of laughter and voices. There were high squeaky laughs, deep booming laughs, little snickers, menacing chuckles and Philothea’s awkward and uncomfortable laugh all mixed together. The man stopped himself abruptly and regarded them, cocking his head slightly.
Philothea and Zoe had no idea what they had just witnessed, or rather, heard. They both just gaped for an uncomfortably long moment.
“You are Phil, Philly, Phil-oh-thee-a!” the little man sang.
“You know me?” Philothea gasped.
“You have hatched from Katinia, Kiki, Kiki-Katina!” he noted. “She has a beautiful hat.”
“Hatched?” Philothea gaped.
Zoe narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
“A beautiful hat?” she asked, shooting Philothea a sideways glance. “Like a crown?”
The man cocked his head so that it was almost horizontal to his neck and stared at Zoe with those keen little eyes.
“It is a golden hat, with pretty gems, sparkly gems,” his pupils started to shrink as he named the gems. “Red gems and green gems and pretty shiny gems… that I may not have!”
He shook himself, snapping out of his trance. “Will you make me a bird again, Philly-thea?”
This little man was obviously insane. Please, please may this not be Pouli… Philothea prayed.
“So… you are Pouli?” Zoe asked.
Philothea winced. Why’d she have to ask? Why couldn’t they have continued east in blissful ignorance? She’d rather wander forever than admit that this crazy little man was the only person who could help her.
“I am Pouli,” the man confirmed. “I am a bird. I hid the baby! I saved the princess! I am a good bird.” He puffed himself up proudly. “I will get a grape.”
“You’re not a bird,” Philothea pointed out.
“Are you really trying to reason with this man?” Zoe whispered.
Philothea shrugged.
“Do you have grapes?” the man interrupted, suddenly leaning forward and looking at Philothea’s hand. She realized she was still holding a couple of blackberries.
“No,” she squeaked. “I mean um, blackberries… I have blackberries.”
“That will do! That will do!” the man exclaimed in his chipper sing-song manner. He started stumbling his way down the hill toward them.
Both Philothea and Zoe stood frozen, regarding the man as he made his way toward them.
“I’m thinking maybe we should go,” Zoe offered. “Before this gets weird.”
Philothea didn’t know how this could get any weirder.
“Go? But…” she looked back up as the odd man stumbled down through the brush. “…we’ve found Pouli… I think…”
“Yeah, I know he says he’s Pouli…” Zoe began skeptically. “But… well, he’d probably admit to being a shrew if we asked him.”
Philothea bit her lip thoughtfully. Zoe was right. This couldn’t really be the person Keeper Ruth wanted them to find. Still… she had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“Let’s just…” Philothea felt herself grinning at the absurdity of what she was about to suggest. “Let’s just act like he’s totally normal. Play along. Maybe we’ll learn something useful.”
Philothea forced down a volley of giggles when she saw the incredulous look Zoe shot her. By now, the crazy hermit was almost upon them.
Zoe looked at him, then back at Philothea.
“Why not?” she shrugged.
The Fables of Para Sympan 