10
It was a lazy morning in Mossflower. The birds were quiet, the bees stayed in their hives, the sun was just rising over the tree tops, making the sky a rose and orange color. Redwall, that was usually bustling with all sorts of activity was quite doormat. Everyone was in the Great Hall either was talking to one another, eating breakfast, or corralling dibbuns.
Rollell came down the stairs into the Great Hall, dogging a dibbun or two, and Siggle who was chasing them while shouting threats of physics, baths, hacking tails off, and no desert, but to no avail. Rollell came up to Deyna, Melina, and Abbess Mhera who were discussing Abbey business. "Am I disturbing you?"
Rollell asked reaching over Deyna's shoulder and grabbed a scone. Abbess Mhera giggled at the hedgehog who resembled a hare as he wolfed down the scone. "Good morning Rollell. Please have a seat."
Deyna was about to pull out an empty chair but then looked at the plate of scones and changed his mind. Melina was fighting hard to keep from bursting out laughing. Melina pulled out a chair "Here Rollell sit by me." she said smiling.
Rollell smiled "Thankee kindly miss." he said with pieces of scones stuck to his front teeth.
"So what were you talking about?" Rollell asked wiping his mouth and teeth off.
"Well we were trying to decide what to do for the annual Abbey games." Rollell grinned with delight; he loved the Abbey games because it was a chance to get good food without doing a lot of work aside from his duties in the cellars.
"Well the wall race hasn't gotten old, the tree climbing race for the more able beasts sounds good, hmmm what about a cook off?" Rollell suggested.
The three otters looked at each other nodding their heads with faces of approval "I don't think that has been done before." Mhera said
"We could have the dibbuns judge." Deyna added
"Me too of course! Oh and our residential hairs as well; they would find it an insult to not be able to judge." Rollell also added. The four chuckled; as the weary day was slowly fading away.
Rollell looked around the Great Hall, and looked to Abbess Mhera slightly worried "Where's Methuselah?" he asked.
The Abbess put a paw to her chin "Hmm I havent seen him today..." Rollell looked rather worried "I wonder where he is?"
Melina placed a paw on Rollell's shoulder "Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine. But maybe you should go look for him just to make sure."
Rollell nodded his head and got up, and started his searching in the kitchens. When he didn't find him there he decided to check the dormitories, with a scone in paw. As he walked by the three otters he winked and grinned like a dibbun. As he was walking back through the Great Hall to go up the stairs Kip stopped him "Who are you looking for?" she asked.
Rollell looked at Kip, he didn't know why he asked but he though "What do I have to lose?"
"I'm looking for Methuselah. Y-you would have happened to see him by any chance now would you?"
Kip shook her head "No...sorry Rollell."
Rollell scratched her head gently "It's ok."
Kip smiled and grabbed Rollell's paw dashing to the stairs with Rollell trying to keep up "I know! I'll go with you! Besides four eye's are better than two, we'll both look for him!"
Rollell didn't protest, either that or he didn't have time to because he was breathing hard while trying to keep up with Kip's fast pace. Kip slowed down and the two ascended the stairs. "Rollell?" Kip asked
"Yes." Rollell responded looking at her.
"I was wondering, about Methuselah?" Rollell was looking in each open door way while Kip was checking the closed doors.
"What is it?" Rollell said peeking in the infirmary.
"Well Methuselah has been acting...strange, and I was wondering if you knew why?" she asked stopping looking in doors and looked Rollell in the eyes.
Rollell was silent for a moment trying to find the right words "I-I don't know. I've never been around a fox, let alone a nice one! So I don't know how normal foxes act...or think for that matter. That's why I try to think of him as just another woodlander, and a friend that is...unique." he said nodding his head.
Kip looked at the floor for a moment, and then continued checking the doors.
Rollell wondered if he had made the wrong choice of words, but then came to the conclusion that's she was just letting these words sink in.
The two searched the entire interior of the Abbey and they still couldn't find Methuselah. "Where could that fox be?" Rollell asked scratching his head.
Kip thought for a moment and then said "Wait a minuet! The Gate House!"
Rollell patted Kip on the back "You know what? I think you may be right!" the two went down the stairs, through the Great Hall, and across the Abbey lawn.
They approached the Gate House door "Moment of truth." Rollell said before knocking; Kip crossed her fingers for good measure.
Rollell knocked on the Abbey door "One moment!" Roseabell called to the two.
She came to the door opening it "Ah Rollell, and who's this you have with you? Ah Kip come in, come in!"
The two entered the dusty candle lit Gate House, where documents and recorder entries dating back to the very beginning of Redwall were kept. "Now how can I help you two?" Rosabell asked sitting down in her work chair.
"Well we have been looking for Methuselah, and we were wondering if he was here?" Kip asked.
"Oh yes he is here." Rosabell said "He is upstairs sleeping." she said pointing
"I'm not sleeping! I was just resting my eyes!" Methuselah called down.
"How long has he been here?" Rollell asked.
Rosabell sighed "All night." she said looking in the direction of Methuselah.
"All night!?" Rollell said slightly surprised.
Rosabell nodded her head "He came in just a little after everyone had gone to sleep. I was in here working, when Methuselah knocked on the door." Rosabell shook her head slowly "The poor thing...he looked terrified. Wouldn't say why, I didn't bother to ask if it made him that upset."
Kip and Rollell were both confused upon hearing about Methuselah's odd behavior "What happened then?" Kip asked.
Rosabell continued "Well Methuselah asked if he could work in here; just to get his mind off things. How could I say no, he is the assistant recorder of course? He has been up stairs, and down stairs, and up stairs, and down. Taking up this, moving that, dusting here and there." she said making paw gestures "I've never seen any best work so hard. When I asked him if he wanted to take a break all he said is that he was fine. Then took a sip of some October Ale I had brought in earlier and didn't finish, and said that that was rest he needed."
Rosabell got up to the two so she could whisper to them "Call me crazy, but I think that Methuselah was...well afraid."
Rollell shook his head in confusion "Afraid? Afraid of what?"
Rosabell sighed leaning back in her chair "I'm not as young as I use to be, and I need my rest. If you want to know you might be better off asking Methuselah himself; he is awake." she said shutting her eyes.
Rollell and Kip ascended the stairs of the Gatehouse and were shocked at what they saw. The entire place had been thoroughly cleaned. Methuselah did in a night what would take five able beasts the whole day to do. Books that were normally scattered onto the floor were organized and categorized from maps, to cooking recipes. Every square inch of the place was dusted; it was so clean that you could actually breathe and not have to worry about dust getting into your nose, or throat. A couple of bookshelves had been moved to place more furniture that was normally jumbled in one spot, into a more spacious arrangement. One of the work desks from the floor below had been carried up and placed in front of the window; that had been also made spotless.
There in the corner or the room Methuselah sat in his favorite arm chair, with a candle that was nearly out of wax dripping onto the candle holder set on a nightstand, with some books set on it. Methuselah moaned looking up at the ceiling stretching out his neck. "You like what I did with the place?" Methuselah asked wearily with a small grin.
Rollell and Kip found themselves both speechless. Methuselah chuckled "I'll take that as a yes."
Rollell and Kip walked up to Methuselah and sat down in an armchair with Kip sitting on Rollell's lap. Rollell and Kip were still both amazed with the way the Gatehouse had changed so quickly in so little time. "I don't know why Loven didn't take you to help him with the reconstruction of St. Ninan's? It sure would have gotten done a lot faster." Rollell said smiling.
The three laughed for a while; but the mood quickly faded away. "So Methuselah, whey were you up here all night?" Rollell asked.
Methuselah was silent for a little "Kip?" Methuselah said looking to the door mouse.
"Yes? What is it Methuselah?" Kip said eager to hear what Methuselah was going to you please go to the Great Hall with Rosabel?"
Kip was confused, as was Rollell "Why Methuselah?" Kip asked, wondering if she had done anything wrong that might have upset Methuselah.
"I need to talk with Rollell alone."
Kip stared at Methuselah; she wanted to cry but she didn't want to make Methuselah upset so she tried her best to hold the tears in, but she couldn't stop from sniffling, she knew that Methuselah wasn't trying to be mean to her, and that he just needed to be alone. Rosabell, who was listening in on the conversation was waiting half way up the stairs. When Kip reached her she put a comforting paw on her back "Come little one. I'll get us some fresh scones that sound nice."
Rollell looked away from Methuselah after he had heard the door to the Gate House close a second time "You didn't have to be so hard on the girl you know. She is young, and doesn't need to be treated that way." Rollell said looking very serious.
Methuselah looked outside the window looking at the Abbey. He sighed and looked to Rollell "I didn't want to upset her..." he said, shaking his head in guilt.
Rollell leaned forward in his chair "But you did upset her and I think that you need to..." Methuselah interrupted "No I mean I didn't want to upset her with what I am going to tell you. She is not ready to hear this, not yet..."
Rollell leaned back in his chair perplexed "What do you mean?" he asked.
Methuselah too leaned back in his chair and crossed his arm's, and closed his eyes "You wanted to know why I have been up here all night right?"
Rollell nodded his head. "Well...you see it started the day that Snowfur put me into the infirmary that these...odd dreams started to come."
Rollell was already lost "What do you mean by odd?" he asked Methuselah.
Methuselah put a paw to his chin trying to think of a way to summarize how his dreams were into a simple explanation, but after a few seconds and no good ideas coming to mind he decided to just tell Rollell what was happening in his dreams.
So Methuselah told Rollell about the forest, and how he felt some kind of connection with it. Then about when the battle broke out, and how the forest was burnt to the ground, with foxes fighting along side some woodlanders, both fighting vermin. Rollell shook his head in amazement "And you are sure that this isn't just a dream? You feel as though this forest maybe a real place and that you must go there?"
Methuselah threw his paws up slowly as he shook his head "I don't know...Martin never said that I had to go, but he has sure made it sound like I am needed there. But still..."
Methuselah had gotten Rollell's undivided attention again "Still?" Rollell asked.
Methuselah breathed a heavy sight, this was the thing that scared him so much, it was practically written on his face. "It all happened last night. I was in the same dream forest; I knew exactly what was going to happen. But each time I was it pained me more and more to se foxes who may be my family die right in front of me, and I can do nothing about it! But this dream was different. Everything happened, everyone died except for me; now most of the time I would have woken up by now, but this dream was different. I saw a fox come through the fire, he looked...familiar. Then he did the last thing I would have expected...he called out my name."
Rollell shook his head in confusion "Why is that odd?" he asked.
Methuselah looked up at Rollell "It is odd because it has never happened before. Anyway this fox approaches me and the more and more I'm thinking that I know this fox and that he looks familiar and I still don't know why. Then he comes up to me, and get very close. I ask him who he is and he laughs, and he says that...he is me."
Rollell looked at Methuselah shocked "What do you mean?"
Methuselah shook his head "Exactly what I said. That fox was me...or another part of me to be exact. You see we all have the capability to be good, but we also have the same capability to be evil. No matter how hard we try to be good though there will be a time every now and then where we will tap in to that darker side of ourselves"
Rollell sighed "I know what you mean. When you were still in the infirmary Friar Dill was mocking you...I couldn't believe what I came so close to doing to him. I could clearly see it in my head...I wanted to hit him, and again, and again, and..." Rollell was crying a little thinking about what he had almost become.
Methuselah put a comforting paw on Rollell's shoulder "It's alright. You resisted that urge to hurt Dill. You are a brave beast...braver than me."
Rollell wiped the tears away "What do you mean?" he said sniffling.
Methuselah took out an old rag covered in ink stains and wiped away the tears on his face "I ran...the whole time that evil fox was speaking to me, words I dare not repeat; but I will tell you this they were full of hate. Images were shown to me, showing me what a part of me wanted to do over the seasons of being mocked, and ridiculed." Methuselah started to weep "If I was born evil...I think I might have been worse than Slagar himself...I just find it hard to believe that a part of me is that..." Methuselah became so upset that he couldn't find the will to speak; all he could do is softly cry as he looked at his paws.
Rollell put a comforting paw on his friend this time "There there. It's going to be alright, I'll help you through this; everyone in the Abbey will."
Methuselah was still crying but he managed to find the will to speak again "I'm sorry...but I'm afraid no one will be able to help me."
Rollell looked at Methuselah oddly "Of course we will...everyone will try, you'll see."
Morning light had started to shine through the window of the gatehouse. Methuselah leaned back in his armchair blowing out the candle beside him. Rollell had grown up with Methuselah, and besides Nimbalo who recently passed away, he was Methuselah's best, and only true friend. Through those seasons of friendship the two have both had their good times and their bad times, but Rollell felt sorry for Methuselah "We have all encountered our bad sides every now and then, but Methuselah had to meet his face to face" Rollell thought.
Methuselah got out of his armchair and walked to the window, unlatching them and opening the windows letting a light gust of morning breeze in. "Rollell if I tell you something and ask you to leave what I am going to tell you in this Gate House and to keep it a secret will you?"
Rollell got out of his chair looking hurt "How could you say something like that? Don't you trust me?"
Methuselah didn't turn around, he just looked outside, at the Abbey, and Mossflower "Oh course I do. But I just needed to make sure." Methuselah sat down at his work table opening the window in front of that too "Very soon I am going to be leaving Redwall..."
It was a lazy morning in Mossflower. The birds were quiet, the bees stayed in their hives, the sun was just rising over the tree tops, making the sky a rose and orange color. Redwall, that was usually bustling with all sorts of activity was quite doormat. Everyone was in the Great Hall either was talking to one another, eating breakfast, or corralling dibbuns.
Rollell came down the stairs into the Great Hall, dogging a dibbun or two, and Siggle who was chasing them while shouting threats of physics, baths, hacking tails off, and no desert, but to no avail. Rollell came up to Deyna, Melina, and Abbess Mhera who were discussing Abbey business. "Am I disturbing you?"
Rollell asked reaching over Deyna's shoulder and grabbed a scone. Abbess Mhera giggled at the hedgehog who resembled a hare as he wolfed down the scone. "Good morning Rollell. Please have a seat."
Deyna was about to pull out an empty chair but then looked at the plate of scones and changed his mind. Melina was fighting hard to keep from bursting out laughing. Melina pulled out a chair "Here Rollell sit by me." she said smiling.
Rollell smiled "Thankee kindly miss." he said with pieces of scones stuck to his front teeth.
"So what were you talking about?" Rollell asked wiping his mouth and teeth off.
"Well we were trying to decide what to do for the annual Abbey games." Rollell grinned with delight; he loved the Abbey games because it was a chance to get good food without doing a lot of work aside from his duties in the cellars.
"Well the wall race hasn't gotten old, the tree climbing race for the more able beasts sounds good, hmmm what about a cook off?" Rollell suggested.
The three otters looked at each other nodding their heads with faces of approval "I don't think that has been done before." Mhera said
"We could have the dibbuns judge." Deyna added
"Me too of course! Oh and our residential hairs as well; they would find it an insult to not be able to judge." Rollell also added. The four chuckled; as the weary day was slowly fading away.
Rollell looked around the Great Hall, and looked to Abbess Mhera slightly worried "Where's Methuselah?" he asked.
The Abbess put a paw to her chin "Hmm I havent seen him today..." Rollell looked rather worried "I wonder where he is?"
Melina placed a paw on Rollell's shoulder "Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine. But maybe you should go look for him just to make sure."
Rollell nodded his head and got up, and started his searching in the kitchens. When he didn't find him there he decided to check the dormitories, with a scone in paw. As he walked by the three otters he winked and grinned like a dibbun. As he was walking back through the Great Hall to go up the stairs Kip stopped him "Who are you looking for?" she asked.
Rollell looked at Kip, he didn't know why he asked but he though "What do I have to lose?"
"I'm looking for Methuselah. Y-you would have happened to see him by any chance now would you?"
Kip shook her head "No...sorry Rollell."
Rollell scratched her head gently "It's ok."
Kip smiled and grabbed Rollell's paw dashing to the stairs with Rollell trying to keep up "I know! I'll go with you! Besides four eye's are better than two, we'll both look for him!"
Rollell didn't protest, either that or he didn't have time to because he was breathing hard while trying to keep up with Kip's fast pace. Kip slowed down and the two ascended the stairs. "Rollell?" Kip asked
"Yes." Rollell responded looking at her.
"I was wondering, about Methuselah?" Rollell was looking in each open door way while Kip was checking the closed doors.
"What is it?" Rollell said peeking in the infirmary.
"Well Methuselah has been acting...strange, and I was wondering if you knew why?" she asked stopping looking in doors and looked Rollell in the eyes.
Rollell was silent for a moment trying to find the right words "I-I don't know. I've never been around a fox, let alone a nice one! So I don't know how normal foxes act...or think for that matter. That's why I try to think of him as just another woodlander, and a friend that is...unique." he said nodding his head.
Kip looked at the floor for a moment, and then continued checking the doors.
Rollell wondered if he had made the wrong choice of words, but then came to the conclusion that's she was just letting these words sink in.
The two searched the entire interior of the Abbey and they still couldn't find Methuselah. "Where could that fox be?" Rollell asked scratching his head.
Kip thought for a moment and then said "Wait a minuet! The Gate House!"
Rollell patted Kip on the back "You know what? I think you may be right!" the two went down the stairs, through the Great Hall, and across the Abbey lawn.
They approached the Gate House door "Moment of truth." Rollell said before knocking; Kip crossed her fingers for good measure.
Rollell knocked on the Abbey door "One moment!" Roseabell called to the two.
She came to the door opening it "Ah Rollell, and who's this you have with you? Ah Kip come in, come in!"
The two entered the dusty candle lit Gate House, where documents and recorder entries dating back to the very beginning of Redwall were kept. "Now how can I help you two?" Rosabell asked sitting down in her work chair.
"Well we have been looking for Methuselah, and we were wondering if he was here?" Kip asked.
"Oh yes he is here." Rosabell said "He is upstairs sleeping." she said pointing
"I'm not sleeping! I was just resting my eyes!" Methuselah called down.
"How long has he been here?" Rollell asked.
Rosabell sighed "All night." she said looking in the direction of Methuselah.
"All night!?" Rollell said slightly surprised.
Rosabell nodded her head "He came in just a little after everyone had gone to sleep. I was in here working, when Methuselah knocked on the door." Rosabell shook her head slowly "The poor thing...he looked terrified. Wouldn't say why, I didn't bother to ask if it made him that upset."
Kip and Rollell were both confused upon hearing about Methuselah's odd behavior "What happened then?" Kip asked.
Rosabell continued "Well Methuselah asked if he could work in here; just to get his mind off things. How could I say no, he is the assistant recorder of course? He has been up stairs, and down stairs, and up stairs, and down. Taking up this, moving that, dusting here and there." she said making paw gestures "I've never seen any best work so hard. When I asked him if he wanted to take a break all he said is that he was fine. Then took a sip of some October Ale I had brought in earlier and didn't finish, and said that that was rest he needed."
Rosabell got up to the two so she could whisper to them "Call me crazy, but I think that Methuselah was...well afraid."
Rollell shook his head in confusion "Afraid? Afraid of what?"
Rosabell sighed leaning back in her chair "I'm not as young as I use to be, and I need my rest. If you want to know you might be better off asking Methuselah himself; he is awake." she said shutting her eyes.
Rollell and Kip ascended the stairs of the Gatehouse and were shocked at what they saw. The entire place had been thoroughly cleaned. Methuselah did in a night what would take five able beasts the whole day to do. Books that were normally scattered onto the floor were organized and categorized from maps, to cooking recipes. Every square inch of the place was dusted; it was so clean that you could actually breathe and not have to worry about dust getting into your nose, or throat. A couple of bookshelves had been moved to place more furniture that was normally jumbled in one spot, into a more spacious arrangement. One of the work desks from the floor below had been carried up and placed in front of the window; that had been also made spotless.
There in the corner or the room Methuselah sat in his favorite arm chair, with a candle that was nearly out of wax dripping onto the candle holder set on a nightstand, with some books set on it. Methuselah moaned looking up at the ceiling stretching out his neck. "You like what I did with the place?" Methuselah asked wearily with a small grin.
Rollell and Kip found themselves both speechless. Methuselah chuckled "I'll take that as a yes."
Rollell and Kip walked up to Methuselah and sat down in an armchair with Kip sitting on Rollell's lap. Rollell and Kip were still both amazed with the way the Gatehouse had changed so quickly in so little time. "I don't know why Loven didn't take you to help him with the reconstruction of St. Ninan's? It sure would have gotten done a lot faster." Rollell said smiling.
The three laughed for a while; but the mood quickly faded away. "So Methuselah, whey were you up here all night?" Rollell asked.
Methuselah was silent for a little "Kip?" Methuselah said looking to the door mouse.
"Yes? What is it Methuselah?" Kip said eager to hear what Methuselah was going to you please go to the Great Hall with Rosabel?"
Kip was confused, as was Rollell "Why Methuselah?" Kip asked, wondering if she had done anything wrong that might have upset Methuselah.
"I need to talk with Rollell alone."
Kip stared at Methuselah; she wanted to cry but she didn't want to make Methuselah upset so she tried her best to hold the tears in, but she couldn't stop from sniffling, she knew that Methuselah wasn't trying to be mean to her, and that he just needed to be alone. Rosabell, who was listening in on the conversation was waiting half way up the stairs. When Kip reached her she put a comforting paw on her back "Come little one. I'll get us some fresh scones that sound nice."
Rollell looked away from Methuselah after he had heard the door to the Gate House close a second time "You didn't have to be so hard on the girl you know. She is young, and doesn't need to be treated that way." Rollell said looking very serious.
Methuselah looked outside the window looking at the Abbey. He sighed and looked to Rollell "I didn't want to upset her..." he said, shaking his head in guilt.
Rollell leaned forward in his chair "But you did upset her and I think that you need to..." Methuselah interrupted "No I mean I didn't want to upset her with what I am going to tell you. She is not ready to hear this, not yet..."
Rollell leaned back in his chair perplexed "What do you mean?" he asked.
Methuselah too leaned back in his chair and crossed his arm's, and closed his eyes "You wanted to know why I have been up here all night right?"
Rollell nodded his head. "Well...you see it started the day that Snowfur put me into the infirmary that these...odd dreams started to come."
Rollell was already lost "What do you mean by odd?" he asked Methuselah.
Methuselah put a paw to his chin trying to think of a way to summarize how his dreams were into a simple explanation, but after a few seconds and no good ideas coming to mind he decided to just tell Rollell what was happening in his dreams.
So Methuselah told Rollell about the forest, and how he felt some kind of connection with it. Then about when the battle broke out, and how the forest was burnt to the ground, with foxes fighting along side some woodlanders, both fighting vermin. Rollell shook his head in amazement "And you are sure that this isn't just a dream? You feel as though this forest maybe a real place and that you must go there?"
Methuselah threw his paws up slowly as he shook his head "I don't know...Martin never said that I had to go, but he has sure made it sound like I am needed there. But still..."
Methuselah had gotten Rollell's undivided attention again "Still?" Rollell asked.
Methuselah breathed a heavy sight, this was the thing that scared him so much, it was practically written on his face. "It all happened last night. I was in the same dream forest; I knew exactly what was going to happen. But each time I was it pained me more and more to se foxes who may be my family die right in front of me, and I can do nothing about it! But this dream was different. Everything happened, everyone died except for me; now most of the time I would have woken up by now, but this dream was different. I saw a fox come through the fire, he looked...familiar. Then he did the last thing I would have expected...he called out my name."
Rollell shook his head in confusion "Why is that odd?" he asked.
Methuselah looked up at Rollell "It is odd because it has never happened before. Anyway this fox approaches me and the more and more I'm thinking that I know this fox and that he looks familiar and I still don't know why. Then he comes up to me, and get very close. I ask him who he is and he laughs, and he says that...he is me."
Rollell looked at Methuselah shocked "What do you mean?"
Methuselah shook his head "Exactly what I said. That fox was me...or another part of me to be exact. You see we all have the capability to be good, but we also have the same capability to be evil. No matter how hard we try to be good though there will be a time every now and then where we will tap in to that darker side of ourselves"
Rollell sighed "I know what you mean. When you were still in the infirmary Friar Dill was mocking you...I couldn't believe what I came so close to doing to him. I could clearly see it in my head...I wanted to hit him, and again, and again, and..." Rollell was crying a little thinking about what he had almost become.
Methuselah put a comforting paw on Rollell's shoulder "It's alright. You resisted that urge to hurt Dill. You are a brave beast...braver than me."
Rollell wiped the tears away "What do you mean?" he said sniffling.
Methuselah took out an old rag covered in ink stains and wiped away the tears on his face "I ran...the whole time that evil fox was speaking to me, words I dare not repeat; but I will tell you this they were full of hate. Images were shown to me, showing me what a part of me wanted to do over the seasons of being mocked, and ridiculed." Methuselah started to weep "If I was born evil...I think I might have been worse than Slagar himself...I just find it hard to believe that a part of me is that..." Methuselah became so upset that he couldn't find the will to speak; all he could do is softly cry as he looked at his paws.
Rollell put a comforting paw on his friend this time "There there. It's going to be alright, I'll help you through this; everyone in the Abbey will."
Methuselah was still crying but he managed to find the will to speak again "I'm sorry...but I'm afraid no one will be able to help me."
Rollell looked at Methuselah oddly "Of course we will...everyone will try, you'll see."
Morning light had started to shine through the window of the gatehouse. Methuselah leaned back in his armchair blowing out the candle beside him. Rollell had grown up with Methuselah, and besides Nimbalo who recently passed away, he was Methuselah's best, and only true friend. Through those seasons of friendship the two have both had their good times and their bad times, but Rollell felt sorry for Methuselah "We have all encountered our bad sides every now and then, but Methuselah had to meet his face to face" Rollell thought.
Methuselah got out of his armchair and walked to the window, unlatching them and opening the windows letting a light gust of morning breeze in. "Rollell if I tell you something and ask you to leave what I am going to tell you in this Gate House and to keep it a secret will you?"
Rollell got out of his chair looking hurt "How could you say something like that? Don't you trust me?"
Methuselah didn't turn around, he just looked outside, at the Abbey, and Mossflower "Oh course I do. But I just needed to make sure." Methuselah sat down at his work table opening the window in front of that too "Very soon I am going to be leaving Redwall..."
