Hi again.
Happy Hew Year!
I don't own any rights to The Princess Bride.
And please excuse any mistakes that you see.
Chapter 14
The next day…
When I woke up I was feeling a lot better. My ankle had shrunk in size. Some of the pain was still there but it was better than it was yesterday.
"Maybe I can escape sooner than I thought." I say to myself in a whisper.
I look around. Dagmar was no where in sight. Neither was Felix.
"Felix!" I call, "Where are you?"
But Felix was no human so he didn't respond. Felix wasn't even a dog who would come when his name was called. So I stand to my feet and check around the little hut. There was no sign of him. And that's when I got worried.
"Felix! Here boy!" I call, but still there was nothing. "Where did you go?" I journey outside and check behind the trees. If it was day time I couldn't tell. There was still no sun and it was extremely hard trying to look for him in the dark.
"Felix!" I cried again. I checked behind trees and bushes. He had to be some where.
"What are you doing outside?" Dagmar asked. She popped out from behind a tree. I nearly jump a mile high out a fright. "Hey! I'm talking to you. Go back and lay down for heavens sake."
"Where is Felix?" I demand. I had regained my voice. I could talk louder than a whisper.
"Who is Felix? What are you talking about?"
I didn't bother trying to explain it to her because walking unharmed behind her was baby Felix.
"This is Felix." I state to her. I pick up the little pup who greets me with a lick or two.
"You name a fox?" she laughs at me with a loud chuckle that echoes through the forest, "You are a strange girl indeed. Now get inside. I'm not about to have that ankle flame up again."
I follow her instructions, but ignore her laughter. I walk back to the mat as Dagmar came in, shutting the door behind her.
"You know," she said, "I should kick that little vermin out."
I gasp at the thought, "If you do that they'll eat him. Besides what did he ever do to you?"
"Well, let's see… for starters he pooed on my floor." She points to a spot in the hut. It had been cleaned up but I thought it was unfair to blame the fox. The floor in here was the same as the floor outside. He couldn't tell the difference because there was no difference. Besides, the tiny shelter already smelled from the mud it was built with. What could a little poo do? "Furthermore," Dagmar continued, "Kaz is going to have the thing killed eventually. Becoming too close to the fox will only hurt you more later."
"Felix is the only thing I have." I say bitterly, "The least they could do is let me keep a little fox."
"No, little girl, the least they could do is spare your life; which they already have. Consider that lucky." Dagmar brings me another mug of the same sludge from yesterday.
"This again?" I moan.
"Yes again. For heavens sake! Didn't your mother ever teach you to be grateful? Drink what I give you girl. I am tired of having to go over this."
I snatch the mug from her grasp and drink the nasty concoction. I was too frustrated to deal with anyone here and Dagmar was slowly working on my nerves. Here attitude was a hard pill to swallow. Moreover, I may be young but I was no "little girl" by any means. I wanted out of this place.
Dagmar grumbles something under her breath in some other language. She went to work around the hut in silence and that's how it was for a long part of the day. However, although we were silent there were still sounds in the air. The huts were so close together that you could hear some of the conversations going on. None of them interested me in the least, but they were there, echoing through Dagmar's little shelter.
I break the silence only after hearing a child beg for food next door for what felt like forever. "Dagmar?"
"What?" she says aggressively.
"How do you survive in here?"
"Hmm….. That's a good question. To be honest I don't know. Sometimes I wander that same thing."
"Where do you get all your food from? There is hardly any vegetation in here."
"There is some. We eat what we can in here. Anything edible no matter how terrible, for soon the taste grows on you. Then there is Ace and his hunting crew. They bring back as much meat as possible." Dagmar stops for a second and rests on the floor. "Then they steal. A group of our bravest men may adventure out the forest to the outskirts of Devons. They'll take some fresh food and bring it back."
"And that's enough?" I ask. I was starting to appreciate my sludge more now.
"Like I said it's barely enough. But even though we have fairly enough food there are consequences that some wouldn't believe."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's hard to explain. Just forget it."
I was just about to ask Dagmar another question when there was a knock on the poorly made door.
"If it's you, Ace, go away!" Dagmar called.
The voice giggles behind the door. "No it's Lulli, Dagmar. Can I come in?"
"Oh. Come on in Lulli."
A small girl comes into the hut with a smile on her face. She was filthy like everyone else and wore a dress that seemed to be fashioned out of an old blanket. However, she seemed nice enough.
"Is she the new girl?" Lulli asks Dagmar.
"Yeah, she is."
Lulli looks at me and waves her hand saying hello.
"Lulli, you fool, she can understands what we are saying." Dagmar proclaims with a laugh.
"Oh, really?" Lulli asks. She looks a little embarrassed, "Well, how was I to know? Everyone told me that she was a mute."
"I certainly am not a mute!" I declare, a little bothered by her comment.
"There you have it." Dagmar said, "She is perfectly normal or at least as close as she can get. Now take this jar to your mother. That's what you came over for right?"
"Yep, it sure is. And thanks again Dagmar. We appreciate it." Lulli says. She waves good-bye to the both of us and leaves the little hut.
I wave a slow goodbye. Felix runs around the shelter chasing some of the bugs.
"Silly woman," Dagmar said will a shake of her head. "I told her to stop listening to her mother's gossip a long time ago. Her mother never knows the truth of anything."
"She seemed nice."
"Yes. She's an angel in this demon layer. She was a good acrobat too, very limber." Dagmar roughly starts to comb her greasy hair, which seemed almost impossible. "How old do you think she is?" she asked me.
"I don't know. Young enough, I guess."
"How young?"
I take a moment to think, "I don't know, twelve maybe."
Dagmar shakes her head saying no. "She's much older than you I would think."
"But I'm seventeen."
"And she is in her twenties; late twenties probably."
"She is twenty something?" I say in astonishment. "But she looks younger than me. She's shorter and-"
"Less developed, I know." Dagmar pins her hair back again, "If I recall she came in the Twisted Gallows as a young girl. She may have only grown a bit but basically she looks about the same. But it's not just her. It's everyone here. The young ones keep looking young and the older ones keep looking older."
"I don't understand."
"Like I said it's hard to explain. Basically, it's like this. The ones that came in young haven't grown. However, the opposite happened to those that came in the Gallows as adults."
"You mean they are aging faster."
"That's exactly what I mean. Take that woman who escorted you here last night. She looked like an old woman, maybe in her eighties at the least. But at heart, she's no more than sixty." Dagmar gets up and dresses herself with more clothes.
"But why does that happen?"
"There is no sun. It makes us pale and fragile. Everyone needs the sun." Dagmar walks over to me. "Stand up. We are about to go."
I stand up and she continues to explain everything to me.
"Plus, there is the lack of nutrition. And since there is hardly any fresh water, well it's practically impossible to stay healthy for too long." She wraps my blanket around me. "All of those things cause the strangest things to happen to their bodies."
"Even you?" I ask.
"Not too much at first. But now that time has passed I'm starting to see some changes."
"Good changes or bad ones?"
"The latter." She answers with a sorrowful sigh. When I am all bundle up she takes a step back and looks at her handy work. "But no worries, it may not affect you since you have lived out the Gallows for so long. Besides that you're pretty healthy."
I had absolutely no intention of it affecting me at all, because I planned to run as soon as I got the chance. After seeing what Dagmar had to go through I knew I didn't want this kind of life. I was more willing to give myself up to a Florin soldier than staying here. I just had to get out of this place.
"Come on." Dagmar said as she left the hut.
"Where are we going?"
"You need the exercise for your ankle. Besides, there is someone you need to meet."
I pick up Felix and put him in Nettie's knapsack.
"Would you leave the fox here?" She said in frustration, "You don't need him right now."
"If I leave him here someone could steal him and barbeque him for dinner."
Dagmar rolls her blue eyes.
"You're the one who said that these bandits steal whatever they can get there hands on." I remind her.
Dagmar, who realizes that I was right, doesn't say another word. It was chilly outside, chillier than normal. All the fires were ablaze. I knew I must have been in dark for far too long because my eyes were adjusting. I could start seeing better in the dark.
We walk around the little village with many eyes on us. Or should I say many eyes on me. Now that I knew the truth things seemed to be a clearer. The bandits sat outside there huts chattering away. Some preformed little tricks, practicing as if there was a show to perform. The little children watch with wide eyes. Learning everything they can. Then there were the wagons. I figured they were used when the Bailey Brothers was an actually traveling circus.
"Who do I need to meet?" I inquire Dagmar.
"If you are going to be Gunnar's girl there are some things you'll need to know."
"What if I don't want to be Gunnar's girl?" I utter resentfully.
"You don't have a choice. Gunnar-"
"Hi." Lulli says as she pops up in front of us. "Where are you two going?"
"I'm taking to the little one to see Elda."
"Oh," Lulli says, "Can I come with you?"
"Why not?" Dagmar says.
Some Lulli comes and joins us on our walk.
"I hear you are going to be Gunnar's girl." She says with the same smile on her face that she had earlier. "Are you excited?"
"No." I say firmly.
"Why not? Gunnar is one of the most sought after men in the village. He's handsome, next in line to be the leader-"
"He's also self-conceded and a very dreadful man to be around." Dagmar comments.
"Dagmar! That's not true."
"Well of course it's true Lulli. Don't lie to her. She'll need to know the truth soon." Dagmar continues, "He is a sad little man who has a depressing view on everything. He never smiles. He is cruel and ill-mannered. He should die an old lonely man."
"Don't listen to her." Lulli tells me, "He isn't as bad as all that. And to be honest he's the best around."
"Which he knows," Dagmar adds, "Which makes him arrogant."
"Dagmar, you're just not fair!"
"You give him too much credit Lulli."
The two of them argued for a minute or two. I didn't interrupt. I still had no plans of being here for long. Maybe I could delay the wedding for a bit then escape. It would be days before my ankle was completely healed.
"When is the wedding?" I asked the two of them.
"Wedding? What do you need a wedding for?" Lully asks.
"There are no weddings here." Dagmar says, "In the village if a man wants you he takes you. The only one who can object is the father of the girl. And then the father has to fight for the daughter to get her back."
"That hardly ever happens though. I can't even remember when a father fought for his daughter." Lully notes.
"Since you don't have a daddy here," Dagmar goes on, "And since Gunnar is brother to the 'leader' than you really have no choice."
I didn't understand their customs at all. "So what, there is no ceremony or anything?"
"Nope, I'll just take you to his hut when you are feeling better and that will be it. It's very straightforward."
A knot ties in my stomach. I thought there would be more. Something to setback this marriage, if you can even call it that. What was I to do now?
"Here we are." Dagmar announces.
"Here" was a big wagon that was once used in the circus that looked as if it hadn't been moved in years. It was made out of wood that was beginning to rot away. It was covered in a cloth that was still clean, still white. It stood awkwardly in the back of the village and behind some huts. It stood out like a sore thumb. It smelled of foreign spices that rested the senses. Inside were candles that glowed. And you could just make out an outline of what was hidden inside.
"Come on." Dagmar calls to me. She opens the cloth door for me and I climb in the wagon.
It was surprisingly more spacious than Dagmar's hut. It was firm and steady, even though it was on wheels. It smelled clean and everything looked persevered. As if the wagon was in some kind of safety bubble. There was a small side wooden table and two wooden chairs. Candles lit the entire place. There was a long Persian rug on the floor. Silk table clothes lay on the table. Soft pillows where plumped on the floor, expecting guests. Colors of purple, red, and black fill the room completely. The word stunning seemed like an understatement for this room.
"What is this place?" I whisper to Dagmar.
"This? This is the home of the circus' psychic and fortune teller named Elda."
"She's like the elder or mother of the village." Lulli gleefully interrupts, "She advises Kaz from time to time too."
Dagmar continues, "Her magical powers are extraordinary. She hasn't aged a bit since they first came in here. I mean look around."
I look around at my strange but inviting surroundings.
"It's always like this. Those candles are always lit. They never go out, not even when she sleeps. And… well…I mean can't you feel it? It's- you can't describe it." Dagmar and Lulli both closed their eyes and take in a deep breath.
I do the same. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was beautiful; a warm sensation that reminded me of the garden. It reminded me of the garden that I missed so much. "It's cozy."
"It used to wagon for some of the animals." Lully says. She plops down on a fluffy pillow.
"Where did the animals go?" I ask.
"Are you kidding me?" Dagmar exclaimed, "They were the first things that were eaten." And she sits down on another pillow. I continue to stand. I didn't want to dirt up anything.
A voice greets us from behind in a sweet grandmother-like tone, "Afternoon to you three." And behind us is an elderly woman. She wore silk clothes just as glamorous as the rest of her room. She wore a veil that covered hair, only exposing her face. And you could see something remarkable. She was clean, washed, and fresh. Not a speck of dirt on her face or on her hands. Now where. She walked into the little loft. "Are you the new girl?" she asked me.
"Yes ma'am."
"She doesn't like that." Lulli whispered to me, "She prefers Madam Elda."
"Oh sorry."
"That's fine." The woman says, "You didn't know. What can I do for the three of you?"
Dagmar tries to explain the situation, "The little one here is going to be Gunnar's girl. The thing is that she doesn't know anything about the way of life here. I did my best to explain, but it is a difficult topic."
"I know." Elda remarks, she takes out a pipe and lights it. "To an outsider, our way of life is…well… odd to say the least."
"Exactly, that's why I brought her here to you."
"You have made a smart decision, Dagmar." Madam Elda proclaims. She sits down at the little side table. She gestures to the chair on the other side, offering me a seat.
"I'm dirty." I say backing up a little, "I don't want to get anything on your stuff."
"Don't worry about that. Have a seat."
I follow her words. I sit in the chair. Dagmar and Lulli pulls up soft pillows closer to the table. Madam Elda smokes her sleek pipe. Curls of smoke rush out her noise as she smiles. I'm immediately intrigued.
"May I see your hand?"
I give her my left hand but she asks for the right one instead. With my hand in hers I could definitely tell the difference. I was becoming dirty and grimy like the rest of the people in the village.
"This won't work." Madam Elda says. She fetches a bowl of crystal clear, pure water. I wander how she came across water in this place but I don't question it. It was probably the normal for her.
She dips my hand in the tiny pool and bathes my hand with delicate soaps of lavender. When my hand has been almost ritually cleaned, she dries my hand with the softest towel. And then she examines it well.
"You have had a very hard, long life for a young girl like yourself." She says with intense eyes, "I see tragedy. Lost of a parent? Am I correct?"
"Almost, I lost both of my parents."
"Yes, I see that now. You are traveling through these Gallows, but not alone." The woman lets her fingers run over the scratches on my hand. "Two companions, correct?"
"Yes." I whisper in disbelief. Could she really see all that from my hand? She had to for I hadn't told anyone else in the Utopia about it. "Are they okay?" I ask.
"I can't tell right now." She says, "I'm trying to first discover your past."
I remain quiet so I wouldn't break her concentration. Dagmar and Lulli looked just as fascinated as I was. We watched Madam Elda's delicately wrinkled face for her different expressions. She nods to herself and makes little comments like: "That's interesting.", "I see.", and "Hmm…" And when she was finally ready she turns my hand over and runs her fingers along my palm.
"The palm shows the future." Madam Elda explains, "The back of the hand reminds us of the past."
"Oh." The three of us say in unity.
"Now," Madam Elda says, "What was your question young one?"
"Are my companions alright?"
It takes a moment for her to answer. "That depends by what you mean; for they are fine, technically. However, the man is heart broken. And the girl…she cries constantly."
My heart aches for the both of them. "But are they safe?" I ask desperately.
"They are lost in the Twisted Gallows. I can't see where………They are looking for you, they haven't given up hope…….They are still calling your name. Can you hear it?"
"No." I say, puzzled.
"You are not listening. Close your eyes and seek out their voices. Try to listen."
I close my eyes without question and I listen. I hear the children outside. I hear the old men around the large fire laughing. I hear the women gossiping. I hear Lulli breaths quicken from excitement. I hear Dagmar sigh in boredom. But no, I didn't hear Michael or Nettie. "Madam Elda, I don't hear them."
"Are you sure?"
I nod my head says yes.
"Someday soon you'll hear them. Trust me. But you must keep listening. They'll never come if you don't listen."
"What do you mean?" I say in confusion.
"Don't ask questions, little one. Just trust me." She takes one last puff of her pipe before placing it down, "You do trust me?"
"Yes, Madam Elda."
"Good. Now lets see what else there is in store for you." Madam Elda says. She closes her eyes. She mumbles to herself in another language as she reads my hand. I look at Lulli and Dagmar they didn't seem to have a clue of what she was saying either. Finally when she is done she lets go of my hand. All she says is, "Good, very good."
"Madam Elda," Dagmar begins, "I hate to be a bother, but I've got to get back soon. Could you just tell her what she needs?"
Lulli hits Dagmar in her side, "Don't talk to her like that." She exclaims.
"That's alright." Madam Elda says with a smile, "As it turns out she won't need to learn our ways after all."
"And why is that?" Dagmar asks.
"She won't be here for long. Somehow she is going to make it out of this place. It is written in her fate and set in stone."
"Really!" I exclaim. I jump out of my seat with joy.
"Yes, little one. But you have to keep your faith and hope alive. Can you do that?"
"Absolutely." I'd do whatever it took to keep from ending up with Gunnar and stuck in this "utopia" for the rest of my life.
"That's great!" Lulli exclaims with me. She gets up and gives me a slimy hug which at the moment I don't seem to mind.
"Impossible." Dagmar says crossly, "How exactly do you think she's going to make it out of here?"
"There is a way, Dagmar, don't worry about that. She's strong-willed and high spirited. I am never wrong about these things."
I feel so much better. Madam Elda had given me hope again. All I had to do was get better. A few days of healing and I would be off.
"What if she gets lost?" Lulli says out of concern. "She's never been through these parts of the Twisted Gallows before."
"Good point." The elderly woman says, "We'll have to fix that." The woman goes to a back corner of the wagon.
Hidden behind pillows and knitted blankets was something shiny. She pulls up a clear ball made of glass. It was beautiful and it looked heavy. She brings it back to the wooden table.
"Hand me that please." She instructs Lulli.
Lulli gives Madam Elda a small stand for the ball made out of metal. The stand is placed on the table and Elda puts the ball on top. Before we get started, Madam Elda pours herself some of the magical fresh water. She takes an extremely long gulp without taking a breath.
"Let's get started." She says, "This may go by too fast for you, and that's okay. I'll try to explain everything that I can. But no matter what never take your eyes off the crystal ball. This is very important. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Lulli dear, if you want to look you are going to have to come closer. And the same rules apply to you. Look only into the ball."
Lulli follows the instructions obediently.
"Dagmar, are you just going to sit there or are you going to look on as well?"
Dagmar didn't look the least bit interested anymore. She slowly stands and walks up to the table. "Fine, let's get this over with."
"Alright, the same rules apply to you. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Then we start."
Madam Elda closes her eyes and the ball glows a gold-yellowish color. A strong wind blows through the wagon out of no where. The candles don't go out, however they softly dim down. Now it's the ball that lights the room up. I feel the warmth from it. Madam Elda starches out her hands in front of it.
"Everyone's eyes must be on the ball right now. Look only in the ball."
We follow her orders.
At first we see nothing but the gold, but then it appears.
"It's a waterfall." Madam Elda says, taking the words right out of my mouth. "This is the key your escape. Behind this waterfall is a secret passage way that will lead you to sun shine and much happiness."
The waterfall looked very long and wide. Wild purple flowers bloom between the rocks. Trees stretch out there branches in front of the waterfall and over the long running river. The ball changes images and now I can see the path she described. Then there was the sunshine. It was bright and sudden.
"What if I can't make it to the waterfall?" I ask with my eyes still on the ball.
"Oh you must!" Elda proclaims, "It is the safest way. That's how our men travel into Devons to gather up fresh food. If they can do it so can you. But if for some reason you can't make it you can always walk around."
The crystal ball's scenery changed. It showed a rocky path in the dark of the forest. There was a heavy fog and it looked quite dangerous. "This is the only other way?" I ask her again.
"Don't question me and yes it is the only other way." Elda responds, "That is why I strongly suggest that you take the path through the waterfall."
"But how am I supposed to get there?"
"You ask a lot of questions don't you?" Madam Elda comments with a slight chuckle, "Why don't you let me say all that I have to say first. Then you can make your statements."
"Sorry."
The scenery of the ball changes back to the gold glow. "Getting to the waterfall is a very tricky task indeed." Madam Elda continues, "You do know how to swim don't you?"
"Yes Madam Elda."
"Good because to get to the waterfall you must go through the severe storms. The Severe Storms is a spot in the Twisted Gallows where it constantly rains. Because of all the rain there are many puddles that a human can literally drown in. There also huge ditches to look out for. Then there is the lake. You must make it across that as well."
"It doesn't sound so bad." I tell Madam Elda, "It looks a lot better than what I have already been through."
All the crystal ball was showing was a lot of rain and a lake that I would have to swim across. It didn't look life threatening. It looked more pleasant than life here.
"Little one," Elda says, "Hasn't your journeys taught you anything? You should know better than anyone here that things aren't always what they seem. Now heed my words. Be careful. This part of the Twisted Gallows isn't called the Severe Storms for nothing. Understand that."
I nod my head. I was going to have to be on the look out while I was traveling through. The crystal ball moves and I can see the center of the huge lake. There was something grey there. "Maybe it's a foggy spot on the glass." I think to myself. But I wait and nothing changes. There really was something gray in the lake but what was it? I couldn't tell.
"Madam Elda?" I whisper.
"Yes, little one."
"What is that in the middle of the lake?"
Madam Elda opens her eyes, but the ball is still aglow, "Where do you see it?"
I point at the glass, "Right there." It was definitely a gray spot that looked as if it was getting bigger.
"I see it now. Yes." Elda says, "Hmm…It's very interesting."
"Is it bad?" Lulli whispers.
"I don't know. I can just make it out."
That's when the wind stops blowing. The candles burn brightly again. And the crystal glass loses the glow and once again it was a clear blue. Whatever magical experience we had been through was over too soon.
"Madam Elda, what happened? Did you see what the gray spot was?"
"No. We lost the connection."
"But how could that be?" I ask frantically.
"Someone stopped looking at the crystal." Elda said eyeing Dagmar.
Dagmar doesn't say anything. She ignores our eyes and leaves the wagon in a huff.
"Can't we try it again?" I beg.
Madam Elda stands to her feet she lifts up the ball and takes it back to its cushion on the other side of the room. "I'm afraid not." She says, "That's enough for now. You can't summon the powers very often. It'll be a while before we should try again."
"But we were so close." I pled.
Lulli tugs on my arm, "It is okay. We can try again later, but we have to go now. It is getting late." Her eyes are encouraging me to leave, but I don't want to. Not yet.
"Listen to her." Elda advises me wisely.
So I follow Lulli out of the wagon. When we make it out we see that Dagmar is no where in sight. She had left us. Lulli escorts me back to the little hut on the other side of the village.
"Why would she do that?" I ask Lulli, "Why would she look away from the ball when she knew how important this was for me?"
Lulli sighs and looks down at her feet, "It's deeper than all that." Lulli says, "When Dagmar first came she sought out Madam Elda's help as well. When Madam Elda looked into her future she said that Dagmar's destiny was ultimately here. She said that Dagmar will someday carry Ace's baby." Lulli waves to someone and then continues her story, "Dagmar refused to accept this. She tried to run plenty of times but she never got far. Ace was always able to catch her. So she has given up. She became Ace's girl and was just miserable. She moved out a while back and now she defends for herself because some of the villagers want nothing to do with her." Lulli sighs, "She hasn't fully accepted her fate. She still refuses to move back in with Ace and have his baby. But she continues to stay here." Lulli stops and so do I. She looks up in my eyes, "So you see? She's jealous because you are getting out and she can't."
"Oh. But what if I tried to take her with me?"
"You can't do that." Lulli says sternly, "She was meant to be here. It's written in her stars. If you take her with you you'll never make it out. That's just the way it is."
Time passed, a lot of time. I slept many nights and woke up to a dark sky. Days were passing for sure but I wasn't sure how many. Dagmar was resentful of me and very bitter. I ended up spending much of my time at Lulli's hut with her mother, father, and six younger siblings; of course, I wasn't exactly sure how "young" they were. I was slowly becoming more healed with everyday that passed and time was running out. I returned to Madam Elda and asked her when I should leave. She said I would know when the time came. But time passed and I still didn't know what to do.
Then one day out side Lulli's hut with Felix in my lap I heard it. It was the voices of Michael and Nettie calling for me in the wind. I run to Madam Elda's hut as everyone begins to crawl back into their huts to go to sleep.
"Madam Elda!" I cry as I burst through her wagon. "I heard them! I heard-"
"I know, little one." She says with a small, sly grin, "It's about time that you listened."
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