Ch9 Finding Sarah?
*Hoggle!* Cara thought running out toward the clearing. She looked around but couldn't see him or Sarah. "Sarah? Hoggle?" she called noticing the pot which should have been where they came out of. *They should be here,* she thought looking around, Cara then noticed what sounded like someone walking behind her she turned to see a curious robed figure strolling across the lawn, apparently deep in thought.
He was an old man, with a long white mustache and white eyebrows, but the most striking thing about him was his hat, which was topped with the head of a bird, with a sharp beak and eyes that were darting glances
everywhere.
*The wise man.* "Excuse me sir," she said as she walked up to him "Can you help me?"
"Oh a young girl!" the man exclaimed.
"Whoo whoo whoo!" the bird said.
"Hello," Cara said with a small smile nodding at the man and bird.
"And what can I do for you?" he asked.
"I don't mean to bother you but I have to solve this labyrinth can you help me?"
"Uh?"
"Eh?"
"Uh?"
"Eh?"
"Uh? You want to get to the castle huh?" the man said sounding half asleep.
"How's that for brain power?" asked the bird hat.
"Be quite!"
"Ah nuts."
"So, young woman," he told her, pursing his lips in thought. Nodding, he explained, "The way forward is sometimes the way back." His hat pulled a face. "And sometimes," he continued, gazing earnestly at Cara, "the way backward --"
"Is the way forward," the hat interrupted. "Ai! Will you listen to this crap?"
"Will you please BE QUIET!" the man shouted.
"Whoa Ok!"
"Ok?"
"Ok."
"Alright?"
"Alright." The man paused "Finished?" he asked his hat.
"Yes," it replied.
He looked again at Cara. "Quite often, young lady, it seems we're not getting anywhere, when in fact…"
"We are," ended the hat.
"We are," Said the man glaring slightly at his hat.
Cara looked around the garden wondering which way to go and where Sarah and Hoggle could be when she heard, "Well she isn't going anywhere at the moment."
She looked up on a bush to see the cat creature she called Daniel sitting there, the bird hat glared at him while the old man stared straight ahead and rubbed his chin. "Perhaps," the Wise Man said, "perhaps it only seems like that. All ... is not always ... what ..." It appeared that he was drifting off into a reverie, on the nature of good and evil, possibly, or four-dimensional calculus, and he only just made it to the end of his sentence, "... it seems."
To Cara's surprise he started to continue walking on his way seeming to forget she was there.
"I think that's your lot," said the hat "The sum total of earthly wisdom strewn at your feet for the asking."
Daniel just shook his head as they walked off. "So, what do you plan to do?"
"Well," Cara said reflectively, "he said something about the way forward being sometimes the way backward. So why don't we try walking out backward? It might work."
Daniel's expression was skeptical, but he humored her by doing as she suggested. They walked backward through the gap in the hedge, and the garden remained in peaceful silence, decorated with birdsong.
Once they had left the Wise Man, Cara and Daniel found that by walking forward they could move ahead, it made a nice change. Not, however, any more than a nice change, because the maze of hedges turned them left and right and back again so often that it was impossible to make any progress toward the castle. Frequently it could be seen, its spires and turrets looming in the distance above the hedges, but no matter how far and fast they walked it remained
in the distance.
After awhile Cara thought of something "Not to be rude but why are you here?" she asked the cat-like creature.
"No reason," he responded.
"There has to be a reason," Cara said "Otherwise you'd still be at your door wouldn't you?"
He looked at her as if she wasn't supposed to figure that out. "What do you mean?" he asked looking ahead of him avoiding her eyes.
"Well, won't you get in trouble if you're found gone?" she asked slightly worried for him. Cara knew that when someone was in trouble it was never a good thing,
"No," he replied, still not looking at her, "I'll be fine miss."
"Alright if you say so um… what is your name anyway?" She had been calling him Daniel in her head but knew he must have an actual name.
"Don't gots one," he responded.
She looked at him shocked "Well that's not right, everyone should have a name. How about we call you Daniel?"
He looked at her strangely as if asking why that name?
Cara blushed "Well that's what I've been calling you to myself and since you don't have one I might accidently call you that. It was the first name I could think of when I saw you but you don't have to use it it's just my opinion. Sorry I'm babbling I'll be quiet now." She hung her head slightly *Brilliant just make him think you're weirder then he must already think you are.*
"Daniel," he said as if deciding whether or not he liked it. "Sounds nice I'll take it." He said with his Cheshire cat smile on looking at Cara making her smile to.
"Glad I could help."
