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Papa
Joe ~ Stuff & Things
The Rest of the Story
James and Misery walked through the Walnut Forest in
search of the girl with yellow hair and a smile that would light
up the darkest night. They didn't walk fast. James had to hobble
with a crutch for weeks.
One day they came to a bridge in the middle of the forest. James
was ill. He collapsed. "Is there no end to this place?"
Misery grinned his grin. "This is far enough. Have a drink,
James."
While James drank, across the bridge came the girl with yellow
hair and a smile that would light up the darkest night. Her dress
was torn and dirty. The layers of silk and velvet were matted and
worn, but it was Wendy.
She came to James and said, "What makes life worth
living?"
James was shocked. "Don't you know? Why did I come here? You
don't know anything!" The world began to spin before his
eyes. James vomited.
Now Wendy was shocked. How could the cow have sent her to this
disgusting person. He was drunk. He was dirty. She grew angry.
"I've been searching for you for weeks. I've been hungry,
cold, and scared. Look at you! You're just a drunk. I don't
believe you can help me. I've wasted my time."
James grew angry. "Who are you to talk to me like that.
You're just a filthy beggar girl. You're probably drunk
too!"
Wendy was speechless. She turned to walk away.
Then Misery laughed. Both Wendy and James felt a chill like cold
clammy water running across their skin. Misery grinned at Wendy.
"Impatient girl. I thank you. Because you judged this boy
without finding out the reasons behind his behavior, you have
condemned him to me. I own him. I'll take him from the Walnut
Forest. I'll torment him until he breathes his last breath. He's
already weakened by my tender ministrations. It won't be long
before he dies."
Wendy knew she had made a mistake. The cow had said that if she
found James, she might find the answer. Not that James had the
answer. Misery would take James away. How would she find her
answer then?
"I could track you down. I could free James from you."
Misery grinned his grin. "Not without walking off three
pairs of iron shoes could you come to the place I shall take him.
But I shall give you one chance to win him. If you reach my
castle before James dies and answer a riddle for me, I will give
James to you. Little good it will do you to try."
Misery spread his tattered cloak around James and they were gone.
Wendy walked until she came to a village. There she found a
blacksmith to make her a pair of iron shoes. She walked until she
left the Walnut Forest. She walked for days and days, weeks and
weeks, months and months. She walked until she wore out her first
pair of iron shoes. She had come to another village. A village
with a great stone well.
At first the village seemed empty. No one was on the streets. No
one was at the market. No one was in the fields. As Wendy came to
the edge of the village she heard voices in a large barn.
In the barn, Wendy found the villagers. They were all sitting on
the floor complaining. When they saw Wendy, they asked why she
had come.
Wendy told them her story and asked to know their problem.
A village elder told her. "We were once a happy community.
We work and play together. But we feel sad. There is something
missing in our lives. We don't know what it is, but it makes us
miserable to know that it is missing. You come from far away.
Maybe you can tell us what's wrong."
Wendy replied, "I don't know what you are missing, but if
you are miserable, I know who has the answer. I am looking for
Misery. If you will give me food and shelter for the night, if
you will make me a new pair of iron shoes tomorrow, I will try to
find out what it is you are missing when I reach Misery's
castle."
The villagers did as she asked. They saw her as their only hope.
The next day, Wendy was walking in her new iron shoes. She walked
for days and days, weeks and weeks, months and months. She walked
until she wore out her second pair of iron shoes. She had come to
another village. A village with a tall stone clock tower.
Again the village seemed empty. No one was on the streets. No one
was at the market. No one was in the fields. This time when Wendy
came to the edge of the village she heard voices in a large hall.
In the hall, Wendy found the villagers. They were all sitting on
benches complaining. When they saw Wendy, they asked why she had
come.
Wendy told them her story and asked to know their problem.
The village elder told her. "We were once an ambitious
community. Each one of us is a master at our trade. We need
nothing. Yet we feel sad. There is something missing in our
lives. We don't know what it is, but it makes us miserable to
know that it is missing. You come from far away. Maybe you can
tell us what's wrong."
Wendy replied, "I don't know what you are missing, but if
you are miserable, I know who has the answer. I am looking for
Misery. If you will give me food and shelter for the night, if
you will make me a new pair of iron shoes tomorrow, I will try to
find out what it is you are missing when I reach Misery's
castle."
Again the villagers did as she asked. They also saw her as their
only hope. The next day, Wendy was walking in her new iron shoes.
She walked for days and days, weeks and weeks, months and months.
She walked until she wore out her third pair of iron shoes. Then
she kicked off the iron shoes for ahead of her was Misery's
castle.
The castle was surrounded by a high wall with no doors or
windows. Each time she walked around the wall, she lost more hope
of getting through. Near sunset she gave up. She sat beside the
wall and cried. As the tears ran down her face she remembered
crying in Baron Boring's carriage. She remembered the words of
the dog she had freed, "Whistle three times".
Wendy whistled as loud and as long as she could. Three times she
whistled, then the wind began to blow. Just as before the dog was
beside her. "What may I do for you fair lady?"
Wendy wiped her eyes. "Oh, Master Tracker, I must get
through these walls. Misery took my answer here and I don't even
know if he's still alive."
The dog looked at the wall. "James is still alive, though
the poison Misery has been giving him will kill him soon. I'll
show you the way through the wall."
The dog sniffed his way around the wall. "Here's a door. You
can't see it, but I can smell it. Feel around here and you'll
find your way inside."
Wendy felt the wall. She felt a door latch. "Oh thank you,
thank you. This is the second time you've helped me. I owe you
now."
The dog smiled and said, "You can repay me by having
patience with those who seem too weak to overcome their
challenges alone." With that the dog was gone.
It was getting dark as Wendy turned the latch and entered the
ugliest garden she had ever seen. Monstrous weeds grew
everywhere. Weeds that looked as if they would choke a person as
easily as they would a flower. Wendy was afraid to move closer to
them.
Then she saw something darting through the weeds. She gasped. It
was a cat chasing a mouse through the garden. She clicked her
tongue three times.
The cat turned, came to Wendy, and in his high thin voice said,
"Little princess, how may I serve you?"
"Master Chewy, Misery has James and I need to find James to
find my answer." Wendy told the cat about her adventures.
The cat said, "Misery is my master. We have an understanding
with each other. Still he has never done anything for me unless
it pleased him. I will help you. Hide in the shed tonight. I will
come to you in the morning and tell you what you need to
know."
Wendy hid in the shed. The cat went to Misery's room and curled
up on his bed. When Misery went to sleep that night the cat stuck
it's claws through the blankets and into Misery's leg.
"Oww! Stupid cat. What's wrong with you?"
The cat yawned and said, "Sorry master. I was just dreaming
about a village with a great stone well where the people work and
play together, yet no one is happy."
Misery grinned his grin. "I know that village. Foolish
people. They work and play together, yet they never try to do
anything worth while. Their grandparents dug and built that well
of theirs to provide the community with clean water. If the
villagers would work toward some great goal like that, then they
would be happy. Instead they belong to me. Go back to sleep and
be careful where you put your claws."
As soon as Misery was snoring again the cat stuck it's claws into
his arm.
"Oww! Stupid cat. What's wrong with you?"
The cat yawned and said, "Sorry master. I was just dreaming
about a village, with a tall stone clock tower, where the people
are all great masters of their crafts, yet no one is happy."
Misery grinned his grin. "I know that village, too. They are
bigger fools than the others. They work by themselves, each one
alone. Their grandparents worked together to build that clock
tower. Each did their part. For all the great works that these
villagers do, they share nothing with each other. If they would
work together, they would be happy. Instead they belong to me. Go
back to sleep and be more careful where you put your claws. I
don't want to be awake all night."
As soon as Misery was snoring again the cat stuck it's claws into
his back.
"Oww! Stupid cat. What's wrong with you?"
The cat yawned and said, "Sorry master. I was just dreaming
about a princess with yellow hair and a smile that would light up
the darkest night. She was trying to answer some riddle you put
to her, but all she could do was cry."
Misery grinned. "I know that princess. She'll never guess
the answer. The riddle is:
All must learn me to gain their rest.
Although study is the best,
No one can find me in a book or scroll.
Yet learn me they must, ere they grow old."
The cat said, "Oh master. That is a wonderful riddle. I
can't imagine what it could mean."
Misery grinned his grin. "Of course you don't. It's really
very easy. That's why I like it."
Misery told the cat the answer. Then he said, "Now go back
to sleep and be very careful where you put your claws. If you
wake me again I'll pull them out."
As soon as Misery was asleep, the cat ran to the shed and told
Wendy all that he had learned.
Wendy stroked the cat. "Oh Master Chewy. This is the second
time you've helped me. How can I repay you?"
The cat answered, "You can repay me by remembering the
lessons you have learned in your travels. There is a need for
more wisdom in this world." With that the cat turned and was
gone.
Wendy thought about the lessons she had learned. She had overcome
most of her problems. When the tasks had been too much for her,
her had asked and received help.
When she gave up hope she lost James to Misery.
The questions from the villages had taught her that people need
to share and have goals to work toward.
Misery's riddle had given her the final clue she needed.
Wendy began to hope. Not an ignorant hope based on fantasy. Hope
based on knowledge and understanding. Wendy felt strong.
The next morning, Wendy walked into Misery's castle. She went
right up to Misery and said, "I'm here. What is your
riddle?"
Misery grinned his grin. He was sure she couldn't answer his
riddle. "Spunky little child. You hope against hope. If I
ask you the riddle and you can't answer it, you will be mine. Run
while you can. I'll have you soon enough."
Wendy stood firm. "Ask your riddle."
Misery did.
"All must learn me to gain their rest.
Although study is the best,
No one can find me in a book or scroll.
Yet learn me they must, ere they grow old."
Wendy smiled and her smile lit up the dim castle. She told Misery
the answer.
Misery's face turned red. He grinned his grin no more. He was
spitting fire. "How could a foolish girl like you know that.
It is the secret of my power. I'll kill you now. You'll never
leave my castle."
But Wendy had listened to the cat. She remembered the lessons she
had learned in her travels. Misery had no power against her hope.
She was too strong to fall to Misery.
Misery was storming around the castle trying to stop her, but
there was nothing he could do against her faith. Wendy found
James and they left the castle.
They traveled together, slowly at times, for James still had his
fits. Wendy cared for him until he was strong enough to continue.
They visited the large hall at the village with the tall stone
clock tower. The people gathered to greet them. "Please,
Wendy, tell us how it is that we, the great masters that we are,
can work so hard and be so sad."
Wendy told them what she learned from Misery. She told them the
reason they were sad was that they were working by themselves,
each one alone. For all the great works they did they had no one
to share it with. If they would work together, like their
grandparents had, then they would be happy.
The villagers turned to each other. They thought of the years
they had worked in solitude. They knew that they had found their
answer. They thanked Wendy and gave her and James all they needed
for their journey.
Next, Wendy and James visited the large barn at the village with
the great stone well. Again the people gathered to greet them.
"Tell us, Wendy, why do we who share so much still feel so
sad.
Wendy told them what she had learned from Misery. She told them
the reason they were sad was that they had no special goals.
Although they spent a great deal of time with each other,
everything they did had little purpose beyond survival. If they
would work toward some great goal, as their grandparents had when
they dug and built the well, then they would be happy.
The villagers turned to each other. They thought of the years
they had spent never thinking of anything special. They knew they
had found their answer. They thanked Wendy and gave her and James
all they needed to continue their journey.
One night soon after they had returned to the Walnut forest,
Wendy and James were sitting at their campfire. James asked Wendy
for the answer to his question.
"Wendy. You knew the answer to Misery's riddle. You knew the
answers the villagers' grief. Do you know the answer to my
question? Do you know what makes life worth living?
Wendy smiled and her smile lit up the night. She was happy for
she had listened to the cat. "It was my question, too. I
asked the cow. She told me that if I could find you, I might find
the answer. She was right. I learned the answer as I came to find
you.
"What makes life worth living? In the villages I learned
that doing worthwhile work and sharing your life with others was
part. Then from Misery I learned the other part:
'All must learn me to gain their rest.
Although study is the best,
No one can find me in a book or scroll.
Yet learn me they must, ere they grow old.'
"The answer is that everyone must learn who they are.
We must know ourselves, do worthwhile work, and share our lives,
James. That's what makes life worth living."
James knew Wendy had found the answer. He thought of the years he
had spent not knowing who he was. The years of doing nothing
worthwhile. The years of sharing nothing but the beer with
Misery. Now he had the answer. Perhaps, he would always have his
fits, but now, he had something to live for.
They learned wisdom in their travels and they shared it through
their lives. And the good that grew from their sharing... Well,
that's a story too long to tell.
Papa
Joe ~ Stuff & Things
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