The Castle
"Wake up lazybones. Time to go to work!"
With his purple pointed shoe, Iktar the imp poked Oleg hard in the ribs. A
loud grunt interrupted the giant's rhythmic snoring. He blinked and opened
his eyes.
"Oh dear," he said slowly in his deep, gentle voice, "is it morning
already?
I was having a wonderful dream. I dreamt I was a king living in golden
palace in the clouds. In the palace gardens there were butterflies that
sang
like angels. Just before you woke me up, one of them was singing a special
song for me." He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I forget what the song was
about now though."
"Never mind all that," snapped the imp shrilly. He jumped down and dragged
a
basin almost as big as himself across the stone floor, "here's your
breakfast. Eat it up quickly or we'll be late."
Oleg sat up on his gigantic bed, lifted the basin in one hand and,
grasping
a huge wooden spoon in the other, ponderously ate the wheat-flakes. The
imp
paced up and down the huge room impatiently, but Oleg, only half-awake,
took
his time.
"Here's your water," piped the imp rattling a large metal bucket by the
bed.
"Drink it up quick. Come on now! Chop chop, rush rush, busy busy! We've
got
work to do."
Oleg finished the wheat-flakes, let forth a thunderous belch, and drank
the
entire bucketful of water in one swift gulp. Iktar scrambled up onto the
straw mattress, and from there to the specially made pouch sewn on the
back
of the giant's heavy leather jerkin. Sitting or standing in the pouch,
Iktar's view over Oleg's right shoulder was uninterrupted and he could
easily shout instructions into the giant's ear.
"Up," said Iktar. Oleg gradually rose. As he reached his full height, more
than twenty times that of the imp, he stretched his arms above his head,
yawned and shook himself.
"Forward," commanded the imp, "the door is slightly to your left, and
about
four paces away."
As the giant lumbered towards the doorway the discarded basin and bucket
rattled with each heavy step.
"Stop!" shrieked the imp. "Handle and bolt are by your left hand."
Oleg reached out his hand at shoulder level, found the wall and slid his
hand down to the heavy iron fittings. Effortlessly, he swung back the huge
oak door.
"Two steps forward and right."
"I've told you before Iktar, I know my way down the corridor," protested
the
giant, slowly emerging from the room, "I'm not totally blind. I can see my
hand in front of my face and detect light and dark. And I've walked down
here lots of times. Just tell me when we get to the steps."
The tower clock struck six as Oleg tramped heavily down the long, dim
corridor towards the courtyard.
"I told you we'd be late," complained the imp, "I said we would. I knew
it.
Three more paces to the steps, and there are eight steps remember."
"Oh I remember alright."
"Well you didn't last week when you tripped up and almost squashed me!"
"I'm sorry Iktar. But that wasn't my fault you know," replied Oleg
good-naturedly as he felt his way downwards, "somebody must have spilt
something, and I slipped on it."
The imp ignored him. "That's the last step. Two paces forward. That's far
enough. Turn right, we're going to the quarry today!"
"But we only went to the quarry last week. It's cold up there. Can't we
stay
down here and build walls again?"
"Not today Oleg. We've run out of stone, and we'll have to cut some more."
Under Iktar's direction, Oleg stumbled forward through the ****tcullis and
up
the dusty trail towards the mountains, turning left into the quarry after
a
march of about six-hundred paces.
"Halt!" screamed Iktar as they reached the quarry face. "The pick is by
your
right foot, and the shovel behind it."
The giant reached down, seized the pick and held it up ready to strike.
"Right a little," commanded Iktar, "a little more. Stop! Yes there, Hit it
there."
The giant grunted as his huge muscles swung the pick, hewing enormous
pieces
away from the rock wall. The imp watched carefully, directing a blow here
a
little higher, there lower or slightly to the left or right as the giant
attacked the wall.
"There's a big boulder about two leagues above us," called the imp. "It's
twice the size of you. Put down the pick and get the hammer and spike.
They're behind, and slightly to the left."
The short-sighted giant placed the pickaxe down within easy reach. His
left
hand went in search of the huge splitting spike and hammer. Iktar guided
him
to the correct spot. The giant was busy driving the spike into the rock
face
with the mighty hammer when the avalanche struck. The boulder came loose
suddenly, causing the surrounding rock to collapse and demolish half the
quarry face with it. He immediately knew that the stupid, greedy imp had
caused him to overreach himself. With his excellent hearing, a
compensation
for his poor sight, Oleg heard the boulder ****ft and, without waiting for
directions from Iktar, instinctively jumped out of the way, only to be
knocked unconscious by the corner of a descending slab. His quick reaction
saved them both, but Iktar, despite escaping with a few cuts and grazes,
was
nevertheless annoyed, since his charge had jumped without being told to do
so.
---===oooOooo===---
The soft, sweet twittering of a blackbird awoke Oleg at dawn the next
morning. He lay on his bed, head wrapped in a bandage of vinegar-soaked
brown paper.
"Oh noooo!" he groaned, putting a hand to the large bruise behind to his
right ear, "my brain hurts! Oh my brain hurts so much!" He vaguely
remembered that the lunatic, ignorant imp had almost done for them both,
cursed angrily and promised himself that he would do something about it.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. "Oh noooo!" he groaned again, "even worse.
Strange colours and lights, the like of which I've never seen before! Oh
noooo!" He rolled over and went back to sleep.
Iktar appeared several hours later with a bowl of hot gruel. "Wake up
stupid," he demanded, "here's some hot food for you. You need nourishment
to
aid your recovery, wake up." He dragged the bowl to the bed, and, feeling
ill at the strong smell of the vinegar, left the room through a
rectangular
hatch in the door base.
Oleg dozed for a while, turned over and opened his eyes. The pain wasn't
so
bad now. It seemed to vanish altogether when he realised he could see.
Without moving his head, he rolled his eyes, looking around the room and
marvelled at the beauty, the colour and the sharpness of the images before
him. Hardly daring to move, since it might dispell his new found ability,
he
sat up carefully, ever so carefully, and gingerly surveyed his
surroundings.
So this was the luxurious giant's accommodation that the imp told him
about
so many times; this squalid tiny stone room with cobwebs in the corners, a
barred window and door. He looked at the dirty water bucket in the corner,
and then down at the steaming plate of vomit-like gruel. Swiftly and
quietly - for his new found vision overcame his clumsiness - he sprang
down
and tried the door, only to discover it bolted from the outside. He
climbed
back onto the rough-hewn, wooden structure and straw cover that comprised
his bed, and peered through the window, observing the courtyard with its
heavy, iron ****tcullis and massive walls. Stone walls; walls he had built
with his own hands. Oleg's vision was defective no more. The imp had taken
advantage of him. This was no worker's luxury accommodation; it was a
prison. The veil had lifted from his eyes and transfigured his entire
being.
By some strange quirk of fortune he could see; the gift of vision opened
an
entirely new dimension. Sight made him free; unconditionally free. He
wondered at the squalor he had lived in, not noticing, for so many years.
He
thought of revenge against the imp but, despite an immediate emotional
reaction of hatred, his inherent good nature forbade it. Had the imp been
there at the moment of realisation, Oleg would have torn him limb from
limb
in anger. But he didn't bear grudges; the imp wasn't there and that was
that. The giant leaned back on his bed, secure in his immense natural
strength and new found vision, knowing he was a match for any individual
imp, giant or imp-giant combination. The first was too small and puny, the
second too short-sighted and the third insufficiently co-ordinated to do
him
any harm.
He heard light footsteps in the corridor and rapidly re-assumed his
prostrate position on the bed, pretending to sleep. Iktar scrambled
through
the doorflap and approached, covering his nose with a handkerchief.
"You haven't eaten your gruel," he complained in his squeaky voice, "we
can't afford to waste food you know. Wake up at once and get it down you."
The imp dropped the hanky and hauled himself up to pull Oleg's ear, "Come
on, food.".
Oleg rolled over, moving deliberately and rubbing his head. For the first
time in his life he observed the ugly, sharp features Iktar with
unblinkered
clarity. He jerked involuntarily upon looking upon the raw face of
ignorance, of selfishness and greed, with its hard, tiny, malevolent eyes.
"You look strange," said the imp peering into the giant's face. "That bump
on your thick skull must have done more damage than I thought".
"Oh I'm not too bad," offered Oleg, feigning tiredness, "get down and I'll
eat my gruel."
"Good, good. I'll be back later to see how you're getting along.
Hopefully,
you'll be fit for work tomorrow. A bit of a bump on the head is no reason
for time off. I'll be back later." With that, he vanished through the
hatch.
The giant laughed and ate the gruel, pretending to be half-asleep on the
imp's next two visits. He sat up on the third visit, and declared he would
be fit for work the following day.
---===oooOooo===---
Iktar duly arrived at dawn and scrambled through the hatch dragging a bowl
of wheat-flakes. Turning, he was amazed to see the giant sat on the bed,
surveying him critically with clear, hazel eyes.
"Good morning Iktar. And what shall we do today?"
"More quarry work Oleg I'm afraid. We need more stone to complete the
castle
extension. Lean forward so I can get onto your back."
The giant did as asked and, as the imp scuttled up on the mattress,
suddenly
seized him in his huge hand, holding him at eye level. The imp almost
jumped
out of his skin, and wriggled wildly trying to break free. Oleg could feel
his captive's tiny heart racing.
"Don't play silly games now Oleg," stuttered the imp nervously, "put me on
your shoulder like a good chap, and we can get out into the fresh air and
cut some stone."
"Oh I think not. Today I intend to build myself a castle. Over there, on
the
far side of the river looks like a good place to me. Would you like to
help
me with the surveying my little friend?"
"You'll never manage to build a castle on your own Oleg. Besides, there
are
no materials and you live here with me in luxury, so why leave?"
"I can see Iktar." Oleg grinned, and drew the struggling imp closer to his
face, "I can see!"
"Impossible. Giants were never made to see. Giants were made to follow the
orders of their betters - like me! Put me down at once! Do you hear!"
"You aren't listening Iktar. I said I can see, see! Do you understand? I
can
see you, and I can see what you've been up to all these years, getting me
to
live in a prison of my own making. I can see the reality of this so-called
luxury you have provided for me, whilst you have the rest of the castle
for
yourself. I could crush you like a gnat right now my little friend. What
do
you think about that? Have you got anything to say for yourself?"
Iktar struggled and squealed. Several times he tried to speak, but the
words
were garbled and he stuttered incomprehensibly. Oleg felt the imp's
heartbeat getting even faster, and whispered softly down his ear.
"Don't be frightened little imp, I forgive you. I'm a kindly giant,
remember, kindly and I like my sleep? I forgive you." Gently, he placed
the
unfortunate imp on the floor and released him.
Iktar felt terrified. As he looked up at the grinning giant, his hair
stood
on end, and his tiny, bony knees shook and visibly knocked together making
a
sound like a woodpecker tapping on a tree. Finally, he turned tail and
scampered through the flap.
"I'll show you, you stupid giant. I'll starve you into submission!" he
cried
from outside the cell. "Do you hear! I'm in charge here. You are nothing
but
an ignorant, blind labourer. When you are prepared to obey, I'll let you
out
and not before, never!"
The whole castle shook as Oleg laughed. Deliberately, he strode across the
cell and with his bare hands wrenched the door from its hinges, crushed it
into match-wood and tossed it into the corner.
"Obey, bowbey, scowby, nobey, nobey. Ha! Not any more my nasty little
friend. I'm going to build a castle across the river, Iktar," he roared,
his
voice echoing around the courtyard. "I forgive you, but even though I
forgive you, I intend having the benefit of my toil for myself. You did a
little bit of work as well, so I'll repay you, fairly and in full. I'll
give
you a proper room, not a squalid cell like you gave me." He strolled down
the corridor into the courtyard and laughed again. "If you would like
somewhere to live when the winter comes, maybe you will help me to survey
the new site? It will be a cold winter this year. It will be even colder
for
you if you don't help, because you won't have anywhere to live. It was I
who
cut all this stone with my own hands. It was I who sweated and suffered
carrying it down from the quarry. It was I who strained and struggled to
construct these walls. It's all mine Iktar, rightfully mine, and I intend
to
have it."
The giant deftly climbed to the top of the castle battlements, ripped a
huge
block off the wall and hurled it across the river where it landed with a
great thump. Then another, and another.
"I forgive you Iktar," he laughed. "I forgive you. If you can forgive
yourself, you'd better come out now, before this prison you had me build
collapses around your pointy little head, and becomes your tomb!"
Tears ran down his face as he worked, tears of laughter and joy.
"And I'll tell you another thing. Every single thing I do from this day
forth, everything, as well as being for me, will be for the benefit of
something else that lives on this world. You've taught me a lesson Iktar,
one I'll never forget.
I know what bondage is now.
Your gift to me, brought about by your selfishness and ignorance, was
slavery. I know what it's like, and knowing so will never, ever use or
subjugate another living being, ever; you have taught me compassion.
Now that I'm free, I'm going to build a magnificent bird house in my
castle
and give the birds food in the winter. They sing for me and bring me
seeds,
so I'll repay them. Likewise, the plants feed me, and I am in their debt.
So
I'm going to tend them, help them grow. I'll even put a mirror on my roof
to
****ne back light at the sun. He gives me light, warmth and life and asks
nothing in return. I can't do much for him except say thank you, and I
will.
Even you, you guided my steps when I was blind Iktar; and taught me about
servitude. For that, I am forever in your debt, and I thank you. You can
live with me for ever more if you wish, for you and I are brothers, born
of
the same flesh and of one mind: our rightful inheritance is to live as one
in joyful harmony - as it is for all creation, all of which moves
cyclically
in alternating peroids of activity and blissful rest and recuperation. But
first you must mend you ways a little - that's all it takes, just a
little,
drop some of your silly habits - like trying to control things instead of
letting nature do as it will, and then we will all live happily ever
after,
for I am the ocean on which you and all others exist.
Hear, and hear well, for this lesson is for you;; go to sleep now and wake
up refreshed and renewed
(c) 1997 Dan Scorpio
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