Lemnuci

[Lem-noo-tchi: plural]

W
izard Shamanicus was just returning from the Village
of Pipes, from his friend – the Protector Baxtus and
the road leads near-by a forest. The
star of the night was getting stronger and he
began to wonder how the Mimosium flowers
would look like under its light. He knew them
all too well by daylight, because the forest was
in the vicinity of his land and he used to come
here often, especially in the few months when
the trees were blooming. Instead he never came
here during the night!
– Inoxis, let us rest for a while!
– Of course, master!
The request of the master had not been a
surprising one for Inoxis, because he knew his
habits. He was his help and rarely happened
that Shamanicus would leave in his travels
unaccompanied by him. He was a mere long staff, who got his

1
life, even his name thanks to the wizard, when he decided to
leave the Unseen Worlds and move into the hereby lands.
The body of the living staff was slim and resting on a
four fingers sole. On its top end, a big eye was continued by five
long antennas. Each were ending each one in a funnel that were
continuously moving towards the four cardinal points. Because
of this no important information was ever escaping from the
master’s knowing.
Shamanicus approached one of the Mimosium trees,
mesmerized by the new image which was revealed by the forest
during the night. Into darkness, the trees looked bigger, higher
than he used to know them from his daylight`s travels. They
were truly majestic. Amongst their flowers and leaves, the night
star, well passed - it's been a few days since the first quarter –
was shedding a pale light drawing lacy shadows down on the
ground, at the feet of the two travellers.
He was neither in a hurry to get back home – nor was his
help hurrying him. He was resting his sight from one branch to
another, trying to capture the dark outline of the flowers, on the
blue-silver back-light of the night. All of a sudden, his eyes were
attracted by a more lightened spot, lying somewhere underneath
the arm of a branch! He tried to make some sense out of that
form, but he did not get to see it very well. He approached a
bit more, leaning his head on one side, and stared with his eyes
narrowed, wondering towards that. Under the Moon-light, it
seemed like a living thing, fallen into a deep sleep of no return.
The wizard felt like his eyesight was playing tricks on him.
„I’ve grown old ... My eyes are no longer like they used to
be, and the moonlight is not helping me at all!”
He shook his head, squeezed his eyelids, and looked
through his eyelashes. The creature was still there, motionless!
He slightly touched it with his finger. Its texture was soft, softer

3
than that of the tree and he deepened a little under the sting.
Afterwards returned to its original form.
– Inoxis!
The staff approached and stared towards the place that
Shamanicus’s finger indicated. The funnels started to move and
the eye turned around several times in full circles.
– A being, master? I do not know any of them living within
these lands.
– Nor am I, Inoxis, nor am I! It does not seem like anything
I have had the opportunity to see until now. And I know, or, at
least, I thought so, until now, that I knew all the living beings
which live within the Seen Worlds. On the other hand, this one
– know it from me – I do not recognize!
– Then it must be that it belongs to the Unseen Worlds!
– ‘Might be so, yet... how did it end up here and for
how long does it stay like this – sleepy, or however it would be
between the branches, since I have not seen it until now ? For
years I come by and you know it.
He knew - how could Inoxis not have known it, because
since Shamanicus decided to move into the Seen Land of Clopos,
he also became his help for these worlds. And many years have
passed since then.
The wizard remained with his eyes pointing towards the
sleeping being. A thought made him turn his eyes onto another
branch. He studied his tip, but did not notice a single thing. He
let his eye-sight slide lightly along it, until it reached its armpit.
Still nothing. Then he looked at another one. It was too high for
him to examine, so he rose slightly levitating, until he reached
it. Neither here has he found what he was looking for. Others
have been also examined and, when he began to believe that the

4
exposure of this creature was the fruit of a simple event, he saw
another one! He was thrilled. The other creature was also fallen
in the same deep sleep, and, in the soft moonlight, he could not
see any details that could have distinguished her from the first.
Little did he know that these were the Lemnuci which
have always belonged to the Land of Lemnuscia and have
mysteriously vanished along with a whole village, long before
he established his affairs within the Land of Clopos. That long,
after they vanished, they have been searched for by all other
inhabitants and the Protectors of the lands from the vicinity of
Lemnuscia, until oblivion spread over them, over the village and
even its Protector. He did not even realize what for a discovery
has he just made!
The forest was not large; rather, it formed a cluster of
trees, enough to shelter these creatures. Instead it was late and,
as the night-star did not rest too long in the sky, the light will
soon pale, and they will not be able to see even this much. They
decided to leave and return the other day. Near the tree, where
they found Lemnuci, Inoxis left a sign, a landmark for when they
were to return. This way the master would find them more easily
in the strong day.
Then next day they were not able to see them again.
Neither the first one, nor the second one. No matter how much
they did search, the Lemnuci were not to be found! At one point,
it had occurred to Shamanicus that he might not be able to see
them during the day. It was an intuition-thought to which he
did not pay much attention, reason for which he flew as fast as
when he arrived. An intuition which has proven true! Now, his
intuition told him a second time that those beings are still there,
but for some reason he was not able to see them.
– Let us return the next night, Inoxis! They’re here!
– Yes, master! Perhaps they’re trapped into some spell?

5
 – If, under the direct moonlight, we’ll see them again,
than we are talking definitely about a spell.
So it happened. At the start of the following night, the
moon's rays revealed again the Lemnucii the gaze of the two.

Each night, that passed-by and they returned to search

for them, left a stronger believe to Shamanicus that the spirit
of those sleeping beings was somehow captive someplace else.
However, he did not have any idea where. He did try to wake
them several times, but he has failed.
He looked in every tree at its time and marked every place
where a lemnuc [Lem-nook; singular] was sleeping. When the
moon touched the last square, they stopped. They’ve counted up
to 161!
– Here there could be the inhabitants of a whole village,
Inoxis! A whole village! Can you imagine this?

6
 New Moon
Storm

T
hat night, the North-West wind began to blow early,
accompanied, in a short while, by the well-known whistling
of the South wind. They both predicted the storm that they
would stir up during each New Moon, little before the night star
would completely hide from everyone’s sight.
The Clopos was the North-West wind’s territory, but in
the hiding of the night-dark, when the Moon would no longer
illuminate the land, the South wind would try to sneak with force
under the "one-water roof " of the house of the wizard, wanting
to tear it apart and carry it like a trophy. It was spotted and the
battle would commence. Lightning would come out of the battle
of the two winds, and, under their "breath", birches vigorously
would shake their crowns of small leaves, and they would bend
and lean to the ground. Caught in the middle of the battle, the
house would start to squeak and this would happen until the
morning would rise.
The wizard Shamanicus did not manage to sleep – almost
at all. Every time he would fall asleep, a loud crack would make

7
him shake, waking him up again. This would happen whenever
there were storms and even-though since he became the master
of the Clopos he lived through many events, still he would not
get used with all of them.
He was lying in bed, drowsy. He had all night to think
of the Lemnuci– how to find out who were they and who has
been hiding them among the branches of Mimosium. How
could he undo the spell casted upon them obviously it held their
spirit somewhere in captivity, most likely in some of the Unseen
Worlds. Because this was the conclusion he reached after almost
two weeks of researches – ever since he found the first one of
them.
It was necessary that he would quickly find the answers to
these questions, in order to help them as soon as possible. But
whom to ask? Whom to start with?
He looked at Inoxis. The staff seemed asleep and he would
not disturb him. He turned around facing the round window,
looking through it outside – somewhere. From place to place,
the clouds which would develop colors - would let out the last
flickers of the end of the night, of some stars. Hence he thought
that soon the day would light up the surroundings.
On the other hand, Inoxis, even though he had been quiet
throughout the whole night, he did not sleep either and has seen
his master moving anxiously. The staff knew all too well what
was wandering through Shamanicus’ mind. Inoxis had observed
the wizard when he got back and was searching for him in the
intent to speak to him – so he got close to the bed.
– Master! he whispered.
However, Shamanicus did not consider the staff Inoxis
as being a subject and so many times he would ask him to no
longer refer to him as master, even though he was the one to
bring the staff to life. He also gave him powers, transforming

8
him into his help for the Seen Worlds. But Inoxis would keep
expressing like this all the time – so the master would allow him
to express however he thought fit. After all, was only another
word and they both knew exactly which was their own place and
role.
– Inoxis, thou were awake! What a storm! ... I did not close
one eye. ‘Been thinking about the beings from the Mimosium
Wood. How interesting we stumbled upon
them. Never has it crossed my mind to
admire the wood by night, to admire
the flowers under the Moon-light,
until then.
– By night the colors are
indistinguishable, so it’s normal,
master. When the sky is clear the world
admires the stars and, sometimes, their
mirror-sight in Lake Azula. I believe
none would think about going out by
night-time to admire trees or flowers. I
believe that for the lantern also...
Shamanicus knew what his help would refer to while
mentioning the lantern.
Once, there might be some years since then, they were
both out for a long time and have reached back home during the
night. It was the blooming of the rhododendrons. He planted
many during the spring and did not get to see them blooming.
He was so anxious to see their colors, so even though he knew
he could not distinguish them, the first thing he did was to take
the lantern and rush in the rhododendrons` garden. Flowers
were blooming indeed and they looked immense under the lit of
the lantern; but this was all he could have observed about them.
There was no way he could distinguish their colors!

10
 He found a way to be content with that only and postponed
the rest of the happiness for the morning.
This event though, had Inoxis so amused, so he would
profit on this occasion to remind it to his master.
– Thou are still amused by the happening in the
rhododendrons garden, Inoxis! So it did happen with the
Mimosium flowers also, I know, but this was not just a simple
happening that we’ve stopped there, right during the night the
night-star was growing. In its light, those beings revealed to us
and so their destiny is now in our hands.
– I wonder for how long have they been hiding, into the
trees?
– Bottom of this, we would reach and find out. Now, we
know one thing for sure. The Spirits of those beings are trapped
in one of the Unseen Worlds. And to set them free, I know exactly
in which world I should discover what happened to them. But I
can not do that alone, I`ll need some help.
– Could that help be Baxtus, master?
– If Baxtus would have known that I would have also
find out. But, most certainly, neither he has any idea about the
existence of those beings. And if he does not know – then no-
one else from the Unseen Worlds would know who are them
and – therefore – none could help me. You do realize this – don’t
you?
– Are you going to Atempora, master?!
Inoxis knew there it was not something ordinary for the
wizard to go to Atempora and this was because he did neither
want to disturb Time nor to abuse the information the he could
provide. Also he didn't even like to use his power to get up and
float too often. He could not even remember when was the last
time his master went to the Unseen World of Time.

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 – Who else, besides Time, could help me? I do not have a
choice ... said the wizard, as he would have been excusing himself
for his decision.
He tried to get up, but his body hurt him like it was covered
with bruises.
– Help me, Inoxis! This morning, I feel like and old man.
My muscles and my bones are not feeling quite well after such a
tiring night...
He smiled for himself and sneaked a sight with the corner
of his eye towards the wand. Inoxis knew that his master could
simply levitate – for instance – and float wherever he would have
wanted to. But he kept seeing him how he was stubborn to keep
using his body like a common mortal. But he did not say one
word.
Helped by Inoxis, the wizard of Clopos raised up, slowly
adjusted his posture and headed towards the door, leading to the
terrace behind the house.
He got out and filled his chest with a deep breath; the
fresh air of the morning — slightly heated by the first rays of the
sunrise. He stood still for a while. In the rhythm of his breathing
o his chest was barely visible. The air caressed his nostrils, and
he would indulge in this feeling. His mind was beginning to
become clear. Each time he would stand here, he would feel
watched upon by the eyes staining the almost immaculate white
stems of the birches. He turned his sight back at them starting
a mute play with trees. It was a sort of thought guess play. They
were his favorites and had the freedom to grow anywhere in the
Land of the Clopos.

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 Atempora

G
uided by the intention to reach Atempora, and followed
by a sound similar to that of a tuning fork the spirit of
Shamanicus, he went into the tunnel which led him straight
inside the Time World. However - he did not need to seek Time –
because either way he would watch the same well-known eyes of
the Atempora’s master would be in front of him.
– The wizard Shamanicus, about whom not even I can tell
how and where from he came to the Seen Worlds! I, who have
recorded everything in my registers! The past and the future hold
no secrets from me, but as it concerns thy past, wizard, not even I
know nothing about it!
Shamanicus heard that before coming from Time, . This was
how he would welcome the wizard, each and every once in a while,
he would visit Atempora. The very same questions would spring
in the minds of the inhabitants of the Seen Worlds. As this time,
Shamanicus would say nothing for change, when it came to discuss
his origins. He would be leaving everybody to believe whatever
they would want to believe.
– Many wonder about it! Time would continue saying.
There’re rumors that this would be a strategy of mine, whenever

13
I state that, I – for one – know nothing; they would say that I say
that with the purpose to hide thy true origin. That – in fact you are
a messenger of the Acognicia World ...
In deed neither Time had any idea about the past life of this
wizard. All of his information that he held about Shamanicus would
begin with the very moment the wizard moved into the realm of
Clopos. Even he would consider Shamanicus to be descending
from Acognicia. That would be the realm of the Unknown Ones,
whom were considered to be the Creators of Everything there is.
Because that mysterious world was one of the few in which Time
held no access.
Those big eyes of Time tried to pierce the wizard. That’s
what they would do every once in a while, he would state such
perplexities onto the origins of this wizard. He, the Time, would
hope to detect the slightest sign on the face of the wizard – which
would assure him he was right. However no sign and no answer
would be there for Time. If on one hand – Time knew nothing of
Shamanicus, on the other hand – he knew very well the reason
for his visit here. He had seen the wizard when he discovered the
Lemnuci in the Mimosium trees and so Time had heard all the
questions concerning those sleeping beings. This being so – Time
did not wait for any question coming from Shamanicus; he took
the wizard to face the Limitless Library.
Also known as the Treasure of Atempora, the Library stood
as the outmost coveted target for all realms – because one would
find - in eternal peace – the endless shelves which held in registers
and papyri, the past and future of every World, Land or realm.
First of all, the mortals had no access to the Limitless Library
– because none of them would be able to reach Atempora. As it
might concern the shamans or the magus or the wizards - even
form them– a tiny number of them would be allowed to receive
information from Time. Shamanicus, himself, knew only another
being which could also journey to Atempora and could have access

14
to future and past information from the Limitless Library. This was
the Owl Spirit Woman – Yoshiro.
For a moment, Shamanicus had the impression that Time
turned his eyes from him and looked at the Library, but, in fact, he
continued to stare at the wizard. Within this context, like following a
command, the shelves of the Great Limitless Library began to move
linear. It was as if they would unfold before him, from somewhere
where his eyes had no access. From one of the shelves, the Great
Register of Lemnuscia broke away on its own, floating until it got
in front of him, where it stood suspended. Without covers, this had
neither a beginning page nor an end one. Moreover the Register
began flipping through the tabs itself, knowing exactly where to
stop. The pages came to life...
It was night time. All Lemnuci were asleep and their spirits
resided in the Dreams World. Meanwhile, their Thoughts Catchers
were trapped under a spell down to the very last one of them and
were the ones which Shamanicus seemed to have known. It was the
kind of crate which only the Protectors would detain and in which
they kept their magic objects.
– It’s a Protector’s coffer! Shamanicus began to wonder.
This means that this old man, which has casted a spell onto their
Thoughts Catchers, is – in deed –a Protector? Of which realm, is he
the Protector of? so I do not know him?
– The Protector of the Lemnuci, those beings that thou hast
found bewitched and of which mystery has pushed thee to come
by here. They were the inhabitants of Lemnuscia, the very realm
thou enjoy visiting so often. And, the old man is the Magus Gorfu
– their own Protector!
Shamanicus did not get to meet Gorfu, because all these
facts have happened, as Time has told him, before the wizard
would move within the Land of Clopos. He recognized within
the Great Register the Mimosium Forest from Lemnuscia, which

17
was present there even in those passed times. He even identified
the rock around which – as he could see from the Register – the
village of the Lemnuci used to unfold and develop – but, for now,
this was also gone along with its inhabitants. The wizard did not
comprehend how it was possible and, furthermore, what could
have determined a Protector to provoke such a bad thing to anyone
– let alone he did that to his own protégés.
– He even had the village cast under the spell! Shamanicus
wondered. No house, not a single tree, not even those alleys are
now visible. On the other hand – I see that the Mimosium Forest
has not been influenced by the casted spell. How was this possible?
– Gorfu limited himself to enchanting only the village and
the Thoughts Catchers of the Lemnuci. As for the rest of Lemnuscia
– it has remained unchanged. Or the forest lies outside the village.
In deed the Mimosium forest lied at the north-east margin
of the village. The formal village, for change ... was now only dust
and yellow stones. Not even a single Lemnuscian animal would
move within this picture.
The Limitless Library has now vanished before his eye,
because Shamanicus was now clarified as it concerned the main
issue and he would not abuse with too many questions.
Under the eye of Time, to whom he had thanked, the wizard
got ready for departure, sending to his Thoughts Catcher the
intention to come back to his own body. As soon as the intention
was captured – the Thought Catcher would re-open the gate
between Worlds and the spirit of Shamanicus would once again
step into the spiral tunnel, which, while balancing, has transported
him back into his own body.
The comeback was however shorter. He sat not moving for
a while, because the thoughts that his catcher has set free again,
would need some extra minutes to re-begin their normal flow.

18
 Wind has stopped to blow, so it was quiet. Inoxis did not
press to be told the story of the journey. He knew his master has
grown so tired after the sleepless night and the journey to Atempora
– and he needed to sleep, in order to regain his energy.
When Shamanicus has finally woke up it was almost four in
the evening and he felt so much better. Despite all this he did not
hurry to get up. He prolonged his rest - being little lazy. The wizard
was thinking about his good friend Baxtus, which he has seen last
time right during the day he found his first one of the Lemnuci. He
would so much want to share his latest experience with his friend.

20
 "Whatever would he say – when I shall tell him the story of
the Lemnuci? Or about Gorfu?"

21
 Gorfu

A
lthough he sat most of the time in meditation seeking
silence, Gorfu did not manage to find it anymore.
Something terrible has happened to the magician
when he stepped into the third season of his life. He has lost
his Thoughts Catcher, and along with him he has lost his inner
peace. His thoughts would now "fly" chaotically through his head
leading his mind here and there randomly. In such a situation he
could not find his inner peace by any means.
He could not reach Time to ask for his help, to recover
his Catcher. All of his life he tried to reach Atempora, but he
did not succeed, because he was not able to set his mind in
order, like Shamanicus did. And, if in other Worlds amongst the
Unseen ones, one could enter with only a few thoughts residing
in his mind, within the World of Time it was impossible to enter
without a clear intention, and this would mean no thought at all!
He would try any mean of relaxation, but the harder he
would try, the more his mind was more agitated. Now that his
inner peace was gone – he began to search for silence outside. But
he could not find that either, so he blamed it all on the Lemnuci.

22
 He was their Protector and also the Protector of
Lemnuscia, and this status implied love and protection offered
to all the Lemnuci and the Lemnuscian animals, also to the
whole land with everything in it. Or, to become a Protector was
a great privilege given to wizards, shamans and magicians by the
Unknown ones from Acognicia. For such an honor one should
express special qualities – and he did so.
From the moment he lost his Thoughts Catcher, the
magician had been torn to pieces by fatigue. Because of this – his
physical weakness began to visit him more often. His white hair,
which until then was a sign of wisdom, would now show only
his physical aging. He began to be more irascible and intolerant
and the slightest sound made by Lemnuci would be considered
an infernal noise.
"It’s their entire fault", he would begin to consider.
"Without them there should be silence."
He was convinced by this, so he would now want more
and more to get rid of them. However he did neither want to
harm them in any way, nor to kill them. All this tired magician
would want was to make them vanish. To not hear or see them
anymore! And it was not so hard to do so.
The Lemnuci loved to sleep, this is why, after midnight,
one could find them in the Dreams World – all of them with
no exception. During such a night Gorfu would put his plan
to action. When all of his protégés would sleep, he would stack
their Thoughts Catchers into his Protector’s coffer. And he

24
would put this coffer in one of his Laboratory chamber, from his
house, somewhere at the margin of the Lemnuscian Village, in
the opposite part of the Mimosium Forest. He did not bother to
hide the coffer, because he was the only one to have access to his
Laboratories, located somewhere in the basement of his house.
Anyway, the whole house would be bewitched along with the
whole village – so that no one would be able to see or ever find
them. This was his plan.
During the following morning, at the hour at which
the Lemnuci would normally wake-up, their spirits, trapped
somewhere into the Dreams World, would send the intentions
to wake-up to their Dreams Catchers. But those were no longer
near their sleeping bodies and hence, their Catchers could not
open the return gate towards their bodies. The Catchers could not
bring their masters back from the Dreams World. Consequently
the spirits of the Lemnuci would remain trapped in there forever.
Or, at least this is what their Protector hoped for.

The following step, done by the magician, was to lift the

bodies of the sleeping Lemnuci from their beds and to bring them
in the Mimosium Forest, outside the village. He camouflaged
them between the branches putting a spell on them. Only another
wizard would be able to see them and only when exposed to the
direct light of the Moon, at her full power.
Besides the wish to get rid of them, which has got a hold
on him, all the other feelings brought by his title of Protector

25
have vanished. So, he did it all automatically, as if those beings,
once dear to him, were now, mere objects.
He then left the Diaphanous - the pets of the Lemnuci
children, in their houses, asleep under another spell – a simpler
one, which meant no special effort for him. And this was because
he considered that if, sometime, someone would be able to put
the village out of the veil of invisibility, considered to be thrown
upon it, and to wake them up. Therefore that person could not
find out anything about those animals.
Finally, making use of another formula, for which he
had worked a lot, and for which he used the most exotic and
rare ingredients, he turned the whole village invisible, with
everything in it, except the Speaking Stone, which lied in the
middle of the Lemnuscian settlement. This was not weak to any
spell or formula – impossible to be bewitched. Word was that
it was brought and put there from the Unseen Worlds. Or, not
even an object or being, from those Worlds, could be influenced
by any bewitching made from the Seen Worlds.
Gorfu did not care that Time sees what he does, because he
knew that Time would not interfere with his business. In fact, he
did not do that to anyone. His role was only to record thoughts,
spoken words and facts and to put them into the registers of
the Limitless Library. Only that much! He never interfered into
how things went. Plus, Gorfu did not know anyone else to be
able to reach Atempora, and never would he have thought that
someone would try to journey there to find out the very cause
of the disappearance of the Lemnuci. Or, that, Time, of which
opinion was not important to him – would say his opinion onto
this matter.
According to what the wizard Shamanicus has seen in the
Great Register of Lemnuscia, Gorfu’s plan was a success. The
Lemnuci have remained trapped within the Somnium Regna,
and now, he would do anything to find the key or the method to
bring them back.

26
 Meeting Baxtus

T
hough neither they did make a noisy trio, nor were they
walking on their tiptoes. So anyone could have heard them
coming; anyone besides Baxtus. If he was busy making a
herbs mixture, for instance, the Protector of the Pipes, would
then hear nothing. So it happened that when he looked up and
met Shamanicus’ face and his helpers. The wizard of Pipes Village
then stood still, staring at them. Shamanicus could clearly see, by
the look in his friend’s eyes, that he did not precisely realize what
he’s watching. His mind was being yet captured by the interest of
composing his magical formulas.
It took Baxtus few seconds to wake up and realize that his
friend was in front of him. But when this happened, a wide smile
raised on Baxtus' face.
Accustomed to the dreamy nature of Baxtus, which he
loved amongst others, Shamanicus would wait patiently for him
to recover to his senses; afterwards cheerful, grabbed him by the
shoulders. Baxtus chuckled like a child and let himself be led to
the terrace which surrounded his tower, from where one could
see any part of the Fumans Castellum, also the village at its foot.

27
 Shamanicus would grab one of the chairs around the table
and slightly pushed Baxtus towards it; afterwards he would grab
a chair for himself also and would place it right in front of him.
It was absolutely necessary to constantly meet his eyesight as he
was speaking to him – in order to capture his whole attention.
He wanted to make sure that Baxtus would be fully aware of their
conversation without falling into one of his usual day-dreaming.
He stared at him, preparing to speak.
Baxtus had not really have any idea what Shamanicus
wanted to tell him exactly, nonetheless was he certain that the
matter was extremely important, as he came all of a sudden –
unannounced. He would now wait without asking any question.
Questions would now be misplaced, because Shamanicus would
tell him what he wanted to anyway, in a certain order he would
establish.
The wizard of Clopos, has cut to the chase to what brought
him here.
– Did you know about the Lemnuci?
The eyes of Shamanicus fluttered from one eye to the other
eye of Baxtus as if trying to guess the answer before he uttered it.
Taken by surprise, because he did not expect this question,
Baxtus had shifted repeatedly in his chair, not knowing exactly
what to say. He then began to feel a little guilty, though he
did not realize why. Could this be because of the tone of the
Shamanicus’ voice? As he postponed the answer, his mind sought
to understand why his friend had come up with such a question.
– Well … he stammered at last, you’ve never asked me
about this matter. I – for one – have always thought everyone
knew their story, including you. Never has it crossed my mind
to bring the discussion about them. They were the inhabitants
of Lemnuscia, and one day they’ve all vanished without a trace.
Something has happened to them, but no one could tell what.

28
Something bad, of course! A spell casted onto them or have they
been bewitched! Because one day they moved, as usually, here
and there and the other day they were no longer seen, nor has
somebody heard about them. And this is it. Along with them has
vanished everything belonging to their village – the houses, the
streets – all except the Speaking Stone from the middle of the
village, which inexplicably remained there. But, Shamu! This is
such an old subject – that nobody talks about it anymore. It’s as
if it happened during some other era. What do you want to ask
me about this – now?
Along with the question of Shamanicus, his curiosity had
been aroused, as strong as never before and now he was certain
that, if the wizard of Clopos came with this subject of discussion,
something has then happened. Something important.
– Listen, now, Baxtus. What if I told you I’ve found them?
That they sleep like babies within the branches of the Mimosium
Forest? That their spirits are captured and I’ve just found out
where?
Shamanicus shook his head slightly. His voice was soft
and warm, nonetheless quite firmly as to show Baxtus that he is
serious.
– Art thou certain, thou art speaking about the Lemnuci?
And how on Earth did you find them?
– Not only that, furthermore I know for sure what has
happened to them!
– How is it accomplished by you, which have never heard of
them, and you’ve managed to find them, and that being long after
they were forgotten already? Their disappearance was a shock to
all lands from the Seen Worlds neighboring Lemnuscia and all
of their inhabitants, along with their Protectors, have long been
searching for them. But no one has ever been able to find them.
– Do you know, Gorfu?

30
 – It’s only normal that I know him. He was their Protector
also of Lemnuscia. Everybody knows him. He also has vanished, a
while after the Lemnuci and nobody has seen him or heard about
him ever since. After the Lemnuci have all vanished, he began
acting like crazy. And I understand that, we’ve all understood
him. We’ve tried to help him, but we could not get close to his
soul and mind. He would reject everyone ... You see, he was their
Protector, and their mysterious disappearance has shaken him so
badly, that he began to no longer reason with anybody.
Shamanicus would be silent and stare into the eyes of
Baxtus without blinking. This was about enough.
– Do not ever tell it to me! Baxtus exclaimed in
astonishment.
Neither him, nor anybody else would have ever suspected
Gorfu. He was the Protector of the Lemnuci and this was his
strongest alibi. Now Shamanicus would let him believe that Gorfu
was guilty of the Lemnuci’s vanishing, along with their whole village.
Within a fraction of a second, everything became clear to him.
– That is why nobody has ever find them!
They were leaning on their elbows on the table, looking at
each other and shaking their heads in approval. They would not
need words, in order for both of them to agree upon Gorfu’s guilt.
Shamanicus began to tell the story about the night during
which he discovered the Lemnuci and everything that followed.
– After I’ve found them, I’ve wanted to know what’s about
them. Who are they and why were they sitting still, as if lifeless.
I grew very worried, not knowing what to start with. In the end,
I decided that the wisest thing to do was to talk to someone
from the Unseen Worlds. I was very anxious and there was no
point in wasting time asking here and there, listening to all sorts
of legends. I did not ask you – because I thought that if you’d
have known anything you would tell me anyway already. So I’ve

31
journeyed to Atempora.
When he heard about Atempora, Baxtus shuddered.
He was longing so much to reach that World! He wanted to
talk with Time, to have access to the registers of the Limitless
Library. Atempora was the world for which, ever since he knew
himself, he was seeking the perfect mixture to reach it. His pipes,
however, did not have access there, but he kept hoping more
and more. He thought – in fact he was convinced – that only a
pipe formula could lead him to the Time’s World. Nonetheless,
he was mistaking, but at some moment he would discover the
adequate formula.
Shamanicus told him how Gorfu placed his stakes and
furthermore, the fact that nobody would go admire the trees in
the darkness of the night. Plus only the rays of the "night-star"
could pull away the veil of invisibility surrounding the Lemnuci.
There were many things to perfectly match, to bind, to lead to
the discovery of the Lemnuci.
– And this is how, like a fine psychologist, Gorfu has well
been thinking where to hide them. He took them from their
beds. He cloaked them, as they were sleeping through the foliage
of the trees, therefore after all this time, only by mere happening
– to say so – I stumbled upon them...
Baxtus remained perplexed. The Lemnuci were found!
But as it concerned Gorfu... "Why would their own Protector do
something so unworthy of him? What has triggered these events?"
The Protector of the Pipes was also amazed at how easily
Shamanicus could travel to Atempora any time he would want
to, unlike himself, whom has never succeeded, no matter how
badly he would have wanted it so. He did not envy him. They
were different form one another, but they both mastered a certain
emotional stability given only by knowing their own value. This
makes them strong, and this is why they were completely lacking
any destructive feelings such as envy.

32
 – And he thought well. Because, in deed, nobody suspected
him of something so great, Baxtus has barely managed to speak.
– The Lemnuci remained captive in Somnium Regna,
Shamanicus continued, because Gorfu has bewitched all of
their Thoughts Catchers and hid them into his Protector’s coffer.
From what I’ve seen in the Great Register of Lemnuscia, the
coffer remained in his home, which is also bewitched, much like
the whole village. This whole is trapped into the fog of an optical
illusion.
Every house in Lemnuscia, along with the whole village,
was hidden in a thin fog floating around it, giving the illusion of
a landscape within which you could only see the land and the sky.
– I’ve also counted within the Great Register of Lemnuscia
161 Lemnuci. And also as many were there hidden within the
Mimosium Forest. This means he has bewitched them all.
Baxtus raised his eyebrows in astonishment.
– 161 you’ve said?
– Yes.
– Are you certain you’ve counted well?
– Yes I have, even many times so. And this is how many
they are, 161. Why are you so puzzled, Baxtus?
– Because Lemnuscia was inhabited by 162 Lemnuci.
Baxtus emphasized the number two. Shamanicus thrilled
in surprise.
– How is that?!
– If you have well seen within the Great Register and if
you say that this is how many you have found, this means there
is a Lemnuc missing, one whom has not been touched by the

33
spell, because most certainly he was NOT within the village at
that very moment.
– This means one Lemnuc is free. Not captive in Somnium
Regna!
– Who would that be? wondered Baxtus. If he was gone,
this means that he has never came back. Because, if he would
have done so, he would have come back to ask about the others,
what has happened to them, where have they vanished to, along
with their houses. He would have asked everybody, and searched
everywhere for them. Or, this has not happened.
– This also means that he left prior to Gorfu, starting to
bewitch the Lemnuci. And if he’s still alive, he does not know
anything about what happened.
– But it’s curios that one Lemnuc would have left Lemnuscia
forever. There should have been a serious reason to push him to
such decision. Within the History of Lemnuscia such a thing
has not happened before! At least from what I know so far, said
Baxtus. This Lemnuc, whoever he would be, went away, way
away. Farther then all neighboring lands of Lemnuscia, as we all
have searched for them there and we did not find him. Only if ...
– Say it! Shamanicus hurried him, his eyes twinkling.
Only if… what?
– Only if he is no longer within Petria Regna. But not ... I
do not believe that a Lemnuc would have dared to pass near-by
the Owl Spirit Woman – Yoshiro, the Protector of the Land of
Stones and the Stony ones. But if did so, this could only mean
that he awaits, turned into a stone, to atone for the punishment
of being brave enough to do what he did. Nobody passes the
Spirit Woman – Yoshiro without being transformed into a stone.
Not to mention that we are talking about a simple Lemnuc!
Baxtus shuddered at the thought of meeting the Protector
of Stones. "What could be worse than being petrified? Your spirit

34
to stay captive in a stone body, which the wind and the rain would
grind and transform according to their will, for eons to come?”
– Chances that he left by there are almost null, he said so.
He must be very far by now. And he never found out anything.
– Then he cannot help us. Baxtus, I believe I don’t have to
tell you, that I need your help, yours and the help of the pipes to
set free the spirits of the Lemnuci from Somnium Regna.
Baxtus felt how joy would roam through his every fiber and
cell. The idea itself, to be directly involved into the Re-birth of a
realm, and the fact that he could feel whatever a Creator feels, gave
his existence a whole new meaning. A whole new twist of fate.
After Shamanicus moved into Clopos, it did not take
long until they became friends. After all this time, they already
knew each-other well, their relation was so strongly bounded
that nothing could ever break it. They would appreciate each-
other, and this was the pedestal on which their connection was so
imposing and solid. And now his best friend was making him part
of the writing of one of the brightest pages, which was to remain
forever in the History of Lemnuscia – naming its Re-Birth.
The twilight of the sunset caught them on the terrace.
They’ve stopped talking because the sunset needed their whole
attention. They knew that, once the Sun will set beyond the line
of the horizon, in their minds everything would become clearer.
Both wizards watched how the "eyelashes" of the sun, in their
different nuances of purple would cross the orange color of the
skies, only to leave place slowly for the indigo-blue of the night.
The Planet Nuntius, the messenger of the night, would be, as
usual, the first set her light barely flickering. Short after, was
followed by the planet Atarra, which would dominate the sky
with her shinning. This time she would not be occulted by the
"night-star", because this would remain hidden, for yet another
night or so. The wind of the village went by to say "hello", slowly
cooling the air.

35
 Baxtus called for Fumita. By the time she arrived, carried
on the back of the Cardinal bird, they already have decided
what they would have to do . All that remained was to ask her
to gather all the Pipes, on the Celk plateau, during the following
day, at sunset..
Every gathering took place at sunset, because it was then
when the inspiration was at its highest peak, and the gate towards
other Worlds would more easily be opened.
They said that when the sky and the earth would give-
up their own individuality, onto which they were keen to hold
on to, during the day only to melt in an explosion of colors at
sunset. That the line between the sky and the earth, which during
evenings began to enlarge, that was really the gate towards the
Unseen Worlds.
The truth about the power of the sunset was known by
few only. The common inhabitants of the Seen Worlds did not
know it and this is why they’ve created the legend about the
sky and the earth. Reality, however, was somehow close. In
deed the sunset by its colors would calm down the mind, and,
once the thoughts would stop, the gate towards certain Worlds
would open by itself, without the help of Thoughts Catchers or
witchcraft formulas.
‘Was getting late and the Orion constellation would, for
some time, flaunt its perfect line, formed by the three stars of
its belt. Following close, the Canicula star would now shine
stronger than all other celestial bodies, except the shining of the
beautiful planet Atarra.
The two partners would silently look at the sky, lost in its
depts. When, finally they went to bed, the village, as a black stain
furrowed by the soft, yellow flickers of candles, would now sleep
beneath them, mesmerized by the strident, but unobtrusive,
squeaking sound of crickets.

37
 The Celk Plateau

D uring the following day, when the Sun was three inches
close to touching the horizon line, all the 108 pipes were
present on the Celk Plateau, situated at the highest point
from the Fumans Castellum. Pipes have arrived there carried
out in the baskets on the backs of Cardinal birds.
Baxtus, together with Shamanicus, were also heading
towards there, but this time floating. Even from the distance,
they could hear the restless murmur of the plateau, like the
humming of a bee family left without its queen.
Located at 600 meters altitude, the Celk Plateau was the
place where every once in a while, the pipes would gather to
show-off their many artistic talents, materialized in the form
of different art works. Rarely would they also come here at
Baxtus’s request. And, now, as the meeting was his wish, they
could barely get a hold on their anxiety and emotions. They were
constantly moving impatiently into the comfortable chairs of the
amphitheater at the edge of the plateau. They were certain that
something out of the ordinary has happened, because, only in
such situations, Baxtus would ask everyone to gather and meet
him here.

38
Within the tall trees around the Celk Plateau, the Cardinal birds
– the pipes’ bearers - were quietly awaiting.
Nonconformist as usually, Baxtus has chosen to show
before them as a genius. He came in floating and, after a complete
tour of the amphitheater he would descent near Shamanicus,
but remained floating at 30 - 40 cm [almost 15 inches] above
the ground. Shamanicus would already be sited on one of the
chairs, specially brought there for him and Baxtus. Without any
introduction, Baxtus would cut to the chase:
– The Lemnuci have been found!
His voice rang in the ears of the pipes, which had uttered
a cry of astonishment.
– They are trapped in Somnium Regna, and it is our duty
to set them free!
He then told the pipes about what Shamanicus had seen
within the Great Register of Lemnuscia from Atempora. A
shudder swept across the Celk plateau. The pipes knew that only
something extraordinary could bring them all together in such
a gathering!
– This is why I’ve called for you all here – for that together
we should find the best way to set free the spirits of the Lemnuci
from the World of the Dreams.
Hot discussions, but not chaotic, heated up on the Celk
plateau. Some pipes said that it would be better, first of all, to try
to find a formula with which to get the village out of the spell of
invisibility. Other suggested, first of all, that they should try and
search for the spirits of the Lemnuci within Somnium Regna.
All sorts of ideas were wandering through the amphitheater. But
these were mediated by Fumita. After some while – they would
finish those discussions, with the conclusion that the best would
have been if, in the first place, Shamanicus, accompanied by

40
Baxtus, would try to find Gorfu, the Protector of the Lemnuci.
Once found, they would try to find out exactly how had he
bewitched the whole community, setting it invisible and the
formula which had influenced the Thoughts Catchers – and how
to undo that.
– There is no point to further try anything else besides
finding Gorfu.
– Fumita is right, the pipes El Fumos and Fumo Loco
reinforced her point of view.
Baxtus looked at Shamanicus. He would quietly approve,
by moving his head, afterwards he would rise on his feet, with
a gesture which has caused silence throughout the whole Celk
plateau. Even the wind had curiously stopped from playing
with the leaves of the trees, which also quietly assisted at this
gathering. Shamanicus rolled his eyes around the plateau,
as though every Cardinal bird Cardinal would feel directly
"targeted" and accountable.
– The Cardinal birds would be in charge of announcing
all the neighboring lands around Lemnuscia and their other
neighbors also, that we are searching for the Protector Gorfu!
Together with the Protector Baxtus, I shall go to Ephemeros to
consult Metastro – the Star Reader, to see which the best day for
the flight is!
The whole assembly approved this in unison. Baxtus would
once again rise, floating above the heads of the pipes. His words
began to flow as if they were too serious for such an appearance.
One by one, they rolled out of his mouth like rolls of smoke as if
thrown, more for him than for trying to persuade others.
– If Gorfu is still alive and is not a captive in one of the
Unseen Worlds, then we shall find him. The search for him could
be just as difficult as searching for Lemnuci into the World of
Dreams!

41
 The pipes’ meeting ended, yet they remained talking to
each other on the Celk plateau. They were happy when they were
all together, and that was only happening here. So, each time,
they took advantage and stayed for a while—to be together—
sometimes until sunrise. Or now they really had an important
topic to discuss!
Baxtus and Shamanicus returned to the tower. As they
had agreed on the Celk plateau, they were to go together to
Ephemeros the following day to consult the Star Reader.
They walked quietly for a while, each one with his own
thoughts; the spoken words were spin and turned on all sides
and in all corners of their minds.
Shamanicus regretted not asking more questions when he
was in Atempora. That would have made their work a lot easier.
Within the World of Time, his only thought was to find out what
has happened to the Lemnuci. Instead – what has happened to the
Protector Gorfu – he did not ask. It was out of the question to get
back there again, after such a short while since his last journey.
Shamanicus was amongst the few wizards who had access into
the World of Time and he did not want to take a great advantage
from this situation. He will then try to find Gorfu with the help
of Baxtus, the pipes and the inhabitants of the Seen Worlds.
– First thing – we shall now wait for the answers to the
messages related to Gorfu, Shamanicus would continue his
thought speaking. Maybe with a little luck, when we may depart
to find him, we’d know at least where to head to.
Baxtus approved. It was the wisest idea. If they would
depart to search for Gorfu, right now, they would have had no
idea where to start their seeking from. Gorfu could have very
well been within a realm from the Unseen Worlds. Baxtus agreed
with Shamanicus’s ideas, because he would always consider
them wise and he didn't like to bang his head anyway. He rather

42
preferred applying decisions taken by his friend. Was a relief
for him the fact that his friend was the one to decide. As for
Shamanicus, he did not mind doing so. In his way to arrange
his thoughts - which became legendary, it was a piece of cake to
put them into well-structured ideas and plans. Despite all this he
would not lose any occasion to sting Baxtus a bit.
– You like to use down to the last thought when preparing
your smoking mixtures. In fact, this is all you care about. Huh,
huh, huh, he laughed refreshed as always at Baxtus's reaction,
when he made that face, on which could be read very clearly,
acknowledging the truth from what Shamanicus has told.
Baxtus shrugged and, with opened arms and the same
expression on his face, he told Shamanicus what he already knew.
– Yes, Shamu, this is my life and nothing else would be a
concern for me as much as to discover new combinations, which
would allow the pipes to gain access to as many of the Unseen
Worlds as possible.
– You mean to say access for yourself also!
– Also what?
– For you to have access to as many of the Unseen Worlds
also.
They’ve both burst in laughter, because they both knew
that, in fact, this was the main purpose, and the pipes, no matter
how important they were for Baxtus, for his matter they were on
the second place.

43
 Aventurinus
and his castle

W
hen he decided to move from Lemnuscia into Petria
Regna, the Lemnuc Aventurinus had not the slightest
hesitation or heartbreak. His love for stones had led him
to leave home and friends with no regrets and no desire to return.
He had left his village shortly before Gorfu lost his mind
and bewitched the Thoughts Catchers of the remaining Lemnuci.
– You must be sure you want to do this; Protector Gorfu
had told him when Aventurinus informed him that he wanted
to give up Lemnuscia for good in order to move to the Land
of Stones. You should know that in Petria Regna, time unfolds
moments differently than in the other lands of the Seen Worlds!
As Petria Regna, along with the stony ones and crystal mines, is
ready to make the Great Passage into another dimension — one
of the Unseen Worlds. What will then happen to you? You will
be left alone in the visible part of Petria Regna – d’you knew that?
To what point would that be? If the crystal mines, for which you

44
want to move there, shall no longer be there for you? And if you
want to come back home, are you aware that you will not find
any of your acquaintances? You will only find their descendants!
Aventurinus did not reply anything. He had listened
intently, and every word of his Protector had been well received.
– I do not intend to discourage you, much less to change
your mind. I only want to make you aware of the consequences
of your decision.
– I assume all this, Aventurinus had told him.
The Lemnuc had considered every detail beforehand.
Everything Gorfu was telling him now had already been weighed
in the balance of his mind and soul. Only then did he make the
final decision. His passion for minerals made his determination
unshakable.
– There's something else, or better, yet, someone else
Gorfu had told him. Yoshiro - The Owl Spirit Woman! What if
any thought of yours will make her turn you into a trovant?
– "I even assume that!" The little Lemnuc has answered.
He was not afraid of the Protector of Stones, because his
love for stones was spotless. This, the dreaded Yoshiro, would
soon read his mind.
Gorfu then looked at Aventurinus and realized that he,
as Protector, had nothing more to say. He was aware that his
protective influence over the Lemnuc would cease to have effect
during the very moment he would set foot in Petria Regna.
Aventurinus had left exactly as he had lived his life before,
without any fuss. He hadn't felt the need to reveal to anyone his
decision, which he hadn't had a hard time making. His life was the
stones. He wanted to learn all about them, the power with which
they were endowed, and how to use them in the most beautiful way

45
possible. He considered himself - and indeed was - a researcher
of the universe of stones. The innocence of his pure thoughts
annihilated any trace of fear when he set out for Petria Regna.
He hadn't even seen the Owl Spirit Woman. She had not
herself visible to him, and, as never before at the sight of anyone
but the stony people, she had smiled at his appearance. Her
smile was the expression of joy for the great and extraordinarily
pleasant surprise, which he would bring to this wonderful
appearance, the stony. This little Lemnuscian creature. Because,
although Aventurinus had no idea, his love for crystals had
reached the ears of the stony. They had long hoped and waited
to see him cross their threshold. And behold the day cometh!
His decision to move permanently to the Land of Stones was
greeted by stony people with such joy that only a couple past their
prime can feel, when destiny befalls their child desired all their lives,
to which they no longer hoped for. That's how the stony people
treated him. To build a never before seen castle was a simple game
for them. They did not live in houses because their stony bodies
coped with the vicissitudes of any season. Instead, they knew very
well that this little Lemnuc needed all the protection. So, not long
after his arrival in Petria Regna, Aventurinus was already living in
such a castle, as only the imagination of an artist could conceive.
Built of blocks of cream-yellow stone, beautifully combined
with smaller stones, in the same tones, the castle would change
its shade from one part of the day to another. Under the rays
of the sun, it turned from cream to a wonderful sandy yellow,
as if the dunes of the desert had enveloped it on all sides. The
windows were bordered by strips of whitewashed clay, of which
perfect white better highlighted the multicolored crystals. The
stony had fixed them in the clay so that they could catch the
sun's rays as long as it shone in the sky. In its movement in the
vault, from sunrise to sunset, there was not a crystal that did not
capitalize on at least one ray of the day's star, turning it into a
rainbow. At every hour of the day, the colorful lights would play

46
on the walls, floors, and even the ceilings of the castle rooms.
During night, this game calmed down, and only the moon's
rays penetrated through the thin blinds, softly illuminating the
rooms in the east and then the rooms in the southwest.
The castle was not embarrassingly large, but the rooms
were high enough to also accommodate the stony ones.
Since he moved here, Aventurinus had learned that certain
crystals could capture and reproduce images reflected on their faces,
whether they were real or encased in a spell. And that these crystals
could render images under the illusion created by the spells, as they
really were. Aventurinus had learned a lot in Petria Regna.
Sometime after he had moved to the Land of Stones, into
his castle, in the most spacious room, of which windows faced all
the cardinal points, the great Crystal Captor was now enthroned.
Sitting on a pedestal that rotated after the movement of
the sun, Captor received images after images from other crystals,
strategically placed by Aventurinus, with the help of the stony
ones, in different parts of Petria Regna. In the room of the Captor
Crystal, stony people often came to enjoy along with the Lemnuc,
with the images received from different places in their land.
One day, while Aventurinus was enjoying himself - this
time alone - looking at the images received by the Captor
from Petria Regna, he saw, on one of the faces of the crystal,
something moving. The image came from the old forest on one
of the borders between Lemnuscia and Petria Regna, namely the
Upper Pass. This has made Captor, who was spinning on the
stand, to now stand still, with his face which was transmitting the
images from the forest, facing the Lemnuc. He approached the
crystal and did see some movement among the trees. Watching
closely, he noticed two eyes appearing and disappearing from
the tree trunks. He brought the image closer and ... caught the
wandering gaze of a weak old man, in which, as surprised as he
could, he recognized his formal Protector – Gorfu!

48
 Gorfu's
wandering

A
s soon as the spell worked and all the Lemnuci were
trapped in Somnium Regna, Gorfu waited for his mind
to clear. But it was not so. When, in a moment of lucidity,
he realized what he had done, the shock was so strong that he
immediately wanted to die.
But the time had not come for the magician to leave his
vulnerable body for good, in order to return to the Spiritus
Mundus— the spirit world. Gorfu still had some issues to deal
with in this life.
He was walking now, unaware of him, and where his feet
were leading him, without any command of the mind, which was
wandering and it was lost, who knows where. He was dragging
his hunchbacked body, not because of his many years, but under
the weight of his deed. And to ease the burden, he began to
walk almost naked. He felt that his clothes were also clinging
to his soul, just like his body—which he had failed to get rid of
and in which he felt trapped like in a sort of a cage. That's how
Aventurinus saw him, enjoying one day, the images transmitted

50
by the crystals from the Land, to the Captor Crystal, located in
his castle.
Since he has left, the stone-loving Lemnuc had never
returned to Lemnuscia and had never heard of the spell casted
upon the other Lemnuci. So he was astonished when he
recognized, in the wandering eyes—which could be seen from
the trunks of the trees in the Old Forest—Gorfu’s sight.
"Gorfu! He’s looking for me! But why would he stay like
that, hidden behind trees, when he could have come straight
here?"
He knew it was unthinkable for this wizard to do things in
secret. "Would he be afraid of the Owl Spirit Woman? No, I don't
think so! However, something is wrong. His look ..."
He drawn closer to the image, and now he could see more clearly
those eyes of Gorfu that were - but seemingly were not present
there. He has now realized that something very serious has
happened! He left everything and went in a hurry to the Upper
Pass, the border between Petria Regna and Lemnuscia. As the
bridge was broken, he headed straight for the thousand steps he
began to climb without looking up. He did it slowly, knowing
that if he hurried he would not be able to break and walk upon
them all. He imposed himself a steady climb and succeeded.
When he reached the top, he did not allow himself to breathe,
but, panting, he began to search the forest where he had seen
Gorfu in the crystal.
– Protector! Gorfu! Protector! he kept calling him.
After almost a quarter of an hour of searching, Aventurinus
stopped and sat down on a trunk of a long-fallen tree. He sat
there, waiting for the sound of his pulse - in his inner ear - to
stop. It was only when it diminished that he began to hear the
sounds of the forest. Seeing that the eyes weren't enough to find
Gorfu, he relied on hearing. The Lemnuc hoped to hear a rustle

51
coming from him - and that's exactly what happened. He sat on
his stomach, stretched the neck so that his head reached above his
body and pricked up the ears. Aventurinus had a gaping mouth
to help his hearing, knowing that he would more easily detect
where the rustling had come from, which was repeated briefly
indeed. But it was enough to give him a clue as to where it was
coming from. He walked carefully there, and behind an old tree,
with tousled hair and a chased animal's gaze, Gorfu was hiding.
The Lemnuc couldn't believe it! Although the first impulse was
to throw his arms around the Protector, something stopped
him. He realizes at once that this gesture would have terribly
frightened the magician, so he remained steadfast. Aventurinus
waited for the magus to see for himself. But when Gorfu turned
his face to the Lemnuc, he had no reaction but stared blankly.
Aventurinus then realized that his Protector was unaware that
someone was in front of him. He murmured at Gorfu.
– Shh, hush, Aventurinus made these sounds towards
Gorfu, as you do when you want to calm a child or tame an
animal. Hushh, shhh...
Gorfu dropped to the ground, and, catching his knees to
his chest, in a gesture that seemed to be repeated many times,
began to sway slightly back and forth. The Lemnuc sat down
carefully beside him.
– What happened, good Protector? What's up with you?
He spoke slowly, so as not to frighten him. But Gorfu did
not answer and continued to sway, muttering to himself a song
that was meant to calm him. Aventurinus does not insist. He
just stared at him silently. The old wizard was no longer as he
had left him when he left Lemnuscia. A weak body, as if devoid
of spirit, was so much left of him. Then he realizes that Gorfu
doesn't have the Thoughts Catcher, who was supposed to be on
his master's shoulder.

52
 "He's in his shelter. Did something bad happen to him? Is
that why Gorfu is in this state? If he's in his shelter, he won't even
come out until the Protector calls him.”
With tears in his eyes, Aventurinus waited for the magician
to get used to his presence. He had learned to be patient from
the stony ones. He could have been with his Protector for a long
time, but Gorfu seemed to have quickly got used to his presence.
In fact, he didn't even notice him, so Aventurinus dared and
touched his shoulder. The old magician accepted the touch
without a startle, continuing to sway. The Lemnuc took courage,
carefully grasped both of his shoulders, urging him to stand up,
and lifted him lightly. He took him by the hand and led him
slowly to the edge of the forest, where, to his surprise, he caught
sight of Retez and Gug waiting for him. These stony ones did
not ask for any explanation, but seeing Gorfu, they were able to
weigh the situation immediately. Retez took the Lemnuc and the
magician in his palm and headed with them to the castle. Once
there, he left them in front of a room, which would become the
Protectors Gorfu room, for a period of time, an unsuspected
long one, counting by how the days go by in Lemnuscia. The
room was upstairs and overlooked a balcony terrace, which
surrounded the castle of the Lemnuc, a terrace where he would
swing his body, in a swing, for an equally long time, the magician
Gorfu.
After he managed to put him to bed and make sure he was
asleep, Aventurinus went out on the terrace where he met the
two stony ones again. This time they asked him for clarification
on the situation of the Protector. They had easily recognized the
magician despite his changed appearance. Before the stony ones
received the Protector and, along with her, the gift of moving,
Gorfu used to visit Petria Regna, a land adjacent to Lemnuscia.
– Maybe he'll be put, by a good night's sleep, back on
his feet, the Lemnuc told to the stony ones, though he wasn't
convinced by his own statements.

53
 He told them how he saw the wizard on the face of the
crystal.
– Only I wish nothing happened to his Thoughts Catcher!
The serious figure of the Lemnuc made the two of the
stony ones realize that the Lemnuc was thinking of the worst
thing: the dissolution of the Wizard's Catcher of Thoughts into
nothingness!
The Thoughts’ Catchers did not die like other beings
in the Seen Worlds. They simply unfolded into bright threads
that became more and more transparent until they disappeared
completely. And no one besides the Unknown ones from
Acognicia could restore them...
– We have to let him rest, and only then will we be able
to investigate, Retez said. Maybe a wound or an illness brought
him to this horrible state.
But it wasn't a wound or a disease that had caused Gorfu
that condition. It all started in his mind, or they couldn't help him
in this matter. The only one who could help him was his Thoughts
Catcher, but this continued to do nothing and remained hidden.
At least that's what they thought so. What they could do for the
magician was just take care of him, and perhaps over time his
condition would improve and he would be able to give them a
clue as to what had happened to him.
It wasn't meant to be like that either. The old Protector's
condition did not improve at all over time, but it did not get any
worse. Gorfu spent most of the day rocking in the swing, staring
blankly from the balcony that opened onto the castle’s courtyard.
Neither the discreet scent of the roses, that shaded the terrace,
wrapped around its arches, nor the passing of the clouds in the
sky, nor the pleasant sound of the rain or the song of the birds,
could take him out of that state of completely wandering mind.
But sometimes he would whistle a song. Always the same!

55
 Ule and Orbis
Terrarum III

-M omole baba! Momole baba! The child ran as fast as

his feet held, shouting at his teacher and waving the
colored paper.
When he reached the fence, he saw Momole
leaning over a pumpkin flower. At the boy's
shouts, he got up easily and, with his glasses
on his nose, looked at the gate, curious to see
what made Ule shout at him so excitedly.
He saw the piece of paper fluttering in the
child's hand, and his eyebrows rose in
surprise. He let a long yees… come
out of his mouth; waiting for the
child to reach out and explain to
him about that paper,
because it was clear
that it was about it.
– Momole baba, look!

56
 The boy handed him the letter, looking at him intently to
see how his teacher would react to the wonderful news. Momole
read the message once, looked at Gorfu's portrait, read the message
again, then, lowering his hand with the paper, looked silently into
the distance. Anxious and unable to wait for an answer from the
teacher, he grabbed his sleeves, shouting his name as to bring
him back from the world which seems to have left into. Momole
turned his gaze to him. Smiling at him, motioned for him to come
to the wooden terrace in front of the house.
– Have a sit, Ule!
Ule looked for one of the chairs carved in the oak stump,
which had been intended for the fire, but which was now an
object of art along with the other stumps transformed into chairs,
placed in a semicircle around the table. His favorite stump was
the one turned into an armchair. It was so thick that they could
carve in it both the seat and the handles for the arms and back
for the head. It was a wonderful, large, spacious armchair, and
every time he sat in it he felt like a king. Momole knew that,
so he had given it to him, choosing one of the other stumps—
no less comfortable and just as artistically sculpted, by himself.
They were each seated at one end of the semicircle of seats, so
that from this position they could face each other.
– We're going to look for him! Isn't that right, Momole baba?
The child was no longer waiting for his teacher's answer.
He had already guessed from his smile that the two of them
would go looking for Gorfu. His eyes twinkled and tears of joy
played in them. Momole was amused by Ule's reaction, knowing
full well what waves of emotion had swept over him.
– Do you feel adventurous?
The child jumped up and down.
– Yes! Yes! He shouted, spinning on the sole of his foot.

57
 He twisted his body, and then has let it go back into a
whirlwind which made his little horns fly. Laughing, he grabbed
Momole's hands and made him stand up and dance with him.
He allowed himself to be carried away by the wave of joy of the
child who always infected him with. He began to dance until he
was tired, and dropped back into one of the chairs.
They had plans to make, so Momole went into the house
to bring a notebook and a holster. Returning to the terrace, they
sat down at the apple-wood table, which, though sculpted of
a different kind of wood than the chairs, complemented them
harmoniously.
– We will make a list of all the neighboring lands of
Lemnuscia.
The boy nodded affirmatively.
– How well is your geography??
– Okay, Ule replied with the utmost confidence.
– You can start, Momole told him, putting the holster on
the paper and getting ready to write.
– Fumans Castellum.
– Alright!
Momole numbered with "1" the first land, adjacent to
Lemnuscia.
– Limax Terra.
Ule pronounced it, sure of every name he said.
– Okay, bravo! You could have even started with that,
Momole laughed and numbered "2" Limax Terra. But between
Lemnuscia and our land is Lake Azula. Do not forget that! Now
going further.
– Petria Regna.

59
 – Good, Petria Regna, Momole repeats, noting and
numbering "3".
– Ephemeros..., said Ule.
He wasn't sure of this one. It had been more of a question,
and now he was waiting to see Momole's reaction. The wise
Limax looked at him sharply and answered a question.
– And how, please, do you think Gorfu could have reached
Ephemeros? The only ones who could have taken him there
would have been the Cardinal birds, and if that had happened,
then they would already know where Gorfu is. Won’t they?
– Aaa, yees ... says the child.
– Aaa, yees ... Momole imitated him with a laugh. Think it
over.
– Uhm ... putting his hand to his mouth, the boy looked
up and to the left, searching in his memory for another land,
adjacent to Lemnuscia, after which he quickly, so as not to forget,
listed two one after the other:
– Clopos and Ulpia Sarmis!
– Hold it, hold you horses ... slowly, in turn, Momole said,
laughing again, noting and numbering each one.
After all the lands near Lemnuscia were laid out on paper,
it was the turn of the neighboring lands of its neighbors. Here!
Ule needed help, and even Momole turned to the map of the
Seen Worlds. Not because he didn't know all these lands he had
already traveled far and wide, but he wanted to make sure he
didn't miss any of them.
Momole went inside his house again, and after a few
minutes returned with a long yellowed cardboard tube, which
he unwrapped and took out a large, old map, which the Wise
Limax let unfold on the long table. It was neither square nor

60
round, but looked more like a patch in several corners. It was
not a complete map of all the Seen Worlds, only a small part
of them, in which Lemnuscia was also depicted along with the
lands adjacent to it and their neighbors.
With gilded and beautifully decorated letters, it was
written at its top: Orbis Terrarum III, meaning Map of the Worlds
III. A thick line of dark purple demarcates the lands on the map
from those that did not fit in that piece of paper. The letter were
written outside the map, in copper: Aliis Mundos, meaning other
worlds. Another interrupted line of a lighter purple delimited
the lands between them.
The child stared in amazement at the details of this map in
which were drawn, in all sorts of colors, both the landforms and
the rivers and lakes of each land. The mountains were brown,
with blacker ridges, next to which were noted the height and
name of each peak. The hills were yellow and the plains green.
The large rivers were dark blue and the smaller ones light blue,
while the lakes were turquoise. Each form of relief had its name
inscribed on it, as did each land. An "x" or a triangle indicated
a cave in the heart of the mountains or a tunnel that connected
different lands. Most of the mines, tunnels, and caverns were
marked on the map, with the exception of those to which the
simple inhabitants of the Seen Worlds did not have access,
because for various reasons they were kept secret. Of all the
lands, Petria Regna was full of such "x's" and triangles.
It could still be seen that the background of the paper,
which was now a smoky yellow, had once been light yellow.
The other colors were more faded than they had once been, but
they kept the original shade quite well. The map was old, but
well preserved, and if it was protected from the sun's rays and
weather, it could withstand even longer and be useful. What
Ule could not see - and only a connoisseur could see - was the
almost imperceptible difference in shades of the symbols of the
mines, caverns and tunnels. There were faded nuances, older

61
shady ones, but also slightly more vivid ones, which meant that
new caverns or tunnels had been discovered and noted some
time after the original map had been made, but still not recently.
Momole and Ule researched the map, taking each land in
a row, from top to bottom, and from left to right, completing a
few more lands in the notebook.
As soon as it was evening, Momole sent Ule back home.
He didn't liked his teacher's invitation, especially since they were
in the middle of something very interesting for him, but, having
nowhere to go, he left, and the next day he would return and
continue together what they had begun. He could hardly wait!
Left alone, Momole did not start writing down the rest
of the lands names on paper. He'll do it the next day together
with the boy. He liked to involve him in all sorts of activities
that stimulated his imagination and taught him to become
independent.
The next day, it was not clear morning outside when Ule
was already at his teacher's door, his hand raised, ready to knock,
and his ears pricked up to hear the slightest noise that would
have signaled to him that Momole had awakened. Of course he
was awake. He was not in the habit of sleeping until after sunrise.
When he heard the first click of the cup, the child began
to knock merrily on the door. Momole was not surprised. He
walked, and opened to him, pointing to the table set for the two
of them, inviting him to sit down to have breakfast together.
It consists of a coffee made from chicory root, very popular
in Limax Terra, and a few slices of baked pumpkin, garnished
with marigold petals. The pumpkin had been baked the day
before, but it was just as tasty and fragrant. They ate with gusto:
Momole, without haste, but Ule, as was his custom, swallowing
without chewing too much. The child finishes first and now he
is waiting impatiently for Momole to finish his portion and get

62
back to work he started a day ago. But he finished eating and
leaned back in his chair. Stretching out his body and hands, he
smiled amusedly.
– You couldn't wait anymore! I don't think you even went
home. Come on, where did you sleep? In the garden, among the
pumpkins?
The boy laughed at his teacher's jokes, as usual, but did
not answer. He was holding his chair with his hands, swaying
his leg. Momole got up and went to the closet where he had his
maps and various other items. He pulled out the III-numbered
tube, the notebook, the inkwell and the pen, and motioned for
the child to follow. He jumped up from his chair, sprang to his
feet, and reached the door before Momole; he opened it for him
and they both went out on the terrace.
The damp mass of dew had now dried completely from
the rising sun, which was already warming. In a short time, they
will have to open the big umbrella, which will protect them from
its rays, too strong for their skin.
Momole unfolded the map once again; fixing the corners
with the stones left yesterday on the table, and resumed their
work. Soon all the lands they were interested in would be written
down and checked again. When they finished, they started over
with the first land. The child said them out loud, and Momole
thought and spoke about the possibility of Gorfu being there.
They eliminated Lemnuscia, Fumans Castellum, Clopos and
Limax Terra from the start. The wizard couldn't be there, that
much was clear. Then they continued with the others. Momole
realized that in all these years he had wandered absolutely all
the noted lands except Petria Regna. There he had not put his
foot down because of the Mind Reader - Protector Yoshiro. He
thought that if Gorfu was still alive and had not gone to the
farthest reaches of the Seen Worlds, then he might even be in
the Land of Stones.

63
 – I have to go to Petria Regna, Ule! I'm sorry, but you can't
come. It's very dangerous for you, so I can't take you with me.
The child stared at Momole's eyes. He couldn't believe
it! How, all of a sudden was he put aside? All his plans, all his
dreams...
– But...
– Ule! You know very well what can happen.
He knew, yes. He also knew the story of Yoshiro, the spirit
woman who could petrify you and he wasn’t in the mood for
something like this happening to him. Who would have been?
But even so, he is still sad. He was disappointed.
– Okay ... that's all he said, shielding his tears from his
teacher's eyes.
He pretended not to see his tears and, in order to get him
out of this state, said to him:
– You'll stay here in Limax Terra and walk the streets to
find out what's new. It is very important. Maybe Gorfu is in one
of the lands of Aliis Mundos, one of the lands we didn't take into
account. You never know.
Ule wasn't too excited, but he really had no choice. He
was going to do exactly what Momole had told him, who knew
that the task he had given him was not very useful, because if
Gorfu had been heard of there, the whole country would have
talked about it anyway. But in this way he gave Ule work to
keep his mind occupied and not to weep for pity that he had
not been taken to Petria Regna. He looked at him. The child sat
thoughtfully with his shoulders bent and said nothing more. He
had never seen him so sad and disappointed. Ule was born with
a gift that few had: he would find reason to rejoice in every little
thing, and he could see only the good parts of every being. But
now it was raining, and it probably wouldn't have taken too long

64
for the child to get out of that state. Momole on the other hand
was heartbroken to see him like that, and that made him change
his mind right away. He simply could not be the one to cause the
child so much sorrow. "To what purpose will he refuse the child’s
company? The child has his destiny and, if he wants so much to
accompany me, it is not by chance. And I will not oppose it."
And Momole's legendary wisdom spoke again.
– I'll take you with me, but only until we’ll reach the border
with Petria Regna. There you will wait for me until I return and
you should not even dare at least to approach the bridge that
leads to the Land of Stones!
Ule suddenly looked up at Momole. Did his teacher make
him move from one state to another with a speed at which even
the tears in his big eyes did not know why they were dancing.
Was it sadness or was it joy? He couldn't believe it! Maybe he
hadn't heard well, though.
– Baba Momole, is that true? Are you taking me with you,
baba Momole?
The child was holding him by the coat and was looking up
at Momole, who was nodding and now stroking his scalp to
reassure him.
– Listen, Ule, besides being petrified by that Owl forever,
maybe one of the worst things that can happen to you is letting
someone influence your condition. Your inner joy must not be
influenced by anyone's words or deeds. Do you understand, Ule?
Do you understand me?
The child nodded and the tears in his eyes began to
escape from now on, popping out of the eyelids. He didn't
quite understand what his teacher meant, but he agreed with
everything he told him, just to be taken with him in that trip.
Momole could read it on his face, but he didn't mind. Ule will
understand what he meant pretty soon.

65
 Leaving for
Petria Regna

T
he next day, before sunrise, a flash of lanterns could be
seen above Lake Azula, far away from the rest of the lights,
which were gathered together, waiting to be greeted by the
sun. In order to reach Petria Regna, Momole and Ule had to
cross, in a one-day journey, the big lake separating Limax Terra
from Petria Regna.
The next morning, when they reached the other side of the
lake, they looked for the mouth of the river Maior, which flowed
into the great Azula water, and followed its course upstream
to the point where it narrowed greatly. Here they could see the
bridge that made the transition from the Land of Lemnuscia to
that of Petria Regna. The place was known as the Lower Pass.
In this place, the shore from Petria Regna did not exceed
three meters. But the river had bitten into it little by little, leaving
a kind of oblique wall of boulders and red clay soil, on which
you had no chance but to climb, because it leaned menacingly
towards the river. Only this attempt would have started an
avalanche of stones and earth that would have rolled over you,

66
67
dragging you along with it into the water that was moving
quietly, but full of strength. So the only crossing was the bridge
of planks and ropes that swayed carelessly over the river Maior,
joining the steep bank of Petria Regna with the other peaceful
shore of Lemnuscia.
Bordered by a portion of golden sand, the shores of
Lemnuscia ended in the water so clear that you could see like in
an aquarium the fish and crabs, wondering among the green and
soft algae, combed by the flow of the river. Somewhere above the
bridge, also on the shores of the Lemnuscia, a gentle volcano,
whose lava wrapped its neck like a scarlet shawl, smoked quietly
in the middle of a glistening plain, nourished by its own lava and
the floods. For quite long and enough had it fried vegetal world
and the little creatures. Now was its time to protect them.
Beyond the volcano, as far as you could see, the horizon
line had curved due to the hills that connected the land of
Lemnuscia with that of Clopos and Sarmia.
Momole pulled to the shore, before the bridge was clearly
visible. He tied the boat shell to a tether which he tapped on the
bank of the river, and which he always carried in the boat.
– Here we stop!
Ule took his backpack and jumped, letting the cold water
of the river cool his sole, which had warmed from the sun, For
some time, it had been sending its hot rays from the Southwest,
where it became the hottest. He tossed his backpack on the
shore and, laughing, threw himself into the river, letting him
carry it downstream, and then measured his strength with it by
swimming against the stream.
He did this a few times, while Momole watched him
calmly play. He knew exactly what the next steps were, so he
didn't bother to make plans or worry about what was to come.
He let Ule frolic as he pleased, without pressing him. The child

68
was making noise and splashing water, but Momole did not care
to convince him do otherwise. As long as they were on the shores
of Lemnuscia and the passage to Petria Regna was still far away,
no danger was to any of them.
After he got tired of swimming, Ule started to jump on
the river for fishes, trying to catch them with his bare hands, but
he did not have a chance. The time came for him to get tired, so
he shook off the water that had gathered in drops on his skin and
went to the beach near Momole. Meanwhile the Wise Limax had
built a white cloth shade there to protect them both from the
heat of the hour. Pieces of pumpkin were neatly placed on a large
vine leaf, and in two long shells, which Momole had dipped in
the sand, the chicory coffee waited to be enjoyed. Momole had
already sweetened each of them with a teaspoon of pumpkin-
flavored honey from the bees he cared for. It was the most
appreciated honey in Limax Terra.
It didn't take too long for Ule to get the pieces of baked
pumpkin eaten already, and now he was watching, enjoying
his coffee, for Momole, who was still eating the first piece. He
did not ask his questions, but waited for him to finish his meal,
knowing that his teacher would explain to him immediately what
they would do next. He turned, peering into the barely visible
bridge. Momole could feel his curiosity and see him looking for
a sign attesting the presence of the much feared Yoshiro – the
Owl Spirit Woman. Momole relied on that his fear should have
annihilated Ule's desire to try to get into Petria Regna.
That night they camped in a clump of Mimosium, trees
which you met all over Lemnuscia and which now let their flower
buds sway in the wind. Each stamen danced in unison with the
others above their heads. The leaves, on the other hand, slept
together in a self-embrace, allowing the moon's rays to sneak in
and visualize the perfect scene. Stripes of soft white light drew
the star of the night on the dark green of the bed of moss and
greasy grass, where the two Limaxes had made their shelters.

69
70
 Ule wasn't thinking about anything. He just stared at the
play of lights, fascinated by it. The river was far enough away and
its flow was as slow as to not interfere brutally with the silence
that had set in. Not even the creaking of crickets disturbed him.
It was quiet inside and quiet outside. His eyes were lost in dream,
and no thought of the past, or of tomorrow disturbed his reverie.
Momole waited for Ule to fall asleep. Not because there
might have been any danger in that part of Lemnuscia, but
although he seemed almost asleep, he could expect the child to
suddenly come up with an idea and go in search of who knows
what nocturnal insects. Lemnuscia was full of such small creatures
that shone in the dark. As the moonlight went out, these pale-
colored lights appeared, moving against the black background
of the night, wherever you looked. They had not yet appeared.
They were waiting for the Moonset. But when it was New Moon,
when the star of the night remained completely hidden, and the
night was the darkest, the bright creatures appeared, as soon as
the sun extinguished its last gentle ray of light.
Ule was already somewhere between the Seen World
of Lemnuscia and Somnium Regna, in the Land between the
Realms— the most beautiful land anyone could ever reach.
The realm between the realms, an intermediate plane
between the Seen Worlds and Somnium Regna, was the place
that every being had to go through when he fell asleep, because
from here he filled his tank with the energy that would help him
live on. But the common inhabitants of the Seen Worlds did
not realize the moment they passed through here as they did
not know when their spirits were transported to the World of
Dreams. Moreover, they were not allowed to rest too long on the
Land between the Realms. Only shamans and magicians could
come here self-aware, anytime they would want. They could stay
for as long as they wished. This mysterious realm could not be
traced on the map of the Seen Worlds or the Unseen Worlds.

71
 In the morning, some of the first rays of the sun managed
to slip through the leaves of Mimosium, resting for a few minutes
on the cheeks of the two, just enough to wake them up. The
birds had started their trill for about two hours, with the first
colors announcing the sunrise. Now they calmed down and sang
and carried on among the branches of the trees or in the grass.
Others cooled in the small lagoons that the river formed every
year when the spring rains and melting waters of the snow burst
and filled it, making it come out of the last year’s riverbed. The
lagoons remained there until the hot summer sun evaporated
them, only to fill them again the following spring.
Ule got up cheerfully and ran to the river, throwing himself into
it and starting to play with its waters again. Momole, just as
happy for such a day, went to cool his skin. He sat on a boulder,
letting the water of the river flow over his feet, and waited until
Ule joined him.
– You'll be waiting for me at the campsite by the shade.
You can get as far away as you want, but don't lose sight of the
Mimosium cluster, and in no case head for the bridge!
He spoke the words seldom and pressed, so that Ule could
understand every word.
– You're waiting for me for three days at most. You have
food for four ... Under no circumstances should you try to come
looking for me! If I haven't returned in three days, on the fourth
day, in the morning, untie the boat’s shell and let the river take
you to Lake Azula. Once there, all you have to do is paddle
straight to Limax Terra. Now repeat what I`ve just told you.
Ule's cheeks seemed to have softened, but he held on tight
and didn't want to show that fear was beginning to creep in,
looking for the smallest place to nest. He repeated what Momole
had told him once, twice, while the fear drifted away, but not at
all. "She" waited for the right moment to sink into his soul.

72
 Momole saw his pallor. It was normal for Ule to feel a
little insecure. It was the first time he had been alone away from
Limax Terra for so many days. But that must have happened
once, and now that the time had come, neither of them would
back down.
– I'm telling you all this not to scare you. Normally,
nothing bad should happen. It is good to know what to do in
any of the situations that may occur.
Ule nodded as usual, showing Momole that he understood
the instructions perfectly and that he would not deviate from
them in any way.
The Wise Limax, now with a tight heart, walked away
without turning his head. Ule stood there, staring at him until
he was out of sight. 'Wanted to follow him, see what happens
when his teacher meets the Owl Spirit Woman - Yoshiro. He was
dying of curiosity, but he was stuck in the place by the promise
made to his teacher, but also by fear. His eyes burned in his head
from how still they remained. He couldn't even blink, lest he
miss an important scene. When Momole was gone, he waited a
little longer with his ears pricked up to catch the slightest noise
that would have come from there and to give him any sign of his
teacher's meeting with the Protector of the Stonys - Yoshiro. But
as nothing was heard, he turned his back and walked hesitantly
to the Mimosium clump.
"And now?" he said kicking a small stone. "What should I
do now?"
Momole had told him several times that he would be left
alone. But he hadn't really thought about it until now, when it
really happened. He felt a little confused. He didn't know exactly
how he would spend the three days ahead, but especially how
the three nights would go...

73