Missing the Mark

The Adventure When Tyre, Delores, and Rantee explored the countryside, they loved the wide expanses of sky, trees, and land. Yet, when they encountered other travelers or farmers along the way, they noted the people’s sullen expressions. Tyre remembered his parents’ forlorn looks when they had spoken to the children of the future. He recalled how they would ignore Delores or Rantee’s excitement when they talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Tyre had noticed that his parents did not look much beyond the present week or the coming month, and they had never encouraged the children to dream. As the day began to draw to a close, the youths came upon a tavern and took a room for the night. At supper, in the small dining hall, Tyre heard a couple of old traders talking about the king’s garden. When Tyre asked about it, the traders were all too eager to give the youths directions to the location they remembered. During the conversation, Tyre saw the traders give each other knowing glances when they thought no one was watching them. He considered this odd, but he soon forgot about it. The traders left the dining hall with a challenge, daring the young people to go inside the garden. “You’ll never have the guts to do it, that is, if you ever really find it.” With a cackling laugh, they walked out the door. *** Rantee was the first to wake up the next day. She jumped out of the uncomfortable bed she shared with Delores and said, “Wake up. Let’s get going, you sleepyheads!” Eventually, all three tumbled out of the inn and headed in the direction the traders had told them to go. By lunchtime, Rantee made it known that she was very hungry. They stopped at a clearing near a small wooded area. As they ate their lunch, Rantee saw something sparkling inside the woods. “What could it be? Do you suppose the garden might be in there?” she asked. Excitedly, they walked into the woods, and soon they could hear what sounded like a flute playing off in the distance. They followed the sound and suddenly found themselves in another clearing. Then they saw the garden. A metal fence surrounded it, but they happened to be near one of the entrances. As they looked farther down the long fence, they saw several other entrances. Tyre stood at the gate for a moment, wanting to go in but remembering the warnings from Luke and the twisted challenge of the traders. Finally, he could stand it no longer and flung open the gate. After all, they had not found any “No Trespassing” signs, and the garden was lovely to look at with its colorful flowers and soothing trees. “The gate opened so easily; that must mean that people can go in,” Tyre said. Delores nodded in agreement. Unable to control herself any longer, Rantee ran past her brother and sister right into the garden. She yelled. “It’s wondrous; come in further!” Tyre and Delores followed her. In spite of the dullness and the oppression that hovered even in the garden, the youths could not get enough of the sights and smells of the flowers, bushes, and trees. After a while, Delores remarked, “Don’t you think the garden seems to be almost too perfect? Don’t you think it feels stilted?” “Oh, I don’t think so,” said Rantee. Any concerns were pushed back by a tug that drew them deeper into the garden. Running from one plant or tree to another, they knocked leaves off bushes and picked flowers in a most careless way. Soon they came upon a fountain of water. “Rantee, that must be the sparkle you saw from the field at lunch,” said Delores. “Look how the water shines in the sun!” Almost instantly, she realized how thirsty she had become. Something about the fountain was unnatural, but she was now very thirsty. Pushing away the warning she felt within her, Delores reached out and took a handful of water. The instant her hand touched the water, the sky clouded over, and a raven screeched. In seconds, several guards came out of nowhere and grabbed Tyre, Delores, and Rantee. The guards were big and handled the youths roughly. “Get off me!” shouted Tyre as he struggled to break free. “Leave my sisters alone!” The girls’ screams and Tyre’s protests fell on deaf ears. The guards dragged them a short distance through the woods; within moments, Tyre and the twins saw the king’s castle. It was built on a hilltop, and the angle from which Tyre saw it made it look as if it took up the entire sky. It was huge and made of roughly cut, gray stones. Its many sharp angles gave it a biting, angry look. “What are you doing? Why are you taking us here?” Tyre demanded. “We didn’t do anything wrong. Let me go!” Rantee said, her voice trailing off into a whine. Their cries had no effect. The guards pushed Tyre ahead of the others when they arrived at the castle. Once inside, the lead guard tightened his grip on Tyre’s arm and quickly led him to the dungeon. The girls, pushed by two other guards, followed behind. The lead guard threw Tyre into a cold, clammy cell and ordered the other guards to put the girls in there too. They slammed the door shut, and Tyre heard the clang echo down the long, dark corridor. What an empty, lonely sound it made.