"Seeing the Truth of the Matter"
Author: Robert Brown
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Disney
(except where noted, in which case they were created and
copyrighted by me or by another and I have permission to use
them). The author hereby gives permission for this story to be
downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as long as (1) no
changes to the story are made without my express written(not
e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to profit from
this story. If either or both rules are violated, it will be
considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: Well, after a lot of requests I finally found some free time
on my writing schedule to do this third Gummi Bears story. A lot of you
want to know exactly what Tummi was doing during the Solstice Celebration
at Ursalia. So far though, none of you have been able to guess it. None
of you have even gotten close. Could it be that I have you all stumped?
That would truly be something if I could pull that off. Oh and if anyone
complains about the stove I mention in this fic, how else could she have
made pancakes?
Many of you who are reading this know of the terrible disease
that my mother was diagnosed with at the end of 2006: Lou Gehrig's disease
(ALS). On January 24, 2008, at 5PM EST, my mother succumbed to the disease
and passed away. The void her passing has left in my life will take a long
time to bridge, but it will never fully heal. Writing, and the support of
you readers, are partly what keeps me going.
Cast of Characters(in order of appearance)
Tummi Gummi
Grammi Gummi
Trina
Gruffi Gummi
Zummi Gummi
Gritti Barbic
Glay C. Err***
#3
It was a bitterly cold night, so cold that Tummi felt his nose was
getting ready to fall from his face. The scarf he had wrapped around his head
and neck did little to ward off the deep winter chill. Ordinarily he would've
curled up in front of the fireplace back at the Glen with a hot cup of
Gummiberry cider and stayed as far away from the cold as he could. But he had
a mission tonight, one that could possibly change everything.
In his hands he held a small leather pouch, protecting it as if it were
the most expensive thing in the world. In that pouch was the sum total of his
hopes and his dreams, but one wrong decision could make it all turn into his
worst nightmare.
Though he was being careful with his hands, he wasn't really watching
where he put his feet. That fact became dangerously clear to him as he
slipped on a patch of ice and fell hard on his backside. It hadn't really
hurt, he had too much extra padding for that. But the fall had almost made
him drop the present, and that would've been a disaster.
Tummi slowly got back up to his feet, taking care to only place his
boots in freshly fallen snow to give himself some stability. He brushed some
snow away from a stone that stood in the lee of a large oak tree and sat down
on its roots to rest. It had all started about two weeks ago in perhaps the
most unusual of ways. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the
tree, letting the memories wash over him of that day and everything that had
happened since then.
* * *
It was going to be the first really bad snowstorm of the season. Sure
there was already some snow on the ground from other storms, but they had only
dropped a couple of inches at the most. This one had the potential to drop
more than two feet if Zummi's calculations were right. While the others
busied themselves with preparing the Glen to withstand the storm, he packed
his bulk into his winter weather clothes and slipped outside.
For a moment, he hoped he'd gotten away unnoticed. But that hope was
dashed when he heard a voice following him out of the tree. "And where do you
think you're going Tummi Gummi?"
Tummi turned around slowly, sheepishly looking back at a livid Grammi.
"Well, you see Grammi, I...." he began, trying to think of a reason that she
might accept.
"I'm waiting," Grammi said in a singsong voice, her hands on her hips
and her foot tapping.
Tummi swallowed nervously. He knew he couldn't tell Grammi the truth;
as understanding as she was there was no way she would be able to understand
or accept the truth. "I was...going out to check the Gummiberry bushes," he
said. "I wanted to see if we could get some more in before the storm destroys
whatever's left."
Grammi stared at him for a long moment, her eyes boring into his. He
fought the urge to squirm under her gaze knowing that she would catch him in
his lie. "All right Tummi," she said finally, her face and posture relaxing.
"But don't you think you need a basket or something?" she asked, getting
suspicious again.
Fortunately for Tummi, there was a basket laying against the outside of
the Glen from when he was supposed to put them away the other day. "But I do
have one Grammi," he said, holding it up for her to see.
That action cleared the last of Grammi's worry. "Go on Tummi," she said
with a smile and a shooing motion. "But for Heaven's sake, at least try to
bring back more berries than you eat so we don't all have to suffer through
Gruffi's bellyaching."
"I promise Grammi," he said solemnly, holding up two fingers in some
kind of salute. He walked slowly away from the Glen, aware of Grammi's stare
still on him until the path turned and he was out of sight. He stopped for a
moment, listening carefully for anything that would seem out of the ordinary.
When he heard nothing but the wind whistling through the trees, he tossed the
basket aside and headed off the path in a direction that would carry him far
from the Gummiberry bushes.
It was a journey he'd made many times before; he could probably do it
blindfolded if he so chose. Actually quite appropriate if he stopped to think
about it considering just where he was headed. In a short time, the trees
thinned out a little to reveal a small one room cottage. "Tummi!" a gentle,
feminine voice rang out from inside as he approached. "Could you do me a
favor and bring in a bucket of water for me? I didn't bring enough in to make
stew for you as well."
"Sure thing Trina," Tummi said, detouring to the well that sat a few
paces outside her front door. Others might have been surprised or put off by
how she knew it was him before he was even that close to the house, but Tummi
was so used to it by now he didn't even pay it a second thought. Trina was
Tummi's friend and had been for some time now. As a general rule, Gummi Bears
were supposed to keep their existence hidden from humans. But Tummi didn't
really think he'd broken that rule, especially because Trina was blind.
He lowered the bucket into the well and cranked it back up, transferring
the icy water into another bucket that sat on the well's lip. He frowned when
he noticed small chunks of ice floating in the water. "Well's gonna freeze
over soon," he muttered, grabbing the bucket by its rope handle and dragging
it toward the cottage.
"I know Tummi," Trina said as she chopped up more vegetables and meat to
add to the pot simmering on her cookstove. "Seems like it gets colder and
colder every year."
"Tell me about it," Tummi said, pouring the water into the pot without
being asked.
"Thanks Tummi," Trina whispered with a soft smile. She placed the knife
down to the side and picked up her cane. "I hope you don't mind chicken again
tonight. Things have been kind of tough around here since...."
Tummi hurried over and placed his hand on Trina's as it trembled. Just
a month ago her pet, companion, and friend Watcher had met an untimely end
defending her from a stray wolf. Tummi had come by later that day to find her
bent over her fallen friend, tears raining down on his motionless form from
her sightless eyes. Together they had buried him with as much honor as they
could. Trina seemed to be able to move on from it, but Tummi knew that a
piece of her had died that day with Watcher.
On top of that, without Watcher's help she hadn't been able to tend to
her sheep that well. She'd been forced to let one of her family members take
care of them for the time being, though she still did receive the money from
the sale of their wool. She hadn't wanted to take it at first, but Tummi had
made her see that she not only needed the money, she deserved it.
"Thanks Tummi," Trina whispered again, turning her hand palm up so that
she could lace her fingers with his. "I always feel better with you around."
"Just glad to help," Tummi said, knowing full well that he was blushing.
He knew she couldn't see it, but from the blush that dusted her cheeks he had
to wonder if she somehow knew another way. "Oh, that reminds me," he said,
pulling his hand away from hers slowly. Was it just him, or did she let go of
him reluctantly?
"What's on your mind Tummi?" she asked, turning away to add the food to
the cauldron.
Tummi shook his head to clear it, lightly hitting himself for getting
distracted. "There's this big snowstorm heading this way," he explained,
hopping up into a waiting chair. "I came by to see if you needed any help to
get your house ready for it."
"You're very sweet," she said with a smile, "and I thank you for your
concern. But everything's fine, really. This isn't the first winter I've
weathered."
He watched her as she stirred the pot slowly. There was a droop in her
shoulders and a jerkiness in her movements that he hadn't noticed before. "I
feel a 'but' waiting," he said, leaning back in the chair.
"You're learning," Trina returned, a smile touching her lips again, but
this time it seemed more melancholy than before. "I do have everything taken
care of, but well...this is going to be the first Solstice I spend alone in a
few years. It doesn't bother me too much normally but I was wondering if you
wouldn't mind spending it with me?"
"I'd love to," Tummi blurted out before he could even think about it.
He knew he should change his mind before it was too late, but when she spun
around to face him and her entire face lit up with happiness, there was no way
he could take that away from her. "What time should I be here?" he asked
instead.
"Be here about an hour past sunset, if you can manage," she said,
turning back to the pot and stirring the contents more animatedly. "But not a
moment before that! This will be our first Solstice together and I want to
make it really special. That means you can't see what I'm doing until it's
time, got that?"
"But what if you need any help?" Tummi asked. "Two weeks is a long
time and--"
"And my cousin will be visiting," Trina said, cutting him off. "Like
you, she's worried about what I'll do without Watcher. She can't stay long,
especially because she has her own family to take care of. But I'll get her
to help me, tell her it's to help cheer me up. She'll do it, even if she
doesn't understand it."
"If you're sure," he said slowly, but he really wasn't sure about it
himself.
"Don't worry so much Tummi," she laughed. "Trust me, I'll make it all
worthwhile. I'll even have a special present waiting for you when you get
here."
There was something about the way she said that that had Tummi blushing
all over again. The rest of the day passed quickly, too quickly in fact.
He'd meant to spend only an hour there, but it was past sundown by the time
they were done eating and talking. "Oh man," Tummi said when he noticed how
late it was. "I'm gonna be in so much trouble when I get back."
"Sorry to keep you so long," Trina said, her sightless eyes downcast.
"Oh no, don't be," he said, putting a hand on her arm. "It was my fault
and my fault alone. I just hope after this that I'm able to come by for the
Solstice."
"I hope so too," she agreed softly. "But you'd better get going."
Tummi bundled himself up in a hurry and walked over to the door. "Take
care!" he called as he laughed, a sentiment echoed by Trina. A few things
had happened to make him think, and he thought about it so hard that it didn't
really register that he got back to the Glen until he was closing the entrance
behind him. "I hope nobody says anything," he muttered, trying to sneak back
to his room.
He actually did make it back to his room without being seen. But as
soon as he opened his door he found Gruffi sitting on his bed. "And just
where have you been?" Gruffi asked, tapping his foot idly.
"Gruffi!" Tummi said before remembering to cover his surprise. "I was
checking the Gummiberry bushes to--"
"Save it," Gruffi interrupted, hopping off the bed. "I know you weren't
there because I was there looking for you over two hours ago."
"Well you see, I--"
"I don't want to hear any of your excuses," Gruffi interrupted again.
"Are you going to give me a straight answer or not?" Tummi looked around the
room at everything except Gruffi, making the brown bear sigh. "Fine, since
you don't want to answer me, then you'll have to pull double the chores you
missed tomorrow."
"Double?" Tummi protested, getting ready to argue his case. But then
he realized that the extra chores would help the two weeks until the Solstice
go by faster. "All right Gruffi," he said instead. "I'll do it."
Gruffi crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to hear any...all
right Gruffi?" he repeated, surprised. "You mean you're not going to try and
talk your way out of it?"
Tummi shook his head, walking over to his bed. "I was wrong, I lied, so
I'm just going to take my punishment. You're always after me to grow up and
take responsibility, right Gruffi?"
"Right," Gruffi said, his eyes narrowed. He wasn't as good at spotting
deception as Grammi was, but he was no slouch either. Still, he didn't detect
any kind of hidden agenda from Tummi so he just nodded and gave him what was
as close to a smile as he could. "I'm proud of you Tummi," he said, walking
over and clapping the younger bear on his back. "Tell you what, if you do a
good job tomorrow morning, I'll rethink the afternoon chores."
"Don't worry about it Gruffi," Tummi said with a yawn. "I said I'd do
it and I'll do it. I just need a good night's rest to make sure I can handle
it, that's all."
Gruffy left the bedroom and closed the door behind him softly as Tummi
got under the covers. "Well imagine that," he said, a smile on his face.
"Seems to me the kid really isn't going to be a kid much longer."
As promised, Tummi threw himself into his chores the next morning,
surprising everyone with his earnestness. He only stopped for lunch before
attacking what was left for the afternoon. He was so into his chores that he
almost missed dinner, something that had the whole Glen speechless and Grammi
checking him for a fever.
A few days passed in this manner until it happened that Tummi had
nothing left to do. It wasn't for lack of asking, but there was literally
nothing left. It even got to the point where Gruffi was fixing things
multiple times just to keep keep himself busy. Once he even fixed the same
chair three times! It was becoming obvious to Tummi that they had the same
idea, just different focus. Tummi was trying to make the time pass quickly,
Gruffi was trying to forget his problems with Ursa. Fortunately everyone else
was so busy worrying about Gruffi that they didn't really pay attention to
him. Never had he been so happy to be ignored.
As a result, he was left with a lot of time to do nothing but think.
That's when he realized even though Trina had said she was planning a special
present for him, he had nothing for her. That just wasn't right, especially
for the first Solstice celebration he was spending with her. But he had no
idea what he could get her. He hoped that maybe he could find an answer in
the Great Book. After all, Zummi had often said the Great Book held an answer
to any question.
He hurried himself over to Zummi's study and searched for anything that
she might like. He read a lot of new and fascinating things, but nothing
jumped out at him as something that fit her. The next day yielded the same
results. He was almost ready to give up at the end of the third day, but just
as he was about to close the book in his frustration, his eyes saw something
interesting. "The Orb of Sight," he read aloud, moving the candle closer to
the book so that he could read it easier.
"Tummi, is that you in there?" Zummi asked pushing the door open.
"What are you doing in here so late?"
"Oh, hey there Zummi," Tummi said, trying not to show how startled he
was. "Am I keeping you up or anything?"
Zummi shook his head, stifling a yawn. "No, I was cust jurious...I mean
just curious who was in here so much. Can I help you look for something?"
"Nah, I'm good. I'll go to bed in a few minutes, I just need to copy
this down. And don't worry," Tummi added, "I won't leave a candle burning on
it." They both smiled at the reminder of perhaps Gruffi's worst moment and
Zummi shuffled off to his bedroom, muttering something about needing sleep to
do something important.
Tummi waited until the door was closed to look back at the Book. "The
Orb of Sight," he read again. "High in the mountains near Ursalia lived the
Blind Wizard of Ice, Err by name. Legends hold that he spent most of his life
in that cave creating an orb by which he could restore his sight. He is said
to have completed it with his dying breath thus never actually being able to
use it.
"The Orb is still in that cave, waiting for someone to come and claim
it. The cave spews out a constant wind so frigid it can freeze your nose
right off your face, so it's not hard to find. But finding it and escaping
from it are two different matters. Of those who have tried as of the moment
I am writing this, none have returned."
Tummi sighed and closed the Book. This was it, the perfect present to
give her. But to get it for her, he'd have to risk his life. Was she really
so important to him that he would risk dying just to get her a Solstice
present? He knew the answer before he even finished asking the question: she
was. Why she was, he didn't have an answer for. But she was just the same.
It took him a couple days to get his gear ready; he was trying to be as
discreet as possible so as not to arouse suspicion. Turned out it wouldn't
have mattered anyway. Everyone had suddenly become rather obsessed with
helping Gruffi to reconnect with Ursa. He was a little upset that they hadn't
asked him for help, but he wasn't about to draw attention to himself over it.
On the night three nights before the Solstice, Tummi waited until
everyone had gone to bed before making his move. He dressed as warmly as he
could, wearing a sweatshirt that Grammi had knitted for him under a fluffy
coat. He didn't know if this would be enough to keep him warm, but wearing
anything else would limit his mobility.
He padded over to the Quickcar tunnels and released one of the cars from
its night mooring. It took a bit of luck to get it on the track seeing as he
was the only one doing it and trying to do so quietly. But he was soon on his
way, holding onto the steering wheel for dear life.
The trip took longer than he remembered, not that he had been to Ursalia
that much anyway. But still, the ride just never seemed to end. It was so
late at night that he would have surely fallen asleep if not for the fact that
he was so scared by the speed and the loops. But finally he arrived at his
destination, the sudden stop nearly vaulting him from his seat if it wasn't
for his seatbelt.
"Who goes there?" a rough, gravelly voice asked from the shadows.
"Just me," Tummi said as he exited the car. Then, as if realizing that
the one in the shadows might not recognize his voice, he added, "Tummi from
Gummi Glen."
"Isn't it a little late for a Glen bear to be in this neck of the
tunnels?" Gritti asked, walking out into the torchlight. "Especially one as
soft as you? Or did you just come all this way to sneak some food because
Grammi caught you in her pantry again?"
Now Tummi knew he was heavy, "big boned" as he liked to call himself,
but that was no reason to call him soft. "I'm not here for any trouble," he
said, walking over to stand nose-to-nose with Gritti. "But don't you ever say
that about me again."
Gritti was surprised. Tummi was the most laid back bear in the Glen,
next to maybe Gusto. While he could never adapt that lifestyle himself, he
did have a measure of respect for how Tummi was able to let the unimportant
things go and not stress out over them. Now if he could only teach that to a
certain couple of stubborn bears. "Easy kid," he said, actually taking a step
back from the fuming bear. "I didn't mean anything by it."
"Yeah well," Tummi started before his shoulders slumped. "Look," he
said more calmly, "I'm here on a very important mission. There's something I
have to do in the mountains and I have to get back before the sun comes up.
So please, just let me go."
"Those mountains are a dangerous place," Gritti said, eyeing Tummi as
the Glen bear picked up the gear he'd stowed in the Quickcar. "A lot of
things live there that would have no trouble snapping you up and having you
for dinner, and I don't mean as a guest."
"Doesn't matter," Tummi said, struggling to secure his gear. "This is
something I have to do so don't try and talk me out of it."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Gritti said, his estimation of Tummi going up a
few notches. "I was going to offer to go with you however. Two bears put up
a better fight than one. And I do a lot of my training in these mountains and
know pretty much everything about them. How does that sound?"
Tummi's first reaction was to refuse outright and just be on his way.
But on second thought, it would certainly cut down his searching time if
Gritti could get him there. "It depends," Tummi said slowly. "Have you ever
found a cave that always has a cold wind coming out of it?"
Gritti blinked at Tummi with his one good eye and laughed. "Found it?
It's my favorite place to be in the summer!" he exclaimed. "Of course I
never actually went inside, much too cold for that. But nothing beats sitting
just outside the mouth on a scorcher. Is that where you need to go?"
"Yeah, there's something really important inside that I have to get,"
Tummi confirmed.
"I don't know if you can make it," Gritti said honestly. When he saw
the affronted look on Tummi's face, he was quick to continue. "Easy there.
That climb's tough for me even on a good day. With the way the storms are
swirling around it'll be dangerous at best, fatal at worst."
A brief flicker of fear crossed Tummi's eyes, but it was quickly
replaced by determination. "Doesn't matter," he repeated. "I'll get there no
matter what it takes."
Gritti nodded, the same determination on his face. "And I'll be the one
to get you there," he promised. "The shift change comes about five minutes
from now. I'll meet you outside the gates in fifteen." Tummi smiled his
thanks and hurried out of the Quickcar station, lumbering a little because of
the gear he'd brought. It was heavier than he thought to be carrying it all
at once and he hoped it wouldn't be for nothing.
The streets of Ursalia were pretty deserted, and the guards manning the
gates barely gave him a glance as he waited for Gritti. After all, if someone
was a threat they likely wouldn't be inside the city already just standing
around. The night was cold and dark, but Tummi could still see the clouds
that hid the nearby mountaintops from view. The fear he'd felt before
returned, a little stronger this time, but was once again squashed by his
determination. "No," he whispered to himself, "I am not going to back out of
this."
"Glad to hear it," Gritti said, making Tummi spin around. The Barbic
was outfitted with much the same gear as Tummi had, but he bore its weight a
lot easier and more comfortably. "Come on," he said, signalling for the gates
to be opened. "We've got about seven hours till sunrise. It's an hour's
climb to the cave and at least that much back down with all the snow. I don't
know what you have to do there but something tells me it might take a while."
Tummi nodded and followed him outside the city. Gritti led them down
the path a little ways but soon diverted from it, heading off onto an incline.
It was fairly steep and slippery with ice, making them lose their footing more
than once. Tummi was having a harder time of it than Gritti, so much so that
he once slid halfway back down before he could stop himself. He was suddenly
very grateful for all the layers he had on; his stomach could have easily been
torn open by the jagged rocks.
Gritti squated down next to him as Tummi pulled himself up to his feet.
"Look kid," he said, earning a glare from Tummi. "Hey, I call everyone who's
younger than me a kid so don't take it personally," he said defensively.
"Anyway, if you're having trouble here, maybe you should rethink this. It's
only going to get tougher. Why don't you tell me what you need and I'll get
it for you."
"No!" Tummi all but yelled, the glare intensifying as he brushed his
way past Gritti. "I'm going to get this and no one's gonna stop me. You got
that?"
"Loud and clear," Gritti said, finding that he had to stop himself from
saluting. The more he saw of Tummi, the more he was impressed. A few of the
bears under his command could learn a thing or two from him, and Gritti never
thought such a thing lightly. "But uh, you do have to wait for me or have you
suddenly figured out the right way to go?"
The rest of the climb was just as Gritti had said, each part tougher
than the last. But Tummi perservered through it all, though it occasionally
took him more than one try to get through. Instead of the hour Gritti had
predicted, it had taken nearly two to reach the ledge where the cave opened.
"Finally," Tummi gasped, falling facefirst to the snow covered ground. "Just
give me a minute...to rest."
"Take your time," Gritti said, plopping down next to Tummi and letting
his own pack fall to the ground. He peered up at the dark clouds that
obscured the moonlight, shivering as there seemed to be more of them now
than when they had set out. "But not too much," he added reluctantly. "You
think it was hard getting up here? It'll be that much worse when the snow
starts. And unless I don't understand every lesson Grubbi ever gave me, it
should hit in about an hour."
Tummi nodded tiredly, not wanting to waste valuable energy speaking. He
laid still for no more than five minutes before standing up with a groan.
"You stay here," he said, shrugging off most of his gear. "I'll be back as
soon as I can."
"What are you talking about? I thought we were in this together?"
"You asked me if you could help get me here," Tummi pointed out, "not if
you could help me get this thing. I'm sorry Gritti, but this is something I
absolutely have to do on my own. No time to argue," he added, jogging heavily
toward the mouth of the cave before Gritti could muster up any protest. "The
faster I'm done here the faster we can get back."
Gritti just watched as Tummi disappeared inside the cave, not knowing if
he should be worried about Tummi's safety or praising his guts. He settled
for somewhere in the middle. "I hope she's worth it kid," he muttered,
picking up their gear and stowing it in the lee of the ledge.
As soon as he stepped in front of the cave, Tummi was battered by a
frigid wind, just like he had been warned to expect. It was so cold that the
snow on his jacket was freezing over into heavy clumps of ice. He shook free
of them irritably before they could immobilize him and looked around.
If he didn't know he was inside a mountain, Tummi would've sworn that he
was in an iceberg or something. Every single surface was either coated in or
made from ice. Tables, chairs, bookcases, even the walls all looked like some
of the greatest handiwork of Jack Frost himself. Though he was shivering from
the intense cold despite all his layers, Tummi couldn't help but admire the
simple beauty that surrounded him.
On a raised dais in the center of the room sat a perfect sphere of the
clearest ice Tummi had ever seen. "That's gotta be the Orb," he rationalized,
carefully walking toward it on the icy floor. As he got closer to it, he
realized that anything he saw through the Orb itself was crystal clear; he
could even see the individual snowflakes that dusted the icy wall. He reached
out with his hand, taking hold of the Orb to lift it free of its moorings.
"THIEF!"
Tummi whirled around at the cry so fast that he lost his footing,
falling to his back and sliding into the nearest wall. It was a good thing he
did though because that slip made the blast of icy magic that had been aimed
at his head to miss. "What the...?" he wondered before he had to dodge out of
the way of another frozen bolt.
"What's going on in there?" Gritti yelled from the mouth of the cave.
"Oh ho! So you brought along a gang huh?" The disembodied voice said,
its deep tones booming off the walls. A spell flew at the cave's entrance,
sealing it with a sheet of blue ice half a foot thick. "They won't save you
now!"
"Gritti!" Tummi yelled, hurrying over the to frozen barrier as fast as
he could. "Are you all right?"
Gritti pounded on the ice, grunting as all he did was hurt his fist and
freeze his fur. "Don't worry," he said, hefting up one of the pickaxes Tummi
had lugged along and chipping away at the ice. "I'll get you out of there."
"The only thing you'll be getting is frozen!" the voice said from just
behind Tummi. Tummi tried to make a break for it, but he was lifted off the
ground from behind and tossed hard back near the Orb. "No one steals from the
great Err!"
Tummi picked himself painfully off the ground, leaning against the dais
for support. Heavy footsteps crunched against the frozen floor and he looked
around to see his attacker. If the rumors about Err's demise weren't true, he
was expecting to see a man well past a century of age, stooped over by the
forces of time, dressed in a primarily white or blue robe with a pointed hat
covering a bald head and a wand in the shape of an icicle.
What he saw shocked him. Before him stood a man who couldn't have been
older than twenty-five with long whitish-blue hair and piercing silver eyes.
A well-trimmed mustache and beard framed the angry snarl on his lips as he
glared at Tummi. He stood at least six and a half feet tall and had more
muscles showing than most of the Barbics put together. His clothing was more
in the Greek style of togas and sandals than standard wizarding wear, and
there was no wand to be seen. Tummi did notice the nimbuses of blue light
that surrounded his clenched fists however.
Tummi started to edge toward the walls, but then did a double-take. The
man's eyes were still glaring at him, following his every move. "Hey!" he
said, startling the wizard. "Who are you supposed to be?"
"Didn't you hear me the first time?" the man demanded, waving his hands
in Tummi's direction. The ice around Tummi's feet rose up and grabbed him,
covering him up to his waist. "I am Err! The great wizard of ice!"
"You can't be Err!" Tummi exclaimed, his feet going numb from the ice
that encased his lower body.
The man loomed over him, making Tummi bend over backward to keep some
space between them. "And why not?"
"Because you're not blind," Tummi said with more conviction than he
felt. "And you're not dead either."
The man rubbed his beard thoughtfully as he sat backward, an icy chair
rising up to meet him. "You must be talking about great-grandfather Fros," he
said finally. "I'm Glay. Glay C. Err, sixth generation ice wizard."
"P-pleasure to meet y-you," Tummi said through his chattering teeth.
Glay frowned and the ice holding Tummi prisoner fell away in a shower of
snow crystals. "I think there's been a misunderstanding here," he said,
watching Tummi warily. "Tell me, what led you here today?"
"A long, long story," Tummi said, shaking some ice off his fur. He then
told Glay everything: Trina, their plans to celebrate the Solstice together,
needing a gift for her, finding the legend of the Orb making sure to mention
that it said the Orb was just there waiting to be claimed, and his journey
here. "And that's the whole story. If I'd known you were here, I would have
never even tried to take the Orb."
Glay drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair as he thought
about what he'd heard. "You know what? I believe you."
"You do?"
Glay nodded and stood up, the chair melting back into the floor. "When
someone lies, their body gives off more heat. In a place like this that means
steam will rise off whatever's exposed. You're not steaming any more than
normal, so I believe you."
Tummi really didn't understand what he was talking about, but as long as
the human was ok with it, so was he. "So, does this mean I can go home now?"
he asked hopefully.
Glay nodded with a smile. "I will not hold any ill will toward you
because your intentions are pure. But next time," he added wryly, "don't
assume that anything you read is automatically true, no matter where you get
it from."
Tummi agreed vigorously. "Don't worry," he promised, "I'll never make
that mistake again."
The wizard regarded Tummi with an intense gaze, making Tummi want to
fidget like a naughty child. "I cannot give you the Orb," he said softly,
"but perhaps there is something I can do for you." He held out his hand and
allowed his magic to gather above it, coalescing into a sphere of blue magic.
The energy swirled and spiraled chaotically until it froze into a miniature
version of the one sitting on the dais. "This will allow your Trina to gain
sight for a little while," he said, taking Tummi's hand and placing the icy
ball in it. "But be warned, just as this is not as powerful as the Orb, it is
also not as sturdy. Keep it frozen or it will melt away."
"I will," Tummi said, wrapping the small orb in oilskin to protect it.
"And thank you."
"If you really want to thank me, don't be a stranger. These mountains
get very lonely you know."
"I don't live around here, but I can try to visit at least a little."
Tummi waved as he walked toward the mouth of the cave but stopped as a thought
occurred to him. "Say, can I ask you a question?"
"Let me guess," Glay cut him off with a knowing grin, "you want to know
why I look like this, right?" When Tummi just nodded, he laughed warmly.
"Yeah, I get that a lot from the other elemental wizards. Every time we have
a conference, they all put bets on just how much weight I can lift.
"Anyway, as I said I'm a sixth generation ice wizard. The first five
did just about everything with ice that can be done. When I learned all I
could from the notes they left, there wasn't much else for me to do. So I
started to train my body just as a way of passing the time. And as you can
see, I'm quite proud of the results."
Tummi couldn't argue that point as Glay struck a poseo to make his
muscles stick out more than normal, so he didn't even try to. "Well, I'll be
going now," he said instead. "Take care!"
"You too my friend," Glay called as Tummi made his way toward the mouth
of the cave. "And tell your friend outside that he's more than welcome to
join you on your visits and not just sit outside in the summer."
"I will!" Then, as Tummi realized who Glay was talking about, he
yelled, "Gritti!"
Gritti had been trying to free Tummi this whole time, focusing solely on
what he needed to do. But no matter how much he chipped and slashed at that
icy barricade, it always restored itself. His arms and lungs were burning
from the exertion, made worse by the cold and thin air. "Don't worry...
Tummi..." he gasped, forcing himself to heft that pickaxe onto his shoulder
one more time. "I'll...."
Tummi appeared on the other side of the wall so suddenly that Gritti
fell back in surprise. "Are you OK Gritti?" Tummi asked, walking through the
ice like it wasn't even there.
"What in the name of the Great Gummies...?" Gritti wondered aloud,
looking from Tummi to the ice and back again. "How did you do that?"
Tummi looked back at the ice as if he'd forgotten it was there. "I
don't know," he said, tucking his precious gift away carefully in his bag.
"But then, I'm not complaining either."
"Good idea." Gritti shoved the pickaxe away and sat up slowly, still
trying to catch his second wind. Or was it his third? "I don't know how
we're going to make it down the mountain before sunrise with this storm about
to break," he muttered, glaring at the clouds as a snowflake fell on his nose.
"Oh I wouldn't worry about that," Tummi said, pulling two small vials
from the inside of his clothing, kept against his fur to keep the red liquid
inside from freezing in the harsh atmosphere.
Gritti eyes widened far beyond what Tummi thought they should be capable
of as his pupils shrank to pinpoints. "No way," he said, fear giving him the
strength to get up. "No chance. You are not getting me to drink that!"
All the way back at Ursalia, the guards on the gate were having trouble
staying awake. It was another quiet night, as most nights were. Conversation
about the setup currently taking place to help Ursa out could only be held up
for so long before paranoia set in about her somehow overhearing them. Ursa
always did seem to know when another Barbic was talking about her.
A piercing scream of mortal terror rang through the darkness, instantly
snapping them all alert. "What was that?" one of them asked as it sounded
again, closer now than it was before.
They all listened closely, trying to determine where the screams were
coming from. One of them frowned in distaste as he heard it again. "Bah,
it's just Gritti experimenting with Gummiberry Juice again," he said, slumping
down against the wall.
The others nodded as they could now recognize the unfortunately familiar
screams. "I wish he'd give up already," a third muttered. "He might be one
of our best fighters, but you'd think he'd have figured out his limits by now.
At least once a week he tries to give us all a heart attack with his foolhardy
attempts."
"Good luck getting him to stop," the first one said. "He's every bit as
stubborn as Ursa is when it comes to stuff like this. Maybe we should find
him a girlfriend to get him to settle down." The three shared a short laugh
at the improbability of that happening, stoking the bed of coals that kept
them warm.
At the base of the mountain, Gritti groaned as he pulled his head out of
the snowbank he'd landed on. "If you ever do that again," he growled, glaring
at Tummi, "I'll tell Ursa that you want to learn sparring from her."
Tummi bounced lightly on his feet as he followed Gritti back to Ursalia,
unable to keep the smile off his face. It wasn't that he was discounting
Gritti's threat. Far from it in fact. But the thought of how Trina would
like his gift more than balanced any worry that Gritti's words caused.
Soon enough they reached the Quickcar station under Ursalia, both glad
that their adventure was over. "Take care kid," Gritti said, passing Tummi
his gear after he'd buckled himself in. "And let me know if she likes her
present."
"I will," Tummi said, reaching for the release lever. But just as his
hand closed around it he realized what Gritti said. "How did you...?" he
asked, turning his head to look at the Barbic.
Gritti just laughed at the expression on Tummi's face. "I may only have
one eye, but I'm not blind. A bear only goes through what you did when it's
for the woman he's in love with."
"In...love?" Tummi pressed one hand over his heart, which had begun to
beat rapidly at Gritti's words. "I'm...in love with Trina? I'm in love with
Trina!" he breathed, his heart warming at the revelation
Gritti frowned just a little bit at that name; it didn't sound like any
Gummi name he was familiar with. "Get home safe Tummi," he said, quashing any
doubts he held for the moment as he sent Tummi on his way. "And you'd better
not lose it after everything we went through to get it!"
This time, Tummi was oblivious to Gritti's words as he sped through the
Quicktunnels. This was love? All those weird feelings that filled his body
whenever he was around her or just thought of her? It all made sense now, it
was like a blindfold had been lifted from his eyes. Sunni was right, being in
love was the most wonderful feeling he could ever conceive of.
But Trina was a human, and he was a Gummi Bear. That simple truth his
mind presented himself with all but deflated his enthusiasm. It would never
work, could never work. He wouldn't be surprised if she became afraid of him
or angry at him as soon as she saw him with the Orb. He really couldn't blame
her; they had known each other for a long time now and he had still yet to
trust her with the truth. Of course, he could just not give it to her, not
let her know anything....
Tummi banished that thought before he could follow it to the end. That
would be selfish, and though he didn't know a lot about love he did know that
being selfish wasn't a part of it. He would give her something she had always
wanted, even if it meant that he lost his own happiness in the process. And
besides, Trina wasn't like other humans. With a bit of luck, she'd accept him
as he was and nothing would change between them.
* * *
Keeping his plans a secret had been easier than he'd thought, Tummi
reflected as he pushed himself up off the roots of the tree, brushing off the
snow that had fallen on his body while he rested. As soon as he'd reached the
Glen he'd hidden the Orb in a deep snowdrift, making sure to keep it frozen.
No one had realized he'd been gone all night, or if they had they hadn't said
anything. They'd even let him sleep in the next morning, figuring he deserved
it after all the hard work he'd been doing. And when he said he wouldn't be
joining them in Ursalia, no one even bothered to question his decision.
He stared at the leather pouch in his hands, the same old questions
rising up in his mind. Grumbling a little, he pushed them away and focused
just on putting one foot in front of the other. He'd already spent way too
much time over the past few days wondering if he was doing the right thing.
It was time to trust his instincts and let whatever would happen do just that.
Tummi hurried down the path as fast as he thought was safe. His little
rest delay hadn't been so little; he would definitely reach her house later
than he'd planned. Trina would probably think that the storm held him up, but
he didn't want her to worry too badly. And as he finally came within sight of
the house, he could see her shadow pacing back and front by the window. "I'm
here!" he called as he skidded to a stop by her door.
"Tummi!" Trina said gratefully, a smile replacing the frown that had
been on her face for some minutes now. "You're late," she scolded softly as
she opened the door for him. "Now come inside before you freeze."
"Sorry," he apologized as he started to shrug out of his many layers.
"That snow is falling a lot faster than I thought."
"I know, I can hear it on the roof," Trina said, taking his stuff and
putting on a nearby peg. "For a while there I thought you wouldn't make it."
"Nothing was going to keep me away tonight."
"I'm certainly glad to hear that. Now come on, the food's almost ready
and I've made enough for us both."
Tummi waited until she had taken hold of her cane before walking to the
table, absentmindedly hanging his pouch on the peg next to his coats,
completely forgetting about what was inside of it. "I can't wait," he said
as he hopped up on his chair. "I've been looking forward to this all week."
"Glad to hear I'm not the only one," Trina said, fixing a large plate
for him and balancing it in one hand. "And don't you even think about helping
me," she said, hearing his weight shift in his chair.
Tummi sighed and sat back, but said nothing as she set the plate on the
table in front of him. While she got her own, he looked around and noticed a
few things that he hadn't before. Colorful plants decorated the corners and
walls, lending the rather plain cottage a festive, cheerful look. He wondered
why they were there since Trina could not see them, but one deep breath told
him. Despite the delicious smells of the food in front of him, his nose could
pick out the scents of cinnamon and many other spices he could not name. The
smell of the plants added to the happy feel of the place even more than the
sight.
Dinner was wonderful; Trina had really gone all out that night. There
was turkey, ham, mutton, corn, roasted potatoes, and enough gravy to cover it
all. He knew this kind of food cost a lot of money, especially around this
time of year. He also knew that it was money Trina really didn't have. He
felt a little bad that she had spent so much on him, but it also made him feel
special in a way he really hadn't before. "That was fabulous," he said,
rubbing his happy stomach.
"Yes it was," Trina agreed, sounding a little surprised herself. "It's
the first time I've ever tried something this big by myself, and I'm glad it
turned out so well. I was...really nervous it wouldn't."
"You didn't have to go through all this trouble," Tummi said, though the
sentiment was ruined by the large belch that followed.
Trina laughed and Tummi found his heart giving a little flutter. "But
you're certainly glad I did, aren't you?" she asked with a knowing smile.
She stood up to gather the plates for washing, but Tummi beat her to it. "And
what's all this about?"
"You cooked, I clean." Tummi could see a blush on her face as she
realized that he was just offering to do his share, not because he felt she
couldn't.
"Just pile everything in the corner for now," Trina said, sitting back
down. "It's too cold to go out there tonight and take care of them; they'll
keep til morning. And could you check to see if the door is closed? I think
I hear some melted snow dripping in."
Tummi's heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way, as he too picked up
the sound of water dripping. He almost dropped the dishes before scrambling
over to where he had hung his present inside the nice, warm house. "Oh no,"
he whispered, picking up the pouch and finding it full of only water and wet
oilskin. "How could I be so careless?"
"What's wrong?" Trina asked, feeling along the table for where she'd
put her cane. "Tummi?"
"It's your present, or what's left of it," Tummi said, dropping the
pouch out of the window where it landed with a squelch.
Trina cocked her head to the side as she stood up, walking over to
Tummi's side. "You got me ice?" she asked, the hint of a smile playing at
the corners of her lips.
"Not just any ice. Magic ice. Ice that could've let you see for a
while."
Trina kneeled down and ran her hands lightly over his face, frowning as
she felt his dejected expression. "Oh Tummi," she murmured, "thank you. That
was probably the most thoughtful gift anyone's ever gotten for me, even if it
did melt before I could use it."
"Sorry--"
"No need to apologize," Trina said, trying to push his lips into a
smile. "To be honest I probably wouldn't have used it anyway. I've never
been able to see Tummi, so I can't miss what I never had. But if I used that
ice, I'd suddenly know everything that I didn't have and it would almost be
torture for me to lose it again."
"I never thought about it like that," Tummi said, now feeling worse than
before.
Trina chuckled a little as she stood up. "Most people don't. But don't
worry, I'm not mad or anything. It's the thought that counts, and I know your
heart was in the right place." She walked back over to the stove but stopped
after a few steps, her mouth falling open in surprise. "Oh Tummi," she
breathed, her hand coming up to cover her heart.
"What's wrong?" Tummi asked, hurrying over to her side.
"Nothing's wrong," she said with a small smile. "I just realized
something very important. Now go back to the table," she added, nudging him a
little with her cane. "From the smell of things, your present is just about
ready. And don't even think about refusing either. This is something I've
thought about long and hard. And after tonight, I'm sure I want you to have
it."
Tummi watched Trina as she made her way back to the stove, picking up a
clean rag and using it to open up a door set into the side. He tried to think
of some way he could change her mind, but a piercing glare sent in his general
direction sent him scurrying back to the table. "You've already done so
much," he tried, but another, angrier glare closed his mouth. "Shutting up
now."
"Good," Trina said and Tummi was suddenly reminded of the time they had
tried to teach Igthorn a lesson. She clearly knew what she was doing, and it
was best to just go along with it. She reached into the door and pulled out a
steaming hot pie, using the rag to carry it to protect her hands. "I hope I
got the recipe right," she said, walking over to him slowly since she could
not use her cane with both hands busy. "It's the first time I've made this."
Confusion was a good word for what Tummi was feeling right now. All
this talk of a special present and it was a pie? She had made him pies before
and though they were really good, he didn't know if he could call them special
really. She had obviously spent a lot of time and a great deal of care on it,
so the least he could do was try it and make her feel good about it. "Looks
great," he said enthusiastically as it was set down in front of him.
"Just try it, would you?" she groused, folding her arms over her chest.
"Trust me, this pie holds a special surprise."
Tummi shrugged and dug in, not really knowing what to expect. The pie
was good, really good in fact. But on top of that, it was familiar. It was
something that he'd had many times in the past, but never here and never this
good. When he realized exactly what it was he was eating, he couldn't help
but blurt out in surprise, "Gummiberry pie?"
"That's right Tummi," Trina confirmed as he clapped his hands over his
mouth, "Gummiberry pie. Fitting, isn't it? Especially seeing that you're a
Gummi Bear."
It was as if someone had stuck him back in the icy cave with no
protection but his fur. "A...Gummi Bear?" he asked weakly, his voice
sounding foreign to his own ears. "There's no such--"
"Save it Tummi, I'm not stupid. I didn't know it when I first met you,
but the more you came over the more I was able to piece things together. I'd
say I've known for about a year now."
"If you knew, why didn't you say anything?" Tummi couldn't help but
ask.
"Because I was hoping you would," she admitted, turning around and
shuffling toward where she'd left her cane. "I kept hoping you would trust me
enough to tell me on your own. When that didn't happen, I admit I was a
little disappointed. But I didn't want to tell you I knew because I was
afraid I'd scare you off."
Tummi couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Exactly why I didn't want to
tell you. But I figured with the Solstice celebration and everything, I
wasn't just going to tell you, I was going to show you."
"Yeah, that was the realization I came to just before I noticed your pie
was done. It was the last little push I needed to go through with it."
"But why now? What made you decide to tell me now?"
Trina picked her cane up and twirled it around slowly in her hands,
keeping her back to him. "I came to a conclusion recently. More and more, I
found myself waiting for you to return, even to the point of counting the days
until you showed up again. It felt like if you weren't around, I couldn't be
happy anymore.
"I confided all this in my cousin one day, leaving out a few particulars
as you might guess. She stopped me before I even finished and told me the one
thing I had not expected to hear. Despite the fact that you were keeping an
important secret from me, she told me that I'd fallen completely in love with
you."
Tummi's fork fell to the floor, his grip loosening in his surprise. She
loved him? She actually loved him? He was stunned speechless. Even though
she knew he was a Gummi Bear she still loved him? He felt like a fool for
ever doubting her, for not trusting her. He was already trying to think up
ways to make it up to her when her hand was suddenly on his cheek.
"Tummi?" she whispered, her fingertips gliding over his face almost
desperately. His silence was worrying her. She had hoped for him to declare
that he loved her too, but had expected him to come up with twenty different
reasons why it wouldn't work. Even that would have been better than silence;
the quiet told her nothing.
It took a moment for Tummi to realize what was worrying her so. As her
fingertips skimmed over his lips he smiled and kissed them, making her gasp.
"I love you too Trina," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear him.
"Oh Tummi," she sobbed happily, dropping down to her knees in front of
him. She held her arms open toward him and he jumped into her, embracing her
as she held onto him. "I expected you to tell me you couldn't love me," she
murmured in his ear.
"I thought you'd say the same thing," Tummi said, sniffling away his own
tears. "But then I never thought I'd find anyone to love, or who would love
me back."
"I do love you Tummi. And we'll find a way to make this work, I promise
you that."
Tummi nodded and moved back just a little to look at her. "I'll hold
you to that," he said with a laugh. "With everything going on back home, I
know how much work a relationship can be."
Trina's eyebrow arched a little as she ran her hands up to his cheeks.
"Is that what we have now? A relationship?"
"Well, that's what I'm hoping we have," he answered nervously. "Isn't
that what you want too?"
"Oh it is," Trina agreed with a giggle. "But as far as I know, a
relationship like this doesn't really begin until we kiss."
All the blood drained from Tummi's face and his heart fluttered so fast
he could hardly distinguish one beat from the next. "K-kiss?" he repeated,
trying to moisten his lips with a tongue suddenly gone dry.
Her sightless eyes seemed to sparkle as she tilted his face up to hers.
"Yes Tummi," she whispered, "a kiss. You know...this."
When Trina's lips touched his, it was as if time itself had ceased to
exist. For such a simple gesture, it communicated more than he could
comprehend even if he spent his whole life trying. But he found he didn't
really want to. This was love, and he loved it. True, there weren't any of
the fireworks he'd heard Sunni talk about, but the Earth was definitely moving
under his feet. In that single moment, he knew that everything he had gone
through, everything they would go through, had been and would be all worth it. (
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