coexistence

Harmonic Coexistence

by David Goodin

Long ago, in a land long since forgotten, there existed vast races of peoples who, for the most part, were innocent of the wrongs that are inflicted upon us in this day and age. There were no large cities or towns that we are accustomed to seeing, and the air was as clean as on the day that the whole earth was set into place…middle-earth that is. What is middle-earth, you ask? Well, now. That takes us back hundreds of years to a time when man was young, innocent, and looking for the meanings and purposes of life. What times those were! Times when one could run, happy and care-free through endless fields covered with lilies, lilacs, daisies, buttercups, dandy-lions, and other wondrous things that have been ripped away - torn from their environments and left to die on the cold, hard streets of today. We look back and say, "What have we done? Where did we go wrong?" Many long to know what it would have been like living in the days of the yesteryears of middle-earth, but alas, it is too late. "What a shame!" they say. "Oh, how those times would have bettered the world!" And they would have, if only our predecessors would have known what pollution and destruction that their new 'technology' would have caused. I will tell you the reason of my longing for remembrance of those ages. I will tell you a story that will touch both the heart and the mind. It will display to you what it would have been like had we only remained loyal in doing the thing that we all knew best: good, hard work. My story begins at the time when middle-earth was just beginning to become populated by the race of people that were called dwarves. Now, a dwarf is not the handsomest of creatures, but then again, that all depends on to whom he is being compared. And in this case that certain 'whom' that I am referring to is the elf. So noble and handsome was the elf, that any other creature that it was compared to always was judged to be the uglier of the two, no matter how fine his attire. Why, you ask, am I telling you all this? Well, it happens to be the first example of why our society is the way it is today. The dwarves were quick to anger, and were soon jealous of the elves' tremendous reputation of being so handsome. This started a feud between those two races. It seemed as if this feud would never end, as long as they existed together on the same earth and planet. If only the dwarves and the elves would have been willing to work to solve their problems, they might have been able to end the life-long feud. My story involves an elf and a dwarf who neither knew nor cared enough about their differences to become anything less than the best of friends. Now, it begins:

Young Lindlek woke suddenly from a peaceful dream to the sound of loud footsteps. They were coming from the hard oak flooring of the kitchen in the small log cabin that was his home. His first instinct was to hide wherever he could to get away from the sound that he concluded to be that of immediate danger.

"Where shall I hide?" he thought to himself. "I've got it! I shall hide in the closet! No one could find me there. Wait, I hear more than one person coming! They shall find me for sure if I remain here! It looks as if I shall have to hide in the basement." This, he did and with as much haste as was possible for his young and rather feeble legs.

At one end of the room there lay a large carpet. Lindlek ran over to it and moved it aside. He lifted up the loose boards on the floor and jumped down into the darkness and immediate safety of the basement. He looked above him, "Blast! I've forgotten to cover the hole over again! Maybe I've still got time!" Saying this to himself, Lindlek climbed up on an old chest and put the boards back into place.

Even as he was falling back to the basement floor, he heard the men burst into his room. "They must be looking for something valuable that we possess," he thought, "Maybe they will leave without doing my family any harm." Just as he was thinking this, there was a very loud crash followed by the terrible sound of breaking glass. "Mother's antiques! I will be blamed if they are stolen! I must do something, and quickly!" Picking up the little courage that he felt within himself, Lindlek climbed once again on the chest and slowly lifted the floor boards he had earlier torn away in extreme haste.

Lindlek was determined to prevent the thieves that had broken into his home from achieving the impunity that they desired and that Lindlek thought they were relying on. But this was not so. He peered across his bedroom and into the kitchen that he had come to love. To his horror, he saw two large orc centurions.

Now, before I continue with the story, you obviously need to know what an 'orc' was. Orcs are also often referred to as 'goblins'. These were very hideous creatures whose hides were as tough and ridged as was possible for any human thing. Even the color of this skin was an eerie gray, which portrayed the evil that was deep within. Most of the time, the skin of an orc alone was enough armor for war or battle.

The face of this creature was not something that even the bravest or noblest of knights could have easily beheld. The very moment that he saw these creatures, Lindlek forgot about the antiques and feared with all of his heart for the safety of his parents. His parents had always been very good to him, even to the extent of building an entire room especially for his comfort. Nodnihoof and Maribel were their names, and noble ones they were too. His father, Nodnihoof's name meant 'Man of Many Virtues', and his mother, Maribel's name meant 'Holder of Unseen Riches'. Lindlek loved each one of his parents with all of his heart and could not bear the thought of any harm coming to them.

The large and very obese centurions continued their destructive path that was ever hastening toward the room to which Lindlek was determined to prevent entry. By now, his mother and father had awakened and were also scrambling about like innocent animals that were trapped and cornered in what seemed to them to be their very death bed.

"Help us, Lindlek!" they cried.

Then Nodnihoof screamed to the orcs, "Harm us not! We have done nothing that is offensive to you; therefore you will do nothing to offend us."

The orcs heeded nothing that he was saying, but continued in their deadly path of destruction. "Do you not understand anything that I am saying?!" he screamed in a pleading tone that was filled with horror and a dreadful realization of possible death. One of the orcs looked at him with hatred so tremendous that it made Nodnihoof take a few steps back.

The orc said, "I understand but do not heed what you are saying, tiny, impotent fool! I follow the orders of one person only…and that is myself! Now shut your puny mouth before I send an arrow through your eye!" This so frightened Nodnihoof that he gave off a sharp shriek and crouched in a dark corner of the room.

Then Maribel spoke. So fair and beautiful was her voice that the orcs slowed their pace momentarily. Bowing deeply, she said, "No harm shall come to you if only you would leave us alone and go elsewhere. We mean no inconvenience for you, but we do need the privacy of our home. We humbly beg your pardon and ask that you would leave."

Lindlek thought that the soothing voice and words of his mother would stop the orcs destruction, but it was to no avail. These orcs had no love left in their hearts, and were coldly set on the purpose of their intrusion of the dwarves' home. They could not, however, respond to the mother's words. Lindlek ran to the orcs and attempted to push them aside, but their strength was too great. He fell to the floor of the kitchen and saw no more.

* * * * * * * *

During the brief time that he was unconscious, Lindlek thought and wondered about many things. "What have my parents done that would spark an anger so great in the orcs? Why must anyone on the earth fight or quarrel?" Questions raced through his head so quickly that the extreme tension that they brought actually made him regain consciousness.

"Gracious Lord, my head! How it hurts! The throbbing is unbearable!" The sudden awakening had caused him to sit up abruptly, which in turn had caused a great amount of blood to rush from his head. For several moments afterward, he sat there trying desperately to recall the reason that he was on the floor. Suddenly, he heard the harsh voices of the orcs outside of the cabin. He then remembered what had happened and rose from the floor as quickly as he could manage.

His head hurt so much that he stumbled and fell on his first attempt, but quickly recovered and tried again. This time succeeding, he ran as quickly as he could toward the orcs screaming, "Evil things! Get your scaly hands off of my mother and father!" So startled were they that they released the grip that was holding his parents back from freedom. Seizing the chance, Nodnihoof took Maribel by the hand and ran with her deep into the forest.

"Fool! You have caused us to lose our prisoners, but we shall have much more fun with you, young one," said one of the orcs greedily, "We shall torment you until you scream, then eat you for a snack. Oh yes, what fun!"

To this Lindlek responded with wit, "Catch me if you can, but follow me not if you shall not be able to keep up!" He then ran with the swiftness of a startled deer that was being pursued into the forest and left the orcs standing. Of course they tried to catch him, but his young and thin legs allowed much more speed than the thick and bulky flesh of their own. To see an orc run is indeed a sight to behold. It appears to be more like a hastened stride than a run, and still it is slower than the mere jog of a man. Lindlek was very far away by the time the orcs had just begun their pursuit, and they soon gave up hope and turned back towards the clearing from which they had come.

Lindlek and his parents, although free, were now separated within a deep and wooded forest. Lindlek searched for them for the remainder of the day, but found his search to be in vain. He became too tired to continue and laid down inside a hollow log to rest his legs. He was soon fast asleep near a place that would change his life forever.

* * * * * * *

When he awoke from his long and regenerating sleep, Lindlek realized that he was very hungry. His mother had always fed him very well so that he would grow up to be very strong and healthy; but now, of course, his parents were not with him, and he would have to find a meal on his own.

I guess you could say that he was spoiled, but not in the ways that some children are today. Lindlek had just been taken care of very well, and his parents had neglected to teach him how to hunt for or find food on his own; and now, when he needed them most, his parents were not with him.

"Dear me! What shall I do now? I must eat something or I shall starve, I fear. Oh, blast it all! At least I am away from those wretched orcs. They must be the ugliest creatures that I have ever seen!"

He made his way deeper and deeper into the forest. At that time, Lindlek did not notice it, but there was a small creature following him closely behind. He continued his search for his parents and food. Just as Lindlek began to give up hope, he saw through the trees a valley filled with many small cottages with short chimneys spitting out smoke. So excited was he at this sight, that he jumped up and started to run down the hill and toward the village.

He yelled out, "Joyous day! A meal I will now receive! My worries are over, and my hopes have been fulfilled." But just then, his hopes were shattered by the small figure that had been following him. It gave off a scream of fear and jumped on Lindlek from behind.

"Enter not my village, dwarf! You do not belong here!" it shrieked. Lindlek was startled so much by this that he tripped on a stone and fell rolling down the hilly slope. Just before he went unconscious, he saw many creatures coming from the village toward him.

When Lindlek awoke, he was in a bed as soft as the floor of a pine forest. There were two creatures standing over him. They had no beards as he did, but had faces as fair as those of children. So beautiful were they that Lindlek felt unworthy to speak to them. Also, his head was filled with the pain of his fall.

They seemed to understand and left him to rest for a while longer. After doing this, he awoke refreshed and ready, he thought, for anything. "I say! That is better. Now, why am I here?" Lindlek said, talking to himself.

"You are here as a welcomed guest," said someone standing in the doorway to the room, "I am Amabil, the elf, at your service."

Startled, Lindlek jumped. He said, "I beg your pardon, sir. I was just having a bit of a chat with myself. I do indeed know why I am here, and it is by good fortune too. I have come by a flight from a group of orcs. They are such ugly creatures! Dear me! Amabil was your name? I thank you for your hospitality. Indeed, I do not deserve it."

Amabil smiled. "Nonsense, friend!" he said, "You are the guest of my house. Now, let us get you some food."

As Lindlek left the room in which he had slept and entered what appeared to be the dining quarters, he was amazed at how large the cottage was compared to its outward appearance. "Goodness me, but this is larger than what I thought!" he said aloud.

His host laughed, "It is indeed. I built it myself but five years ago. I am very proud of it."

"And you should be! It is like a work of art." Lindlek said. He noticed that there was a meal already prepared on a table in the center of the room. He now felt more at home. Lindlek then spoke what had been in his mind ever since he awoke, "Forgive me, kind sir, but I have never seen your kind before. Have you come from afar, or have you lived here for a long time? I hope that this is not an offensive question, and if it is feel free not to answer it."

Again, Amabil smiled. He said, "I take no offense in what you are saying. I am happy to hear that you have not seen our kind. We are a people that try our best to be humble in the sight of others. Many other groups of elves have come before us, but they were very arrogant, I fear, and were brought to a dreadful end by dwarves whom they had made jealous. I can plainly see, however, that you are nothing like that, and I commend you for your etiquette. It is very proper. Now, let me listen to your story."

So Lindlek told of the intrusion of his home by the orcs, and Amabil was appalled at his description of them. Finally, when he spoke of his separation from his parents, Amabil spoke. He asked, "How long has it been since you were separated? Perhaps if there is still time, I could send out a party of small elves to look for them; and if they find them, they could return and could lead us to them. I do hope that I can be a help to you, dear Lindlek. I would like very much to meet your parents. If they were to return, I would have a feast of celebration for them to enjoy with us all."

A spark of hope lit up in Lindlek's eyes, and he said, "Thank you, sir! You are indeed one of the kindest souls that I have ever come upon in my life. I accept your offer, and with tremendous gratitude. You will love my parents, and I am sure that they will love you in return. Their names are Nodnihoof and Marabel; dwarf names are they. Oh, sir, this is wonderful!"

"That is great to hear. I am eager to help your every need; and right at this moment, that is to eat some of my food. May it be to your liking," said Amabil.

Lindlek ate to his hearts content of what was set before him. Among it was venison, freshly baked bread with raspberry jam, a bowl of large cobs of corn, and the best wine that Lindlek had ever tasted (although, at his age, he had not tasted a very large variety). Lindlek thanked his host many times until Amabil would not accept any more of it.

He merely said holding up his glass of wine, "This is just my gift to a guest of my house; a gift to Lindlek, son of Nodnihoof and Marabel. May they ever prosper."

"Hear, hear!" said Lindlek with a smile.

* * * * * *

The next day, after having had an excellent sleep in the elf-made bed, Lindlek was awakened by Amabil. He said cheerfully, "Forgive me, sir, but if you do not get ready now, we shall not get a good start on the search. I have prepared breakfast for you so that you will have the energy you will need for the hiking we shall have to do." Amabil left the room whistling a beautiful tune and closed the door behind him.

Continuing the conversation through the door, Lindlek said, "You needn't tell me twice, good sir. You are continuously giving me well beyond what I need, but I thank you very much. For that very reason, I shall get myself ready as quickly as I can." He jumped out of bed and found a neatly folded suit of clothes sitting on a chair before him. "Oh my! What have we here? This is a new suit of clothes! Certainly I cannot accept this gift after all that you have given me," said Lindlek.

But Amabil insisted, "You must wear it. The clothes that you were wearing when I took you in are battered, torn, and dirty. You cannot wear such clothes to find your parents."

Lindlek then noticed that he was wearing a beautiful suit of silk clothes. "If that is what you think best, that is what I will honor," said he. He quickly, but carefully, took off the suit that he was wearing, and put on the new one that was lying before him. He was amazed at how well it had been made. Lindlek looked longingly outside. "I am assuming that your party has found my parents. Am I correct?" he asked with hope.

Amabil laughed with delight. "Yes, my friend, we know where they are; however, we did not want to startle them, so we merely tracked them last evening. Today, we shall go with you, so that they will look upon us as friends and not as enemies. Now, you must come and eat before we go."

Lindlek went with him and found yet another variety of foods set before him. He ate until he was full, and Amabil was pleased to see that he had satisfied his guest.

After he had eaten, Lindlek walked over to the front door and found a pack filled with food, water, and other needed supplies. "Let us be off," said he. "Indeed, we need as much haste as possible, do we not?"

"Indeed we do, young sir. In order to meet your mother and father and return before nightfall, we must begin our search immediately," Amabil said, stepping outside into the warm autumn sun. "Off we go!"

* * * * * *

Lindlek and Amabil met the search party in the center of the village, and they all started off into the forest. The guides of the party did seem to know where they were going, but Lindlek was nervous just the same. Anxiously, he walked closely to Amabil's side. Gradually, as they trudged on deeper into the forest, Lindlek began to forget his fears and began to notice the true beauty of it all: the birds singing their sweet songs, the insects buzzing, the colorful leaves blowing in the wind. He felt guilty for having neglected to notice these things in the past. They marched on for a few more hours and then came to a halt all at once.

They all got down and hid in the leaves of the forest floor. Lindlek did not see anything and was confused. He whispered to Amabil, "What has happened? Why have we stopped?"

Amabil silenced him, and pointed toward the brush ahead. There were his parents, searching for berries among the bushes of thorns.

Lindlek gave off a scream of delight, and raced toward them saying, "Mother, Father! I have found you!"

They were startled at first, but then also screamed for joy at the reunion. "Lindlek! We thought that the orcs had overcome you for sure. You saved our lives!" said Nodnihoof.

"Yes. My heart was broken, but now it has been put back together," agreed Marabel in a joyful tone.

Lindlek then said, "No longer will you have to search for food, for I have found new friends who have treated me like I am a king. Meet the elves!"

Taking this as a cue, the entire search party got up from their hiding place and presented themselves. Amabil noticed that Lindlek's parents were hesitant to follow and said, "Fear not! We are friends, and will give you all that you need from the kindness of our hearts. We ask for nothing in return, save that you would accept what is given to you without objection. Now, please follow us to our village."

After hearing this, Nodnihoof and Marabel knew that they had nothing to fear and followed the party with very glad and thankful hearts. When they arrived at the village, their hearts were lightened. They saw before them a huge bonfire and a feast of many kinds of meats, bread, fruits, and other delicious things.

The entire village had come out in a joyous welcoming celebration. Drums could be heard as well as harps, bugles, and the sweet voices of an elf choir. Lindlek and his parents eagerly joined in the celebration and feasted to their hearts' content. Here, they would dwell for the rest of their days, never complaining, never arguing, and never saying a harsh word to one another. They lived in a time of peace, love, and happiness where strife was an unknown topic, and was never referred to.

How did this all occur, you ask? Once again, work was the bottom line. The elves were willing to work to make the dwarves happy, which, in turn, made themselves happy. Yes, because of work, these dwarves and elves would forever live in harmonic coexistence.

Harmonic Coexistence 2000ÓDavid Goodin

HOME ½ISSUE 1 MAIN ½ STORIES ½ POETRY ½ NEW RELEASES ½ OPINIONS

Email: greatstoriesonline@yahoo.com