Chapter 26 - A Reunion of Sorts

“Who was the little boy?” Cable asked abruptly. He seemed somewhat annoyed with Jimbo’s habit of introducing dramatic pauses into his stories. Patience was not one of Cable’s strong suits.

Jimbo didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood up and paced around the tee-pee for about two minutes. He could have continued to speak, but he rather enjoyed making Cable wait. When Jimbo exposed a weak spot in someone, he tended to exploit it, if only in fun. When he could sense that Cable was about to explode, he finally said in a soft voice, “Let me tell you this, mate. I never did find out his name. But he changed the course of my life.

“You see, I was about to kill a man when this boy came out. But as he stood there, with his eyes wide open and a really (reeeeeaaaaallllllly) scared look on his face, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. I just stared at him as he stared at me. I--the mightiest chap of all the Black Knights, entrusted by Dor-ko to assault this remote little village--felt powerless before the stare of a little whelp.

“Finally, I came to my senses as a I heard a sound behind me. I turned, and I just had a split second to deflect a sword thrust that was heading straight for my heart.”

“What happened?” Cable interrupted.

“I’ll tell you what happened, if you give me a minute!” Jimbo replied, with feigned irritation. “While I’d been staring at the boy, the man I’d been fighting had managed to get his strength for one last round of combat. It was a stunning sight to see. The man’s face was drenched with sweat, his clothes were torn, and his right arm looked like it had a spring of blood tucked inside it. But his eyes were wild and his blows were powerful. He’d shifted the sword to his left arm and he fought with a fury that I’d never seen in all my life. He pressed the attack, and I fell back as if blown by a hurricane wind. The rest of his village comrades erupted in a tremendous cheer that nearly made my ears burst.

“You see, I’m pretty sure that he was the father of the boy I’d just seen. As the cheers grew, the man seemed to get stronger and his attacks were bolder. I felt utterly unable to fight back. I dodged and parried, but I couldn’t attack. The village champion fought with the fury of a grizzly bear protecting her cubs.

“My will to fight was draining away. The sword in my hand felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. My throat was parched. I tried to swallow and nearly vomited. Finally, the man landed a blow that ripped the sword from my hand and knocked me squarely onto the ground. I was ready to die.

“I don’t know how the chap did it. I don’t know how he mustered the strength to fight on. I don’t know how he could take me on with his left man and treat me like I was a rag doll. But he did, and I knew that I’d been defeated. As I lay on the ground, though I was paralyzed and though I could hear nothing, my eyes remained open. It was like I was too exhausted to close them. I saw the Black Knights--the greatly feared army of Dor-ko--flee as though they were a cluster of mice escaping from a stampede of buffalo. The men of the village chased them, flinging arrows and slaying some. I saw my foe walk toward me, staggering slowly, his sword upraised. But then, as I lay there waiting for the chap to separate me little brain from the rest of me body, I saw my enemy collapse. He just fell to the ground, not two feet from where I lay. The sword fell also, and I saw it tumble to the ground and land just six inches from my hand. But it might as well have been six miles. I didn’t have the strength to grasp it, much less to lift it.

“As I continued to stare, deaf and paralyzed, I saw that same little boy run up to the man I’d just fought. He had a skin of water, and he came up to pour the water into the man’s mouth. Oh, how I yearned for just a drop of that water! I felt certain that I was about to die of thirst. I’d have given my right arm for just a mouthful of water to relieve my burning throat. But I was powerless. In agony I closed my eyes. I was about to pass out, and I didn’t think I’d ever awaken again.

“But before I drifted into unconsciousness, I felt a hand grasp my shoulder. I thought that perhaps it was my brother. He’d gone with me to attack the village, and I was certain that he wouldn’t just abandon me. But as I opened my eyes, it wasn’t my brother’s face that I saw.

“It was the face of that little boy.”

Jimbo paused once again from his narrative. Rather than being irritated, Cable was puzzled. “I don’t get it!” he declared. “Was he going to be the one that was supposed to chop your head off?”

Jimbo smiled slightly and directed his gaze off to the right. “No, Herc, that wasn’t it at all. The boy didn’t have a sword; he had a skin of water. You see, the man that I’d been fighting never even took a sip. He’d simply told his boy to come give me a drink. The man was bleeding and dying, yet he told his son to give me the water. I thought I was going to die, mate. But that boy--he didn’t just bring me water. He brought me life.

“After I drank, I tried to get up. But I’d lost so much blood that I could hardly walk. I staggered around, nearly delirious. All of the Black Knights had fled. As I stood there, staring into the distance and trying to make sense of what had just happened, a man came alongside of me. He wore a cloak with the hood draped over his face, so that I couldn’t see him. But he was obviously a very strong chap. He draped my right arm around his shoulders and he helped me walk. We walked quite a ways--it must have been at least a mile. I can’t remember much, because I was so exhausted and weak. But anyways, he ended up leading me to a hut tucked into the woods. There, he led me to a small bed and told me to lie down and rest. I didn’t argue. I think I fell asleep before my body even hit the bed.

“Well, Herc, I think I must have spent about a week in that hut. Every morning, the bloke would get up early and prepare me a nice hot meal. Usually it was some sort of bird that he’d somehow managed to kill while I was sleeping. While I ate, he’d carefully dress my wounds. When that was done, he’d tell me to continue to rest while he went out. He ordered me not to leave the hut--he was quite stern about that. And since he’d been so nice to me, and since he could probably squash my head as easily as a boy could squash a grape, I figured I’d oblige him and obey. Then he’d leave, and he wouldn’t come back till near sunset. At night, he’d prepare another meal and make sure I drank plenty of water. Somehow he managed to find the coldest, most refreshing water that has ever passed over my lips. And I’ll tell you this--I’ve tasted a lot of water in my life. This was the best.

“Anyways, one morning--once it was clear that I’d regained my strength--the mysterious man told me that it was time to go. Before I left, though, he sat me down and stared into my eyes. He gave me the most fearsome look that I’ve ever seen. I felt like a timid little mouse under the watchful gaze of a dinosaur. His tall frame towered over me, and I just wanted to crawl into a corner and disappear. I say, it seemed like he stared at me for two or three days, though it was probably only about 10 seconds or so. Finally he said, ‘Friend, your life has been spared. But listen to me now. Listen, I say! Don’t you ever attack another village again. You have been forgiven once, at great cost, I can assure you. But there will not be a second time. Do you understand?’

“I just nodded my head. I didn’t dare to speak. But I knew that once I’d nodded my head, there was no turning back. I would never be a part of the Black Knights again. After seeing me reaction, the mysterious man turned and started to head out the door.

“Before he could leave, I regained my senses (what little I have, anyway) and said, ‘Sir, me name is Jimbo, and I know I can never repay you. What is your name, sir? I owe you my life, but all I have is my thanks.’

“The mysterious man paused and stared at me again. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He said, ‘Do you want to repay me? Then listen to me closely. One day, you will find someone who knows my name. When that day arrives, then--and only then--you are to open this envelope and read its contents and act immediately. Until that day, you are simply to wait and prepare. Do you understand?’

“Well, that chap sure had a way of asking if I understood. I felt like I had no more choice of whether to obey than a raindrop has a choice of whether to fall. I nodded my head again. Then the man handed me the envelope and left. It was the last time I ever saw him.

“I gathered my belongings and left. It didn’t take long to gather me things together. When all you’ve got is a sword, an envelope, and a little packet of dried meat (which the mysterious man had kindly left for me), it really doesn’t take long to pack. I looked around, snuck out the door, and melted into the woods.

“I felt free again, Herc. It was the most wonderful feeling I’d ever experienced. I was free. I heeded the warning of the mysterious man to stay away from the Black Knights. But at the same time, I felt unworthy to join those that were still loyal to King Maximilian. So rather than join myself to a village, I just lived in the woods. From time to time, I would disguise myself and wander into villages and try to find out the name of the mysterious man. But whenever I’d describe him to people, they’d always shake their head and shrug their shoulders. No one could recall the giant man with the fearsome stare. To be honest, I’m not sure whether he was really a giant or not. But he sure seemed like one to me.

“And so, me friend Herc, that is the end of me story. The envelope remains tucked under my pillow, to this very day.”

Cable had listened intently to the whole story. Listening wasn’t exactly Cable’s greatest strength--he was a bit more of an interrupter than he was a listener. But this time was different. Jimbo’s story had triggered some thoughts in Cable, and he felt as though he was on the verge of putting together a great puzzle. Finally, when the last piece slid into place in his mind, he burst out, “Jimbo, this is the day!”

“What do you mean, mate?” a puzzled Jimbo replied.

“Don’t you see?” Cable replied with urgency in his voice. “We’ve met before! Grab that envelope, Jimbo. Today is the day!”