Chapter 27 - The Envelope

Jimbo sat and stared at his young companion. He wasn’t sure what to make of Cable’s enthusiasm. Jimbo kind of enjoyed life on an even keel, and he was slow to get excited. Still, he was intrigued by Cable’s declaration. At length, he said, “So...what exactly do you mean, mate?”

Cable couldn’t contain himself. “Look, Jimbo, get up and grab that envelope! I know your mysterious friends name. I know everything! Today is the day you’ve been waiting for!”

Jimbo remained unmoved. “Look, Herc, I know you’re a pretty smart boy and everything. I suppose you couldn’t help that, being the king’s son and everything. But I think you’re slightly (‘sliiiiiiiiightly’) exaggerating when you say that you know ‘everything’.”

“For goodness sake, Jimbo, I don’t mean ‘everything’. I mean, I know everything that you’ve just been talking about! You remember the boy in your story--the one that came up to the man that had been fighting you? That was me! And that man was my father!”

Jimbo squinted and pursed his lips slightly. He looked Cable up and down and declared, “Look, make, you are confusing me. For one thing, your father is the king, and I may be as numb as a brick, but I know that I never fought the king. And for another thing, you just don’t look much like the boy I saw that day. He was little.”

Cable jumped up and down in exasperation. “Of course I don’t look like that boy, Jimbo! That was about 12 years ago! Kids grow up! And as for that man...well, let me explain.

“When I was two years old, my dad had to send me away for awhile, because the kingdom was under attack. It’s a long story, and I can’t explain it all right now, because we’ve got to get moving! But anyway, my brother Andres and I were sent to a remote village named Corrin, to the home of a couple named Hannah and Torey. They took care of us for 10 years, until it was time for the king to return and for us to go home. Well, one of my first memories was of sitting in my house and playing one day, when all of a sudden my dad grabbed his weapon and dashed out of the house. I tried to follow him, but mama wouldn’t let me. So I just sat there and listened. After awhile, I could hear swords clashing and people cheering, and I just couldn’t take it any more. Mama was obviously distracted, so when she turned her back, I snuck out the window and ran to see what the excitement was all about.

“I kept asking, ‘What’s going on? Is there a fight?’ No one would tell me anything--everyone just tried to hush me up and send me back home. But I couldn’t turn my back. I kept moving toward the sound of the swords. Finally, I heard a hush, and I pushed my way through, and I saw my dad lying on the ground. I thought he was dead! So I cried out, ‘Daddy!’ And somehow he managed to get back up and keep fighting. So anyway, I was there on the day that you were fighting! Get it?”

Jimbo continued to look at Cable with skepticism. “So, you think you were there, eh? Well, I’ll allow it’s possible, even though your hair is longer and your voice sure doesn’t sound the same. But what makes you so sure you know the name the mysterious chap that took care of me after the swordfight?”

“Because Andres and I were sent on a mission by that same man!” Cable replied. “His name is...”

Before he could get the name out, Jimbo quickly interrupted. “Hold on there, Herc. Uh...I don’t think you ought to tell me that just yet. Er...well, could you go and grab that envelope from under me pillow? Then maybe we can talk.”

Cable turned, walked over to Jimbo’s bed, and reached under the pillow. After pawing around for a moment, he exclaimed, “Yuck!” He then pulled out a dead mouse, turning his head and holding the rodent up by its tail.

“Whoops, I forgot to warn you about him,” Jimbo declared. “Yep, that’s my watchmouse. His job is to make sure no one grabs that envelope unless they’ve been authorized by me. He’s done a good job over the years.”

“But Jimbo...he’s dead!” Cable replied.

“Well, you are an observant chap,” said Jimbo. “He indeed is. And he’s still faithfully doing his job. What a mouse. Anyways, keep looking. The envelope is under there somewhere.”

Cable continued to look, and finally found the envelope. He grabbed it and started to open it, when Jimbo interrupted his excitement by saying, “Wait just a minute, mate. There’s something you’ve got to tell me.”

As Cable turned to face Jimbo, he was shocked to see him with a bow and arrow in his hand. The bow was drawn and the arrow was notched and aimed right at Cable’s heart. Cable dropped the envelope in shock. “Uh, Jimbo...what is this all about?” he managed to mumble.

Jimbo stared unmoving at Cable. “Look, I hate to do this, Herc. But here’s the deal. Are you sure you know the name of the mysterious chap who nursed me back to health? If you do, that’s great. If you ain’t sure, then I’d recommend that you just walk out that door, and we’ll forget anything ever happened. Trust me, it’ll be better that way.”

Cable raised his hands. Speaking slowly, he mustered up the courage to say, “Jimbo, you are one of the strangest men I have ever met. First you save me, and now you threaten to kill me. I just don’t get it. But if you want to open that envelope, then trust me--the man’s name was...”

“Careful, Herc,” Jimbo interrupted, the arrow still pointing at Cable’s chest. “I’d hate for you to get it wrong.”

“Well so would I!” bellowed Cable. “But it won’t be wrong, because I know what I’m talking about! His name was Ronaldus!”

Jimbo took in a deep breath and exhaled. Then, as a smile slowly spread across his face, he pointed his arrow up in the air and let it fly. Of course, it tore a hole through his tee-pee, which Cable hated to see. But he much preferred a hole through the tee-pee to a hole through his body.

Jimbo then began to dance around the room. “Oh my, Herc, that was amazing!” he declared. “You are one courageous chap! I don’t think I’d have dared to do it, Cable. But you did! What a hero!” Then Jimbo stopped his dance and looked up. “Oh Rachel,” he continued in a somewhat mournful tone, “I’m sorry about the hole in the tee-pee. I really am. If you fix it, I’ll kill you a wild boar for dinner. Doesn’t that sound dandy?”

Cable just shook his head. He sure hoped Jimbo met Rachel some day. He then asked, “Jimbo, was it really necessary to threaten to kill me? Wasn’t that just a bit dramatic?”

“Not really, mate,” Jimbo answered as he reached down and grabbed the envelope from the floor. Opening it, he pulled out two smaller envelopes. One of them had already been opened. Handing it to Cable, he simply said, “Take a look.”

On the outside of the envelope was a note that simply said, “Open this first.” Cable pulled out a small piece of paper that said the following:

My name is Ronaldus--I have no other!
And this is what you must do.
If the one before you names another,
Draw your weapon and run him through.

Cable’s heart stopped for just a moment. He didn’t realize just how serious a decision he’d made to name Ronaldus. His life truly had been on the line. Then another thought struck him. “Uh, Jimbo--this envelope has obviously been opened before. Have you had someone...uh...get the wrong name before.”

Jimbo nodded. “Yep. It was a couple of years ago or so. Some chap came up to me and told me what a good friend I was and a lot of rot like that. So I shared me story with him and everything. Then he claims to have known the name of my mysterious friend. He said, ‘His name was Rolando, old boy! So let’s see that envelope and learn what all the fuss is about.’ So I opened the envelope, and I see this little note that says, ‘Open this first.’ Being the perceptive chap that I am, I opened that one first. And then I read the note, and I said to myself, ‘Self, he didn’t get it right.’ Now I wasn’t particularly crazy about killing a guy that was kind of friendly. So I simply turned to him and said, ‘Mate, I think it’s time for you to leave.’

“Well, his face got kind of dark and mean-like. He was obviously angry with me, and he acted like he was going to try and start a fight. But then he caught himself and said, ‘Well, I’m awfully sorry, Jimbo old boy. It’s been good knowing you.’ And he left.

“I took a deep sigh of relief, thinking that all was well. But within a few minutes, my little home was surrounded by those fearsome chaps that you met up with on the hill. Surrounded, I say! I was as scared as a cornered mouse. Half of them had sword that they flashed back and forth, and half of them just laughed and said, “Surrender! Surrender! Surrender!” They said it over and over again. I was just about to give in, when old Doofus came barreling through. He evidently surprised the ghostly guys, and they separated just a bit to make way for him. Without thinking, I grabbed the envelope and dashed through the gap. I ran into the woods without turning back. The fearsome fellows filled the woods with laughter as I ran. They then set fire to my home and destroyed everything I had (except Doofus), which wasn’t very much anyway.

“So that’s when I realized that I’d have been better off if I’d just done what the note had said. And that’s why I drew the arrow and pointed it at you. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, if you know what I mean.”

Cable swallowed hard and nodded. “I guess I can’t blame you,” he said, fumbling around with the second envelope. Holding it up, he asked, “But can we see what’s in here now?” Jimbo nodded, and Cable slowly pulled out a second sheet of paper. It said the following:

One day you shall save the life
Of the one who’s just saved yours.
On that day you must make your way
To the mound
with the fearsome doors.
Then take courage, my friend,
Let the trumpet resound!
That the evil ones shall be no more.