BNL RAIL and Mining

Flight

During the next 16 seasons, Lhym did not experience anything like the time transformation that had happened during his fight with Brishl. He and Mijh spent hours discussing, analyzing, and speculating what had occurred, but they found no explanation for the experience. He even tried to recreate it by twitching his back as in umsehik, making oneself invisible, by deep meditating using the ancient texts, by trying to scare himself, by using herbs, by running to exhaustion and by many other thoughtful, outlandish and silly schemes. Despite all of these attempts, there was not one hint of what had transpired before. As the seasons passed, less time was devoted to the experience.

During these seasons there were more Holy Heiliks assigned by the Sorn of Footstoon. Like Lhym’s first Holy Heilik, many of the responsibilities involved taking scrolls from the Sorn of Footstoon to the Sorn of Feldstein and often returning with scrolls for the Sorn of Footstoon. It seemed to Lhym that he was assigned this particular duty more often than the other young Schretls. Also Lhym noticed that Sorn of Footstoon, contrary to their first meeting, was taking a more personal interest in him. The Sorn would ask about Lhym’s daily activities, what he was interested in, who his friends were, and other trivial matters. Although he never mentioned Lhym’s strange experience, some of the Sorn’s questions seemed to be particularly personal. For example, he questioned Lhym’s remembrance of the first umsehik, how Lhym would feel if he could never see his parents, if he was afraid of dark places, and his belief in the Schretl traditions. At same time the Sorn of Feldstein also became interested in Lhym’s personal daily life, his friends, daily habits, his hobbies and much more. When Lhym mentioned these intrusions by the Sorns, Mijh dismissed them as the yammering of Sorns who were, after all, always strange.

After their canterization, notwithstanding their perception of Sorns, Lhym and Mijh continued their studies in advanced scroll reading and dancing which brought honor to both families. Lhym found the study of ancient history interesting while Mijh enjoyed the intricacies of the ancient dancing, although neither saw the relevance of these courses to their current lives. In addition to these studies, Mijh and Lhym, like all young Schretls, engaged in a variety of apprenticeships as a means of discovering their vocational interests and abilities. Initially, young Schretls learn their father’s vocation. For Lhym this meant following his father around much of the day learning the art of record keeping and numbers. In addition to their fathers’ vocation, young Schretls also observed and learned the skills of a variety of other occupations within the village. For Lhym, this meant he spent time with Moord, the garment weaver, Hexon, the hut builder, his Aunt Klara, the Siomex brothers, the grain keepers, and others. While sharing their experiences, Lhym grumbled to Mijh, “They’re all boring. Its doing the same old thing the same old way its been done for thousands of seasons. I don’t want to do any of them for the rest of my life!”

Besides their studies, the two friends also spent time exploring. They particularly liked to explore and excavate their secret hideaway, the DeDeTee ice cave, with all its strange objects. On this day they decided to dig up the bird-like remnant they had seen before. Carefully brushing away dirt, leaves and other debris, they found it had a long thin wooden body with a piece of metal wrapped around one end. Near that end they observed a slot in the middle of the wood and over the slot a raised bump, with a picture a Tall One’s head. In the slot was a thin piece of wood shaped like a wing but with a broken piece missing. At the other end of the body, where the tail feathers of a bird would be, were two slots; one horizontal slot which held a smaller version of the front wing, and a vertical slot which was empty. Continuing to dig through nearby leaves and rocks, the boys found the other part of the broken wing and what appeared to be a half-wing. Experimenting with their find revealed that the half-wing fitted into the vertical slot but left boys puzzled with how to fix the broken wing.

Over the next few days the boys experimented with very inventive techniques, such as using corn silk and toad excrement, yet experienced limited success in keeping the two parts together for any length of time. It was only until after Mijh went to study with the village window-maker that a solution was found. Mijh learned that the panes for the windows were made from wings of dragonflies dissolved with the Juniper pollen. This mixture, when heated became very sticky and then when cooled, under strict timelines, resulted in a stiff, light, transparent solid. Mijh had the idea of using the hot sticky liquid as glue to attach the two broken parts of the wing.

“It works!” exclaimed Lhym. “It’s like it was never broken.”

Lhym picked up their creation with both hands and held it over his head. He was amazed at how light it felt above him. With a sudden inspiration, he shoved it forward and let go. Both boys whooped with excitement as their winged object glided with a serene motion for several tail lengths before gently landing on the ground.

“Look, our own Schretl bird,” Lhym shouted. Then looking at Mijh with a devilish grin, “Let’s take it up the trail to the high ridge and like mother birds do with their young in the nest, toss it off and see how well it flies.”

“Great! But how will we get it there?” asked Mijh.

“I worked with the rope maker a few weeks ago,“ Lhym replied, “and I bet he’ll give us plenty of light rope to haul our bird out of here.”

With excitement, the boys hid their flying machine under leaves, keeping it safe while making detailed plans on how to move their bird out of the DeDeTee ice cave to the high ridge.

The next few days could not go by fast enough for Lhym. His father had given him, Lhym thought, an intolerably long list of numbers to arrange. The Sorn’s lecture on the Rise of the Nostrum Schretls in the Year 243 of the Second Creation, which would have fascinated him a couple of weeks ago, seemed to drone on forever. And to top it off, the rope maker was somewhere on the river making a bridge. Lhym’s frustration was matched with Mijh’s as he too complained about how slowly time was passing. Would they ever get back to their new bird?

Finally, the rope maker came back to the village, Lhym completed his father’s bookkeeping project, and, in the Sorn’s lecture, the Nostrum fought their final battle and lost, thereby creating another holiday for Schretls to celebrate with a feast. With the sense of relief that the world had resumed its normal pace, Lhym and Mijh agreed that the next day they would get their Schretl bird out of its hiding place.

The boys awoke the next day to find wind and a threat of afternoon showers. Eager to get their bird out before the showers, the boys made a hasty exit from the village and headed for the DeDeTee. Their trip to the bottom of the ravine was filled with talk of how to attach the rope, how to get their bird to the ledge at the top of the ravine, and who would push it off. Excitement built in the boys as they found their bird lying undisturbed underneath the camouflage of leaves and twigs. Quickly they cleared the leaves and twigs away to examine their creation; the repair of the damaged wing had held. Using a borrowed awl Lhym made a pair of holes, one just below the metal clip in the front end of the bird and another one near the tail assembly. He then looped the rope through the front hole, pulled it down one side of the bird, threaded it through the back hole, and finally carried it up the other side of the bird where he knotted the rope to itself. Lhym grasped the ropes, one over each shoulder, and hoisted the bird up while Mijh lifted the tail. After clearing the rocks as they exited the cave, they noticed the wind swirling leaves above them as they continued down the path to the point between the two ridges. They moved up the gentle slope leading to the South Ridge lifting, pushing and pulling their bird. Unnoticed by the boys, puffs of wind blew down the slope intermittingly and gently lifting their bird. As they crested the hill a large gust of wind raised the bird into the sky dragging both boys off the ground as they clung to the ropes. Mijh instinctively let go of the rope and dropped to the ground but Lhym held tight to the rope and was carried up to the height of a rose bush before he realized what had happening.

"Lhym!" cried Mijh in terror.

Panicking Lhym started to climb the ropes, pulling himself towards the nose of the bird. As he did, the bird’s nose turned down swooping towards the ground. The flight stopped abruptly as the rope tangled with a lower branch of the rose bush tossing Lhym into a patch of clover.

"Are you all right?" Mijh shouted as he ran to his friend.

"I think so. What happened?" a dazed Lhym answered staring up to the sky.

"We were flying. The Schretl bird was flying! You flew!" blurted Mijh.

For a longtime the boys sat on the ground looking at each other. The realization that they had become like birds, free from the restraints of gravity, swirled in their minds like dust devils. Both boys turned to each other and in unison exclaimed, "What if..."

There was a short pause and then both boys again started, "Do you think..."

Lhym’s hand shot up and commanded, "Let's do it again. This time you’re in front and you hang on."

They untangled the bird from the bush, switched positions, and then slowly hauled the bird up to the top of the ridge and turned towards the wind.. As soon as Mijh felt the bird rise, he signaled for Lhym to let go, and the bird rose into the air. Almost immediately, the bird dove to the ground. Lhym looked down at Mijh quizzically, “What happened?”

"I’m not sure, but I think I have some ideas," Mijh exclaimed with excitement.

The day was spent experimenting with one idea after another. Mijh discovered that the position on the ropes effected the flight of the bird; staying closer to the wing caused the bird to rise up and staying closer to the nose caused the bird to dip down towards the ground. Over and over, like little hatchlings trying to fly and incurring with many bumps and bruises, they persisted with their experimentation. Their joy of flight continued until the roar of thunder became too loud to ignore. Unhappily they hid their bird underneath a bramble bush, securely covering it with thorns and leaves.

Whenever the wind was in the right direction, the boys spent most of their spare time improving their flight skills. These skills were enhanced by adding a new rope stretching from one end of the big wing to the other end. By pulling on this rope, they learned to bank the bird in one direction or another and by shifting their weight forwards and back, they could cause the bird to rise or fall. Over time and practice both boys learned how to fly, even though it was Lhym who developed the techniques, it was Mijh who was more skilled. He seemed to have a feeling for the wind and how much to lean this way or that in order to get the bird to fly exactly to a predetermined destination. His landings were full of grace. Swooping down from the sky, he would pull up at the last second and his feet would gently land on the ground. In contrast, although Lhym loved the feeling of freedom when he flew, his flying was often ungraceful and full of bumpy landings.

The wind was a fickle master of their time. Strong winds made it difficult to control their bird while no wind made it difficult to get the bird in the air for any length of time. Even holding the bird above their heads and running down the ravine caused the bird to rise slightly allowing only a few seconds of flight. It was during one of these fruitless flights that Mijh noted an eagle flying above them.

"Why is it he can fly today?" Mijh complained bitterly pointing to the bird aimlessly flying loop after loop above them without so much as a flutter in its wings. As if on cue, the eagle landed in Old Fuzzy Top, the old pine tree devoid of needles except for the very top. While looking at the eagle perched on the limb of old Fuzzy Top, an image began to form in Lhym's mind; not the eagle but their Schretl bird sitting on the limb. Lhym had been up in that Old Fuzzy Top many times and there always seemed to be a gentle breeze blowing there; wind would not be a problem anymore.

Turning toward Mijh Lhym proudly announced, “We are going to fly today. We are off to Old Fuzzy Top.”

Dragging the bird over a field of clover towards Old Tree, Lhym excitedly explained his idea. Approaching the tree Lhym pointed up, and stated, “See that branch with the funny crook? That’s where we need to launch the bird from.

Reaching the tree Lhym quickly scurried half way up checking for any Tall Ones or Schretls in the area. Seeing nothing, he signaled Mijh, and the boys began hauling their cargo up the tree. The higher they went, the more alive the bird became, fluttering side to side as if it wanted to jump off into the wind. Upon reaching the branch, Mijh straightened and pulled the bird’s guide ropes onto his shoulders as he slowly edged out onto the limb with Lhym following carefully behind lifting the bird’s tail. Suddenly a stiff breeze yanked the bird pulling it out of the tree. The bird, with Mijh still grasping onto the guide ropes, pitched and spiraled precariously towards the ground. Lhym, standing alone on the branch, watched in horror as he saw his friend deftly pulled first one set of ropes and then the other. Seconds later, relived, Lhym saw the bird right itself. He then noticed Mijh pulling on ropes and changing his position beneath the bird causing the bird to fly in increasingly wider and wider circles until he was flying level with the top of the tree. After several moments and with increasing skill, Mijh swooped down to landed gently at the base of the tree. Quickly Lhym scurried down to meet his friend.

“You will not believe what I could see.” Mijh exclaimed with a wide grin. Gushing with the exuberance of a mountain spring, Mijh spewed descriptions of the wonders of the wide panorama; all of the DeDeTee, its green hills, the lush forests, and the rocky crags, the slowly meandering river to their village to the east and the beginning of the golden cornfields to the west. He expressed that he felt like an all-knowing seer of the Schretl realm. Nothing could escape from his view.

Envious Lhym felt compelled to experience flight as Mijh had. Once again, they boys climbed the bald pine with their bird. This time Lhym took the ropes, although hesitantly. At first the bird dropped precipitously causing night flies to flutter in Lhym’ stomach, but a gentle tug on the tail rope the nose rose up, and the bird quickly climbed to the treetops. Serenity broke across Lhym’s face as he took in the breadth of his view. He was one little Schretl who had the ability of 10 Watchers. From the vantage of the bird, no intruder could infringe on the Schretl territory unannounced. Although not as graceful as Mijh, Lhym was able to maintain his flight for what seemed to be the length of a Zorn’s lecture on the meaning of prayer, a never-ending eternity.

Eventually however, Lhym realized it was time to bring the bird back to the ground. He spotted the landing area and maneuvered the nose of the bird downward in line with the target area. Immediately, he felt the air rush past him faster and faster. Instantly he anxiously thought, “This landing is not going to be easy.” The ground sprang up at an alarming rate. Frightened, Lhym yanked on the tail rope causing the bird to immediately rise again to great heights. Numerous attempts at flying towards the landing sight proved fruitless. Frustrated Lhym tried a different landing technique; flying in slow giant circles, going lower and lower each time until ground came near. That landing approach, though less harrowing still proved to be awkward. Lhym’s racing legs could not match the speed of the ground sprinting below past him. He tripped, fell, and flipped; ending in a jumbled heap of bird, ropes and Schretl.

Mijh quickly ran to the landing site. After helping Lhym become untangled from the jumble of ropes and bird Mijh took his crestfallen friend and said, “It’s OK. You’re just like a new born bird coming out of the nest. Soon you will be flying like all the other birds.”

Over many weeks both boys would sneak off to the Old Fuzzy Top with their bird. Practice and correcting mistakes proved to be a great teacher for Lhym. He found flying the bird required great finesse in pulling on this rope, swinging the body that way, and knowing how the winds would take the bird. In addition, his success in learning how to fly brought a rewards. Riding the winds brought a feeling that he had been lifted away from the world of bullies, adult expectations, and chores. He also discovered that he was not alone in the winds often noticing that great black birds seemed to be shadowing his moves; always behind him and slightly above him. If he turned toward them or tried to get close to them, they would dart away. When Lhym mentioned the birds, Mijh replied that he had seen them but he didn’t think they were a threat, just an annoyance.

While Lhym’s skill grains were significant, Mijh’s were almost magical. With the bird, Mijh would climb to great heights then dive straight down to the ground, like a hawk, only to level off a few tails above the ground. He would turn the bird over and over in the sky as if he were rolling down a grassy hill. When days came without the slightest breeze, Mijh would create a theatrical performance with the bird; a magical dance of hops and leaps culminated in the bird somehow climbing into the sky. Equaling his skills at taking off, climbing, soaring, and diving was the art of his landings. They were always smooth, graceful and effortless like those of a swan. It seemed that he and the bird were one.

Compounding the fact that Mijh’s skills surpassed Lhym’s, Lhym felt Mijh was taking more and more time to return with the bird and often Lhym had no idea where he was. When Lhym chided Mijh about his extended flights, all Mijh would do was to shrug with a silly grin.

Then the rains came; dark days of wind, chill, wetness, clinging mud, restrictions and caution. Crops need rain, but for Schretls it always came with a price. While moving about the village brought dirt and dampness into every corner, moving outside the village brought dangers of being carried away by a flash rivulet of water. Rain brought the danger of discovery as rain impaired the use of umsehik, the ability to hide oneself from the Tall Ones. For Lhym, the days of rain, usually meant supervising young Schretls in the community play area. This was not a chore; it was a delightful diversion from the nasty weather.

Then the rains came; dark days of wind, chill, wetness, clinging mud and restrictions and caution. Crops need rain, but for Schretls it always came with a price. While moving about the village brought dirt and dampness into every corner, moving outside the village brought dangers of being carried away by a flash rivulet of water. Rain brought the danger of discovery as rain impaired the use of umsehik, the ability to hide oneself from the Tall Ones. For Lhym, the days of rain, usually meant supervising young Schretls in the community play area. This was not a chore; it was a delightful diversion from the nasty weather.

There was one particular young Schretl Lhym sought out on these days, Noor. Most Schretls considered Noor odd. His small oddly shaped frame and whiney voice made his an easy target for the bullies. When Noor came into view, shouts of “Beatle Boy” could be heard more than once. By taking Noor away from the town bullies, Lhym felt he had won his own secret war against the bullies. On this wet day Lhym found Noor in a dark corner of the Community Center setting and watching older Schretl boys playing Dodge Beatle.

“Who’s winning?” Lhym inquired as he hunched down to Noor level.

“I don’t know.” The quite high pitched Schretl responded. “Nobody would pick me for their team.”

“Never mind them. Let’s play our own game of Corner Ball,” Lhym said as he pulled the little Schretl up and lead him to another section of the Center.

Corner Ball is a game of two or four players tossing a ball a two wall set at a ninety degree angle. The server must bounce a ball between the two walls. The receiving team must then hit the ball and bounce it back between the walls, before it hits the floor. The action continues until the ball hits the floor. If the receiving team misses, a point is scored, and if the server misses, the service moves to the other team.

Lhym liked playing Corner Ball with Noor because, despite his size, Noor was quite good at it. He had a powerful up stroke that caused the ball to rise sharply from one wall to another. This caused his opponent to backpedal at a narrow angle from the wall and either missing the ball or hitting the ball in such a way that Noor could tap the return causing the ball to fall after striking the second wall.

After several games which the young Schretl not only held his own but beat Lhym at, Noor said, “The rains stopped. I wanna go down by the river.”

“OK, but you havta follow what I say. Because of all the rain, the river is dangerous.”

The two left through the back door of the Center, down the path between the Button Mushrooms and into the Fern Forest. They were constantly getting splashed as the afternoon breezes flung raindrops onto their path. Finally they came out to the high ridge that led down to Barefoot River that marked the edge of the Schretl village. They could see that the rains had added several tail lengths to the heights of the rushing water. Noor rushed off to the left and down a steep trail that led to a series of rocks jutting out into the water.

Lhym screamed after Noor, “Wait it’s too dangerous!”

But the little Schretl did not pay any heed to Lhym’s plea as he jumped from one rock to another until he sat down on the final flat stone that jutted far out into the river.

“Noor, didn’t you hear me. You could’ve gotten hurt!”

“I’m fine. This is my best spot in the whole world. I can lie here and pretend the water is a giant snake rushing by me. Whoosh, zoom, hiss! Nobody can get me here.”

“Ya, it is pretty special here,” confided Lhym as his sat next to his little friend.

Timed passed as the two discussed what each saw in the rushing waters and how the flat rock protected them from all the evil monsters rushing at them here and those throughout the Realm. Finally darkness also crept up the river and the two returned to the village with Lhym promising to get together again with Noor soon.

As always once the rains stopped, the Schretls set about restoring their village to its proper place within the woodlands. Giant leaves needed to be removed from streets and from roof tops of buildings, roads repaired of washouts, and pine needles removed from everything. No one was exempt from this duty if the village was to survive. Everyone knew what was expected and each set about their duty. Lhym and Mijh were assigned to clearing twigs from the North end of the village. This involved cutting them into large sections and then taking them to the village carpenter to be processed into building supplies or into firewood. Thus it was several days before the boys were able to get back to their secret project.

Lhym began to worry. The winds were so high today, the clouds were so dark along the northern portion of the Barefoot River and Mijh had been gone for what seemed such an extra long time. What should he do if Mijh does not come back? Wait, what is that black speck in the sky darting up then down, then nowhere to be seen, one of those black crows? Suddenly, swooping down like a hawk onto a mouse landed Lhym's friend.

"Where have you been?" screamed Lhym, as he ran towards his friend.

"Sorry," answered red-faced Mijh, "the winds took me way North and the crows…" Mijh explained that the winds pushed the little bird North along the river and then the black birds would not let him turn around forcing him to continue north. "Finally, the crows left. I could see where Barefoot River starts. It starts from a large log dam behind which is a great lake. I turned around and came back as fast as I could."

"I wanna go see," Lhym said excitedly.

This time Lhym climbed into the skies on their little bird. He immediately headed north following the river. It was not too long before he too noticed four crows off to his left. For some strange reason he felt comfort knowing that they were there. Finally, he could see a large lake Mijh had described. Swooping down to get a better look at the dam, he could see large rat-like animals with a large flat tails carrying pieces of tree branches to the dam. "How strange," he thought. The animals’ activity seemed to be coordinated as if some great Sorn were directing a great holy dance. On cue a small hole in the dam shrunk to a solid barrier as the animals danced in and out with new bits of twigs and mud. A sound of a “caw” sounded from the sky above Lhym. He suddenly realized he was sinking quickly towards the ground. He quickly turned his flying craft into the wind and headed turned towards home.

After securing their bird from prying eyes, the boys hurried back to the village all the while trying to give meeting to what they had experienced. What was with the crows? Why had no one heard about the big Lake? What were the strange animals at the dam?

Upon reaching the village, Noor came running up to Lhym. "The Sorn wants to see you."

"Another Holy Heilik," the boys said simultaneously with a hint of dejection. They drudged to the temple.

“Welcome back my young adventures”, the stern faced Sorn said in a tone that Lhym could not decipher. “How was your journey to the sky?”

The room seemed to darken and both boys began to shake. Surely they had committed some great sin and the Sorn was about to pronounce their doom. Lhym could feel his chest tighten, his head become stuffy and hot as the Sorn motioned the boys to sit.
“Our sages tell the story on a young warrior, Yosafe, who after winning a fierce battle with the evil troll Gigant, discovers he has been bestowed with one of the five powers of life. He realizes he now has the means to make his people rulers of all the kingdoms. But he also realizes that in doing that, he would be corrupted by that knowledge. Like all those who find a new power provided to them, one must gain new insight on how to use that power wisely. You two, Lhym and Mijh, have you gained new insight on how to use your new power?”

As if they had just been discovered snitching a swipe of Aunt Klara’s newly baked pumpkin seed pie, both boys’ eyes quickly met and then slowly fix on the ground in front of them.

“Did you really believe you could keep your secret from your Sorn?” the Sorn queued with a slight chuckle in his voice.

Sounding like two hop bugs on a hot summer night both boys together chirped out explanations that they did not knowingly break any Holy Laws, of wanting to improve their knowledge for the betterment of the village, and their willingness to do extra Holy Heiliks to make up for their misdeeds. The crescendo of justifications continued until the Sorn lifted his arms in a command to stop the chirping. With a face that conveyed both a stern majestic power and a twinkle of humor, the Sorn calmed the boys by explaining that they had not broken any laws, that he was not upset with their adventures in the sky, that, fact, he was commending them for their inventive actions, and that he had a Holy Heilik for them that no other Schretl had yet been given. The boys were to become a new set of eyes for the Sorn.

Being the eyes of the Sorn meant that at certain times the Sorn would select a destination for one of the boys to fly to with instructions to circle the area several times, note what he saw and return back to the village. The Sorn would then quiz him intently on the smallest details of what he saw. The Sorn had an uncanny knowledge of how the winds would be blowing so that their flights were quick and smooth. The excursions seemed to be evenly divided between Mijh and Lhym. But Lhym noted that Mijh was often sent to a new area first and then Lhym would follow up the next day to the same location. Also Lhym was more often sent to the dam. Despite Mijh being the one the Sorn relied on into go to new areas, Lhym attributed this to Mijh’s being more skilled in flying their bird, Lhym felt a growing pride in his special duties. And joyfully the flights also reduced their responsibilities of normal Holy Heiliks.

Flying for the Sorn gave Lhym a new perspective of how their little village was placed in the vast world, a world which seemed never ending. Beyond the cornfields to the north the land first rose in gentle slopes and the then leaped up into the tall Blue Mountains. To the east stretched the great Barefoot River which started at the lake behind the great wooden dam. Beyond the lake lay a never ending desolate bog of rotting trees, strange smells and sounds which reminded Lhym small creatures being caught in the talons of great hawks. Whenever Lhym flew close to this dark place a strange feeling griped his spine as if a hand of ice were trying to crush him. Mijh, too, reported he had trouble flying the bird in this direction. On the west side of the village the Barefoot River widen into fields of flowers of every color. As if to contrast itself from the bog to the west, this place gave a feeling that the world was full of peace. To the south of the village cornfields stretched until they reached a settlement of Tall Ones with their huge red buildings.

One other phenomenon caught both boys attention, the crows. Whenever either boy flew to the dam and beyond, they were accompanied by four crows flying slightly higher and behind them. Even maneuvering their craft to either left or right brought a course correction of the crows to match the boys’ path. Mijh said he also they the crows also seemed to be flying a lot between the mountains and the village of Fieldwitz. When Mijh asked the Sorn about the crows, the Sorn diverted the question to some other subject.

On this day the Sorn insisted that Lhym fly to the dam as soon as possible; an oddity since the Sorn knew the winds were in the wrong direction. After bringing their craft to the Old Fuzzy Top, Mijh suggested that to counteract the wind direction Lhym take off going south, climb as high as he could and then turn sharply down in an easterly direction. By continually using this alternating tactic he should make the dam, look around and return with enough time to be back by night fall. Lhym agreed with the strategy even though it would be difficult thrusting his body down and forward in precise timing to make the turns efficiently.

As instructed by Mijh, Lhym took off in a southerly direction; climbed as high as he could, twisted down in an eastwardly direction. Just before crashing into the ferment, Lhym again twisted up for the southerly climb. Time and again he repeated this maneuver and slowly progressed toward the dam. With each twisting and pulling, Lhym felt his strength being sapped.

Somewhere in the twisting and thrusting, Lhym noticed the crows. Crows often seemed to be accompanying him on these flights to the dam, but this time there seemed to be more than the usual three or four. Now there were at least seven fellow travelers. They were paralleling Lhym’s twists, turns and dives. But not quite paralleling him; there were four to his side but three slightly ahead of him. At the bottom of the dive the forward three crows began to turn north instead of south. When Lhym turned south, these crows would turn and catch up to the crows beside Lhym. Then three new crows would take the lead. The same process happened in the next round of maneuvers. For a reason he could not explain later, when the crows turned north on the next dive, Lhym followed them. The crows climbed north and slowly arced to the north-east. The climb was faster than Lhym had been experiencing. At the top of the climb, instead of diving down toward the east, Lhym found they could gently slope down towards the east giving Lhym time to rest. This new process was far less stressful, but also seemed to picking up the pace towards the dam. Once the new process had been established, all the crows were to Lhym’s side.
As the dam came into view, an icy chill crawled up Lhym’s spine, that same sense of foreboding he felt flying over the bogs. Below he saw gushing water from numerous holes in the dam and large flat tailed rodents frantically scurrying about trying to plug them. However, as one hole was repaired, two others sprang open. With horror Lhym saw the cause of the destruction; three Tall Ones. Each one of them placed something in the dam followed by smoke, a fiery blast, a deafening bang and a burst of water from a new hole in the dam. It happened again and again. Swooping down closer a sense of terror began to envelop Lhym; as he observed black bat like creatures with five thin tentacles slithering through the hair on the backs of the Tall Ones’ heads. This feeling intensified as a strange smell, much like that of rotting animals in the bog, permeating the air and reached his nostrils. Almost simultaneously Lhym heard the crows on his right cawing frantically to each other as he watched two of them swiftly depart towards the Schretl settlement.

Two jarring explosions on his left wrenched Lhym’s attention back to the dam. With the sound of wood screeching and snapping, the dam gave way, releasing from the confined lake with a thunderous roar and blooms of water bursting into the Barefoot River. Then everything seemed to freeze, the water froze in midair, the flat tailed animals froze in misstep, the tall ones froze in place, and there was silence. Instantly Lhym became aware that time seem to stop, but unlike his previous experience with the village bully, this time there was nothing he could do; he could not stop water. Strangely the black things on the Tall Ones did appear to be time-frozen. Their winding tentacles continued to move and he could clearly see that they were crawling off the Tall Ones. With a slap of their bony wings they were in the air and except for one, they were retreating toward the bog on the other side of the lake. Then everything else seemed to move; time had returned to normal.

Like a falcon spotting a morning meal, the remaining creature veered ominously towards Lhym. Instinctively Lhym swung his body to the right forcing his bird into a sharp turn towards home. As if on cue, the creature paralleled Lhym’s direction. All headed down the Barefoot River, Lhym, the creature, and a boiling wall of water below. The rushing water, drowning out all other sounds of nature, crashed against the banks, tore out trees, and swept all in its path into rolling ball. Boulders were dug up like pebbles and tossed into the cauldron as the wall of water pushed on. Reaching a low bank in the river, a finger of the watery onslaught reached out to destroy all in its way. With each passing moment, enhanced by the sound of the churning water below and the awareness of the creature at his back, the dread increasingly grew within Lhym.

High above, mingled with the rushing roar below, came sounds of determined caws as crows converged on the creature. A piercing screech rose above the din as the creature abruptly turned back towards the source of the flood. Six crows followed the retreating black abomination while remaining surrounded Lhym. Their cacophony of caws seemed to be pleading with Lhym to proceed faster to his village.

The roar beneath and Lhym in his little craft raced with equal speed toward the village. As the village came into view, Lhym saw everyone below rushing to higher ground while crows darted in and around the village cackling frantically. As Lhym brought his craft lower, a feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him when realized the village at the bank of the river was about to be destroyed; there was nothing he could do. Scanning the area he spotted the deserted looking community center and the nearby rock overhanging the Barefoot River. Then he saw Noor huddled at the end of the rock, not moving. Lhym screamed for Noor to run, but as he did, a wall of water swept over the rock. In an instant, there was the little Schretl on the rock, and then there was no rock at all.

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