chapter 1
The Dwarf lived in an underground cave for many years. Once he noticed a strange thing. There was a spot of light in the center of the cave. He wasn't able to explain it and started to look for an answer in the books. He had a huge library. The books explaining absolutely everything. Although, he couldn't find the answer in them. Because they only referred to the things in the underground world. They were written by the dwarfs who never had been on the surface. Then he decided to find the explanation himself. He looked around meticulously and found out that the light was falling through a crack in the ceiling. He found it interesting and started to climb upstairs to learn what was the source of the light. He climbed on and on until he found himself in another world. It looked like another huge cavern. A cavern filled with bright light. It was a very beautiful cavern with a blue ceiling. Also, the Dwarf noticed that he was standing on a fluffy green carpet. Somewhere high above he saw very bright, yellow, spherical lamp. The dwarf decided that he who furnished this cavern had a good taste. He saw the beautiful red and yellow flowers around. There were huge bees flying around the flowers. The dwarf didn't understand what they were doing so he decided to observe them for a while. Maybe he could write a book about that. Meanwhile, a big fox approached him from behind. She was very hungry. And the dwarf looked like a hearty breakfast. She sprung towards the Dwarf but missed
"Good morning," said the Dwarf
"Good morning," said the Fox
"Could you tell me what those insects do to the flowers?" - asked the Dwarf
The fox thought about it. She saw the bees day in and day out, but this question, what they were actually might be doing, never occurred to her. Meanwhile, a group of hedgehogs marched into the meadow. They carried a table with dishes and utensils.
"Look, here is the Fox" - said one of the hedgehogs.
"Looks like a savory breakfast" - confirmed another hedgehog
"So, we already have a table and dishes, but we don't have the food yet" - said the third hedgehog
"And now we have the food as well" - said the fourth hedgehog
The Fox hearing this conversation of hedgehogs decided to flee. The hedgehogs hurried after her waving their forks. The dwarf observing this scene realized that he was hungry too. Although, there was nothing around which reminded food. So he decided to eat flowers
"What are you doing?" asked bees
"I'm hungry and decided to eat these flowers" - answered the Dwarf
The bees thought it was a strange idea, but were not able to vocalize it. Because they weren't able to speak. Meanwhile, a cloud eclipsed the sun, and the Dwarf decided that it was time to go to sleep. He tried to fall asleep, but he was disturbed again and again by the shouts of hedgehogs pursuing the Fox and the clatter of their forks. Also, the stomping of their feet made the ground shake. The Dwarf concluded that although it was a very beautiful cave, it was very noisy as well. So he decided to return to his own cave, but he couldn't find the entrance. He was pondering what to do next. He was still hungry despite all those flowers he had gobbled. Also, he wanted to sleep. Also, the yelling of hedgehogs was getting on his nerves. Then he saw a tall old man who stood before him, wearing a strange hat with an immense beard. In one hand he was holding a staff.
"Good morning" - said the Dwarf
"Good morning, Dwarf" - answered the old man - "My name is Gandalf. And I'm looking for a companion. Together we can liberate an old castle from the Dragon. There is a lot of gold in this castle that we can take away"
"Probably it's a good idea" - answered the Dwarf with little conviction in his voice
"I think it's a brilliant idea. I came up with it on my own" - answered Gandalf.
Meanwhile, the Fox pursued by the fork brandishing hedgehogs ran into the meadow and fell to the ground in exhaustion.
chapter 2
Gandalf and the Dwarf were looking at the Fox who laid on the ground in exhaustion. The hedgehogs started to unroll a tablecloth over the table and to slice the salad. In anticipation of the feast, they sang an ancient song. The song told how very long ago a brave knight went on a journey. He planned to find and defeat the Dragon. And release the Princess. And take off all the gold hidden in the Dragon's cave. And invest it in real estate in Dubai to increase his fortune. Then he wanted to send his kids to the prestigious college. So they could become bankers and lawyers. So he dreamt. But when he came to the Dragon's cave, the Dragon was singing a song. He had a beautiful, melodic voice. And the knight became enchanted by this song. He sat near the entrance of the cave and listened for hundred years. When hundred years passed, he realized that he didn't need the gold. All he wanted was to understand the meaning of that song. But the meaning evaded him. The knight was in despair. He believed that the words of that song could bring him happiness and inner peace. But he couldn't understand the words. Because it was an ancient language long ago forgotten. The knight sat near the cave for the next thousand years. And turned into a giant emerald.
"I know this story" - said the Fox. Gandalf and Dwarf looked at her with curiosity.
"I remember when it happened and where" - continued the Fox - "It was a strange time."
"Did he actually turned into an emerald?" - asked the Dwarf.
"Yes, I'd seen it with my own eyes" - confirmed the Fox
"I think it'll give us a chance to get rich" - muttered Gandalf
"I know the way" - said the Fox
In the meantime, the hedgehogs finished cutting the salad. They were coming up to Gandalf, Fox and the Dwarf carrying a big dish. They planned to put the Fox on this dish and start their feast.
"Fuck," said the Fox
"Exactly," said Gandalf
Gandalf was looking at the approaching hedgehogs, and a thought crossed his mind. In the next moment, the hedgehogs started to rise in the air. They looked at each other in surprise. Each of them now had a pair of wings on their backs. Those were bright, vast, and lovely wings. The hedgehogs looked like the huge butterflies covered with spikes. They forgot about their breakfast and started doing rounds above the meadow. Like a pack of wild dragonflies. One of the hedgehogs smashed into a tree and got stuck. Others rushed over to help him. Gandalf giggled.
"Well" - said Gandalf - "now we can talk business. What was it about the emerald?"
"Yes" - answered the Fox - "actually that's a long story. It happened long ago in ancient times and I remember exactly how it happened"
Chapter 3 (The Story of the Fox)
The Fox told a story that happened long ago. It started when the ancient dwarves figured out how to turn the stones into gold. Before that, they lived in caves in poverty. To sustain themselves and procure food they had to grow vegetables on the rocks. Usually, it didn't work out. So most often the dwarves went hungry. They were constantly looking for a way out of this situation. Once one of the dwarves came up with an idea. If they could find some gold in the caves they would be able to exchange it for food. And they began to search for the gold, but they found nothing. They were desperate. Meanwhile, several dwarves conducted experiments with the stones trying to make them look more beautiful. After a certain attempt, a stone turned into iron.
"If a stone can be converted into iron, then probably it can be turned into gold as well" decided the dwarves and doubled their efforts. After several months they succeeded. After that several generations of dwarves lived in prosperity trading gold for food. This secret of how to convert stone into gold had been written down and hidden deep in the caves.
Once the dragon found out about the secret of dwarves. He flew to the caves and pretended to be a dwarf. He knocked.
"Who's there?" asked the dwarves
"Doesn't matter" answered the dragon
"Ok," said the dwarves and opened the door
After that, the dragon entered the caves and wandered around looking for the secret record. The dwarves fled in fear. The dragon kept searching for several years. Then he felt tired and went to sleep on a pile of gold. Other several centuries passed. The dwarves who escaped from the caves created a song about this episode. This song became well-known. Everybody knew about the pile of gold hidden in the cave. And about the secret record telling how to convert stone into gold. Once a brave knight decided to visit this place, to kill the dragon and to take out anything valuable from there. He spent a long time getting ready. He read ancient books, that told how to kill a dragon. Also, he saved money to buy a sword and the armor. But his patience almost had reached its limits. Because every night in his dreams he heard the song about the mysterious cave and piles of gold hidden there. Eventually, he couldn't stand it anymore, and he decided to go to the cave. He didn't have a sword, so he carried a spade instead. But he believed in the success of his mission. He walked many days and eventually he was on the edge of the big, dark forest.
Chapter 4 (Knight's story)
The knight stood on the edge of the forest peering into the darkness. The strange sounds came from the forest as if somebody rather audibly gnawed at some bones.
"It sounds weird," thought the knight. The idea of entering this forest scared him. Then he would have to meet this creature producing those weird sounds. At the same time, he was overwhelmed by curiosity.
'If I turn back now" thought the knight "I'll never learn the secret of this forest. I won't be able to sleep or eat; I'll always be thinking about that."
"After all, I have nothing to fear" decided the knight "because I have a spade."
After plucking up his courage, the knight eventually entered the forest. He followed a narrow path leading deep into the woods. It was dark. The knight stretched his hand forward in order to avoid bumping into branches. Because the branches hit him in the forehead and it hurt.
"This is a very unfriendly forest," thought the knight "Probably it's under the curse. For example, why it's so dark here all the time?"
The strange sounds were louder and louder. Eventually, the knight came to a small clearing in the middle of which sat a raccoon and crunched some bones.
"Hello," said the knight "Bon appetite" The raccoon looked at him incredulously.
"Hello, the brave knight," said the raccoon. "I'll give you three riddles. If you answer correctly, I'll let you pass. Otherwise, I'll eat you."
The knight thought for a bit and agreed. He was confident. He spent many years reading books and was sure that he knew everything.
"Ok," said the raccoon "Tell me, what is it, blue, cold with a thousand little eyes and a huge tail?"
"A pineapple?" suggested the knight. He didn't know what a pineapple was, but he knew it looked weird, and so fitted the description.
"No," said the raccoon jubilantly "Now I'm going to eat you. Do you have any salt or pepper by the way?"
"No," said the knight "But I have a spade."
With these words, the knight hit him in the forehead with his spade and the raccoon passed out.
"Goodbye, it was nice to meet you" added the knight and proceeded deeper into the forest. He was proud of his politeness and manners. It was dark around, but soon he saw a strange light ahead.
"What could it be?" thought the knight.
Chapter 5 (Knight's amulet)
The knight came out to a clearing illuminated by a blue light. In the center of the clearing sat a blue, cold creature with a thousand eyes and a huge tail. It looked weird.
"Hello, are you a pineapple?" asked the knight, observing the clearing with curiosity.
"No" answered the creature "Why?"
"You look weird" explained the knight "I know that a pineapple looks weird so you kinda fit the description."
"No," said the creature with sadness "In fact, I'm the keeper of this forest. According to a legend, one day a brave knight is going to pass through this forest. He will be carrying with him an ancient sword on which I have to put the spell of invincibility."
"I think, it's me," said the knight cheerfully "But I don't have a sword, unfortunately. I have a spade. Hope, it's not a problem?"
"I think, it's not" the creature agreed a bit puzzled "Ok, I'll put a spell on your spade. Is it an ancient spade?"
"Yes, it's very ancient" agreed the knight "It's literally falling apart."
"This is very good," said the blue creature. Now I put the spell. From now on you and your spade are invincible in battle. Follow this path, and soon you'll come to the end of the forest. You have to reach the dragon's cave. And defeat the dragon.
"Thank you, I know," said the knight and went along the path into the darkness. He continued to be proud of his manners. The spade in his hand emanated a faint, pink glow.
Chapter 6 (Knight's trial)
The knight came out into a glade where he saw a beautiful woman. The surrounding space was filled with a cold, blue light. The woman looked him in the eyes. Her stare produced a sense of fear in him, but he didn't know why.
"Who allowed you to enter my forest?" asked the woman. There was an ice in her voice. Under this ice, one could hear the sound of fire. The fire of wrath.
"I just follow my way" answered the knight hesitantly "I heard a song about the cave full of gold. And about the dragon who guards it. I decided I have to find this cave, kill the dragon, and take the gold. And it's going to be a good story."
"I think," said the woman "that you'll remain here. Until you answer my question."
The blue light illuminating the glade became red and ominous.
"My question is" continued the woman slowly "Who are you?"
"Well, that's simple" answered the knight "I'm just a knight on a quest to find the treasure."
"No" answered the woman "It's not simple. And your answer is wrong. I think you don't know the answer yet. Neither do I. But we'll find out."
"I don't understand you," said the knight. He suddenly felt a fear and fatigue overwhelming him.
"To find out who you are," said the woman "You will be confined to an ice slab. You will spend a month inside the ice without food, water, or ability to move. You'll be able only to think. After that, you'll be invited to a table full of meals and beverages. But you won't be allowed to eat or drink. This way you'll spend another week. You'll be able to talk to my servant.He is a demon, and he's very smart. At the end of that week, you'll be able to take whatever you want from the table. But in order to do that you'll have to drop your sword into an abyss. It'll be lost. Maybe you'll find it later, maybe not. I don't know. It's your choice. I don't know what is going to be right for you. I think it will help you to answer my question."
And the woman put him inside an ice slab. During his first days inside the slab, the knight cursed his fate and his stupid idea to go on a quest. He thought, why on earth did he need it? He thought about his life. He tried to imagine the future but he couldn't. Then he thought about the magic forest and the question the woman asked him. What might it mean? Who am I? Sometimes the knight drifted into sleep. In his dreams, he saw strange things. Colourful birds. The meadows basking in the sunshine. He woke up in the darkness and cold. After a week he fell into despair. He thought he was getting insane. Several days later he decided "I will be picturing people on the sunny meadows and will imagine that I'm one of them" He spent next several days doing this. Sometimes he was glad for those people on the sunny meadows, sometimes he hated them. Because they weren't imprisoned in ice. He kept thinking about the question the woman asked him. Also, he thought why he was looking for that cave with gold in the first place. Was it worth the horror he felt at this moment? He didn't know.
"At least it would make a good story," thought the knight. He began to think that it made a certain sense.
"Probably it can help me to find my way," he thought, "The woman told, that it would help to answer her question. I think she asked this question with something in mind. And if I'll find the answer it will help me with my quest. Then it all makes sense. This cold and darkness. It will help me to find my way. And I'll do what I've planned. And it will be an interesting story."
Soon the knight had been released from ice. He was met by a demon. The demon was friendly and smiled all the time. He led the knight to a table full of various dishes and drinks. Then he put a spell on him so he couldn't move. The knight sat at the table and thought that he was going insane. Because he hadn't eaten or drunk for a month while he was inside the ice slab. The demon was in a good mood and was telling the stories about his life in the enchanted forest
Chapter 7 (Temptation)
The Demon and the knight were sitting at the table, and the Demon was telling the stories about his life in the enchanted forest. It was a good life. There was no shortage of food and entertainments. Food and entertainments - those were the only two things that the Demon was interested in. Before that, the Demon spent several years in a desert. He couldn't forget a feeling of constant hunger, and now he believed that he found the purpose of his life. It was a comfortable life. Although, sometimes the Demon felt bored. He woke up every day knowing that he would get everything he wanted. Namely, food and entertainment. And he didn't know what else to wish. The Demon knew that there were other wishes. Like reading books or traveling. But he thought it was somewhat exhausting.
"What made you go on a quest?" the Demon asked with curiosity.
"I heard a song about a cave with gold," said the Knight "A cave guarded by the Dragon. I went on a quest to find this cave, to kill the Dragon and to take the gold."
"What for?" asked the Demon
"I think this is what the knights are supposed to do," answered the Knight "also, it will be an interesting story."
"I don't understand," said the Demon "maybe, this is a cave full of food and entertainment?"
"I don't think so" answered the Knight.
"Then it's not going to make your life better," said the Demon
"I haven't thought about that," said the Knight "I don't think I need to make my life better. I think it's good enough already."
The Demon burst out laughing.
"You spent a month in the ice, and now you are unable to eat," said the Demon ironically "although, you sit at the table full of food. I think something in your life went wrong."
"It's a different question," said the Knight "As far as I understand I endure these hardships to find an answer to the question - Who am I?"
"Do you think it makes any sense?" asked the Demon.
"At first I thought it doesn't," answered the Knight "but now, after I spent a month in the ice, I think this question makes sense."
"So what's the answer to this question?" asked the Demon laughing.
"I haven't found the answer yet," said the Knight patiently "But at least I think I understood what this question means. But I cannot explain it."
"Good," said the Demon "You know the rules. After a week you'll be allowed to eat. After you throw your sword into an abyss."
"I'm not going to do that," said the Knight
"Why?" asked the Demon surprised "you sacrifice food, but you are not getting anything in return. Your sword might be useless. And you might find another sword after you leave the forest. So now you can just easily throw this sword away. And enjoy life. Because this is the only thing that makes sense."
"I think it's not the only thing that makes sense," said the Knight "especially when you are inside the ice slab. This sword has a spell cast upon it. I don't know what this spell does. I need to find out. I think it's important. So I'm not going to throw my sword away."
"Probably this spell doesn't do anything interesting anyway," said the Demon, bored
"I think this spell will help me to answer the question - who am I?" said the Knight
"Ah, don't worry about that," said the Demon "It doesn't really matter. The Ice Queen will let you leave the forest in any case. You don't really need to answer this question."
"I think, I want to learn it myself," said the Knight "after I spent the month inside the ice slab."
"Why do you need this?" said Demon, baffled "your trial is almost over. Enjoy life."
"I think it will help me to find the way to the cave," said the Knight.
"Why do you need to go somewhere?" asked the Demon
"I don't know for sure," said the Knight "but I think, it will be an interesting story. Also, while I was sitting in the ice I've got other questions I want answered."
"That sounds strange," said the Demon "and you don't make much sense. And I'm tired of arguing"
With those words, the Demon started to gobble the food. The Knight looked at him feeling how he was getting crazy with temptation.
Chapter 8 (The travel begins)
The Fox went silent for a moment. Gandalf and the Dwarf looked at her waiting for her to continue her story. But it looked like the Fox had been lost in her thoughts. She took out a pipe and unhurriedly began to smoke.
"We got to get ready for the travel," said the Fox
"What happened to the Knight?" asked Gandalf and Dwarf in unison
"I'll tell you en route," answered the Fox.
"We are going to travel to the Dragon's cave?" asked the Dwarf
"Yes" answered the Fox "and during our trip, I'm going to show you a couple of things. It'll make my story more clear."
After that, the three of them started shoving things in their backpacks. They took a supply of food, a knife, a hatchet, a rope, and a box of matches to make a fire. The Dwarf also put into his backpack some bundles of weed, which he insisted helped with various ailments, like cold or ruptures.
An hour later they were ready to go. They cast parting glances on the meadow and the hedgehogs fluttering in the air. Then they set off along the road heading north. In the evenings they lighted a campfire. At first, they were harassed by mosquitos, but then the Dwarf found in his backpack a bundle of strange looking weed that he threw in the fire after which the mosquitos dispersed in fright. Soon the three of them started seeing the strange and colorful visions; iridescent castles floating in the air, rainbow dragons, fairies, and elves. The Fox insisted that those visions were the reflections of a parallel world. Gandalf thought that they were caused by the strange weed the Dwarf dropped in the fire. In any case, it helped to kill time. Gandalf and the Dwarf waited for the Fox to continue her story. They wanted to find out what happened to the Knight. But the Fox remained silent. She smoked her pipe and just looked at the space in front of her. She had been immersed in her memories. The Dwarf missed home, and also he didn't have enough to eat. He was always hungry. Gandalf thought about the cave with gold and the Dragon. Also, he thought about the Dragon's song that enchanted the Knight so much that he had forgotten about the gold and spent the next hundred years sitting near the cave's entrance trying to understand its meaning. He thought he could figure it out. And that meaning would help him to understand the meaning of his own life. The dwarf didn't think about anything except food. He continued to throw the bundles of his strange weed in the fire, and the faint ghosts of elves, fairies, dragons, and castles continued to emerge in the air. Gandalf thought that Dwarf should've stopped doing this. At the same time, he liked to contemplate these vivid hallucinations. So he didn't say anything and continued to think about the Dragon's song.
Chapter 9 (The Snail)
Gandalf, the Fox, and the Dwarf walked along the road that stretched somewhere far to the horizon. The sun was shining friendly and brightly. A gentle breeze stirred the grass. Around the road grew occasional trees and raspberry bushes. The Dwarf felt exhausted. He hadn't been used to such long hikes. Gandalf was deep in his thoughts, and the Fox whistled some melody distractedly.
"Maybe, we can stop and eat something," suggested the Dwarf "my feet are falling off, and soon I'll just drop, and you'll have to carry me."
The Fox shook her head.
"No," she said "We cannot make a stop today. We have to reach the magic forest before midnight. Because at midnight the Giant will come out on this road. And he will be very hungry. He will be looking for anybody or anything that he could eat. We have to leave this road before midnight."
The Dwarf grumbled and rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"So when will we reach this forest of yours?" he asked.
The Fox squinted her eyes looking at the horizon.
"See this dark strip far away? It's the magic forest. According to my calculations, we are going to reach it late in the evening. A couple of hours before midnight. This is if nothing would delay us. Which I cannot guarantee. Therefore we get to move fast and without stops."
The Dwarf groaned but eventually resigned. He felt unhappy, tired, and hungry.
Soon they saw a Giant Snail, who completely blocked the road, and absentmindedly studied the scenery in front of her.
"What about you moving the heck off the road and let us pass?" said the Dwarf irritably. His patience was worn thin, and the Snail looked like the last straw threatening to break the camel's back.
"I'm looking for my contacts," muttered the Snail. She felt awkward. "I dropped them somewhere here on the road. I need to find them. Otherwise, I cannot see where I need to crawl."
The Fox groaned feeling how the precious time was seeping away.
"I'm afraid; we got to help," she said, "otherwise this Snail will never move off the road, and we won't be able to pass."
The three of them started to fumble around the ground hoping to find the Snail's contacts. The Snail lazily shifted her weight from foot to foot. At this moment something fell from the sky with the lightning speed. A second later Gandalf, the Dwarf, and the Fox saw how a giant hawk snatched the Snail with his talons, rose high into the sky, turning into a small black dot, and disappeared.
"Ok," said the Fox, "I think we can continue on our way. We lost a lot of time, so we need to hurry."
"I found the contacts," said the Dwarf.
Gandalf standing a bit apart from them vacantly chewed some mushroom he found near the path. There was an expression of puzzlement in his eyes. It was like he tried to understand where he was.
Chapter 10 (Gandalf's Vision)
The Fox looked at Gandalf thoughtfully, thinking how to shake him out of his stupor. Gandalf continued to chew the mushroom not paying any attention to the surroundings.
"Hey, can you hear me?" asked the Fox irritably.
"Of course," said Gandalf "I can hear you better than ever before. And I realized that we made a big mistake. We cannot just come to that forest and enter it."
"Why not?" asked the Fox
"What happened to the Knight at the end of his trial?" asked Gandalf
The Fox hesitated. The Dwarf stood on the road trying to understand what was going on.
"You don't know the end of that story, do you?" said Gandalf with certainty.
The Fox tried to protest but eventually admitted that it was true. She heard this story from some forest dweller who in turn heard it from the Demon who talked to the Knight when his trial had been approaching its final. But for some reason, the Demon skipped the end of the story.
"Right," said Gandalf "I don't know what happened either. But the sorcery of mushrooms produced some visions in my mind. I got in touch with a mysterious tribe living in this forest and its suburbs. They show me the pictures. Strange pictures. I cannot decipher their meaning, but my intuition tells me that we cannot enter this forest unprepared. First, we need to find a mysterious sign, symbolizing our birth. And the birth of this place. Having this sign with us, we can enter the forest. Only then we will be able to find the right direction there.
"We don't have time," the Fox protested "several hours later it will be dark, and at midnight the Giant will go on a prowl looking for something to eat. And he will find us. And he will be happy, content, and full."
"The time doesn't matter here," explained Gandalf "the time here is only defined by our goal. We'll spend as much time as it's needed to find the magic sign. And then we'll return at the same second."
The Fox and the Dwarf decided that Gandalf sounded sufficiently convincing, and agreed to take a trip to this parallel world. They started to chew the mushrooms, the same kind that Gandalf was chewing. Soon the things around them started to change shape. Everything was filled with bright colors. Strange creatures that looked like butterflies and dragonflies with the heads and bodies of horses fluttered in the air. From the expression in their eyes, one could tell that they were intelligent. The Dwarf looked in admiration at the giant red and yellow flowers growing around. Their stems stretched high into the sky, and their enormous translucent petals created a colorful dome above their heads. Strange planets danced and cavorted in the evening skies. After awhile Gandalf pointed to a shimmering door that floated in the air before them. The door had been outlined with something that looked like sparkling precious gems. Although, at the same time those precious gems looked alive flowing like drops of water, emitting colorful sparkles. After several minutes spent contemplating the strange door in confusion, the travelers entered it. At the next second, they swooped with a tremendous speed down a long and serpentine tunnel.
Chapter 11 (The Secret Sign)
Gandalf, the Fox, and the Dwarf flew through the dark tunnel. The colorful sparkles swiftly whooshed past them. The strange translucent towers appeared in their sight and then vanished. This was all very interesting. Soon they whipped out of the tunnel and landed on a small lawn. The iridescent colors flowed and played on the lawn like a kaleidoscope. The strange creatures swarmed around. They were short, although, sometimes they suddenly grew to a gigantic height. Also, the creatures constantly changed their color and shape. A group of them was led by a creature that looked like a giraffe colored in pink and violet with butterfly wings and a huge tail. Its tail wriggled like a bundle of sprawling multi-colored snakes; sometimes it stretched high into the sky ejecting the series of vivid fireworks.
"These are my friends," said Gandalf humbly.
"I get it," said the giraffe and turned into a giant blue elephant with a thousand legs each of which ended with a human hand.
"The way I see it," continued the blue elephant "you came here to find the secret sign, symbolizing your birth."
"Yes, seems like that," said Gandalf uncertainly.
The transformations of the creature got on his nerves, and the opulence of bright colors around made his head spin.
"I don't know where is this sign exactly," admitted the elephant "but all the signs that symbolize the birth of every living creature in the universe are located here, in this world. I would suggest you walk around and look at the visions that will emerge before you. At some point, you'll feel that you see something connected to you. Just look around and listen to your hearts."
Gandalf, the Fox, and the Dwarf walked around. Strange visions emerged before their eyes. The bunches of fiery snakes shot out from the dark holes, filling everything with a blinding light. Then this light grew dim, took on a tinge of red, and the snakes turned into the quaint metal flowers.
"This is the sign that marked the birth of a great and wicked warrior and the Lord of the dark space." explained the elephant and turned into a sparkling red, twinkling snail. It had the huge dragonfly wings which allowed it to hover in the air. The space around became filled with noise.
The next vision looked like a bouquet of flowers. At first, it was tiny and only included a few miniature turquoise flowers. Gradually it grew. The flowers took different hues; red, orange, yellow, purple, pink. The red flowers grew particularly fast. They reached gigantic proportions. Their shadows obscured the suns, and the planets rotating around those suns had been submerged into a red twilight.
"This is the sign that marked the birth of the philosopher Lootzsoo," the snail said reflectively.
"What?" asked Gandalf. The dragonfly wings of the snail produced a noise akin to the roar of a squadron of helicopters.
"Lootzsoo," explained the snail "was a philosopher who discovered the connection between the universe and the consciousness."
"Oh," said Gandalf who understood nothing.
The next vision showed a tiny, sorrowful, red Shrimp.
"I feel," said the Dwarf hesitantly.
"Same here," said the Fox
Gandalf looked at the Shrimp in confusion.
"I have to admit," he said finally "that I have the same feeling. This little, sad, red Shrimp is our secret sign."
Chapter 12 (The Secret of Magic Forest)
The three of them looked at Shrimp in perplexion. Each of them tried to understand how it could be connected to their mission. After a while, the Fox decided to break the silence.
"Hi," said the Fox
"Good morning," said the Shrimp "If this morning can be called good, or if this particular moment of time can be called morning. It's a strange place where it's unclear whether it's morning or night."
"I get it," said the Fox
"At least we found our secret sign," said the Dwarf "I don't know why it has to be a red Shrimp, but I hope it will help us somehow."
"Excuse me," Gandalf addressed the Shrimp "I assume you know the secret of Magic Forest, a place we go. We need to know this secret before we enter the forest."
The Shrimp pondered the question.
"I have some ideas about that," she said eventually "But those are not very clear. Everything is in the haze. But you probably should know, that after crossing that forest you'll change. You should accept it. This is how it should be. It will help you to understand what you are really looking for, and what you should do. You will need to overcome the challenges, and you should know that those challenges also will help you to better understand your goal. And the most important thing. You have to find the magic sword. You will need it later after you leave the forest. This sword belonged to the Knight who abandoned it in the forest. It was his mistake. If you find the Knight, it also will help you to get him out of the situation he's in now. And the Knight, in turn, will help you to accomplish your quest. Also, you need to put a spell on one of the things you carry with you. It will be your guide. Under no circumstances should you throw it away. The Ice Queen will ask you to do that. You will also encounter other puzzles which you'll have to figure out on your own."
With these words, the Shrimp dissolved in the air. Gandalf, the Fox, and the Dwarf looked with fascination at the place where the Shrimp was a second ago trying to understand the meaning of her words. Then they heard a rustle behind them. They looked back. Behind them stood an orange Hyppo.
"Ok," said the Hyppo "as far as I can see, you found your secret sign."
"Seems like that," said Gandalf uncertainly
"Then you have to go back to your world," the Hyppo said cheerfully and clapped his hands