Adventures
Of
Eli DEUCE
Adventures
of
Eli Deuce
Adventures for parents and
children to enjoy together
Nick Hofmeister
Copyright © 2007 and 2008 by Nick Hofmeister.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This book was printed in the United States of America.
CONTENTS
Bedtime Stories, Part One
How It All Started ..........11
The Enchanted Forest.........15
The Search For The Man With The Golden Leg ......25
A Seafarer to Beware ...................33
Gnome City .............................42
An Adventure of His Own The Return of
Captain Curly-Haired Mike.......... 57
The Arrival of Jacob, Prince of Avon ....71
A Trip to the Peony Patch ...............83
Pilgrimage to a Royal Wedding ...........90
The End of a Season .................... 98
Winter Wonderland, Part Two
The Biggest Snowstorm Ever No School! …106
Snowball Fight! .................... 118
David and the Magic Cloud ............. 131
The Tinker’s House ................... 136
Christmas Day, Finally! ................159
The Search For Blackbeard’s Gold, Part Three
The Start of a New Summer...............155
Tea with the Queen of Avon..............165
The Long Good-bye. ......................172
The Island and Its Treasures ............182
Smugglers’ Cove.........................193
The Pretty Miss Emma.....................201
The Treasure Room........................208
The Plan.................................214
The Capture..............................222
A Pirate’s Treasure Revealed............230
Homeward Bound...........................238
A New Landlord...........................248
AMBUG, Part Four
Tommy Kirwin………………255
A Birthday Party…………269
Story Telling…………….285
The Balance In Nature….295
Through The Open Window..302
AMBUG…………………………310
The Apprentice…………….328
The Giant……………………336
Eli vs. Salthazar…………345
Back At Last……………….351
This book is dedicated to my brother Eric who was the best childhood friend a brother could ever wish for and to all grown ups that allow children the time and opportunity to dream and explore.
For Eli, may you have more days of adventure than work days.
Bedtime Stories
Part One
How It All Started
Eli Deuce was an adventurous young boy, who lived on the corner of Elm and Maple in Pickletown, Ohio.
He lived in a big white house with his beagle dog, Gus, his parents and his two older sisters, Izzy and Gabby.
His backyard had an old wooden swing set and a small fort, but there wasn’t much grass. Eli and Gus had trampled most of it while they conquered dragons or dinosaurs or whatever else happened into the yard.
By the time last summer had ended, Eli and Gus had already conquered all there was to conquer in their own yard. Eli had his sights set on bigger and better adventures—just over the fence. You see, his Uncle Gumba’s yard backed right up to Eli’s. And unlike Eli’s yard, Uncle Gumba’s was ENORMOUS.
Eli’s cousins Catie and Kaleigh were much older, and they had let him sit in on stories they told his sisters. They told stories of magical trips and caves and deep forests where soldiers with large, shiny swords guarded kings and queens. Even though his sisters never believed the stories, he listened intently to every detail so he would be ready when it was his turn to cross into the Land of Uncle Gumba.
On the first full day of spring, Eli decided it was time to go on his first big adventure beyond the backyard fence. He pulled on the superhero cape his mother had made from her very best five-year-old bath towel. He tucked in his mighty superhero saber, made from the last paper towel roll to come off the dispenser. With Gus at his side, he headed for the line of no return.
As he approached the fence, something weird began to happen.
The bushes just on the other side seemed to grow taller. And as they grew, they seem to pull the fence higher, as if to say, “No, young Eli Deuce, no. We will not allow you to cross into this land of adventure.”
Eli started to worry. Were the stories his cousins told actually true? Did they really have all those adventures right there in Uncle Gumba’s backyard?
He finally reached the fence. It was tall. “I could climb it,” he said to himself, feeling a bit scared. As he looked up and down the fence line, he noticed a golden beam of light pouring through a hole in the fence.
He thought, “That’s weird. I never saw that hole before?” He ran toward the hole. As he reached it and looked through, he could hardly believe his eyes.
On the other side of the fence, he saw what looked like the entrance to a grand garden, as grand as the King of England’s might be. “WHOA!” he thought. His stomach started to hurt. His knees felt weak. He had never been so afraid before.
To be on the safe side, he decided to tie Gus to the swing set. Then, he took a deep breath, wrapped his cape around his arm, grabbed his saber tightly in his hand, and made a mad dash toward the hole in the fence.
As he approached, the hole seemed to open up. As he took his first step forward and poked his head in the hole, he heard a voice say, “Welcome, young Eli. We’ve been waiting a long time for you to arrive.”
He popped out of the other side and landed on his stomach. With his mighty saber still in his hand, he jumped to his feet, ready for any attack.
To his surprise, he was in the most amazing yard he had ever seen. It was much bigger than he remembered, maybe even a hundred thousand times the size of his yard. Everywhere he looked; there were beautiful bushes, flowers, and trees. There were no swing sets or castles or forts or anything a kid could use for an adventure.
Suddenly, BAM, something ran into Eli and knocked him down. As he jumped to his feet with his saber at the ready, there sat Gus, tilting his head from one side to the other waiting for Eli.
Eli sat down next to Gus. Happy to see his friend, Eli hugged Gus and scratched him behind his ears. Then he said, “Okay boy, where should we start?”
Out of nowhere someone said, “I think we should start over by those blue spruce trees.”
Eli jumped up with his saber outstretched. “Who goes there?”
No one answered. Confused, Eli sat back down. He said, “Gus, I could swear I just heard someone.”
“You did,” said Gus. Eli jumped back up and dropped his saber. His eyes were wide. “You can talk!”
“Yes,” said Gus. “But only in this yard. You see, it is enchanted. Your uncle designed everything so that your cousins would have a wonderful place to play. They had so much fun that the yard started to take on a life of its own. It saved the memory of each adventure, your cousins completed, for courageous children to come and enjoy. It has been waiting for the next brave young person to arrive. As time passed, the magic grew stronger, strong enough to allow me to talk. But remember, I can only talk in THIS yard.”
As Eli glanced around, he began to see what Gus meant. In the middle of the red-flowered weigela bushes was what appeared to be an opening to a gold mine. Across the yard, he saw a pond with a whale that was spouting water out of its blowhole. But when he peered over at the blue spruce trees, Eli knew that Gus was right. It looked like someone was waving a red scarf to call them over. Eli looked Gus in the eye and said, “Okay, you ready?”
Gus said, “Yup,” and they both made a mad dash toward the second Adventure of Eli Deuce.
The Enchanted Forest
Eli Deuce and his dog Gus were in a mad dash across one of the biggest back yards he’d ever seen in his whole life. He was running so fast that his superhero cape flapped behind him like a flag on a windy day.
Their eyes were on a red scarf that seemed to be calling them to a patch of big blue spruce trees at the other end of the yard. Suddenly Eli caught a glimpse of someone nearby. When he slowed down to get a better look, Gus said, “What’s wrong?”
Eli suddenly remembered that his dog could talk in this magical yard. He stopped running and asked, “See that man in the shiny large hat and robe?”
“Why that is your uncle, but here he is known as ‘The Gumba’. You see it was pure love your uncle used to build this place for your cousins and everyone and everything in this yard knows that, so they’ve made him sort of the king of the place.”
Eli stood in amazement. Never had he known that any parent’s love could create such a wonderful place. He raised his mighty saber toward The Gumba and let out a mighty roarrrrrr! The Gumba replied by making a sweeping bow toward the noble superhero. As he rose, he winked at Eli and told Gus to keep a good eye on his little buddy.
Eli and Gus turned and continued their dash toward the blue spruce trees. As they approached, they noticed that the red scarf had disappeared. Before them, tucked just away inside the trees, was what looked like a small house. Eli was puzzled. He thought, “What in the world is this house doing in the middle of these trees? And who could ever live in such a small house?”
Gus sniffed around and said, “Seems all right to me. Let’s go in.”
Now Eli had enough sense to know that you don’t just open the door of someone’s house without at least knocking first. So he knocked. No one answered. He knocked again. Still no answer.
From a distance, he heard a voice. It was the great and powerful Gumba. “You may pass, mighty warrior, for that is the house where I store many personal possessions. But beware; many are very sharp!”
Gus said, “Great, open the door.”
Eli shouted back, “Thank you!” and pulled open the door.
Inside, the walls were lined with many tools—rakes and hoes and big scissors. Eli asked, “Hey, do you think he uses all this stuff on his yard?” Gus just grunted and pointed to the back wall.
There was a door painted on the wall. On the door were letters. Eli knew that letters bunched together made words, but he did not know how to read yet.
Then he heard a voice say, “No parents allowed.” It was Gus.
“You know how to read, too?” Eli asked, amazed.
“Apparently,” said Gus. “Too bad it only works here. Let’s go.”
Eli grabbed his mighty saber with his right hand and held it out as he pushed on the painted door with his left hand. The whole wall moved. He pushed harder and the wall opened completely. Gus jumped past him and onto the ground. Eli stepped through and turned around just in time to see the whole back wall of the house close up.
All he could say was “Wow!” When he turned back, he was in the middle of an enormously dark forest. The trees were so tall that light did not get to the lower branches. But as dark as it seemed, it was easy to see and very peaceful. Eli wasn’t afraid, not one bit.
Eli looked to his side to find Gus, and to his amazement, there stood a bright white unicorn. He jumped back. A voice said, “Not bad, huh?”
“Gus!” Eli screamed. “You’re a unicorn?”
“Hop on and we’ll check this place out,” Gus replied.
As he rode, Eli’s cape flew behind him. The wind in his face felt so good that he yelled, “Yippeee . . e . . . e!”
Just then, Gus said, “Hey, look over there.” As Eli turned his head, he saw two fawns playing next to a brook with their mother close by. He looked to his other side and saw gnomes working in a mushroom garden. He looked ahead and saw the forest starting to open up. Suddenly, fairies were flying next to him, cheering Gus on.
As they approached the opening, a centaur jumped in front of them and proclaimed, “HALT!” He was a beautiful creature with the chest, arms, and head of a man and the body and legs of a powerful horse.
“Halt,” he repeated forcefully as Gus came to a skid.
“You are about to enter the kingdom of Queen Lisa of Terra. Entry requires an invitation. State your name and your purpose.”
Eli pulled Gus up so that he stood on his hind legs, thrust his mighty saber in the air, and announced in his biggest, bravest voice, “I am the noble Eli Deuce. I am here with my best friend Gus, and we are on an adventure! What’s your name?” he said, as Gus landed back on all four legs.
“I am Argius, gatekeeper to the queen’s kingdom.” The centaur walked toward them. “How did such a young human cub find his way to ride a unicorn through her majesty’s forest?” “This is Eli Deuce,” interjected Gus. “He is my closest friend and the nephew of The Gumba. We travel together. He wishes an audience with the queen so that he may learn.”
“Learn . . . learn what?” demanded Argius.
“That which the queen deems he needs to learn,” responded Gus.
Argius snorted “Very well, then. As nephew to The Gumba and one who requests an audience with the queen, you may pass. I will send notice ahead of you so the queen’s court may anticipate your arrival.”
With that, Argius stepped aside. As Eli and Gus broke through into the light, they saw a vast meadow and mountains with snowy peaks. Eli shouted, “Let’s go!” and Gus ran with all his might.
Ahead two mute swans gracefully swam in a lake surrounded by perfectly manicured grass. As they crossed over a hill, a herder moved his flock of sheep to one side so they could get by. As they continued to ride, they passed a beautiful waterfall where mermaids drifted close to the water’s edge and spoke to a pair of centaurs.
Beyond the next hill, a herd of wild mustangs caught up with them. They ran with Gus as if they were racing to the queen’s castle. Then Eli looked up and saw a beautiful white castle. As he and Gus entered its main drive, he breathed in the most wonderful scent of flowers from the gardens that lined the path. By the time they reached the castle gate, both Eli and Gus felt wonderful. Eli hopped off Gus’s back and rang the bell at the gate.
Two large trolls suddenly appeared on the other side. “The noble Eli Deuce seeks an audience with the queen,” said Gus.
“Duhhh, the queen is ‘specting you. Duhhh, go that way, please” said the larger troll.
“Eli, that invigorating run has left me a little thirsty. I am going to go with these two to get something to drink. Will you be all right on your own?” said Gus.
Eli thought for a moment. He was a little scared because he had always had his mom or Gus or both with him, no matter where he went. But he took a deep breath and said, “Yes.”
As he made his way through the long hallways of the castle, Eli could not help but notice how perfect everything seemed. Nothing was out of place. It was not at all like his home, where he was allowed to have his toys just about anywhere he wanted them.
He entered a room and was greeted by a kind-looking old gentleman. He whispered his name to the man, who then repeated it out loud for everyone to hear. “The noble Eli Deuce to see Queen Lisa of Terra, if the queen so pleases.”
“She so pleases,” a woman’s voice said from a distance. Eli peeked around the old gentleman to see a woman sitting in a chair clear across an enormous room. As Eli made his way toward her, he felt very relaxed. Before him was a beautiful, blonde, curly-haired woman in a stunning dress. She was knitting.
“To what do I owe this visit, my mighty superhero?” she said in a soft and caring voice.
“I am on my first adventure through my uncle’s yard,” said Eli.
“Ahh, that’s right. You are the nephew of The Gumba. He and I have spoken many times. The message sent ahead of you stated that you were here to learn. Is there anything in particular you wish to learn about?” Queen Lisa said graciously.
“Well,” Eli said thoughtfully, “I know I have a lot to learn. I’m just not sure what it is I’m supposed to learn. My friend Gus said I should learn whatever you thought I should learn today.”
“Well, Gus sounds like a good friend,” responded the queen. “Let’s see . . . I think today’s lesson should be about courage.”
“Huh?” questioned Eli.
Queen Lisa stopped knitting and invited Eli to sit down next to her. “Just listen quietly for a while,” she continued. “Being afraid of something is nature’s way of making sure that we stay alert in the face of danger. It’s okay to be afraid.
“For instance, let’s say you are playing in your front yard and a stranger asks you to go for a ride in his car. You should be afraid and it would be important to run into the house and tell your mom what just happened.
“Does that make sense to you?”
“Yes,” replied Eli.
“Another example may be as simple as trying something new,” the queen went on. “Let’s say your mom and dad want you to do something new that scares you, just like earlier this summer when they were teaching you to swim.
“You thought about it and understood that your parents would not be pushing you to do it if it was not important. You also trusted that your parents would do their best to keep you from harm. So you faced your fear, took a chance, and jumped into the water. That took courage. Does that make sense?” “I think so,” said Eli.
“Well, there’s a little more to it than that, but that’s enough for today,” Queen Lisa said. “The next time you come by for a visit, we’ll discuss the “Momma’s Always Right Rule.”
“The what?” Eli asked curiously.
“Next time, sweetheart,” responded Queen Lisa.
“Excuse me,” the old gentleman said. “There is a Mr. Gus wishing to enter. He says he is a good friend of Master Deuce.”
“Please show him in,” Queen Lisa said excitedly. “I would like to meet this good friend of Eli’s.”
As Gus walked up, the queen stood and stroked his mane. “You are a fine friend, indeed, but something tells me this is not your normal form.”
Eli spoke up. “It’s not. He’s really a dog.”
“Is that so,” Queen Lisa said. “Well, I’d like to meet the real Gus.” She waved her hand in the air. Poof! There was Gus the dog.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Queen Lisa of Terra,” Gus said, as he bent down on one knee.
“And it is very nice to meet someone that is so special to my friend Eli. My final lesson is for you both: You are special friends, and special friends are rare. Respect each other, take care of each other, and be ready to help if either of you is in trouble.
“Now, my carriage will take you back to edge of the forest. I hope that some day you will return. I would so like to hear of your future adventures.”
As the carriage approached the forest’s edge, Eli and Gus jumped out and ran toward the trees. Waving goodbye to Argius, Eli could hear a distant voice calling his name. They took one step into the forest and all of a sudden they were back in the small house of tools. Its front door was open. He heard his name again. “Eli! Eli!” It was his mother.
He heard Uncle Gumba call back, “It’s okay. He’s over here with me.”
“Okay,” he heard his mother say. “Could you please send him home for lunch?”
Just then, The Gumba walked up to him and said, “You heard your mother. You are welcome to come over whenever you like. Just make sure to tell your mom first.”
Eli gave The Gumba a big hug and shouted, “THANKS” as he ran off toward home.
As he and Gus crawled back through the hole in the fence, Eli said, “Wow, wasn’t this the best day ever?”
Gus barked with complete agreement. Eli smiled and said, “Oh yeah, I forgot.” He reached down and gave his friend a big hug. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I know you can talk. We’ll just have to save it up for when we go back.”
Eli walked into the kitchen, and his mother bent to help him remove his cape.
“So you were in your Uncle Gumba’s yard, were you?” said his mother.
Eli was a little puzzled. Did his mom know the yard was enchanted? He had left the yard without telling her. Was he in trouble for that? He nodded and smiled.
“Well,” she said, “I’ve been told it’s a pretty special place. Your uncle takes very good care of his yard, so make sure you show respect for everything.” Eli nodded in agreement while he washed his hands. That was twice he had heard the word respect today, so it must be something grownups cared about. He figured he ought to start paying closer attention to respecting things.
As she bent over to put a plate of ham sandwich and chips in front of him, she kissed him on the head and said, “And make sure you tell me before you go over the next time.”
Eli smiled at Gus and said, “Yes, Momma.”
The
Search For The Man
With The Golden Leg
It had been several days since Eli had been over to his uncle’s yard. He and his mother had gone to the grocery store and to his grandmother’s house the day before. The day before that was church day. Eli didn’t like church—he wasn’t allowed to wear his cape there. After church, his whole family had gone to a big building that had only one room. His sisters were there with a lot of other girls, and they sang for what seemed like the whole day. It was raining when they got home, and Eli wasn’t allowed to play outside in the rain.
Today was a beautiful sunny day. Gus sat patiently while Eli ate his cereal. But as soon as Eli put his bowl in the sink, Gus was bouncing at the back door to get out.
Eli knew exactly what Gus was up to. He was ready to go back to Uncle Gumba’s yard, too. Eli looked at his mom and said, “Momma, can Gus and I go over to Uncle Gumba’s yard to play?” His mother smiled down at him and nodded.
With that, Eli tied on his superhero cape, grabbed a new paper towel roll to use as his saber, and flew out the back door with Gus at his heels.
As they passed through the hole in the fence and through the bushes onto the grass of his uncle’s enormous yard, Gus asked, “So, where to today?” Eli just giggled. He couldn’t believe that all this time he had had a talking dog and never knew it—even IF Gus could only talk in this enchanted yard.
As they looked around, Eli noticed The Gumba watering some flowers. He pulled out his mighty saber, thrust it in the air toward The Gumba, and gave a thunderous “ROARRR!” As always, the great and powerful Gumba obliged by making a sweeping bow toward the noble superhero, then returned to his watering.
Eli first looked toward the pond with the fountain. It looked pretty normal today. Then Gus nudged him and said, “Hey, look over there.”
Eli looked toward the red-flowered weigela bushes. There it was again—the opening in the bushes that looked like a small entrance to an old gold mine. Eli turned to Gus and said, “Let’s go.”
As they approached, the gold mine entrance seemed to vanish and the opening got large enough for Eli and Gus to walk in side by side. It looked as if they had entered a cave. Eli got a little scared. But then he remembered that it was The Gumba’s love for his own children that had made this place, so surely he had nothing to fear.
Eli saw something on the wall that looked like words. He called to Gus, who moved in front of him and began to read out loud.
Here in this cave lies a mystery. A mystery we were unable to solve. Our father told us of an old gold miner who lost his leg in an accident. He was a hard-working miner with no family, and even though he had only one leg he continued to work his mine. One day he struck the mother lode. He was now rich and could afford to make himself an artificial leg, so he made one of pure gold. Then he gave the rest of his gold to the poor. Legend has it that the old man still works his mine and that he’s waiting for someone to find him. He’s old and tired, but he can’t die until he passes his golden leg onto someone good who will do good things with the gold.
We searched and searched for the old gold miner and never found him. We leave the search to the next noble cave adventurers. We hope you have better luck than we did. Sincerely, Catie and Kaleigh
“Catie and Kaleigh?” Eli said. “My cousins? I remember listening to them tell those stories to my sisters. Could it be true? Could a man with a golden leg really live in this cave?”
He turned to face Gus—and there stood a pack mule fully loaded with every kind of mining tool Eli could imagine.
“Yeah, I know,” said Gus. “It happened again. Next time could you go someplace where I can turn into something with two legs?”
Eli giggled. Then he pointed and said, “Let’s try that way first.” He took the lead and the two headed down a tunnel in the cave. As they walked, they began to hear voices. After a few more minutes, they caught up to two old miner-forty-niners. They stopped in their tracks. Suddenly, both miners stood up from their work and turned to face them.
“Well, by golly,” said the taller one. “You must be young Master Eli, the noble superhero. We heard tell you might make your way in here someday. We’re sure glad to see you. We ain’t seen nobody down here fer a couple a years. Nope, not since them pretty girls gave up on this place. I’m Kevin. This here’s my brother Kyle. We’re minin’ fer gold and we been at it for an awful long time now.”
Eli took the old miner’s pause as an opportunity to speak. “Well, yes sir, my name is Eli and this is my best buddy Gus. We’re on an adventure.”
“Well, ain’t that something,” said Kyle. “What kind of ‘venture you on?”
“Well,” said Eli, “my cousins left a note at the opening of this cave about a man with a golden leg. We thought we might try to find him.”
“Old Man Connor?” said Kevin. “Well gol’ darn. We heard that Old Man Connor made his way down here years ago. But we ain’t never seen him and we’ve worked just about every shaft and tunnel in this place. The only one we ain’t worked yet is that un over yonder.” Eli looked over at what appeared to be the opening of very old abandoned shaft. He asked, “Well, would you mind if Gus and I take a look for him?”
“Oh heck no, go right ahead,” both brothers said together. Then Kyle said, “We’ll be right here workin’ when ya come back. If ya git in a jam, just holler and we’ll come a-runnin’. Have fun now and good luck finding the old geezer.”
As he and Gus headed into the shaft, Eli looked back to see the two old miner-forty-niners back at work, as if no one had interrupted them at all.
The shaft was dark and it seemed like they had been walking an awful long way. “This is kind of spooky,” said Eli.
“Here, hop on and see if there’s a big flashlight in one of my pouches,” replied Gus.
Eli found a flashlight and as he rode on Gus’s back he pointed the way with it. Suddenly, the shaft ahead got lighter and lighter. Eli turned off the flashlight and said, “Hey, that looks like an opening ahead.” As they reached it, they found themselves in a circular room. Sunlight was coming through an opening high above them. So high that it looked like their only way out was to go back the way they came.
Then Gus said, “What’s that?” He walked over to what looked like an old board with something written on it. He read:
All ye beware. We found the man with the golden leg and just before he died he said we could have it. So it’s ours! And we buried it right here. But don’t go thinking you can have it, ’cause we put magic on it and anybody who tries to dig it up will end up right back where they started. Signed Fritz and Eric
“Wow, really?” said Eli.
“That’s what it says,” said Gus. “But something’s strange. I mean this doesn’t look like the kind of wood you’d find in a gold mine, and I swear that ink looks a lot like crayon.”
“Let’s try digging. I saw a shovel in your pack.” suggested Eli.
“What can it hurt,” said Gus.
Eli started digging and digging. He called for help, so Gus used his hooves to move the dirt away while Eli kept digging. Eli heard a voice in the distance, but he kept on digging. When he finally looked up, they were back under the red-flowered weigela bushes and he could hear The Gumba calling his name. Gus was back to his old self, sitting on his hind legs and wagging his tail.
“I think you can stop now,” Gus said. “We’re back to where we started.”
Eli and Gus crawled out from under the bushes just as The Gumba walked up to them. “My, my,” he said. “What have you two been up to?”
“We’ve been searching for a man with a golden leg,” said Eli.
“A what?” said The Gumba. “Wait, hold that thought. I’ll tell you what. Your momma went to the store so you’re going to have lunch with me today. Let’s get you cleaned up and you can tell me all about it over lunch. My word, son, how did you get so dirty?”
“We had to dig!” exclaimed Eli.
“You what?” asked The Gumba as he turned back toward the bushes. “Well how much digging did you do?”
“I don’t know, but it seemed like foreverrrr,” said Eli.
The Gumba chuckled and said, “Well, I suppose I had that one coming. Gus, did you at least help push some of the dirt back into the hole? . . . Uh-huh . . . come on you two, I can’t wait to hear this.”
During lunch, The Gumba sat quietly while Eli went into detail—lots of detail—about his latest adventure. He told him about the cousins’ note and the old miners and the long shaft that ended with the note about the golden leg. When Eli was done, The Gumba was smiling.
“What’s so funny?” demanded Eli.
“Well, my noble superhero, I have a story to tell you. You see, when I was not much older than you my grandfather told your uncle and me a very similar legend about a man with a golden leg. So we set off on our very own adventure. Only our adventure took place a couple of hundred miles away in the town where we grew up.”
He turned to Gus and asked, “Gus, was that last sign on an old, weather-beaten piece of plywood? Was the message written in purple crayon and signed Fritz and Eric?”
Eli looked at his uncle, amazed. Did Uncle Gumba know that Gus could talk? Gus sat quietly. Then Eli spoke up. “I don’t know much about wood, but I do know crayons and that was definitely purrrrple.”
“Incredible,” said The Gumba. “Well, my young superhero, it seems this yard will never cease to astound me. It sounds as if it’s the same sign your Uncle Eric and I left all those years ago. You see, our adventure didn’t end with a golden leg, but we thought we’d at least have some fun with anyone else who might happen into that old cave. Maybe some kind of magic thought our old adventure might be worth reliving.”
“Wow,” said Eli. Just then, he could hear his mother calling his name.
“You better head home,” said The Gumba.
Eli thanked his uncle for lunch and he and Gus started running for the hole in the fence. Just then, Eli remembered. He turned and thrust his mighty saber in the air and screamed “ROARRR!” The great and powerful Gumba gave a sweeping bow and waved goodbye.
A Seafarer To Beware
Eli woke up from his nap on a particularly hot August afternoon. The air conditioning seemed far too comfortable to leave. He thought he might lie around and watch cartoons for the afternoon. As he headed from his bedroom and down the stairs for an afternoon snack, he could hear Gus making an awful racket. As he rounded the corner into the kitchen he saw Gus jumping at the back door and barking his head off.
“What’s wrong, boy?” Eli said, as he ran up to Gus and stroked his back to calm him down. Gus stopped barking. He sat down on his hind legs and gave Eli an urgent look. Eli patted him on his head and turned toward the pantry. As he walked away, Gus began howling. When Eli turned back, Gus started jumping at the door again. Just about that time, Eli’s momma entered the kitchen.
“That’s enough. Out you go, mister,” said Momma. She opened the door to let Gus out. But Gus still wasn’t satisfied. He looked at Eli and barked at him to follow. Eli said, “No way, Gus. It’s too hot.” In utter defiance, Gus ran over to the toy chest, pulled out Eli’s superhero cape and ran over to him. With the cape still in his mouth, Gus latched onto Eli’s shorts and started to pull him toward the door.
Eli’s momma laughed and said, “Well, mister superhero, it looks like your dog is controlling the show today. Go on, spend some time outside with him.”
“Oh man, it’s too hot,” Eli said.
“Come on now. Gus does whatever you want, whenever you want to. It looks like he really wants to go out. You should be a good friend and do what he wants to do once in a while too,” said Momma. Eli realized his mom was right, so he grabbed his cape from Gus and tied it on. He asked his mom for a new superhero saber from the paper towel holder and out the door the two went.
Gus was in a full sprint to the hole in the fence. As usual, the hole opened up and soon Eli found himself on his uncle’s backyard lawn. “I didn’t think I was ever going to get you out of that house,” said Gus. “I heard her as soon as you woke up. If we hurry, we might be able to catch her.”
“Her who?” asked Eli.
“Look over at the pond!” Gus replied. And there it was again—a sight they hadn’t seen since their first day in The Gumba’s yard. There in the pond was that big blue whale spouting water from its blowhole. Eli stopped in his tracks and stared. After a moment, he repeated, “Her who?”
As he caught up to Gus, they stood at the edge of the pond and looked in. The whale was now swimming underwater. Gus said, “The last time your cousins were over they were telling your sisters about an adventure at sea. They said if you listen carefully, occasionally you can hear her. They also said that the whale is usually with her so if you see the whale in the pond, you might just catch her. Well, your sisters never believed any of the stories they were told, but as you and I have discovered, there’s a little more to this place than most people know. I think she is the one I heard just as you were waking up. Now keep an eye on the water. When we see the ship, we both jump. Okay?”
“Okay,” said Eli, uncertainly, as if trusting Gus on this one might mean jumping into a bottomless black pit. As they continued to look on, The Gumba walked up behind them.
“Looking for another adventure?” he said. Without waiting for an answer, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and began fiddling with it. “My youngest daughter, Alexandra, has a way with paper. I think she calls it or-i-gami. She can make all kinds of animals and things out of one simple piece of paper, and she showed me how to make one that just might help out here.” With that, The Gumba held out a small paper ship. He smiled at Eli, bent over, and laid the paper ship in the water.
“JUMP!” screamed Gus and they both jumped. They fell and fell and landed with a thud—BAM!—right on the deck of a Windmaster. That’s right; they were on a three-mast, eleven-sail seafaring ship out in the middle of the ocean.
“Avast ye, matey! State your name and your purpose for being on my ship!” screamed a girl’s voice from the crow’s nest.
Eli heard her but was busy looking around for Gus. Then he felt something on top of his head. As he reached up, it flew off his head and onto his shoulder.
“Aarrrck,” cackled Gus. He was a parrot. “Now this is more like it. Two legs—and I can fly.”
Eli’s eyes were wide. “Wow, that’s cool. Can I be a parrot, too?”
Gus said quietly, “‘Fraid not, kid. Animal transformations are my thing. Now pay attention, the ship’s captain is on her way down. You better answer her.”
“Uh, yes, ma’am, Eli Deuce and this here’s Gus. We’re on an adventure,” spouted Eli.
“Eli? Me young cousin? Is that really you?” she said. It was Uncle Gumba’s youngest daughter, Alexandra.
“Wow, this is great. I was wondering if you might find your way over here before I left. You see, this is my last adventure. I’m off to the university next week, so I’m gonna to try to make this last one a doozy,” Alexandra said, as she swung from one mast to another. “You and Gus go work on pulling up the anchor while I finish lowering the sails.” Excited to be on an adventure with one of his cousins, Eli ran to the anchor rope and pulled it up as fast as he could.
Within moments they were sailing. Alexandra was at the wheel, steering the ship with the wind and Eli was watching that big blue whale swim alongside.
“His name is Fred,” Alexandra screamed over the roar of the wind. “I met him when I was just about your age. He took me on my first adventure. I’ve gone on many different adventures since, but I’ve always enjoyed the ones with Fred the most. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”
Eli hung onto the rail with his left hand and waved to the giant whale with his right. “Hi Fred, I’m Eli. I’m Alexandra’s cousin. This is my best friend, Gus.”
Fred came to the surface and winked at Eli to say hello. Then he blew a huge gush of water that completely soaked Eli and Gus. Eli screamed, “WOW! How cool is that! See ya’ later, Fred.” With that, Fred took the lead in front of the ship.
“So what kind of adventure would you like to go on?” Alexandra asked. “We could go battle with pirates. We could swim with dolphins. We could even go play with Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, if you’d like.”
“You know Peter Pan?” said Eli.
“No,” she said. “He’s make-believe. I was just making sure you were paying attention.”
“What’s that?” asked Gus.
Alexandra looked up and saw another ship headed right for them. “Looks like the decision is made for us, mateys. Fast to your feet now. Be ready with arms.”
As the ship drew near, Eli could see a skull and crossbones—a pirate’s flag. He reached for his saber and thrust it in the air. “PIRATES!” he screamed.
“Aahhhh, that’s a mighty fine weapon you have there,” Alexandra said and with a quick change of voice she commanded, “Be alert there, Eli! This scurvy knave is the worst of the worst. I’ve battled him many times. As we come along side his ship, you’ll need to jump over fast to take the lead in the battle. I’ll be quick to tie us off, so you won’t be left behind.”
As they started to come along side the pirate ship, Alexandra bellowed, “Is that you, Curly-Haired Mike?”
“Aarrgggg!” was the response. “And that’s CAPTAIN Curly-Haired Mike to you, you pain in the side of me grandpappy’s neck!”
“I got me a new mate lookin’ to put you in your place, Mikey. Meet me cousin, Eli,” hollered Alexandra.
“Arrrggg” screamed the captain toward Eli.
“ARRRGGG!” screamed Eli back at the captain. Then—WHAM!—the sides of the two ships swiped one another. Eli jumped to the pirate’s ship, while Captain Alexandra tied the two vessels together. A terrible battle followed, a sword fight to end all sword fights. Eli fought ferociously and bravely. He might have only been a young boy but he was still a superhero, and Captain Curly-Haired Mike was . . . well . . . he was a pirate. Eli had Alexandra and Gus rooting him on while Captain Curly-Haired Mike had no one. After all, he was a pirate—and a scurvy knave at that.
Not a single drop of blood was shed. After a while, both warriors decided that it was time for the battle to end. They each took one step back and bowed out of respect for the other. Then Eli jumped back to the Windmaster and Alexandra untied the ships. As they began to sail away, Captain Curly-Haired Mike called his farewell: “Until next time, ye pain in the side of me grandpappy’s neck!”
“Fraid not!” hollered Alexandra. “This is my last voyage. I’m headed for the university next week. You’ll need to face Master Eli in any future battles.”
Captain Curly-Haired Mike looked right at Eli and said, “ARRRGGG!”
Without hesitating, Eli thrust his mighty superhero saber in the air and responded, “ARRRRGGG!”
“Excellent job, Eli,” Alexandra said. “What a great day! One of my last adventures and we got to show that pirate just what you’re made of—true courage. ALL RIGHT, where to next?”
Eli didn’t answer just at that moment. He was tired and something about that pirate looked very familiar. He sat next to the center post to rest. As Gus sat on his shoulder, he nodded off to sleep.
When he woke up, he was lying beside the pond, soaking wet. He sat up and took off his superhero cape to wring out the water. Back on four legs, Gus stood next to him and shook himself dry. Eli put his cape back on and stood up, surprised to find himself completely dry. “Huh?” he said, amazed.
Gus knew exactly what Eli was thinking. “Yeah, kind of neat, isn’t it? It’ll keep us out of trouble with your mom. After all, what would she think if we both came back home sopping wet?”
As they ran back toward the hole in the fence, The Gumba stood up from his work and called, “HEY! How did it go?”
Eli stopped in his tracks, turned toward The Gumba, and thrust his mighty saber in the air. “ARRRGGGGG!”
The Gumba chuckled and said softly, “I thought so.” Still chucking softly, The Gumba bid Eli a sweeping bow goodbye and the two adventurers headed home.
Once home, Eli took his superhero cape off and tucked it inside his toy chest. After washing his hands he headed for the kitchen table and sat in his regular seat. As everyone else started eating he asked his father, “Daddy did you ever go on adventures when you were little?”
His father looked up and over at him. After a short pause, he said, “Yes, come to think of it, I did.” After another short pause he said, “I remember that my brothers were much older than I, so they really didn’t want much to do with me. There weren’t any kids my age in the neighborhood, so I use to entertain myself by pretending to go on different adventures on my own.”
“What kind of adventures did you go on?” asked Eli.
“I was the captain of my own pirate ship,” he said. His sisters started giggling. “Daddy, a pirate—too funny,” Izzy said. Eli just looked down at Gus and grinned. When he looked up at his dad and smiled, his dad winked back as if to say, “I hope you had as much fun as I did.”