The Orb

by Hasko Starrenburg

Copyright ©2004
ISBN: 0-87714-860-0 eBook edition
ISBN: 0-87714-574-1 PB edition

All rights reserved by Denlinger's Publishers, including the right to reproduce this electronic book, or portions thereof, in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To my wife Margot,
thanks for always going over my writing with me.

THE AUTHOR

Hasko Starrenburg is a marine engineer, and he has spent many years at sea. Being a small ship man, he preferred to work on sea going tugs. In the course of his time at sea he has visited many countries, specially in the Far East. He also has a degree in Theology, but he, and everybody who should know, thinks that he would not make a good minister.

He was born many years ago, near Arnhem, during the later stages of the battle there. An allied pilot actually managed to send a bullet through his pram while he was enjoying the autumn sun outside. Fortunately he has not been shot at since.

Like so many old seadogs, he eventually felt the need to settle, and he now lives in New Plymouth with his wife and two teenage sons. He works in the local power station, and it was during the long nightshifts that he decided to turn his hand to writing. Both his father, mother and sister have been published, so writing runs in his family.

Hasko loves writing, and then reading his own work, finding much pleasure in discovering that things work out exactly as he would like to see them work out. Getting those writings published was not so easy, and that took the better part of fifteen years.

Subject matter is never in short supply because of his numerous hobbies which include, History, specially steam trains, Vikings, Ancient Egypt, and WWII, sailing, rowing, fencing, model making, photography, and computer games.

THE BOOK

Mrs. Winter is just an old lady, but once she was a fairy queen. Her subjects were tricked into loosing their wings, and have become slaves to the gnomes. Now they whip cream all night every night.

Mrs. Winter has an orb that will restore the fairies' wings if they kiss it. She can not go into the woods herself, so she asks William and Cassandra to go and give the orb to the fairies.

W&C agree, but soon they find that the fairies are not interested in wings. They think that flying is primitive, they want to develop and become like gnomes. The gnomes capture W&C and put them at work in their warren. They escape, but are captured again. One of the fairies kisses the orb after all. She recovers her wings and sets out to find Ardnaxela (Mrs.Winter). She finds her and asks her to be queen again.

The other fairies now also kiss the orb, but W&C are unaware of that, they are still in the gnome warren. They escape, but are captured again.

Ardnaxela returns to the woods, and everything is put right. W&C receive a splendid reward and return home with a greater appreciation of each other.

Justice for all is a fairy tale.

SAMPLE

What was it the human children had said? Kiss the orb and you will fly again! Yes that was what they'd said, but when one of the Crowbars grabbed the orb he burned his hand. Hayleyse's mind started to spin. If the orb were magical, than it might have been that it would only burn Crowbars. Obviously it had not burned the human children! They had held the orb out to the Trelodians, and had shown no sign of pain

Why should she not get out now, and kiss that orb? If it worked she would be able to fly again. She could just keep her wings for a few days and later on come back here. It would just be wonderful to fly again, even if only for a short time. The Crowbars would probably be prepared to remove the wings again afterwards.

But what if the Crowbars would not take her back? Would she be condemned to wander through the woods by herself, alone, without fellow Trelodians? But had the human children not said that they were send by Ardnaxela? So the queen was around somewhere, and she was still concerned about her, and the others. If she could only find Ardnaxela then everything would be all right, she always knew what to do.

She slipped her hand under her shirt and felt her back. Yes, there still were the scars where once her wings had been.

But what if the orb did not work, what if she would not gain new wings? Well, she would be no better or worse off then she was now really. She just had to make sure that no one saw her kissing the orb, otherwise they would tease her forever.

She made up her mind. Quickly she unhooked her shirt from the anchor, and swam to the shore. She climbed up the slippery side of the pond onto the soggy grass, and crawling on hands and knees, she approached the orb.

It was beautifully made.

When the children had first seen it, it looked the size of a marble, to the smaller Trelodians it looked more like the size of a baseball ball.

Facing the orb, Hayleyse was unsure again, what if it burned and hurt her? Trelodians were not good at enduring pain. She stretched out her hand and touched the orb lightly with the tip of her finger. It did not hurt; the orb was not even warm.

Quickly she bent over and kissed the orb. Expectantly she waited, not quite sure what for. Would there be a tingle on her shoulders as the new wings arrived? But she felt nothing. Maybe the wings could not come if she was down and bend over! She stood up, but still she felt nothing. The rat that was guarding the pond had woken up, and started to get restless. Hayleyse was getting nervous. Would the rat attack her now that there were no Crowbars around to control it? But she couldn't get back into the pond, wings were useless in the water! The rat was getting up now, and Hayleyse did not like it. Hastily she slipped back into the pond and anchored herself again.

For the second time that morning she moved her hand over her back. The scars felt no different. Her disappointment was intense; tears sprang to her eyes.

"You kissed that golden orb, didn't you?"

Hayleyse just about flew out of the pond right then. Anxiously she looked around to see who had spoken.

"I'm here," said the voice.

It was Emmarpa, one of the smartest of the Trelodians. Emmarpa was not as tall as Hayleyse, but she was a stunning flower fairy with a very pale skin and bright scarlet hair.

"I did not," Hayleyse declared categorically.

"You did so, I saw you. Tell me now, did it make any difference? Have you got wings? It didn't work, did it?"

"It doesn't seem to,"

"Thought so, you can't trust humans, they snigger and stare."

"But Ardnaxela sent them."

"Maybe I would have kissed that orb if Ardnaxela had come herself. She didn't and I won't. Go to sleep Hayleyse, there is a lot of cream to be whipped tonight."

"Suppose so."

"By the way, did you get a gold tick for finding that human thingy?"

"No, I didn't"

"Pity, I would have liked to see one of us get past that boaster Iceflory. I suppose I'll have to do it myself now. Good day Hayleyse, sleep well."

"Good day Emmarpa."

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