Randerup 40
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Quotation of the week
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The Magic Boy II
In The Mountains
By
Per Jespersen
It was an early morning in the mountains, and it was still dark. Sebastian’s and Sharon’s class were on a camp in the forests in the mountains for four days. They had really looked forward to coming away from school for a few days and to experiencing Nature in their country. They had heard a lot in school about this special forest, in which you could find every special species of trees that were only to be found very few places in the world. The teacher had told them piles of stories and legends from that special forest, where even wars had taken place between the different tribes that lived there hundreds of years ago. They knew the names of those tribes and knew all about the colonization a hundred and fifty years ago, about the independency they had finally got and the lord mayor who had got the idea to create this special forest. His vision was to make as forest grow up again with all the species of trees you could find in the world. It was part of their history, and they felt a pride because of that man who could see the values of Nature instead of felling all the trees for the sake of money. They had spent the night in the forest, sleeping in tents, and their task was to observe everything they saw, draw it when they came back to school and making new stories about their feelings when they were quite alone in their own in Nature. The boys had their tents in the valley, while the girls stayed closer to the top of the mountains. They were told to stay up all night to experience Nature at night, as people normally slept at that time. It was the teacher’s intention to show them, how the forest were still alive even at night. So two and two the children strolled around the forest and along the river, hearing all the birds, who were awake at night, and see the light change during the night. The teacher had chosen a night with a full moon so that they could see and not be scared. Some girls had really talked about ghosts and monsters and Tasmanian Devils being there. The boys had laughed at them – mostly to cover their own anxiety. The night was warm and the moon gave them so much light that they could clearly see. Sebastian was walking alone between the Australian trees. He felt the strange atmosphere and heard the owls scream. But he sensed a spicy scent of the soil, which he found wonderful. It all created a longing in his heart: Why was there something called civilisation, huge cities, noisy cars, and internet? How happy people must have been in older times, although there were always wars going on between the tribes. He felt a tranquillity that was so deep. He had never felt that before. He sat down at the river bank and looked at the water running downstream. It was so beautiful, that it was unbelievable that people could even imagine to spoil such an area to build a factory. He would draw when he came back to school – a drawing of this magnificent place. He was so improved that tears ran in his eyes. Then he heard a poise from behind. A fox? A snake? Or? A weak fear crept into him, but he denied it in his mind. It was the forest talking, and that was it. But it was not. Suddenly Sharon stood in front of him. “How did you find me?” “I don’t know. I just wanted to see the river alone, so I left the other girls. I just had a need to be alone.” He got up. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll leave now.” “No no, that was not what I meant. Being with you is wonderful. May I sit down?” ”Well, the forest doesn’t belong to me. You have to ask Nature.” “You can’t do that.” “Oh sure- just sit down at one of the stones, and if nothing happens you’re accepted.” She laughed. “Oh, is that the way it is. I didn’t know that.” “I didn’t either.” He laughed. “It’s wonderful here,” he said. Sharon sat down with her feet in the running water. “You’re right. I have been here before, but never in the night time and never alone.” “Take a look to the east. Can you see the very first light on the sky?” “I see it. It’s a wonder. A sunrise in the city is nothing compared to this.” They were silent for a while. Then Sebastian said, “There shouldn’t be such a thing as civilisation.” “We need to have it. We’re too many people on the Earth. Over six billion people. All these people can’t live in the forests.” “No, I know that. But still I think that civilisation is a mistake. This peace here is so wonderful. Look at those trees. I have decided to make a huge drawing of this in the lessons we’re going to have in school.” “And I’m going to make a play.” “A play?” “Sure. A play about some gods quarrelling about how to create the world.” “Good idea.” The light grew stronger and the first sunbeams were close to being there, changing the whole forest. “I like those trees here.” “They are not natural here. They were imported from Australia.” “I know. We were told in school. But they are so marvellous. Look at the trunks and the bark. I feel as if we are thousand of years back in time.” “So do I. In a way time is a strange thing. Imagine what has happened here. First natural forest, then wars between the tribes, then colonization and now forest again. And we are here, but with our thoughts we can think back in time, I wouldn’t wonder if a chief came up to us.” “Or a teacher.” “That would be worse. But tell me, what is time?” “I don’t know. I only know that it runs too fast here, when you are around.” “Yes, but in space there is no time.” “Strange,” he said. “Maybe it’s only a way of measuring things that don’t exist.” “Exactly. And we can live without clocks and watches. The trees can. The owls can. And the sun can. Look, the first sunshine is there.” “Twinkling in your eyes.” “And in yours. Let’s imagine that this is the first day of the world.” “With no time?” “Sure. In this forest there is no time. There’s only light, birds’ songs and you and I.” Sebastian pondered a little. “So we are Adam and Eve.” She laughed. “Why not. But I don’t eat of the fruit of the tree.” “No, we’ll stay here forever. That would change the future of mankind.” “And time will not be there. That is going to be the subject of my play. A mankind without time.” They sat for a long time without saying anything. Words would simply destroy the beauty. Shortly after they heard two boys coming towards the river. “You have to come to the camp,” they shouted. “Why?” “Breakfast is ready, and we have to talk about our experiences.” “Words can’t explain that,” Sharon whispered. But they got up and started to walk uphill to the camp. Sebastian held Sharon’s arm, as it was tough work to climb that high in an area filled up with stones and holes in the ground. The other two boys helped and they succeeded in coming up, so that they could see the camp. The Sharon screamed and fell down the slope. The three boys saw her roll and roll, until she was stopped by a huge stone. They heard a scream and rushed down toward her. She wept and they could see a lot of blood from an apparently broken leg. “Oh no, Sharon.” “Help me,” she cried. Sebastian was the first to be there. He saw her wounds on the knee, which seemed to be broken and in her head. There was blood coming out from her ears. “How terrible,” he said. “It hurts, Sebastian.” He cried to the two boys, “Call the teachers now!” They ran up to the camp and the teachers had nothing to do but call a helicopter, as they were no roads in the forest. One of the teachers ran down to Sharon, who really cried. “Quiet, Sharon. Help is coming. They have called the helicopter, and they’ll bring you to hospital.” Sebastian blamed himself. He should have felt that Sharon’s hand slipped out of his. It was all his fault. “Sorry, Sharon,” he whispered. ”It’s not your fault,” she wept. “I’m just too clumsy.” They tried to put her in a position, in which it didn’t hurt so much. They really worked with her, and the teacher said, “Maybe it’s my fault, too. The forest and the mountains are more dangerous than I had thought.” But Sharon said again, “It’s my own fault.” They could hear the helicopter now. It was about to land close to the river, and they could see two doctors onboard. They rushed out of the helicopter after landing and ran up the slope to Sharon. Sebastian leaned over her. “It’s not so bad,” he whispered. “Let me see.” He stroke her knee and did not care about all the blood that now covered his clothes. “Again,” Sharon whispered. “The pain goes away when you touch my knee.” “I know,” he whispered. Then his voice changed. He stroked her knee and put the other hand on her ears and whispered something, she did not understand. Now the doctors were there. “Let’s see.” Then they gazed. Sharon got up. “There’s nothing so see,” she said relieved. “Nothing happened.” Sebastian got up, too, filled with blood. “She’s okay,” he said. “That’s not possible,” the teacher said. “I saw with my own eyes, that she had a broken knee, and that there was something with her ears as well.” “Well, there is no more,” Sharon said. “Thank you, Sebastian.” She went up to him, gave him a kiss and said, “You’re gorgeous. You saved me as you saved my little dog.” “You’re welcome,” Sebastian said. “I’ll always be there for you.” Then they went up to the camp. The doctors shook their heads and went back to the helicopter. Sharon took his hand. “I don’t understand it. But thanks again.” “Anytime,” Sebastian said.
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