ELTHAM HIGH SCHOOL ANTHOLOGY   

Long ago in a land of old

A youthful hero, strong and bold

Conquered a beast within its cave

Rendered it powerless, left it drained

Yet all these years, its strength restored

Its power now become a hoard

This beast now shall rise again

Our hero’s descendant to bring its end

 

Alexis stared at the frame, and burst out laughing. Her parents had really given her a framed, inked parchment of the old legend? Ha! She didn’t believe in that rubbish. It was probably some random verse by a raving, delirious old poet who was inspired by hallucinations, anyway. Nevertheless, she dried her eyes, slightly teary from laughing, and gave a smile of pity to her parents. “The pictures are beautiful, the writing is elegant, but the verse-”

She cut herself short as she burst out laughing again. Shaking her head, she wiped her eyes and smiled again.

Her parents would never learn.

 

That night, Alexis stared up at the frame on her wall, above her chest of drawers. The colours were dull in the faded moonlight, but the picture was still very pretty. Alexis heard a faint rustle outside. Or was it inside? The small house, constructed of hard mud bricks stuck together with soft, sandy mud which had dried a few days after the construction, with a thatched roof of several thick layers of dead, dry leaves, large ones too, was completely silent-nothing stirred. Alexis sighed, and pushed the memory of the noise from her mind.

By morning, Alexis had no memory of the noise she had heard.

 

“Urgh…” Alexis pulled herself out of bed sleepily. She started when she saw the time on her Prussian blue alarm clock.

“Gargh! Eight forty-five!” She leapt out of bed, pulling on her checked school dress and black leather sandals, went to the kitchen, grabbed two slices of toast slathered with strawberry jam and began to munch.

She poured herself some orange juice from a pitcher on the table into a tall glass and took gulps between mouthfuls. Her mother, who was already at the table eating a bowl of porridge, scolded her.

“Don’t bolt your food like that. You’ll make yourself sick.”

“But I’ll be late!” Alexis protested, swallowing the last of the juice and bread.

“And you didn’t wake me up,” she added belligerently, much clearer this time as her mouth wasn’t full of food.

“I tried to, but you were so fast asleep you wouldn’t wake up!” her mother replied indignantly.

Her father traipsed in drowsily. “Keep it down ladies!” he half yelled, obviously not having the strength. Alexis grabbed the packed lunch sitting on the bench and shot out of the kitchen doorway. About thirty seconds later, she ran in, hurriedly kissed her parents, called a goodbye and slammed the front door behind her.

 

“Hi Alex! Just in time!” her classmates called as she skilfully dodged into the classroom and sat down.

“For a minute there, I thought you weren’t going to make it!” her best friend Sophomore; after the petite flowers in the forest glades, and Soph for short, whispered in her ear. Alexis gave her a nod of acknowledgement and stood up again.

“Miss Petter’s just down the hall. “Everyone ready!” She aimed this at the class-they often depended on her late arrivals to remind them to calm down a bit when their teacher was about to come in.

Setting her satchel down, Alexis got her books out and readied herself.

 

“HERE!” Alexis screamed. “Pass it here, PASS IT HERE!” Alexis jumped up and down, flinging her arms about with wild abandon. How could he not see her! She was the only free player on the court! Allan finally noticed and passed her the ball, and she shot up to catch it. Landing heavily, she pivoted on her left foot and went for goal. It hit the back of the ring, near the post, round to the right, round to the left, round to the front and… YES! The ball toppled into the ring, the attached net swishing slightly with the movement of the ball.

“SCORE!” Alexis screeched. “We won, we won, WE WON!” Her friends gathered around her happily, shouting praise and encouragement, slapping her on her back and giving her hugs.

Suddenly, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a gentle rustle in the undergrowth, the glint of a luminescent, yellow-green eye, with thin, streak-like pupils. The eye seemed… almost feline. Its pair appeared, and they seemed to study her with cold, close scrutiny. Alexis blinked in surprise, and then gasped in shock. The eyes were gone! Her best friend Sophomore noticed she was staring.

“Alex, is there anything wrong?” Her worried tone shook Alexis from her thoughts into reality.

“Nah, Soph, nothing wrong. Thought I saw a cat in that bush, but I must have been dreaming, seeing things.” “Oh, okay,” Soph replied.

But she didn’t seem to be too sure, Alexis could see that.

And Alexis wasn’t too sure either.

 

“Goodnight honey, sweet dreams.” Her mother kissed her cheek lightly and gently blew out the oil lamp burning on the small table beside her bed.

“Night mum,” she replied, and heard the door close with a soft click. She turned over in her bed and drifted off to sleep.

 

A faint rustle, followed by another, louder rustle, woke Alexis, bringing her to the surface of consciousness. She blinked sleepily, and grumbled, “Urgh. Mum, it’s the middle of the night. Don’t wake me up.”

“I’m not your mother,” an unfamiliar voice said.

“Mum, stop playing. I know you-” She gasped, cut short by realisation. Alarm toned her voice darkly. “Then who are you? What do you want? Why are you here?” Alexis’ voice trembled slightly with worry. A gentle, yet rough, feline purr came from the window. “What? Why do you have a cat with you?” Confusion sharpened her voice like a knife.

“I’m not a human. And I certainly did not bring a cat with me, unless I’m very much mistaken. Or do you mean me? Well yes, in that case I did bring a cat. Me. Because I am very much a cat.” The unfamiliar voice seemed slightly male, and replied with slight indignation.

“Wait,” Alexis began thoughtfully,

“Oh I’m waiting. I’ve plenty of time.” The voice cheekily put in.

“Don’t interrupt!” Alexis exclaimed irritably. “Now,” she continued, “You’re not a human, but you talk, and you didn’t bring a cat, unless you count yourself, but you purr and you are a cat-” Alexis choked as she realised.

“You’re a talking cat!”

 

After a lot of explanation from the cat, which yes, was male, and yes, could talk, and yes, she wasn’t dreaming, and yes this and yes that until Alexis couldn’t keep track of it any longer, she came to many realisations, the first and foremost of which surprised her most-the legend on her wall was true! Tarra seemed pleased that she had an available copy in her bedroom, but Alexis didn’t tell him that she hadn’t believed in the legend until about an hour ago, for fear of him-well, she wasn’t really sure what she was scared of him doing, but she kept her mouth shut, just in case.

Her second realisation also surprised her greatly, and that was that she was the hero’s descendant stated in the poem, the descendant destined to bring the beast’s end. She also learned that she was to set off on a quest and that a mare named Bellatrix was waiting outside whenever she was ready.

Tarra elegantly jumped down from the window into the garden and left her to absorb the information and decide upon the date of her departure.

 

Tarra had told her that she would need to set off for her new quest within the week, however she was free to choose exactly when she left. The first thought that came to her mind at this proposal was that she would leave home immediately, and this would be great fun. However her second thought overrode this- she would miss her friends and parents, and her friends and parents would miss her. Her third thought chilled her to the bone, even in the warm autumn air-what if she died? But her last thought decided for her-she was to bring the beast’s end, so she wouldn’t die, and she would be able to see her parents and friends when she got home, and she had always wanted to go on a huge adventure, and this was just the thing, and it would be great fun. Of course, it was a lot for one thought, but she felt it, though big, could be counted as one thought.

But then she thought, I’m not the only hero’s descendant.

But her next thought comforted her-If I die, there won’t be any more hero’s descendants to get rid of the beast, and Tarra said I was the chosen one, so why not?

She decided to leave the next night, so she could say good bye to her parents and friends.

 

At breakfast the next morning, she told her parents about what had happened. Her parents smiled gently, unbelieving.

“Yes dear, that sounds wonderful. Now you get your school things and go off to school.” Her mother’s words were kind, in a sad, despairing “but we can’t give up hope yet” sort of tone. The same smile of pity she had sported on her birthday, two days ago, now graced theirs. With a snort of disgust, Alexis collected her school bag and packed lunch before stomping out the door.

 

Alexis collapsed into the classroom, dark circles round her eyes.

“Everyone quiet!” She attempted to yell, but it came out as more of a hoarse cry, ending in a bout of coughing. “Miss Petter’s down the hall!” Slumping into her seat she got her books ready, almost asleep.

 

Alexis crunched along the slightly gravelly road, with her head down. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned sleepily. A rustle in the bushes snapped her into reality.

Her body immediately tensed. Alert, she glanced around warily for the source of the noise. Tarra emerged from the bushes on the side of the road. Alexis gave a short sigh of relief and went over to him.

“Have you made your decision yet?”

 

“Hey mum, hey dad,” Alexis sighed as she sagged into the house. Falling through her bedroom door, she dumped her bag at the foot of her bed and slumped onto the bed itself. “Mum, when’s dinner?” she mumbled incoherently.

“What’s that honey?” her mum called.

“I said, when’s dinner!” she repeated, louder this time.

“Why?” her mum called.

“I’m pretty tired, we had a game at lunch, and I wanna turn in early. Is that okay?”

“Sure thing, darling. I’ll put the vegetables on.” her mother replied.

“Thanks,” Alexis called back, turning over on her bed.

 

She woke ten minutes later to a loud crash by her ear. “Whaaa…” she trailed off sleepily.  Turning over, she was greeted by the sharp glint of metal and her mother’s grinning face.

“Tea’s up!” her mum called. Alexis rubbed her eyes and got of the bed, taken by a sudden rage of hunger.

“Let’s eat!” she exclaimed.

 

Alexis had put on her pyjamas and brushed her teeth. “Night mum,” she called.

“Just a minute,” her mother replied. A few seconds later, her mother walked in. “Goodnight dear. I hope your ‘quest’ goes well.”

“It will.”

 

As soon as the door clicked softly closed, Alexis became a silent flurry of action. Firstly, she changed into more appropriate clothes for a night-time escape. She collected all her shoes at the bottom of a large hessian sack hidden under her bed that had previously held potatoes. She then put all her clothes above her shoes. Finally she collected her smaller possessions, such as her hairbrush, jewellery and bathroom items (which she had collected when she brushed her teeth earlier) and stashed them in an old flour sack made of thick cotton, which she rolled up and put in the top of the hessian sack, and pulled the drawstring of the latter closed.

Alexis tested the weight of the sack. Finding it remarkably light, she nimbly jumped out of her large window and went to where Bellatrix had been hidden for the past night.

When she arrived there, she was greeted by Tarra’s growling purr. She petted him gently, and suddenly noticed he was wearing a dyed blue leather collar with a silver amulet upon it.

“What is your amulet?” Alexis asked.

“It is a silver disk, set with sapphires in a paw design,” Tarra answered.

“It’s beautiful.” Alexis replied.

She placed the sack above Bellatrix’s rump, and laced the drawstring of the sack through metal loops attached to the back of the heavy leather saddle over her back.

“Have you got everything?” Tarra asked.

“I think so,” Alexis replied.

“Alright then, let’s see. Clothes?”

“Yes.”

“Shoes?”

“Yes.”

“Personal items or possessions?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. But I feel as if something’s missing… Ah! Do you have the rhyme?”

“Oh! No, I don’t. Shall I go and fetch it?”

“You will.”

Alexis ran off the collect the frame.

 

Alexis climbed through her bedroom window, and looked about for something to stand on so she could reach up to the frame. She spotted a wooden chair tucked under her desk, and pulled it over to the chest of drawers. She stepped up onto it, reaching for the frame. Finally she caught hold of it, and, carefully lifting it off the wall, she tucked it under her arm and slipped out of the window again, not bothering to put the chair back in its original place.

 

Alexis silently ran over the grassy back lawn, bathed in moonlight, to a tree laced with a thick, overhanging vine, under which Bellatrix was hiding. Slipping through a thin gap in the vines, Alexis crept into the small, green room.

“Hey Tarra. I’ve got the legend.” she quietly called.

“What? In the frame?” he replied, incredulous.

“Uh-yeah, I guess so.” she answered.

“You’ll need to take it out.” he instructed.

Alexis carefully began to prise open the back of the frame. Turning the metal fasteners, she removed the back and cautiously removed the parchment.

“What now?”

“Now roll it up…” Tarra prompted.

Alexis carefully rolled the crackly parchment into a cylindrical shape.

“And now what?”

“Now you take the black and red silk scroll-tie from around my neck and tie it around the legend.”

Holding the scroll in her left hand, she used her right to prise the scroll-tie from around Tarra’s neck and tied it in a neat bow around the legend. She looked at the beautifully smooth silk, a question in her eyes, present on her lips.

“Is something the matter?” Tarra asked inquisitively.

“Nothing’s the matter. I was just wondering where you got this beautiful tie from.”

“I found it on the floor of the library. Someone must have carelessly left it there. And anyway, it isn’t stealing since I am a cat.”

Alexis gave a sigh of repent. “Oh well then. But if I get in trouble I’m blaming you, alright.”

“It’s a deal.”

“Now can we get going?”

“No time like the present!”

Alexis fitted her left foot into the stirrup and swung her right foot over to mount Bellatrix. Tarra nimbly jumped onto her lap, putting his front paws up on Bellatrix’s shoulders to instruct Alexis. Fitting her right foot into the corresponding stirrup, Alexis took the reins.

“You’re in charge. Where to now?”

“Just get Bellatrix onto the open road and we’ll go from there.”

Alexis gently steered Bellatrix out of the garden and onto the road.

“And now?” Alexis asked.

“We hit the open road!”

Alexis dug in her heels and they set off at gallop.