The Tides of Avarice (68 page)

“Is it that kind of Ninth Wave the treasure chest's hiding behind, Dad?”

“No, son.” Sylvester looks over and sees, limned in silver by the light of the moon, the face of his beloved wife.

“No, Viola,” he adds in a voice so quiet it isn't even a whisper. “The Ninth Wave is the wish I gave to the treasure chest of the Zindars. Ever since I slipped it through the lock, my wish has been in the process of coming true. My wish that we lemmings assume our rightful place in Sagaria, so that we can walk proudly beside the other peaceable creatures of the world and call them our friends, just as they call us their friends. That's enough of a wish for me. Even though my wish is so very small by comparison with the Zindar one, it's helping the Zindar wish come true too.

“By the time, long in the future, when someone knows it's right to unlock the chest, it'll be because their wish is the same as the one the Zindars gave to Sagaria.

“The power to wish the same wishes they can.”

In his later years, Sylvester retired from being chief librarian and, together with Viola, started one of the most renowned orphanages in Sagaria. Although they were grandparents by that stage and most of the education and practical issues were managed by their daughter, Anemone, and her brother and sister, Viola and Sylvester still took part as often as they could.

One summer evening, when the sun had begun to set, Viola was reading aloud to a group of children. It was a fantasy story about pirates, treasures and adventure on the high seas. She could see her students' eyes wide with excitement. Sylvester sat in a corner, also eagerly listening. Viola was looking for a place in the tale that'd make a natural stop and also would serve as a cliffhanger for tomorrow's reading session. She found one a few paragraphs down the page, and was dropping her voice a notch or two to increase the atmosphere when a weak knock was heard coming from the open door of the orphanage.

She glanced up from the book and all the children turned as one to look at the door.A little fox cub stood on the doorstep, looking shy. He had holes in his pants and his vest was in tatters. He was holding a small bouquet of wildflowers in his grimy paws. The cub shifted his feet nervously as if wanting to hide his mucky shoes and kept staring down at the floor.

“I-I wonder if you'll accept someone l-like me,” he stammered, still not looking up.

“If you don't, I-I fully understand, madam, and . . .”

A hug silenced the flow of words. He was unable to speak anymore as he was being embraced with the greatest affection he had ever felt. For a moment, he froze at the enormity of it all, but then a warm feeling spread through his thin and undernourished body. His whole being relaxed in that embrace and all his fears and worries were immediately cleansed from his mind. A hesitant smile crept across his face, which soon turned into an affectionate grin. He closed his eyes and tenderly put his short arms around Viola and deeply inhaled the scent of his new life.

✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿

At that precise moment, the lid of a small chest resting on the ocean floor opened. A pillar of light brighter than a thousand suns rose from the ocean. It was later said that its blinding illumination reached the farthest fringes of Sagaria. It lasted for only a second or two, but it was enough to bathe the world in a golden radiance. People who saw it thought that all the stars in the universe had fallen. The children and Viola ran to the window to watch. Sylvester grabbed his walking stick and stumbled after them as fast as he could.

The little chest started to ascend and shot right through the sap-green waves and up toward the evening sky. Higher and higher it went, leaving a sparkling tail of multi-colored light after it as it left the world. It headed into the velveteen, infinite space and soon vanished among the bright and twinkling stars.

THE END

John Dahlgren, a psychologist and a member of the Swiss Psychologist Federation, has been working as a marketing director for a pharmaceutical company in Switzerland since 1998. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, he grew up close to the vast and untamed landscapes of Scandinavia, and was influenced from an early age by Nordic sagas, fairy tales and mythologies. This environment fired his imagination and later inspired him to become a fiction writer. He has studied creative and fiction writing at Oxford University, where he earned high praise for his work. Currently engaged in several book projects for both younger readers and adults, he lives in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, with his wife and two children.

Sagaria

John Dahlgren's next novel, featuring the mysterious world of Sagaria.
Three worlds are in danger.
And unfortunately one of them is yours.

After the mysterious kidnapping of his eccentric grandfather, Sagandran Sacks sets out on a rescue mission. However, he doesn't expect his search to bring him to a parallel world…

Available in bookstores

Fall 2011

www.sagaria.info

www.johndahlgren.com