"I'm not cruel, and I don't approve of patching in general, so I'll willingly destroy the Great Knife. But before I do that, I want the privilege of patching the Snubnosed Princesses to each other--mixing the six as much as possible--and then I want to patch the former Boolooroo to the billy goat, which is the same punishment he was going to inflict on Sgt. Rik."
"No," says Tara to Ghip-Ghisizzle. "There's been enough patching in this country, and I won't have anymore of it. It gets too easily into your blood. The old Boolooroo and the six stuck-up Princesses will be punished enough by being put out of the palace. The people don't like them one bit, so they'll be outcasts, and that will make them sorry they were so wicked and cruel when they were powerful. Am I right, Sgt. Rik?"
"Spoken like a Queen, your Majesty," replies the veteran.
"Please, Queen Tara, let me patch just the Boolooroo. It will be such a satisfaction."
"I have said no, and I mean it. You let the old Boolooroo alone. There's nothing that hurts as much as a comedown in life, and I expect the old tyrant is going to be pretty miserable."
"What does he say to his reversal of fortune?" asks Rosalie the Witch.
"I don't believe he knows about it," says Tara, and she turns to Captain Ultramarine. "Bring him to us, Captain, and his 'jailor' as well."
Moments later, Captain Ultramarine leads several Blue Guards holding the billy goat by cords. They process between the tables of Blueskins and Pinkies and stop before Tara at the head table.
"What will you have us do with this creature, your Majesty?" asks the Captain.
Sgt. Rik whispers to Tara, "It's my idea that he's braver than the whole Blue Army put together."
"I think you're right, Sgt. Rik." Tara turns to Ghip-Ghisizzle. "Ghip, I'll have you make a fine yard for the goat, where he'll have plenty of blue grass to eat. And I'll have you put a pretty fence around it and make all the people honor and respect him for as long as he lives."
"I'll gladly do that, your Majesty," say Ghip-Ghisizzle. "He'll be the happiest goat in Sky Island, I assure you."
The Guards lead away the billy goat, and immediately other Guards escort the Boolooroo forward followed by the Six Snubnosed Princesses.
"How dare you people give orders before my palace?" barks the deposed despot. "I'm the Boolooroo!"
"You're not the Boolooroo any more," says Tara. "We've got the Royal Record Book, and it proves you've already ruled this country longer than you had any right to. Besides, I'm the Queen of Sky Island--which means Queen of the Pinkies and Queen of the Blues. So things are to run as I say, and I've made Ghip-Ghisizzle Boolooroo in your place. He'll look after this end of the Island."
"Can't I take any of my treasures with me," he asks.
"Not even a bird cage," says Tara. "Everything in the palace now belongs to Ghip-Ghisizzle."
"Except the Six Snubnosed Princesses," adds Ghip. "Won't you please get rid of them, too, your Majesty? Can't they be discharged?"
"Of course! They must go live with their dear father and mother. Isn't there some house in the City they can all live in, Ghip?"
"Why, I own a little cabin at the end of town," answers Ghip-Ghisizzle, "and I'll let them use that, as I won't need it any longer. It isn't a very pretty cabin, and the furniture is cheap and common, but I'm sure it is good enough for this wicked man and his family."
The Six Snubnosed Princesses begin to scream and have hysterics. Ghip-Ghisizzle motions to Captain Ultramarine, and the Captain directs Blue Guards to forcibly remove the Princesses from the courtyard. The Boolooroo, seeing his reversal of fortune, bows contritely before Tara.
"I'll not be wicked any more," he says. "I'll reform. It's always best to reform when it is no longer safe to remain wicked. As a private citizen, I shall be a model of deportment, because it would be dangerous to be otherwise."
Tara nods politely and waves him away. Blue Guards lead away the Boolooroo. Tara then turns to Captain Ultramarine.
"Has there been any luck in finding the umbrella, Captain?"
"No, your Majesty. The Boolooroo said that he kicked it under the cabinet when it did not work for him, but we have searched everywhere in his quarters and have not found it. We'll resume tomorrow."
"Very well, Captain," says Tara. "But it must be found."
That night, with the tables cleared and pushed back, Blue Guards haul broken-up pieces of the Great Knife's framework from the palace entry. The Guards toss the pieces on to a stack of other furniture from the Room of the Great Knife. Ghip-Ghisizzle throws a lighted torch on the stack of furniture and frameworks. The Pinkies and Blueskins shout approval. The fire quickly engulfs the stack, and flames extend far into the blue night sky where embers burn away.
The following morning, a heap of smoldering blue ashes is all that remains of the furniture from the Room of the Great Knife. Nearby, all the Blue servants line up before the palace. Ghip-Ghisizzle and Captain Ultramarine walk up to Tara, where Bobo, Sgt. Rik, and Rosalie stand nearby.
"We've questioned each one, your Majesty," says Ghip-Ghisizzle.
"Even questioned them twice," responds Captain Ultramarine.
"And none of them has seen the umbrella?" asks Tara.
"No, your Majesty," says Ghip-Ghisizzle.
Tara turns to Bobo and Sgt. Rik. "Any thoughts?"
Sgt. Rik turns to Ghip-Ghisizzle. "Are all the servants of the old Boolooroo here?"
"All but one," he answers. "Tiggle used to be a servant, but he managed to escape after the Princesses removed me from the Room of the Great Knife, and he hasn't been seen since."
"Oh, yes!" Tara exclaims. "Tiggle is in hiding somewhere. Perhaps he doesn't know there's been a revolution and a new Boolooroo rules the country."
Moments later, Blue Guards run along the cobblestone streets shouting, "The Boolooroo is gone! Long live the Boolooroo!"
After the Guards have run past, a manhole cover in the cobblestone street lifts up slightly, and Tiggle looks out.
A short time after, Tiggle, brushing off debris, stands before Tara. "I remember sweeping the King's rooms and finding a queer thing--it might have been an umbrella--lying beneath a cabinet. It had ropes and two wooden swings attached to its handle."
"That's it!" shouts Tara.
"That's exactly it," exclaims Bobo.
"What did you do with it?" asks Sgt. Rik.
"I dragged it out and threw it on the rubbish heap in an alley back of the palace," says Tiggle.
Moments later, in the alley behind the palace, Blue Guards dig through a rubbish heap. Tara, Bobo, Sgt. Rik, Rosalie, Ghip-Ghisizzle, and Captain Ultramarine look on. One of the Blue Guards pulls a wooden seat with attached ropes from under other rubbish. Sgt. Rik leaps on the pile of rubbish and pulls away items until at last he holds up the umbrella.
"Hurrah!" shouts Bobo.
"Sgt. Rik's a lucky fellow, / 'Cause he found the old umbrella," squawks Parrot.
"This is just the best luck that could have happened to us," says Tara, "'cause now we can go home whenever we please."
"Let's go now--this minute--before we lose the umbrella again," pleads Bobo.
"Not yet," says Tara. "We've got to straighten out things in Sky Island first of all. A Queen has some duties, and as long as I'm Queen here, I've got to live up to the part."
"That's fine and all," says Sgt. Rik, "but what do we have to do?"
"We fixed up the Blue Country pretty well making Ghip-Ghisizzle the Boolooroo of it. But the Pinkies must be looked after, too, 'cause they've stood by us and helped us to win. We must take them home again safe and sound and get a new Queen to rule over them. When that's done, we can go home again anytime we want to."
"When do we march, your Majesty?" asks the veteran proudly.
Chapter Nineteen
Elephant Charge
The gate through the City wall opens wide. Tara leads the Pink Army out through the gate and into the field marching toward the Great Fog Bank. Beside her are Bobo, Sgt. Rik, and Rosalie. From
the top of the City wall, Ghip-Ghisizzle and Captain Ultramarine wave good-bye.
Within a few minutes, the Pink Army marches up to the Great Fog Bank. Tara raises her arm. Coralie turns from Tara's direction and shouts to her troops.
"Halt!"
Tintint also turns from Tara's direction and shouts. "Halt!"
Sgt. Rik shouts to both Coralie's and Tintint's troops. "Rain coats!"
The line of Pinkies set down their sharpened sticks, pick up their gossamer rain coats where they lie in various heaps, and begin to put them on. Bobo raises the umbrella over his head, and Tara and Rosalie step under it with him.
Sgt. Rik shouts. "Forward!"
The Pinkies, all in their rain coats, enter the Fog Bank. Shrouded by fog, the Pink Army moves slowly and comes to a stop. Rosalie makes unusual sounds to summon the Frog King. The Frog King, with a long line of frogs to either side, appears through the fog. Rosalie steps forward.
"Turn around so we can get upon your backs," she requests of King Frog.
"Not yet," he replies. "You must first take that insulting umbrella out of my dominion."
"Why, what is there about my umbrella that seems insulting?" asks Bobo.
"It is an intimation that you don't like our glorious climate and object to our delightful fog and are trying to ward off its soulful, clinging kisses," answers King Frog. "There has never been an umbrella in my kingdom before, and I'll not allow one in it now. Take it away at once!"
"But we can't!" pleads Tara. "We've got to take the umbrella with us to the Pink Country. We'll put it down, if you like, and cross the bank in this drizzle, but the umbrella's got to go with us."
"It can't go another inch," retorts the huge reptile, "nor shall any of your people advance another step while that insulting umbrella is with you."
Tara turns to Rosalie. "What shall we do?"
"I really don't know," replies the witch.
"Can't you make the frogs let us go through?" inquires Bobo.
"No," replies Rosalie, "I have no power over the frogs. They carried us before as a favor, but if the king now insists that we cannot pass with the umbrella, then we must go back to the Blue Country or leave your umbrella behind us."
"We won't do that!" shouts Bobo. "Can't we fight the frogs?"
"Fight?" asks Tara. "Haven't we had enough of that? And see how big they are. They could eat up our whole army."
Suddenly, the umbrella handle in Bobo's hand begins to vibrate. The red eyes of the carved elephant's head roll fiercely and send out red sparks of anger in all directions. The trunk sways from side-to-side, and the entire head begins to swell and grow larger. Bobo, in fright, drops the umbrella and springs backwards a step. The umbrella takes the form of a complete elephant, growing rapidly to a monstrous size. Then, flapping its ears and wagging its tail--which was merely the covered frame of the umbrella--the huge elephant lifts its trunk and charges the line of astonished frogs.
The Frog King turns and makes the longest leap that his powerful legs enable him. The other giant frogs, in a panic, also turn and leap out of sight. In an instant, they are gone. The elephant turns its head to look at Bobo, then trots at once into the depths of the fog. Bobo turns to the others.
"It wants us to follow," observes Bobo. He turns, runs after the elephant, and disappears into the fog.
Tara raises her arm. "Pinkies! Forward!"
Tara follows after Bobo and the elephant with Sgt. Rik, Rosalie, and the Pink Army close behind. The elephant and Bobo move through the fog, and the others try to keep pace with them. Tara is dripping wet. Pinkies are dripping wet from their rain coats and breathing hard trying to keep up on their short, fat legs. Bobo follows right behind the elephant, as the gray fog begins to give way to pink light. Then suddenly the elephant pushes through to the other side of the Great Fog Bank. Bobo runs up beside the great animal. The elephant winks and lowers its head. It quickly shrinks in size and dwindles away. The umbrella lies motionless at Bobo's feet. As Bobo picks up the umbrella, Tara and the others break through the Great Fog Bank into Pink Country.
"That was something!" exclaims Tara.
"I'll say!" answers Rosalie.
"Hooray! We're through the wetful fogs / Where the elephant scared the fretful frogs," squawks Parrot.
And with that, Tara and the Pink Army march away from the Great Fog Bank toward Pink City in the distance.
Chapter Twenty
Homeward Bound
Tara and the Pink Army enter the City, and all its citizens are there to welcome them with shouts of praise. Tara and the Pink Army move through the circular street of the City with citizens shouting praise. Tara and the Pink Army enter the city center with citizens all around shouting praise. Tara steps up to a platform and turns to the Pink Army and all the citizens.
Tara speaks out. "Pinkies! You have made me proud! You have made all of Pink Country proud by your heroism!"
As the Pinkies shout praise, Tara extends her hand to Rosalie and draws her up to the platform.
Tara whispers to Rosalie, "How would you like to rule the Pinkies?"
"I wouldn't like it at all," answers the witch.
"But you'd make a good queen."
"The Queen is the poorest and most miserable creature in all the kingdom," says Rosalie, "and I'm sure I don't deserve such a fate."
"I'm the Queen of the Pinkies, right now, aren't I?"
"Of course! No one can dispute that."
"Then I've the right to make new laws, haven't I?" asks Tara.
"I believe so," affirms Rosalie.
"In that case," says Tara now turning to address the Pinkies, "I'm going to make a new law that the Queen shall have the same food and the same dresses and the same good times that her people have. And she shall live in a house just as good as the houses of any of her people, and have as much money to spend as anybody. But no more. The Queen can have her share of everything according to the new law, but if she tries to get more than her share, I'll have the law say she shall be taken to the edge and pushed off. What do you think of that law?"
Again, the Pinkies shout approval. Tara removes the pink gold circlet from her brow, turns back to Rosalie, and places the circlet on the witch's brow. She takes Rosalie's hand and raises it high.
"Pinkies! I give you your new Queen. Queen Rosalie, Queen of Pink Country!"
The Pinkies give the greatest applause yet. Tara reaches down to Bobo and takes Parrot from his shoulder. She places Parrot on Rosalie's shoulder.
"And, of course, Queens receive special gifts."
"Special indeed," notes Rosalie approvingly.
"This looks to me like a giveaway / But here I am, and here, I'll stay. / The country's pink, but we'll all be blue / When Tara goes home as she says she'll do."
Tara turns to the Pinkies. "Pinkies! It's time for me and my friends to return to our home. But I shall always think of you, and if you ever need me I shall return, for that is the duty of the Queen of Sky Island."
The Pinkies roar with applause.
Meanwhile, Sgt. Rik attaches the cords and wooden seats to the umbrella handle. Bobo sits on the first wooden seat and holds up the umbrella. Tara steps down from the platform and sits beside Bobo. Sgt. Rik sits on the other wooden seat. The Pinkies crowd close.
Tara waves. "Good-bye, Pinkies!"
The Pinkies shout their good-byes, as Sgt. Rik calls out. "Hold fast!"
Bobo looks upward to the umbrella. "Take us to Tara's house on Earth!"
The umbrella obeys, and at once, it mounts into the air, lifting Bobo and Tara, and then Sgt. Rik from the pink cobblestone street.
Parrot squawks. "Fly high! / Mind your eye! / Don't cry! / Bye-bye!"
The umbrella lifts the trio higher and higher. Seen from the rising umbrella, Rosalie blows a kiss, and all the Pinkies in the city center wave and shout good-bye. Tara leans over and waves good-bye, as the umbrella lifts her and the others high into the pink clouds.
From high above, Pink City grows quic
kly distant and soon clouds obscure it completely. The trio rises higher with the umbrella.
"Happy to be leaving?" asks Sgt. Rik.
"You bet," answers Bobo.
Sgt. Rik glances upward. "Tara?"
Tara wipes away tears.
The umbrella and the trio rise out of view into a dark cloud. Through this ominous, rain-filled cloud, the trio passes. Soon, the umbrella and the trio fly out of this cloud into a blue sky, across which a great and gorgeous rainbow spreads its radiant arch. The umbrella and the trio move quickly away from the rainbow and descend into a fluffy, white cloud. They descend through it with amazing speed. In an instant, the umbrella and the trio fly out of the fluffy cloud and emerge over the sea on Earth.
Bobo looks downward. "Oh, my gosh! We're back, we're back."
Sgt. Rik looks ahead. "And how!"
The island off the coast from Tara's home lies ahead and quickly grows closer. Tara looks ahead. "That's the Sky Island we thought we were going to--only we didn't."
The umbrella and the trio quickly fly over the "other" Sky Island, and soon the umbrella and the trio fly fast away from it.
Sgt. Rik peers ahead. "And look!"
In the distance and growing nearer lies the cliff of the mainland. Tara and Bobo look toward it. "It's your home, Tara."
Tara smiles ambiguously.
The umbrella and the trio fast approach the mainland where houses and trees dot the sea cliff. Soon, the umbrella and the trio fly over the cliff where the sea meets the rocky beach and begin to spiral downward in the open space near Tara's home. The umbrella and the trio spiral from the sky to a gentle landing on the open space of dry grass.
Sgt. Rik and Tara step out of the wooden seats. Sgt. Rik looks toward Tara's house then back to Tara. "You ready to face the music?"
"I guess."
"Your mother is going to skin me alive," forewarns Sgt. Rik.
"Get in line," says Tara.
Tara turns to Bobo who detaches the cords of the lower wooden seat from the umbrella's handle but leaves those of the upper seat in place.
"Aren't you coming in?" she asks.
"No skinning for me," says Bobo. "Besides, I have to get back to my own home."