CHAPTER 1
SPRINGTIME
“Check,” said Nob, sliding his queen over and lining it up with Gob’s king.
Gob quickly moved his king behind one of his pawns.
Nob had him on the run now. He slid his queen all the way over to the edge of the board, so that she was on a diagonal with Gob’s king. “Check!”
Gob reached across the board and deftly snatched Nob’s queen with his knight.
“No fair!” Nob wailed, yanking on his beard. “I didn’t see that knight sitting there!”
“Then you should have been paying more attention,” Gob retorted. “I lured you right into that one.”
The last time Ben was here, he had introduced the game of chess to Marcus, who in turn introduced it to Amos, who then introduced it to Hob, Gob, and Nob. The game was a huge success with everyone in Camelot and word of it spread rapidly across the land. While most everyone enjoyed the game, the dwarves were absolutely crazy over it. Hob, Gob, and Nob fashioned their very own set. The chessmen were lovingly crafted from stone, with one set of the pieces carved to resemble dwarves and the opposing set carved to resemble elves. Everyone who saw the set wanted one of their own and, before long; the three enterprising dwarves had a thriving business making and selling chess games. They had made so many games over the course of the winter that people began calling the game “Dwarves and Elves” rather than chess.
Hob poked his head through the trap door that led into the loft. “Food’s ready. Me an Amos are eating now and, if you two lummoxes don’t hurry, I can’t promise you there will be any left.”
Nob jumped up, knocking over the set and scattering the pieces. Gob grabbed him by the back of his tunic and tried to scramble over him to be the first one down the ladder. Hob barely got out the way before they both came tumbling down.
Since the three dwarves had completed the barn for Amos’s horse, Old Dan, they spent much of their time visiting with Amos. The shape shifter’s cabin was very small, so the dwarves had constructed a very comfortable living quarters in the loft of the barn, where they would have a place to sleep whenever they visited. The barn was located directly in front of the cabin with a small yard and a well between them. Amos had brought the table and benches outside and was drawing a cold bucket of water from the well when the dwarves raced out of the barn to get a seat at the table.
There is an old saying in Camelot; the sun and moon will always rise and a dwarf will always be hungry. Amos’s three friends never ceased to amaze him with their insatiable appetite. They sat on the bench across the table from him, their feet dangling above the ground, watching him ladle out the thick brown stew into their bowls. Although the friendly giant was three times bigger than the dwarves, anyone one of them could eat three times more food than he at a single sitting.
“Louise stopped by early this morning, while you guys were sleeping,” said Amos.
“Why didn’t you wake us?” asked Gob.
Nob swallowed a big mouthful of stew and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Were Ben and Casey with her?”
“Yeah,” said Hob, “we haven’t seen them since Christmas. You should have woken us!”
“She didn’t want me to wake you because she is coming back tomorrow and Ben and Casey will be coming with her.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to show Ben our chess set!” said Hob. We’ve got one back at our cabin that we made just for him. Do you think they will have time to come visit with us at our cabin?”
“I don’t know,” Amos replied. “That’s a long walk over a lot of rugged terrain.”
“Use your wagon!” Nob suggested. “It’ll take longer to get there, but it will be a nice ride and the weather is perfect!”
The weather was indeed perfect. After a long and bitterly cold winter, spring was finally emerging. The trail that wound its way through the pines, down to the fairy glen, was lined on both sides with a thick covering of fringed phacelia. Thousands of feathery white blossoms dusted the fresh green carpet and, along the way, clumps of trillium and wild geraniums accented the fluffy white blooms with vibrant tufts of yellows and purples.
“I suppose we could. A nice ride would be good for Old Dan too.”
“What time will they be here?”
“Louise wasn’t sure. Ben’s whole family is coming to visit, so Louise will have to find a time when she can slip out with the kids, unnoticed.”
“Well,” Hob commented, reaching for the pot of stew, “she is very sly and very resourceful. I’m sure she will not have any trouble.”
“Is there enough for everyone to have seconds?” asked Gob, who was also reaching for the pot. Amos managed to snatch it up before the two dwarves could begin fighting over it.
“There is enough for seconds and thirds. Then, we will clean up and get ready for tomorrow. We need to grease the axels on the wagon and oil the tack. Dan needs a good brushing and he needs to have his feet trimmed too. If you guys will take care of the wagon and the tack, I’ll take care of Dan.”
“What about those seconds?” Nob asked.
“And thirds?” Gob added.
Amos laughed and filled their bowls again. Now, he was looking forward to tomorrow. It would be very pleasant to take a leisurely ride through the meadows to the dwarves’ cabin. If they left early in the morning, they could ride around the hills that extended out into the prairie and camp somewhere on the other side of the pine forest in which he lived. The following day would be a shorter ride to the cabin and they could even go from there to the Twilight to visit their elfin friends. Hob, Gob, and Nob could take their magical boat downriver and, if he has Merlin’s staff with him, Ben could open a portal to the Twilight for everyone else. If Ben didn’t bring the staff, then Louise could ride in the boat with the three dwarves and he and the two kids could cut across the country side to meet them there. Marcus would loan them one of the swan boats for the journey back.
When everyone finished eating, the three dwarves set about greasing the wagon and oiling the tack, while Amos led Dan out into the yard to give him a thorough brushing. Dan was shedding his winter coat and as Amos brushed him, thick clumps of long brown hair fell to the ground around his hooves. In the barn, the dwarves were singing a song as they worked. Amos listened for a moment and then tip toed over to the barn door to spy on his friends. He had to hold his hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh. The song went something like this…
Tighten the spoke
And oil the yoke
Mend all the wheels if they are broke
We work all day and never play
Cause Amos always gets his way
Cook all the geese
Give us a piece
That’s how we get the axle grease
We toil and sweat and pay our debt
And Amos hasn’t thanked us yet
Unable to take it any longer and feeling very mischievous, he leapt into the barn and hollered “BOO!” When he hollered, Gob threw his arms up into the air and screamed. The loud noise and sudden commotion caused Nob to jump. When Nob jumped, he bumped into the wagon and knocked over the container of oil that he had placed on the edge of the wagon bed. The oil splashed all over Hob, who was applying grease to one of the axles. Startled, Hob rose up rather quickly and banged his head on the bottom of the wagon. Now dazed, the poor dwarf stumbled around and managed to step into the bucket of grease that he had been using. This caused him to lose his balance and fall over backwards. When he hit the ground, his feet flew up in the air and the bucket came off of his foot. Amos gasped as the bucket soared high into the air, flipping end over end, and then came straight down on top of Hob’s head.
Shocked, everyone watched as Hob slowly lifted the bucket off his head. His poor beautiful beard was dripping in oil and his hair, now coated with thick gooey grease, was sticking up in all directions. Gob tried very hard not to laugh, but Nob snorted and that caused them both to burst into uncontrollable howls of laughter.
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Seeing that Hob was okay, except for maybe his pride, Amos kicked up his heels and added another verse to the song the three dwarfs had been singing. He danced a jig around Hob as he sang in his deep booming voice…
Eat all the stew
And biscuits too
Leave the dishes for me to do
You eat your weight from off your plate
Your appetite will never sate
“Confound all of you!” Hob screeched. “Do you know how many baths I will have to take to get this oil and grease out of my hair?”
For some reason, this only made Nob and Gob laugh even harder. Amos, however, wiped the tears from his eyes and took his friend by the shoulder. “Come now, Hob. That was a horrible trick I played upon you and I am truly sorry. Nob, go into the loft and fetch some clean clothes. Let’s all take a walk down to the fairy glen. Hob can clean off in the fountain. I have some good lye soap and a stout brush that should take that oil right out.”
“You owe me big, Amos,” Hob muttered. “I wasn’t due for another bath for two more weeks!”
“Well, since we are having guests tomorrow, why don’t we all clean up? As a matter of fact, you three head on down to the fountain and I’ll finish up with Dan. When you get back, I’ll go down and clean up a little myself.”
The dwarves grumbled and complained about having to take an early bath, even though they all agreed that it was a good idea. As they trudged off toward the fairy glen, Amos retrieved the hoof pick, knife, nippers, and rasp from the tack box and set to work on Dan’s feet. By the time the dwarves returned, Dan’s fur was sleek and his hooves were shiny and neatly trimmed. Amos put him up in the barn with fresh hay and water, and then cleaned up the fur and clippings in his yard.
“Did you wash behind your ears?” Amos teased.
Hob glared up at him as he marched into the barn and scurried up the ladder into the loft.
“He needs a nap,” said Gob. “He’s as ornery as cave troll.”
“I think I’ll join him,” Nob remarked. “I could use forty winks or so myself.”
“Why don’t both of you go up and take a nap. As a matter of fact, when I get back, I might take one myself.”
Down at the glen, hundreds of fairies were flitting about like humming birds. During the winter months, like all of the flowers that bloomed in the field, the fairies disappeared. Amos was not sure where they went. Actually, he wasn’t even sure they went anywhere at all; maybe they slept through the cold and dreary months as many of the flowers did. Now that spring was upon them, they were busy collecting soft green leaves and brightly colored flowers. They used these materials to make the nests that they slept in, high in the willow tree at the edge of the field. Through some magic, as long as the fairies occupied their homes, the tiny nests stayed soft and green, the flower petals fresh and vibrant, all the way up to the first frost. However, as the seasons changed and the cool pastel colors of spring were replaced with the warm bright colors of summer, they would often alter the composition of their tiny homes to match the colors of the field.
Amos stretched and the air around him shimmered. He transformed into a bear and then ambled over to stand in the fountain’s spray as it splashed off the red granite. The water was freezing. He wondered if his three friends had really bathed or did they just pretend that they had. He was having second thoughts himself, but his fur was becoming saturated, so he eased into the stone basin and began to roll around in the ice cold water. Once he was satisfied that he was clean, he climbed out and shook himself dry from the tip of his snout to the end of his stubby bear tail. The sun was warming him already and now he understood why the dwarves were so ready for a nap. Instead of changing back, he found a clean grassy spot where he could stretch out and take a short snooze. After all, he wasn’t completely dry just yet and a half hour lying in the late afternoon sun should do the trick.
It was almost dark when Amos finally did wake. The fairies were all asleep in the willow tree, their little nests glowing faintly among the branches. He had overslept and the fact that Hob, Gob, and Nob had not come down to the fairy glen to check on him could only mean one of two things; either they were still asleep or they were busy eating all of his food while he was away from the cabin. As much time as the dwarves were spending with him, he was going to have to build a proper larder; one with a good stout lock on it too. He transformed back and began the return hike to his cabin. Even though the sky was not yet dark with night, hundreds of stars shone brightly above him. With the day drawing to a close, he realized that Louise, Ben, and Casey would be here soon. Excited, he quickened his pace.
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