Daventry

Daventry 

by Shane W. Snyder
[e-mail]

graham walked
in the countryside
of the land of daventry
a land of astounding beauty
as well as poverty and danger
and magic

a spring came trickling down
from atop some heavy grey boulders
and into a little pool
an old log,
big, hollow
lay at the edge of the pool
in the shade of an old and knotty tree
whose bare roots were drinking thirstily from this pool
graham investigated this log
and found a pouch full of wonderful gemstones
yellow, green, and red
they reminded him of candy and rainbows
graham took the gemstones
and tied the pouch around the waiste of his pale-blue pants
pants which clashed fashionably with a dark red shirt
long black boots were on his feet
and an adorable little cap sat atop his head
a single feather protruding
as an esteemed knight of daventry,
  graham wore only the most colorful, stylish clothes
for he was a man of castle and court
taught proper manners
all the ins-and-outs of banqueting and dancing
and courting the maidens of the court
often in the courtyard, which was green grass and castle pillars
for this castle had no garden
for all of daventry was like a garden
nature so beautiful, it was as though its beauty must be intentional
there were clusters of daisies and daffodils
and clover
the meadows were green, and the clover greener still
a butterfly fluttered around in complete joy and abandon
graham decided to rest from his wanderings
and lay down among the grasses and clover
soaking up some of the radiantly bright sun
from the cloudless blue sky
a four-leaf clover caught his eye
graham plucked it, and continued on his journey

graham marvelled at the aroma of the cone-pines
and the specacular deformed shapes of the knotty sable trees
each was equally beautiful, but in its own way
for graham knew that there were many kinds of beauty
he had learned from an early age to appreciate beauty
to value it, to take in in, to be sensitive to it
for he was a courtly knight
his sword was a violin
his armor was a book of poems
and his duty was to perform the art of instrument and word
and thereby impress and entertain
his king and his guests
and especially the ladies
whom he regarded as creatures of ultimate beauty and refinement
and also the source of love and tenderness
his lady-love had inspired him to write many poems
about the feelings welling up inside him
when he thought of her
her bright eyes, her smile...

graham came to a river
a narrow river, but flowing pretty rapidly
as though it were really meant to flow
as a healthy river should
the rippling water sparkled in the light
and it made the most beautiful sound
as the water swept past
this was truely the music of nature
graham followed this river
until he came to a stone bridge
and it was when he went to cross this bridge
that he met with danger for the first time
a huge, lumbering troll
with long arms and big feet
stamped his way into the middle of the bridge
blocking graham's path
"excuse me sir" offered graham
but the troll, with both hands, viciously shoved him back
this was a creature without mercy
speaking not a word, the creature held out his hand
asking for money
graham wasn't ready to give-up the beautiful gems to this foul creature just yet
so he continued on his way

graham wandered extensively through the kingdom
this was his first time really exploring the countryside
for he was no horseman, or ranger
he was a knight of the royal court
he knew tapestries and gemstones and precious metals
he knew fabrics and emblems and decorum
he was a magnificent dancer...
but a man of the outdoors he was not...until now
he was supposed to be exploring
but he took plenty of time to rest
and take in the beauty of the countryside
he sat at the shore of a little lake
and skipped rocks across its smooth surface...
graham took to wading in the sparkling waters
for daventry was a land of many pools and ponds
with jumping little fishes
and which were only about waist deep
the water was cool and refreshing
and the sun soon dried his clothes

but not all areas of daventry were radiant
and beatiful as a garden
where the trees were too crowded together
they blocked out the bright sun
creating a canopy of darkness
inviting the parasitism of mosses and vines
which hung from high branches like ripped curtains
the trees, thus crowded and preyed upon
seemed themeselves unhappy
and their darkness created a sanctuary
for creatures which cannot bear the light of beauty and truth and goodness
evil ogres and wizards lurked in the darkness
a witch would fly on her broomstick in and out of the canopy
casting-about for victims to sweep up
and drop down her chimney, and into a waiting prison cell
graham had heard all the stories of these evil beings
but now he saw them first hand
and knew the stories had been true
and he wondered what other stories, told at court
must have at least bits and pieces of truth in them

graham avoided these dark areas
he wandered and wandered
finally, he came to a marvellous little well
made of of creek-rock
with a wooden handle and bucket
feeling daring
and knowing that people drop things down wells
graham decided to climb down the rope
and into the well

once inside
he decided to take a dive
and see what there was to see
beneath the dark waters of the well
for the well plunged down into an underground lake
and where there was an underground lake
their might be an underground cave
graham dove
and dove, and dove
for the well was deep
but fortunately, graham had alot of air in his lungs
he noticed a treasure chest embedded in the floor of the undergound lake
it was a big chest with brass hinges and corners
certainly too heavy to take to the surface
he kept diving
finally, he did come to an undergound cave
it felt good to be out of the water
and to breathe in the quiet, refreshing air of the cave
the only sound was of water dripping and dripping from the ceiling
it was dark, but not too dark
and graham proceeded further into the cave
the cave opened up into a great chamber
and in the middle of this chamber lay a sleeping dragon
green, scaly, with a long, long neck
and leaning up against its heaving body
was a magic mirror
the lost magic mirror of daventry
graham approached
the dragon awoke and lifted its head
for the dragon had been guarding the mirror for a long while
and getting it back would not be so easy
the dragon said:
"this mirror
is not some plaything for you and your king to amuse yourselves at court
this mirror is special
it shows stories
great stories
from other worlds
stories you wouldn't fully understand
or be able to interpet
i am ancient and wise
and the mirror is only useful to me"
graham responded:
"i certainly can't reclaim the mirror from one so great and strong as you
but perhaps we can compromise
perhaps you could tell me the stories from the mirror
and i can take this wisdom back to my king"
the dragon responded:
"listen carefully
for i will tell the whole story thus:
you are part of a species
a species that came from apes
which consumes and will be consumed
first by giant cats, then by each other
you will form great nations
united by language
and these nations will clash
in a titanic struggle
they will consume each other
menacing machines will kill utterly
but despite all the killing,
you will be constantly reproducing
and a new war will come
greater than the first
and this will be a war of race and ethnicity
for there are many races and ethnicities among mankind
and this one will be more destructive than the first
led by a leader who will
come from nothing, to be the ruler of kings and princes
and who will kill himself amid the fire of his own doing
and he will murder unilke any other
he will murder the ancient people
and after this war will come a time of a different kind of consumption
every need and want will be gratified
while others suffer and starve
and it will be justified under the banner of 'achievement'
female beauty will become a commodity
and they will go on reproducing
until the forests are cleared
and everywhere is human trash and filth
and the planet will become hotter and hotter
as all the animals are murdered
or perish from climate change
and it will be like an unstoppable train
heading relentlessly for whatever future awaits
and people will cry out: 'why do we suffer so?
why are we in so much pain?'
and the only answer one can give them
will be that they are caught up in something greater than themselves
and that for every mistake, a price must be paid"

graham didn't comprehend all this
but he nodded solemnly
and he said thoughfully: "what is this world that i live in
if it is not the one which you describe?"
and the dragon said: "the best thing that you can do, sir graham
is play your violin
search for four-leaf clovers
explore the ins-and-outs of daventry
take-in the most beautiful, most dark, most radiant landscape there ever was
and collect your gemstones
and find a way to get passed the troll
and a way to stand up to the evil wizards and ogres of the dark wood
and go about your adventures forever
and tell stories, and dress in fancy clothes
and be a man of the court
and write poetry
for you are a magical being
whether you know it or not
and your world is a place of perfect beauty and solace
go on, sir graham, tell all this to your king
and know that one day you will be a king yourself
know that your adventures are magical and a solace
and will never be forgotten"

with that, graham ended his quest
he delivered this message to his king
but the king already knew it
and there was nothing left for graham to do but sob

----------------------

Part II

sir graham pulled himself together
the king spoke to him softly
like a grandfather
the king said: "life goes on, graham
you must continue with your life
you have a quest to do
if only everyone were so lucky as you"
with that, the king convinced graham to go back out into the land of daventry
graham used his trysty handkerchief to wipe his nose and eyes
he adjusted his little cap
bowed, and took leave of the king

daventry was still buzzing and chirping
the river was still flowing
the cone-pines and sable trees were still breathtaking
the evil part of the forest was still dark and creepy
and graham wandered
and no matter how much he wandered
  he could never seem to get his bearings
  for daventry was a strange land
  and it was confusing the way one bit of countryside would flow into another
  it was enough to frustrate any explorer

daventry was full of darling little trees
of all shapes and sizes
it was full of charming medium-sized trees
  homes for squirrels and birds
and daventry was also home to one gigantic tree
graham happened upon this tree
and when he did, eh felt he had to climb it
up in its branches was a bird's nest
but instead of a cluster of normal eggs
there was one single large gold egg
graham was not a greedy guy by any means
but, he was on a quest
and he might need it
he took the gold egg

graham found many other, less-specacular little items over the course of his wanderings
he plucked a carrot from a little patch behind the castle
he took an acorn from the base of a great oak
he found a wooden bowl next to another tree
under a boulder, he found a small dagger
but, the pouch of gemstones and the gold egg were by far the most valuable
now, graham had some decisions to make:
in a little shack out in the woods
  the woodcutter and his wife were starving
graham could give them a carrot or two to fill their bellies for awhile at least
or, he could give them the egg or the gemstones and make them rich
but, he needed something valuable to give the troll
but, he didn't want to reward the troll's bully tactics with such lovely treasures
besides, what if he needed the egg or the gemstones later
maybe they belong to someone
should one really give away lost-and-found items to bullies like the troll?
of course, he could always brandish his little dagger and threaten the troll with violence
but this would be way out of his character
and probably he would get his butt kicked despite having the dagger
oh decisions, decisions
graham bagan to pace back and forth
he paced and paced and paced
finally, he threw off his cap and said "damn this quest, damn it to hell"
cursing was way out of character for him
that's when he knew it was time to take one of his chill-pills
for the apothecary had been medicating graham for years
  to curb his frustrations

graham took the pill
he removed his little cap and set it next to a branch of white tyrian buds
then he noticed what a magnificent day it was
the birds were chirping
the bees were buzzing
the grasshoppers hopping
the deer grazing
he was near the shore of the little lake
where the full-breasted swans frolicked
the woods were hushed
fragarent, cool-rooted flowers, blue and sliver-white, were drinking up the glory of the daylight
the moist soul was calming to the bedded grass
on which graham lay
turning his gaze, he spied two doves, couched together
beneath a natural wreathed trellis of splendid buds and bells
like the flowers, he was soaking up the sun
he stretched his arms and legs
and ran his fingers through his brown hair
forgetting his quest entirely, graham took a wonderful little nap

when graham woke up
he decided to smell some flowers before continuing his quest
but, he could only delay so long
something had to be done about the troll
he reached a decision: to give the gold egg to the troll
and the gemstones to the woodcutter and his wife
he knew he was a sucker
a sucker for pity and for bully tactics
but oh well, it was a quest and it had to be done

graham was on his way to give the gemstones to the woodcutter
the witch was on her broomstick
flying
above the canopy of crowded, miserable trees
she spied his baby-blue pants
and she thought to herself:
"i am going to kill that sucker down there"
for she was an evil witch
with no morality whatsoever
she had become a witch so long ago
that she could scarcely recall the days when she was a beautiful maiden
her fine features had long since decayed into hideous shapes
a wart on her nose topped it off like a cherry on a sundae
she was a short little woman
and to make herself look taller and more intimidating
she wore a tall, pointed hat, with a wide brim
she dressed all in black
black hat, black robes, black shoes
for she knew that black was an elegant, evil color

the witch swooped down and grabbed sir graham by the collar
with one hand
her grip was like iron
and she flew with him into the clouds
graham was positively awed and terrified to see daventry from such a height
he saw the gigantic tree, from which he had taken the gold egg
he saw the castle, the river, and the island beyond the bridge guarded by the troll
the witch considered dropping him on some rocks and watching him go splat
but, she decided to take him prisoner instead
and flew down to her roof and dropped him through this roof and into a waiting prison cell
graham landed flat on his face
his nose bloodied
he knew he had to act fast
he took a diamond out of his pouch of gemstones
and began cutting the cold bars of his prison cell
he squeezed out of the now-cut bars
just as the witch was coming to get him
the door was swinging open
he had only a moment to look around
he noticed a huge kettle with a green liquid brewing in it
and steam coming off of it
he knew that that was what the witch had in store for him
he reached for his dagger
the witch entered the room
she started to wave her hand to cast a spell on him
but graham charged her with the knife
she shrieked and went out the door
graham chased her, hollering:
"you can dish it out but you can't take it!"
the witch felt she was entitled to mistreat others
while others dare not mistreat her
graham chased her down
tackling her outside her house
which, he now saw, was made of ginger-bread and candy canes
he pinned her to the ground, saying
"you wanted to cook me, now i'll cook you!"
he intended on throwing her into her own broiling kettle
but then he remembered:
"this is not who i am
i can't commit violent deeds
i need to take my chill-pill"
so graham let the witch up
she immediately got on her broomstick and took off
and he took a chill pill

what a marvellous little house the witch had!
it was ginger-bread with frosting and candy-cane trim
he then began eating her house!
what a tasty house it was
he went inside, and saw again the proiling kettle into which the evil hag had intended to put him
he tipped it over
spilling its contents all over the floor
nobody else will be harmed by this witch
he decided, moral-compass kicking in
he then took the fire from under the kettle
and began lighting the whole house ablaze
the wooden interior burned
while the candy exterior melted
and graham stood outside, admiring his work
"what a pyro i've turned out to be" thought sir graham

graham carried out his plan of giving the gemstones to the woodcutter
thus making he and his wife wealthy people
then, he gave the gold egg to the troll
who took it, and, without a word, vacated the bridge
graham felt that his manhood was compromised by such an act of surrender
but, what else could he do against such a beast?
such a vicious creature, who knew only profit
and who, like the witch, had no appreciation for one so stylish, so cultured,
  so polite and refined as he
crossing the bridge, graham came to a huge stump
this was the home of a gnome
a spinning wheel sat outside
surrounded by straw
the little gnome was undoubtedly spinning straw into gold, thought graham
for graham had a sharp intellect

graham spoke to the gnome
the gnome wanted him to guess his name
but, graham was bored of such child's play
and said as much
the gnome understood
and before long, the two of them began talking poetry
for the gnome, unlike the witch and the troll and the woodcutter, was a cultured man
graham shared a poem he had written to his lady-love:

what you feel, can feel hard
taxing, relentless, impossible
but lucky is the time
when in spite of it all
my mind isn't on any of it
because my mind is on you
my constant companion
my partner
and everything else is swept aside
and the future feels so much better to me
yes,
it all seems so much better,
when i think of you

graham felt that this poem was pretty good
but the gnome found it lacking in imagery
and he felt the content was a bit lacking
graham retorted that it was just a simple poem, about a simple feeling
the gnome decided to open graham's mind
to get him away from courtly-love poetry
and into the depths of the dark, mysterious, and sublime
the gnome recited verse about jack'o'lanterns and howling wolves
about spider webs and creaking hinges and vampire's teeth
the gnome explained that such dark things were celebrated on a day unknown in daventry:
halloween
for in daventry it was always day
this banished the creatures of darkness to the evil part of the forest
but in the gnome's world, the curtain of night would come down
and all the creatures of darkness would have the run of the land
and the good creatures of the world had to hole-up in their homes
in caves, and burrows, and castles
or perhaps a very sturdy cabin
it wasn't a good idea to leave your axe outside either, like the woodcutter would do

graham and the gnome agreed to go trick-or-treating together
after the quest, when he would visit the gnome's world
a world accessible only by the most magical means
for in deep-down caves were magical places
places where errors in the reality of daventry would seem to appear
places where time stops, where it is dark, where the world stops making sense

graham continued on his quest
but, he reached apoint where he was stuck
so, he came back to the gnome, just to shoot the breeze
the gnome started talking economics
for graham told him about giving-away the gold egg and the gemstones
and about how he was searching for a chest of never-ending gold
the gnome had no problem with money, fo rhe could spin straw into gold
but, he said, for others money was a never-ending problem
graham agreed to do a mock interview with the gnome
  to see if he was capable of earning a living
the gnome said: "does this sound like you:

a dynamic individual
for a fast-paced environment
who can handle multiple tasks
competitive
team player
excellent communication skills
strong interpsersonal skills
strong organizational skills and attention to detail
energetic
self-motivated
highly organized and motivated self-starter"?

graham said honestly, "no, not at all, i am:
a one-dimensional individual
who is used to a slow-paced environment
who does one thing at a time
who works alone
who doesn't talk much
and gets frustrated and discouraged fairly easily
who takes naps rather frequently
and who needs to be given a quest in order to even bother leaving the castle"

the gnome chuckled
he said: "you are a good man, sir graham
and you are lucky to have such a wise and cultured king as edward
who patronizes the arts and pays to have men like you around
a courtly knight of the old school"