He was amazed to find he could indeed hear the sea swishing and splashing about. He opened his eyes and Kerow the stag was gone. He could hear the tap tapping of many hammers and a stream tinkling along merrily. He was on the edge of the cliffs with the beach far below. Close by was a hillock of bumpy grass with holes dug out all over it. These were tiny and could only have been dug out by rabbits. Surely this was not the Burrows that Nanny Nankervis had mentioned. He must have landed in the wrong place.
As he was wondering what to do next a furry head popped out of one of the holes nearby. I looked like a regular rabbit. It was the normal colour; buff brown, long ears and a white cotton tail. Then another head appeared and this was no ordinary rabbit.
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on picture)
In the fading light he was sure it was blue, not the normal colour of rabbits at all. The two began to play and scamper about in the stubby grass and where unaware they were being watched. Then Lfant felt his trunk begin to tickle and then it began to twitch. The grass pollen disturbed by the rabbit's playtime was going to make him sneeze. Oh no, when he sneezed he really sneezed. He could blow those little rabbits far, far into the air. He turned his head away but was too late. The draught from his 'atishoo' caught up the two furry friends and bowled then over and over down a slope until they landed at the bottom of the pit.
They were so surprise to see a green Lfant looking anxiously down on them from above that they did not have time to be afraid and ended up laughing instead. When Lfant told them his sad story they told him that they could not help him either but they offered to go with him to find it.
"In this land a blue rabbit can only come out in the moonlight.
If we can find the place where green Lfants come from they would not think a blue
rabbit strange. We will take you to see the 'Old Ones'. Perhaps they know
where to find it"
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Now Lfant knew he was on the right track. These 'Old Ones' were the miners that Nanny
Nankervis had mentioned. Surely they had lived so long and 'knew all there
was to know' that they could tell him where his home was. Once again
he picked up his suitcase as his two new furry friends disappeared down a hole
for a few seconds and popped up
through another closer to the cliff. Here there was a sign saying "Footpath
to the old stamps" pointing to track that led down to a
ruin. Alongside it ran a gurgling stream, and as the light faded Lfant could
just make out faint human shadows pushing wheel barrows towards a huge piece of iron
machinery housed in a wooden shed. He realised this was the source of the tap, tap, tapping sound he had
heard. This was the 'stamps' that hammered rocks into tiny pieces so that the
miners could get at the tin
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Their
ancestors had discovered the secret of extracting tin from stones many moons ago and
had worked this way for centuries. Lfant once more told them his
tale of his search for his home but even with all their knowledge they
could not help him. They 'knew all there was to know'
but only about tin. They suggested a visit to the tinner's friend,
Morgana. Now she was someone who lived in two worlds. By day she was happiest in
the sea but in the twilight time she would visit the rocks below and sing, as she combed her long golden
hair in the moonlight. She would soon be appearing but they would have to climb
down the cliff path even further. Faintly they then began to hear sweet singing
and caught a flash from below at the moon caught the glass of Morgana's mirror.
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Morgana knew many things of the earth and the sea but had never seen or even
heard of an Lfant before. She had seen sea horses and sea cows, several
parrot fish and even sea anemones. She had heard of flying fish and land crabs
but never, never an Lfant but was very pleased to have done so at last. Perhaps
her friend the Pirate Captain 'Old Caesar' from St Ives could help. People
in his home port were fond of calling each other by nicknames and he got his
name of 'Caesar' from his habit of seizing anything of
value from any ship he captured. He had sailed the Seven Seas and seen West
Barbary and the Islands of the Blest. He must know where Lfants came from.
"I see his sail on the horizon now." said Morgana
"He will be coming to stow his treasure in the tunnels that lead back from
Manavor cave. If you give him a hand to unload his booty he will reward you with
his knowledge I am sure. He is not an unkindly man and has obliged me in the past when his ship's anchor was blocking the entrance to my undersea
home"
Slowly the sail loomed larger and larger and the splash of the anchor was heard.
Morgana disappeared with a flash or her tail fin to check the entrance to her
home was clear. When the pirates waded ashore the largest of them was a dark
haired fellow with a laugh like a rumble of thunder. He was surprised to see the
three friends calmly waiting on the sands for him to arrive. Most people ran off
at the sight of him. Morgana surfaced once again and told her Pirate Captain
the story of Lfant and his search and how his
rabbit friends had decided to join him in his quest.
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Old Caesar thought for a minute and shook his head slowly.
" I have seen many a strange sight and heard many a tall tale but have never, in all my born days, heard of such a one as this"
He said if they helped him unload his treasure boxes he would take them back into the far reaches of the cave to where the tunnels branched right and left
"One leads to 'Nowhere' and the other leads to 'Somewhere'. You have to leave behind all the baggage of your past. You will not need that old suitcase anymore my friend; you are about to start a new life. Let's get to work and then I will show you the way forward"
He was as good as his word and when all the cargo was unloaded he led them back
to the darkest part of the cave. He gave them a lantern to guide them on there
way and wished them 'Godspeed'
and was gone.
Well which way will it be?
Nowhere | or | Somewhere |
Click on the signs