The Elf of Luxembourg

By Tom Weston

"Jackie, be realistic," cried Alex. "It will never work. He's too old for you."
"Lots of girls date older men," replied Jackie.
"Yes, but not one hundred thousand years older."
"You're exaggerating. It's only ninety thousand."

* * *

What's an older sister to do? It's not all fun fairs and ice-cream. Well, it is – but that's beside the point. When one is in Luxembourg, there is a certain standard to maintain, and vacationing with Elves and Vampires is just so old school. But can Alex convince her younger sister, Jackie, of that? No, of course not, so she may as well get used to it.

But deep beneath the ancient city of Luxembourg there lies a secret. The Vampires believe it is protected by the Elf. The Elf believes it is protected by a prophecy concerning Alex and Jackie. And the sisters? They believe shoes in Luxembourg are too expensive.

Why are the Vampires going toe-to-toe with an Elf for the pleasure of the sisters' company? Why does the Elf think Alex and Jackie can sing? And just who let Sir Walter Raleigh and the Conquistadors into this story?

To answer these questions will take all of the sisters' cunning, bravery and imagination, as well as some souvenir shopping. Because this is the Elf of Luxembourg and this is an Alex and Jackie Adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tom Weston
• Release date: Nov 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9780981941363

Tom Weston

Tom Weston, author of Fission, The Alex and Jackie Adventure and Tales from the Green Dragon Tavern.

Book preview

Title Page

Also by

TOM WESTON

The Alex and Jackie Adventures:

First Night: being a ghost story

Feathered: being a fairy tale

Ghost in the Spires: being an old wives' tale

And

Fission: based on a true story

Copyright © 2009 Tom Weston

All Rights Reserved.  Except for brief extracts enclosed in critical review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without written permission.  For information visit:  www.tom-weston.com.

This book is a work of fiction. The character and dialogue of historical figures are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Plan of the town of Luxembourg, by Harmanus van Loon, from Suitte des Forces de l'Europe ou Quatrième Partie de l'Introduction à la Fortification, published by Nicolas de Fer, 1693.  With kind permission from the collection of Gary Little.  For further information visit: www.luxcentral.com.

Cover designed by Cassandra Mansour.

Photographic images, chapters 6 and 8, copyright © 2007 by Mark Weston.  All Rights Reserved.

Other photographic images, copyright © 2009 by Leigh Weston.  All Rights Reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Library of Congress Control Number:  2009940053.

ISBN 978-0-981-94136-3.

Contents

Copyright

Prologue

Chapter 1 - The Vision Serpent

Chapter 2 - Old Town

Chapter 3 - Vianden

Chapter 4 - Conquistadors

Chapter 5 - Summer in the City

Chapter 6 - Chez Bacano

Chapter 7 - King of the Mountain

Chapter 8 - The Petrusse Express

Chapter 9 - Théâtre des Capucins

Chapter 10 - Abbaye de Neumünster

Chapter 11 - Schueberfouer

Chapter 12 - A Walk through the Green Heart of Europe

Chapter 13 - The Pirate Raleigh

Chapter 14 - The Two Sisters

Chapter 15 - Alex in the Underworld

Chapter 16 - The Battle of Santo Thomé

Chapter 17 - The Casemates

Chapter 18 - Lucilinburhuc

Epilogue

To our Grandfathers and Grandmothers

Luxembourg 1683

Author's Note

Good things come in small packages. I don’t know who first said it, or why (Google proving not to be up to the task this time), but the proverb certainly applies to Luxembourg, both the cuntry and the city. It is small - yes, in the same way that a diamond is small. And when looked at in the appropriate light, it sparkles and delights the senses in the same way. I am appreciative to have spent time there.

Luxembourgers have a motto:

Mir wölle bleiwe wat mir sin

(We want to remain what we are)

Things do seem to move at a slower pace there than elsewhere in the world but looks can be deceptive. For centuries, Luxembourg has been at the crossroads of Europe, coveted and fought over. In more peaceful times, it has turned its strategic importance into an economic advantage. And this in turn has led to a cultural and social heritage which draws the envy of larger cities.

Still there is truth in their old motto: in spite of the invasions of the Romans, French, Spanish, Germans, et al, it remains uniquely Luxembourg. This is reflected in their pace of life, but also in their dealings with the outside world: their geographic location on the border of several other countries, and their handling of multiple languages and cultures.

I first began to imagine Luxembourg as a city which could be home to the elves, not because of its age but because it has a mythical dream-like quality about it; especially so at the end of the day, when the ancient rocks and the towering ramparts glow in a haunting mixture of shadow and light; and a stroll along the Corniche takes one’s breath away.

Facts are stubborn things! Or are they? When fact meets fiction something has to give. And it is usually the facts. Such is the case in the Elf of Luxembourg, which, in spite of the inclusion of such historical facts as Sir Walter Raleigh’s search for El Dorado, should be read as completely fictional.

Figures such as Raleigh, Francis Sparrey, Antonio de Berrío and Émile Fradin certainly existed; though there is no evidence that they ever encountered a Muiscan named Cuchaquichá, a fictional character. And although we have the reports and journals of those times, even these must be taken with a pinch of salt, because some of what they wrote, at least, was designed to satisfy ambition rather than historical accuracy. In political quarters, bending the truth is a time-honored tradition which continues to this day.

So, I have taken great liberties with the facts. For example, one feature of the conquistador exploitation of South America was its financing by the great banking houses of Germany, such as the Welsers. But by 1596, when our story begins, the official role of the Germans had been terminated because of disputes with the Spanish Crown. The bankers instead used their fortunes to create and rule over new German kingdoms such as Prussia. So even though Fernando de Berrío marched from Bogotá to Santo Thomé, he probably did so without the company of German vampire bankers.

Therefore, consider the narrative to be a fictional account of real events, except for those chapters which pass for real accounts of fictional events. I hope this distinction helps.

The concept of the Noble Savage has become sentimental and clichéd since 1670, when John Dryden first wrote in his play, the Conquest of Granada:

"I am as free as nature first made man,

Ere the base laws of servitude began,

When wild in woods the noble savage ran."

But before I am also accused of reducing the character of Cuchaquichá to such a cliché, let me plead in my defense that he is based not on a Muiscan or any other Natural of the Americas, as Raleigh would have said, but on an English acquaintance of mine, who would have bristled at the notion of being called either noble or savage.

And although the ritual of the Vision Serpent comes from a predominantly Mayan tradition, I cannot say if the Muiscans (or the Mayans for that matter) ever practiced it in the manner described. But as the legend of El Dorado is connected to the Muiscans, and the search for it to Colombia and Venezuela, not Mexico or Central America, some latitude and artistic license was needed.

It just goes to show that it takes all sorts to make a world - of fact or fiction; and that any errors in contextual or historical accuracy are there to serve the plot or to expose my own ignorance. Proof once again that those facts are indeed stubborn things!

Being a Love Story?

. . . Love is the longing of the human being in his imperfectness for perfectness and completeness. It is the innate desire for immortality.

Herbert Ernest Cushman,

A Beginner's History of Philosophy, Volume 1, 1911.

As Jackie once said, Figure out the connection later.

For me, this book was a labor of love. So, I must thank all those who encouraged me to write it. Also thanks to Joerg Bedenice for the German lesson. And thanks to Voltaire, whose work, L'Ingénu, was the inspiration for chapter 10.

And I thank you for reading.

Tom Weston

Be careful what you wish for . . .

Prologue

1924

"Something hidden. Go and find it.

Go and look behind the Ranges--

Something lost behind the Ranges.

Lost and waiting for you. Go!"

Rudyard Kipling, the Explorer, 1898

"S

teady, Belle, steady," cried Émile Fradin to one of the cows as it stumbled.

​The 17 year old youth struggled to guide the cow-drawn plough through the muddy field then known as the Duranthon, today called the Field of the Dead. The field lay in the small hamlet of Glozel. And Glozel hid, ignored as if a shy wallflower at a dance, in a quiet valley to the east of the Allier River, about two hundred kilometers north-west of Lyon, in France.

​Thick, spiny gorse grabbed at his ankles and sharp-tongued brambles drew French curses from the lips of the usually affable boy, but Émile needed to clear the field to serve as a new pasture for the cows. Even with the help of his younger sister, Yvonne, and his grandfather, Claude Fradin, the field - the voracious bully of a field - demanded too much of his spirit.

​Hard going indeed, even in the finest of conditions; but according to the calendar, the day still allegedly belonged to early spring, and the uneven ground shifted back and forth from frozen to thawed to muddy; and the cows, with a dogged determination to undermine his authority, lost their footing and refused to draw a straight furrow.

​Claude Fradin had purchased the farm at the end of the Great War, subsequent to his life there, man and boy, as a tenant farmer for many decades. Émile questioned the wisdom of the purchase, but he loved his grandfather and so said nothing.

​This time, despite Émile’s encouragement, Belle did not lurch forward again, for her foot seemed stuck in a hole. The family rushed to liberate the cow. It took some time, more than expected, and on further inspection Claude noticed that the hole extended deeper than at first glance.

​What is that? asked Émile.

​They unharnessed the cows and Yvonne quickly urged them out of the way, while Claude and Émile worked to enlarge the hole. Under the soft mud, they found some bricks, which they set to one side, and then some pottery, which they also extracted. They continued to remove bricks and pottery, and the hole continued to get bigger, until they made it big enough to permit a man to enter. While Claude and Yvonne grasped firmly at his belt buckle, Émile lowered his head into the hole.

​What do you see, Émile? asked Claude.

​ Émile found himself staring into an underground chamber. Beneath him in the chamber, and mingled with dust and cobwebs, objects hidden from the sunlight for a great number of years now appeared. Some even glinted under the spotlight of a dancing sunbeam or two.

​Treasure, Grandfather, cried Émile. I think we’ve found buried Treasure.

​Over the course of the next few days, the Fradins, with the help of a day laborer named Jean-Baptiste, explored their find. And what they had discovered appeared to be a tomb: full of bones and axes, as well as pottery; and clay tablets with strange symbols on them - the Glozel Stones, as posterity came to name them.

​As the days passed, neighbors called to admire the treasure and to help dig it out. From the nearby school, Émile’s classmates and teacher came out on a fieldtrip (pun intended) for the day. Their teacher, Adrienne Picandet, wrote to the French Minister of Education about the find: which, although certainly not treasure in the classical buccaneer sense, perhaps might offer some small interest to the archaeologists.

​The Minister dispatched two men, named Clement and Viple, of the Societe d'Emulation du Bourbonnais, to examine the site. After some indelicate excavating, Clement and Viple put down their pickaxes.

​Well? asked the Fradins.

​Roman, said Clement, knowledgeably.

​Gallo-Roman, amended Viple, wishing to show his superior knowledge.

​And what is it worth? asked the Fradins.

​Worth? Oh, nothing, said Clement and Viple. A very poor find, just a few bits of broken pottery, wouldn’t pay for the cost of digging it up, really. We suggest that you return to your ploughing. There’s nothing of any value here.

​Clement and Viple departed and filed an official report to demonstrate their superior knowledge. The report made its way to the editor of the Societe bulletin, who selected it for filler and to replace some blank pages, and where few would read it and soon forget what they read. And where it caught the eye of one Dr. Antonin Morlet.

​Dr. Morlet presented his card to the Fradins. "Although I am considered merely an amateur by the Societe’ standards, he said. I do consider myself to be an expert on the Gallo-Roman period; and I am convinced that the Societe is wrong in this instance. Call me a skeptic but I believe that site is not Roman. I think it is much older."

​So what? asked the Fradins.

​So, I’m willing to pay you two hundred francs a year to let me excavate it.

​Beats ploughing, said Émile.

​Every morning Dr. Morlet arrived at the field with a manservant or two. The servants climbed down into the chamber, performed the heavy digging and passed anything of interest back up to the doctor for further examination. He then worked with his precision surgical instruments and cleaned the artifacts. Every afternoon he returned to his medical practice, where he used the same instruments on his patients.

​The doctor became convinced that though the site appeared contaminated by later settlers, including the Gallo-Romans, its foundation seemed predominantly Neolithic, for one of the clay tablets featured an engraving of a reindeer, and no reindeer had walked through the mud of France for at least ten thousand years. In 1925, he published a paper of his findings, crediting Émile Fradin as co-author; and they opened a small museum in Grandfather Claude’s bedroom to display the artifacts and charged visitors an entrance fee of four francs.

​The artifacts came out of the ground by the barrel load and the visitors came in droves. Cafés opened to provide breakfast and dinner. Entrepreneurs from nearby towns arranged bus tours. Shops sold souvenirs. A hastily constructed addition to the farmhouse served as a proper museum and Grandfather Claude got his bedroom back.

​It became the turn of the Societe to show skepticism, and rudely challenged by this amateur and upstart, slapped in their collective face with a gauntlet of ignorant hubris, they reacted with a vengeance.

​So, what is the problem? asked René Dussaud, curator at the Louvre.

​There are so many problems, it is difficult to know where to begin, replied Dr. Capitan, the famous French archaeologist, who had just returned from a visit to Glozel.

​Such as? asked Henri Édouard Prosper Breuil, AKA Abbé Breuil, the Pope of Paleolithic Prehistory.

​Such as, said Dr. Capitan. Dr. Morlet is an amateur; his specialty is medicine, not archaeology. And the others, the Fradins, are illiterate peasants. We offered to examine the site properly and publish the findings under our names - that would add a stamp of authenticity to the proceedings - but they refuse.

​You mean they want to claim credit of the discovery for themselves? asked Dussaud.

​Exactly, confirmed Dr. Capitan.

How selfish of them.

​Do they not understand the difference between an amateur and a professional dig? asked Dussaud.

​Meddling amateurs, said Abbé Breuil. How are we to raise the standards of the science if people won’t stand aside and let the professionals take charge?

​Indeed, Abbé.

We don’t do it for the glory, of course. We do it for posterity.

​Precisely, Abbé.

​Other problems? asked Dussaud.

​Well again, it is a matter of classification. The site has such a mixture of artifacts that it is impossible that they are all from a single period; certainly not Neolithic as Morlet claims.

​And . . .? pressed Abbé Breuil.

​And the tablet inscriptions, reputedly Phoenician - if they are authentic. . .

​That cannot be! said Dussaud, forcefully.

​Not unless . . .

Unless what? asked Abbé Breuil.

​Well, it’s not for me to say . . . squirmed Dr. Capitan, and he looked to the curator: René Dussaud’s career and meteoric rise though the ranks at the Louvre stemmed from his theories regarding the Phoenicians and the origins of the alphabet - he claimed writing as an invention of the Bronze Age, at least six thousand years removed from the alleged age of these tablets. And the Phoenician alphabet dated from a still younger age. All three men knew that if they confirmed the authenticity of the tablets, it would destroy Dussaud’s reputation.

​Dussaud paced the floor of his office for a few moments and pondered on the implications of this quandary. Then he looked up.

​Abbé, you will go to Glozel, said Dussaud. Inform the good Dr. Morlet that this is now official Ministry business.

​Abbé Breuil and his hand-picked team of archaeologists arrived in Glozel, where Dr. Morlet and Émile welcomed them warmly. At first the archaeologists appeared enthusiastic and friendly, and during their excavations several members found artifacts that intrigued them. Abbé Breuil published articles praising the site. They offered to purchase the artifacts. Émile refused.

​Then the innuendos began.

​First, they expressed doubts about the purity of the site because some of the tablets, even if genuine, were found much too close to the surface to be part of the original site. Then Abbé Breuil examined the reindeer tablet and identified it not as a reindeer but as a regular common deer. Dr. Morlet countered by referring the matter to Professor August Brinkmann, director of Zoology at Bergen Museum, Norway. And Brinkmann, siding with Dr. Morlet, determined Abbé Breuil’s analysis erroneous.

​The tenor of archaeologists’ articles changed, with insinuations that Émile deliberately salted the dig - planted the artifacts. Émile and Dr. Morlet challenged the archaeologists to prove their allegations. The archaeologists admitted the proof eluded them.

​Early one morning, as Dr. Morlet arrived to open the site for the day’s work, he spied three of the archaeologists crawl under the barbed wire which surrounded the dig. The doctor followed them. One of the archaeologists, Dorothy Garrod, entered a trench and stuck her fingers into the plaster, applied the night before as a security measure to thwart tampering.

​Dr. Morlet shouted out and demanded an explanation for her actions. The archaeologists hemmed and hawed and pleaded that they merely intended to get a head start on the day, and the hole in the plaster, just an accident - one attributed to Émile had the doctor not witnessed it.

​A stand-off between the amateurs and the professionals prevented any further cooperation. The archaeologists departed and the Government appointed a commission, comprising, amongst others, René Dussaud, Abbé Breuil and Dorothy Garrod. Their chemical analysis disproved the doctor’s hypothesis of the ancient nature of the artifacts. The Commission condemned the Glozel site as a fake. Worse, Dussaud accused Émile Fradin of forgery. Émile Fradin, the illiterate peasant boy, then surprised them - he filed a suit for defamation against Dussaud. Émile Fradin vs. the Louvre - David vs. Goliath.

Reviews for The Elf of Luxembourg

[rexrobotreviews · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's not all fun fairs and ice-cream in Luxembourg. Here there is a certain standard to maintain, and vacationing with Elves and Vampires is just too old school. But can Alex convince her younger sister, Jackie, of that? Nope, of course not. Because beneath the ancient city of Luxembourg there lies a secret. The Vampires believe it is protected by The Elf. However The Elf has different ideas... Can Alex and Jackie fulfill the prophecy and end the war between The Elf and the Vampires before it is too late? My Review:This story was fun- a true young adult adventure full of intriguing, fun characters. This is the first time I've been introduced to Alex & Jackie and it was an enjoyable ride. I had fun taking an adventure through Luxembourg with the girls and meeting the townies. The characters were cunning and full of witty repertoire. This book goes back and forth between the ancient, tragic journey of Cuchaquicha and the current day happenings of both Alex & Jackie. Make sure you're on your toes and paying attention- it is a bit confusing to read. This is both good and bad- I felt as if someone was personally speaking to me and telling me a story rather than something more formal- I love that. However, I truly wished there was more story on the Alex & Jackie adventure and less Cuchaquicha. Cucha made the story seem a little dry at times although his story was intriguing and incredibly sad. I found myself skimming through Cucha's parts quickly to get to Alex & Jackie. I was dying to find out what those two would get into next... Who wouldn't, though? Ancient elves, vampires, prophecy and two pretty blondes? Sounds good to me! Now, I haven't read the first Alex & Jackie adventure- First Night, but I do intend to. I can't wait to find out if Weston's writing style in this book accurately reflects the writing in First Night. I'm not a huge fan of the overwhelming geographical and historical facts on Cuchaquicha, but if you can drudge through those parts it is well worth it once you get to the fictional story. I hope Weston decides to give Alex & Jackie more adventures. But if you're looking for an easy, quick read- look else where. As refreshing and fun as The Elf of Luxembourg is, I suggest it to those who like an educational adventure story. ;)

[onyx95_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

-As a Muica, living in South America and preparing for one of the most important ceremonies of his people, Cuchaquicha was horrified to find that the Spanish Conquistadors had invaded their lands and kidnapped both his wife and his son during the ceremony. Only having them in mind, Cucha set off on a trip that would take him to Luxembourg all because the vampires wanted the secret to finding El Dorado (the city of gold) and the vampire named Meadow thought that Cucha could draw out the elf that was the Guardian. - 400 years later - As Alex and Jackie set off on vacation to see their Aunt and Uncle in the town of Luxembourg the plan was to do some shopping and enjoy their time there. The sisters did take the time to learn a little of the languages, one chose a few phrases of French while the other a few words of German, but that didn’t help with the too expensive shops that they had intended on visiting. Exploring the rich cultural, religious and mythical history of the area was how they ended up spending their days. Touring the area, the museums and the churches proved to be more interesting after meeting a man named Sergio who seemed to know a lot about the history of Luxembourg.When I got this book, I didn’t know that Alex and Jackie had other adventures - so this was all new to me. Parts of the book read like a history lesson, parts of the book read like a geography book, parts of the book read like a tour guide. I really enjoyed the fictional story, the vampires, the elf, the mermaid but I didn’t think there was enough of the fiction in the book to make it as fun as it could have been. I didn’t read the first adventure (which I later found out was called ‘First Night‘), so I can’t say that it is the writers style or just this one book. I felt that for a fiction, there should have been less concentration on the accuracy of the history and geography (while accuracy is important, it just didn’t need to be so thorough for a fiction novel) and more on the characters (unless you want to count Luxembourg as a characters - which I don’t). I had trouble getting into the story because of the use of the foreign (to me) languages and use of a lot of names of both past and present people that weren‘t actually important to the story. This is a good adventure if you have the ability to sludge through the facts to get to the fiction, but my mind doesn’t work well at that especially when I wanted a fictional adventure story, so I struggled with this one a bit.

[billyburgess · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Elf of LuxembourgBY: Tom WestonPUBLISHED BY: tom weston mediaPUBLISHED IN: 2009ISBN: 978-1-981-94134-9Pages: 290Ages: Young AdultReviewed by Billy BurgessThe teenage California sisters from “First Night” are back. Once again, Alex and Jackie are traveling with their aunt and uncle, but this time they are in Luxembourg. The girls are enjoying their vacation, and are especially excited about seeing the old Dracula movie at the Capucins Theater. Of course the girls know that vampires aren’t real? Or are there vampires in Luxembourg looking for Alex and Jackie?After Jackie receives a mysterious looking coin, an elf comes into their lives and turns their vacation into an journey they will soon never forget. “The Elf of Luxembourg” is an exciting, fast-paced sequel. Tom Weston has wonderfully blended historical facts with supernatural fiction. My first thought was, “Not another teen vampire novel.” But after reading the first chapter, I knew this was a clever story that just happens to have a few vampires in it. Alex and Jackie are fun, energetic characters that both male and female readers will connect with. The book is just as charming at the “First Night.” I recommend “The Elf of Luxembourg” to everyone who enjoys a good adventure.*Note: I would like to thank the author for sending me this book to review.