The Mother of Ten Thousand Things

By Alexander Roussel

Evelyn Doorn is a young girl lost in a world of magic and dark secrets. She is thrust into the middle of a land where good and evil have long battled over control. The few remaining rebels for the cause of the rightful ruler fight against powerful oppressors. Evelyn is caught in the middle of an age-old feud, one that's only hope for any end are rumors and promises of coming revolution. Experience the magical, the vile, and the truly extraordinary as Evelyn searches for a way back home from this place called Orvia, in The Mother of Ten Thousand Things.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781304349019

Book preview

The Mother of Ten Thousand Things

The Mother of Ten Thousand Things

a novella by Alexander Roussel

© 2013 Alexander Roussel.  All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-304-34901-9No part of this book may be reproduced in any medium without written permission of the author.

Special thanks to:

Pat Tatum and Marilyn Vick – who fostered my appreciation of reading and near-constant desire to feed my imagination.

Darlene Skelton – who taught me how to organize my writing like clouds to billow into something more than merely messiness on paper.

CHAPTERS

Chapter One: Two Rude Individuals

Chapter Two: Less Like a Fairy-Tale Castle and More Like a Flame

Chapter Three: A Fire-Orange Tulip, Poking Up Alone

Chapter Four: The Taste of Children

Chapter Five: Bittersweet Thoughts

Chapter Six: One Tooth

Chapter Seven: Mother of Ten Thousand Things

Chapter Eight: The Cracks, The Borders

Chapter Nine: Silver Carriage

Chapter Ten: Still a Beautiful Creature

Chapter Eleven: Clawed Shadows

Chapter Twelve: Listening for the Voice

The Mother of Ten Thousand Things

CHAPTER ONE

Two Rude Individuals

________

Is it dead?

I wouldn’t know.

The nerve of it, going and drowning in –  

Evelyn thrust her head above the water, gasping for breath – scaring the testy onlookers quite nicely.  The poor dear looked about as pretty as a sopping-wet dog as she flailed towards the edge of the large fountain.  A great stone basin, a mason pond really, with a tall spire rising from its center, spouting a pitter-patter spray.

Great clouds!  It’s alive!

I can see that – gracious!  The two observers jumped back in shock as the girl waded to the rim of the pool, choking. 

Of – course, I’m a-live.  Evelyn coughed out, not yet seeing who was speaking.

What do you suppose it is?

Some sort of water nymph, I’d suppose.

Ha!  A very spastic water nymph at that. It can’t even swim!

To be honest, it might have been difficult to recognize the identity of the bogged little girl crawling out of the fountain.  Her hair was a long and wet, tangled mess – and her yellow dress was dingy and stained.  The untrained viewer would have never guessed the creature shivering before them was in fact, a young girl. 

Evelyn was not amused, "What do you mean to question what I am?  What are you? She paused, trying to catch her breath – To just stand by watching a person in trouble and just gossip about them! Never once offering to – " 

Evelyn froze where she stood, her eyes staring widely at the two gossips that, until she slicked her wet chestnut hair out of her face, she had not seen.  Her mouth hung open, wanting to speak but unable to utter even a sound. 

Y-y-you’re a-a-an elephant, Evelyn finally stammered, and you-ou-ou’re a cow? 

Now, it must be understood that Evelyn was not dumbfounded by the thought of seeing a cow or an elephant, because although she had lived her entire life in the city, she had been to the zoo for fieldtrips before and fed the gentle elephants sugarcane.  And just last summer she and her sister petted the cows that came up to the roadside fence along the highway when the family car had broken down on the way to the beach. 

Evelyn was not even awestruck by the thought of seeing a cow and an elephant together, outside of cages or fences.  Her fright came when Evelyn realized that while she was drowning, the two rude individuals speaking about her were in-fact an elephant and a cow!

Y-y-yes, that is correct. I am an elephant. Ha!  The elephant replied, mocking Evelyn’s fear, laughing at her pitiful shivering form.

And I am a cow.  A Holstein to be precise.  The Holstein answered, succinctly.

B-ut, how?  Evelyn searched for the words, it’s not possible.

What’s not?  The elephant spoke.

Oh dear, not only a spastic water nymph – stupid too!  The Holstein exclaimed.

Ha!  Indeed.  The elephant laughed. 

Evelyn surged with anger and returning confidence, I am not stupid, or spastic.  And I am most certainly not a water nymph.  I am a human!    The elephant and the Holstein stared blankly at the girl, not sure what to make of the outburst. "You know?  Hu-man?  Homo Sapiens.  A little girl?"

Oh, this little one has a temper.  The elephant observed.

Yes, a little hotheaded creature.  The Holstein replied.

Evelyn’s face was now flushed red with disgust, How dare you!  How dare you – She stopped herself, feeling lightheaded, realizing that she was arguing with a cow and an elephant.  She had not noticed before, but as she sat down on the rim of the fountain to steady herself, Evelyn began to notice these two were not the average talking elephant and cow.

Even stranger than their talking to Evelyn, was their postures.  Both were standing – on two legs, not four.  The elephant had painted skin of red, pink, blue, yellow – little designs all over his skin and golden trinkets dangling from his stubbed, sawn-off tusks.  The Holstein wore strands of beads around her neck that jingled like bells when she moved.  A small satchel hung from around her neck among the mounds of jewelry.

Evelyn took several deep breaths before she attempted to speak again, "Okay.  First of all, where am I?  What is this place? Why am I standing here yapping with you two – an elephant and a cow?  The last thing I remember is the explosion – and the river and – "

No, that is not what comes first.  The elephant interrupted, First, come introductions. The elephant cleared its throat,  I am Herman.  And I, as you have already stuttered-out, am an elephant.

Evelyn huffed, puffing her cheeks out, but quickly, she gave in, letting the redness go out from her cheeks – not knowing any other way to hurry things up, I am Evelyn.  Evelyn Doorn.  She continued sarcastically, "And as I have said, I am a human."  Herman nodded his head slightly, smiling in Evelyn’s direction. 

The cow cleared her throat,  And I, I am Sati, she raised her front hooves outward, And as you already know, I am a Holstein.  Evelyn bent in a mock curtsy to Sati.  Herman moved closer towards Evelyn, his great bulk rough yet lumpy, blocking out the view of the surrounding countryside. 

Oh!  What manners!  Sati exclaimed and settled down next to Evelyn, placing a hoof atop the girl’s pale hand.  "Forgive us child for our rudeness.  You must understand that we sometimes get a bit pompous.  And usually it is the lowly nature sprites that find their way into the fountain, dirtying its waters.  But as you have shown, you are no imp – but a lady.  We welcome you to our company."

Evelyn paused, letting her eyes shift speedily from Bovine to Pachyderm, Oh, I forgive you both I guess.  Evelyn shrugged her shoulders and smiled slightly – they had called her a lady.  As you can see I’m not in the best position, or the best mood.  She continued to adjust her disheveled outfit, Now that we’ve been introduced – can one of you please tell me where I am?

Sati smiled, edging closer to Evelyn as she stated rather matter-of-factly, You are at the fountain in the middle of the Sea of Grass.  Although this answer really helped Evelyn none, it did cause her to look about and for the first time realize that besides the small paved plot surrounding the tall fountain there was only grass, as far as the eye could see stretching out in ev’ry direction – just waving in the sunny breeze.  It went on for miles.  It really was like a green sea. 

Evelyn tried to rephrase her question, No, I mean where exactly am I?  The last thing I remember is the explosion and the river and then I blacked out and when I came to – I was in this fountain.  We don’t have talking animals where I’m from – except maybe parrots.  Evelyn paused a moment searching for the words, Am I hallucinating or dreaming or something?  Or is this place a country or a planet? Or –

Oh. You’re in Orvia.  Where else would – Sati spoke up.

Where? Evelyn gazed at the cow, confused.

"Orvia.  This whole kingdom, this whole world.  This entire place is called Or-vee-ah.  From the far stretches of the ruins across the Western Ocean to beyond the rocky shore of Eastern Ocean.  All of it."  Herman chimed in.

I don’t understand. Evelyn looked glum.

Both Herman and Sati looked on at Evelyn in wonder and pity, neither knowing how to make the answer any more clear.  Do either of you know what is going on here?  I am very confused and worried.  Evelyn was confused for obvious reasons and worried because she was in the middle of the Sea of Grass – in the middle of someplace called Orvia all alone, well – with a cow and an elephant.  But just an hour or so early that day she was with her mother and her sister.

Where is my sister?  My mother?  How did I end up here?  How do I get back home?  With each question Herman and Sati grew