Zander and the Magic Scepter Chapter One

By Dennis Lantz

Zander was a medium sized, short-hair primate; bigger than the light-furred tail swingers, but not nearly as big as the paunch-bellied orange coats or the large muscled muzzle chins. His hair was mostly dark brown, the color of deep forest, but there were sprouts here and there of a lighter cream. All in all, he was a pleasant fellow with a head maybe just a bit larger than average.

Heavy amounts of summer rain had turned the forest into a mass of green and gold and red and pink and so many other wonderful colors that it was amazing fun just to lie around and look at them all. Of course, the young are not always content to just lie around, especially when their hearts and minds are soaring with enthusiasm. Zander was excited about life, though he wasn’t too enthralled with the educational class he was receiving on this day. Impatient he was at his aged teacher, Cato and anxious instead to be racing through the grass and trees on some adventure that his young mind could vividly see.

“Pay attention, Zander,” Cato admonished, not for the first time that day. “There will be plenty of time to undertake imaginary explorations after your classes are finished. Understanding and wisdom are necessary if you are to have happiness and success.”

“But why are happiness and success so important?” Zander asked.

You may think that this was an improper question or a sassy remark for a young primate to make toward an elderly teacher, but Cato wasn’t offended. In fact, he frequently expressed the need to question everything. So he was rather proud of Zander’s question, not offended.

“The alternatives, my boy, are unhappiness and failure,” he said. “Neither is pleasant, though both can be learned from.” 

That was another of his teaching methods. All things could be educational, the good and the bad, successes and failures. He constantly said that teachers can come in all shapes and you can learn from what they say and do… or what they do not say or do not do. This caused Zander a bit of confusion at times because he wasn’t sure how everything could be a teacher. Did rocks or trees or the hundreds of different animate and inanimate things he chanced upon have some lesson for him? Cato assured him that layers of knowledge could be learned from rocks and trees and everything he encountered with his senses. He often wondered whether Cato was playing some inappropriate mental trickery on him. His teacher assured him that curiosity and questioning everything increased knowledge and the ability to reason. “True wisdom comes through the appliance of accumulated knowledge.”

He had a harder than usual time focusing on his teacher’s words this day because his mind was occupied with the promise of adventure. He was a worthy student most of the time, retaining more than he let on, quick to counter some points, whether he felt strongly about them or not. It was a good idea, he believed, to be able to see multiple sides to a situation so he frequently argued for positions he was less than passionate about just to gain better understanding.

His clever mind played all manner of games with him. Sometimes they got him into trouble, but most often they just revealed new and exciting parts of reality. He had so many questions and Cato didn’t always give him direct answers. Instead of telling him the name of a strange new blossom, he would tell Zander to study it, to smell it, to taste it, to look at it with curiosity and imagination. Then, he would ask Zander what he would name it, if it were up to him to have such a task. Often, Zander would find that the name reflected something that made sense. Yellow bells, Bee Balm, Snake vine, Arrow leaf, Purple Envy, Lizard leaf and many more plants did he learn this way.

Zander was a true believer in Fate. The idea that he had a purpose in life wasn’t strange, in fact, it was quite logical. His own story almost shouted out the fact that he was alive for a reason. You see, Cato was more than a teacher to Zander. He was the only father the young primate had ever known. Zander didn’t remember his parents. His earliest memories were of Cato caring for him. He didn’t know that Cato wasn’t his father until he was old enough to understand the events of his early life. The time came to be called the Great Dying. A mysterious and terrible sickness swept through the forest and land and many died. Short hairs were hit the hardest among the primates, but muzzle chins, paunch bellies and swing tails were also affected. So too were other mammals. About the only ones to thrive during the Great Dying were the carrion birds and scavengers. 

Cato explained many times how he happened to be traveling along some low lying trails near the edge of the great plain, but safely within the forest, when he came upon the young Zander sitting in a pile of leaves. The little one made no noise and showed no fear, though he was certainly starving and quite obviously alone. Cato wasn’t inclined to leave the youngster behind so took him along and cared for him. He admitted that he initially thought about finding a good set of parents for the infant, but times were hard and many primates were simply trying to survive. They didn’t have the energy to raise one so young. 

“He kind of grew on me,” Cato said affectionately. 

He wasn’t raised alone. Others were around to help care for him. Cato had a slew of friends who became a family to Zander. He reflected on those years frequently and fondly. Unfortunately, many of the elders who helped him had also passed on. Zander was quite familiar with death and dying. The Great Dying left an intrinsic psychological scar on his psyche, but he was not alone in this regard. Not many talked about it anymore, but everyone remembered.

Cato often attributed the event to fate. “The hand of fate came down and swept nearly a third of the primates from the forest,” he said. “Fate can be fickle, but it can also be grand. No one knows what will become of them, but each of us must follow a path of our own design.”

“And it was fate that you just happened to be walking in that wooded area where you found me,” Zander said. “It was meant to be. Everything happens for a reason.”

Cato didn’t disagree.

A game that was intricately tied to his notion of Fate, and one that he liked to play often,  was Follow the Birds. 

Zander made up this game when he was allowed to roam about on his own and he really enjoyed it, not because he was fascinated by birds, which he was, but because of the sense of fate in the process. The game was simple. He would randomly select a colorful bird and he would tell himself, “Today I will follow the second yellow bird I see, then the third red bird after that and see where they lead me.” He liked to think that some spirit of the jungle, some higher power, some hand of fate, would guide him to an adventure specifically for him. He had found many wonderful trees this way, a couple small waterfalls and numerous exciting excursions. 

He had followed birds to the Big Tree just to the south of his home. As one traveled further in that direction, the trees became more sparse, replaced by bushes and shrubs and grasses. The abundant open meadows were home to numerous wild animals. It wasn’t far until the meadows gave way to a vast plain. The only trees growing here were shrubby spindly things no more than four or five times as tall as Zander himself.  The animals in this area were exciting to watch and Zander often went here just to see them.

On one occasion he followed the birds further south than he had ever gone and as he popped over a knoll, he saw what he thought was a lush green mountain in the distance. Deciding to take a closer look he discovered that what appeared to be a small mountain was actually a tree larger than any he had ever seen before. This tree was easily five times as large as any tree in the area of his home. Its branches reached so far toward the clouds that he couldn’t imagine being so high. Cato was aware of the Big Tree and told him that long ago, many gatherings had been held beneath it. This was back in the time when the animals had been more united. Zander asked him how old the tree was and Cato shrugged. He didn’t know, but he remembered his own grandfather telling him that the tree was old even when he was a young primate. 

The tree wasn’t the only natural wonder he had discovered by following the birds.

He had also found the cave. 

It had been nearly two years since he had followed the raven northwest of his home and came across the rocky outcropping with the gaping black hole. Then he had been young and timid and had been afraid to venture inside. He had only gotten enough courage to stalk near the entrance. The cave was in the territory of known bandits and generally bad primates. And, of course, one could never be sure if a dragon slug would show up, even though his teacher assured him that they tended to be farther to the north. More likely was an encounter with a cave bear or surly lion, neither of which any sane animal would desire.

For some reason, on the night before this tale begins, Zander’s thoughts had returned to the cave. He lay in the darkness several hours thinking about it, not sure how he could have forgotten to go there again. Now that he was older, nearly on the verge of adulthood, he was no longer afraid of what it might hold, though certainly there could be danger lurking there. Back when he had first found the cave he had mentioned it to his teacher. The old one told him that one had to be careful venturing out so far as the world was a dangerous place. 

“You know of this cave?” Zander had asked.

“I know a lot of caves,” Cato replied. “Most of them are dark and damp and hold more interest to rodents than to danger. Some are worth exploring, others are not.”

“Would you go with me to the cave?” Zander asked.

“Someday, perhaps,” was the answer, but they had never talked about it again.

Zander wasn’t sure what brought the cave back into his thoughts, but once it was there, it wouldn’t stay away. The next day was a short school day as Cato had other tasks to attend to, so it was a perfect opportunity to go on an adventure. He thought about the danger, but he didn’t worry overmuch. His teacher had taught him long ago that dwelling on anxieties was a waste of time, better to focus on overcoming the fear than to let it eat at your thoughts. What better way to rid oneself of fear of the unknown than to venture into it, Zander assured himself. The cave was a mystery that needed exploring.

As soon as his wise teacher had left the area, Zander set out for the cave. Sense of direction had always come easily to him and he knew the general area well enough to go at a quick pace. When he got to areas where danger was more possible, he slowed and let his awareness expand. He didn’t make a lot of noise and he didn’t linger in open spaces where he might be seen. His mission this day was a stealth mission so he moved along silently.

After almost three hours of walking, during which he nibbled on some veggie shoots and hastily dug roots, he came at last to the face of the rocky hill. He was still in the area of the forest, but gullies and ravines opened up to wide valleys toward the west and thicker jungle lay to the east. The open area where this rocky hill was located still had many larger plants, but some long ago landslide had wiped the vegetation clean and it hadn’t fully recovered.

It was just as he remembered it, though if possible, slightly smaller. Midway up the hill, surrounded by odd shaped boulders, he saw the gaping dark opening that was the cave. A path wound its way near the entrance letting him know that other animals surely were aware of the place, and he supposed, it was possible that some animal lived inside it now. Much can change in a couple of years. He was old enough to know that many large and dangerous creatures lived in the world. His mind conjured up images of some of these and he hoped that they didn’t suddenly appear. The dragon slugs were especially frightening, huge bulbous creatures that ate just about anything and were afraid of nothing. He had never seen one, but Cato assured him that they existed even though their numbers were dwindling. 

He also remembered the Ghost Cat. A few years earlier he had decided to go on a nighttime stroll even though it was past the hour when he should have been curled up in his bed. What he saw - or thought he saw, because his mind was never quite sure if he had imagined the incident or not - was a huge, ghost-white cat glide past in the darkness only yards away. He had been so terrified that he didn’t get a wink of sleep that night. When he told his teacher about the sight the elderly primate smiled and told him that the night belonged to creatures that didn’t like to be out in the sunshine and that if he didn’t want to find himself in danger he had better go to bed and sleep at night. Now some of that old fear came back. He hoped that such a cat hadn’t taken up residence inside the cave.

The opening was slightly taller than he was and maybe twice as wide, not nearly big enough for one of the storied dragon slugs, but, as he had never seen one, he couldn’t be sure that such a creature wouldn’t be able to squeeze inside. More likely it could be a temporary shelter for some cave bear or mountain lion, but careful inspection of the trail showed no tracks or other indications of such dangerous creatures. Other than a few bird feathers and rodent sign, there didn’t seem to be much living in the area. 

He sniffed the air and stood many minutes watching for any movement. He listened intently. Nothing seemed amiss so he clambered up onto the rocks near the entrance and peered inside. The light of the midday sun shone inside only a few strides. Beyond that was darkness. He heard drops of water and maybe a trickle, but couldn’t tell how far inside they were occurring. His heart was beating a lot faster now even though he assured himself that he was not afraid.

He took a tentative step inside, then another. It wasn’t as dark as he expected, there seemed to be some glowing vegetation on the walls that gave off just enough light that he could see shadows of gray stalactites and stalagmites rising from the floor or creeping down from the ceiling. He listened and let all of his senses penetrate the dark, damp area ahead of him. The trickle of water didn’t sound too far away and the dampness upon the floor of the cave was enough to let him know that a water source on the hill, up above the entrance, was seeping downward into the cave. Disappointment rose in him as it now didn’t seem to be a good residence for any larger creature. 

He edged his way into the complete blackness now. The mosses that seemed to glow when he first entered were not giving off any light now. He held out his arms and cautiously eased his way around to the right wall of the cave. His fingers caressed the damp moss and shivers of uneasiness went up his arm. What manner of unknown creature might be lurking inside the soft damp vegetation that clung to the rock; no doubt some tiny creature with big teeth? For a moment he drew his hand away and stood motionless. After a time, he moved further along, his hands gently feeling the walls again.

It wasn’t until he was several strides into the darkness that his mind began to have other thoughts, not about wild animals, but about bandits or ruffians. Maybe this was a sometime hideout for such hooligans or a place they held meetings to plan their dark deeds. Or perhaps it was a place they stored some ill-gotten treasure. He imagined he would take it from them and return it to the rightful owners if such could be found. He smiled at the thought that these robbery victims might, in their happiness, give him rewards that would make him wealthy as a king.

Zander paused. His eyes grew more accustomed to the darkness and as he turned along the face of the wall, more light seemed to be coming into the entrance. He now could see the rear of the cave and was further disappointed that it was not a mammoth cavern, but only went into the mountain fifteen or twenty strides. But the rocky formations and loose boulders made it impossible to see every nook or cranny. Surely there was something worth hiding in this damp area.

Just as the disappointment was settling in, he made a most exciting discovery. On the far left side of the cave was another opening; a cave within a cave. Under normal conditions he would not have gone far into the blackness, but in this area abundant glowing vegetation gave off wavering purple, green and reddish light. It was a spectacle that caused him to pause with wonder. It was beautiful, mesmerizing and he gazed transfixed. The mosses glowed in radiant color and seem to flow as from a gentle breeze or current. Darker colors flickered around the center of individual segments giving the appearance that these colorful entities were alive and breathing. It was so alluring that he forgot to be afraid and just stood in rapturous joy. This was certainly an adventure to tell his teacher.

The inside cavern was drier than the outer one and the air smelled of intense new scents that he couldn’t identify. In the center of the chamber was an outcropping that resembled a table or altar. This was certainly the treasure! Such wonderful thoughts raced through his mind.

He stepped carefully, for even though the walls glowed, he could not see the floor he stood upon. He didn’t touch the walls, but walked near them until he stood closer to the altar. 

A shadow lay upon the flat stone. He sniffed the air thoroughly, for in the dim light, his nose was better to detect danger than any other sense. He also listened. He wasn’t about to reach out and grab something without due diligence. Snakes, toothy mammals, or other pests could turn this adventure into an emergency quickly.

When he at last reached out and touched the object, it was cold enough that he jerked his hand back. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he realized that he was breathing heavier and calmed himself. 

On the second attempt, he felt a rounded wooden shaft. The coldness he had felt on the first touch was just the unnatural smoothness of the object. Gently he picked it up, thinking that it was some sort of limb or stick, though unusually smooth. He stood there in the odd prism holding the object closer to the colorful moss trying to get a better look. It didn’t help.

Slowly he backed out of the smaller cave, careful not to make a sound just in case there was some other entity lurking in the darkness. He was filled with curiosity and fear all at the same time.

It wasn’t until he was outside the main cave and in the afternoon light that he got a full look at what he had discovered inside. His eyes widened. It was better than he could have imagined.

It was a scepter.