Little Orphan Anvil: The Complete Trilogy by Joseph Beekman (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📕

His heart felt as heavy as an anvil, knowing theywere helpless to help anyone back in the old homeland.

Tinspar stared in shock, knowing all too wellwhat had occurred. “The volcanoes have eruptedthewitch has made good on her wicked ways,” he saidsolemnly.

Will shook his head. “No—she won’t get awaywith this!” he said, gritting his teeth and pulling at hisdisheveled hair. “We have to keep going! The otherlands are in great danger, as well!”

Tabitha stood up on the cart and moved to thefront of it. Her face was riddled with fear and sadness.

“We have to go there, Will!” she cried. “We haveto see if they are okay!”

Will moved over to her and looked deep into herbig, blue eyes.

“No, my dear,” he said softly. “We cannot gothere now. The Land is now under the spell of thewitch. That pumpkin you and your friends found; theone they have carried there—or shall I say, the pumpkinthe ghosts inside of your friends carried there, throughthe control of the witch—well, it has triggered thevolcanoes into life! Now the Land is poisoned with thewitch’s sleeping spell, and it’s in the air of the volcanicclouds!”

Tears welled up in her eyes as Tabitha lookedinto the distant clouds. “You mean they are still alive?Just—just sleeping?”

Will nodded. “Yes, I do believe so, my dear.That pumpkin…well, it’s of the same spell the witchused years ago when your mother was but a youngsterlike you.”

Tabitha swiped at a tear rolling down her cheekas he spoke.

“And that spell, over much time of course, hasgrown in strength,” he said, turning his gaze to theclouds. “It was strong enough to erupt those volcanicmountains, that’s for sure!”

“And from the looks of it, they erupted somedays ago,” Tinspar pointed out, his big, bug-like eyesreflecting the dark, distant clouds. “Those clouds areabout two days from here; and that means they areabout two or three days from where the mountains are.”

“Well that means we need to step it up and rollout, now!” Will voiced loudly. “If what you see and sayis true, then we have only days until those poisonedclouds come down upon many of the lands; lands thatwill suffer the same eternal, sleeping fate as that of theLand of Iron and Anvil!”

Will turned back to Tabitha and gently patted hershoulder. “Sit back, but stay alert,” he said calmly. “Afew days more through this gloomy valley, and then weshall take the great realm river. From there, the rivershould take us close to the narrows.”

“But what of the lonely spirit—the sorceress?”Tabitha queried.

“Should we happen upon this sorceress’s spirit—well, then we have a swell chance of her using her ownpowers to rid this witch of the realm!” Will stated.

“And if we don’t find her?” she asked.

Shaking his head, Will just sighed and glanced tothe clouds; then back to Tabitha.

“Well then, young Tabitha…then we have to relyupon the faith and hope in our hearts,” he said, placinga hand over her heart.

Tabitha nodded, wiping a few more tears fromher eyes.

“Let’s get going then,” she whispered, andmoved over to Stella to lay down by her.

“That’s the spirit!” Will turned and gently tappedAnvil with an iron pipe he carried with him, signalingthe robot to continue. “Let’s go, Anvil. Keep yourselfalert, too!”

Anvil bleeped and spun back around to face thepath ahead.

As they resumed their journey, Tabitha layhuddled and bundled up in blankets near Stella; shewatched the spooky volcanic clouds moving at acreeping crawl in the far-off sky.

Before long, the sun had dipped itself low;bringing with it the darkness, and a bitter cold wind.



The party moved quietly through some unevenground in the stone path; careful of their steps, andcareful of any unknown dangers in the dark aroundthem. It was the second night of their travels in thevalley of gloom.

Two glowing lights flickered from the iron lampsthat were attached to the front ends of the wagon cart;another swung gently from the iron-bladed pole thatwas strapped to Tinspar’s back. Anvil kept his eyelights dimmed low, so as not to attract too muchunwanted attention from whatever evil could be lurkingabout.

With only a brief stop to eat some of the driedfish that they had packed with them, and taking a muchneeded nap, they were making steady progress towardsthe river.

However, they were growing weary of not havingheard or seen the lonely apparition—the sorceress thatWill had said might provide the answer to their prayersof ending the witch forever.

Approaching what appeared to be an ancientstone bridge that extended over a deep and narrowcanyon in the path ahead, Will moved back towardsAnvil. He whispered to the robot-droid to brighten itseye-lights up a bit. Anvil whistled in reply, and quicklyadded light to the stone bridge and its old and crumbling appearance ahead of them.

Tinspar stayed focused, keeping his eyes wide toanything unusual.

“What do you think, Will?” he whispered in thatsing-song, gravelly style of voice he occasionally used.“Should we stop here? You know, wait till the morninglight?”

Will scanned the area as best as his old eyeswould allow him as he walked alongside Anvil.

“Yes, yes—let’s break here till morning; wecould use some rest. The river is not much further now.I remember much of this now, from my own youth. Ihad traveled among this valley with my family as wesearched for a new land to call home.” Will breatheddeeply, his eyes reflecting upon the old, lost memories.

“Of course, home had eventually become for usthe Land of Iron and Anvil. I do recall this very oldbridge; it was once the earliest ways to enter into therealm. Now it’s just a relic, standing the test of timesince the days when this realm had expanded far andwide.”

“What are you two doing?” Tabitha whisperedfrom the cart.

Will startled and whirled around, shaking thememories from his head.

“Shades below!” he hissed loudly. “You sureknow how to scare the few living daylights I have left,right out of these old bones!” He ran a hand throughhis scruffy, wiry hair.