Return of the Wizard

NUBBINS

  A SERIES OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS

  BY

  BRIAN CAIN

  EPISODE THREE

  RETURN OF THE WIZARD

  The Snub Nubbins

  Return of the Wizard

  Copyright 2014 Brian Cain

  The information, views, opinions and visuals expressed in this publication are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of the publisher. The publisher disclaims any liabilities or responsibilities whatsoever for any damages, libel or liabilities arising directly or indirectly from the contents of the publication.

  Previous general and adult publications by Brian Cain

  Circles of Fear

  The Sword And The Dagger

  Vigilante

  Flaxmead

  Once Upon A Time In Australia

  In The Name Of The Mother

  Jodi Ann

  Bella Elizabeth

  The Hunt For Rose

  Louise Legrande

  Larco and the Quog

  Larco Builds a Bok Bok

  For Aidan and Rhiannon, who are growing up hearing stories, and drawing pictures of the Snub Nubbins.

  PREFACE

  Larco and Poo Poo have called a meeting of Snub Nubbins, and some attend. They soon realise there is a Wizard in their midst, the Wizard has great knowledge, and spoke of teaching and schools. In the great move from the jungle back to the city of Snub Nubbin, Larco discovers an emotion, and he likes it.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  PREFACE

  RETURN OF THE WIZARD

  EPISODE THREE. RETURN OF THE WIZARD.

  There was a meeting of Snubs outside the cave of glowing Quog in the jungle, Poo Poo was delighted that a few Snubs had not run away, and attended the meeting. It was the first meeting outside the grand council for thousands of palliums, or it could be millions, but Poo Poo found it hard to recall, for it was so long ago.

  The Snubs after their first ride in a Bok Bok, were very excited, but they didn't know what that was, they just felt it.

  As Larco and Poo Poo were the only ones whom had ever attended a meeting, they took control. Poo Poo explained who he was, and Larco told the story of how he had made a Bok Bok with Poo Poo's guidance. Larco told everyone he was right about the poo poo wind, it was the weather, and on the planet Plop Plop of which he had studied in the dark hole of rainbows, they called it winter. He asked they vote, by putting up a hand in favour of changing the name of the poo poo wind, to winter.

  No one understood, and Larco and Poo Poo were the first ones to put their hands up. Snubs learn by watching other Snubs, and slowly hands appeared all round the meeting, and suggestion was carried to law. The poo poo wind was now winter time.

  Snubs love stories, and Poo Poo had many. He told of millions of palliums past, and of the grand Wizard under whom he studied. Larco had an idea, he suggested that the name Poo Poo was rather derogatory, and bestowed on him by the grand council for without consultation amongst the rest of the Snubs. The Snubs had no idea what he was talking about, and Poo Poo was very impressed with Larco, he realised Larco had been thinking a lot longer than any other Snubs. Larco then suggested that Poo Poo be known as the Wizard.

  Poo Poo felt very happy, and he knew exactly what that was, unlike the rest of them he had learnt the emotion long ago, and remembered. Larco asked for a show of hands, and the Snubs all raised their hands, both of them, they didn't really know what they were doing, but they liked it. Poo Poo was never spoken of again, as the wind was now winter, and Poo Poo was the Wizard.

  The Wizard took control, he stood in the midst of the meeting and held the Snubs spellbound, as he turned in circles, spoke with great emotion, and waved his hands around a lot. The Snubs were entertained, they didn't know what that was, but they liked it. He anointed them as committee members of the new grand council.

  He drew pictures on the ground, a map showing the jungle and the great city of Snub Nubbin. Larco and the Snubs were very impressed, he indeed was a Wizard, they remarked. The Wizard hatched a plan for a great walk to the grand city of Snub Nubbin, he explained there were no Bok Boks to carry them, and even if there were, they would not have enough to do the job for palliums. He drew a line on the ground from the jungle to the grand city of Snub Nubbin, this would be the path they would follow. It went to the black swamp, then into the dark side through the wall of twilight, the Snubs were terrified, but they didn't know what that was, so it wasn't so bad. The Wizard explained that if they took a short path through the dark side around the black swamp, they could get straight to the mountain, and cross into Snub Nubbin in a few pecks. If they stayed on the sunny side, they would have to walk for a pallium just to go round the black swamp, and cross the mountain at it highest point. The Wizard explained there was little risk going through the dark side, as he had lived there for millions of palliums, the Snubs didn't know what risk was, whatever it was, they didn't like it, but they said nothing.

  They mustered Snubs, they were familiar with being told what to do, so it was very easy. The long line of Snubs began the journey, down to the black swamp, through the wall of twilight, into the dark side. The Wizard led them, while Larco continued to summon Snubs from the jungle and put them on the end of the line. The Wizard had a line of Quog that he had put in place thousands of palliums ago on the dark side, when he first started to use the trail of the great walk, this showed them the way.

  Pecks passed, and the Snubs kept walking, eventually the Wizard led the first Snubs in the grand city of Snub Nubbin, these Snubs had been present at the meeting outside the glowing cave of Quog in the jungle, and had been anointed committee members. The Wizard held a class in the school grounds amid the grand city of Snub, as more Snubs arrived, they just stood around. He taught the committee members about the city and how it worked, where they could feed in the best ground, where they could drink, and how the buildings worked protecting them from cold, heat, and rain. He then sent them among the snubs to show them what they had learnt, as they learnt by watching and listening to stories.

  Although many Snubs had reached the city, Larco was still busy making sure that all Snubs were joining the great walk. It became far more difficult as the Snubs thinned out, so he got his Bok Bok and began flying around, summoning the last of the Snubs. The line was many millions of Snubs long, and a clear path became easy to follow.

  Then Larco found a baby Snub, it had just fallen from a mother tree, then another and another. He was distressed and seemed to know what that was, as he had been thinking allot and was begging to process emotions. Ho took the baby Snubs to the glowing cave of Quog, and explained how to stay safe. He again flew the jungle and found more baby Snubs, the job was far too big for him to tackle alone, so he taught the baby Snubs at the glowing cave of Quog, to walk the jungle every peck and lead all baby Snubs back to the cave. The area of the cave quickly became overwhelmed with baby Snubs, but Larco pushed on.

  Larco was in the jungle collecting baby Snubs, when he came across the mother tree from which he had grown. The mother tree was aglow with magnificently coloured flowers, buds and baby Snubs. He had a strange feeling, as if he felt part of the Snubs hanging from the tree, the buds, and the flowers. He sat down against the trunk of the mother tree to rest, and miraculous thing happened, stands of tissue from his body joined him to the mother tree, just like when controlling a Bok Bok, and the knowledge of a million palliums entered his brain. He realised the mother tree of the nut line, was not only his mother, but the Snubs hanging from the tree were of his sap. He remembered his teachings from the black hole of rainbows when he spied on the humans on Plop Plop, beings of the same mother were related, they were brothers and sisters.

  Larco had learnt so much in far less tim
e than a peck, but the knowledge had stumped him. Brothers and sisters on Plop Plop were different, but Snubs were all the same. The more knowledge he gained, the less he knew, and his mother assured him that learning was a very long process.

  Larco stood up, and the strands of tissue returned inside his body. He was preoccupied with gathering baby Snubs, too really think much about the universe. He rushed his relations to the cave in the Bok Bok, teaching them all the way. He delegated baby Snubs to scout around the jungle, and lead baby Snubs to the cave, this worked.

  As soon as one problem was overcome, another one surfaced. The baby Snubs need a lot of fertile ground to dip their legs in to feed on tasty snacks in the soil. The area around the cave became littered with Snubs, eating and drinking, and they had to spread out.

  Larco needed the wisdom of the Wizard, so he travelled to the city of Snub to find him in his Bok Bok leaving an organised band of baby Snubs.

  The Wizard had been very busy, for he had similar problems. The Snubs were spreading out in the jungle around the city, they dipped their legs in soil that had not been feed on for millions of palliums, and they liked it. Water flowed through the city along a river of cleverly placed Quog rocks, and it was warm and fresh, and the Snubs liked it.

  Larco met with the Wizard and told him of the baby Snubs. They planned to make more Bok Boks, but there were no mother trees around the city, they had been wiped out by what the Wizard called the terrible plague. Larco didn't know what this was, and no time to find out.

  Larco returned to the jungle taking the bravest member of the committee with him, and began to make Bok Boks. The Snub committee member learnt fast and soon they had a Bok Bok shuttle service carrying baby Snubs to Snub city. Larco had to name the committee member, and things began to get complicated.

  The committee members in the city found out a committee member had been named, and wanted a name themselves.

  The committee members became teachers in the grand school, and had trouble telling their students apart, so they had to name them. This made things more difficult as they all looked the same, so names were really not of much use, because they got mixed up.

  Things started to improve within a pallium, when the shuttle of baby Snubs was established, and more Snubs learned how to think, at the grand school in the city, and formed sub committees in their buildings. The Snubs found this hard work, but they liked it, they had a sense of purpose.

  Larco became bored, the grand council was no place for scientist. He ventured to the jungle, and visited his mother tree, he spent some time there, talking to baby Snubs. He led them by hand, to the cave of glowing Quog, he had lean down because they were so tiny, but he liked it.

  He passed the dark hole of rainbows and peeked inside, he saw the planet Plop Plop, and his focus changed. He was determined to travel to the blue planet, to see what it was like, and he thought the Wizard would know how.

  Larco had become quite attached to his mother tree, and the baby Snubs that she produced, but he lost track of them, they all looked the same. This made him feel sad, and he knew what that meant.

  Larco returned to the city, and spoke with the Wizard. He explained how he had been feeling differently. "Ah, more emotions," said the Wizard. "More Snubs are going through the same thing."

  Larco was having trouble coming to grips with the fact emotions were not beings, but things that lived inside him, and he didn't like it. He changed the subject to make himself feel better. "The plague that killed the mother trees around the city, what was it?" he asked.

  The Wizard was sad as he thought about it, they had lost many during the plague. "We don't know, but we think it was brought here by the human being. It was the most terrible thing that has ever happened that I can remember. I lost my mother tree, she composted with all the mother trees around the city." Larco understood this, he had bonded with his mother, and felt a strange feeling within himself. The feeling changed his face and the Wizard recognised the signs. "Oh dear, anger."

  Larco was very puzzled. "Was that the human's name?" he asked.

  "No, it is the emotion you are feeling."

  Larco was stumped. "Where do these emotions come from, are they in the wind, over in the dark side, or do they come from inside me."

  The Wizard thought carefully about what to say before he answered. "There are many emotions, and as they are inside you we can control them." The Wizard avoided the work anger again, and Larco changed the subject as he thought the Wizard was talking rubbish.

  "I wish to go back to being a scientist, and study the dark hole of rainbows."

  The Wizard knew this time would come, and that banning access to the dark hole of rainbows through the grand council would not stop Larco. "Summon the grand council," he cried.

  The grand council gathered in the great hall of Quog rock, the biggest building in the city, and Larco was released from his duties on the committee, to study as a scientist, and Larco liked it.

  The Wizard could see the risk with Larco's plan, but he had experienced banishment himself, and knew this would not work, as he had felt angry when it happened to him, and anger was a dangerous emotion.

  A compromise would have to be discussed when Larco presented a plan to the grand council, the Wizard waited, and Larco speed off in a Bok Bok toward the jungle.