Benjamin's Wish

ONE

Chord stared intently into Benjamin’s eyes. The large black orbs were met equally by Ben’s clear blue ones. Their demeanor was of two rams locked in battle, though in truth, only one of them was a ram. Finally Chord stamped his hoof, snorted loudly, turned and walked away. Benjamin felt the excitement flutter in his chest as he realized Chord had given in and was going to bring his request to the elder.

This silent battle was waged amidst a mass of panicked noise and wild screams issuing from a group of women not five yards away across a dusty path. A girl of about five years was being attacked by the unlikeliest of creatures, a seemingly rabid Cicada. The tiny winged beast was diving at the girl’s terrified face and entangling itself in her long golden hair while the child shrieked and swatted, only to be outshrieked and outswatted by the group of hysterical women surrounding her.

Ben looked away from the mayhem and his gaze floated down to a toad sitting calmly on the path looking up at him. The toad swiveled its head and its bulgy eyes followed the ram who first walked heavily and slowly, then jumped with an impossible lightness and strength up the side of a rock face and disappear around a crag.

“Congratulations” the toad said to Ben.
“Thank you Karpada. At least our case will be heard.” Ben replied to the toad, and his eyes also followed the path of the ram and Karpada saw the quiet beam of hope flash across Ben’s face.

The noise behind them stopped suddenly when the blonde girl, whose voice was now hoarse from the screaming, finally said, “I think its gone mommy.”

She spun around, completely composed, and resumed walking up the path. Ben watched as Kenedy slid the Cicada into the pocket of her trousers and whisper to it “Good job Pomponia, I hope I didn’t hurt you.” There was a tiny song for reply from her pocket.

The women stood stunned for a moment, then smoothed their hair and retrieved their sunglasses and water bottles, which were sprawled across the dusty path. They each walked back to the cluster of strollers, located the one that they had arrived with and wheeled the children back onto the path.

Finley looked across the edge of her stroller to Chloe.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I think he has a pretty good chance, he stated his case simply and directly. The rams appreciate that.

A small brown owl flew down and landed in the shade on the arm of a bench next to Finley’s stroller and a shiny damselfly with bright red eyes and an electric blue body hovered under the sunshade of Chloe’s.

TWO

It was two weeks before the children returned to the Living Desert Zoo. In the weeks between they all watched Ben closely when their mommies took them to meet at the swimming pool or park. Abby noted that he looked preoccupied and Collin thought he looked quite brave. They waited the days and hours out until once again they were strolled down the sandy paths of the zoo.

Gavin could barely contain his excitement. Today it would be his turn to create the diversion when the small company approached the rocky sheep area. Gavin was a natural choice as he understood and could communicate with the mommies, and Sunny took as much pleasure from creating havoc as Gavin did.

As they rounded the corner to the ram exhibit, Gavin pointed up to a soda vending machine on the path and simply said “Mommy”. As usual when any of the children used this magical word, the whole flock of mommies would turn to look.

Kenzie’s mother was the first to spy the enormous camel spider dangling two long double-jointed legs off the top of the vending machine. “Oh my Lawd!” She cried, so loudly the birds in the nearby cages all began squawking at the same time. Just as the rest of the group came to focus on the point at which she was staring, Sunny made a magnificent leap from the top of the machine to a bench three feet from it. Savannah was sitting quietly on the bench and watched as the giant camel spider flew toward her.

Sunny, in fact, hated the sun, but he threw himself from the shade of the vending machine through a patch of bright sunlight before landing on the shade-dappled bench. This had a most magnificent effect, as he was as big as a man’s hand and about the same color.

Savannah’s mother let out an agonized howl and threw herself, ringlets bobbing pell-mell, toward her daughter on the bench. She swooped Savannah up and began swatting at Sunny with a bottle of sun block she had just been spraying on her arm.

Soon all the other mothers joined the battle while Sunny jumped gleefully from the back of the bench to an ocotillo branch and back again, each time leaping toward a new victim.

Gavin’s mother was the only one who did not join the battle. She remained quite still with a puzzled expression on her face. Connor who was curled up on her shoulder only lifted his sleepy head from his wooly for a moment and gave his brother the smallest of grins. Gavin’s face was flush with excitement and pride as he watched Sunny’s performance.

Meanwhile, Benjamin, Chloe, Finley, Abby and Mia were left closest to the ram’s fence. Chord had been making his was down the hill and was slowly followed by a very aged ram.

Chord nodded to the children. Abby, ever the pragmatic one, said “Please hurry Chord, we haven’t much time”. Chord nodded his heavy head and turned to the ram behind him.
“Children, this is Ovis. He is eldest among us and carries the great lore of the desert in him. He has agreed to share with you the secret of attaining Benjamin’s wish. We have chosen to grant you this because Benjamin makes his wish on behalf of his mother and because we can see that it is a pure and selfless wish. I will warn you though, Ovis often speaks in the riddles of the old”.

Chord then snorted loudly and lowered his great horns to Ovis.

The elder ram stepped carefully to the fence. His eyes were white with rheum and age, and the children suspected that he could not actually see them leaning eagerly toward the fence, but he looked slowly from one to the next until his milky eyes rested finally on Benjamin. Ben nodded respectfully to the old ram.

Ovis stamped his front right foot three times, gazed off into the distance, then began speaking in a slow, deep, quavering voice.

“New life will spark when the die is cast and shows its fullest face. When all pips and points are met, the spark will catch and a new mortal coil will unfold within the existing one.
The elements gathered one by one, first mined, then combined, forever entwined will spawn the result most wished for.

The first to be sought will bring to the tincture good fortune where the future is concerned. The honeyed stone lies in the cave of the flying mice in the chocolate mountains, since time immemorable to light the way to a golden future.

The second was lost by the cruel Sultan as the Sea released her wrath and ruby blood drop did fall into the deep to be forgotten, where the babe was not.

The third will be fleeting and swift, yet easily captured. It was born in the pass and flew swiftly bout the mother, gathering warmth and wisdom as it did. At summer’s peak it returns home to bring heat most needed to meld the fragments together.

The fourth is the miniscule grain of spice that when disturbed, fluttered and hovered to land in the middlemost point of the disk chance did favor. The spice is a sea that ebbs no more and here did visit a goddess who birthed her 45th daughter in celebration of it. On this very spot did the gambler tender his most beloved token to start afresh.

The fifth is the last remaining moment of grief and fierce conviction shed by the saint whose father would never forgive. The edifice built is guarded by a bear who is fastidious and whose left hind paw is blessed.”

The ram turned his snowy gaze to look directly at Ben.

“The sixth and final is far distant from this point and from the earth. The tallest most pungeant tree that grows up from ground where the eldest human in the village lives, will bear the flower from which the masculine essence is needed. The Gula will lead you no matter where you are.”

And with that the old ram stamped his left hoof three times turned and walked back up the rocky trail.

Benjamin turned to look at Chord and saw that his large black eyes were fixed on the gaggle of women whose screams were dying down across the path. He looked quickly to Benjamin and said “I will discuss the meaning of Ovis’ words with the rest of the herd, we should have a clearer interpretation the next time you come.” Then he too turned and loped up the hill.

Benjamin looked back toward the group of fussing mommies and saw that Finley’s mother was staring curiously after the departing ram. Benjamin leaned to his left and said “Finley, quick -”. Finley saw her mother looking curiously from the ram back to the children. Finley stuck a finger in her mouth and started bawling loudly. Her mother’s face transformed to a look of worried concern and she hurried quickly across the path to comfort her daughter.

Barnabus, the small owl at the foot of Finley’s stroller said quietly “You can only fake this teething pain for so long before she becomes suspicious that you have yet to sprout any” then he scurried quickly to a dark hole in the ground under a large gray Agave.

Sunny had finally run for cover, having nearly met his end at the hand of Savannah’s mother who fought valiantly from the first moment of the attack. He waited until the strollers were repacked and hair was once more smoothed before scuttling quickly under the cover of shade to jump into Gavin’s thermo lunch sack for a much-needed nap.

Mia looked down where she felt a tickle on her left pinky. There was a bright blue butterfly there, its wings the exact color of Mia’s eyes. “Well Farfalla,” said Mia, “what did you think of Sunny’s performance?” The butterfly twitched her antennae in a pretty way and replied, “A little over the top for my taste, but you know Sunny, he loves a good kafuffle.”

Benjamin’s eye caught sight of a toad sitting nearby under a furry Yucca tree. They gave each other a solemn look of understanding and quiet hope.

THREE

A few days later the children were all gathered in Benjamin’s living room. Thankfully the mommies had flocked to the kitchen, to eat chocolate covered strawberries and discuss their favorite TV shows, so did not notice the pacing road runner and the small brown owl perched on the window sill of the open window in the living room.

“Ben!” Chloe cried, “Whatever has happened to your face?” The children jumbled closer to Benjamin to see that he had one very purple eye.

“I was playing on the bed in mother’s room when Karpada crept out from under it to ask me a question. I saw mother hang up the phone and walk toward me, I was so afraid she’d see Karpada I threw myself to the floor to hide him.”

Abby reached up to touch his cheek gently, “Benjamin, really you should have kicked a toy off the bed or something, you shouldn’t be throwing yourself off from that high up – you could hurt yourself!”

“And I’m not hurt now?” Benjamin gave her a wry grin. “Anyway, Karpada has been hiding in mother’s closet since then. Mum’s been carrying me around a lot since the fall, I think it really scared her. And poor Karpada hasn’t had anything to eat in a couple of days!”

“Oh Ben, that’s awful!” Finley said, “We should try to bring him something to eat!”

Dominique, Savannah and Kenzi all reached in their pockets and pulled out three large crickets.

“No, no!” cried Finley, “That’s not what I meant!”

Gryl, the largest of the crickets rubbed his back legs together and said sullenly “Certainly you don’t think we’d sacrifice ourselves!”
Renzi, the most petite of the group made a dainty hop and said “what a sad world it would be without my beautiful songs!”
Proteas leaped in front of the other two and said, “Come on crickets, lets find that fat toad something to eat!” Dominique, Savannah and Kenzie watched them smugly as they broke off in separate directions across Benjamin’s living room.

Finley brought their attention back to the matters at hand. “Barnabus and Chaparral have been to see the rams. Chord told them they have come close to figuring out most of that vague speech Ovis made.” She looked up at Barnabus who lifted his velvety eyelids just a tad and nodded his feathery head.

Abby joined in, “Chaparral says we must get back to the zoo as soon as possible. Some of the pieces we need to collect must be gathered by certain times, isn’t that right Chap?” The roadrunner fluttered his wings in agreement. He could barely contain himself and looked ready to run back to the rams at that very moment. Barnabus sleepily closed his eyes again.

“I can’t imagine they could make heads or tails out of that bunk the old goat said, I didn’t understand a word of it!” Collin interjected and Jacob nodded his head vigorously in agreement.

Abby looked up from the board book she was reading, “Just because you couldn’t understand it, doesn’t mean that Ovis and the rest of the herd wouldn’t have some insight greater than a one year olds!” Collin’s face flushed.

“This isn’t getting us anywhere”, Chloe broke in, “How are we going to get them to take us to the zoo again?”

Finley’s face lit up, “Everyone, when you go home, point at all of your animals and show special interest in your animal books, chase your cat or your dog around the house! Think ANIMALS!!”

Just then, Gryl came bouncing back to Dominique holding a large black fly between his two front legs. “Ew” squeaked Chloe. “Fantastic” beamed Benjamin. He crawled over to Gryl and took the fly from him, then, not wanting to drag it on the floor, he placed a wing gently between his lips and began crawling for his mother’s room. At that very moment his mother came laughing into the living room, a glass of Chardonnay in her hand and a strawberry stem between her lips. The stem fell to the floor as she shrieked, “BENJAMIN!”

FOUR

Collin was leaning up against the sofa, rolling a yellow plastic tractor over a large brocade pillow, the corner tassel of which he had stuffed in his mouth. His father lay sprawled across the couch flipping through the channels when Collin heard the jubilant sound of a monkey squawking in a tree. Collin whipped around to look and the TV and sure enough, there was a band of monkeys hooting gleefully swinging from vines and branches in an exotic jungle somewhere.

“Oo oo oo” Collin said tentatively to his father. His dad looked down at him, “Oo oo oo oo” Collin repeated. His father yelled something over his shoulder and his mother came scuttling in from the kitchen wiping wet hands on a kitchen towel. She came around the couch to look down at Collin. “OO OO OO!” yelled Collin exuberantly. His mother clapped her hands together, then tickled her armpits and said, “Oo oo oo!”

Abby was sitting in grass still moist from the morning sprinklers, playing with a bright red ball. She noticed a skinny gray cat walking along the top edge of the backyard fence. She pointed at it. Her mother sat cross-legged, her red hair glinting in the sun, in a lawn chair not far from her reading a book. Abby raised herself up on two knees and pointed vehemently at the cat again. Her mother turned the page of her book and took a sip of her tea. Abby desperately jabbed at the air in the direction of the cat. Finally she said, “Yow…” Her mother set down her cup of tea and looked over at Abby. “Yeooooow” said Abby pointing once more to the cat, her little pigtails bouncing wildly. Her mother quickly slipped a bookmark in the book, set it down and crawled in the grass toward Abby saying, “Meow, meow…”

Mia scrabbled across the marble floor to where her mother was leaning on a cushion propped up against the fireplace. She was completely immersed in a magazine article about next season’s “Batchelor”. Mia had piled a stack of books together and was pushing them across the burnished floor toward her. This was very hard work. Mia would push them with the top of her head, then turn round and scoot backwards so that she maneuvered the teetering stack with her bottom. Finally she pushed them right up to her mother, crumpling the edge of the magazine she was reading. Her mom set the magazine down and looked at Mia. Mia swatted at the stack of books and “Curious George” flew off the top. She whacked again and “ Olivia” skidded across the marble mantle. Again she struck and “Clifford the Big Red Dog” hit the side of a leather armchair and rebounded. Finally, left at the bottom of the pile was “Put Me in the Zoo”. Mia’s mom smiled her gentle smile, tucked a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear, picked up the book and began to read.

FIVE

As the knot of strollers trundled down the walk toward the Desert Bighorn Sheep exhibit, the pace became slower and slower. The mothers talked quietly and looked about nervously, waiting to be attacked at any moment by a flying bug or a large spider. The children were all focused on the fence where Chord usually met them, and were relieved to see him standing there accompanied by two other rams.

Kenedy’s mother held her hand tightly as she eyed the trees and shrubs nearby and Savannah’s mom steered her stroller far clear of the soda vending machine, which fortunately put her right next to the ram’s fence. Benjamin’s mother pushed her stroller up next to Savannah’s and the rest of the party followed suit. All eyes were on the rams, who had their heads down and were nibbling and snuffling at the dusty ground.

Kathryn, made her way over to a water fountain up the path. Her mother sped after her and let out a little sound of surprise. There, on the edge of the water fountain, beaks lapping at a small pool of water at the bottom of the stone bowl, was a small gray dove and a stout little quail. The fascinated group of women crept closer to the fountain having never seen such a sight. Kathryn reached into her pocket and retrieved a Cheerio. She held her palm up to the petite dove who tentatively craned her neck toward the little girl and gently pecked the Cheerio from her small palm. Collin squirmed in his mother’s arms and was also set down next to the water fountain. His mother gave him a freeze-dried apple slice, which he held up to the quail, who for all the world appeared to wink at him. The tubby little quail hopped right into his hand and began nibbling on the apple slice.

Thus preoccupied, the women did not notice the remainder of the children gathered around the ram’s fence, each staring intently at the largest ram, whose calm inky eyes stared right back.

Chord introduced Nelson and Clovis, two senior members of the herd. They each nodded to the children gathered before them. Chord explained that Nelson’s specialty was desert lore and that he was studying with Ovis to learn all he could from the elder before his speeches became too labyrinthine with his old age. Clovis’ interests lied in areas outside of the desert and he was ever busy gathering stories from migrating birds and visiting pets. Chord believed that between the two of them there could be some light shed on the mystery of Ovis’ words.

Nelson was the first to speak. “The most straight forward element Ovis mentioned were the Chocolate Mountains. The Chocolate Mountains lie quite near here, just east of the Salton Sea. We know there is a cave in the mountains that is home to a great family of bats. It has long been suspected that the cave is rich with thick veins of gold. The bats guard it jealously and do not suffer anyone to come near it. We believe the ‘honeyed stone’ that Ovis mentions is most likely the gold of that cave.

The cave was at one time home to a Cahuilla shaman. He was a great healer among his people. His wife was the tribe’s midwife and she was said to have been a woman of great wisdom and compassion. All the tribe loved her very much. It is believed that the shaman buried his wife in the cave and summoned the bats to protect her there.

It will be necessary for someone to go to the cave and retrieve a sliver of gold. Beyond the threat of the bats, this cave is also near a place that the humans use as a gunnery range. Chord’s brother is head of the herd in that area and has told us that this area is often used in the vulgar pastime of bombing and target practice. The one sent to gather the sliver of gold must be fleet and sharp, the dangers are many and lightness of step across the minefields will be of much value on this trip.”

Chaparral leapt up and down on the dusty ground next to Abby. Abby looked at her dearest friend and said “Chap, do you really think you could do it? I would be lost if anything should happen to you...” Chap nodded his long pointy head fervently and said, “I know I can do this Abby, I can, I can, I can!” Abby looked to Nelson, who was thoughtfully watching the frenzied bird. “A roadrunner would be an excellent choice for this task, he certainly seems to have the energy and the swiftness of foot, and his will to retrieve the item is strong”.

Chaparral leaped onto the fence and quickly ran the length of it and back to prove how nimble he was. Abby frowned at him for making such a show, she didn’t want anything to distract the mommies from their preoccupation with Gambel and The Bob who were still putting on their theatrical performance at the water fountain. The stout little quail was hopping up and down in Collin’s hand with a large apple chip in his beak, his handsome black topknot bouncing to and fro on his head. The mothers were laughing hysterically and Collin was eyeing Gambel with a toothy grin.

“Fine, fine,” Abby said, “you can do it Chap, but I’m going to be joining with you every step of the way!” Chaparral jumped down from the fence and ran around her feet scattering pebbles every which way while she frantically tried to hush him.

Clovis spoke next, “The second element that must be attained, we believe is resting at the bottom of a well near the Salton Sea. The tale has traveled far, as has the item. There was once an evil Sultan named Serhan Savas Kudret. He was one of the last Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. He developed a fixation on a beautiful young girl from one of the villages outside his palace. The Sultan sent his page to bring the girl to him. The page went to the house of the girl and told her that the Sultan wished her to come to him. The girl shook with fear, she did not want to go to the palace. She knew that the Sultan would force her to become one of his wives and she had heard the horrific stories of how he treated them. The page seeing the fear and the beauty of the woman, fell in love with her at that moment and he decided at the moment to take her away with him to live in the woods. She happily agreed. Nine months later a beautiful baby girl was born to the couple and they all lived quietly and contentedly with the animals in the woods that surrounded the palace.

The Sultan was furious that he had not acquired this beautiful gem to add to his harem. He raged about the castle making life unbearable for his wives and the palace staff. At long last, to take his mind from his loss, he decided to join his brother to embark on a long journey for America.

The day before the voyage, the Sultan was riding his horse with five other men hunting deer in the woods outside the castle. He was chasing a beautiful young doe through the brush. She leapt over a fallen log and disappeared between the trees. The Sultan slowed his horse to a stop, cursed and reached in his saddlebag for the canteen of ouzo he brought with him. As the ouzo was burning a hot trail down his throat, he heard the sound of a woman’s voice singing not far off.

He turned his horse in the direction of the sound, and there, sitting in a glade covered with flowers, a shaft of sunlight setting her black hair afire, was the woman who had never arrived at his palace, singing softly to a small baby.

Fury rose quickly in the Sultan he ran his horse straight into the. He struck the woman with the jeweled scepter he kept in his belt - she slumped to a heap as the Sultan grabbed the infant from her arms and leapt back onto his horse.

The galley maid who worked aboard the ship disliked the Sultan very much and she knew that the babe he brought aboard was not his own. She was charged with caring for the child and she was overflowing with happiness to do it. For most of the journey she kept the infant out of his sight. It was easy to do as he didn’t seem to be very interested in visiting with the child and would fall into a very sour mood when he did.

When the ship had made its way around the continent and landed on the coast of California, the Sultan set off to find a fortune of gold he had heard of. The land felt his evilness and cringed as he and his men made their way across it. The galley maid went with his party and she took care of the child as they trekked across the hot dessert.

One night when the Sultan had drank too much ouzo, he went to the tent of the of the galley maid and the child. He tore the flap open and staggered across the tent to leer wickedly at the maid. She frantically backed against a wall as the baby let out a high keening wail. The Sultan turned to the baby and raised the jeweled scepter menacingly in his clenched fist. Just then a great thundering noise was heard and shouts came up from the camp. The Sultan ran out of the tent and was immediately swept away by a huge river of water. The water curved wildly through the valley taking all the tents and the men who were in them, but leaving the tent with the maid and the baby untouched. The girl grabbed the infant and ran toward the nearest rocky hill. She scrabbled up it clutching the child and hung to a yucca tree as the water swept past her.

This is how the Salton Sea was formed. The legend says that the river would not let the Sultan hurt the child and so flooded the valley to save her. The maid carried the baby to a town called Indio and there they planted a date grove and brought the sweet fruit of her homeland to the natives of this new land.

There is a deep abandoned well in Niland, near the Salton Sea where the birds that fly overhead speak of seeing a drop of bright red blood gleaming from the black bottom. We believe this drop of blood is a ruby cleaved from the scepter of the Sultan. This ruby must be found and added to the elixir for Benjamin’s mother”.

Chloe looked up under the sunshade of her stroller, “Ruby, this quest seems to be positively named for you…” the damselfly, her red wings glinting in the bright sunlight, flitted out from the sunshade and flew a figure eight about Clovis’ long curving horns.

Farfalla flew quickly to Mia’s side and was fluttering with great urgency against her cheek. During this lengthy story, Gambel had eaten all of Collin’s apple chips, and The Bob had finished not only Kathryn’s Cheerios, but the Cheerios of every child not gathered around the fence. The two birds had hopped back into the stone basin of the drinking fountain, but some attendants of the Living Desert Zoo had taken notice of their performance and were approaching the gathering with increasing speed and interest.
The children new their time with the ram’s was drawing to a close this day.

The fat little quail flew off into the trees and Collin made his way over to the ram’s fence to join the rest of the children.

Chord stomped his foot impatiently and huffed, “We have one more bit of information that we must tell you today, so listen closely”. He repeated the part of the speech Ovis had made referring to the third item to be collected.

“The third will be the fleeting and swift, yet easily captured. It began in the pass and flew swiftly bout the mother, gathering warmth and wisdom as it did. At summer’s peak it returns home to bring heat when needed to meld the fragments together.”

Ovis looked at the children again, “The third item it has been decided, must be the wind. The wind that travels around the earth, that orginated in the pass…”

“The windmills!” Collin cried. “Yes,” Chord agreed, “we think this bit of wind must have orginated in the windmills, and it has travelled the entire earth gathering what it needed to gather. If it will return to us at Summer’s peak, that will be the Solstice”.

“June twenty first” Abby said with certainty. The children turned to her with a unified astonished look, Chloe lifted an eyebrow.

“June twenty first” agreed Chord, at noon. Someone must go to the Windmills and wait for the wind that must be added to our amalgam.

A fringe-toed lizard scurried quickly and gracefully up the post nearest Chord. When she reached the top of the post she jetted to the point directly across from Chord and flicked her black tongue.

“Uma!” Jacob cried, what are you doing?

Gambel, the stout quail landed next to her and cocked his head toward her, his top notch bobbing with his intention to follow the lithe lizard in her quest.

“Gambel” Collin whispered, “are you sure you and Uma can do this?” Jacob looked from Collin to Gambel with a frightened expression. “Course we can!” Gambel warbled. “If Uma feels the need to step up to this challenge, you know I’ll be right there with her!”

Collin nodded to Jacob who nodded solemnly back.

The mommies were upon them then, stashing water bottles and handing sippy cups to all the children while Uma scampered sinuously into Collins stroller and Gambel flew to the shade of a Bird of Paradise, his favorite plant.