wouldn’t be found, and it was called a redoubt. I only remember it because it was a word I’d never heard before.”
“The Redoubt,” said Alex. “I like it.”
So it was decided, and Eve had to admit she liked the feel of the word. It stood out in her mind in all capitals: REDOUBT, sounding strong and safe.
There is something about naming a place that makes it seem so much more friendly, and the kids had felt quite at home in the breezy circle of trees as they whiled away the morning comparing their books and watching the cloud pictures and waiting to see if anyone else would turn up. No one had, though, and they decided after lunch to go and check out Logan’s Dund.
Eve could see Logan now, pointing to something on the opposite end of the field. It looked like a burned out tree trunk, still standing, but with no branches or leaves. On closer view, this impression held true. She could even see the gnarled roots and a few scorch marks on the bark. It was so ordinary looking that if she hadn’t just met a bunch of miniature people the day before, she would have thought that Logan had imagined the whole thing. Even as it was, she wasn’t sure.
They all gathered around as Logan said tentatively, “Excuse me.”
There was no movement or sound.
“Excuse me,” he said a little louder.
When there was still no response, he looked a little ashamedly at the others.
“How did it talk to you before?” asked Alex.
Logan pointed out what could possibly be taken for a mouth and eyes. Of course, it could also be taken for random patterns in the bark, thought Eve.
Alex stepped up close and said firmly, “We know you can hear us. And we know you can talk. So stop pretending. We’d like to talk to you.”
Again Eve pictured what people would think if they could see her right now. But then she gave a little jump. She had seen an eye crack open. It closed again, but she was sure of what she’d seen.
“We saw that,” said Adam.
This time both eyes opened, darker brown than the rest of the bark and completely unreadable.
“Bless me, there are more of them this time!” the creature said.
Its voice was high pitched and nasal and so out of keeping with its appearance that Eve struggled to suppress a laugh.
“We’d like to ask you a few questions,” Adam said.
“Ask me a few questions?” it repeated. “‘Ask and you shall receive,’ is my motto, so ask away. Answers can be tough, though. Some things are ‘easier said than done.’ Still, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’ is my motto, so we’ll give it a try.”
Eve traded a bemused look with Alex. Even Adam was momentarily at a loss.
“Um, did you say your name was Dund?” asked Logan, who obviously felt responsible for this weird conversation.
“My name? No. Not my name. Dund is what I am. ‘I think therefore I am.’ And what I am is Dund. I don’t have what you would call a name.” For just a moment he looked sad about this. “But then, ‘What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’” This seemed to cheer him up again. “I have no name, but I do have very nice skin. Perhaps you noticed? ‘Make the most of what you’ve got’ is my motto, and I make the most of my skin. No other Dund has skin quite as nice. Not that I let that go to my head. Oh, no. ‘Handsome is as handsome does’ is my motto, and I always try to live up to my skin. ‘Beauty is only skin deep,’ but I think that…”
“So there are other Dunds?” interrupted Adam eagerly.
“If there are, I’ve never seen them,” the Dund responded, unfazed by the interruption. “‘Seeing is believing,’ so I suppose I don’t believe in other Dunds. But ‘Birds of a feather flock together,’ so if I am here I suppose other Dunds are, too.”
“But you said no other Dund has skin as nice as yours,” protested Adam, while Eve wondered if the Dund had any idea what it was talking about.
“And so they haven’t. Have you ever seen a
“The Redoubt,” said Alex. “I like it.”
So it was decided, and Eve had to admit she liked the feel of the word. It stood out in her mind in all capitals: REDOUBT, sounding strong and safe.
There is something about naming a place that makes it seem so much more friendly, and the kids had felt quite at home in the breezy circle of trees as they whiled away the morning comparing their books and watching the cloud pictures and waiting to see if anyone else would turn up. No one had, though, and they decided after lunch to go and check out Logan’s Dund.
Eve could see Logan now, pointing to something on the opposite end of the field. It looked like a burned out tree trunk, still standing, but with no branches or leaves. On closer view, this impression held true. She could even see the gnarled roots and a few scorch marks on the bark. It was so ordinary looking that if she hadn’t just met a bunch of miniature people the day before, she would have thought that Logan had imagined the whole thing. Even as it was, she wasn’t sure.
They all gathered around as Logan said tentatively, “Excuse me.”
There was no movement or sound.
“Excuse me,” he said a little louder.
When there was still no response, he looked a little ashamedly at the others.
“How did it talk to you before?” asked Alex.
Logan pointed out what could possibly be taken for a mouth and eyes. Of course, it could also be taken for random patterns in the bark, thought Eve.
Alex stepped up close and said firmly, “We know you can hear us. And we know you can talk. So stop pretending. We’d like to talk to you.”
Again Eve pictured what people would think if they could see her right now. But then she gave a little jump. She had seen an eye crack open. It closed again, but she was sure of what she’d seen.
“We saw that,” said Adam.
This time both eyes opened, darker brown than the rest of the bark and completely unreadable.
“Bless me, there are more of them this time!” the creature said.
Its voice was high pitched and nasal and so out of keeping with its appearance that Eve struggled to suppress a laugh.
“We’d like to ask you a few questions,” Adam said.
“Ask me a few questions?” it repeated. “‘Ask and you shall receive,’ is my motto, so ask away. Answers can be tough, though. Some things are ‘easier said than done.’ Still, ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’ is my motto, so we’ll give it a try.”
Eve traded a bemused look with Alex. Even Adam was momentarily at a loss.
“Um, did you say your name was Dund?” asked Logan, who obviously felt responsible for this weird conversation.
“My name? No. Not my name. Dund is what I am. ‘I think therefore I am.’ And what I am is Dund. I don’t have what you would call a name.” For just a moment he looked sad about this. “But then, ‘What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.’” This seemed to cheer him up again. “I have no name, but I do have very nice skin. Perhaps you noticed? ‘Make the most of what you’ve got’ is my motto, and I make the most of my skin. No other Dund has skin quite as nice. Not that I let that go to my head. Oh, no. ‘Handsome is as handsome does’ is my motto, and I always try to live up to my skin. ‘Beauty is only skin deep,’ but I think that…”
“So there are other Dunds?” interrupted Adam eagerly.
“If there are, I’ve never seen them,” the Dund responded, unfazed by the interruption. “‘Seeing is believing,’ so I suppose I don’t believe in other Dunds. But ‘Birds of a feather flock together,’ so if I am here I suppose other Dunds are, too.”
“But you said no other Dund has skin as nice as yours,” protested Adam, while Eve wondered if the Dund had any idea what it was talking about.
“And so they haven’t. Have you ever seen a
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