CHAPTER 12: Flying is a Gift

The girl elbowed through the circle of bystanders and knelt down beside Prince’s motionless body.  Her blinking lashes were clutching salty droplets to where they started, as she shook his right shoulder as hard as she could, “Wake up, wake up…”

“The greatest hindrance to embracing the gift is the mind. Only by a complete change of mind, transformation inwardly can take place.”

Bass the Good Friend and Teacher

Some few droplets snowballed into a big crystal bead and fell down, soaking into his hairy cheek.  His closed eyelids trembled slightly until he summoned just enough strength to open sluggishly his eyes to two full triangles, with one inverted.

“It is you…”

More than a few human spectators were moved to tears.

The beastie buddies had a little drama on their trip in Würzburg.  If things were narrated the way it should be in a fairy tale book, that was probably the so-called happily-ever-after moment to end.

It was relentlessly clear, as for Prince, the meaning of this magical journey was to find the magic spell that led to a happily-ever-after moment in life.  The purpose of this magical journey though, was to let go of the mistaken perfection of any instant magic spell resulting in a happily-ever-after lifestyle, truly and freely of his own.

While Prince learnt to own up to his imperfections, the fairy tale did not come to an end because this was not his fairy tale.  As the beastie buddies rejoiced at Prince’s new image, that Bass argued the dragon head crown had been polished to shine like new, the magical journey squad continued to tour along the Romantische Straße to the year-round Christmas town.

Bass took delight in snapping away the whole time.  His smartphone was collecting static memories of every train station, castle, and church organ he encountered in their trip together.

“I just want a few more photos documenting this beautiful timber truss.  There’s no other Bahnhof that looks like this!” begged Bass, “C’mon, Mage has given me this assignment that I ought to complete!”

Bass was right.  The mage crafted all the little beasts with special energies and intelligence and entrusted resources and gadgets, like the smartphone camera, to their care and management8.

Prince was also right.  He really had to drag Bass away from the Rothenburg ob der Tauber Bahnhof in order to catch up with the big group.  It was his assignment, on the other hand, as the leader, to keep the squad together, leaving no one behind.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, as its name suggested, was built a red fortress overlooking the Tauber River.  Enchanted and picturesque, the town had medieval quaintness and Christmas cheer in the wall-enclosed urban centre, full of history within its steadfast fortified ring and towers that could have chronicled the bloodstained days from their defensive barrier and the secrets and magic of the Middle Ages.

At its first city wall ring built around the year twelve hundred, the lovely Röderbogen of the Markusturm framed the everyday scene with a modest arch stretching just the width of the cobblestone Rödergasse.  The beautiful half-timbered buildings were tight together and gestured more charm and friendliness when standing packed along the winding streets and alleyways towards the vanishing point.

Prince inhaled deeply and enjoyed the brightness and the crisp, cool air of a sunny winter day as much as the splendour of a king’s castle.  The enchanted medieval town was indeed a magical place in modern fantasy.

But the serenity did not last long.

“The fairies must have dusted the town merrily with icing sugar like a Christmas pudding the night before!” said the girl as she grabbed hold of his claw, “please bring me up for an aerial view.”

“If you want, you can always fly up there,” replied Prince coldly, “Have you taken my advice to exercise your muscles and wings seriously?”

“Er-er-er,” stammered the girl as she stole a glance at Rocky.

“A good leader inspires,” reminded Rocky gently as he passed by.  He then joined Don and Bianca in excitement and headed for the two and a half kilometres’ outer wall ring trail.

Chococo volunteered to sample the delights of the Weihnachtsmarkt.  The heart-shaped Lebkuchen cookies glazed with chocolate and frosted with colourful ribbons were the most eye-catching of all.  And slices of the Stollen filled with rum-soaked dried fruit should not be missed.  For savouries, the thick and scrumptious Gulaschsuppe with dices of hearty beef, peppers, and onions was Bass’s favourite.  Flora compiled the shopping list and was committed to store the Christmas goodies in her magic drawers and to save them for Christmas Eve.  While the two ladies were assigned to do the shopping and bargaining, Bulb was responsible for the maths and accounts.

The freshly sprinkled icing powder gave the shingled roofs a new look of shimmering fish scales.  The low hanging shafts of sunlight ignited colours to vibrant hues in the roofscape.  Between the gleaming white and the heart-melting reds, each pair of gables rose precipitously and dropped away in the same magnitude, peak after peak, with frequent punctuations by blend, painted masonry chimneys smoking white fumes.

On the roof ridge they landed.  Bass shovelled the fluffy snow to the sides with his heart-shaped picks.  The snow melted a little and drained off the slope.  Prince leaned forward with his elbow resting on one knee and let the other leg swing in the breeze.

“You lost a bit weight recently,” Prince winked and smirked at the girl as he said.

“Really?” giggled the girl.  In fact, she did not catch what Prince was trying to say.

“Perhaps you have finally mastered the skills of flying and are actually hovering over my back somehow.  That’s why I ain’t carrying as much weight during the flight.”

“The greatest hindrance to embracing the gift is the mind.  Only by a complete change of mind, transformation inwardly can take place,” supplemented Bass.

“If everyone can learn to fly, why can’t you, Bass?”  The girl was losing her temper.

“Flying is not my gift, but music is,” said Bass, not feeling offended at all.

Flying theories and gifting concepts were mixed together confusing her further.  Nothing seemed quite to add up.

“Let’s go for a five-thousand-pipe organ concert over there next,” said Bass as he pointed at the gigantic St. Jakobskirche that had dominated the skyline.  The historic Lutheran church was used to be on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela and housed much of the religious art and treasures, of which the lime-wood Heilig-Blut-Altar representing the last supper sculpted by Tilman Riemenschneider from Würzburg was the most world-famous of all.

When they returned to the ground near the Marktplatz, humans and beasties were swarming in and out the square, eating and drinking all things Christmas.  The girl was attracted by the nutcracker king mannequin as tall as Prince in the niche tucked into a corner building.  She was only two humans’ width apart from her buddies when some new fallen snowflakes drifted in a sudden gust of wind.

The girl shivered slightly in the piercing wind.  “Cold!” was the last word Prince and Bass heard from her.