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Chapter Three: The Animals, and the Lamb

With a shriek and a bump all three girls found themselves in the middle of a circle of animals are staring at them with wondering eyes. The animals started whispering to each other! Lilli sat frightened as a mouse! “Great, look what I’ve gotten my friends into!” she muttered to herself.

The group of animals stared and a deer bounded away in an attempt to break the silence. Nothing. Carol, the bravest of the three stood up.

“Well, how do we get out of here?” she demanded of the animals.

“There isn’t one out, only those who earn their way out may leave.” a strong but gentle voice answered from behind a bush.

All three stood up and spun around. “Who said that? Come now, point yourself out!” Carol demanded. A lamb came from behind the bush and smiled at her. “Well, who are you working for? Who said that? Is he behind you?”

The lamb grinned wider at her. “It was I.” it answered in the same tone as before. Carol jumped back.

“You?” she exclaimed. “But-but-you are only a lamb!” but then she noticed all the animals bowing to the lamb. She raised an eyebrow. “Who are you?”

The lamb shook its head. “I am Narkile. I am the King here.” The lamb explained and he nodded to the other animals with kindness in his eyes. “I welcome you, but how did you get in here?” he inquired with the same smile on his lips.

Lilli swallowed and decided to answer. “We are Lilli, Lulu, and Carol. We saw the trap door by the tree, and we were curious. But if you like, we’ll be going now.” she said as she and her friends turned away. They noticed the lamb staring at them.

“Can we actually leave, Lu?” Lilli whispered to her sister.

“I don’t know, Lil! I don’t know what will happen. It looks like we dropped from up there, and I don’t know how to get up there.” Lulu said as she pointed to the sky. Lilli started to sob.

“I-I-I wish we had n-e-v-er co-o-o-me!” she cried. Lulu put an arm around her and looked around at all the animals that were staring in confusion.

“What is there to be sad about?” a deer said.

“Why is she crying? It’s wonderful here!” said a swan.

All the animals stared in complete horror at the figure before them that sobbed and whined. They thought she was hurt, so they called a beaver to her to make sure she was alright. The beaver waddled up to Lilli and grabbed her hand.

“There, there miss. Are you quite alright? I mean honestly, it is cold out here. Come, I shall give you some lodging.” said the beaver as he waddled away, and the girls followed.

Chapter Four: The Beaver Household

“Should we be following a talking animal?” Lulu asked her sister.  Lilli shrugged and kept walking.  It was neither snowy, nor was it raining.  But, it was very cold and damp feeling.

“Dear, are you quite alright? I’ve been very worried, and I am wondering just where-oh! Guests!” a female beaver came out of her dam and looked at the girls.  Two little beavers popped out from behind her. All was quiet for the time, and presently one of the little beavers started whining. The mother beaver picked it up and comforted it, and then said: “Well, might a well come in.  Come, come! I’ve made fresh bread, why not help yourself?” and all walked into the little dam.

“Oh, this is lovely.”  Carol said in awe at the cupboard that held such books as she had seen in her school. “Um, there has been a typo. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, not Mr. Clarther Rowen Loyal.” Carol pointed out. The beavers cocked their heads at her in confusion. Indeed, there had been differing names on the titles, so there had to be a mistake.

“No,” said the beaver that had brought them. “No, you see, the authors of your world have odd names that we cannot understand, nor can we even pronounce them.  The author of this book may have been Sir A-Ar-Arthur Co-Con-Conan L-Doyle, but did you see how much trouble I had pronouncing that?”

Carol and Lilli nodded, but Lulu stared with perplexion. “So-so-you embellish people’s names for the sake of you laziness?” Lulu exclaimed. The mother beaver stepped backwards and shooed her children up the stairs.

“I have to put them to bed now.” she explained. “I will be back.”

“No,” laughed the male beaver. “No, we are not lazy. Only He, the Lamb, can say those names. We, on the other hand cannot. The only reason I could, was because of the fact that I practice those names, but even I had trouble.”

Carol nodded her head, but was still confused. “Mr. Beaver-“ she started to say, but was interrupted by the said beaver.

“Please, call me Butterlean,” he interrupted her. “That is what they call me, though me real name is Butterlairlean  Chankelton the eighth, but still, call me Butterlean.”

Lilli leaned over to Carol. “And they say our names are difficult!” she exclaimed under her breath.  Carol nodded, and looked at Butterlean.

“Might I call you BL for short?” she inquired. Butterlean laughed.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! So, my nickname is too difficult to say? Ah well, yes, you may call me BL.”

Carol smiled in satisfaction, but was still puzzled at their odd ways. “Mr. Beaver, or BL I mean, might we leave any time soon?” Lilli asked. Butterlean shook his head.

“No.” he said flatly. “No, I don’t know a way out, but an old poem goes like this:

“The noble shall see the light of day,

But until then, none shall get away.”

“That’s creepy.” Lilli said. “What does that even mean? That we will never escape?”

Mrs. Beaver shuddered and grabbed a blanket that was neat by and wrapped herself in it. “It means,” said Butterlean leaning in close and speaking with a low voice. “That until someone overthrows Lukinfer, none shall escape.”

“And, who is Lukinfer?” Carol asked.

“Lukinfer,” said Mrs. Beaver who hadn’t spoke for some time. “Lukinfer thinks he is king. He believes that no force, not even the Lamb is above him. And worse yet, Lukinfer has everyone else thinking it as well.”

Lilli gasped and leaned over to Lulu. “Lulu, this is creepy.” she said bluntly. “I want to get out of here, and it’s awfully windy.” she said. Lulu pressed up against her.

“It’ll be okay, Lil.” she said, trying to comfort her sister.

 “I say! Oh! I say!” Butterlean said. “Not only have I not introduced you to my family, but it is also getting dark out. I am quite certain that the little ones aren’t asleep, they never sleep with company in the house unless they are in our room, and I did not tell you their mother’s name. Butterlou! Kumarain!” he called up the stairs and the two little beavers came down tumbling down in a hurry.

“Yes, Papa?” they said in unison, and they were so adorable that Lulu couldn’t help but let out a little “ah…” before she saw the sharp glances that Carol gave her.

“Ah, there you two are. Well, let me present my son, Butterloulainin Rackerdoub the second, and my daughter Kumarain Juney the first.” he looked proudly at his little ones. “And this is my better half, Juneylook…” he said as he looked lovingly at his pride and joy. “You may call her Juney, though.” he said, pointing at the mother of that gave the little ones their good looks.

“Pleased to meet you.” Lilli, Lulu, Carol, and Juney all said at the same time.

“Ahem, go back to bed my dears,” Juney said to her little ones. “Would you like to stay here for the night? Though I dare say it shall rain tomorrow.” Juney asked the humans with a voice that was quite beautiful.

Lulu was about to reply “no” when Carol stopped her. “Lulu, where else are we going to go? We’d love to stay! Thank you very much for the offer.” Lilli shuddered but when upstairs with Juney to help her with getting bedding from the attic.