Hello Living Tale Friends!
As promised here is chapter two of the next book in the series, Star and the Book of Treasures. We characters in the Garden hope you are having fun reading them. We sure have fun making them.
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Hidden
Star heard the phone ring on the other end; someone finally answered.
“Hello, this is Malori Ficus.”
“Ms. Ficus, this is Star.”
“Star darling, how are you faring?”
“What?”
“How are you doing? You know you just need patience. Hang in there.”
“Well, that’s why I am calling.”
“Do you need something? Star, you sound out of breath; are you all right?”
“Yes, yes everything is fine. In fact, we found a cave. It was full of scrolls!”
“Oh Star, that is marvelous. What kind of scrolls?”
“Well, so far they are all signed by some Esther Queen of Persia. And they’re kinda stupid. Did you know that she wrote down what she bought for her bedroom?”
“Ha, ha, you did it, Star. Fantastic! Now darling, have you told anyone else about the scrolls?”
“No, you are the first person I called.”
“Super… Tell you what. Why don’t I come down there and celebrate with you! We can fly home together.”
“Really? I would love to see you. Dr. Burnham and his foreman are getting on my nerves.”
“Let me make some calls and I’ll see what I can do.”
“See you soon!”
“Right, see you soon.” Ms. Ficus hung up the phone laughing and smiling to herself. “Well, that girl did it. She found the scrolls.”
She dialed a new number and waited for someone to pick up. “Hello, Mr. O’Toole. Are you still interested in Persian scrolls?... Yes, I’ve located a sizeable collection… certainly, I’ll get more details and get back to you… No, no one knows about them. They’re hidden. Is the purchase price the same? … Good, I look forward to doing business with you. Ta, ta.”
Back in Iraq Dr. Burnham began to teach Star some ancient Persian and showed her how he translated the scrolls.
“Now, you see these characters here?”
“Yeah,” said Star as she scribbled down some notes.
“They make up the queen’s name – Esther. That’s how we know it’s hers.”
“Ok.”
Professor Burnham put down his forceps. “Well, how interesting indeed.”
“What is it, Dr. B.?”
“Up to this moment I completely overlooked that your two names are identical. Esther means Star.”
“No way.”
“Yes. It’s true. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, but once she was taken to the palace she had to change her name to hide her heritage.”
“Her what?”
“Her family tree, as it were.”
“Well that’s stupid. If I had a family I wouldn’t hide it.”
“She had to hide it. Many groups hated the Gardener’s family and were eager to kill them.”
“So what does her other name mean?”
“Hidden.”
“Perfect.”
“What is perfect?”
“Well, my whole life that is what I have felt. Hidden and forgotten. Esther and I would get along great.”
“But they are two separate things entirely, Miss McKenzie. A precious item is hidden to protect it. However, something of little value can be misplaced and forgotten. I would say you are not forgotten, but hidden.”
“Dr. B. I am not precious, please. No one cares where I am or who I am.”
“Oh, but the Gardener cares very much and thinks…”
“Do we have to talk about him?”
“I am sorry you do not like him. May I ask…”
“No… I don’t want to talk about it.” Star put down her forceps and turned to leave.
“If you’d prefer we did not, I will respect your wishes.”
“Thanks.”
“Shall we resume our work?” Star nodded and returned to the table. Dr. Burnham opened the scroll wider. Star was thankful for the silence while he took his time translating the rest of the marks. Her painful past cluttered her thoughts making it difficult for her to focus on their work.
“Remarkable!”
“What?”
“Well, if I am reading this correctly. The entire message reads:
‘I, Esther, Queen of Media and Persia do decree that the fourteenth day of the twelfth month shall be known as Purim. For on this day our sadness turned into joy when our enemy’s plans fell on his own head.’
See here the king’s signature ring seal below.”
“What is that?”
“Whoever wore the king’s signature ring had the authority to make laws. Proof of this authority was left on their letters by making a seal. But it is not the seal that amazes me here. Do you know what this document is?” She looked back at him blankly. He brought the scroll nearer to show her the words up close. “This is the very decree Esther made to establish Purim – the Garden festival which celebrates their victory from those who hated them. It is a day of feasting.”
Star’s face remained unchanged.
“Have you never read the story of Esther and how Numa, the Gardener’s Helper, aided her?”
Oh no, more of his fables from the Living Tale? Sure enough he went to his desk and pulled out his tattered leather Book.
“You see all the attention has been on the first two thirds of the story, an orphan girl is taken to the palace to compete with other ladies to determine who would be the new queen of all Media and Persia. Through the Gardener’s favor she is chosen. With Numa’s and her cousin Mordecai’s help she defeats her enemy, Haman. But this is just the beginning of her life. I believe the end of her story proves more powerful. There are important lessons in these pages. And our scroll discovery will help illuminate them.”
“Lessons? Like what?”
“Such as what happens to a young woman when she stops being an orphan and lives as a daughter.”
“Wait a minute. I thought you just said she was an orphan. How could she be a daughter?”
“She understood she was Mordecai’s daughter and later a daughter of the Gardener.”
“Why is that so special? Lots of kids get adopted all the time and there aren’t any books written about them.”
“True. But the ones who have their orphan hearts transformed by Numa truly leave their mark on history.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means his mark of love gives them everything they need to be the kings and queens they were made to be.” He finished his speech only to again see Star’s blank gaze, then slowly, very slowly her eyes began to sparkle.
“So these scrolls that we found, they might be important to some people?”
“Yes, very important to a lot of people.”
“And you did say that I get partial credit for finding the cave?”
“Yes, and I stand by my word, Miss McKenzie.”
Star jumped up. “This is so great. Not only can I get a job with Ms. Ficus in her new museum, but I can probably get a scholarship to college. Oh Dr. Burnham, how can I ever thank you!” She shot out of the door straight to her camper to type her application letters with her discovery highlighted.
Dr. Burnham stood in the doorway of the research trailer watching her run across the sand, bumping into workmen as she went. “Oh, in due time, Miss McKenzie, you’ll see this means much more than a job. But all in due time.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked back to his desk.
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Come back next month to read the next exciting installment.
Remember Henley and the Book of Heroes is available for Christmas at www.TheLivingTale.com as ebook, paperback, and audio book. All paperback copies include the audio book and an author signature -- a great gift for any reader.
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