The girls had just a moment to catch their breath before they heard yet another sound of scraping and grinding from somewhere nearby. Then, to their great surprise, an odd looking dwarf appeared from behind the large boulder. He was wearing black breeches with suspenders over a dirty white shirt rolled up to the elbows. Oversized work gloves caused him to fumble with the fat pencil behind his ear as he attempted to read over some information on a clipboard he carried. Of course, he could see very little through the grease smeared goggles he wore. A heavily laden tool belt finished off his dissheveled uniform.
He barely glanced up at them as he spoke in a thick accent. “Good day, young ladies. How may I help you today? Please be quick about it, I am in ze middle of a very important project that simply cannot vait for long. Vhat do you need feexed?”
“Nothing.” the princess stuttered. “That is, um....”
The inventor lifted his goggles from his nose, placing them on top of his head and looked up at his visitors for the first time with a curious eye. “Vhat is this you say? You need nothing feexed?”
“That’s right.” Maid Madelyn agreed.“Zen vhy did you ring our doorbell? Surely there is some object you have broken that requires attention or you would not have disturbed my verk.”
Nataleigh shrugged her shoulders slightly. “Well, sir, we don’t exactly have anything that needs to be fixed, but we do need your help.”
“Vell, that’s more like it. Then let’s get down to business.” He returned to his clipboard with pencil ready. “First ze matter of paperverk. Ve must keep ze records in order, don’t you know. Vhat is your names, please?”
Nataleigh and Maid Madelyn exchanged looks of impatience and began to answer the meticulous fellow, when they heard a voice calling and another dwarf appeared behind the first. This one was hardly dressed at all, wearing only green breeches with the legs torn off at the knees and sporting a tiny, blond pony tail at the back of his bald head. On his feet he wore solid steel boots with 2 inch souls that made him appear taller than he should and his bare arms rippled with muscle.
“Hiendel, you must hurry.” he too spoke in an accent, though slightly different from the first inventor. “The fire is redhot and the steel plating is ready for your...ach!”
He stopped short as he saw the Princess. “Vhat has happened to this young damsel? Is she pumping steroids?”
“Steroids?” asked Maid Madelyn. “What are steroids?”
“Nevermind this right now!” the first inventor named Hiendel cut in. “I must return to my verk! Here, Frangen. You finish up zis paperverk and bring the big vun in for diagnosis and treatment. I must go!”
And with that, he was gone.The larger inventor took the clipboard and pencil that was dumped upon him and tucked it under his arm. Then looking upward at the gathering storm clouds, he turned his attention back to the guests.
“It is beginning to get rather nasty out here, you must come in if you vish to discuss business further.” He motioned for them to follow him. “Do not vorry, large damsel! My brothers and I vill discover the nature of your bloated condition. Ve have many tests and examinations for such things.”
Nataleigh looked at Maid Madelyn with a puzzled look. “Vhat is he...I mean, WHAT is he talking about?”Madelyn shrugged and pushed the Princess along, eager to be out of the coming weather. “He must think you’ve got some disease or something that makes you so tall.”
“Oh.” The Princess suddenly stopped.“Wait a minute! What about Jewel? We can’t just leave her out here in this storm!”
Frangen turned back and noticed the pony for the first time. His bushy blond eyebrows lifted in surprise. “A vind runner pony! Vunderbar! She vill not fit down the stairs under the boulder. Ve vill have to go in the front door instead. This vay, hurry!”
The wind was beginning to blow very hard now and a few drops of rain had already begun to fall. Frangen led them down the beach a short distance and right up to the face of the cliff where a huge squarish boulder rested. He reached into a narrow crevice between two smaller rocks and the two visitors heard a loud clanking sound as if a lever had been released and a chain were being pulled. Then they watched in amazement as one corner at the bottom of the immense stone separated from the rest and pulled into the cliff face. With no support on that side, the boulder rolled a quarter turn in that direction revealing a large cave-like opening in the side of the mountain.
Nataleigh stood in awe of the awesome machinery that worked the massive door just inside the opening and nearly forgot to follow the others inside. It was so much more wonderful to see it in person than to see it through the magic mirror back at the Ivory Palace! She couldn’t wait to see all the other marvelous inventions these three had created up close! This was truly a wonderful adventure. She suddenly wished her brother were there with her.
“Nathan would love this stuff!” she whispered to herself. “He loves building things. It’s too bad that he’s not seeing all the things I’m seeing. He’ll never believe me when I tell him of all the excitement I’ve had.”
He barely glanced up at them as he spoke in a thick accent. “Good day, young ladies. How may I help you today? Please be quick about it, I am in ze middle of a very important project that simply cannot vait for long. Vhat do you need feexed?”
“Nothing.” the princess stuttered. “That is, um....”
The inventor lifted his goggles from his nose, placing them on top of his head and looked up at his visitors for the first time with a curious eye. “Vhat is this you say? You need nothing feexed?”
“That’s right.” Maid Madelyn agreed.“Zen vhy did you ring our doorbell? Surely there is some object you have broken that requires attention or you would not have disturbed my verk.”
Nataleigh shrugged her shoulders slightly. “Well, sir, we don’t exactly have anything that needs to be fixed, but we do need your help.”
“Vell, that’s more like it. Then let’s get down to business.” He returned to his clipboard with pencil ready. “First ze matter of paperverk. Ve must keep ze records in order, don’t you know. Vhat is your names, please?”
Nataleigh and Maid Madelyn exchanged looks of impatience and began to answer the meticulous fellow, when they heard a voice calling and another dwarf appeared behind the first. This one was hardly dressed at all, wearing only green breeches with the legs torn off at the knees and sporting a tiny, blond pony tail at the back of his bald head. On his feet he wore solid steel boots with 2 inch souls that made him appear taller than he should and his bare arms rippled with muscle.
“Hiendel, you must hurry.” he too spoke in an accent, though slightly different from the first inventor. “The fire is redhot and the steel plating is ready for your...ach!”
He stopped short as he saw the Princess. “Vhat has happened to this young damsel? Is she pumping steroids?”
“Steroids?” asked Maid Madelyn. “What are steroids?”
“Nevermind this right now!” the first inventor named Hiendel cut in. “I must return to my verk! Here, Frangen. You finish up zis paperverk and bring the big vun in for diagnosis and treatment. I must go!”
And with that, he was gone.The larger inventor took the clipboard and pencil that was dumped upon him and tucked it under his arm. Then looking upward at the gathering storm clouds, he turned his attention back to the guests.
“It is beginning to get rather nasty out here, you must come in if you vish to discuss business further.” He motioned for them to follow him. “Do not vorry, large damsel! My brothers and I vill discover the nature of your bloated condition. Ve have many tests and examinations for such things.”
Nataleigh looked at Maid Madelyn with a puzzled look. “Vhat is he...I mean, WHAT is he talking about?”Madelyn shrugged and pushed the Princess along, eager to be out of the coming weather. “He must think you’ve got some disease or something that makes you so tall.”
“Oh.” The Princess suddenly stopped.“Wait a minute! What about Jewel? We can’t just leave her out here in this storm!”
Frangen turned back and noticed the pony for the first time. His bushy blond eyebrows lifted in surprise. “A vind runner pony! Vunderbar! She vill not fit down the stairs under the boulder. Ve vill have to go in the front door instead. This vay, hurry!”
The wind was beginning to blow very hard now and a few drops of rain had already begun to fall. Frangen led them down the beach a short distance and right up to the face of the cliff where a huge squarish boulder rested. He reached into a narrow crevice between two smaller rocks and the two visitors heard a loud clanking sound as if a lever had been released and a chain were being pulled. Then they watched in amazement as one corner at the bottom of the immense stone separated from the rest and pulled into the cliff face. With no support on that side, the boulder rolled a quarter turn in that direction revealing a large cave-like opening in the side of the mountain.
Nataleigh stood in awe of the awesome machinery that worked the massive door just inside the opening and nearly forgot to follow the others inside. It was so much more wonderful to see it in person than to see it through the magic mirror back at the Ivory Palace! She couldn’t wait to see all the other marvelous inventions these three had created up close! This was truly a wonderful adventure. She suddenly wished her brother were there with her.
“Nathan would love this stuff!” she whispered to herself. “He loves building things. It’s too bad that he’s not seeing all the things I’m seeing. He’ll never believe me when I tell him of all the excitement I’ve had.”
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