The Fourth Letter


The well-worn trackway on the wooded hill snakes its way up through the trees. At the top we find a clearing, carpeted with white and purple heather. The heath stretches out to the West. Ahead in the distance at the foot of the next valley, lying like a fallen silver ornament upon a patchwork quilt, glints the sparkling shimmer of a silver crescent.

princess: Lake Eden?

knight: Yes, we should be there by late afternoon.

Lunch on the heath refreshes us. Eve has made a fine spread from various vegetables, and vermicelli and vol au vons. We take out the sword doorknocker from the cloth bag and study it more closely. At the hilt there is a silver boss that is intricately incised and looks familiar. We realise it is the same shape, size and design as Eve’s earring.

Before we begin the descent towards the lake, we talk of what might lie in store and look again at Eve's words.

.........she makes a wish, and with violin she dances
............... raised up high by the enchantress
..................a Talisman anoints the sword
..........................give the wise one
.............................the final
............................... word

Once more we journey on through the heathland landscape of gorse and heather, and on route, we continue to speculate.

knight: This landscape looks familiar.

princess: Perhaps you came here last night in your dream?

knight: In my dream the Lady of the Lake holds a sword above her head.

princess: Arthur's Sword? Remember Eve's house was called Vivien, and isn't Vivien another name for Nimeve, the friend of Merlin?

Nearing the bottom, trees obscure the view and we lose sight of the lake. We walk down a lane and then, huddled together like a meeting of friends, we discover a small hamlet of half a dozen tile-hung buildings; a few cottages, a shop, and what looks like a tea-room. Set out on the green lawn are white metal chairs and tables. From a wrought iron bracket a sign gently sways in the breeze: The Deaf Ear.

knight: It's funny how minor coincidences occur in life.

princess: Yes, it's as though visible reality is merely the land lying above an ocean, and we are blind to what lies below and connects everything together.

We sit down at one of the tables in the tea garden and shortly a small plump man with a shiny dome of a head comes to take our order.

knight: Two teas and two toasted tea cakes, thanks.

waiter: So what brings you hereabouts?

princess: We are looking for something.

waiter: Ahh that’ll be the final letter. You've done well. Not many reach this far, you know.

knight: Can you help? We need to find Vivian.

waiter: She’ll be somewhere in the garden. Go through the gate in the wall.

In a few minutes he returns with a tray and our order. We start to eat the delicious teacakes and dip the welcome beverage and look of again at Eve's words.

knight: What did Eve mean about Vivian, that she lives with the wise one? Come on, let’s find her. Off to the garden!

We return to the shop to pay but find that the door is already locked. There is a hand written sign on the door which announces, Come again.

knight: Come again?

We laugh at the same thought.

princess: Pardon?

At the end of the lane we see a wall of mellow handmade bricks and an arched entrance framing a close-boarded oak door. We raise the latch and enter. Revealed inside is a lush garden with manicured lawns, lavish with sculptures and fountains.

There is a view to the bottom of the valley where, surrounded by a moat stands a castle and beyond that lake Eden.

We venture in and shortly come across a sign pointing through a gap in a thick hedge.

EZAM >

We enter and make our way through corridors of yew. After many wrong turnings, eventually find ourselves at its heart. There, sitting on the low wall to a well, is a pretty young red haired woman in a violet dress.

knight: Hello, you must be Vivien?

Vivien: That is one of the names I go by.

knight: We have something for you.

Vivien: Ahh my violin and bow, thank you so much.

knight: And something else too.

Excitedly, she takes the sword doorknocker and hangs the silver sword on the broken rope above the centre of the well. She places the violin under her chin and plays a single string with the highest note and fine tunes the string until it reaches a perfect pitch. It is a sound so pure. The well acts like an organ pipe and resonates in harmony.

The sword vibrates like a tuning fork, and the note builds to a crescendo until suddenly something falls from the sword and Vivian immediately stops. A metallic sound rings out from the bottom of the well.

We inspect the sword and notice that the silver boss is no longer in the hilt.

knight: It must have fallen into the bucket, but the rope is broken so that the bucket can not be pulled up.

princess: After all that, we have lost it down the well!

Vivien: This is the well of sorrow. Once broken, hearts cannot be mended. In the night it fills with teardrops cried by all those who have broken hearts, so if we are to retrieve the Talisman we need to act fast, otherwise it may be lost forever, washed away on a salty sea.

We stare in despair, down into the depths of the darkness.

knight: Let’s look what we have left in the bag? Two things, the compass, the map.

princess: We have three things, we have the bag too don’t forget... Vivian, perhaps your ‘wise one’ can help us?

Vivien: He is in his tower. Bring the things to the magician as quickly as you can. I will guide you from the maze but I do not know the way in the dark. You will need to remember the way back.

knight: To find our way into the heart of the maze took at least an hour and now the light is already failing.

princess: Remember the story of the Minotaur, Perseus unwound the thread so he could retrace his steps.

Once more we have the same thought. We are now nearing the end of our Quest and will not be in need of the bag again and it is made from woven thread. As Vivien guides us out of the maze we leave the string trail behind us. We head for across the moat bridge. Vivien has the key to the door and guides us through the long corridors and up the winding stairs to the top most room of the tower.

We enter a room full of strange objects. Part library and part laboratory, it is full of dusty volumes with alchemy signs. An old man in a purple cloak and a white beard is sitting at the bench and is preparing some potion.

Merlin: Welcome, I was expecting you.

Vivien: Wise One, it is the talisman, it lies on the well bottom.

Merlin looks over his gold-rimmed glasses, with raised eyebrows.

Merlin: You are welcome to spend the night in the castle, but first before the sun sets we must retrieve the Talisman. Let’s see what we have? Hmm a magnetic compass, and a map.

Vivien: And the violin!

Merlin: This chart is a valuable document, to be sure, but of no use for retrieving metal objects from wells. Follow me.

Merlin leads us down the spiral staircase to the lowest room in the castle where the floor is of bare earth, and he places the compass on the ground. Vivien starts to play a gypsy jig and the magician chants a spell...

Merlin:

Earth energies we enhance
Poles apart, brought together in dance
force greater than the power of man
attract the silver talisman:

We dance around the compass. Vivien plays the violin with such vivacity. Energy rises up through our feet from within the earth and as we circle around, the pointer begins to follow our clockwise jig, around and around, faster and faster, until we collapse upon the bare earth floor.

Merlin: Now, it is charged.

We leave Merlin and Vivian and return with the compass through the maze. The last of the sun dips over the horizon to the west, and we are surrounded by the dark shadows of the gathering twilight.

At the centre of the maze we tie the compass magnet to the rope and lower it down to the bottom of the well. When we hear a distant clunk we pull up the rope to the top. Attached to the compass is the bucket and inside is Eve’s talisman.

We find our way out of the maze in the dark, by retracing the thread. Before we go to sleep in the castle that night, in the light of a candle we study Eve’s earring; a carefully worked silver initial, incised in the form of intricate Celtic knot. Engraved upon it is an inscription in a script of the smallest font…


..............................The East, and the silver sunrise
..................the equinox, where the cardinal lies
...........energy through the power of the earth
.......rate of exponential growth
....natural logarithm's base
..equations, like gypsies lace
everything, under the sun
this is Eve's talisman

..............For ever, and for eternity
..............for the name of a musical key
..............for Eroica, Beethoven's third
..............it is equal to MC squared
..............Elgar variations on a theme
..............an enigma, solved in a dream

.......Escape and extreme it limits
.......the top string this note emits
........it enables, extends, and exists
.............makes entrances and exits
................most common in English
..................the beginning of the end
.......................excess without calibre
.............................locate this in the magic sword, Excalibur


****

At first light, we leave the map as a gift for Merlin and head north to follow the direction of the compass needle, but we sense a presence following us.

We continue refreshed and follow the stream north. As the sun sets once more we find ourselves at a familiar spot; the island stone. And there lying on the island rock, and glinting in the red glow of the last of the sun, is the double-edged sword which materialised the first night we spent under the stars.

We take the Talisman and place it in the recess of the hilt of the sword handle. It fits exactly.

Now we feel there is a strange attraction between us, more powerful even than the earthforce engendered by Merlin in the dance. Now we have the strength and together we raise the sword from the rock and hold it high above our heads.

We turn to see two familiar, figures watching us. Merlin stands with Vivien by his side.

Merlin: You have raised Excalibur and you've completed the Quest to find the secret that many seek, but few can master.

We present Excaliber to the Lady of the Lake and she smiles.

Vivien: Reunited!

princess: Knight, there is one more place that we must go. Remember Eugene’s clue.

knight: To find a inscription on a wall?

We bid farewell to Merllin and Vivien and head back to the Hall, retracing the steps we took along the verdant banks of the river Eden until we reach the place where we started our quest.

As the evening shadows lengthen we enter the doorway of the Hall, inscribed in the wall above are these words -

The Quest maps the way we take
by Eden's hills, stream, and lake

Elusive, this can never be bought
Four objects made up the word you sought

..../\....
....L. shaped stone in the stream
....O.din's Ring, found in a dream
....V.ivian's variations on a vintage Violin
....E.ve's silver talisman
oooooooo
....0....
....0....

All now seen are laid before
carved in stone above this door

For all who came upon this Quest
to take up this sword, is my request.

.................................Merlin