The Binkle and the Catawampus Compass (Binkles and Magic) Read Free

man impossible wasn’t his weird appearance, bizarre as it was. The man didn’t look solid. He shimmered. One moment he looked normal (well, normal is a stretch, but at least he looked heavy enough to stand on the ground). The next the light was passing right through his body. But that’s not the strangest part. The man tripped and fell apart—into shattered chunks.
    Jeep heard “Kittens hendrini!”
    The next moment the man seemed to be back together, just like nothing had happened. So Jeep assumed his eyes were playing tricks on him. What else could it be?
    The approaching figure bounced along, barely touching the ground, like a balloon lifted by a breeze. The wooden staff he carried towered over him—obviously he didn’t need it for walking. He’s strange, no question about it. The way he moves is even weirder .
    The stranger (a strange stranger, perhaps) wasn’t alone. A brown and black dog, resembling an oversized Doberman, walked on his left. As the dog came closer Jeep noticed something was fastened on its back. A saddle? An ordinary-looking brown rabbit hopped along behind.
    When the trio was almost up to him, the man seemed to trip again. The sound of “Kittens hendrini!” was the only indication that Jeep wasn’t having an eye problem.
    With the little man so close, Jeep watched the whole weird chain of events like it happened in slow motion. What looked like a trip was more like a cracking apart, as if the man weren’t in one piece. His wrinkled face contorted in pain, like being stung by hundreds of bees. When he said the kitten thing again SNAP! He came back together again. It probably only took a second—but seemed much longer. If this is real, I’ve got no clue how the world works.
    ~~~
    The procession stopped when it reached the circle of animals. First, the wrinkled man paused and looked kindly over the assembled critters. When he spread his arms wide he opened his mouth and a garble of deep rumbling sounds arose. What appeared to be a speech rose and fell in a steady rhythm, “Ooobo dobooo roonoo besoooboo alooooocoooooo...”
    Jeep thought it sounded more like wind as it blows through the trees than any human language. But while he couldn’t follow the message, the assembled animals seemed to. Their rapt attention was fixed on the wrinkled man as though they understood every syllable.
    His arms gestured as if he were making a speech or performing some ceremony. The man chanted in that way for several minutes before falling silent. After a slowly nodding pause toward the crowd, he waved goodbye. With that signal, all the animals hopped, crawled, flew, tiptoed, and slunk off—fading silently into the underbrush.
    Only after the last animal vanished did the stranger turn his attention to the boy. Jeep wasn’t sure whether he should be scared or not. Am I in danger or about to be rescued?
    The strange man was in no hurry making up his mind. He thoughtfully rubbed his beard while he studied the fallen figure all over at a dawdling pace. The scrutiny didn’t stop at the skin, either. Jeep felt like the man’s eyes look right into him, almost like X-rays.
    Now what? He’s sure taking a long time—but I don’t intend to speak first. Jeep looked the old man over as well. But he wasn’t the least bit clear about what to make of what he saw.
    Eventually, although the long drawn-out silence wasn’t broken, Jeep sensed that the man had reached some decision.
    ~~~
    “Hungry, Laddie?”
    Jeep nodded. At least he speaks English. I was starting to wonder.
    The man’s poking around in the many pockets of his shapeless coat reminded Jeep of circus clowns who pull countless objects from their bottomless pockets. Finally, the wrinkled face broke into a satisfied smile as he dramatically brought out what he’d spent so much effort hunting for—a single cookie.
    “Harrumph. Here—eat this.” The man’s rumbling voice seemed much too large and deep for his miniature size.
    “Thanks, Mister.”