Chapter Four

                                                                                                                               

Just as there had been a sign welcoming me to Saturday, there was an equal sign, now behind me, bidding me farewell and to ‘Come Again!’  Ahead of me was a great expanse of hills, in all sizes and colors.  Mostly shades of green, brown or yellow with a few vibrant shades of purple, blue or orange due to wild flowers covering the tops like frosting on a cake.  There was a narrow road, so I chose to stick to that and assumed I was indeed headed into the ‘Hills of Sunday.’  Several hours passed and my poor tummy reminded me constantly that I hadn’t put anything in it.  I stopped for a minute and took a drink from the bottle of water I’d received from Dashing.  Yep, still good water.  I replaced the cap and settled it in my basket, then kept on walking, wondering all the while if I was going in the right direction and, if I did not cross paths with the Royal Mounty, if I should keep on over the hills or turn around and go back to Saturday.  If that were even possible, since now, presumably, I was well into Sunday and time still could not be turned back no matter how far into it you got.  As I pondered this, a pounding sound grew steadily louder, coming from the hills on my right.  I recalled for a moment that I’d once heard of people being crushed by stampeding buffalo, or packs of wolves eating them alive and thought maybe I should make a run for it, but to where I didn’t know and would I be fast enough to out run whatever it was pounding towards me?  So, there I was, out standing in the field, alone and slightly terrified when I saw just one horse with one man riding upon it rise over the hill.  Relief swept over me as he pulled his horse, his mighty big horse I might add, up to a stop, snorting and sweating and twitching like horses do that have been running awhile.
 “Ho!” He called to the horse. “Why aren’t you a picnic!” He exclaimed looking down at me.  He was quite a sight.  With navy pants, shining black boots, a bright red military style coat and shining buttons. He had honey colored skin and eyes and a wide brimmed, brown, felt hat sitting on top of what looked like red and gold maple leaves in place of hair, long enough to brush his collar.
 “Little Miss, are you out here alone?” He asked.
“Yes.” I replied. “I am and I’m relieved to see you, assuming you are the Canadi- er the RMP and these are the Hills of Sunday?”
 “I am.” He tipped his hat. “Acer, of the Royal Mounties and this,” he motioned toward his gleaming brown horse,  “is Sir Noble the Highest of horses and most trusted steed.  We’ve no doubt you’re relieved as most are the moment we arrive, but must ask, what is it you are doing out here alone and where shall we go to put you back where you belong?”  He straightened in his saddle and the horse began to nibble at the grass.
 “I’m Justa Smidge.  Usually I work the morning shift at the Haberdashery you see, but last night, er, well, Thursday it was, Thursday evening I was to close up the shop.  I haven’t finished my job and need to get back to do so as soon as possible.  Mrs, Moppins said to, well, actually, Dashing sent me on to, well, no, the Mayor of Saturday, drew me a map in the dust and sent me here to find you to get me back to the armoire?”  I tried to explain, not really knowing what he knew or who he knew and what and who he didn’t know.
“Sooo, you’ve not come out here for a picnic then?” He asked eyeing my basket.
 “No, though I see how you could assume that, me carrying a basket and with the lovely wild flowers out here.”
“Yes, that and ... other things.”  He glanced over my attire with a crooked smile on his face.  “What’s in the basket?”  His face went all serious and he sounded suspicious.
 “That’s the other thing,” I quickly replied,  “I’ve only got this bottle of water, from Mr. Dashing, at the well?  I never took my dinner break and now I find I’m starving!  Any place to stop and grab a bite along the way?” I ask.
 “Possibly.  We’ll get headed in the right direction at least.  Climb up here on Sir Noble though, there’s still quite a stretch to go.”  He unrolled a small rope ladder from the saddle and quite unsteadily, I climbed up it and hoisted myself onto the very tall horse, commenting on its height.
 “It’s all in the legs you see.  A horse is nothing without his legs and Sir Noble has the longest legs around.” He explained strapping my basket along side to a leather strap and instructing me to hold on tight. 
The ride was quite pleasant, galloping over the hills through the flowers and the breeze, and he smelled of leaves and brown sugar with the occasional whiff of warm butter or maybe my aching tummy was playing tricks on me.
Suddenly he pulled up on the reins and Sir Noble slowed to a stop.  “Rrrgghh, I should have expected this.” Acer growled.
 I looked over his shoulder,  beyond his leafy hair and across a small stream. On the top of another hill was another man riding a large horse.  Only this horse was pure white, with a snowy mane and tail and the man was wearing gleaming white-gold armor.  He had pale skin and long shiny, yellow hair, like corn silk.
“Karo.” Said Acer through gritted teeth.  He narrowed his eyes and called out to the armored man, “Karo!  What do you want?!”
 The pale man called back, “Acer!  So good to see you!  It is Sunday my good man and on Sunday we joust!”  He raised a jousting lance in demonstration.
“We’ll have to forego the jousting this time Good Fellow, I’m on a mission currently.”  Acer nodded his head towards me and pulled his horse around so Karo could view me better.
 Karo’s eyes lit up as he called out,  “Are you finally on an actual mission Acer or are you on a picnic?!  I love picnics! Trot on over to my side of the hill here and we’ll all set one out together!”
 “No time Karo, no time today!  Miss Smidge here is on her way to Thursday and I will be escorting her.” Acer stated, backing Sir Noble up a step.
“No picnic and no jousting?  You know very well, Acer, that you can not pass straight through Sunday without a joust!  I was willing to consider it in lieu of a picnic but I must insist on one or the other.”  Karo’s eyes were narrowed now and his tone much less friendly.
Patting Acer on the shoulder, I whispered “I haven’t got a picnic, Acer, as you well know, so we can’t offer him one.  Is this a usual challenge?”  I asked quietly.
 “Karo always demands a joust before passing through his side of the hills in Sunday. He’s the Colonel of all of the corn in these hills and gets quite bored patrolling the fences.  Not much action out here, I say regretfully.   We must pass through to get you on to Monday and so forth.  I’m afraid I can not avoid it.” He whispered back. 
“Very well, Karo, we will joust, since I must get Miss Smidge through.”  Acer called out.
 “Aha!  You’ve come to your senses.  I say we make it more exciting than usual though, what with having a guest this Sunday.  I say, the winner of the joust will be the one to escort Miss Smidge, and her picnic, on through.”
“ I don’t think that’s necessary at all!”  I called over to the intimidating Karo.
“I make the rules and the rules have been made!” Karo yelled out cutting me off.  “Off that high horse now and stand over there out of the way.  Can’t have a skewered picnic.”
 Acer helped me off and handed me my mostly empty basket and I backed a few paces away and sat down among some white daisies.  Acer coaxed Sir Noble through the creek and onto the other hill and both men rode off in opposite directions.  They stopped several yards away from one another and turned around.  Karo raised his lance and Acer took out a long sword, still in it’s black sheath.  Both men spoke into their horses ears and the beasts reared up on hind legs, then took off towards each other at full speed.  I covered my eyes with my hands but dared look through my fingers.  Seconds later the horses passed within inches of each other, Acer’s sword glanced off of Karo’s immaculate armor and Karo’s lance hit Acer in the shoulder, knocking him back and somersaulting him off his high horse and rolling down the hill into the creek.
I squealed in alarm and ran quickly down the hill to find him climbing out of the water and straightening his uniform.  His hat was lying back at the top of the hill where he’d come off the horse and the leaves on his head were sticking out in all directions.
 “Oh, dear, are you alright?  Are you hurt?” I ask, not sure how I can help.
“Only my pride, Miss Smidge, only my pride.  I’m very sorry you had to see that, though I’m convinced it’s not a fair game.”  He looked up at me a bit sheepish. “Also sorry to say this means Karo will get to escort you the rest of the way.”  He kicked a small rock back into the creek and started up the hill after his steed, who had picked up Acer’s hat in his teeth and stood there waiting to hand it to his master.
 I followed on up and Karo galloped in beside me, all gleaming and glittering in the sunlight, barely a smudge on his perfect armor.  He held out a white gloved hand and pulled me up behind him onto the back of his horse, which was not as high as Sir Noble but had a certain arrogance about it just the same.
 “A deal is a deal, Miss Smidge is it?  I shall now be your escort the rest of the way through Sunday.  What have you brought us to snack on?”  He peeked inside my basket before tying it onto his own saddle and sat back abruptly.  “There’s nothing in here but a bottle of water!” he glared at me.
“I never said anything about a picnic or there being food.” I answered “You concluded that yourself when making the rules of your joust.”  I turned up my nose at him and looked off to the side.  He may have won the joust but I would not give him the satisfaction of winning my friendship.
 “I was so looking forward to a feast of pancakes and eggs.  Or maybe french toast with a side of ham!  A bacon and cheese omelet?  Even just a muffin.  Hmmmfff.”  Karo turned tossing the water lightly back into the basket and then turned his horse.
 “You sure you wanted a picnic?  That all sounds more like a breakfast buffet.” I mutter.
Then I turned to see Acer, back on Sir Noble at the edge of the creek.  I waved and called out a thank you as Karo said back over his shoulder, “Nothing’s better than breakfast in Sunday Miss Smidge!”  And off we trotted toward the distant hills and even larger looming mountains with the sun barely visible behind them.
I noticed, now that I was sitting so closely behind him, that Karo’s armor was melded to look like metal corn kernels all the way up and this got me thinking about food which reminded my tummy that it was quite hungry.
Nearing the mountains I gathered the courage to tap Karo on the shoulder and ask, “Is there a chance of finding something to eat near by?  It’s been quite a journey so far and I’m famished!”
 Karo replied by turning his head back and saying, “It’s been no picnic for me either Miss and no where to stop before we reach Monday Mountains.  I’m not one for cooking or any type of domestic work.”
 “ No, of course not.” I mutter dryly. “Wouldn’t want to tarnish your image or your armor.”
 “Now, now,” He scolded, “I’ve done my fair share by getting you this far.  I’ll take you to the edge of Monday.  The ladies up there will be far better at hostessing than I am.  They should get you right again and show you your way.
It began to snow lightly and the ground turned frozen and peaks rose above us.  He called his horse to a stop and stepped off, helping me down.
“You’re leaving me here?  I’m not sure what to do!”  My lip trembled.  I was so tired and I just wanted to close the shop and go on home.  “It’s not as bad as all that.”  Karo said gruffly, shuffling his feet in the snow.  Flakes were settling on his armor, leaving little water marks which he gave an irritated glance at.  “Here, take these.” He lifted the flap on a golden saddle bag and pulled out a soft pair of white leather gloves, just like the ones he was wearing and handed them to me.  I took them and put them on.  They were large for my hands and came almost to my shoulder but they did help to keep out the chill from the snow.  “Thank you, they’re lovely.”  I sniffed.
 “Now,”  he said climbing back onto his horse,  “Go around those rocks there and you’ll be right on into Monday Mountains.  The ladies shouldn’t be far.  You’ll hear them before you see them.  You’ll be in good hands.  Take care now and best of luck!”  And with that he kicked his heels into his horse and they whirled around and were off, disappearing over a light green hill.