I am Sam, Sam I am

 

Sara finally swam up the beach, exhausted, as the sun was coming up. Gathering up her final last ounce of strength, she pulled herself up onto the beach so the waves pounding on the sand would not get her feet wet. She lay with her backpack as a pillow and watched the beautiful cloudless green sky. She looked up and down the deserted beach and contemplated how she would get off the island, but the beach was not exactly deserted. Farther down the shore were many large birds picking up crabs, and other small animals tossed up on the shore by the waves. They had seen the beach toss her up and were heading straight for her at a breakneck pace and with a hungry look on their faces.

“Might I suggest we find another location before you rest? The natives are hungry,” said a muffled voice from out of nowhere.

Sara was shocked. “I know I talk to myself, but that was not me. I know it wasn’t.” She searched for the source of the voice. The only living things she saw were the birds, and they were closer.

“I believe we should make haste and vacate the immediate area. Those Canaboro birds are quite agitated.” Sara looked around for the source of the voice but, except for her backpack and the menacing birds, she was alone. “Sara, run now and question the whereabouts of my voice later, or you may not have the opportunity to meet me.”

Sara forced her exhausted body to stand up, grab the backpack, and run into a copse of palm trees just off the beach where she finally collapsed. Fortunately, once she was off the sand of the beach, the Canaboro birds were no longer interested in her and walked along the beach picking up clams.

“That was a little too close for my liking Sara.” Somehow, the eerie voice had followed her to her hiding place. “Young lady, is it your intention to keep me in this dark place for the rest of our adventure?” The voice was coming from her backpack. “Might I make a suggestion that we meet? I might be very useful to you. No, Sara, you are not losing your mind, so please release me from the satchel post-haste.”

Sara unzipped her backpack and sorted through the items inside. Nothing appeared to have the ability to speak. There was her hairbrush, her clothes, her Doritos. “You could help by telling me what you are. Talking objects are not my thing.”

“Humph, I’m insulted. It is evident to me, of all these talismans in here, only I would be able to talk. Don’t get me wrong, all these amulets and trinkets will be very useful for our adventure, but they are certainly not intelligent like me.”

Sara continued going through the items in her backpack. She pulled out Huckleberry Finn. “Mr. Thompson told me you would keep me company.”

“And he was so right. I am a highly intelligent enchanted book; my name is Sam, pleased to meet your acquaintance, Miss Sara.”

“Wow.” 

“Hmmph, a limited vocabulary I see. I guess not all of us can be of superior intelligence.” Sara just sat and looked at the book, dumbfounded. “Are you quite finished staring at me child? We have a lot of information to go over and very little time in which to cover it. Sara, Sara, I cannot help you without direct participation from yourself.”

“Oh, sorry Mr. Finn, What can I do to help you?”

“You can start by remembering that my name is Sam, Sam Clemens.”

“Oh, sure Mr. Clemens.”

“First I must tell you a few rules must be adhered to when speaking of an enchanted book such as myself.”

“Okay.”

“The first rule, I may only assist you three times. Unfortunately, helping you get off the beach and away from those mean looking birds must count as one of my assists. That, of course, leaves you two more. Please use them wisely. The second rule, you may ask me three questions, only three, and they must be asked the first time the book is opened, which of course is now. Please use the questions now. Choose wisely, Sara.”

Sara tried to think of what questions she needed an answer to. There were so many of them. But, since she only had three choices, she needed to organize her thoughts and ask the questions that would give her the most information. “Okay, my first question is: where have my evil aunts taken my mother? My second question is.…”

Sam interrupted her, “Please, one question at a time. The answer to question one is: Janet and Maggie have just recently tried and convicted your mother of treason. She will soon be transferred to Doldunt Prison where she will be summarily executed.”

Sara laid her face in her hands and began to cry. “It’s just not fair. I can’t do this. How can I rescue her from prison, they’ll have guards and everything. I need help.” Sara looked up and brightened, “Hey my father could help. He’s smart, and he’s strong, and he’s not just thirteen years old. My second question is: where is my father?”

The answer to your second question is your father is the commander of a ragtag army for Libero Salus. He is currently located in Hemit's Cave which is many miles south of here. Sorry, but I cannot divulge any other information until it has happened but, I fear a change in your father’s status. He might be in jeopardy.”

“Then I have to get to him right away. I need to warn him. How do I, I mean, my third question is: how do I get off this deserted island and get to this Hemit's Cave.”

Sam did not answer that question right away. It was as if Sara had asked a question with no answer, wasting her last question. Finally, Sam spoke, “I am sorry Sara, and I don’t have an answer to that question. However, there is one on the island that might have the answer. He has a small shack about three miles to the west. You must find him and convince him it is time to get off the island. He has been here for three hundred years, and he is your only hope.”

Sara wanted to make her mother proud by being polite. “Thank you for your help, Sam. Which way is west from here?”

If books had a heart to break, Sam’s heart surely would have been broken. “Sara, dear Sara, I wish you had phrased your last statement differently. All you had to say was thank you that would have been sufficient.”

“Why, what’s wrong with what I said?”

“I am sorry, but wizard rules are binding and cannot be altered. You called the answers to my questions as help, which means that indirectly I helped you. I wish I could change the law, but I cannot. My first help was to get you off the beach. When you thanked me for helping you locate your father that constituted the second help.”

“How could I possibly have known that Sam, it isn’t fair, can’t I take it back?” She paused, waiting for Sam to say he would make an exception just this one time, but he said nothing. “Well, at least I have one help left. I promise to be careful not to waste that one.” Sam was quiet. “I do have one more left, don’t I?”

“Oh, Sara, I am so sorry, but the simple fact is, as I’m sure you remember, you asked me which direction west was. Once I answer that, and I am bound to answer it, you can’t take it back; it will be your third and last help. I can’t change the rules. Sara, the West is opposite the rising sun. I am sorry Sara, but I must now return to my dormant state. I wish I could do more. Please return me to your dark satchel. Don’t worry. I’ll be just fine. You can always read me anytime you like. Please put me in the satchel now Sara. I do not want to get wet. The storm you created has followed you, and it is about to rain. Good luck.”

Sara placed Sam into her backpack as the torrential rains began.