The Orchard of Hope (12 page)

“Nevertheless,
your advice is always welcome,
”
he replied with a parting bow as he said
goodbye.

“You
’
re the
greatest!
”
Maggie exclaimed as she curtsied to the woman.
“
I hope I
’
m just like you when I grow
up.
”

“With that
attitude you will be.
”
The woman smiled with assurance as she handed Maggie a few
coins from the bag at her feet. Then she turned to Kelsey.
“
Nothing for you.
Wisdom pays dividends only to those who admire
it.
”

Kelsey wanted to
spit on the woman for treating her shabbily, but she held herself
together and simply nodded. She couldn
’
t understand why she was always
unable to converse with these women. She also knew that she
shouldn
’
t be
jealous of Maggie, and yet she was. Kelsey had never known how to
appease these elegantly dressed women, and she hated that some
others did it so easily while she struggled.

“I
’
m sorry to disappoint you.
Goodbye,
”
Kelsey said before turning away.

“Your sorrow
may be what saves you,
”
the woman replied.
“
There may be hope for you yet –
if you
’
re
looking for hope, that is.
”

Kelsey
didn
’
t know how
to respond, so she kept walking away with her friends and
didn
’
t speak
another word. Sometimes the best words are the ones we
don
’
t say.

“The easiest
approach to people is honesty. You
’
re never wrong when
you
’
re honest
because your feelings are real,
”
Maggie said after they had walked a distance and were out of the
range of the woman
’
s
hearing.

“What if
I
’
m feeling
annoyed because I didn
’
t ask for advice?
”
Kelsey asked.

“All I know is
that wisdom and reality are somehow linked. I don
’
t know how, but I also know that
feelings are real. They can help us to see reality by showing us
who we are. At least that works for me,
”
Maggie explained.
“
I just thought it
might help you if you knew what worked for me.
”

While Kelsey
didn
’
t quite
understand, she accepted that perhaps Maggie did have something
that she lacked and that maybe the king was right to send Maggie on
this journey. Kelsey still didn
’
t understand exactly how or why
Maggie could be of use on the quest, but Maggie did seem to be
faster at understanding how to communicate with the birds, and she
could charm the Sisters of Wisdom. Those skills could prove
valuable over time.

“Thank you for
your advice,
”
Kelsey finally said, and she meant it. She
didn
’
t know how
she could use it, but she was grateful for a friend who cared
enough to give it.

The two girls
followed Roland down the path to the wooden docks. The group of
reapers behind them stayed back far enough that Kelsey was certain
they wouldn
’
t
attempt to board a ship with them, and this thought gave her some
relief. Perhaps they would finally give up. Kelsey was feeling
optimistic at this prospect, but then she remembered that Roland
didn
’
t travel
well by sea.

“A boat? But
you
’
ll get
seasick,
”
she
said with concern.

“I can only
hope!
”
Roland
exclaimed with delight.
“
but if the sea is calm enough, I
won
’
t.
”

“You don
’
t do well on ships. You looked
terrible when I saw you last time,
”
Kelsey said.
“
You turned green and you did
nothing but drool for days.
”

“It was the
most fun I
’
ve
had in years. You know how I enjoy a good illness. I
haven
’
t had one
since then, either.
”

“Oh, Roland,
this seems like such a bad idea,
”
Kelsey replied.

“There
’
s no other way to get there,
”
Roland explained.
“
We have to cross the
sea.
”

“What
’
s a bad
idea?
”
Maggie asked.
Kelsey had already forgotten that Maggie couldn
’
t hear what Roland was
saying
.

“Roland gets
seasick,
”
Kelsey explained.
“
But he says that
there
’
s no
other way to get there.
”

“Then we should
do it,
”
Maggie
replied with resolution.

“We are doing
it,
”
Roland
said, and then he added,
“
right now.
”

Maggie could
neither see nor hear him, but she was learning how to watch
Kelsey
’
s body
language carefully. When she saw Kelsey move forward, she knew it
had been decided. She watched Kelsey for clues on which way to go
and how fast to move. She was learning to interpret even the
smallest cues.

As soon as
Roland stepped onto the boat and felt the gentle rocking motions
the color began to drain from his face a little. He sat down in a
corner and waited for the boat to leave port. Kelsey waited
anxiously with him. He might enjoy his illnesses, but Kelsey
didn
’
t enjoy
seeing her friend so sick, even if it was
temporary.

When the ship
left the dock, the motion of the sea became stronger, and
Roland
’
s
complexion underneath his fur turned from pink to green. Kelsey
looked with concern over Roland
’
s condition, but at the same
time she kept getting the urge to giggle. The mixture of concern
and desire to laugh was confusing. Kelsey was trying to suppress
the urge to giggle again when she heard Maggie bubble up in a small
fit of laughter. Kelsey attempted to stare her down with a warning
look, but then she found herself giggling, as
well.

“How
’
s
your friend doing?
”
Maggie asked with a chuckle.

“Sick,
”
Kelsey said as she giggled back. She hated
herself for laughing, but she couldn
’
t help it. Everything
appear
ed funny
to her
.

“This is
weird,
”
Maggie
said. Then she stifled another giggle.
“
I don’
t even know what
’
s so
funny.
”

They both glanced around at the
other passengers as Roland vomited over the edge of the boat. Each
time Kelsey made eye contact with someone, they both giggled. It
was as if they all shared some inside joke, and it made them all
feel like they were part of the same club.

The boat moved up and down with a
large wave, giving everyone the momentary feeling that the ship had
fallen out from underneath them. The passengers laughed even more.
It was as if they had all been friends for years and were
remembering an old joke or a funny memory together. The laughter
then went from a comforting feeling to one of goofiness and
euphoria. The sea sprayed their faces with cool mist and their
laughter increased.

“My stomach
hurts!
”
Maggie
cried as she continued to laugh harder.

“This
isn
’
t fun anymore,
”
Kelsey replied as she continued
to laugh heartily,
“
but I can
’
t seem to stop.
”

“I
’
m not sure if I can
breathe,
”
Maggie said as she gasped in between bursts of
laughter.

“This is
intolerable!
”
Kelsey looked over at Roland, but he was still vomiting
into the sea. There was no way to ask him about the
situation.
“
What in the kingdom is happening here?
”

“It
’
s the Sea of
Laughter!
”
another male passenger shouted over to them. Everyone on
board was laughing loudly, and Kelsey could barely
hear.

“We
’
re on a sea of
laughter?
”

“The
Sea of
Laughter,
”
the
gentleman shouted back. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he
continued to chuckle.

“This is
crazy!
”
Maggie
exclaimed.
“
We
’
re riding on waves of
laughter!
”

“There
’
s no other way to get there safely, and sometimes this way
isn
’
t too
safe,
”
the man
replied.

“Has anyone
died from laughing?
”
Kelsey asked. The thought that laughter could be a weapon
made her laugh even more. It hurt her ribs terribly, and although
she cringed with pain, she continued to laugh. She just
couldn
’
t
stop.

“Sure,
”
the man said.
“
I
’
ve
seen it several times. However, once someone dies, it usually helps
the rest of us to make it through safely. Most of the time,
it
’
s just one
death. Sort of like a sacrifice,
”
he broke into a loud peal of laughter as he
spoke the end of the sentence.

Very soon the laughter turned to
hysteria, and the people were laughing in terror rather than
because anything was funny. It was painful to laugh, and it was
frightening, but no one could stop. Several of the passengers got
up and began moving wildly about, as if looking for a way out of
the situation. Everyone seemed to be in a panic. Kelsey was afraid
these people might jump into the sea and drown
themselves.

At that point,
Roland staggered forward. He paused several times as he placed his
paw over his mouth. No one appeared to see him, but everyone could
hear. Everyone except Maggie, that is, and what Maggie
couldn
’
t hear,
she could feel.

At first Roland
burst out with a mild chuckle. Then he laughed quietly. It
didn
’
t take
much, but the effect was immediate. Everyone else stopped laughing
all at once, because when Death laughs, no one else does. The rest
of the boat was silent as Roland let loose.

Roland
’
s laughter had more than a
calming effect: it was sobering and moved people to tears. Soon
passengers were weeping and no one knew why they were feeling sad
and afraid. The conversations stopped. Nearly a third of the
passengers immediately became seasick, but no one died. Still, the
journey became somber and took on a feeling of
mourning.

Death had saved them, but nothing
was funny anymore. It was a very sobering feeling and the first
time Kelsey felt sad around Roland. They passed the rest of the
journey over the sea without speaking as Roland continued to vomit
noisily over the edge of the boat until they reached the opposite
shore. And while everyone felt safe from the sea, no one really
felt calm.