An Elf’s Name

 

 

Hollis the mountain gnome was not just a fine cards player and thief. He was also very lucky. He had a knack for being in the right place at the right time when opportunity knocked. And when luck did come his way, usually an opportunity that meant money in his pocket, the fingers of his right hand tingled. Just the right hand, not the left. Never the left.

 

So when he heard that a trader was heading to the Shady Forest where some elves lived, his fingers had tingled like crazy. He had quickly signed on as a guard for the wagons, being quite handy with a dagger.

 

The journey had taken several days over low hills and through grassy valleys. It was in the late afternoon on the fourth day that the wagons topped a rise and Hollis saw the Shady Forest. Like all elven forests, it was very impressive, with towering trees of wood and leaf rising high into the air.

 

He once again felt the tingling in his fingers and an excited grin crossed his narrow face. Yes, there was opportunity here and he had a very good idea what kind of opportunity it was. It wasn’t gold or silver, or precious gems. Nor was it a magical weapon or spell to be stolen. No, the opportunity involved an actual elf and he could hardly wait for the wagons to make camp.

 

* * *

 

Grub wasn’t a very happy elf. This was partly due to his name, which he really disliked. He would have much preferred a name like Frosted Leaf, Silver Brook or Eagle Feather. A name that sounded nice, something he could be happy with. Of course there were other equally unpleasant names like Rotting Log or Slimy Moss, but the elves he knew with these names didn’t seem to mind them.

 

But it wasn’t just his name that Grub was unhappy about. It was being an elf in general that he found… boring. Nothing very exciting happened in the Shady Forest where he lived. Every day was much like the one before it. He would wake up to the low humming of flowers and the soft whispering of the trees that only elves could hear. He would roam through the forest, not doing anything particular, just roaming for the sake of going somewhere.

 

The forest was all he knew and for most elves this was enough. They were not at all interested in other kingdom’s. The forest trees, plants, flowers and animals were all they needed to be happy. But Grub was very interested in other kingdom’s and what happened in them. He would often travel alone to the forest’s edge and gaze out over grassy valleys or look up at mountains and wonder what lay beyond.

 

He longed to meet folk and creatures other than elves. Like Kings and queens...dragons and rock trolls… wizards and witches… even fairies who were distantly related to elves it was said. Gnomes and dwarves, goblins and ogres, cities and towns… all this he wanted to see.

 

Occasionally an elf would leave the forest for an important reason, perhaps over a matter concerning dwarves. But when that happened it was an Elder that went. Grub might get to go outside if he became an Elder, but as elves could live for centuries, he had a long wait ahead of him. He wasn’t even a hundred yet.

 

He let out a dismayed sigh and stood up from the bough of the tree he’d been sitting on. He knew with a sinking feeling that he would most likely spend his long life in Shady Forest. He guessed he should return home. He had been away for several days, roaming near the forest borders again. Someone might be wondering where he was.

 

But as he began to leap from bough to bough, tree to tree through shafts of misty sunlight, he made a vow. If an opportunity ever came along, he would take it.

 

* * *

 

On his return to his village however he discovered that a trader had been in the forest for several days. Now a visiting trader was very rare. Only twice in his lifetime had one come and that had been when he was much younger. Grub could have kicked himself for almost missing them. Whilst he had been daydreaming about the outside world, it had in fact arrived.

 

To make matters worse, tonight was their last night in the forest. As the shadows of dusk fell, Grub climbed a tree to have a better look at them. He could have just gone into the trader camp to say hello, but it wasn’t encouraged by the Elders. Elves were taught to mistrust outsiders from an early age and it was hard to ignore.

 

He didn’t climb very high into the tree and was shortly perched on a large bough. It leaned out over the trader’s wagons. The trader and his guards were seated about a fire preparing a meal. Grub hoped they would tell a story about the places they’d been and things they’d seen.

 

And then a voice suddenly spoke above him.

 

‘Nice evening.’

 

Grub was so startled he almost fell out of the tree. He had to grab a branch to stop himself as he looked up to where the voice had come from. In the fading light he saw a figure sitting on a bough just above him. He was a little shorter than himself, quite skinny and with a bald head.

 

‘Who… who are you?’ Grub asked. ‘I… I didn’t see you sitting there.’

 

‘The name’s Hollis.’

 

‘Are… are you with the traders?’

 

‘I’m one of their guards, yes,’ Hollis replied.

 

‘What kind of… folk are you?’ Grub asked, keen suddenly to know more about him.

 

‘I’m a mountain gnome,’ Hollis replied as he swung down from the bough to sit next to Grub. ‘Ever seen one before?’

 

Grub shook his head.

 

‘No, I’ve never met anyone from outside my forest. Where do you come from?’

 

Hollis laughed.

 

‘Well, I was born in some mountains being a mountain gnome, but I live in big towns these days.’

 

‘A town!’ Grub said in a dream like tone. ‘What’s a town like?’

 

‘Oh, some are small and quiet, others are big, noisy and smelly,’ Hollis replied, quick to see the interest in the elf’s eyes. The fingers of his right hand were tingling quite sharply. ‘What’s your name?’

 

Grub mumbled something and Hollis frowned.

 

‘Sorry… I didn’t quite get that.’

 

‘Grub,’ Grub said lamely.

 

‘Oh, I see,’ Hollis said in a sympathetic tone, though he was chuckling a bit inside. What an unfortunate name he thought. ‘Shouldn’t there be something else to it? You elves always have two names like Curling Leaf or Shimmering Cloud.’

 

‘It’s Dead Grub,’ Grub replied apologetically. ‘Awful name, I know.’

 

‘Mmm… I’ve heard elves have an usual way of naming yourselves,’ Hollis said. ‘Doesn’t your mum or dad get led through the forest blindfolded and when the blindfold is taken off, you choose the first thing you see?’

 

Dead Grub nodded.

 

‘That’s right. My father named me, but he tripped as the blindfold was taken off… and a dead grub was the first thing he saw.’

 

‘Unfortunate. By what brings you to sit up here, Grub? It’s a little odd to find an elf interested in visitors, other than your Elders.’

 

‘Oh, I’m not like most of my folk,’ Grub said quickly. ‘I’ve always wanted to meet other people, see different creatures, travel to different kingdom’s. I’ve often wished I could visit these towns you speak of, see a dragon, meet a King and a Queen.’

 

‘Well, you could just walk out of your forest, Grub,’ Hollis said. ‘Follow your nose to wherever it takes you. That’s what I do.’

 

Grub shook his head.

 

‘Oh, I’d like to do that, but I’m told you need money to travel,’ he said. ‘We elves don’t use money.’

 

‘You could work for some money, Grub,’ Hollis said. ‘There are plenty of things you can do to earn money.’

 

‘I wouldn’t know where to start,’ Grub said a little dismally.

 

‘Well, perhaps I could help you,’ Hollis said.

 

They looked at each other in the last of the daylight, the shadows heavy around them. Grub felt something pass between them. It was an understanding of some kind, even though they had only just met.

 

‘How?’ he asked, his tone eager.

 

Hollis grinned.

 

‘Have you ever heard of a circus?’

 

Grub frowned and shook his head. Hollis smiled even broader.

 

‘Well, a circus is a huge group of entertainers. They travel throughout Kingdoms putting on shows for people. There are lion tamers, elephant tamers, folk who do tricks with dogs and horses. There are wizards who call themselves magicians and perform magical tricks,’ Hollis explained and then paused before going on. ‘And then there are acrobats and trapeze artists. They swing, spin and twist through the air inside huge tents on ropes and swings. Folk love to watch them and pay good money to do so. I think you’d be very good at that, Grub. If you joined a circus you could see a good deal of Kingdoms, meet all sorts of different folk… and get paid for it.’

 

Grub’s eyes had lit up as Hollis talked, listening in wonder and awe at what he was describing.

 

‘It sounds wonderful!’ he said breathlessly. ‘Could you really help me join one?’

 

‘Absolutely!’ Hollis replied. ‘So, what do you think? If you want to leave, I can slip you into one of the wagons tonight and then leave with us in the morning.’

 

Grub smiled.

 

* * *

 

In the early hours of the morning Hollis and Grub were seated on the back of the last wagon. They were looking back toward the Shady Forest, watching as the last tree vanished from view.

 

‘I’m out!’ Grub said excitedly. ‘I’m really in the outside world.’

 

‘Indeed you are,’ Hollis grinned.

 

‘Where are we going first?’ Grub asked.

 

‘We’ll stop at a town called Owl and from there we’ll find out where the Kingdoms National Circus is performing at the moment,’ Hollis replied. ‘It’s the largest circus in all of Kingdoms.’

 

This was quite true and Hollis should know. Apart from being a thief and cards player, he was also a talent scout for the Kingdoms National Circus. And his chance meeting with Dead Grub was going to make him quite a wealthy mountain gnome indeed. Elves were very sought after as acrobats and trapeze artists by circus’ everywhere. Their natural athletic ability was very suited to the profession.

 

‘It sounds wonderful!’ Dead Grub said.

 

‘It will be, I can assure you,’ Hollis said. ‘But you know what the best thing is?’

 

Grub shook his head.

 

‘No, what?’

 

‘You can choose a new name for yourself.’

 

Grub’s eyes lit up.

 

‘I can pick a new name? Any name?’

 

Hollis grinned.

 

‘Any name you want.’