Ninian and The Little Black Book

Ninian and The Little Black Book

Judith Parrish Broadbent

Kate was walking carefully around the gnarled roots of the ancient trees in the woods behind the cottage where she was residing. The cottage was small and made of stone. She had come there to spend the summer alone and to work on her paintings and sketches. The cottage was isolated with the nearest village about four miles distant. The road to this area was narrow and winding and the trees on either side formed a canopy over the road. This gave it an air of mystery and seclusion. The lane to the little cottage was grassy and overgrown, which made the place seem even more isolated. There had been a large upheaval in the town where Kate had been living and her friend, Graeme, had suggested a little sojourn at this remote country cottage to relieve the stress and give her some natural inspiration. The woods that surrounded the cottage were ancient and some of the trees were so large that it would take five or six people to encircle one. Their canopies were full and their roots large and gnarled. They might appear to be ominous on a dark night. There were vines and different kinds of shrubs and bushes in the undergrowth and Kate was finding that there were undiscovered treasures among these. She had found a patch of wild blackberries laden with large, juicy fruit as well as mushrooms growing among the roots. She had her identification book with her and a sketchbook so she could capture the lushness of these woods. She liked gathering natural things to eat and this place seemed to be filled with new treasures every day. In the midst of the wood was as clearing or tiny meadow where wildflowers and a variety of grasses grew in perfusion. Along the edge of a tiny pond, Kate found a patch of wild strawberries. In a tree nearby, she heard the buzz of a plethora of insects and discovered bees going in and out of an opening about the size of a large teacup. They were happily conveying messages to each other about the location of nectar nearby. Here was a supply of honey that she could use to sweeten her tea and use for making jams and baking. This was becoming a learning experiment in living solitarily in nature. A small flock of brilliant yellow birds whirled overhead and landed in the grasses and began to chirp loudly to each other about the seeds they had found. Red winged blackbirds, blue jays, cardinals and a variety of smaller birds hopped and flew among the tree branches and the bushes that grew at the edge of this little opening. Kate knew that if she returned and sat very still that she would see the animals that called this area home. She gathered a pocketful of berries and gathered her notebooks and started back towards the cottage as the sun was dropping slowly toward the horizon. Along the path, which was covered in tangled vines and moss, there were small animal tracks. Kate bent over to examine one of these and noticed that protruding from the underside of a curved root, there was the corner of a worn, leather covered, small black book. Moss had grown up the edge of the leather and made a design across the front. Kate carefully removed the book from its hiding place preserving the moss and attached leaves. She put the book in her knapsack with her journal and sketchbooks. She planned to look at the little black book in detail this evening after she fixed some supper. The little cottage seemed warm and cozy after Kate started a little fire in the little stove. She lit the oil lamps and candles and soon the room was bathed in a rosy glow. She made herself a little soup and sat down at the old oak table, pulled a lamp close and took the little book out to examine it in more detail. There was a strap with a small brass lock on it. This might cause a problem. Where was the key? The keyhole was a strange shape so the key would be easily recognizable. She wondered if she had overlooked it in the woods where she had found the little book. If so, she would have to return tomorrow and search around the tree and in the adjacent woods. Maybe the key was here in the cottage. She had noticed that there were lots of little crannies and boxes stashed about the house. She had not looked in them but maybe this would be a good time to examine them. Surely if the key was here, it would be kept in one of these containers. Some of the boxes were carved with intrigue designs of plants and animals. This would be a real treasure hunt. Kate carefully lifted the first little box from the mantle of the fireplace and placed it on the table next to her lamp. The box was a rich chestnut color and the carvings were intertwined around the sides and the lid of the box. It had a latch but this was not locked. The carvings were of the little birds and field mice that Kate had been sketching and watching since she came to live in the cottage. The top had a scene of these amongst the strawberry plants. The carvings were like a little story in themselves. Kate carefully opened the lid and discovered little treasures inside. There were ribbons in lovely faded colors, some unusual buttons, scraps of handmade lace, and a few old-fashioned tiny cards with really fancy handwriting on them. She took these out carefully and spread them out in front of her on the table. Since there was no key, perhaps these little cards might have a clue in them. There were little verses on each in lovely handwriting. “Look under the leaves/When the moon is full” one said. Kate thought that sounded like a clue but which leaves. Another said: “In the corner, near the log/a secret keeps a little frog.” That sounded funny but she would look at the woodpile tomorrow. “Seven Steps to Heaven grow/ near the place you need to know.” Kate had seen these little snowy flowers on her walk yesterday. This was getting more intriguing. Now, it was late, the moon and stars were shining through the little window and the candles were burning low. Kate felt really sleepy, so she gathered up the contents of the little box and put them back in the box being careful to arrange the cards on top. Her black cat Jasmine leapt up on the bed and curled close to Kate and they both went to sleep. The sun’s rays spread across the old polished wooden floor and crept up the side of the bed where Kate was sleeping. When they touched her face, she opened her eyes and stretched to welcome the new day. She rose quickly, washed her face in the bowl on the night stand, dressed in warm slacks and a sweater, and went to put a kettle on to make some tea. Her green eyes twinkled and she tied her long hair back in a single braid. She was excited about starting this day, as she had planned to explore the clues on the cards. If she could find the location of the little key, she could open the little black book and discover its secret. She took the box down and looked at the cards again while she sipped her tea and munched on a cranberry scone with the honey from the bee tree. So she was going to start looking at the woodpile to see if there were any frogs or more messages, then she was going to look for those Seven Steps to Heaven…she knew she had seen them the day before but she just had to remember where. Maybe she would find a pile of leaves to check out when the moon rose this evening. It was supposed to be a full moon. She picked up her knapsack with the journal and sketchbook to take with her. She looked at the little black book and decided to take it with her also so it would be safe. She put in an apple and some biscuits and some water to drink, as she did not know how long she would be gone. Kate walked around the cottage to the back wall where wood was stacked to use in the stove and fireplace. It was early spring so she still needed a little fire to ward off the chill. This pile was rather cleverly stacked so there were little places where critters of all kinds could make their homes. She knew that frogs liked to hide under things in damp places as their skin was moist and could not dry out. She was beginning to hear these little frogs singing in the early evening now as the weather was warming up. She had seen some on the edge of the trees; they were tiny and green. Rather plain she thought. She began to look in the crannies and holes under the logs and when she lifted a log on the end that was covered in a velvety coat of soft green moss, she spied a tiny green frog. When she picked him up, she noticed that there was a circle of gold on his head. She had never noticed this on a frog before. It was as if he was wearing a tiny crown. She placed him on a leaf, which curled up around him and placed him in her pocket. So here was the first clue. Now to find the little patch of flowers that promised to be near where she should go. She walked down the path and into the edge of the woods. She had gone this way yesterday and was sure that she had seen the Seven Steps to Heaven beside this path. As Kate turned a little bend in the path, which encircled one of the rather large trees, she spied the patch of white flowers growing in a curve in a root. They looked really perky against their emerald green leaves and the fragrance they emitted was intoxicating. There certainly were lots of leaves here also but she could see nothing particularly unusual about them. She decided to sit down on the big root and eat her biscuits and apple and wait until the sun went down. It was so peaceful here that perhaps she would take a little nap. She reached in her pocket and carefully pulled out the leaf with the tiny frog attached. She held it in her hand and looked carefully at the little frog. He sat up straight and looked at her intensively with his large luminous eyes. He turned his head to one side and looked as if he were asking a question. “If only you could talk,” Kate said. “Maybe you would tell me your secret. Does it have to do with the little black book?” She did not expect an answer even though the frog looked at her as if he would like to speak. ‘You really should have a name especially since you are a special frog. Let’s see, Albert, Arthur, Everett, George, Not Thomas or Henry, maybe Ninian. I really like Ninian. So I shall call you that.” The frog looked at her with real interest and opened and closed his eyes as if thinking of an answer. “Well, Ninian, you are supposed to tell me a secret and these lovely little flowers are to show me a location which will be revealed by the moon. It is a real riddle. I hope it shows me where to find the odd little key that will open the little black book.” Ninian nodded his head as if he were agreeing. He opened his mouth and a little song came out. “Look here, look here,” it seemed to say. “My goodness, you are trying to talk. OK, I will wait until the moon rises and then look at the leaves that it illumines.” It was not too long before darkness began to fall and the moon rose in the eastern sky. Its rays began to shine on the leaves that were piled up next to the flowers and the root. Kate very carefully began to move the leaves and look under them. The little frog watched her and seemed to approve of her actions. Under the last layer of leaves, closest to the flowers, she found the corner of another little box that was buried just below the ground. She took a little stick and carefully pried it loose. This box was made of silver and had raised images of the frog and the flowers on its top. Kate did not want to be too excited but this seemed to be the answer to this riddle. She put the little frog back into her pocket and picked a small bunch of the snow-white flowers to take back with her. She walked quickly along the path and soon emerged at the clearing around the cottage. She had left in the midday so had not lit any candles or lamps as she had not thought of being so late returning. Now there was a light in her window and the door to the cottage stood ajar. Why had she been so careless? Who was in her cottage and why? She tiptoed around the edge of the cottage and peered in the other unlit window. There was a man standing in front of her fireplace, with his back to the opening gazing into a fire that he had started. He was tall and dark haired and was wearing boots and a warm sweater. He looked really at home there and Kate wondered who he was and what he was doing there. She did not know what to do. Just as she was about to run away, the man turned around and she recognized him as her friend Graeme who had found her the cottage. She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside the doorway. “Hello Graeme, how did you get here?” Kate asked in a quiet voice. She did not want to appear alarmed or to give away any of the secrets she had learned today. “Hello Kate, I am really glad to see you. I had a chance to get away from my job and the city and thought this would be a perfect time and place to come and see you. You seem so happy and relaxed here. Things have been really chaotic in the city and I really needed to escape. I hope you don’t mind. I had no way of letting you know as I only decided last evening to get away and the only way to contact you was to send a note to the post office in the village and hope that they brought it to you. I did not want anyone to know where you were or where I was going, so here I am. Surprise!” Graeme said with a mischievous grin on his face. How could Kate be mad at him? He had been careful to protect her whereabouts and leave no trace for anyone to follow. “In that case, welcome. I have been out exploring and will see if I can find us something for supper in my little larder.” She went to her little sink and put the flowers in a small vase and set them on the table. Then she went into her little cupboard and brought out some potatoes, carrots and apples, which she sliced up and put in a pan on the little stove, which Graeme had handily stoked with a fire. She sliced up some bread and retrieved some butter from the little keep that was built into the stonewall. She filled the kettle with water from the spring and set it on the stove to make tea. With a pot of honey, supper would soon be ready. “Tell me about what you have been doing,” Graeme said. He was sitting in a chair at the table with his feet propped up on the hearth. He seemed very content and relaxed. “It is so quiet and peaceful here,” he said, “ not like all the noise and commotion in the city.” “ It is peaceful and quiet here. I really like that for it gives me time to reflect and observe.” Suddenly, Kate remembered Ninian, the tiny frog in her pocket, and hoped she had not injured or lost him. She pulled the leaf from her pocket and was relieved to see the tiny fellow, still in one piece and not squashed. He immediately perked up and looked around him. She put him in a little basket next to the vase of flowers. Should she tell Graeme about the riddles and her discoveries? This was a quandary. If she told him would it break the charm or could he be a help to solving the riddle of the little black book. She looked at him sitting relaxed in her little house and decided that he had been her friend for a long time and he had found her this place so it seemed fairly safe to include him in her discoveries. Now, Ninian was climbing up the side of the basket using his sticky fingers. She did not want him to escape just yet so she went and got a tall glass vase and put some moss in the bottom and then put Ninian in. He seemed to think this was a curiosity but he did not try to escape. Graeme leaned forward and looked at the frog intently. “So, who is this? The Frog Prince? Has he stolen your heart?” Graeme laughed as he said this, but it might not be too far from the truth. “ Graeme, what do you know about this cottage? Or the folk who live in this woods and area? Have you heard about any mystery around these parts?” Kate wanted to see if Graeme had any idea about what she had stumbled upon. “All I know is that old people like to talk about how the Fairies live in these woods and that they used to interact with the people. There are even stories about how the fairy queen had taken young men and made them her knights. They were of high birth sometimes and might have been stolen as foundlings. Some say there is a great fortune hidden here, but only one with a pure heart can find it and save the princes. All fairy tales, no pun intended, and probably long since forgotten, like the story of the cat who came to this cottage and hid all the gold somewhere.” Graeme laughed as he told the story. “What did the cat look like?’ Kate asked. She seemed really serious. “The old folks say that it is black with emerald green eyes and a wise and calculating look about her. Her fur looks like black velvet and she walks on paws so quietly that one minute she is here and the next she is gone.” Graeme seemed precise about this description. Kate wondered if he had seen her cat and made this up to fit the situation. Just then, Jasmine appeared from her bedroom, walking silkily across the floor and rubbing around Sean’s legs. Her purr was so loud that it disturbed the little frog… “ Well, who is this?” Graeme asked incredulously. “ This is Jasmine, my cat. Seems interesting that she is in your story.” Jasmine jumped up on to Graeme’s shoulder and looked at Kate with her emerald eyes as if to say, “Where did you get this one? He might be a keeper.” “Graeme, can you keep a secret? It is really important,” Kate asked with some concern. “This seems really important to you, and yes, I am good at keeping secrets especially for you,” Graeme replied as he stroked the cat who had now settled in his lap. Kate remembered how he had kept her secret about living here and so she decided to tell him about the little black book and the other things she had found. “Let’s eat our supper now, and I will tell you about what is happening.” She put the steaming vegetables in bowls and brought the bread and butter to the table. Graeme seemed happy to eat this modest fare and he pulled a flask from his jacket and poured them some honey wine. What a nice complement to the food. “Now,” he said, “What are you so intrigued with?” “Yesterday, when I was out exploring the woods and sketching some of the trees and animals, I found this little black book. I brought it home and was examining it. I discovered that it was locked and I did not have the key. It had not been near the book, and it looks like it may be oddly shaped as the lock has an unusual shape. The book was hidden in the root of the tree and covered in moss. When I got back here, I began looking for clues and thought I would look at some of the little boxes that are sitting on the mantle. I took the one from the mantle because it looked unusual with carvings on it and made of some lovely polished wood. When I looked inside, I found it was filled with little trinkets and on the bottom were some cards with lovely writing on them. I looked at the writing and it seemed to be riddles to be solved. I thought if I could solve them, I might find the key to the little black book. So this morning, I set off to see if I could put the clues together. I found this tiny frog under the woodpile, and the lovely Seven Steps to Heaven growing near the root to one of the old trees. When I looked at the frog, he was different. He seems to have a little crown on his head. I decided to call him Ninian. I waited for the moon to rise as the third clue said look under the leaves when the moon is full. When the moonlight fell on the leaves, I searched around near the root and moved the layers of leaves and on the bottom, I found this…” at that Kate pulled the tiny silver box from her pocket. It looked to be made of silver and embossed with a frog and flowers. She put it on the table where Ninian could see it. “I thought maybe Ninian would tell me his secret if I found this.” “Have you opened it?” Graeme asked leaning forward. “Not yet, you were here when I got back, so there has been no time.” Kate wondered what she should do now. Graeme nodded at her. “Open it and let’s see if it holds the key.” Kate took the box in her hand and carefully pried the lid open. She turned it upside down in her hand and a shiny golden key fell out. It was oddly shaped and looked like the design on the lock. Ninian was stretching up on the side of the glass and looking at the key. Maybe he was under a curse and opening the little black book would free him. Graeme looked at her and waited to see what she would do next. Kate took the key and slipped it into the lock on the little black book. It began to turn and then the strap was free and she was able to open the book. It appeared to be quite old so she handled it carefully. Inside the cover, on the first page, was the same flowery handwriting. It said, “Whoever opens this book will find the key to the Fairy gold and free the prince to save his kingdom.” “Open the book, Kate,” Graeme said. It was so silent that only the breathing of the creatures alive could be heard. Kate opened the book to the next page and there was a map with delicate and detailed drawings clearly showing the path into the woods and beyond. As she turned the pages there were more details and drawings of places that she knew she had seen on her walks and had not realized that they held any significance. In the end, there was a drawing of a waterfall surrounded with ferns and flowers and behind it an opening which might be a cave. Kate looked closely at this picture and wondered why she felt that she had been at this place before. “Shall we go and follow the map tomorrow then?” Graeme asked. “We might be able to traverse the entire trail if we began early.” “That is an excellent idea,” Kate said. As she was talking, she suddenly realized that the little frog had climbed the height of the glass vase with his little suctioned feet. He was now sitting perfectly still on top of the little black book. He was looking at the map with his luminous eyes and he touched the end of the trail with his long finger. Then he looked up at Kate and nodded his head. This was where the gold and the end of the curse lay. “ We will start at first light.” “ And we will take Ninian with us for certain,” said Graeme. They arose at first light and packed a lunch and set off following the map through the deep woods. They passed through the little meadow with the pond and the bee tree. They found the winding river and climbed higher to reach the waterfall, which they could hear from a great distance. It got louder as they approached and soon they could see the crystal rainbows in the falling water and the plethora of flowers of different colors. Kate could feel the little frog getting agitated in her pocket. When they reached the top of the path, they could see that there was an entrance behind the falls to a cavern. Graeme took Kate’s hand and they stepped gingerly behind the water, which looked like a curtain of crystal diamonds. The entrance to the cavern was dark but as they walked forward, it became brighter and opened into a large room with drawings on the walls and chests that were decorated with the same images as were on the little box. Kate took the little frog from her pocket and the little black book. She opened it to the last page and placed Ninian in the middle. There at the end was this verse. “Behold the wealth that only the kind and pure in heart may have. Be faithful to the one who loves and use this wealth to help save this world.” Ninian leaped from the book onto the chest and Kate and Graeme lifted the lid. The chest was filled with treasures both of history and of man. Ninian touched the little black book one last time, spun around and changed into a tall and handsome man with a gold ringlet on his head. “You two will use this wealth to change the world and save the stories from the past. Go in peace and know that you will never want for anything for you have saved me from the curse. You will find all you need at the cottage and should you want to remain there, it is always yours. Remember to do your best to remember the past and honor the present.” With those words, he vanished. Kate and Graeme made their way back to the cottage and found that it was all they needed to be happy. They kept the little black book to remember the pledge they had made and to do good always.