The Adventures of Chuppa (Part 4)

Kermit and Chuppa found a youth hostel to stay in called the Forest Hostel. They didn't really have any money to pay with so they had struck a deal with the owner to work for two days and pay off their debt.

Money wasn't really an issue for Chuppa in his young life and he was in fact quite spoilt. He liked to think of money as candy. This was because the more he had of it the fatter he got. Partly due to him spending all his money on candy. He was looking quite out of shape, well he preferred to call himself 'healthy', but in other words he was obese.

Kermit was the exact opposite. He was as thin as a fish on stilts and sometimes when a cool breeze blew by, Kermit would take off a little. This was weird but cool. He had been brought up in a one bedroom hut and spent nearly all his time running around the woods chasing small insects that he thought looked like fish, but rarely were. This was exactly why whilst having to clean the dishes from a very busy breakfast session at the hostel, Kermit kept wanting to just run away, as far as his stompy legs would take him.

Then something amazing happened! At the back door of the kitchen ran in a huge badger! Chuppa found it a bit wierd that he was wearing an apron but Kermit had already reacted and was mid-air with a wooden spoon ready to strike!

The badger slammed the door behind him, as if scared of what was following him. He seemed shaken, but not stirred. The badger’s eyes were bloodshot, as if he was bleeding from his ears and had used the blood to clean his eyes. The atmosphere was cold, perhaps because the central heating was bust, or perhaps, not. The badger had a glow and brightness to him, which Chuppa recognised at once, and which Kermit was as blind as a rat to.

Chuppa queried the badger, “Who are you, and why you are so scared?” The badger said, “My name is Archimedes, and I am the architect of the Forest of Freedom”, Archimedes stopped briefly to check through the blinds of the window, to see if he was being followed. He was panting deeply, and looked deep into the eyes of Chuppa as he continued with his story, “I am a wanted man. Wanted by the dark forces that roam this very forest, which I built with my two very paws.”

At that point Kermit burst out laughing and tried to knock out Archimedes with his wooden spoon, but to his surprise, Archimedes was very proficient at martial arts and at once nailed Kermit to the ceiling. “Do not test, what you do not know”, said Archimedes in a deep and resounding voice that could be heard throughout the Forest of Freedom.

Chuppa questioned, “How do you mean, you built the Forest?” Archimedes replied, “The Forest itself is merely artificial. It exists to hide a greater truth. It was built to cover a greater power. So great, that it must be hidden from all men, who would otherwise misuse it.” Chuppa further queried, with his eyes more widened and ears receptive in a heightened state of awareness, “But…but…what truth? What power do you speak of?” Archimedes sighed, took a deep breath and said, “We can only hope to imagine. It is a power too vast to understand and too bright to ever see. Only the chosen one will ever find it. Only the chosen one will ever understand it. Only a great one can ever see it. My job is just to hide it from misuse”.

Chuppa felt a sense of familiarity with all of this, for no apparent reason and at once felt that his destiny was to uncover this greater truth. But, he did not share his thoughts with either Archimedes or Kermit.

Archimedes became restless, continually twitching and rechecking the window. At once he said, “We must leave this place at once, you are not safe here Chuppa. The beings that lurk this Forest are far darker than the blackest hole you’ve never seen. Leave! Leave now, before they come for you!” Chuppa and Kermit did not know whether to trust Archimedes, although he seemed genuine, Archimedes seemed reluctant to give a lot of information away. Chuppa felt he could not trust anyone, neither Kermit nor Archimedes. At once, Archimedes saw this feeling of distrust in Chuppa’s eyes and said, “It is not me that you need to believe in oh great one, it is your own self which you must believe in and your own heart which you must learn to follow.” Chuppa was shocked at the utter awareness and greatness of Archimedes, and the gravity in his voice with which he spoke penetrating words of wisdom. Chuppa was reassured of Archimedes, whilst Kermit was almost passing out after being pinned to the ceiling by the neck for ten minutes.

Chuppa asked Archimedes, “Will you come with us?”, he replied with a smile across his face, “I cannot go with you. The journey of the heart is a personal one.” They smiled at each other for a moment, and then said their farewells. At once, they all left the Forest Hostel, with Archimedes going his separate ways, and both Chuppa and Kermit trekking deeper into the Forest of Freedom....(to be continued)...