Last year, Old Sam’s Inktober adventure began with a cloud that brought an envelope that put Old Sam and Josefien to sleep. They then woke up on the cloud ship of Queen Spider Heart. Old Sam’s help was needed to save the Cloud World from a grave danger. A whole adventure followed with Pedro Toad and his mother, Odette Oehoe and Wasam, the white cloud cat and counterpart of Old Sam in the Cloud World.
The most memorable part of the whole adventure was their meeting with Captain Ebeling and his water witches. Together they saved the Cloud World and story ended as usual with a very big party. This time with a lot of chatter cockles with witch’s cheese that didn’t even taste that bad, according to Josefien.
After the party, Old Sam and Josefien slept in the cloud castle. Captain Ebeling’s dragon boat is docked in front of the door. The next morning at breakfast, Old Sam and Josefien announce that they want to continue their journey.
‘Where do you want to go?’, asks Queen Spider Heart.
‘We were on our way to Old Sam’s Forest’, says Josefien.
´Yes,´ says Old Sam, ´and I still want to go there. I’d like to spend the night in my own tree again.’
‘How do we get back into our own world?’, Josefien asks.
´I’ll take you with my dragon boat,´ says Captain Ebeling, who has just arrived. Freshly washed, with his hair all over the place and with a large mug of coffee in his hand, he stands with the pair.
´That’s sweet,´ Josefien says as she takes a seat at the breakfast table, but Captain Ebeling shakes his head.
‘We’ll leave in fifteen minutes, otherwise we’ll miss spring tide’, he says, ‘so come with me to the boat quickly.’
Old Sam and Josefien jump off the table and quickly say goodbye to everyone. Old Sam and Josefien follow Captain Ebeling who deftly jumps on board and leads the pair to their cabin.
´You’re sleeping in the Master Storyteller’s hut,´ he says, ´he’s not here now.´
‘Where is he?’, Josefien asks.
‘He’s having adventures somewhere so that he can tell you about them later’, says Captain Ebeling, ‘but I’m going back on deck now because we’re about to leave. Just take a look around and I’ll see you up there.’
Captain Ebeling walks out of the cabin. Old Sam and Josefien hear all kind of unfamiliar noises coming from the deck in front of them. Then, suddenly, there is a noise in the cabin. It seems to come from the top bunk. Old Sam and Josefien take a cautious look and see something moving under a blanket.
´What’s that?´ says Josefien, looking at Old Sam with wide eyes.
´I have no idea,´ says Old Sam, ´but there’s only one way to find out.´
Josefien hides behind Old Sam as he sticks out his paw and opens the bed.
´Help,´ shouts the backpack lying there, ´don’t jump, you’re in danger, they’ve kidnapped me.´
Old Sam and Josefien have boarded The Round Whale, Captain Ebeling’s dragon boat. He has promised to take them back to their own world, so that they can continue their journey to Old Sam’s Forest. In their cabin, it turns out that there is a backpack under the blanket. A backpack that moves and calls for help. They are in danger and someone has been kidnapped.
‘What is this again?’, Josefien exclaims.
´I have no idea,´ Old Sam says.
‘Who was kidnapped?’, Josefien asks the backpack.
But it doesn’t move anymore and doesn’t make any noise.
‘Have we imagined this?’, Old Sam asks.
´No,´ says Josefien, ´I’m sure the backpack moved and shouted that we are in danger and shouted something about jumping.´
´Then we’ll go to Captain Ebeling,´ says Old Sam, ´I’m sure he knows who this backpack belongs to.´
Once on deck, Old Sam and Josefien are looking around a bit lost. It’s a hive of activity. It’s almost spring tide and the whole crew is working together to prepare the ship for the big jump.
´Hoist the mainsail,´ roars Captain Ebeling.
The Dragon Master runs forward, closely followed by the water witches, who pull the straps around the sail on their way to the mast. That falls down and that is the signal for the Dragon Master to hang on the lines with which the sail is hoisted.
‘That can be done faster’, the Water Witches cackle and they fly up with the sail.
´Neat, witch darlings of mine,´ shouts Captain Ebeling, ´Dragon Master, secure that sail and hoist the jib.´
Everyone flies even further forward. Old Sam and Josefien look on with their mouths open. They completely forget that they wanted to tell the captain what happened in the cabin.
´Hold on tight,´ roars Captain Ebeling, ´spring tide is here, we’re going to jump.´
Everyone holds on tight to the first part of the ship they come across. The Dragon Master clasps the mast and the Water Witches cling to him. Captain Ebeling is firmly at the helm. Old Sam and Josephine quickly grab hold of the railing. The dragon boat lets itself be carried along on the spring tide and goes faster and faster. Until, with a big run-up, it jumps through a circle of light.
´Wow,´ shouts Old Sam, ´I’ve never experienced anything like it. What a strange feeling.’
´That’s not how it’s supposed to feel,´ shouts Captain Ebeling, ´and we’re not where we’re supposed to be. Dragon Master, get the compass. We need to find out where we landed before anything goes wrong.’
Old Sam and Josefien have experienced for the first time how a boat can travel to other places via spring tide. But something didn’t go right. They are not where they are supposed to be according to Captain Ebeling. The whole ship is in turmoil and the Dragon Master has to grab his compass to see where they are.
Old Sam and Josefien haven’t had time to tell them about the backpack they found in their cabin. A backpack calling for help and announcing that they are in grave danger. And he told me that someone had been kidnapped.
‘The backpack also said something about jumping’, Josefien says to Old Sam.
´Which backpack are you talking about?´ asks Captain Ebeling, who has ears everywhere on the deck of the dragon boat.
‘The backpack that was on the top bunk in our cabin’, says Josefien.
´That’s crazy,´ says Captain Ebeling, ´I thought the Master Storyteller had taken everything with him when he set out on his journey.´
´It’s crazy that he left without saying anything,´ says Klask, the chief witch of the water witches.
´Yes,´ says Sasun, ´he didn’t even bring a bottle of witches’ gold.´
´Then it’s quite strange,´ says Captain Ebeling, ´can you bring that backpack on deck? We have more space there than all of us in your cabin.’
Old Sam and Josefien descend back to the cabin. Arriving at the cabin, Old Sam climbs onto the top bunk and carefully lowers the backpack to the floor. Together they take the backpack to the deck.
´Witch darlings, look what’s in that backpack,´ says Captain Ebeling as he holds the helm tightly.
The water witches put the backpack on one of the benches.
´Yes,´ says Klask, ´it’s the Master Storyteller’s backpack.´
Carefully, she undoes the flap and opens the backpack.
‘Help, get me out’, it suddenly sounds from the backpack.
Everyone is frozen with fright. A voice in a backpack, how is that possible.
´I recognize that voice,´ the Dragon Master says and puts his hand in the backpack. Another hand grabs his hand and little by little the Dragon Master pulls another water witch out of the backpack.
´Najar, there you are again,´ the other water witches exult, ´we had already lost you, where were you?´
‘I was working on the cupboards in the Master Storyteller’s hut and suddenly I was gone. And now I’m back!´
´How did you end up in the Master Storyteller’s backpack,´ Old Sam says, ´and is there anything else in it?´
´Good question,´ says the Dragon Master and dives into the backpack again. To everyone’s surprise, something else comes out. The boots of the Master Storyteller. What are they doing there and where is the Master Storyteller?
Old Sam and Josefien are aboard Captain Ebeling’s ship. A ship that has been taken by the spring tide to an unknown destination. They tell the captain that the backpack they found in their cabin shouted something about not jumping. They take the backpack on board and the Dragon Master pulls out the missing water witch Najar. Plus the Master Storyteller’s boots. It’s a mystery how they’re in the backpack and the Master Storyteller isn’t.
‘Where has the Master Storyteller gone?’, Josefien asks.
´That’s really mysterious,´ says Klask, the witch-in-chief, ´but the question is also how you ended up in that backpack, Najar.´
‘Yes, Najar, tell me’, the other water witches shout in unison.
´I was working on the cabinets in the Master Storyteller’s cabin,´ says Najar.
Klask sees Old Sam and Josefien looking a little strange.
‘I’m sure you’re wondering why a water witch is working on cabinets, she says.
Old Sam and Josefien nod. It’s also a bit weird to rummage through someone else’s cupboards.
‘Najar is the water witch of the cabinets,’ says Klask, ‘she has the ability to get a lot of things in a cabinet. Someone else can’t do that, but with her magic she can really fit everything in it.’
´And lose,´ hiccups the Dragon Master. He obviously has to think of something funny.
‘She even got the production of seven vegetable gardens in a cupboard the other day,’ explains Lien the water witch.
´Did you accidentally put the Master Storyteller in a cupboard?´ asks Sasun, the other water witch.
‘No, of course not,’ says Najar, ‘I really know what I’m doing when I’m working with cabinets.’
‘Probably,’ says Josefien, ‘but you can still make a mistake. An accident can happen at any time.’
´Or in a small cupboard,´ hiccups the Dragon Master.
´Stop it,´ Najar says, ´you should have cleaned up your green pajamas yourself and not left them between the meals.´
‘We thought it was fun’, Lien and Sasun say in unison.
´Witch darlings, stop,´ shouts Captain Ebeling, ´Dragon Master, have you looked where we are?´
The Dragon Master quickly pulls out his compass again and peers across the water to the horizon. Everyone watches him intently along. There is nothing to see at all. Just water and water.
´Mm,´ he says, ´I’m getting very strange coordinates. I don’t think that’s very good news.´
He picks up the map and points to where they are. ´No,´ everyone exclaims, ´not the Exotic Sea of the East.´
Old Sam and Josefien are aboard Captain Ebeling’s ship. A ship that has been taken by the spring tide to an unknown destination. They tell the captain that the backpack they found in their cabin shouted something about not jumping. They take the backpack on board and the Dragon Master pulls out the missing water witch Najar. Plus the Master Storyteller’s boots. It’s a mystery how they’re in the backpack and the Master Storyteller isn’t.
‘What’s wrong with the Exotic Sea of the East?’, Josefien asks.
‘Things disappear there’, Lien says, looking at Najar.
‘Then you mustn’t look at me,’ says Najar, ‘I’m from the cupboards, not from things that disappear into the Exotic Sea of the East.’
‘But what disappears into the Exotic Sea of the East?’, says Oude Sam.
´Sit down, everyone,´ says Captain Ebeling, ´and I’ll tell you what I know.´
‘Can’t we do that in the cabin?’, Lien asks, ’then I can make coffee and tea right away.’
‘Yes,’ Sasun shouts, ‘I’m sure we still have some stroopwafels on board somewhere.’
‘I know where to find them’, Najar says and she stumbles downstairs and immediately dives into a cupboard.
The rest also descend to the cabin and look for a place.
Captain Ebeling clears his throat and begins to tell.
‘On the Exotic Sea of the East, the water sometimes disappears in some parts. Ships run aground there. That is the work of the Tormentors. They then come on board and make things disappear. But not only things like supplies or ships, sometimes the crew disappears as well. Or part of the crew.’
´Isn’t that what happened to the Master Storyteller?´ asks Josefien.
‘That could just be the case’, says Captain Ebeling.
‘But the Master Storyteller disappeared a while ago,’ says Klask, ‘long before we were on the Exotic Sea of the East.’
´That’s right,´ says Captain Ebeling, ´I suspect we’ve had a tormentor on board for some time. He must have clambered on board somewhere.’
‘Oh,’ says Najar, ’that explains why it was so chaotic in my cupboards. Everything was constantly turned upside down. And I really couldn’t find some things anymore.’
´Mm,´ Klask says, ´I’m now wondering why some of our crew members didn’t return. Maybe that’s the work of the tormentors, too.’
Suddenly, a roaring sound is heard in the distance. It comes from outside. Captain Ebeling jumps up.
´Grab the binoculars, Dragon Master, ‘if it’s what I think it is, we’ve got a huge problem.’
The Dragon Master turns around from his spot on the couch and wants to grab the binoculars that are supposed to be there. But there isn’t.
´Najar, where did you put the binoculars?´ he exclaims.
‘I didn’t leave the binoculars anywhere’, says Najar, ’that’s ship’s stuff. I don’t clean them up. Besides, it’s hanging around your neck.’
Stunned, the Dragon Master looks down and sees the binoculars hanging on his stomach.
´Sorry, Najar,´ he says.
´I’m not going to lose everything,´ Najar grumbles a bit as everyone climbs back on deck.
´Where should I look?´ the Dragon Master asks.
´There,´ says Captain Ebeling, pointing to a dark thing in the distance.
The Dragon Master grabs the binoculars and searches the horizon until he finds it.
´It looks like a cloud,´ he says, ´but it’s not. I just don’t know what it is.’
´Give me that thing,´ says Captain Ebeling.
He picks up the binoculars and puts them in front of his eyes.
´It’s certainly not a cloud,´ he says, ´it’s a swarm of all kinds of strange creatures and it’s coming at us.´
The swarm has indeed changed direction and is now heading towards the dragon boat. As they get closer, the strange creatures become more and more visible. The water witches’ breath catches in their throats.
‘Oh no’, they exclaim in unison.
‘What oh no?’, Josefien exclaims, ‘who are they?’
´It’s a swarm of tormentors and they’re on a trek through the Exotic Sea of the East,´ shouts Klask, the chief witch. Panic comes through in her voice and the other water witches jump up and down.
‘Witch darlings, we have to get out of here as soon as possible’, roars Captain Ebeling.
But it’s too late. The swarm of tormentors accelerates and comes roaring towards our group of friends.
´What’s going to happen?´ shouts Old Sam.
´I have no idea,´ shouts Captain Ebeling.
´I do,´ shouts Klask, the chief witch of the water witches, ´grab whatever you can get your hands on, it’s going to be a wild ride.´
Klask is right. Everyone is just in time to grasp whatever they can grab. Captain Ebeling and the Dragon Master cling to the helm. The water witches, in turn, grab hold of them. No matter how big the panic is, water witches always want to stay as close as possible to their captain and dragon master. Old Sam and Josefien don’t think that’s a bad idea either and they wrap their tails around them.
With a roaring roar, the swimming with tormentors works its way around the boat. It’s a strange sensation. The moment the swim is all around them, all the noise cuts out. Our group of friends seems to be in a state of nothingness. They hold on and at the same time there is nothing to hold on to.
´Wow,´ Josefien exclaims, ´this is special.´
It’s such a strange sensation that Old Sam gets dizzy. He rolls his eyes and falls against the group.
´Hold him,´ Josefien shouts, ´Old Sam has a vision.´
The water witches put their arms around Old Sam and Josephine. Old Sam’s body is completely relaxed. The others are holding him. Then the roaring roar of the swarm is heard again as the last tormentors move on around the ship. The dragon boat dives down and falls to the ground with a big bang. Frightened, everyone falls on the deck with a thud. There they are. On the Dragon Boat where a whole swarm of tormentors has just traveled past.
´What happened here?´ shouts Captain Ebeling as he scrambles to his feet and glances over the railing.
´I think we’ve run aground,´ the Dragon Master shouts.
´You’re absolutely right,´ says Captain Ebeling, ´we’re high and dry here and we’re not going anywhere for a while.´
The rest of the crew also crawls to their feet while Josefien stays seated with Old Sam.
´I hope Old Sam wakes up soon,´ says Josephine, ´so he can tell you what he saw in his vision.´
At that moment, Old Sam raises his eyes.
´Where’s my passport?´ he asks, ´I have to travel.´
A swarm of tormentors has taken all the water around Captain Ebeling’s Dragon Boat with a roaring roar. In the calm of the storm, Old Sam has a vision. When he opens his eyes again, Josefien is sitting next to him. The Dragon Boat is at the bottom of the Exotic Sea of the East and everyone needs to recover from that heavy fall. The first thing Old Sam does is ask for his passport. He has to travel. Everyone looks at Old Sam with their mouths open.
‘A passport?,’ says Josefien, ‘we don’t have a passport at all, do we?’
´That’s right,´ says Old Sam, ´but with the trip we’re about to make, we do need it. It is a special passport. It shows the route we have to take.’
Old Sam looks everyone in the eye.
´Where’s The Master Storyteller’s backpack?´ he asks.
´Here,´ Najar says, pulling the backpack out of a locker on deck.
Old Sam takes the backpack and puts it on one of the benches on deck. On the front of the backpack is a large flap with a small pocket on top.
‘That’s where the passport is’, says Oude Sam.
´That’s not possible,´ says the Dragon Master, ´that bag is closed. I just felt that myself when I examined the backpack.’
´Oh,´ says Josephine, ´but Old Sam has magical powers. He often take things out of bags that no one else can reach.’
Old Sam brings his paw to the bag. It slides in by itself. When he takes his paw out again, he is holding a passport in a nice leather cover.
‘It shows the route we have to take’, says Oude Sam.
´How do you know?´ asks the Dragon Master.
‘That’s what the Master Storyteller told me in my vision,’ says Old Sam, ’this passport shows the starting point and the beginning of the route that Josefien and I have to take. When we’re on the road the next step in the route becomes visible.’
Do ‘I hear correctly that we are not going with you’, says Captain Ebeling.
´That’s right,´ says Old Sam, ´you have to stay with the Dragon Boat. I don’t know why, but that was the Master Storyteller’s assignment. And we have to bring his backpack with his boots.´
Everyone is silent for a moment after these words. Then Old Sam and Josefien say goodbye to everyone and hit the road. The backpack on Old Sam’s back. The crew of the Dragon Boat continues to watch until the two black cats, who hike along the edge of Exotic Sea of the East, have disappeared from their sight. On the way to an adventure with an unknown destination. What kind of adventures lay ahead for this special pair of cats?
Old Sam and Josefien said goodbye to the crew of the Dragon Boat. In his vision, Old Sam has met the Master Storyteller. He told him that he and Josefien had to go out together. The route they have to take is written in a passport that came from a secret bag in his backpack. A bag that only Old Sam could open with his magical powers. The pair are now walking along the edge of the Exotic Sea of the East to an unknown destination. With every step they take, a new step becomes visible. Slowly, the route unfolds.
‘Do you have any idea where we should go?’, Josefien asks Old Sam.
´No,´ says Old Sam, ´the only thing I do know is that we have to travel for a few days.´
‘After all that travelling on ships, I’ve almost forgotten how nice it is to walk,’ says Josefien.
´Yes,´ says Old Sam, ´indeed. All those clouds and water are nice, but a bit of solid ground under my feet is even nicer.’
Old Sam and Josefien continue to walk along the Exotic Sea of the East for quite some time. Every now and then they look at the passport to see if they are still on the right track.
‘We’ll get to the end of the Exotic Sea of the East in a minute’, says Josefien after their final check.
‘That’s right,’ says Old Sam, ‘I’m curious which way we should go.’
‘That’s crazy,’ says Josefien, ‘it looks like there’s something here.’
She points to the card in the passport. An arrow has appeared pointing to something on their route. As they get closer to the point on the map, the arrow begins to move back and forth. The closer they get to the point on the map, the more enthusiastically the arrow jumps up and down.
‘I think we really need to get to that point’, says Josefien.
´I’m sure of that,´ says Old Sam, ´the Master Storyteller had already warned me that the passport occasionally conjures up strange things. I think this is such a strange thing.´
‘Let’s go and have a look’, says Josefien.
Old Sam and Josefien walk on, straight to the point on the map where the arrow is pointing. When they are close, the arrow detaches from the passport and jumps towards the point. There it continues to jump back and forth until Old Sam and Josefien are also at that point.
‘And now?’, Josefien asks.
´I think we should dig,´ says Old Sam, ´it’s like I see something under the sand.´
Josefien takes a closer look. Old Sam is right. There is something under the sand of the beach at Exotic Sea of the East. The two start digging and slowly the outlines of something become visible. The sun shines down on them relentlessly as they continue digging. What is it that has been hiding under the sand?
Old Sam and Josefien have said goodbye to the Dragon Boat and her crew. The Master Storyteller’s passport indicates the route they must take. Their journey along the Exotic Sea of the East has brought Old Sam and Josefien to the point where they are now digging. Slowly the contours of something buried under the sand become visible. Meanwhile, the sun is shining relentlessly on the two of them.
‘It’s so hot’, says Josefien.
´Yes,´ says Old Sam, ´too hot for me. I really couldn’t live here. I rather be in my own forest, at least it’s nice and cool there.’
Old Sam and Josefien have now dug away the top layer of the sand. A dark piece of fabric becomes visible. It covers something. Something that suddenly moves, now that the sand is gone.
‘Who’s waking me up?’, a voice suddenly shouts.
Old Sam and Josefien are shocked and both jump backwards with a big leap. In their haste, they stumble over their own feet and fall over. Two sparkling eyes peer out from under the piece of fabric. Apparently it is such a funny sight that the voice, which belongs to the sparkling eyes, can only do one thing and that is laugh out loud. All that laughter makes the sand fall off the rest of the fabric. Slowly the shape that belongs to the sparkling eyes becomes visible.
‘Who are you?’, Josefien asks when she is over the first shock. With such eyes and such a smile, it can only be a good person, is her conclusion.
´I’m Norbie,´ the voice says as he jumps to his feet, ´nice to meet you, Old Sam and Josefien.´
Old Sam and Josefien look at Norbie in amazement. It is a special appearance. Norbie is not much taller than Old Sam and Josefien and has a dark hooded cloak wrapped around her. Two sparkling eyes and cheerful curls stare out from underneath it. A pair of tough and weathered boots peek out from under the cloak.
´How do you know who we are?´ asks Old Sam.
´That’s what I heard from the Master Storyteller,´ says Norbie, ´who told me that two black cats, named Old Sam and Josefien, were coming. He has sent me out to help you with the next part of your journey.´
´Okay,´ says Josefien, ´and where is the next part of the journey going?´
´To those mountains over there,´ Norbie says, pointing to a point in the distance.
Old Sam and Josefien look at the huge gray mountains that loom on the horizon in the distance.
´Are you sure you can help us?´ asks Old Sam as he looks at the apparition again. How can such a small person know so much of such large mountains.
´I’m sure of that,´ Norbie says, ´I’m a member of the nomadic people who travel between mountains and water, between worlds and other realms. Autumn is coming, so my people have already left for the next destination. I had to wait for you to protect you from the dangers we face in the Great Grey Mountains.´
Slowly, more footsteps become visible on the map. Who comes to strengthen our company and is it a friend or foe that bites.
Old Sam and Josefien have just met Norbie. Norbie is a member of a nomadic tribe who travel between the beach of the Exotic See of the East and the Great Grey Mountains they see looming on the horizon. Autumn is coming, and his people have already departed. The Master Storyteller has asked Norbie to wait for Old Sam and Josefien to save them from the dangers that lurk in the Great Grey Mountains. What a strange story and as usual, Josefien is full of questions.
´The Master Storyteller has disappeared,´ she says, ´so how can he ask you to wait for us?´
´In the same way that he told Old Sam where to find the passport with the route,´ Norbie says.
´Have you had a vision too?´ asks Old Sam.
´Yes,´ says Norbie, ´we were sitting around the campfire together on a beautiful evening. I was staring into the flames for a bit and suddenly the Master Storyteller appeared. He spoke to us and asked you to help.´
‘Wow,’ says Josefien, as only Josefien can say, ‘how special. But where is the Master Storyteller now?´
´I don’t know,´ Norbie says, ´he didn’t tell us. I must help you to travel through the Realm of the Great Gray Mountains. Take a good look, Old Sam, you’ve seen them before.´
Old Sam takes a closer look.
´Indeed,´ says Old Sam, ´that was in the adventure where the Mother Tree was kidnapped. The Great Grey Mountains are as high as the sky. We couldn’t fly over it, so we travelled to the White Country via the Arctic Ocean.’
‘Can we walk through the Great Grey Mountains?’, Josefien asks.
‘Yes,’ says Norbie, ‘you can. But know that the Great Grey Mountains can also move, so the question is whether The White Country is still on the other side.’
´Or the wild Waterland, or Ravenland,´ says Old Sam, ´they are close to The White Land.´
´That’s right,´ says Norbie, ´nothing is certain. But enough procrastination, we have to get on the road.’
The passport in Old Sam’s hand suddenly starts to tremble and falls open to the floor. A map of Old Sam’s world becomes visible. They see the Exotic Sea of the East, where they are now. The journey they have made is visible on the map. Cat’s paws walking towards the Great Grey Mountains. New steps become visible. This time two pairs of cat paws and 1 pair of footsteps. Norbie’s footsteps Indeed, they are heading in the direction of the Great Grey Mountains. But what lies behind it is not visible and will remain a mystery for a while.
‘Before we go any further, I’d like to eat something,’ says Josefien, ‘we also had snacks with us, didn’t we?’
Old Sam dives into the backpack, but suddenly pulls back his cat’s paw very quickly.
´Ouch,´ he exclaims while holding on to an apple with a big bite out of it, ´I’ve been bitten.´
Slowly more footsteps become visible at the map. Who is joining this company and is it friend or foe that bites.
Old Sam and Josefien hear how the Master Storyteller has made himself visible to Norbie’s nomadic people through a vision. In this way, he was able to ask for their help to guide Old Sam and Josefien safely through the area of the Great Gray Mountains. In the meantime, the passport shows that they have to set off towards those Great Grey Mountains. When Old Sam wants to grab some snacks from the backpack, he is bitten. He quickly withdraws his cat’s paw, but the damage has already been done.
´Ouch,´ he shouts again and looks at his cat’s paw in bewilderment. Fortunately, there is nothing to see there, but it clearly hurt.
‘What was that’, Josefien shouts.
´I don’t know,´ says Old Sam, ´something bit, not very hard, but it did.´
Norbie grabs the backpack, opens the lid and peers inside.
´Come out,´ Norbie shouts.
‘Come out?’, says Josefien surprised, ‘surely no one can be in there.’
´Oh yes,´ Norbie says, ´shoot you.´
A small figure crawls out of the backpack and jumps to his feet with a big leap and shows his white fur with black and brown spots. Old Sam and Josefien have never seen such a small dog.
‘Who are you?’, Josefien asks.
´I’m Jack, JR, secret agent, nice to meet you. JR is my codename.´
‘Where are you from?’, Old Sam asks.
´I was looking for the Master Storyteller,´ JR says, twinkling in his eye, ´when I was suddenly so happy to crawl out of a backpack with this charming young lady.´
With a smooth movement, he grabs Josefien’s paw and gives a gallant kiss.
´Behave a little,´ Norbie says, ´we’re not here to flirt.´
´That’s true,´ says JR, ´but it does make the world a little happier.´
Josefien chuckles and Old Sam has a big smile on his face. He secretly likes it when others think his Josefien is a beautiful lady.
´I see,´ Norbie says, ´but tell me, did you find him?´
“Well,” says JR, “I’ve travelled along mountains and along water until I came to a far, far and remote land. There I found the boots of the Master Storyteller, but not the Master Storyteller himself. I sent his boots back through a Jump Gate because I hoped he was here. But while I was doing that, something went horribly wrong.”
Old Sam and Josefien meet JR, a small dog with twinkling eyes. Jack, Jack Russel, as he puts it, secret agent, codenamed JR. He went in search of the Master Storyteller and found his boots in a far, far and remote land. He tried to send it back through a Jump Gate, but while he was doing so, something went horribly wrong.
‘What went horribly wrong?’, asks Old Sam.
‘And what is a Jump Gate?’, Josefien asks.
‘Our nomadic people not only travel between mountains and water’, says Norbie, ‘but some of our people also travel back and forth between different worlds. To get there, they use Jump Gates. This allows you to travel through a kind of In-Between World to another world.’
‘What kind of world are we in now?’, Josefien asks.
´We are now in the third world and our people travel back and forth between this world and the fifth world,´ Norbie says.
‘Why don’t you travel to the In-Between World?’, Josefien asks.
´Yes,´ says Old Sam, ´and where have the first and second worlds gone?´
´The first and second worlds disappeared a long time ago,´ Norbie says, ´no one knows what happened to them. And the In-between world, well, is a kind of in-between world. Time doesn’t exist there and things get lost.’
´That’s why I was there,´ says JR, ´to see if the Master Storyteller might be in the In-Between World.´
´I’ve never heard of an In-Between World,´ says Old Sam, ´nor of Jump Gates.´
´No,´ says Josefien, ´I only know your twin tree, Old Sam, that you can travel between. But that’s only in our world.´
‘You’ve lost something, haven’t you?’, Norbie asks, ‘something you couldn’t find for a long time and then suddenly it was there again.’
‘Yes,’ says Josefien, ’that’s right. Most recently with the cookie jar. Suddenly, it was there again. Empty, but it was there again.’
‘That cookie jar has just been lost in the In-Between World,’ says Norbie, ‘it can sometimes take a while before something like this comes along again a Jump Gate that goes to our world.
´I was hoping to meet the Master Storyteller on my travels from the third to the fifth world,´ says JR, ´but alas, I only found a pair of boots. When I sent it back through the Jump Gate, I was also gripped by something in the In-Between World. And I ended up in this world in a backpack.’
Old Sam and Josefien think it’s a strange story. Meanwhile, the whole group is so busy with the conversation that they no longer pay attention to their surroundings. Nothing moves there. Until, suddenly, a figure appears on the horizon.
Old Sam and Josefien are sitting with Norbie and JR on the deserted beach at the Exotic Sea of the East. They have just heard that the nomadic people, of which Norbie is a part, travel back and forth not only between mountains and water, but also between the third and fifth worlds. They do this through Jump Gates and the In-Between World. That’s a world where time doesn’t exist and things get lost.
JR hoped to find the Master Storyteller by traveling back and forth between the third and fifth worlds. But he only found a pair of boots. When he wanted to send it back to our world, he was seized by something in the In-Between World and ended up in the Master Storyteller’s backpack. A backpack that Oude Sam and Josefien have with them.
Our foursome is so busy talking to each other that they don’t notice that a figure appears on the horizon. A shape that comes their way with big strides. It’s a man. A dark cloak wrapped around his shoulders, his face hidden under the hood. He doesn’t try to be quiet at all and just walks towards our foursome. Josefien is the first to notice him.
´Who’s that?´ she exclaims, pointing in the direction of the man.
Old Sam, Norbie and JR turn around and see the figure as well.
´I don’t know,´ says Old Sam, ´but he walks straight towards us. Should we be worried, Norbie?´
Norbie takes another good look. JR joins him. He suddenly starts barking very loudly, runs towards the figure and jumps up on him.
The man lifts JR up and presses him to his chest.
´Hey old pal,´ the man shouts out happily, ´that was a long time ago. I’m so glad to see you again.´
Old Sam and Josefien breathe a sigh of relief. Such a greeting can only mean good people. The man puts JR back down. He jumps around him as he walks towards the rest of the group. With one last big step, he comes to a halt.
´So, old Sam,´ says the man, ´at last we meet.´
Old Sam looks at the man in surprise.
´How do you know who I am?´ he asks.
´I’ve heard your name many times and have heard others tell me a lot about your adventures. I’ve even seen you walking, but I didn’t have time to come and say hello to you. But I have met you already in a different way.´
The man looks at Old Sam and takes off his hood. He has a weathered face. Such a face of someone who spends a lot of time outdoors and has been through a lot. Fun eyes sparkle behind glasses and look at Old Sam.
“I’ve seen you in my vision,” says Old Sam, “you’re the Master Storyteller.”
“That’s right,” says the man, “I’m glad I found you. Roaming worlds and collecting stories is what I love to do most. Because stories need to be told and heard. But a great danger is looming. Silent voices have escaped from the In-Between World. And now all our stories are in jeopardy.
Old Sam and Josefien have finally met the Master Storyteller. Where he suddenly came from is still a mystery. But it turns out he needs Old Sam’s help. A great danger is looming. Silent voices have escaped from the In-Between World. All stories are in jeopardy. Stories that need to be told and heard. How Old Sam can help the Master Storyteller is also still a mystery. Maybe we’ll hear more now.
‘Are all our stories endangered by the silent voices?’, Josefien asks.
´Yes,´ says the Master Storyteller, ´by the silent voices. Come, let’s sit down and light a fire. Then I’ll tell you more as I warm up my feet. They’ve really gotten colder than ice in this adventure.´
Everyone looks down and sees the Master Storyteller’s bare feet.
´Um,´ says JR, ´I sent your boots back through one of the Spring Gates. Didn’t you receive them?´
‘No,’ says Josefien, ‘he certainly didn’t receive them. They were in the backpack we found on board of The Round Whale.’
‘Do you have that backpack with you?’, the Master Storyteller asks in a delighted tone. The thought of a pair of warm boots for his cold feet makes him happy. His whole face starts to shine and his eyes shine even brighter than they already did.
‘Yes,’ says Old Sam, ‘in the vision in which we met, you also asked me if I wanted to take the backpack with me. Don’t you remember?’
‘Yes,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘but I had no idea that my boots would be in my magic backpack. ’
‘We have noticed that your backpack is magical,’ says Josefien, ’the strangest things have already come out.
She walks over to the backpack and wants to take out the boots. She opens the flap that had closed again and wants to put her paw in the backpack.
´Be careful,´ shouts Old Sam, ´the last time I did that, I got bitten in the leg.´
´I’m sorry,´ says Jack Russel, ´that was the only way for me to get back into this world. I had to sink my teeth into something tangible here. I hope I didn’t hurt you.´
´No,´ says Old Sam, ´you haven’t. You startled me, but it didn’t really hurt. But there may be more in the backpack that is trying to get into this world. So you have to be careful, Josefien.´
´You have a look, Old Sam, your powers are more magical than mine,´ Josefien says and hands the backpack to him.
Old Sam carefully puts his paw in the backpack. This time, there’s no biting. But it’s not boots he takes out of the backpack. But what is it? It’s a book with something written on the outside. Josefien looks over his shoulder as Old Sam begins to flip through the book.
‘What a weird book that is,’ she says, ‘it’s a guidebook for travelling through In-Between worlds.’
The company of Old Sam and Josefien has been expanded with the Master Storyteller. He came walking barefoot. He said that all stories are endangered by silent voices. The Master Storyteller wants to make a campfire so he can warm his feet while telling the whole story. He learns that his boots have been sent back to this world through an Jump Gate. They were in the backpack that Old Sam and Josefien found on Captain Ebeling’s dragon boat, The Round Whale. This time, Old Sam pulls out a guidebook for traveling through In-Between worlds.
´That’s a strange book indeed,´ says the Master Storyteller, ´let’s see.´
Old Sam gives the book to the Master Storyteller. He hopes that he will be able to tell us more about the book. In the meantime, the Master Storyteller looks through the book.
´Mm,´ he says, ´this is a chapter on how to make sure time doesn’t exist.´
‘I think that’s quite useful,’ says Josefien, ’time sometimes goes so fast. It’s quite handy if you can have a little more time every now and then because it doesn’t exist for a while.’
‘A moment may be nice,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘but this chapter is about losing time forever. I don’t think that’s very useful.’
‘No,’ says Old Sam, ’that’s not very convenient, especially if there is no solution to get it back like you can with Madame Madeleine’s blossom tea.’
‘Who’s that?’, Norbie asks, ‘I’ve never met that lady before.’
‘Madame Madeleine is a very special lady’s mouse. She has already helped us in several adventures to find back the lost time.’
‘She doesn’t just do this with her blossom tea,’ says Josefien, ‘but also with the most deliciously baked Madeleine biscuits you’ll ever taste.’
´Mm yes,´ says Old Sam, ´it wouldn’t be bad to meet her again in this adventure.´
´Well,´ says JR, ´I see a lot, but no biscuits and no tea. However, I do see the Master Storyteller’s bare feet and a weird guidebook. What else is in it?’
The Master Storyteller keeps flipping pages.
´Most of the book is about how you lose things and what you can lose in the In-Between World,´ he says.
‘Is there perhaps something in it about silent voices and endangering stories,’ Josefien asks, ‘or how crew can disappear from a boat?’
‘Yes,’ says Old Sam, ‘because not only were you lost, Master Storyteller, but also part of the crew of The Round Whale.’
‘Good question,’ says the Master Narrator, and he flips on to the last part. There’s a bookmark among them. It looks so often used that the bookmark is completely grungy. As soon as the bookmark is freed from the pages it is between, it jumps out of the book and flies around like crazy.
Old Sam has pulled a manual for traveling through In-Between worlds from the Master Storyteller’s backpack. It is always a surprise what comes out of the backpack. The Master Storyteller has taken over Old Sam’s book and is flipping through it. There’s a chapter in there about how to lose time forever. Most of the book is about losing things in the In-Between World. When the Master Storyteller arrives at the back of the book, a grungy bookmark jumps out of the book.
´Wow,´ Josefien says as she bends down to avoid the bookmark that flies around like crazy.
The weird thing circles around our group of friends and swoops between them. Until the Master Storyteller gets fed up with it. He plucks the bookmark out of the air. Once caught between the fingers of the Master Storyteller, things calm down.
´Well,´ says the Master Storyteller, ´that’s better. Let’s see if we can find out.´
Everyone gathers around the Master Storyteller. JR has taken his one-eyed pair of glasses and is staring intently along. Norbie thinks it’s a crazy thing and watches from an appropriate distance. Josefien, curious as she is, cautiously approaches.
´Can you discover anything, Master Storyteller?´ asks Old Sam.
´There are all kinds of scribbles on this thing,´ says the Master Storyteller, ´but in a language I don’t understand.´
´Let me see,´ Norbie says, ´maybe it’s in the old language of my people.´
The Master Storyteller holds out his hand with the bookmark and Norbert gently grasps the dingy thing. The one moment that the bookmark is held less well, it immediately makes a few strange movements.
´Wow,´ Norbie says, ´that thing is strong.´
´Yes,´ says the Master Storyteller, ´hold on tight, and the thing won’t do anything.´
The Master Storyteller is right. As soon as Norbie holds the bookmark firmly between his fingers, it is quiet and he can look at the scribbles at his leisure.
´That is indeed written in the ancient language of my people,´ says Norbie, ´it has been a long time since I have seen a nomadic text.´
‘Can you translate it?’, Josefien asks.
´Well,´ Norbie says, ´not just like that. I need something to do with that.’
‘What do you need for that?’, Josefien asks.
´A very special book,´ says Norbie, ´a book that I have carried with me all my life. I’ll get it.´
‘Oh no’, he cries as he searches in his own bag, ‘what a disaster, my journal has disappeared.’
Old Sam and Josefien sit with Norbie, JR and the Master Storyteller on the beach of the Exotic Estzee with a guide to traveling through In-Between worlds. A bookmark escapes from the last part, which flies around like a madman. Once between the fingers of the Master Storyteller, the bookmark keeps quiet.
The crazy scribbles on the weird thing are written in an ancient language of Norbie’s nomadic people. He wants to translate the scribbles, but he needs his journal to do so. And it’s no longer in his bag.
‘Oh dear’, says Josefien, ‘how bad.’
´Yes,´ Norbie says, ´my journal is my everything. That’s where I record my stories and everything I’ve learned I can live my life.’
´Are there your notes on the ancient language of your people?´ asks Old Sam.
´Yes,´ Norbie says, ´without those notes, I can’t translate those scribbles.´
‘Oh dear,’ says Josefien, ’there may be important clues on it. But how do we find out?’
´We need your journal, Norbie,´ says the Master Storyteller, ´do you have any idea where it might be?´
´Yes, tell me,´ says JR, ´and I’ll start looking for it right away.´
´I hope my journal is in one of the chests that my people have taken with them on their journey through the Great Grey Mountains.´
‘Then we’ll have to hit the road as soon as we can,’ says the Master Storyteller, ’then we might be able to catch up with them.’
´Yes,´ Norbie says, ´I have to help Old Sam and Josefien travel through the Great Grey Mountains anyway. Let’s hit the road.´
Everyone is packing their things. The Master Storyteller takes his backpack from Old Sam. To be sure, he opens the lid again and peers inside.
´Nothing at all,´ he says, ´where my boots have gone is a mystery to me.´
´Let Old Sam take another look,´ says Josefien, ´he can conjure up the most crazy things from seemingly empty pockets every now and then.´
The Master Storyteller gives his backpack to Old Sam one more time. He also opens the flap and peers inside.
´I don’t think you looked good enough,´ says Old Sam, ´I see something at the bottom.´
He puts his paw in the backpack and then pulls out a key.
‘Where is it from’, Josefien exclaims.
´Ah,´ Norbie exclaims, ´how lucky. Now we don’t have to walk but we can drive. Although that is extra dangerous.’
Old Sam and his friends want to translate the writing on the bookmark. A bookmark that was in a guidebook for traveling through In-Between worlds. They are written in the ancient language of the Nomadic people of which Norbie is a part. But he does need his journal for that. It’s no longer in his bag but perhaps it’s in his personal box that is with his people. Then Old Sam discovers another key in the Master Storyteller’s backpack. That makes Norbie happy because now they can drive. Although that is extra dangerous.
‘Why is that extra dangerous?’, Josefien asks.
´You’ll see for yourself,´ Norbie says, ´I hope you don’t suffer from vertigo.´
´If we can drive, I do wonder where you hid the vehicle,´ says JR.
´Yes,´ says Old Sam, ´I’m curious about that too.´
He looks around. He doesn’t see anything that looks like a vehicle. He only sees water, beach and dunes.
‘Ha, just wait’, Norbie says and walks towards one of the dunes.
That turns out not to be a dune at all, but a camouflage cloth. When he pulls it away, a sturdy jeep appears.
‘Wow, how cool’, says Josefien.
´Yes,´ Norbie beams, ´this is our favorite vehicle. He drives us through sand and over rocks. Great for driving along the sea and through the mountains. Come, throw everything in the back and find a spot, and we’ll leave right away.’
The Master Storyteller gathers all the stuff and wants to throw it in the back.
´Wow,´ he says, ´that’s where my boots went.´
‘Really,’ says Josefien, ‘how did they get there?’
I don’t know,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘maybe I have a personal Tormentor. I sometime have the idea that one is hanging around me. For now I’m totally fine with it. It’s wonderful, finally warm feet again.’
He puts on his boots and is the last to jump into the jeep. In the front, next to Norbie who is behind the wheel. Old Sam, Josefien and JR are in the back seat.
´Hold on,´ Norbie says, ´we’re leaving.´
There goes our illustrious company. In a desert green jeep towards the foot of the Great Grey Mountains. Slowly Norbie drives the jeep up, further and further into the mountains. Until they are so high that they can only drive from ridge to ridge.
‘Jeez’, says Josefien, ‘you shouldn’t be afraid of heights here. I hope nothing terrible happens.’
Old Sam is finally back on the road. Together with Josefien and JR, he sits in the back seat of the jeep that is now driving from ridge to ridge through the Great Grey Mountains. Norbie is behind the wheel, looking for his Nomadic people.
The Master Storyteller sits next to him. He finally has warm feet again because his favourite boots, which all this time just wouldn’t come out, turned out to be in the jeep. A jeep that was hidden under a camouflage cloth. Not all dunes are what it seems on the Eestzee.
‘Are we on the road for a long time?’, Josefien asks.
‘I think so,’ Norbie says, ‘my people went on a journey a month ago. But on foot and with carts for the crates, so I think we can still catch up with them.’
‘While we’re on the road,’ says Old Sam, ‘can you tell us what the great danger is, Master Storyteller?’
‘That’s a good idea, Old Sam,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘our stories are in danger because silent voices have escaped from the In-Between World.’
‘I’m curious to know who those silent voices are’, says Josefien.
‘Silent voices are voices that don’t speak. They only live in In-Between worlds. In the place where time doesn’t exist and things sometimes get lost. Stories don’t exist there.’
‘Why don’t they have any stories there?’, Old Sam asks, ‘you roam worlds and collect stories everywhere. Why not there too?’
‘Storytellers do roam worlds, but we never travel through Jump Gates’, says the Master Storyteller.
‘Why not?’, Josefien asks.
‘When silent voices see a storyteller, they want to hold them in the In-Between World,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘they want our voice. And without voice we can’t tell stories anymore.’
‘That’s why all our stories are in danger,’ says Old Sam, ‘because silent voices escaped to our world and are now looking for storytellers.’
‘Correct,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘and I’m afraid that I’m the one to blame for that. I was standing with our Zen Master and Navigator in front of one of the infinite cupboards of Water Witch Najar when we suddenly heard the Tormentor on board The Round Whale laughing out loud. We got a push and tumbled into the cupboard. That cupboard was a gateway to the In-Between World.’
‘But you’re back,’ says Old Sam.
‘That’s right,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘I was floating around somewhere, in a fight with a silent voice who wanted to steal my voice and suddenly I saw my boots appear. I grabbed them, but then something really weird happened. Together with the silent voice I was pulled back into this world.’
‘Speaking of weird things,’ Norbie says, ‘can one of you look at the map? I’m afraid we’re lost. We’re driving through uncharted territory. I don’t know where we are.’
Old Sam and his friends travel in a jeep through the Great Grey Mountains. The Master Storyteller tells how he, together with the Zen Master and Navigator, got a push from the Tormentor on board of the Round Whale and thus disappeared into an In-Between World. During a battle with a silent voice, the Master Storyteller sees his boots appear. He grabs them and manages to return to this world. Then Norbie tells them that they are in uncharted territory.
The Master Storyteller rummages through the glove compartment and pulls out a map of the Great Grey Mountains.
´I’ll have a look,´ he says as he unfolds the map. It blows right in his face. With difficulty, he unfolds the map in front of him.
´Where are we approximately?´ he asks.
´If all goes well, we’ve just passed the 21st ridge,´ says Norbie.
The Master Storyteller searches the map until he finds the ridge.
´And where do you think we are now?´ he asks.
‘I don’t know’, says Norbie, ‘I know what the 22nd ridge looks like, but here I don’t recognise anything at all. That’s why I think we’re lost. Can you see if there are any other exits on the map?’
The Master Storyteller searches and searches, but he can’t find any other turns.
´If there are no other exits,´ says Old Sam, ´and this isn’t the 22nd ridge, where have we ended up?´
´I really have no idea,´ Norbie says.
‘Does it make sense to drive on?’, Josefien asks.
´Good point young lady,´ says JR, ´I think we’d better stop and investigate things here.´
Norbie slams on the brakes and brings the jeep to a stop. The view is truly breathtakingly beautiful. Ridge after ridge is visible, far beyond the horizon. The ridge where they are now may not be the 22nd ridge, but it does invite you to stop and enjoy. On the one hand a very wide view, on the other side more mountains, rocks and trees that want to grow in places where other things don’t want to grow.
‘It’s beautiful here’, says Josefien.
‘Yes,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘wonderful stories must come from here, there is no other way.’
´That’s right,´ says a heavy voice suddenly. Everyone is startled and jumps backwards when a large apparition emerges from behind a mountain of boulders at tremendous speed. It is a gigantic beast with a pointed horn on its nose and its look very angry. ‘Oh dear’, says Josefien, startled, ’that’s a rhinoceros and they’re very dangerous.’
Old Sam and his friends are lost in the Great Grey Mountains. There is nothing on the map, not even other turns that they could have taken by mistake. Our group of friends decides to stop where they are now. Then they can see if there is anything left to discover there. They are admiring the beautiful view when suddenly a rhinoceros appears. The whole company is shocked. Rhinos can be very dangerous.
Old Sam jumps in front of Josefien to protect her. Norbie, on the other hand, walks towards the rhinoceros.
‘What are you going to do?’, Josefien shouts, ‘watch out!’
´I don’t have to be careful,´ Norbie shouts and laughs and falls around the rhino’s neck.
‘That’s clear,’ says the Master Storyteller, ’they know each other.’
´Indeed,´ says Old Sam, ´I’m curious about that story.´
´I’ll introduce you to each other,´ Norbie says, ´this is Nora Rhinoceros. Nora, this beautiful black cat lady is Josefien, there is the Master Storyteller with JR and that black cat there is Old Sam.´
´Old Sam,´ says Nora Rhinoceros, ´is this Old Sam with the magical powers?´
´Yes,´ Norbie says, ´this is Old Sam. I have to guide him and his companion Josefien through the Great Grey Mountains, but we are lost.´
‘We are also looking for Norbie’s nomadic people,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘we need his journal to translate things from an ancient language.’
‘Do you know where we are here?’, Josefien asks.
‘Yes,’ says Nora Rhinoceros, ‘I know. We are here in a special In-between world. One that can exist in this world. It’s a kind of In-Between Land.’
´No,´ exclaims the Master Storyteller, ´not an In-Between World. There, they’re looking for storytellers like me. I don’t want to lose my voice.´
´Not only that,´ says Old Sam, ´if it’s an In-Between Land, then it’s even more dangerous. There are strange spirits living there who want you to stay with them forever. I’d rather not run into them.’
´It doesn’t matter if it’s an In-Between Land or an In-Between World,´ says Josefien, ´the fact is that we’re lost. We have to get out of here and we have to find Norbie’s people so that we can translate the journal.´
´Do you know how we’re going to get out of here?´ asks Old Sam to Nora Rhinoceros. He takes a good look at her. It is the most beautiful rhino he has ever encountered. She has a beautiful blue armor, decorated with all kinds of symbols. She also looks like she can tell a lot of stories.’
´Well,´ says Nora Rhinoceros, ´I have an idea. I know that a little further on there is an Exit Gate out of this world. Maybe you can use it to get out of here. The gate is on the edge of an abandoned camp, but in the last few days I’ve heard a lot of noises coming from there, so we have to be careful.’
Old Sam and his friends are lost in the Great Grey Mountains. At the place where they stopped, they meet Nora Rhinoceros, an old friend of Norbie’s. She tells them that they are in a special In-Between World. One that can exist in this world and is also called In-Between Country. That scares both Old Sam and the Master Storyteller.
Nora Rhinoceros might know a way to get away from where they are now. To do so, they have to go to an Exit Gate that is a little further away. That gate is on the edge of an abandoned camp where all kinds of strange noises have been coming from in recent days. So they have to be careful. They take their things out of the jeep and follow Nora Rhinoceros towards the camp.
‘Where do you know each other from?’, Josefien asks Norbie and Nora Rhinoceros.
´I met Nora on one of our trips,´ Norbie says, ´she recorded the story of my people.´
´That’s right,´ says Nora, ´and I write all those stories in my armor, so that they can travel further across this world.´
´What a beautiful way to spread stories,´ says the Master Storyteller, ´I hope you’ll tell a few stories.´
‘I want to,’ says Nora Rhinoceros, ‘but not now. We are close to the camp that is located at the Exit Gate. Let’s be quiet and see if we can find out where all that noise is coming from in the last few days today.´
Our group of friends walks quietly on and cautiously approaches the camp which is surrounded by a group of trees. This way they can look beautiful without being seen right away. There is a lot of activity in the camp and as soon as Norbie sees who they are, he rushes forward.
´Come,´ he shouts, looking back as he enthusiastically beckons to his new friends, ´these are my people.´
Everyone looks up and drops what they’re doing. Enthusiastically they rush towards Norbie and it is a warm reunion. Norbie gets a lot of hugs and is asked a thousand questions.
´Quiet, quiet,´ Norbie says, ´yes, I’ve found Old Sam and Josefien and some new companions. You have plenty of time to meet them. But first you must tell me if my box has traveled with you. I need my journal to be able to translate a piece of text.’
´Yes,´ says one of the Elders of the Nomadic People, ´we have taken good care of your box, but strange forces have been at work.´
‘Strange forces?’, Josefien asks, ‘what kind of strange forces?’
´We don’t know,´ says another Elder, ´but it looks like they want to prevent your box from being opened. Take a look.’
Together, the Elders bring out Norbie’s box. The sides are beautifully decorated with the most beautiful symbols. With a beautifully decorated lid with a lock. That lock is covered in rust. How on this world will they get this box opened?
Old Sam and his friends have landed on an unknown In-Between World in the Great Grey Mountains. That’s where they met Nora Rhinoceros. They may know a way out of this world and for that they have to go to an Exit Gate. That gate is on the edge of an abandoned camp. But that camp is no longer so deserted, because Norbie’s Nomadic people have settled there.
A warm reunion follows, but they have to wait a little longer before exchanging all the adventures. Norbie wants to know if his box is with the Elders of his people. That turns out to be the case, but something apparently wants to prevent Norbie from getting his journal out of that box. The whole lock is covered in rust. Stunned, Norbie looks at his box.
´Gee,´ he says, ´how do I get it open?´
‘Do you have the key?’, Old Sam asks.
´Yes,´ Norbie says, ´I have it here.´
Norbie points to something hanging around his neck under his clothes. He picks up the cord and pulls out the key. A loud wailing can be heard from behind the Exit Gate on the edge of the camp. The door swings open and a large gust of wind blows through the camp. Blowing away everything that is loose and stuck. Everyone clings to each other. But no one can prevent the key from being snatched from Norbie’s hands and carried away by the gust of wind. Through the door of the Exit Gate, which then closes with a loud bang.
‘Wow,’ says Josefien, ‘I’ve never experienced anything like it.’
´Neither do we,´ say the members of the Nomadic People.
´Someone really doesn’t want you to open that box,´ says JR, ´let me go after that gust of wind, and I’ll get that key back.´
´None of that,´ says Old Sam, ´that’s not a mission to be done on your own.´
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ says one of the Elders of the Nomadic People, ‘you’re dealing with special forces there, so we have to see who we can best send to the other side of the Exit Gate.’
´That’s Old Sam, anyway,´ says Josefien, ´and where Old Sam goes, there I go. I also lost him half the time in our previous adventure, I won’t let that happen again.’
Everyone laughs when Old Sam and Josefien affectionately give each other a cup. The love between these two special cats is just as palpable.
´I think it’s wise for me to go along,´ says the Master Storyteller, ´and so does Nora Rhinoceros. In an In-Between World, we are always in danger of having our stories stolen.’
´Well,´ says Nora Rhinoceros, ´they won’t rob me very easily.´
Everyone laughs when they look at the imposing appearance of Nora Rhinoceros. Then everyone gets serious again. Stuff is packed and a special expedition is about to begin.
A special expedition is about to begin. Old Sam, Josefien, JR, the Master Storyteller and Nora Rhinoceros go in search of the key that has been taken by a special gust of wind to the world behind the Exit Gate. Norbie’s warm reunion with his Nomadic people is short-lived. The adventure continues.
The special quintet is ready at the Exit Gate. Norbie approaches them with the casket in his hand.
´I think you’ll have to take this one with you,´ he says, ´if you find the key, I’m sure you’ll find a way to open the rusty lock. Then you can use my journal to translate the text on the bookmark.’
‘Won’t you come with us?’, Josefien asks.
´No,´ Norbie says, ´my place is here, with my people. In our vision, I have also seen that I brought you up here into the Great Gray Mountains. The world you are going to now, that is not the place where I have a role. I wish you a good journey and hope that we will meet again someday.´
´Didn’t the vision tell you that we will meet again?´ asks Josefien.
´No,´ Norbie says, ´visions don’t show everything. There is always a certain uncertainty in the future. Sometimes you don’t want to know everything.’
With those wise words, they say goodbye to each other. Then the Master Storyteller pushes against the door of the Exit Gate. Nothing happens. Nothing. Everyone looks at each other.
‘What now?’, Josefien asks.
´Let me give it a try,´ says Old Sam.
He walks forward and puts his cat’s paw on the handle of the door. Slowly, he pushes it down. An excruciatingly slow squeak sounds. Until the door is unlocked and swings open. A strange kind of vacuum arises and with a big sigh our five are pulled over the threshold. With a thud, the door slams shut. Our group of friends has disappeared and now stand in an unknown landscape. They look around in amazement.
‘Wow,’ says Josefien, ’that was a very strange sensation’, says Josefien.
´Well,´ says JR, ´you can say that. I’m going to explore the place.’
JR is sniffing around. The strange landscape consists of all golden fields, as far as the eye can see. There is something in the middle of each field. On a stick. It’s black. It’s hard to see what it is. JR walks in the direction of the black thing. Cautiously, he sniffs further along the ground.
‘As long as you don’t lift your paw’, a voice suddenly sounds. Everyone is shocked.
´Who says that?´ shouts JR.
´Me,´ laughs the voice, ´me, me, me. I’m Vive Scarecrow. And I love secret agent dogs!´
What an adventure our friends have embarked on again. Old Sam and Josephine have stepped over the threshold of the door of the Exit Gate together with the Master Storyteller, Nora Rhinoceros and JR. In search of a key that has been taken by a mysterious gust of wind. They have landed in a world of golden fields as far as the eye can see. With a dark figure on every field. Jack Russell, aka JR, investigates and meets a scarecrow who loves small dogs.
‘You’re not going to eat him,’ Josefien exclaims angrily. She jumps like a lioness in front of JR, clenches her cat paws and puts up a high back.
‘Well,’ says the scarecrow, ‘I was just kidding. I don’t like dogs at all. I’m a real lady. But tell me, what are you doing? Visitors don’t come here very often.’
‘We’re looking for a key,’ says Josefien, ‘one that has been carried away by a gust of wind to this world.’
‘It’s that time again,’ sighs Vive Scarecrow, ‘that was a raven disguised as a gust of wind. He steals everything that’s loose and shiny and shiny.’
‘Well,’ says Old Sam, ‘we think there’s more to it. Someone wants to prevent us from opening a box containing a special diary. They can help us to translate the text on a bookmark that we found. We think there are clues on there to save the world from silent voices.’
‘Silent voices,’ says Vive Scarecrow, ‘they eat storytellers and normally sit in the In-Between World. But I don’t know what a bookmark has to do with that.’
‘Do you know where we can find the key to open the box?’ asks JR.
‘I know,’ says the Vive Scarecrow, ‘but you don’t have to be here, but there.’
Vive points to a spot in the distance. Towering mountains loom up there.
‘It looks like the Great Grey Mountains,’ says Josefien.
‘That’s right,’ says Vice, ‘you’ve just taken the exit from the Intermediate World where you were sitting. You’re back in your own world.’
‘Jeez,’ says Josefien, ‘that’s a long way to travel, isn’t there a faster way to get there?’
‘There is,’ says Vive Scarecrow, pulls out a camera , ‘just stand there together, and I’ll send you on your way again with my magic camera.’
Our friends stand together and Vive takes a picture. It is a Polaroid camera, from which a photo of the quintet slowly rolls out. With every move, they dissolve in real life.
‘No,’ Josefien shouts, ‘what’s going on?’
There’s no point in shouting, our friends dissolve and when the photo is done, the Vive Scarecrow purses her lips. He blows the picture towards the Great Grey Mountains and our friends start a wild flight.
The photo whizzes over the golden fields. From scarecrow to scarecrow. Each time they are snatched from the air and another scarecrow blows the company a step further. Until the scarecrows run out. Slowly the photo flies with our group of friends towards a house with a porch. There, in a rocking chair, stands a mysterious lady. The photo lands at her feet and she picks it up.
‘Ah, here you are at last,’ she says.
She grabs a camera from a basket next to her. She puts the photo in and step by step it disappears into the device. Little by little, our friends are re-emerging in real life.
‘Brrrrr,’ says Josefien, ‘I don’t have to go through that again.’
‘Hello friends,’ says the mysterious lady, ‘you must have come for this.’
She snaps her fingers and a raven flies in. Around his neck a key on a cord. He lands on the shoulders of the mysterious lady. She picks up the cord and hands it to Old Sam.
‘Do I have to open the box?,; Old Sam asks, ‘and who are you?’
‘Yes,’ says the lady, ‘you are the only one with magical powers here. You can get the rusty lock open, I think. And my name is Dorethea. I am the witch of the North and I have to help you. Otherwise, we’ll get stuck and we’ll run out of words for this story.’
The Master Storyteller takes the box out of his backpack and places it in front of Old Sam. He puts the key in the lock and turns it around with a scratching sound. The lid is unlocked and the box pops open. Finally, there is Norbie’s diary. The Master Storyteller rummages in his backpack and pulls out the bookmark.
‘I’m so curious to see what’s on it’, says Josefien.
‘Otherwise, I do,’ Old Sam says.
Together with the Master Storyteller, he gets to work while the rest of the party enjoys the goodies that the mysterious lady and her raven have ready. The bookmark keeps quiet and allows himself to be read patiently. In the meantime, the raven has jumped from her shoulder to that of the Master Storyteller and is reading along.
‘On the bookmark are notes by one of the elders of the Nomadic people from a very long time ago,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘it seems that silent voices have threatened the world before. We have to get back on the road. To the place where everything disappears.’
‘Let’s go to the danger,’ says Jack Russell, aka JR.
Everyone is silent for a moment. What awaits them again and can they save the world.
Then, suddenly, the raven starts singing and makes everyone shudder.
‘Let’s hit the road, Jack,’ sings the raven, ‘and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more!’
‘Ouch,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘that hurts my ears.’
The raven laughs so loudly that it tumbles off the Master Storyteller’s shoulder. It’s a comical sight and everyone laughs along.
‘When you’re done laughing,’ says Dorethea, the witch from the North, ‘it’s time to go out. You have to go to the place where everything disappears.’
‘I think it’s dangerous,’ says Josefien, ‘imagine if we disappear too.’
‘That’s why you’re getting something from me,’ says Dorethea, ‘something that’s going to help you not to disappear. And something to make sure you can travel that way at lightning speed. I don’t think we have a lot of time left before this adventure is over.’
She walks into the house, to the kitchen and pulls open the door of a very large pantry. There are all kinds of bottles on the shelves. She rummages until she finds a bottle of purple liquid. It’s next to a large candy jar with all kinds of colored candies.
‘Yes, I have to have this one,’ she mumbles.
She closes the closet door again, turns around and walks over to Nora Rhinoceros.
‘You’re from the Big Five family,’ she says, holding up the bottle of the purple liquid, ‘with this potion, you can become someone else in your family.’
‘The Big Five,’ Josefien says in a questioning tone, ‘who are they?’
‘That is indeed my family,’ says Nora Neushoorn, ‘our family consists of the biggest, most beautiful and fastest animals. But I don’t understand why I have to become someone else in my family and I don’t know who.’
‘With this potion, one of your family members will gain special powers,’ says Dorethea, the witch of the North, ‘which will allow you to travel very quickly to the place where everything disappears. And it ensures that you can also get away very quickly if necessary.’
Nora Rhinoceros looks at Dorethea, the witch of the North, and then closes her eyes.
‘Okay, go ahead then,’ she says, ‘give me that bottle, and I’ll drink it.’
‘Oh,’ says Dorethea, ‘you don’t have to drink it, I just have to twist the cap off the bottle.’
She twists the cap off the bottle and with a big sigh, a purple string of liquid escapes. He dances through the air and circles around Nora Rhinoceros. Faster and faster, until Nora Rhinoceros is completely enveloped in a purple cloud. Then the wisp comes to a halt and the purple cloud slowly falls to the ground. Nora Rhinoceros is no longer a rhinoceros.
Instead, there is now an elephant. One with very big ears.
‘Who have you become?’, Josefien asks with wide eyes. She’s never seen anything like it.
‘I’m Jumbo, the flying elephant. Just jump on my back, and we’ll fly there.’
Old Sam and his friends must go to the place where everything disappears. Dorethea, the witch of the North, has a magic potion that transforms Nora Rhinoceros into Jumbo, the flying elephant. This way, they can quickly travel to the place in question. Jumbo invites everyone to jump on their backs so they can leave as soon as possible.
Our friends say goodbye to Dorethea and her raven. They are secretly a little happy that they no longer have to listen to the shrill voice of that special bird.
‘Do you know where the place is where we have to go?’, Jumbo asks the Master Storyteller.
‘Yes,’ says the Master Storyteller, ’there were also coordinates on the bookmark. We have to sail a 325-degree course to get there.’
Jumbo the Elephant looks at the Master Storyteller.
‘Just point out on the map where we have to go,’ says Jumbo, ‘I don’t do all that frills with courses and degrees.’
‘Oh, sorry,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘force of habit. Our navigator is quite strict about this kind of thing.’
‘Your navigator isn’t here,’ Jumbo says, ‘just jump on my back and let’s go. I’ll fly there in a minute.’
Old Sam, Josefien, JR and the Master Storyteller sit on the back of Jumbo the Elephant. He flaps his ears a few times and the motley crew takes off. Jumbo turns around so they can wave to Dorethea and her raven. And then they fly on in the direction of the Great Grey Mountains.
‘Where exactly do we need to be?’, Josefien asks.
‘There,’ says the Master Storyteller, pointing to the highest mountain peak of all.
‘Wow,’ Old Sam says, ‘that’s high. Do you have any idea what we’ll find there?’
‘If I have understood the scribbles on the bookmark correctly,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘there must be a secret cave somewhere. There is a sacred place in that cave. There we have to perform a ritual to send the silent voices back to the In-Between World.’
‘How do we know what kind of ritual to perform?’, Old Sam asks.
‘The story doesn’t tell,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘so I hope we’ll find clues there.’
‘There’s almost here,’ says Jumbo the Elephant, ‘hold on, and we’ll land.’
Jumbo starts the landing and with a short trot the motley crew comes to a halt. A figure stands at the entrance of the cave.
‘Well,’ says the figure as she steps out of the shadow of the cave, ‘it took you a while to get here. I think you need a few more lessons in navigating.’
‘Every now and then you have to sit on your hands and be patient,’ says a large man who comes up behind her.
The Master Storyteller walks up to the two and falls around their necks. Then he turns to our friends.
‘May I introduce you to Dalin, the navigator of The Round Whale, and our Zen Master.’
Old Sam and his friends have traveled on the back of Jumbo the Elephant to the highest mountain of the Great Grey Mountains. There is a cave where they have to perform a ritual to send all the silent voices back to the Intermediate World. Once they arrive at the cave, two old acquaintances of the Master Storyteller are waiting for them. Dalin, the navigator of the Round Whale, and the Zen Master.
Hands are shaken and everyone gets to know each other.
‘So you’re Old Sam,’ says the Zen Master, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you. And here in this cave I also read a lot about you.’
‘Have you read much about me,’ Old Sam says in a surprised tone, ‘in this cave?’
‘Yes, in this cave,’ Dalin agrees with the navigator.
‘Now I’m very curious,’ says Josefien, ‘how is that possible?’
‘Come with me,’ Dalin says and leads the four into the cave. The Zen Master closes the row.
Once they arrive in the cave, their eyes first have to get used to the light. Candles on the wall are lit and their soft glow illuminates the cave.
‘It’s so beautiful here,’ says Josefien as she walks around carefully and looks at everything. Old Sam also walks around and takes a look.
‘Look,’ he says, ‘I find a bookcase here. Do you know what’s in here, Josefien?’
‘No,’ says Josefien, ‘tell me. By the way, I’ve also found something special here.’
‘Books with all our adventures are here,’ says Old Sam, ‘but what have you found?’
‘I found a music book,’ says Josefien, ‘a music book full of notes and very beautiful songs to send silent voices back to their own world.’
‘Wow’, says Old Sam, ‘how special. What kind of instruments should those notes play?’
‘I don’t know either,’ says Josefien, ‘have you found instruments here, Dalin and Zen Master?
‘No,’ says the Zen Master, ‘we have searched but have not been able to find anything.’
‘Leave it to me,’ says Jack Russell, aka JR, ‘after all I’m a secret agent dog.’
JR searches the entire cave. He stops in a small dark corner.
‘Found it,’ he says, pulling out a suitcase.
‘What’s in there?’, Josefien wonders.
‘I’m hoping for a musical instrument,’ Old Sam says, walking towards the suitcase. When he puts his paw on the lock, the case moves and the lock pops open. A beautiful violin is revealed.
Our friends are in a cave in the Great Grey Mountains where they are going to perform a ritual to send the silent voices back to the In-Between World. A music book will help them with that. And the violin they just found.
‘Wow,’ says Josefien, ‘what a beautiful violin. It’s all made of gold and has all these beautiful drawings.’
‘I see those drawings in the music book you found,’ Old Sam says.
‘Do you have any idea how to perform the ritual?’, Josefien asks Dalin and the Zen Master.
‘Not at all,’ says Dalin, ‘but that there must be a special place for the ritual somewhere.’
‘We think your presence, Old Sam, will help you find that place,’ says the Zen Master.
‘Why do you think that?’ asks Old Sam.
‘Come along,’ says Dalin, ‘and it will become clear.’
Dalin leads the group to another part of the cave. The violin case and the music book also travel there under the arm of The Zen Master. Soft candlelight falls on a curtain. A curtain decorated with all kinds of beautiful drawings and musical notes. The drawings depict Old Sam’s adventure from their departure from the Cloud Castle.
‘Wow,’ says Josefien, ’that’s special.’
‘That’s what we thought too,’ says Dalin, ‘we were able to follow your adventure closely. Every day there was a new drawing that showed what you were experiencing. During the day, the drawing became more and more visible and more details were added. Until everything was visible at the end of the day.’
‘Then I’m curious to see what’s in today’s drawing,’ says Old Sam.
‘We haven’t looked in the last few hours,’ says Dalin, ‘so we’re curious to find out as well.’
Our group of friends gathers in front of the curtain. Jumbo the elephant takes a candle and holds it to today’s drawing. Then it seems as if the drawing is moving. Our friends see that they are sitting down in front of the curtain. They look at each other in confusion. Everyone sits down. Then the suitcase that holds the violin jumps up for a moment.
‘I think the violin wants to come out,’ says Old Sam.
He looks at the curtain and indeed sees that he is picking up the violin. In real life, he sticks out his cat’s paw and opens the suitcase. Then, suddenly, the curtain opens and our group of friends appears to be sitting in front of a stage. On the stage there is a chair with a small table and a music stand.
Old Sam grabs the violin from the case and jumps onto the stage. He puts the violin on the table. He puts the music book on the music stand. An expectant silence descends and does what silences often do. It causes everyone to shift uncomfortably back and forth and try to put words to what is happening. Or doesn’t happen.
‘What now?’, whispers Josefien.
‘I don’t know,’ whispers Jack Russell, aka JR.
‘Maybe Old Sam should play the violin’, Josefien whispers.
‘I wouldn’t know how,’ Old Sam says softly.
‘Patience,’ whispers the Zen Master, ‘let’s see what happens when we just be quiet for a moment.’
The expectant silence descends again. And with the expectant silence the silent voices come as well this time. It seems as if they suddenly appear out of nowhere. They look like stars, as they appear on the ceiling of the cave. Slowly they descend on the floor of the cave, right behind our group of friends. Old Sam is still sitting on the stage and is a first row spectator to this extraordinary spectacle.
Then something stirs behind the scene. A large man emerges. It is a striking appearance in a neat suit. The man is huge. He looks like he’s two meters tall. He has white hair, an angular face, and large hands. He walks forward, picks up the violin and sits down on the chair. He pulls out a bow from the inside pocket of his jacket. He opens the music book and strikes a few notes on the violin.
‘Ah,’ the man says, ‘I’m missing another magical note. Can I have a whisker from you, Old Sam?’
‘Yes, you can,’ says Old Sam and walks forward. He pulls out one of his whiskers and hands it to the man.
‘Thank you,’ the man says, ‘now I have an extra string on my violin to be able to play all the parts of this piece of music. That way I can make all the musical notes that the quiet voices need.’
He tightens the string and gently lowers the bow. A plink sounds. Then a plonk.
‘Plink plank plonk, sound, one, two, three, sound,’ says the Man and he begins to play.
The magical sounds of the violin fill the cave. Musical notes and symbols come to life. Slowly, they detach themselves from the violin, the suitcase and the music book and begin a dance through the cave. They mingle with the still voices, which still sit on the floor of the cave as if enchanted.
Then a light begins to shine in the midst of the silent voices. Slowly, a shape becomes visible. A woman appears. She has a white hooded cloak wrapped around her. Her face is framed by white curls. She looks at the company with wide eyes. She clears her throat and seems to want to say something.
‘Plink plank plonk’, says the man with the violin and the music becomes wilder and wilder.
‘Sound, one, two, three, sound,’ the woman says, tasting the words in amazement.
All the other silent voices are now stirring as well. Throughout the cave, the sounding sounds of clinking boards and clatters can be heard, with the ferocious and wild sounds of the violin underneath.
Behind the man on stage, a door slowly appears. The woman opens her arms and all the silent voices gather around her. She walks to the door on the stage while watching our group of friends and tasting the sounds of her voice. With her hand on the door handle, she turns to face the group one last time.
‘Thank you,’ she says, ‘thank you for giving us a voice. Now we can also tell stories in the In-Between World and we no longer have to be silent. That’s all we wanted, to be able to tell our stories. Feel free to drop by if you want to hear some of them.’
After these words, the woman opens the door and steps over the threshold into the In-Between World. Our friends just catch a glimpse of all the silent voices that are excitedly waiting for the company. Then the door closes and disappears. The music of the man with the violin gets smaller again and ends with a soft plink plank plonk.
‘So,’ he says, ‘my job here is done. Thank you, Old Sam, thanks to you we have been able to give a voice to the silent voices.’
He gets up, puts the violin in the case and closes it. He puts the bow back in the inside pocket of his jacket. Before Josefien can fire off any of her legendary questions, the man has disappeared behind the scenes.
‘What was all that?’, Josefien asks as she jumps up and searches the stage. But there is no trace of the man.
‘I have no idea,’ says the Master Storyteller, ‘but I do know that I never realized that the silent voices also want to tell their stories. I am very happy that they can now do this too.’
‘That’s very nice indeed,’ says Oude Sam, ‘because stories also need to be shared. Now there are even more storytellers. Not only on this world, but on all worlds.’
Then, suddenly, there is a huge roar. It comes from outside and slowly rolls into the cave.
‘Hey, bunch of landlubbers,’ a voice suddenly booms.
‘Captain Ebeling!’, Josefien shouts and she sprints out of the cave.
In front of the entrance of the cave floats The Round Whale. Captain Ebeling is at the helm, the dragon master is sitting in the sails and the water witches are waving wildly from the deck.
‘Are you done with this adventure?’, shouts Captain Ebeling.
‘Yaaaaaa,’ our friends shout in unison.
‘Come aboard, it’s time to celebrate,’ the captain shouts, ‘witch darlings, put the pans on the fire.’
Jumbo the Elephant gestures to our friends to sit on his back. With a long run, he jumps into the air and flies to The Round Whale. Everyone falls around each other’s necks and is happy that the crew of The Round Whale is finally complete again. Enough reason for a huge party like only Captain Ebeling can give. They sing and they dance and they eat until everyone is tired and satisfied and goes to sleep.
Old Sam and Josefien climb on the prow of the boat and enjoy the view of the beautiful world in the moonlight. Josefien sighs contentedly and snuggles up to Old Sam.
‘It was a great adventure,’ she says.
Old Sam also sighs contentedly and waves to the writer.
‘Are you coming to close this adventure?’, Old Sam asks.
‘Certainly,’ she says, stepping into the story, ‘by the way, I got a note from the man with the violin.’
‘Oh,’, Josefien says and she jumps up enthusiastically, ‘what’s on it?’
The writer unfolds the note, reads the text and smiles.
‘Read aloud, read aloud’, says Josefien.
‘Thank you, granddaughter, how nice that I could play the violin for you 1 more time. Love, Grandpa.’
‘Ah, what a sweet note,’ says Josefien, ‘it was also a treat to listen to him.’
‘Yes,’ says InK, ‘you know what also was a treat? To let you experience another adventure. The seventh already. Quite a milestone. What do you think, will the readers like another adventure next year?’
‘I hope so,’ says Josefien, ‘and I’m also curious about the top 3 drawings of our readers.’
‘Yes,’ says Old Sam, ‘I’m sure they can let us know.’
‘And with those words we close ‘Old Sam and The Silent Voices’. On. From. End.
See you tomorrow!
With love from InK