Sir Elrod's Castle

an original story by Xavier Calvera

c 2007 Lord Tiger

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythycal
Land of Olde Cubanacan
1- A New Creation

After repeatedly bashing his head against
the gray prison of his sky, Sir Elrod Geare,
errant knight of the Mythical Land of Olde
Cubanacan, resigned himself once again to the
hand that fate had cruelly dealt him.

Perhaps cruelly was an overstatement. True, he was
denied what he most longed for, to play his Magical
Guitar and sings his Magical Songs for an appreciative
audience, but he really lacked none of the creature
comforts that so many people would give anything to
attain.

Sir Elrod had a castle nestled in the forgotten valley of Macadonia
in the land of Olde Cubanacan. The castle was roomy and though a
Little gloomy, it fit Sir Elrod's mood perfectly. On rare
sunny days, (for the sky was mostly cloudy in olde Cubanacan),
Elrod sat on the ancient wooden deck, took his shirt off and
let the warm rays of old Helious warm the skin next to his heart.

'If only I could break through the sky and play for the people,'
Sir Elrod would say to himself in those rare sunny days. 'If only
I could pierce the sky, I'd fly" He'd muttered as he toyed
with an idea for a possible song lyric. Then he'd close his eyes and
Let the warm red spot over his mind eye whisk him away from
that gray prison, mostly of his own making.

He would travel away on the vehicle of his brain matter and see
All those places he'd once thought he'd play- 'Oh yes,' he'd mutter
to himself, " Los Angeles, and London, the Palladium!,
and Sidney, the opera! and Paris and Madrid and oh yes, New York, to play
Carniege Hall!' Then for a few moments he'd see himself performing
in those wonderful places, all though the power of his mind's eye!
But alas, it was naught but a dream. A mystical and mythical chimera
never to be attained by mere cyber mortals the likes of Sir Elrod.
' Not in this lifetime...' he'd sadly mutter to himself.

But Sir Elrod didn't let self pity absorb him for long. He never did.
Well, perhaps it was more like he never could. You see, his soul would not let him.
At first it was a faint echo, a single musical note playing ping pong
in the neurons of his brain. Then it got louder and louder until
It was a mighty roar. Sir Elrod had a Genesis of a New Creation!
With a jump and a skip and a cry of 'leaping lizards!,' he ran down
the old stone staircase to the dungeon, where his Magical Recording
Studio awaited him. Rows upon rows of color lights flashed as his wonderful
Black Boxes roared into being, ready to receive Sir Elrod's every
note and all the nuances of his phrasing. The large display screens emited their
otherworldly glow and displayed his composing tools of choice. Infused with the
energies of his Musical Universe, Sir Elrod grabbed his guitar and his 'real'
world came to life. The mighty rush of creation rippled across the room as the
sum and the issue of Sir Elrod's life came into clear focus once again.
For a time he became Lordof Creation and Master of the Universe.
His Own Musical Universe.

He played and he sang and he pushed buttons and he sang again. 'Needs
a harmony here, no, a three part harmony.' He happily said to himself
as he sang away and a chorus of Elrodses danced across the flickering screen.
The Black Boxes magically accommodated him and gladly obeyed
his every whim and his every musical wish. Then he played the keys and they
were magical too! Oboes and strings and flutes and winds and all sort of musical
things happened inside those wonderful keys and translated themselves into the
blank canvas that his black boxes provided. Then time for the bass and the drums
and yes, wonderful percussion and lots of it! Masters of the percussive arts had
provided Sir Elrod with lots and lots of percussion inside some magical tiny bits
of sound that Sir Elrod could call up anytime. Life was indeed good
for Sir Elrod as he happily toiled away at his craft in his little dungeon studio.
Morning had turned into afternoon and afternoon into evening and evening into night
and night into morning again by the time that Sir Elrod was finished with his work.

The deed was done, the song had grown and all that was left for Sir Elrod
to do was to listen. The Black Boxes obediently played back to Elrod what he had done,
and it was good. Nothing more to do now but to put it away, archive it in a safe place
so that it would never ever be forgotten.

Once again a bit of Sir Elrod's life had been squeezed out of him by his destiny as you
would squeeze a lemon, or perhaps more appropriately a sweet orange. Yes it was sweet,
the juice that was the essence of Elrod and was squeezed out of him that morning,
into afternoon, that afternoon into evening, that evening into night and that night
into morning again. The song came to rest with the many other songs that had bounded
out of Sir Elrod so many other times before. It fit perfectly with the others.
what a wonderful collection it was! Sir Elrod went to sleep. and dreamt again about
busting through the other side of the sky, to the land where people awaited him.
Where the crowds lined up all the way down the street to buy a ticket to see him play.
What a wonderful world that was!

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythical
Land of Olde Cubanacan
2- His Realm

Bounded in all sides by mountains, Sir Elrod's little valley world of
Macadonia is totally contained in an area no wider than a few square
miles. But that little space indeed packs a lotta punch. Sir Elrod
Has a castle complete with three towers and corridors, a great hall
and of course a dungeon, which houses Sir Elrod's
recording studio. Outside there is an ample wooden deck
in which Sir Elrod can take sun baths in the rare days
the sun peaks behind the clouds that always surround his
Virtual World.

Inside the castle there is a small courtyard, complete with a fountain,
which taps into the ample underwater cistern that supplies water
to the castle. Outside there is a small pond, complete with koi fish.
An old growth pine forest is located behind the castle and there you
can find a deer or two, a family of squirrels and a great horned owl
that makes his appearance only occasionally and always after the
witching hour.

In the front view of the castle there is a small meadow that grows mostly
thistles and thorns and a few wild grasses for most of the year. You can
not walk through the meadow without getting many thorns and thistles all
over your pants and your socks, so Sir Elrod mostly avoids the area. In spring
though, the meadow is graced by many different species of wild flowers and
Sir Elrod spends many hours there sitting on his deck and gazing at the
flowers. He imagines each and everyone of them to be female members
of his fan club, and when the inspiration strikes him he will bring out
his guitar and play his songs for his imaginary audience.

The mountains surrounding sir Elrod's domains are very steep and almost
devoid of vegetation. They are almost umclimbable, though Sir Elrod accomplishes
The nearly impossible feat almost once a month. Once at the top, Sir Elrod
can see the whole world of the other side. The best musical venues of the known
universe are there for the taking and Sir Elrod longs to play them. But there
is an invisible barrier that begins a few inches from the top in the other side of the
mountains. That is where Sir Elrod bangs his head against the sky trying to get out.
He usually will spend a day or two up there trying to find a place where the
barrier will give way and let him get out to the other side. Then finally hunger and
the lure of his dungeon studio will compel him to come down once again to
be the Master of his Realm.

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythical
Land of Olde Cubanacan
3- The Creatures of his world

Besides the numerous small and large spiders that inhabit Sir Elrod's
castle, the only other large creatures, (besides Sir Elrod), who
inhabit the valley of Macadonia in the land of olde Olde Cubanacan are
two old deer and a horned owl. The two deer, a doe and a buc who Sir Elrod
named Elsie and Elmore, usually are hidden somewhere in the woods.
This is truly an astonishing feat, given the fact that the forest of Sir Elrod's fief
only consist of a small area, the size of perhaps one regular square city block.
This leads Sir Elrod to believe that perhaps there is a gate somewhere in the woods
where the deer slip in and out of Sir Elrod's world. Though he has been looking
diligently in the woods almost every day, Sir Elrod has yet to find any trace
of such a gate.

The old horned owl is another matter altogether. Named Horny (of course) by
Sir Elrod, he actually has the gift of speech and is the only creature that Sir
Elrod has the pleasure to converse with. The only problem is that Horny has
a limited vocabulary and usually just says yes Elrod, and no Elrod, to whatever
Sir Elrod says. Still, since that is the only feedback that he gets from a talking creature,
Sir Elrod does enjoy the rare, mostly one sided conversations. Another problem
with Horny is that he is only seen past the witching hour and only when there is a full
moon. That would severely limit Horny's appearance in most parts of the world,
but in the land of Olde Cubanacan there is a full moon every night. Of course
it can only be seen when the cloud cover lifts at night, and that is as rare an occurrence
as sunshine is during the day time.

Among the other creatures that inhabit Sir Elrod's world are the seven koi
who live in the pond outside the castle. They were named Doc, Grumpy,
Happy, Sneezy, Bashful, Sleepy and Dopey by Sir Elrod after the dwarves
of the popular Disney movie. He is still hoping for Snow White to join them
one day and bring Sir Elrod a much needed female companion. Hope Spring is
indeed eternal, even in Sir Elrod's limited world.

There are birds that live in Elrod's world, though to his view they are different
ones every day. That also leads Sir Elrod to believe that there is a hole in the sky
high above his little valley of where they get in and out everyday. He
hopes to exploit this possibility one day by constructing a hot air balloon and
escaping that way. The only problem is that he hasn't been able to locate a source
of materials to construct neither the balloon or the gondola. Sir Elrod. ever an
optimist, thinks that one day, that way or another he'll surely get out.

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythycal
Land of Olde Cubanacan
4- Following the Deer

It was an unusually warm day in the little valley of Macadonia.
The sun was out most of the morning, which was really a strange
thing in the usually cloudy world. Sir Elrod worked up a rare sweat
doing his daily calisthenics in the old rickety deck, then sat in his
wooden recliner and let the sun warm his ample forehead.

Sir Elrod had not worked in his dungeon studios for several days now.
Hi usual zest to write new songs and record was overtaken by a more
pressing desire to escape his little world and play music for people,
real people. Then out of the corner of his eyes he saw one of the deer
of the nearby forest cautiously approach the apple that he had put out to
lure them. Sir Elrod turned carefully on his side and watched the animal
cautiously approach the apple. It was hard for Sir Elrod to give up one
of his precious apples. The tree in the castle courtyard only gave a few
every year and Sir Elrod relished each and everyone of them. But Sir Elrod
needed to get out of the prison of his virtual world and he was sure that the
deer held the key to his escape.

Sir Elrod was sure that the animals slipped in and out of his world and he intended
to find the gate that they used to do so. The reason he was so sure was that the
forest of Macadonia was very small, just the size of a regular city block. Yet the
deer were seldom seen and when Sir Elrod looked for them in the forest he could
never find them. Elrod flinch as the deer took a bite out of the apple, then cringed
when the rest of the fruit disappeared down the gullet of the doe. For it was Elsie,
the female of the deer pair who had taken Elrod's bait. Elsie started to leave and
Sir Elrod cautiously got up and followed her into the forest. When she got to the
clearing in the middle of the forest, next to a large rock that Elrod often sat upon
when he walked that way, the deer stopped. Sir Elrod crouched behind a tree
and watch the deer muzzle some grass in front of the rock. Then Elsie vanished
into thin air!

"Aha!," Sir Elrod said aloud. "That's where the gate is, I knew it!" Then he hurried
to the spot but try as he might he could not find the gate that the deer had used.
He even got down on all fours and grazed the grass as Elsie had. But it was all
for naught. The gate was nowhere to be found. Sir Elrod spent hours and hours
going around the spot, replaying the actions of he deer in his mind. He just could
not find the spot! Day gave way to night in Macadonia, and because it was a
fairly clear evening, Elrod heard the hooting of Horny, the local talking horned
owl. "I bet Horny knows!," said Sir Elrod to himself and went to look for the owl.
He had not taken more than a couple of steps when Horny when the owl flew
to the tree opposite the boulder in question.

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythycal
Land of Olde Cubanacan
5- A Conversation with Horny

Horny, the resident owl of the Macadonia Forest was a very unusual creature.
He was seldom seen and always at night when the clouds parted to reveal the
full moon that always shone in the valley of Macadonia in Olde Cubanacan.

For one thing he was a talking owl and the only creature with whom Sir Elrod
could have a conversation of sorts. I say of sorts because all Horny could say
was 'yes, Elrod, hoot hoot ' and 'no, Elrod, hoot hoot.' Elrod could never be
sure if the yeses and noses were in fact the owl's opinion or just arbitrary musings
of the animal. But since Sir Elrod had no one else in his little world who to ask a
question, the owl would have to do.

Elrod:: There you are Horny,. did you see the deer?"

Horny: "Yes, Elrod, hoot hoot."

Elrod: "Good, did you see where she went?"

Horny: "Yes, Elrod, hoot hoot."

Elrod: Good, "I saw her disappear right here, is there a gate in this spot?"
said Elrod pointing to the rock.

Horny: "No, Elrod, hoot hoot."

Elrod: "Aha!, said Elrod, going behind the boulder "then it's behind the rock!"

Horny: "No, Elrod, hoot hoot."

Then Sir Elrod pointed everywhere, to the sides, to the top, in front. in back. underneath
and always the answer from Horny was the same, no, Elrod hoot hoot. Tired, frustrated
and disgusted Sir Elrod then sat in front of the rock, leaning against it.

Elrod: "Horny, am I ever gonna get out of here?"

Horny: "Yes, Elrod, hoot hoot."

Elrod: "But when horny, I want to know when, do you know when?"

Horny: "No, Elrod, hoot hoot."

Elrod: "Tell me Horny please, I need to know!" said Elrod to the owl almost
desperately. The owl answered Sir Elrod desperate plea by flying away into
the night.

Elrod: "Noooo, Horny nooo!!!" cried Sir Elrod as the owl got lost into the night.
Then the perennial full moon of the Land of Olde Cubanacan went behind the
clouds and Elrod was left alone in the dark of his little world.

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythycal
Land of Olde Cubanacan
6- The Fish Pond

The incident with the deer threw Elmo into the longest
depression of his short life. Dark moods haunted Sir Elrod
occasionally, but they did not last for long, a day or
so at the most. Usually a new song idea would get Sir Elrod
out of his ugliest mood and into his dungeon studio where
he could bring his new creation to life. Not this time.

Days passed and Sir Elrod did not even descend to the dungeon
of his castle, where his wonderful little studio awaited him.
He just sat on the wooden recliner on the deck and stared out
into the thistle patch that was a poor excuse for a meadow in
his little world. Even the appearance of the first spring flowers
failed to get Sir Elrod out of his dark funk, which was very unusual
as the spring flowers were one of the joys of his little fiefdom.

As Sir Elrod descended deeper and deeper into depression
he started to wish there was a way to end what seemed for him
to be his miserable and useless existence. "What's the point of
being given such talents," he would say to himself, " singing and
playing and writing and recording if there is no one to share it with?.
I wish I wasn't alive, I wish I was never born!"

After that, Elrod stopped eating, as it wanting to commit suicide
by starving himself to death. He would leave his cot in the morning
and make his way to his wooden recliner on the deck and plop
himself down and just stare into space. Today there were new flowers
on the thistle patch. This year they were of many more colors than in
other years. Some were of an unusual shade of orange, same as the koi
fish in the pond behind the castle. Thinking about the fish distracted
Sir Elrod from his gloomy mood.

Sir Elrod hadn't been out to see the fish in quite a few days and he
usually brought for them a food he made from vegetables he grew in
a little garden patch he cultivated. He felt suddenly guilty for neglecting
his fish and got up fast to get the food and feed them. Getting up so suddenly
made Sir Elrod very dizzy. He hadn't eaten in quite a few days and was
very weak. Elrod is a strong willed person and just thinking he was weak
made him more determined to get up and go feed the fish. He pushed himself
up, went and got the food and slowly made his way behind the castle to the
koi pond to feed his beloved creatures.

As Elrod stood in front of the pond, the fish saw his silhouette
and started swimming about, as fish always recognize those who feed
them and love them. Elrod started feeding the fish and the
koi swam fast through the water trying to catch the bits of food as they sank
into the pond. Elrod's eyes got wide as he suddenly knew how the deer
got in and out of his world! He finished feeding the fish and walked a straight
line, as fast as his weakened legs could take him, to the spot in the forest
where he had last seen Elsie the doe disappear out of his world.

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythycal
Land of Olde Cubanacan
7- The Cave

Sir Elrod ran to he spot where he last had seen Elsie
The dove by the big rock in the forest. When he arrived,
And still running, he dove head first into the rock.
You would expect Elrod to bang his head and knock
Himself out, but he had seen the fish swim though the
Water and had had an epiphany as to how the deer got
In and out of his world.

Sure enough, instead of banging against the rock and knocking
Himself out, Sir Elrod went right through the rock to the other
Side. He found himself in a cave illuminated by a strange
Phosphorescent glow, unlike anything he had ever seen or read
About. Elrod looked back to where he had come in and could find
No trace of an opening. That didn't worry him much at the time,
As his goal was to escape the golden prison of Macadamia, not to
Go back to it. After spending a few minutes getting his bearings,
Sir Elrod set out to explore the cave in earnest.

The cave was very large and extended as far as the eye could see in
Several directions. Then it branched out in a series of tunnels.
Actually it seem to be more of a catacomb than a
Cave, as many of the pillars and tunnels were obviously of manmade origin.
He picked one of the tunnels at random and started exploring his new world.

The tunnel had the same outwardly illumination as the main cave and it was
Narrow and just high enough so that Elrod could walk upright, though he
Had to bend down in several spots where the ceiling was of shorter height.
Elrod walked for several miles and started to feel dizzy and fatigued, as he hadn't
Eaten for several days. As he came close to a spot where the tunnel branched out
in two directions, he heard the sound of running water, Elrod was also getting thirsty,
so he headed in the direction of the sound of water. A few more minutes of walking
rewarded Elrod with a small pleasant waterfall. He drank the water and it was very
sweet, almost having the taste of honey. Sir Elrod reveled in the water, washing his
hands and face and later he rested by the waterfall. The sound of the water comforted
Elrod and he fell sleep, curled up in front of the water that was falling, the fresh mist
Cooling and refreshing him as he slumbered.

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythycal
Land of Olde Cubanacan
8- The waterfall.

When Sir Elrod woke up he was cold and hungry. The gentle mist
Had soaked him and made him uncomfortable. He removed
his clothes and found a spot away from the waterfall where he could
hang them to dry. The temperature was very comfortable and the air in
the cave was arid, so his clothes should not take too long to dry. As he
was hanging up his clothes a spot of color caught his eyes. Sure enough,
wild berries! Elrod had no idea nor he cared at the time how the berries
could grow in the tunnel, he was hungry! Elrod tasted the berries and
they were good and sweet . After he had eaten his fill, he gave the matter of
the light some thought. Apparently the phosphorescent glow gave enough
light for the berries to grow. He could not still figure out where the light came
from as it just seemed to permeate the whole space.

Sir Elrod rested a while as he waited for his clothes to dry, and took the
Opportunity to assess his situation. He was caught under a system of
Caves and tunnels under his world valley of Macadonia. He had no idea
Where he was or how he could get out to the outside or even back to his
World. But Sir Elrod was optimistic. He was sure that he was on his way
To get out to the outside world, where he could play his wonderful music
To the people.

Up to that point Sir Elrod had no idea where he had come from or even who
He really was. All he knew is that one day he had awaken in the small valley
World of Macadonia. He had no idea where he had been before. He knew
His name was Elrod Geare and in the dungeon studio there was a sign by the
Door that read 'Sir Elrod Dungeon Studio,' so he had taken a fancy to the 'Sir'
And started thinking of himself in that way. His world of Macadonia consisted
Of a small valley, surrounded by impenetrable mountains, an ample though drafty
Castle, (which Elrod had left unnamed), complete with a dungeon recording studio
That was the joy of Elrod's lonely existence. Outside there was a small forest, the
Size of a small city block and a koi pond. Now Sir Elrod could add the underground
Tunnels to his world, that is if he ever could get out and back into his valley. That
Was not Elrod's concern at the moment though. His goal was to get out of the valley

altogether to the world of people. He wanted to play his music for people, it
Was the driving force of his life.

Not that he wasn't relatively happy in his little world. As I said, the Dungeon recording
Studio gave Elrod many hours of creative pleasure and his Castle was an enchanting
Place. He also had his koi and a talking owl in the forest. But Elrod did not
Know who he was or where he had come from. All that he knew was that he was
A music man who wrote many wonderful songs, and that he had a terrible longing
To get out and played them for other people. Sir Elrod was sure there were other people.
Somehow he remembered a world where he wasn't alone. But he had no idea how
To get to it.

Sir Elrod Geare.
Errant Knight of the Mythycal
Land of Olde Cubanacan
9- The Martin

When Elrod's clothes were dried he put them back on and
Started walking again. Soon he came to another place where
The tunnel split in two directions. One of them was into a
Relatively small room and looking inside Elrod saw a wonderful sight:
A black guitar on a stand!

When Elrod dove head first into the rock he had first put his guitar
Down, so that when he had catapulted into the cave Elrod had come
Without his ever preset guitar. Up to that point Elrod had not missed
Playing his guitar, in fact he had not even thought about it as he was too
Busy getting around the cave. But seeing the guitar made Elrod eager
To play and he picked up the guitar and started strumming his tunes.

The guitar was a Martin, a brand that Elrod knew as he had one that had
Come with his studio. The Martin sounded sweet as a Martin should,
And soon Elrod lost track of time as he played his songs. As he played on
Elrod started improvising and playing what he knew of his life into a
Form of sound. Once more he played about what he knew: "My name is Elrod
Geare, I live in the Valley of Macadonia, land of Olde Cubanacan. I
Have no idea how I got here or where I am going and I do like my little world a
lot but it's a very lonely place. If I had people here I could play for I would be very
Happy. Ideally I would like to get out and gig all over the world, playing for
People everywhere. I know there is a world out there, yes I know
There is a world out there. I see it when I bang my head against the sky."

And Elrod played on and on, composing the story of his short life. As he played
He wished he was back in his little Dungeon Studio where he could record all
The wonderful new sounds, but no, he was stuck in a cave under his valley of
Macadonia and he had absolutely no idea how to get out he played on and on
And on, and the music was his thoughts, and his thoughts was the music and
It all blended down to a stream of strawberry mermelade colored flow. He
Became liquid, his thoughts were liquid, the music was liquid and it all went
Downstream to a logical place where there should be a new chord, one that
Elrod had never played before. Elrod could 'see' and 'feel' the chord and his fingers
Reached for it as his guitar led him inexororably to the music inevitable conclusion.
Elrod strummed the new chord and for a moment the world stoped as it had never been
Formed or fashioned into anything tangible. The a cloud started to form from
The headstock of the Martin guitar and coalesce into a form, a human form.