Chapter 5, Part ii

 The snowy mountain landscape, with its underlying cliffs of black rock, eventually gave way to a brown, dry wasteland, populated only intermittently by scraggly brown grass and the occasional withered, resilient tree. As the Bandersnatch loped onward across the rough ground, Hector gazed at their surroundings.

(Graphic 5.3: The Bandersnatch crosses a dry wasteland. The four riders look on in silence.)

“What a sad place,” Lilly mourned.

“I think it has a sort of rugged beauty,” Hector noted.

“Rather homey,” Aric added.

Burr didn't say anything; Hector noticed that his ears were drooping and his shoulders were locked in a tired slouch, and had been so since they had begun to ride the Bandersnatch.

The creature continued onward, inexorable and without the need of a guide or a map. Lilly hadn't voiced any concern on this subject, and neither had Aric; Burr, of course, was lost in his own little world, so Hector simply assumed that they were on the right track.

“How will we know when we get there?” Hector called out to Lilly, as he rotated a sore shoulder; riding the Bandersnatch was not a leisurely activity. “To the Tulgey Wood, I mean.”

“You will know,” she said, and that was all the answer he got.

For the first time during their whole adventure – Hector realized, as he sagged against Aric's back and watched the vorpal sword rattle back and forth in its sheath as their mount crawled forward – he was beginning to feel a bit of apprehension. So close to their goal now, even after dealing with Toves, Gyres, Jubjub birds, Bandersnatches, murder attempts, and everything in between, he was starting to get nervous about their impending task. Would they actually be able to stop the Jabberwock, after all?

Hector was so deeply drawn into his own thoughts that he didn't notice they had stopped until Aric pulled away from him and slid down to the ground. “Come on, Hec, ride's over,” he called, and extended a hand to help Hector down off the Bandersnatch's back. “We're here. Welcome to the Tulgey Wood.”

(Graphic 5.4: the dry wasteland is interrupted by a line of ancient, tangled, vine-draped trees; their only view of the interior of the Wood is an impenetrable darkness. There is a general feeling of foreboding at the sight.)

“The Tulgey Wood,” Hector echoed, as he stared up with awe at the trees. They were withered, tortuous and dusty things which obviously had not been touched in centuries. What tattered leaves the branches had were more gray than green, and in the stillness of the place he could hear no animal, nor bird, nor trickling stream. Everything smelled like musty books. A feeling of ancientness and solemnity drifted from the grove.

“What now?” he asked aloud. He couldn't see any possible entrance; the way was too hedged up by tangled, spiny undergrowth. “How do we get in?”

Aric put his hands on his hips and screwed up his brow in frustration. “Well, this is certainly a bother...” he trailed off.

Lilly looked around calmly. “The Tulgey Wood is no normal Borogrove. Of course, given its nature, not just any person can enter. We must pass certain tests first.”

Hector noticed that Burr cringed at this last statement, and he wondered why.

“Each person must pass an individual trial,” Lilly continued.

“That's all well and good, I'm all right with trials,” Aric said conversationally, “But what kind of trials are they? Who or what administers them? How do we find them? Any ideas, Burr?”

Burr took a step backward and stared blankly at his feet.

Aric put his arm around the Tove's shoulders. “Hey, are you all right? What's up? You looked happier when I caught you stealing in Thrimton.” Still Burr said nothing. Hector shifted and looked up at the Bandersnatch, but it stood completely still. He began to feel worried, and approached Lilly, who was peering closely at the nearest tree. It seemed just like all the others: ancient and gnarled.

“Hey, Lilly, what are we going to do now?” he asked tentatively. “I must admit, this place doesn't exactly feel very welcoming.”

“Silence,” she whispered, and gently pushed him away. “I know how you feel. I feel it too. But I am reading the Gimble on this tree...”

“There's Gimble on that tree?” Hector gasped, and instinctively pulled out his journal. He squinted at the pale, tortured bark and tried to sketch the trunk. Upon closer inspection, he saw that there were indeed a series of scratches and holes in the wood, which Lilly was reverently tracing with her nail. “What does it say? How old is that writing?”

“As old as time,” Lilly responded quietly. “It... seems to be asking for us to present a gift. Excuse me,” she said as she moved toward another tree and inspected it. “This one as well, it bears the same Gimble...” She stepped from tree to tree to tree, careful to avoid stepping on the serrated, bone-white brambles that reached out from between the trunks like the fingers of desperate prisoners. “Every one, the same... and in a different tongue of Gimble each time. A gift. It requires a gift...”

“What kind of gift?” Aric asked, and placed a hand on the vorpal sword's golden hilt. “Would this sword be enough? Or does it need to be a person, perhaps?” Lilly shot him a poisonous look, and he shrugged innocently. “Hey, who knows? This looks like the kind of place that would ask you to sacrifice human blood, or perhaps Tovish, to get inside.”

“Traditional pagan ritual,” Hector confirmed with a knowing nod. “Very common practice, sadly.”

Burr now looked sick as well as depressed, but Lilly just shook her head.

“No, no... I am trying to read it further.” She stood on tiptoe – well, the Tovish equivalent, Hector conceded – and ran her paw over the highest part of the tree she could reach. She called for the Bandersnatch, and it gingerly approached; she stood on its flat head, and the lizard raised her up so she could inspect the branches. Aric stepped forward with interest.

“See anything good up there?”

“I... I am confused,” she called down, and crouched carefully as the Bandersnatch moved her to another branch. She read with great intent, which quickly turned to frustration. At her signal the beast brought her safely back to the ground.

“What is it?” Aric asked eagerly.

Lilly seemed disappointed to the point of anger. “All of them, they say the same thing! Over and over! Every tree, every branch in a different Gimble language, but all of them repeating over and over: a gift, a gift, a gift, you must present a gift. I do not understand.”

Hector patted his pockets and his jacket, then shrugged helplessly. “Sorry, all I've got is my journal and the clothes I'm wearing.”

“Don't give those up, Hec,” Aric said cautiously, then turned to Lilly. “Is it the sword?”

Lilly shook her head and folded her arms tightly. “No, it is not... surely it would have mentioned the vorpal sword, if it wanted the sword. That would have been very clear.”

“Perhaps something intangible? Like a word, or a compliment?” Hector said.

“Or maybe some money,” Aric smirked, and produced a leather pouch that jingled when he shook it. Lilly shook her head each time, and glowered at the air as she thought. Burr kicked idly at a stone; his tail drooped between his legs.

“A sapling? It's pretty dry around here, they could use another tree perhaps,” Hector suggested.

“The gift of our time?” Aric shrugged.

“My socks? They're nice and thick.”

“Food. Or water. Um.”

“I guess I could tear out one page of my journal. Maybe the one on what I learned about the Jabberwock back in Noosta?”

“We could put on a theatrical presentation?”

“...However I think my socks would be even better than my journal. They're kind of itchy, but I'm telling you, they're warmer than...”

“...and Burr could be the dashing hero, eh? Eh, Burr?”

“I can't help but feel that you're mocking me,” Lilly said flatly at Aric. He shrugged indifferently.

“Maybe a tooth from the Bandersnatch?” Hector suggested. The Bandersnatch hissed in refusal.

“It was worth a shot, Hec. But I still think it's probably the sword.”

“Don't be silly,” Lilly chided. She was examining the Gimble glyphs again. “It says that it needs a gift, but I don't understand...”

Aric folded his arms pensively. “Well, what else do we know about the Tulgey Wood? Do we already know something about it that could give us a hint as to its nature? For example, the only thing I know about it is that it's very old – thousands of years – and it houses the Jabberwock. That's all I know, though. Any ideas, Hector?”

“I've heard it mentioned in a few documentaries, but just in passing. No human has ever explored it, as far as I know,” Hector shrugged. “I think Lilly would know the most.”

Lilly ran a hand over her ear as she thought. “The Tulgey Wood is a Borogrove; we must understand this. It once was a normal Borogrove, and many Toves lived here; it was a central gathering place for many tribes, for its strong connection with the Wabe. It is safe and isolated from the rest of the world, being located deep within the mountains. Many young togoms used to come here for learning and training, but this was many, many generations ago. Nobody has entered the Tulgey wood for more than a thousand years.”

“Sure looks like it,” Aric said, as he peered at the trees. There was silence for a time; even the Bandersnatch seemed in a stupor of thought.

Hector spoke up. “Lilly, I have a question. You said that many Toves lived here and togoms used to come for training. I assume the Jabberwock was locked up here, and that was what caused them to leave?” Lilly nodded at him. “All right. But where did they go? Were they all killed, or did they just run away?”

She hesitated before answering. “It... was a long time ago. Many of the details were either dramatized beyond truth or simply forgotten. But we do know what tribe used to live here. They were the--”

“The Aztlav,” Burr finished. Everyone turned to him in surprise.

“What? Really?” Hector asked. “But you're from the Aztlav tribe!”

Burr didn't say anything more. He had a hard, determined look on his face, and his hands seemed to tremble ever so slightly.

“That's right!” Aric added with sudden realization. “If I'm not mistaken, the Aztlavs have lived far away in the north, isolated from the other Toves for centuries. They're a generally self-reliant tribe and keep to themselves, and they're renowned warriors – but I guess I'm not the one to talk about it, eh, Burr?”

“I forgot that you are Aztlav,” Lilly said quietly. She looked at him with newfound awe. “Do you know the answer to the Tulgey Wood? How do we gain entrance?”

From his posture, Burr seemed to want to disappear or hide beneath the rocks at his feet. He balled his hands into fists and grimaced angrily at the ground, with his ears flattened against his skull with frustration, but still he said nothing. What's wrong with him? Hector asked himself, but didn't dare speak out loud. He's been like this ever since the Bandersnatch got him... perhaps it has something to do with his past?

Suddenly, the brown Tove spoke. “Blood. The trees want blood.”

Hector gasped. “What! You mean one of us has to die--”

“Not death, just blood.” Burr shook his head and flexed his fists. “My blood. I am Aztlav. They know the taste of my blood. Aric, give me your knife.”

Aric paused and gave him a wide-eyed stare. “Buddy, I sure hope you know what you're doing,” he said, but reached into his coat anyway and produced a small dagger. He weighed it in his hand, then hesitantly extended its handle toward Burr; the Tove took it and walked toward the nearest tree. Before anybody could move or say a word, he deftly slashed it across his left wrist. Dark, red liquid immediately began dripping onto the dusty ground. Burr quickly lifted his arm and drew his wrist across the nearest tree trunk, leaving a long smear across the porous surface.

He stepped back, clutching his wounded wrist to his chest – otherwise unaware of the blood-matted fur on his arm – and watched the wood intently. For a moment, nothing happened. Lilly quietly moved toward Burr, producing a strip of cloth, and wordlessly bound up his bleeding wrist.

Suddenly, there was a great creaking sound, and a choking cloud of ancient dust was thrown into the air as the trees of the Tulgey Wood started moving. Hector, reminding himself to breathe, watched in amazement as the gnarled trunks twisted and bent away from each other and the weeds and briars slithered away into the darkness. Then, just as quickly and just as strangely as it began, the movement stopped, and the forest was once again still and silent.

A path had been opened straight into the darkness. It was just large enough for a human or Tove to pass through. Lilly gasped in awe.

Hector felt Aric clap a hand heavily on his back, pushing him forward. “Well, let's get going,” Aric said cheerfully. “I don't know how long this opening is gonna last, and I don't know how much blood Burr is willing to waste if it closes on us. As for you, Snatchy,” he said to the giant lizard, “You'll probably have to go home, unless you want to wait for us out here.”

The Bandersnatch gave a hisslike snort and blinked its great red eyes at him. It seemed reluctant to leave, but even more reluctant to stay, so after halfheartedly flaring its scarlet fronds, it turned around and started crawling away with great, thundering footfalls.

“Thanks for all your help!” Hector shouted after it, but Aric pushed him toward the forest

“We're almost there,” Hector mused as they approached the gaping darkness. “Almost to the Jabberwock. Just think of it! Soon we'll complete our quest and save the world from destruction! Isn't it great?”

“Sure, Hec,” Aric said quietly. “If you say so.”

(Graphic 5.5: Hector, Aric, Lilly and Burr enter the Tulgey Wood. It is dark and solemn.)