The End of the Beginning (2 page)

"Good-bye, Ant," began Avon. "Don't spend any time worrying about me. Have a pleasant time, do lots of work, get plenty of exercise. I'll let you know when I'm coming back."

"Good-bye, Snail. I do hope you have some exciting adventures. Take care of yourself, have a good time, and don't forget to write."

With tears in his eyes, Avon shut the door and started on his adventures.

The ant waited for a few minutes, then skitted out to join Avon, who had set off down the branch.

"By the way," said Avon, as they began to move slowly along together, "do you have a name?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's Edward."

"My name is Avon."

Edward reached out to shake hands with Avon, but when he realized Avon did not have hands, he shook one of his own. "Pleased to meet you," he said.

Avon and Edward had gone about three inches when Edward said, "Avon, what do you know about music?"

"Oh, nothing more than a few tunes, most of which I've forgotten."

Edward was concerned. "In looking for adventures," he explained, "one does a lot of marching. It's unheard of to have adventures without marching music."

"I'm glad you warned me, Edward. Perhaps you could teach me some."

"Delighted," said Edward. "This is a very ancient marching song that has been sung in my family for thousands of years. It goes like this:

"
March, march
Golly, golly, golly.
March, march
Golly, golly, golly.
March, march
Oh, golly, golly, golly, oh.
Oh, oh, oh,
Oh, golly, golly, golly, oh.
Oh, golly, golly, golly, oh.
March, march, march!
"

"What an inspiring song," said Avon.

"One of the better things about it," Edward pointed out, "is the fact that it can be sung from either end. I sing it from the beginning, and my father sings it from the end."

"Can it be sung from the middle?"

"Absolutely," said Edward. "That's how my mother always does it. As you can see, we are a family of individuals."

"Ah, but at least you're all singing the same song," said Avon.

Not long after Avon and Edward had set off on their adventures, Edward suddenly stopped. "I can't go on this way," he announced.

Avon became alarmed. "What's the matter?"

"My knees hurt," replied Edward, sitting down and panting. "I had no idea it would be so exhausting to go so slowly," he explained.

Avon began to feel guilty. "Is it wrong to go slow?"

"It's not wrong," said Edward, "it's just that you
take
such a long time."

Avon was embarrassed. "I know," he said softly. "It's much better for creatures to give than to take."

"It's very kind of you to offer to give me some of your time," said Edward, "but frankly, Avon, I don't think you have any to spare. You seem to need a great deal of it."

Avon was very upset. "What are we going to do, then?"

All of a sudden Edward leaped up and ran. He ran so fast and far that Avon lost sight of him for three days and three nights.

At last, however, Edward returned, lay down, and closed his eyes.

"Are you feeling better?" Avon asked as carefully as possible.

"Not at all," answered Edward, breathing hard.

"Why, what happened?"

"I ran about in every possible direction."

"Wasn't it interesting?"

"Actually," said Edward, "no matter how fast I went, or where I went, all I saw were branches and leaves. The truth is, it wasn't very different
there
... than ...
here
."

"Edward, you needn't worry about that," said Avon sympathetically. "As far as I can see, I don't get anywhere, either."

"True," said Edward. "I rushed off and you stayed put. But, nevertheless, we're both here."

"What's more," said Avon, "it took the same amount of time for both of us to get there."

It was raining very hard on the branch—so hard that Avon and Edward were having difficulties getting on. Edward kept racing ahead, ducking under a leaf, and waiting for Avon to catch up.

"Have you any idea how long this journey is going to take?" asked Edward.

Avon stopped suddenly. "
Me?
" he asked.

"I thought
you
were leading the way."

Edward was upset. "Great," he announced. "We're lost."

Avon felt like crying. "I'm sorry, Edward. My mind is on any adventures that might come along. I wasn't paying particular attention to where we were going."

"There, there," said Edward, realizing he had hurt Avon's feelings. "Getting yourself lost is easy. Happens
all
the time. It's finding yourself that's hard. So, I suggest we stop at the first door we come to and ask for suggestions."

"You mean
directions
, don't you?"

"It's hard enough being lost," explained Edward, "but worse still if you don't know what you're lost from. So, suggestions first, directions second."

It wasn't long before they came to a door, upon which they knocked. After a while they heard some steps and then a tiny voice.

"Who is it?"

"It's Avon and Edward."

"Do I know you?" asked the voice.

"I don't think so."

"Is there anyone out there who knows you?" asked the voice.

Avon said, "Edward here is a very good friend of mine. Do you want to speak to him?"

"Does anyone know him?"

"I consider myself his best friend," said Avon.

"Oh, well," said the voice. "With so many friends, you both must be quite nice." Opening the door, the voice revealed herself to be an old salamander. Urging the travelers to come in out of the rain, she led them to her kitchen, where they could warm themselves before a fire. Once they were settled down with hot drinks and cookies, she asked what had brought them to her door.

"Well," said Edward, reaching for another cookie, "we wanted to know if this was the right road."

"I think," said the salamander, "that depends on which particular place you are going to."

"We hadn't decided," said Avon.

"In that case," said the salamander, "you'll want to continue down the branch until the first turning, then go to the left."

"What's that way?" inquired Edward.

"I don't know," she replied. "I've never been that way myself. But I have been every other way and I can assure you,
they
all lead to particular places."

Edward took a sip of tea. "Then that certainly sounds like the way we should go."

By the time they finished their snack, it had stopped raining, and the two friends were anxious to start. They thanked the salamander for her hospitality.