Now that he had left the Gorgola woods, Poxig was nearing the border of Marginalia. He had little to his name, having bartered it all away for food to a certain little gnome. But just when he thought he was out of the woods, he saw a familiar face.
“Hiyo!” said the gnome.
He knew instantly that it was Sir Binural, who had somehow found him in his predicament. Sir Binural had a way of doing that to his general chagrin.
“Did you see the boy?” asked the gnome.
“I did,” replied Poxig.
“I see. And the boy?” asked Sir Binural.
“We seem to have connected on a basic level. But the boy led me out of the woods in the forest of Gorgola. I actually have no idea where he went, but I assume he went home.”
“Now that you’re nearing home, do you think that there is room for childlike love in your heart?” asked Sir Binural.
“What do you mean by that?” asked Poxig.
“You have to return to Excelsior, where you will remember what it was like to be a boy,” he said, sniffing loudly. “Then, the king of Marginalia will bestow on you the quest that you are searching for.”
“I am here to restore the orbs and find the source of the earth’s rot,” said Poxig.
“I know, but only King Charles can help you. You possess only one of these sacred orbs,” returned Sir Binural.
“Simply show me the way to castle Marginalia, and I will fulfill the destiny of my god Releven.”
“But you must first return home…” said the gnome.
Andrew J. Wolfram 