Михаэль Энде - The Neverending Story

“Those two,” said the man irritably, “will be far more in need of my help and advice.”

“Maybe so,” said the little woman. “But not until they are well. Move over, old man!”

Grumbling, the little man moved his chair a short distance from the fire.

Atreyu cleared his throat to call attention to his presence. The two gnomes looked around.

“He’s already well,” said the little man. “Now it’s my turn.”

“Certainly not!” the little woman hissed. “He’ll be well when I say so. It’ll be your turn when I say it’s your turn.”

She turned to Atreyu.

“We would invite you in, but it’s not quite big enough, is it? Just a moment. We shall come out to you.”

Taking a small mortar, she ground something or other into a powder, which she tossed in the kettle. Then she washed her hands, dried them on her robe, and said to the little man: “Stay here until I call you, Engywook. Understand?”

“Yes, Urgl, I understand,” the little man grumbled. “I understand only too well.”

The female gnome came out of the cave and looked up at Atreyu from under knitted brows.

“Well, well. We seem to be getting better, don’t we?”

Atreyu nodded.

The gnome climbed up on a rocky ledge, level with Atreyu’s face, and sat down.

“No pain?” she asked.

“None worth mentioning,” Atreyu answered.

“Nonsense!” the old woman snapped. “Does it hurt or doesn’t it?”

“It still hurts,” said Atreyu, “but it doesn’t matter.”

“Not to you, perhaps, but it does to me! Since when does the patient tell the doctor what matters? What do you know about it? If it’s to get well, it has to hurt. If it stopped hurting, your arm would be dead.”

“I’m sorry,” said Atreyu, who felt like a scolded child. “I only wanted to say . . . that is, I wanted to thank you.”

“What for?” said Urgl impatiently. “I’m a healer, after all. I’ve only done my professional duty. Besides, Engywook, that’s my old man, saw the Glory hanging on your neck. So what would you expect?”

“What about Falkor?” Atreyu asked. “How’s he getting along?”

“Falkor? Who’s that?”

“The white luckdragon.”

“Oh. I don’t know yet. Took a little more punishment than you. But then he’s bigger and stronger, so he ought to make it. Why not? Needs a little more rest. Where did you ever pick up that poison? And where have you come from all of a sudden? And where are you going? And who are you in the first place?”

Engywook was standing in the mouth of the cave. He listened as Atreyu answered Urgl’s questions. When Urgl opened her mouth to speak again, he shouted: “Hold your tongue, woman! Now it’s my turn.”

Removing his pipe-bowl hat, he scratched his bald head, and said: “Don’t let her tone bother you, Atreyu. Old Urgl is a little crude, but she means no harm. My name is Engywook. We are the well-known Gnomics. Ever hear of us?”

“No,” Atreyu confessed. Engywook seemed rather offended.

“Oh well,” he said. “Apparently you don’t move in scientific circles, or someone would undoubtedly have told you that you couldn’t find a better adviser than yours truly if you’re looking for Uyulala in the Southern Oracle. You’ve come to the right address, my boy.”

“Don’t give yourself airs,” Urgl broke in. Then she climbed down from her ledge and, grumbling to herself, vanished into the cave.

Engywook ignored her comment.

“I can explain everything,” he went on. “I’ve studied the question all my life. Inside and out. I set up my observatory just for that. I’m in the last stage of a great scientific work on the Oracle. “The Riddle of Uyulala, solved by Professor Engywook.”

That’s the title. Sounds all right, doesn’t it? To be published in the very near future.

Unfortunately a few details are still lacking. You can help me, my boy.”

“An observatory?” asked Atreyu, who had never heard the word.

Engywook nodded and, beaming with pride, motioned Atreyu to follow him.

A narrow path twined its way upward between great stone blocks. In some places where the grade was especially steep, tiny steps had been cut out of the stone. Of course, they were much too small for Atreyu’s feet and he simply stepped over them. Even so, he had a hard time keeping up with the gnome.

“Bright moonlight tonight,” said Engywook. “You’ll see them all right.”

“See who?” Atreyu asked. “Uyulala?”

Engywook only frowned and shook his head.

At last they came to the top of the hill. The ground was flat, but on one side there was a natural stone parapet. In the middle of this wall there was a hole, obviously the work of gnomian hands. And behind the hole, on a stand made of root wood, stood a small telescope.

Engywook looked through the telescope and made a slight adjustment by turning some screws. Then he nodded with satisfaction and invited Atreyu to look. To put himself on a level with it, Atreyu had to lie down on the ground and prop himself on his elbows.

The telescope was aimed at the great stone arch, or more specifically at the lower part of the left pillar. And beside this pillar, as Atreyu now saw, an enormous sphinx was sitting motionless in the moonlight. The forepaws, on which she was propped, were those of a lion, the hindquarters were those of a bull; on her back she bore the wings of an eagle, and her face was that of a human woman—in form at any rate, for the expression was far from human. I was hard to tell whether this face was smiling or whether it expressed deep grief or utter indifference. After looking at it for some time, Atreyu seemed to see abysmal wickedness and cruelty, but a moment later he had to correct his impression, for he found only unruffled calm.

“Don’t bother!” he heard the gnome’s deep voice in his ear. “You won’t solve it. It’s the same with everyone. I’ve observed it all my life and I haven’t found the answer.

Now for the other one.”

He turned one of the screws. The image passed the opening of the arch, through which one saw only the empty plain. Then the right-hand pillar came into Atreyu’s view.

And there, in the same posture, sat a second sphinx. The enormous body shimmered like liquid silver in the moonlight. She seemed to be staring fixedly at the first, just as the first was gazing fixedly at her.

“Are they statues?” asked Atreyu, unable to avert his eyes.

“Oh no!” said Engywook with a giggle. “They are real live sphinxes—very much alive! You’ve seen enough for now. Come, we’ll go down. I’ll explain everything.”

And he held his hand in front of the telescope, so that Atreyu could see no more.

Neither spoke on the way back.

alkor was still sound asleep when Engywook brought Atreyu back to the gnomes’ cave. In the meantime Urgl had moved the little table into the open and put on all sorts of sweets and fruit and herb jellies.

There were also little drinking cups and a pitcher of fragrant herb tea. The table was lit by two tiny oil lamps.

“Sit down!” Urgl commanded. “Atreyu must eat and drink something to give him strength. Medicine alone is not enough.”

“Thank you,” said Atreyu. “I’m feeling fine already.”

“No back talk!” Urgl snapped. “As long as you’re here, you’ll do as you’re told. The poison in your body has been neutralized. So there’s no reason to hurry, my boy. You’ve all the time you need. Just take it easy.”