Magnus Mills - Three to See the King

‘Shall I go first, or you?’ he asked.

‘You lead and I’ll follow,’ I said.

Halfway down the ladder my hands were sticky and I was holding on much tighter than I needed to. All the same, with his reassuring voice encouraging my every step, I made it to the next level and began to feel a little better. Another ladder came next, followed by a huge, wide ramp that gradually evened out onto a second platform. In this manner we worked steadily downwards, pausing from time to time so that I could get some perspective on our progress, then continuing unhurriedly to the next stage. As we did so I marvelled at how well it had all been worked out. The ladders were fixed firmly in position and the ramps of earth packed hard so that they felt very solid underfoot. Consequently, none of the links in this stairway was daunting enough to make me want to turn back. At one point there was even a wooden bench for resting on, and when we reached it my guide suggested we stopped for a few minutes. Another good idea. So far I’d managed to avoid looking into the canyon itself, but when I finally did I discovered I was able to remain calm and composed. This was actually quite enjoyable! As we sat gazing across the wide expanse, I noticed that several of the people below were staring up at us. Presumably, they must have seen many others coming down this route in the past, and I wondered what they found so interesting about my partner and me.

Most of them, however, were concentrating fully on their task. All along the canyon, huge excavations were under way to make it broader, deeper and longer, the work being carried out by highly-organized groups of men and women. Everywhere there were ramps, ladders and hoists, as well as planks and footpaths connecting the various operations. The area around the encampment was apparently finished, because the earth here had been levelled completely flat. Even so, there was still plenty remaining to be done, and all of a sudden I felt a desire to take part in this tremendous undertaking.

‘Shall we go on?’ I said.

My neighbour had been sitting in silence, as if contemplating the upturned faces below. Now he rose to his feet, saying, ‘Yes, of course’, and led the way to the next stage.

Trudging up from the bottom was a straggler, a lone man on the first leg of his journey home. He was moving very slowly, carefully measuring his steps, as he negotiated a ramp, a ladder and then another ramp. He paused at the foot of the next ladder, seemingly unaware that we were waiting above him. My companion leaned over and called, ‘Do you want to come up first, John?’

The question had a marked effect on the man below us. He glanced up, saw who’d addressed him, and gave a cry of recognition.

‘Michael!’ he exclaimed. ‘Oh yes, thank you, I will!’

So, had I met him at last? Was I being led down this obstacle course by Michael Hawkins himself? The sudden realization that, yes, I most probably was, caused me to sway unsteadily and next moment I felt him seize me by the arm.

‘Careful now,’ he said. ‘The most difficult part’s already done.’

‘Yes,’ I replied, striving to recover my balance. ‘I’m just beginning to understand that.’

We remained there, with him gently supporting me, as the other man ascended the ladder and joined us.

‘Thank you,’ he repeated. ‘I’m so glad I’ve caught you, Michael. I need to speak to you and I thought you were up at the top.’

‘Is there something wrong?’

‘Well, not wrong as such, and I don’t want to be a telltale, but Steve Treacle’s down there giving out his orders again.’

Michael Hawkins’s grip on my arm slackened and then he let go altogether. At the same instant a troubled look crossed his face.

‘Alright, thank you, John,’ he said at length. ‘You’ve finished work for the time being have you?’

‘Yes,’ came the reply. ‘But I can come back down if anything needs sorting out.’

‘No, no, I don’t think that will be necessary, thanks all the same. You go home and take some rest, and return whenever you’re ready.’

‘Alright, well as long as you’re sure?’

‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Everything will be fine.’

As John left us and continued climbing I detected a renewed vigour in his step. This I attributed to the brief exchange he’d had with Michael Hawkins, who watched his progress for a while before breathing a long sigh. It was barely audible, and I wouldn’t have heard it had I not been listening to him so closely. On our journey down I’d come to depend on his spoken directions. He had a voice I felt I could trust, and now, when I heard him sigh, I knew there was something amiss.

‘Problems?’ I asked.

‘Nothing that can’t be resolved.’

‘Steve acting up, is he?’

‘By the sound of it, yes,’ he said. ‘Steve today. Someone else tomorrow.’

He looked saddened, and at that moment I forgot about my own concerns.

‘Why don’t we continue down?’ I suggested. ‘They probably won’t misbehave if you’re around.’

‘They’re not misbehaving really,’ he answered. ‘It’s just that sometimes they try too hard.’

‘Oh, well, whatever,’ I said. ‘Shall we go?’

I was halfway down the ladder before I remembered I was supposed to be afraid of heights, and by then there was no point in worrying about it. Nevertheless, Michael Hawkins carried on talking me down as if I was still under his care, which in many respects was true. I’d arrived in this canyon as a guest of his, and I had to bear in mind that I was very much an outsider. Best to stay close to him, I thought, at least for the time being.

When we finally got to the bottom, it was like entering a whole new world! The first thing I observed was that the climate was milder here than high up on the harsh and windy plain. The desultory flapping of the tarpaulins indicated a gentle breeze, rather than a howling gale, and I could easily imagine the place bathed in summer sunlight. Stretching away in all directions were the great earthworks, swarming with hordes of people all bent on a common purpose. Some of them paused and stared across at us as we passed by, just as they had done during our descent. Michael Hawkins was obviously highly revered in these parts, and as we neared the camp I recalled the impression of him that I’d built up over the past year. It was of a man who could do no wrong, who accomplished great things, and whose whole existence was perfect. These qualities had won him many friends, among them Simon, Steve and Philip. They told me he lived in a better part of the plain than I did. They spread stories about how he’d built a house of tin and then rejected it, leaving an empty shell for me to move into. Everything I heard about him told of his superiority: even his ideas were thought to be more interesting than mine. They abandoned me so that they could go to him, and in this way they’d made me jealous. I now realized that it was envy, not curiosity, that had brought me to see the canyon. It was envy, too, that had made me judge him before we’d even met, and now I felt more than a little ashamed.

‘Looks as though supper’s almost ready,’ he said.

Ahead of us a number of long tables had been set up, around which people were gathering for some food and drink. It seemed like a very sociable affair. We walked another few paces, and then Michael Hawkins suddenly stopped and gazed across to his right. He was examining a level area of land where the work appeared to be more or less finished, but I couldn’t really tell what had caught his attention. Then I noticed four wooden pegs. They’d been hammered into the ground to mark a rectangle, roughly the size of a house. A few yards beyond them were another four, laid out in exactly the same manner. He stood for several seconds regarding these pegs in deep thought, and then, without saying a word, he turned and continued towards the camp. Our arrival didn’t cause too much of a stir, so when a place was set aside for us at one of the tables I assumed we would be left to eat in peace. No sooner had we sat down, though, than we began to be approached by people with requests. The first was from a man who asked if Michael could spare an hour to view the particular part of the canyon he and his friends were working in.