|
They Hold the Molten Rock
by Carole Mertz
Father offers the book to his boys and the book carries them into magical worlds. The boys see horses riding across plains, springing free through oceans of golden grains and grasses that sing of adventure. Here pure streams flow and banded birds swoop; here swords spin, vorticella swim, and swirling things splash their seeds. Here so many things bubble forth: spitting fountains, huge magnetic rocks, cave-dwellers, and banderoles with secret messages and silver horns. Here are ships sailing on verdigris seas with wider worlds beneath.
And here is father’s laughter. The boys hear father’s voice peal across the mountainside. They turn the page; they see father at the top of the page on jagged cliffs, scaling the heights in search of fiery rocks. The boys fear father will fall, but, surefooted, he returns with his igneous gifts. Instant laughter rings against the mountainside. The boys gaze into the book, as they hold the magma in their hands. They look at each other, wondering how they came to be holding the crusty rocks. “Father has seen these far-off places!” they say. They look up. They had forgotten that father holds the book, that they are nestled by his side.
|
