Free The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine Page B

over her shoulders. Her hair was oiled and she appeared as a vision in a famous painting. To her right and left sat two lions with chains around their necks thicker than a man’s arm, and at her feet was a chest of gold coins.
    She spoke into the silence. “Let him live, but for failing the challenge, he, his wife, and his children shall become my slaves. Soldier, do you accept these terms?” The groveling man had dried blood on his face and fresh blood oozing from his wounds. He answered, “Beloved queen, I and my family would be honored beyond measure to be your servants for eternity” With that, the queen waved her hand to silence the murmuring crowd. “Kill him, giant,” she ordered, “and have his family burned alive in the foundry. A man whose family is so easily bought is a family not worth having—even as slaves. A man with so little honor is not worthy to drink even the water of my kingdom. We must purge the realm of such weakness. Kill him now! That is my command.”
    The giant, with one swoop of his massive sword, severed the soldier’s head from his body. Blood shot out from the soldier’s neck, splattering over a village woman who was standing beside the ring. The queen silenced the astonished crowd. “Quiet!” she shouted. “Are there any other heroes in this town who wish to earn this chest of gold by killing my giant?” There was silence.
    Meanwhile, the giant had taken out a short knife from his hip and was kneeling beside the dead soldier. He proceeded to cut the heart from the lifeless body. Holding the dripping organ in his hand, he smeared it across his chest so that it blended with the dried blood from previous challengers. He stood up and roared and raised the dismembered heart above his head in his blood-smeared fist. A huge cheer rose from the crowd. And then Puneet stepped into the ring.
    There was immediate silence, broken by a thunderous laugh from the giant. “What, boy? Are you the sacrificial lamb?” The queen waved her hand and spoke to Puneet. “Boy what are you doing in the ring? Is this bloody carcass your father? Are you here to avenge him?” Puneet answered the queen, “No, mighty queen. I am not his son. I am here to earn the chest of gold.” The queen laughed and said, “Do you not know that to earn this chest of gold, you have to kill my giant? He has hacked the heart out of a hundred men twice your size.” Puneet answered “Most noble queen, I accept your challenge, but I ask one favor of you since I am not armed.” “Ask,” ‘said the queen. Two street dogs had entered the ring and were grazing on the soldier’s heartless carcass. Puneet said to the queen “May I please borrow from you one gold coin? If I win the challenge, it will be mine, and if I lose it, you may take it from my dead hand.” The queen asked “What do you have to offer as collateral?” She was amused by the beautiful boy whom she rather fancied for her own plaything. “This,” Puneet answered, holding up the bag of pebbles from his town. “It is some pebbles from my town.” The queen burst out laughing, along with the crowd. “For the sake of sport,” said the queen, “I accept your terms. Loan him one gold coin.”
    Puneet carefully placed the bag of pebbles on the floor of the wooden ring in front of the queen and he received a single gold coin from one of the queen’s attendants. The remains of the soldier were dragged off and the ring was cleared. There was absolute silence as the small boy faced the giant. The giant growled in a voice that resembled thunder, “You are not even a snack for me. You are not even a mouthful.” Puneet responded, “Mighty warrior, I cannot fight you.” There were jeers from the crowd. The queen waved for silence. She was angered, for she enjoyed watching men dismembered before her. “Boy you agreed to fight. You have no choice.” Puneet answered “It is not that I am afraid to fight, Your Highness. It is that your beauty is so