Legends of Mathelantis

8/3/2019 Legends of Mathelantis

1/12

0


2/12

1

CHAPTER ONE

A Special Gift

Jimmy!

No answer.

Jimmy!

No answer.

Jimmy! Its time to do your homework! Mrs. Mei-Ling Wells said loudly, walking towards the

closed door of Jimmys bedroom. You come out and do your math problems right now, or Ill make you

do a hundred more!

Still no answer. Mrs. Wells pressed her ear against the door and listened carefully, but it was

completely silent inside. She raised her arm to knock the door, but just when her hand was at the highest

in the air, it came to a halt. Very slowly, Mrs. Wells lowered her arm and unclenched her knuckles. Then,

as if troubled by a thousand thoughts, she heaved a deep sigh

Mrs. Wells, of 1248 Sinclair Rd, was a typical Chinese mom: small, strict, tough, and willing to

sacrifice anything to get Jimmy, her only child, the best education, either she could afford it or could-

afford-it-after-some-efforts. She and Jimmy lived in a small house which Jimmys dad, Mr. Timothy

Wells, called home but almost never had a chance to stay in. On the very day when Mr. Wells received

his math Ph.D. degree from a world-renowned university, he accepted a job offer from TEKKA Energy (a

giant international energy company) and was appointed to lead a new project (a top secret project, as

Mr. Wells put it), which required him to devote virtually all his time in finding new sources of energy in

all kinds of dangerous zones (No, exciting places, Mr. Wells would argue) such as the heart ofthe


3/12

2

Sahara or the peak of Mt. Everest. When he left home for his adventures ten years earlier, Jimmy was

only three years old.

Jimmy Wells had his dads tan skin, short, spiky brown hair, freckled face, and his moms big,

dark black eyes. Like his father, Jimmy was always curious about everything around him and had tons of

hobbieshockey, soccer, pop music, Manga, drawing (which was the only thing in the list that Mrs.

Wells didnt consider to be a complete waste of time), to name a few. There, however, was one thing on

which Jimmy had dramatic difference from Mr. Wells: he didnt seem to have any knack in math at all

as a matter of fact, Jimmy feared math more than anything else!

True, like most other kids at his age, Jimmy preferred any other place to school and any other

thing to homework, and at times Jimmy would even pretend to be sick to skip a day of class or hide in his

bedroomunder his bed, in the closet, or even above the shelffor one more minute of good, free time

before homework, but his fear to math was so great that if you make it clear to him that playing such

tricks would only bring him more mathpractices, hed always walk out of his bedroom immediately with

a miserable look on his face and his school bag in his hand. It would always work, as far as Mrs. Wells

knew, only with one exception that

Jimmy, said Mrs. Wells, gently pushing the door, Im coming in

And just as she expected, the door wasnt locked. On the patch of moonlight on the floor, there

sat Jimmy, holding a ruby amulet in his hands, studying it with all attention. A letter was laying flat on

the floor not far from him.

Youare looking at the stone again Mrs. Wells said, picking up the letter from the floor.

Hes not just a stone, mom, hes Cefax!said Jimmy.

Alright, alrightwhat did you see? What did he tell you?

Nothing there was nothing inside, Jimmy said gloomily. Where is dad, mom?

God knows! In some underground caves in Nepal, perhaps? Look, its time to do your

homework

But


4/12

3

But school starts tomorrow, dear. You have to prepare for the D.O.S.A.T., remember? Come on

now, get up

When is dad coming back, mom?

I dont know, Jimmy. You know hes busy, hes alwaysbusy

Butits been three years since he last

Listen Jimmy, snapped Mrs. Wells, get up and do your homework now, or itll betwo hundred

extra math problems.

Okaaay mom, just one last question

Mrs. Wells stared.

Can I bring Cefax to St.Marth tomorrow?

Oh, that said Mrs. Wells, who suddenly became cautious, well

She couldnt help but read the letter in her hand, which in the past three years she had read for

countless times. This letter, which arrived on Jimmys birthday three years earlier, was Mr. Wells latest

contact with his family. It read:

Hey buddy,

Happy birthday! From now on your age has two digits . Its a big event in your life!

HUGE congratulations!

Im sending you a very special gifta gem stone from the foot of Mt. Everest. I

found it only this afternoon during my investigation of wind power. When all my team

members were busy setting up equipments, I heard your voice from my back. It mustve

been a dream, I told myself, because Ive been thinking of you all the time and I often

could hear your voice in my dreams. But it wasnt a dream after all, as in the bright

daylight I heard your voice again, this time only clearer and louder. I looked back, and I

saw it right there, just a few feet away, on the side of the passage that I just walked,


5/12

4

covered by rocks and snow, shining such strong and beautiful lightthat I wondered if Id

been blind walking by and not noticing it. I picked it up and held it in my hands and

believe me for an instance I thought it was alive! Crazy as it may sound, but I was

almost convinced that it was you! As I looked at the stone, all the memories and the

feelings that I had when I was with you came to life again: I could hear your voice, smell

your hair, and feelyour warmth

Now its well past midnight. Im writing this letter to you in the site camp.

Everyone else is sound asleep, but I cant sleep. Weve searched and searched for new

sources of energy, but only today have I realized that the greatest source of energy is

love I am giving the stone to you, Jimmy, to celebrate the biggest day of your life. I

really hope you like it just as much as I do.

Forgive me for leaving you and Mei-Ling for so long. Only if I can tell you how

much I miss you Please do remember that I will always love you. Remember also,

Jimmy, that I will always be with you.

Love,

Dad

P.S. Ive just thought of a name for our stoneCefax (See-Fax), because it lets

you see things that seem far away from you, just like a fax machine. You have a long and

exciting journey ahead of you, Jimmy. Always be curious and brave, for curiosity and

courage are the two most important things in the world. If youre ever lost, dont forget

to keep your eyes openjust look at Cefax, andyoull findthe way.


6/12

5

And just like every other time, Mrs. Wells felt her hands quivering and eyes moist. She

opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

Mom? Are you okay?

Yeah, Im fine, said Mrs. Wells hoarsely. Lets go

But how about Cefax? Can I bring him to school tomorrow?

Mrs. Wells fixed her eyes on the amulet. It looked just like a dark red, badly scratched and dully

transparent quail egg somehow tied to a rough hemp string. By no means was it better than a fake ruby

that you can get from street vendors for a few dollars, but there it was, so carefully held on Jimmys

palms, as if it was going to hatch in any second.

Can I? Jimmy demanded again, his eyes glittering in moonlight.

Okay, Jimmy... said Mrs. Wells finally.


7/12

6

CHAPTER TWO

The D.O.S.A.T.

Among the many schools in the nation, St. Marth Secondary, a private boarding school

established exactly one hundred and forty-four years ago, was a very special one. St. Marths school

campus occupied the whole of Beaver Island, a small island on the edge of city where Jimmy lived i. The

only way to access the island was by ferries, as there was no bridge connecting to it and, curiously, the

island had been always shrouded by thick mists, which made it impossible for airplanes to land. But if

you think this was the only reason why St. Marth was special, youd be much mistaken, for what really

made the school specialand famouswas a test: as one of the schools most fundamental (and

fearsome) traditions, all new students were required to write, in the very early morning of their very first

day at school, a test that consisted of large amount ofunfairly hard math questions. This test was called

Day One Special Assessment Test, or more commonly, the D.O.S.A.T.

Probably in order to make sure that the D.O.S.A.T. was absolutely leak-free, the tests had always

been made exactly one day prior to the test day by the Headmasters, the most recent one of which being

Mr. Leonard Goldbach, who also ruled that no student was allowed to be in campus until the term

officially started. This meant that the unfortunate students who lived far from St. Marththis included

everyone, really, given the schools peculiar locationhad to set off extremely early in the morning of

their first day of school.

So, when Jimmy bided farewell to Mrs. Wells and heaved his three old, heavy trunks into the

school bus the next morning, it was still not quite four oclock.

It was dark and chilling outside. The moonlight was blocked by thick, motionless clouds, from

where large rain drops down-poured and blurred everything in sight. With light bursting from all four


8/12

7

headlights and the engine roaring, the school bus tore through the night, driving up and down the hills and

making sharp turns like a fire-breathing dragon soaring in a storm.

Jimmy sat alone in a back seat, gently running his fingers on Cefax, which was now hanged

around his neck, and watched the streets inky silhouettes flashing past the window and disappearing into

the darkness outsight.

The weathers horrible, thought Jimmy, and Im leaving home for the first time of my life

The bus made another sharp turn and drove on.

and that means Mom wont be with me for at least a few months, which means thered be no

one whod spend twenty-five hours a day watching me and ordering me to do this and that, and that,

thought Jimmy merrily, and that will mean I wont have to do piles and piles of math homework anymore

and Ill have all the time in the world to do all the things I wantto do!

Jimmy couldnt help letting out an ear-to-ear grin, which, unfortunately, froze merely two

seconds later: as he became more awake, Jimmy recalled that St. Marth had a long and famous (infamous

among the students, that is) tradition of keeping extremely strict rules and assigning far more homework

than any other school there was. As a matter of fact, St. Marths math grades had broken the nations

records for nine out of the last ten years and, of course, it didn t happen for no reason: ever since Mr.

Goldbach became the Headmaster ten years ago, the school had been giving, if possible, more and harder

math homework than ever before (if you must know, the only year St. Marth didnt breakher own record

was 2004, in which year a mysterious disease swept over Beaver Island and most students had to write the

exam with heads at least twice as normal; Mr. Goldbach himself, who was affected the most severely,

had to stay at the schools hospital wing for two months).

And speaking of math tests MATH TESTS! Jimmy suddenly became wide-awake: oh no, the

D. O. S. A. T.! He almost forgot about it! Jimmy forced himself to think of something else, something

happy, but it was impossiblethe thought of the exam loomed over him like a ghost, draining his

strength bit by bit.

But just then, Jimmys thought was interrupted


9/12

8

He jerked forward has the bus gave a shrieking howl and stopped most abruptly at the front gate

of a grand mansion. The driver cursed and the door opened. Along with freezing cold air and the sound of

rain splashing hard against the pavement, in came an old mans groan and a boys rather high-pitched

yelling:

Ohhh, come on!... Cant you move that old leg of yours faster? Dad did pay you well enough

to make you carry a few suit cases, didnt he?

Jimmy suddenly became alert and wide-awake. He straightened up and listened more carefully.

Such a voice and tune Hed heard it before

And then there were a few loud thuds, accompanied by slight shakes of the bus, and the boys

voice appeared again: Watch for those rotten trunks! They stink! Where did your eyes go, old

Travis? Dont you put my Italian suitcases next to themtheyll go bad! ... No, no, nomove them

awayAWAY! GEEZ!

Jimmys mind span frantically, trying to remember who that boy was. The voice echoed in his

ears and a face a huge and beefy face appeared in Jimmys mind, followed by a short nose, then thick

lips, and then two small, mouse-like eyes and then, slowly and unwillingly, a namebut how can it be

possible, thought Jimmy, chilling, it mustve been only my imaginationhes gone, hasnt he? Hes not

supposed to beback, isnt he? It cant be him, it simply cantbe him! or, can it?

Jimmy curled his body forward and lowered his head to make his eyes right above the top of the

seat before him, with his nails between his teeth and heart bumping madly, fixing his eyes at the front of

the bus. For the first time in several years, Jimmy panicked for something other than math.

There were a few more thuds and a bit more lowering of the chassis. The bus driver made a

dramatically exaggerated gesture to look at his watch and drummed his fingers hard on the steer wheel.

And then, at the front door of the bus, which was now shaking and groaning, emerged the shade of a

massive boy.

Jimmy watched intensely, holding his breath.


10/12

9

For what seemed to be an hour, the boy, ignoring the driver completely, just stood there and

gasped.

Cmon Jimmy muttered.

The door closed, and the bus started moving again. The boy slowly straightened his neck (which

was still hardly visible) and looked around as if to find a spot large enough to sink himself in. He looked

at the back seat of the bus and then, for a split of a second, their eyes met.

And Jimmys heart dropped

Its him!

Not believing his poor luck, Jimmy jerked his head forward and tried to hide between the seats,

but a loud bang of his head made him realize there wasnt enough space. He then pulled up his sweater to

cover his face, but it was too latethe gigantic meatball strode straight toward him and, in a sharp and

discomforting tune, said: Uhdidnt expect to seeyou here, Jimmy!

Jimmy turned around awkwardly and saw his face, which had not changed much from three years

earlier except it became a lot wider.

Shoulda known you are on the bus the huge boy said, helping himself sit down right next to

Jimmy, saw yourluggage.

Jimmy didnt say anything.

So this is how you greet your old friend? the boy said. Havent your parents taught you

manners?

Jimmy turned his face to the window.

Oh Sorry, my bad said the boy with a nasty expression. Shouldnt have said your

parents Forgot that you dont have a dad

Stop it! Jimmy said. Shut up or Ill punch in your big fat face, Wilson!

The boys name was Bobby Wilson. He was in the same class with Jimmy in elementary school

back to a few years earlier, when he led a small gang consisting of boys who were as thick as him and

whose favourite game was bullying Jimmy all day long. Wilson and his followers enjoyed themselves the


11/12

10

best when they chased Jimmy, whod then hide himself on top of trees, and threw stones against him. To

Jimmys relief though, Wilson moved to another city with his parents in fifth grade, and Jimmy thought

hed never meet him in his life again.

Oh, really? Wilson raised his eyebrow. He heaved his body towards Jimmy, who was now

sandwiched in the corner with his face pressed against the window, and raised on of his beefy fists.

Just as Jimmy was about to start shouting and kicking, the bus stopped to let another few students

get on. The new passengers hurried themselves towards the seats, and at the very moment Wilson looked

away Jimmy used all his might and jumped over the seat in front of him, leaving a confused Wilson

behind.

HEY! Whatcha doin! yell the driver.

Nothing! sorry! Jimmy yelled back, then turned around to Wilson and said: Cya!

You offended me, orphan... Wilson hissed maliciously. You wait, you just waityoull regret

it at St. Marth!

Cmon and try me, then, moron!

Jimmy didnt remember much of the rest of the journey. All he could vaguely remember was that

the bus made a few more stops and several other students got on, and then, as morning light broke

through the darkness, the bus seemed to have driven into milky, thick fogthe heaviest fog that Jimmy

had ever seen.

Jimmys eyelids became heavy. He fell into sleep.

When Jimmy opened his eyes again, he found himself in the middle of a large classroom full of

students. There was some faint whispering, but most students were quietly sitting on their seats, as if

anticipating something.

So this is St. Marth? Jimmy looked around, and Ive been sleeping all the way to here? No

way


12/12

11

He looked up, and then glanced around the classroom. Theres something strange about this place,

thought Jimmy, somethings missing

Jimmy looked at his watch. It showed 6:53 AM with its completely still arms.

Cmon! I changed battery only yesterday! Jimmy blurted, shaking his head in disbelief. And

then, he realized whats missing in the classrooma clock!

Some strange anxiety flew over him.

The door opened, and in came a small blond girl who was wearing thick red-framed glasses and

holding, in her thin arms, an ancient-looking book that seemed as big as her torso. Following her entered

a tall, thin middle-aged man wearing an oversized raincoat and carrying a big pile of large envelops. The

girl put the book on the ground and seated herself in the front row, and as she began to put her pencils on

the desk, Jimmy heard some more whispering:

Shes gonna write the test too?

No way, just look at her

Youve got to be kidding me! Shes nine years old at most

Silence! said the man in the raincoat, who was now standing in the front of the classroom, the

envelopes piled high before him. It wasnt a particularly loud command, but Jimmy felt there was a force

in it that he couldnt refuse, and within one second the whole classroom went completely silent.

Welcome to St. Marth, the man said casually, and without further ado, let the D. O. S. A. T.

began.

Legends of Mathelantis

Documents

Transcript of Legends of Mathelantis