The Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins With One Step: Part One

"Please, just two more days! You don't understand! Something like this cannot be a half-hearted effort!" Len begged while he polished the instrument with utmost care. He was growing increasingly frustrated with the officials' attempts to hurry him. His craft was not something to be rushed—because he was giving life, a voice to something. Being an instrument crafter for the palace was not an easy job, but it brought him pride. In two days, Princess Saki would receive the finest viola he had ever made. This gave Len a sort of bittersweet feeling. Parting with something that would represent the climax of his work was not something he looked forward to. However, obligations were obligations. Soon, the sun began to rise, seemingly burning through the thick misty air of Shenkuu. Times like this always inspired him the most, when he felt like he owned a piece of the world. And, he did—he had the ability to gift music. The Ruki shook his head absently and continued to work.

     The annual Shenkuu Lunar Festival was quickly approaching. This was a time for celebration, and the time he was to present his work to the Princess. If he did well, perhaps he would have a chance to taste the Princess' rice cakes before the nobles ate them all. Everyone in the village knew of her cooking skills. And so, for the next two days, the elderly Ruki worked hard while the days and nights easily blended. The hour before the festival, Len finished his work. Following his usual tradition, he began to carve a simple message on the back of the viola. "The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Step." Maybe, just maybe, the Princess would take this seriously. He had always dreamed of the day someone would travel through Neopia and inspire others through their music.

     Later that night:

     "The lunar festival never ceases to amaze me!" Len exclaimed in wonder.

     "This is even better than last year!"

     "Oh yes, I cannot wait to try the dumplings and sushi."

     "I wonder when the Princess Saki will come."

     "Look, look! The red Yurble dragon is here!"

     Exclamations could be heard from every corner as all of the citizens gathered together. Shenkuu was bustling tonight as the moon shone brightly. As usual, the wise old Gnorbu was correct in his calculations about when Kreludor would be directly over Shenkuu. The festivities continued as old and young, citizen and noble mingled in celebration. All of a sudden, firecrackers began exploding from every direction.

     "The Princess has arrived!"

     "Look, it's the Princess!"

     "Is that her? She looks so different from the last time I saw her!"

     "Princess Saki has arrived. Now, we begin the presentation of her gift. Len, please come forward." An advisor announced proudly in a booming voice. Len was nervous. This was the moment he had been imagining for years. All eyes were on him. He took a deep breath, and began to approach the princess.

     "For the past two years, I have been carving an instrument for you—a viola. It is made from the finest wood in Meridell and has received utmost care. It would be an honor if you would learn how to play and spread your music through all of Neopia," Len proudly stated.

     "Thank you, kind Neopian. I try to the best of my abilities to master this instrument," Princess Saki answered politely. "Everyone, please enjoy the rest of this night!

     "Now it's time for me to find those rice cakes..." Len smiled to himself. His work was finally done.

     Three years later:

     "My patience is wearing thin! If she isn't the one, then I'll find someone else!" Len sighed angrily.

     "Please think wisely for once! You knew that there was no guarantee she would do anything," Fai attempted to reason.

     "No, no! Nothing your friends say will convince me. That viola represented a goal, something that I could not accomplish myself. I put all of my heart and devotion into making that instrument! And now to see it sitting on a dusty shelf? You have no idea how much that angers me. No, not anger. It saddens me. Music is a gift to be shared! The Princess doesn't even care; she doesn't know how much it means to me! I'm sneaking into the palace, tonight. I'm going to take back my viola and find someone worthy of it. There has to be someone in Neopia who loves music like I do; someone who wants to see it reach others!" Len stated matter-of-factly.

     "Len, you are growing old and crazy. You'll surely get caught! This may be important to you, but think of the consequences for once!" Fai bellowed, clearly frustrated.

     "You worry too much. Sometimes, when you really care about something, you'll act on impulse and hope for the best," Len said with a twinkle in his eye.

     "It's hard to argue with you. Just... stay safe, and don't get caught! Otherwise, I won't have a best friend to eat sushi with," Fai said sadly.

     "Oh, stop. Nothing has happened yet. And don't forget, I'm not breaking into the palace or anything like that. I do have permission to enter, you know. One of the benefits of being on good terms with Princess Saki's advisor..." Len responded craftily. "Plus, I doubt the Princess would even notice that the viola was gone! It's not like she ever practices, or pays any attention to it."

     "That's not even close to the point! The point is you're taking, no stealing back a gift that you gave of free will to the Princess. Stealing from the nobles of Shenkuu? Sometimes I wonder how I've been able to stay sane all these years. Being your best friend isn't easy at times, you know." Fai shook his head.

     "Stealing? I wouldn't go that extreme... I'll have you know that I made that viola! I'm merely taking back something she had no interest in borrowing in the first place. Don't forget that when we were young I was quite the stealthy Ruki! I was the master at sneaking behind people and frightening them. I'm sure I can muster up some of that stealth for this occasion." Len was unnerved.

     "Seeing as this argument is lost, I guess the most I can do is wish you luck, eh?" Fai stared out towards the moon, evidently defeated. He felt sympathy for Len, but couldn't help but worry. He knew Len put his heart and soul into this viola, but worried about the possible consequences if Len were to get caught.

     The next day:

     Len ran back to his house with the viola case in hand, the instrument safely tucked away inside. In the place of the viola, he left a short note. "A journey failed is one never begun." Though that was overconfident of him, he couldn't help it. Perhaps the Princess would think about his message. For now, Len would relax with a cup of tea and the feeling of success. Last night's adventure proved no difficulty once he lied quite eloquently, saying he had a meeting with the Princess' advisor. The most trouble he encountered was a Blurgah that happened to notice him sneaking around. That problem was easily taken care of once he gave it some lotus rice. "Ah, the problems food can solve!" Len grinned happily. "Now, all I have to do is find the perfect Neopet for this viola. I can't make a big deal out of it; otherwise all of Shenkuu will know what I have done. I have no interest in being sent to jail or being locked up. I can't leave Shenkuu either, that would be far too suspicious. I guess the best thing would be for me to keep it until I decide."

     And so, life went on quietly for Len. There was some small noise at the palace about the stolen viola, but no attempts to find it were made. The issue was quickly forgotten after a few months, and it was rumored that Princess Saki received a new flute from someone else. What the elderly Ruki did not know was that the note he left bothered the young Princess immensely. Len fiddled with the viola occasionally, sometimes polishing it or changing its bow. However, his goal of finding a Neopian went unfulfilled.

     "I've got to do something; otherwise the trouble I went through was for nothing." Len thought desperately. "Perhaps I will take a walk around Shenkuu to clear my head, and maybe a stroke of genius will come to me. It's hard not to be inspired by such a wondrous land."

     And so Len set off by himself, walking through the thick trees and staring at the tall mountains. He carried the viola in the case carefully; making sure no damage would come to it. Finally, he arrived on the top of the mountain, and gazed down at the wondrous land before him. Len sat down on an old rock next to a patch of moss, and began to eat his steamed dumplings. What Len did not notice was that he had placed his instrument too close to the mountains edge. While he was eating, the viola had fallen off the edge and onto a piece of rock below. After discovering the instrument was missing, Len searched for months trying to find the viola. After a year, he gave up and retired to the comforts of his home where he refused to be disturbed.

     "No good deed goes unpunished," Len sighed sadly.

     Fifteen years later:

     "Wow! Shenkuu is amazing! Look how beautiful everything is from this mountain! I knew I made the right decision, leaving Roo Island," Edric the Blumaroo excitedly stated as he bounced cheerfully. "I wonder what food they have here? Will my neighbors be nice? Maybe I'll live near the Gnorbu that predicts the lunar festival!"

     Edric bounced along happily, eager to see everything that Shenkuu had to offer. He was so distracted with excitement that he failed notice that there was something right in front of him.

     "Ouch... I didn't even see anything! I need to start watching where I'm bouncing," Edric muttered. "What is this though? Let's see... Oh! An instrument, a viola I think? Looks like it's been lying here for a while now." The woodsy smell of the viola was evident, as Edric inspected it. The case had collected much dust, coating the entire surface.

     "Since no one seems to own this, I guess it couldn't hurt to try and learn to play this. It has an interesting message engraved on it too. I wonder what that's supposed to mean? There's even a book hidden in the case. 'How to Play the Viola.' This viola can be my memory of my first day in Shenkuu!" Edric smiled, getting ready to head to the village.

To be continued...