The Secret of Twah, part IV

The story so far...the farmer, obsessed with the Secret of Twah, has undertaken the mystical Rite of Monkhood in order to become a monk. He stayed in a tree for one year, then began a quest to collect four golden cups. However, during his journey down the mountain, he was stung by the giant bee and passed out.

The farmer was aware that water was dripping on his face. He opened his eyes and was greeted by a world that was white and green at the same time. He sat up. Snow was melting off the blooming trees. It must be early spring. He had been unconscious for three whole seasons.

Sudden panic gripped him. Three quarters of his year must be gone! He had to hurry. He leapt to his feet and began running down the mountain. He was not attacked in that whole time, partly because the roving band of vagabonds he encountered either couldn't keep up or decided to give him a break this time.

When the farmer reached the village at the base of the mountain, he finally stopped to collect himself. The voice belonging to the eye had told him the cups were at the base of the mountain, but it did not say where. It definitely didn't say they were in the village. Why had he assumed that? It must have been because he was so excited about finally seeing his family. Where should he begin?

Logically, the cups would not be here. No one in the village knew anything about the monks or Twah. The farmer wouldn't even know who to ask. He had lived here for nine years, but hadn't been back in two. The cups must be hidden in some cave or something. He would have to hurry. Maybe he could get a horse.


The horse dealership was, unfortunately, closed for the weekend. The farmer resigned himself to a long run...he had no idea how far it was around the mountain, but he was sure it wasn't short. The only good thing was that he could just go straight up from wherever he found the cups, as the monastery was on top of the mountain.

As he ran down the streets, however, something caught his eye in a store window. He went back to look. Four golden cups gleamed through the glass. The cups were in a row, and each was engraved with a letter that read W-H-A-T.

"What?" wondered the farmer. "Is this what I'm looking for? Is this something a true monk would know?"

Then it hit him. Why didn't he know the Secret of Twah yet? Because he was not a monk. A true monk would know the Secret. The shopkeeper was not a monk, so he had arranged the letters into a word he knew.

W-H-A-T, unscrambled, spelled T-W-A-H.

The farmer raced into the shop and bought all four cups (for an outrageous price, he thought, but he didn't have time to haggle). He then began to climb the mountain, hoping against hope that he wasn't too late.

NEXT: The Final Task