Man from Mundania

1 Heaven Cent Ivy woke, stretched, and opened her eyes. It was dawn; the sun had not yet quite dared show its round face, because darkness made it nervous, but soon it would get up its nerve. She looked at the Tapestry, with its ever changing picture of Xanth. She never really tired of watching it, though her interest waxed and waned. It waxed when it rained outside because it was more fun to remain inside where it was dry, and it waned when Zora Zombie was waxing the stairs and the smell of the wax got chokingly thick. Thus, as she put it, it waxed when it waned, and waned when it waxed. It was her private joke with Dolph; the adults didn't understand. Adults were chronically slow about such things. Sure enough, Zora was waxing today; the smell was just starting. Ivy had only minutes to find a pretext to go far away, several days if possible, until the wax settled down. But she was running out of pretexts; what was left? She jumped out of bed so suddenly she frightened the monster under itGrabraham; she heard his honk as he shrank away. He was a young monster, replacing Snortimer, who had departed long ago; he tended to be timid. She was also reaching the age when folk started not believing in Bed Monsters, and that made it that much worse. When she turned eighteen she would stop believing entirely, and the poor thing would fade away. Grabby was quite upset over the prospect, for some reason. She was sorry about that, but there was really no alternative; she couldn't stop herself from getting older. She ran barefoot to the next room where Princess Nada slept. Nada had moved in three years before when Dolph brought her home, and the two had become great friends, because they were the same age and rank and similarly pretty. Nada was only half human, but she kept her human form when staying at Castle Roogna, just from courtesy. Princesses had to learn courtesy early, because princes certainly didn't. "Nada!" she cried. "I need a pretext in a hurry." Nada sat up in bed, wrinkling her nose. "I know; I smell it too. I'll go with you." "Of course! But where?" Nada concentrated. "Have we used the mirror yet?" "We don't have the magic mirror!" Ivy reminded her. "Com-Pewter got it last year, and won't give it back!" "Yes. So" Ivy caught on. "So we'll just have to go and fetch it! Because I'll need it when I use the Heaven Cent!" "Exactly. Except" "I know. Except that Com-Pewter isn't going to let us have it without a fight, and he fights dirty. Still, it's a perfect excuse, if we can only figure out a way." "Maybe Electra" "That's right! She could shock Pewter into letting it go!" Electra appeared in the doorway. "Did someone say my name?" she asked sleepily. She was a freckled child whose hair was a bit frizzy; her eyes were the color of wonder, and there were smile lines around her button nose. No one would think, to look at her, that she was tragically in love. "Zora's waxing the stairs! Come help us get the magic mirror from Com-Pewter!" "Isthatwhat I smelled! Just let me get dressed!" There was a scramble as the three of them dived into proper clothing. In a moment they were together again; the two princesses in dresses, glancing jealously at Electra in her rainbow jeans. She was of common stock, so could get away with practical clothing. She was also slender enough to wear it without attracting stray male eyes or female frowns.[read more]