Fred's Friend

The domain of Queen Jel extends to the West as far as the green hill on which the mill stands, and in the East, it smoothly flows into the wasteland. The sand at the border becomes darker and darker, gradually turning into dust. In the wasteland, Fred lives. Fred is green and long, with six pairs of short clawed feet and a luxurious purple crest on his head. Many people think Fred has no friends, but Fred doesn't think so. Because Fred has a friend.

Fred's friend travels a lot through the wasteland, and Fred travels with him. Fred's friend has no arms, legs, or paws. He's completely deaf and completely mute. However, he rustles barely audibly. And Fred sees a lot in this rustling. These are funny stories when it's appropriate to have fun. These are consolations in moments of melancholy. These are creepy stories about creatures of the night. It's customary to tell such tales in the evenings near a cosy fire, but Fred's friend can't approach the flame. He's too fragile for such adventures, so Fred never lights a fire.

Fred's friend rarely stops: he rolls head over heels across the wasteland, kicking up dust and collecting small leaves. He always chooses a new direction and sometimes even zigzags, causing Fred to croak laughter. At night, when Fred climbs under a snag to settle down for the night, he buries himself almost entirely in the moss, leaving himself only a small window. Through this window, he secretly watches his friend, worrying that he'll roll far, far away in the darkness. But the cunning winds seem to know how much Fred needs a friend. So, no matter how far the friend proceeds at night. Morning, Fred always finds him nearby, circling in a whirlpool of dust and dark sand.

Sometimes, storms appear in the wasteland. Storms arrive here on the wings of hurricanes. They lift everything into the air and carry it towards the ocean. Fred's friend isn't afraid of hurricanes, but Fred is scared of them. He's dreading at once for himself and his friend. So when Fred senses the approach of a storm, feeling the vibration of the air with his purple crest, he chases his friend across the wasteland. Barely moving his twelve paws, Fred grabs the friend and carries him to the ocean. On the coast, he buries himself in the sand, crushing his friend with his elastic green body. Fred's friend doesn't resist. He patiently waits out the elements with Fred. Feeling grateful, Fred (trembling with fear) calms down and falls asleep.

And the sun comes again.