On they climbed, every nook, every cranny, every rock along the way taking on sinister shapes in the failing light. It could only have been early afternoon but it was getting darker as they went on until they reached a point just within sight of the top then it began. Slowly at first but growing in intensity by the second. The ground under their feet gained a life of its own, shaking violently making it difficult for the trio to make much progress. As they stumbled along everything was thrown into sharp relief by not one but multiple bolts of lightning accompanied by a sharp crackling sound and roaring thunder. The two Peeps froze on the spot, the dragon, though not moving, was watching and listening. He knew they had reached their destination. The hill, the cloud, was talking to them.
Through the thunder came a voice, a harsh, cold, thin voice. ‘WHO DARES SET FOOT ON MY DOMAIN!
‘Ah, I do apologise for just dropping in on you unannounced like this. We just thought we’d make a friendly call and have a bit of a chat.’
‘WHY DID YOU NOT HEED MY WARNING?’
‘Oh, the welcoming committee? Thought they were a wee bit over the top and overly excited. Had to cool them down a touch. Hoped you wouldn’t mind.’
The hill shook with the thunderous rumblings.
‘Oh, you did mind. Yes, well, like I said we came to talk to you.’
‘NO TALK. GO AWAY, WHILE YOU ARE ABLE.’
Windy whispered to his companions that he thought they were making progress. It certainly didn’t sound like it to them. They continued to cower behind their huge living furry wall.
‘Seriously though, we thought it must be lonely stuck up here all alone and that you could use some company.’
There was a moment of silence. ‘I’M A CLOUD. THIS IS WHERE I BELONG. ON MY OWN!’
‘Well now, a little bird told me that’s not entirely true.’
More rumbling and ground shaking.
‘THE LITTLE BIRD WHO RECKONS TO KNOW EVERYTHING, YOU MEAN?’
Marc and Matty were no longer cowering behind Windy but were standing in fascination as they listened to the conversation between their dragon friend and this cloud, a nonentity in their eyes. It was just a nasty dark cloud, wasn’t it? What followed shook them completely.
‘Our mutual friend told me a story about a young, very talented individual who strove for perfection in his work and craved recognition for his talents but, in his eyes, he could never quite attain the level of perfection he sought. He became very frustrated and, full of self doubt, packed his bags and left for pastures new.
‘GO ON!’
‘Well, over a period of time his bitterness grew, he became consumed by it until eventually, having taken in so much bitterness, disappointment, resentment he was changed. All he could do was vent his frustration and anger through the dark cloud, this same cloud that had followed him for most of his life, which he now became part of. He and the cloud became one.’
When Windy had stopped talking there was only silence, not even a breeze.
A minute passed and everyone held their breath.
‘VERY INTERESTING STORY I’M SURE BUT WHAT HAS THAT TO DO WITH ANYTHING?’ The cloud sounded hesitant for the first time.
‘Oh, I think you know, Janus. That is your name, isn’t it?’
There came a violent burst of thunder and lightning and the voice boomed out, ‘MY NAME IS MEEE!’
‘Yes, yes, now it is but you used to be called Janus, named after an ancient Roman theatrical figure who had two faces, one happy, one sad because your parents said you brought them great joy along with sadness. I have a message for you which is simply that, you can never do more than your best and when you do your best that is your perfection.’
The thunder roared and the lightning flashed and torrential rain teemed down on the exposed trio, huddled together. The voice from the cloud raged, ‘MY NAME IS MEEEEEE!’
Windy, Marc and Matty quickly found shelter in some rocks. Windy turned to his ashen faced shivering companions and said. ‘Should have expected something like this. We’ll just sit it out here for a little while till it passes. And it will. It’ll be fine my friends. After the storm comes the rainbow. Trust me.
The storm raged through the night but by morning had stopped. ‘Are you two awake?’ Asked Windy, of the two bedraggled shivering Peeps by his side.
‘I’m not s-sure’, said Matty, rubbing his eyes.
‘Oh, are we s-still here on the hill?’ Said a disappointed sounding Marc, rubbing away the sleep from his eyes.
‘Yes we are, little one but safe and sound. We go back down the hill today.’
‘You mean it’s all over?’ Asked Matty.
‘Not quite. I’ve just got to have a little word or two with yon Janus first then we can return to the Settlement.’
‘Not another storm. When you talk to that thing it throws stuff at us.’
‘It's not a “thing”, as you call it but a troubled soul. Now this won’t take long. You two stay here while I go up to the top and speak with him, okay? Good.’
Windy left the two Peeps in the rock shelter while he continued to the top of the hill and into the Cloud. "We'll be leaving now but I just wanted to say that I am glad to have talked with you and that, before we do go, we want you to know that when you left the community there were a lot of very sad Peeps. You were greatly missed. They still talk about you and your works. Works, incidentally, that haven’t been bettered because, well, because no one could or can improve upon the original. All your works were and are precisely that, ORIGINAL. And, I dare say, perfectly so because, they are of you. Anyway, Janus, we’ll be leaving you now but we want to know you will always be welcome back.’
With that said he and his two two wee friends set off back down the hill. Behind them the Cloud was rumbling and the sky was dark but no rain and no lightning. They made their way back to the Community safely and upon reaching the edge of said destination Windy said ‘EE, I think it’s time for a little nourishment.’
‘Fish, chips and mushy peas?’ came the response from his two companions in unison.
‘But first we report to Madam Gwen,’ said Windy.
‘Enter!’ came the vice from within the unlikely igloo. ‘Welcome back, Any news?’
‘It looks like you called it right, Gwen, just as you had suspected.’
‘Then it is Janus?’
‘Yes, and he is lonely and hurting up there.’
At this point Matty, tired of listening to nonsensical conversations, butted in, ‘Excuse me. Would someone like to explain to us poor ignorant country bumkins what in heaven’s name is going on and who is Janus. Just what has been happening, apart from my young friend and I being frightened out of our wits and being wet through to boot.?’
‘Right,’ said Gwen, gently, ' what exactly don’t you understand. Tell me and I’ll try to explain.’
‘Well for starters,’ said Matty, ‘who is this Janus character?’
‘Ah.’ Gwen peered over her glasses at the two Peeps and said, in her soft warm voice, ‘Janus is a child of this community. A talented artist and musician. His one problem was himself.’
Marc butted in, ‘You’re talking in riddles again. His one problem was himself?’
Gwen smiled warmly at young Marc and with great patience explained how Janus, despite being told numerous times that his works were good, didn't believe it. Nothing satisfied him in his own work and talent and no matter how hard he tried he could not attain the level of perfection he craved. It made him ill. He didn’t realise, or couldn't see that which he sought after was illusionary and so impossible to attain. All he could hope to achieve was his best and in doing that he would then achieve an attainable level of perfection. He was never going to beat his best. His obsession with this quest for the unattainable made him ill. Almost destroyed him. Marc and Matty exchanged looks and marc then said,
‘So you are saying that the voice in the cloud is that of Janus?’
‘I believe so,’ responded Gwen.
After a few moments of thought he added, ‘So can he never get back to how he was, I mean, has he got to remain a cloud forever?’
‘I think that is up to him. If he cannot accept who and what he is and the gifts he has received then he will most likely remain, sadly, a Cloud.’ Gwen sat back in her chair and all fell silent, each deep in thought.
Windy Blu chipped in, breaking the silence, hoping to raise the mood a little with, ‘Well then, it would appear that my job is done here.’
This had the effect of grabbing everyone’s attention.
‘What will you do?’ asked Gwen.
‘Oh I have plans’, said Windy in a jubilant manner.
‘You do?’ voiced all three on mock surprise. At once all of them realising that it wasn’t practicable having a creature such as he living in the Settlement. It wouldn’t be fair on the Peeps and certainly not on him. A veil of sadness descended on the group for they were going to have to say farewell to their big furry friend.
‘Oh yes, I have plans alright,’ said Windy, wondering why they were suddenly so sad. Was it something he’d said or done, he thought? Windy was still learning. ‘Yes, I have a cousin down South, a place called Gwalia? I think it is. His name is Idris and something is telling me I need to pay him a visit?’
‘Then you must go Windy.’ affirmed Gwen.
‘We’re gonna miss you big guy!’ said Matty and Marc and they hugged him very tightly, tears welling up in their eyes.
‘Steady with the wet eyes there, you two, I’ll come visit you again if that’s okay?’
‘You will be more than welcome, ‘big guy’, said Gwen. Just don’t leave it too long. Godspeed.’
(*Footnote: This information can be found in ‘’Dinglebert Slaptybacks Tome of Beastiology Vol. II. Section 6; More Dragon Spotting. ‘Ladybird Freaks’)
