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- 9th of August, 1511 was a crisp and sunny morning in Villach Austria. The birds were singing and the smell of freshly cut grass permeated the air. I was perched with his my legs crossed on the bench in my garden reading one of my father’s alchemy books which I treasured as if it were my own. I had just finished cutting the grass and pulling weeds in the court yard which my father made me do. He said it was good for the constitution to do so, and that although burring one’s head in books was good for the mind, it was not for the body. Also the welding of a scythe for the making of a flat and even lawn was good for clearing the mind and bringing it into balance. But I understood this. I was a very interested in his father’s work as the local physician and hoped one day I would follow in my father’s footsteps.
- I also loved the smell of the freshly cut grass. It had become a ritual of sorts to sit on the bench and read alchemy books while savouring the smell of fresh lawn cuttings.
- I was a just a young man of slight build for my age of fourteen years. I was also quite feminine in appearance for which I was acutely aware of. At that age I had delicate pale skin and locks of curly blonde hair which I always requested be kept trim to emasculate me.
- I loved books and yearned for the knowledge they possessed. I would read any book I could get my hands on, but I especially liked books of ancient knowledge. Like the art of Alchemy, the secrets of the ancient Egyptians and the philosophies of antiquity. I had to learn Greek and Latin to read them and I put this knowledge to good use while working at a mine in Lead Mountain not far from where I lived. I helped with the analysis of ore for extracting metals and I fear that this is the reason for my sudden decline. As I have often said The poison is in the dosage and certainly much dosage I have consumed passively over my career as an Alchemist.
- I also loved to travel and would pursue any opportunity to do so, of which mostly came from my father who would often travel to Florence and Venice and because I could speak fluent Latin which helped in his travels as this was a widely spoken language throughout Europe, especially among the academics and artists of the time.
- I was reading a passage in a book in titled “The Distilling of Oyles from Flora” when I became aware of a strange sensation. I felt as though he and his court yard were turning. I steadied myself but found I did not need to. I unfolded my legs and carefully stand up to better gauge the situation. I looked down and realised that the ground was not turning, but shadows on the ground are turning. I looked up and to my surprise noticed a cloud above the court yard. It was not just a normal cloud, it was spiralling from the centre as if engulfed whirlwind.
- I had heard of tornados before but I never expected them to be like this. This tornado was gentle and beckoning and I was engrossed by the phenomenon to the extent that I could not look away. I felt as if I would be swallowed by the strange cloud. Yet I was not afraid, and even longed for its embrace; I would surrender to it; I waited frozen and transfixed; waiting for the moment of ascent with mounting excitement and anticipation.
- ‘Oh such a joyous moment you should appear to me my God. Take me to thy roost’ I shouted to the sky as he anticipated the miracle.
- Then I noticed something at the centre of the cloud. A dark figure getting larger and larger as if it were approaching the earth. I clasped my hands together in solute. I was certain that the figure would be God himself. What else could descend from the sky in such a fashion?
- I closed his eyes tightly and tried to fill my head with good thoughts and braced myself.
- Suddenly there was a heavy thud. I opened my eyes and could see the vortex was still churning above me but the dark figure had gone.
- I looked around the courtyard and quickly noticed I was not alone. An old man lay on the grass of the courtyard facing toward the back wall. He was partially buried in the ground by the force of his landing. I could see he had long grey hair and was tall in stature.
- I just stood there and stared at the motionless old man lying on the grass. Could he be dead? I thought to myself. The old man suddenly moved as if he had woken from unconsciousness. He pulled his shoulder from the ground and slowly struggled to his feet.
- I fell to his knees.
- ‘My gracious God I am not worthy.’ I said, astounded that God would appear to me in this fashion.
- The old man must have turned to reveal himself to me but I had closed my eyes as not to offend God by gazing upon him.
- ‘Phillip, I think you have mistaken me for someone else’ the old man spoke in Latin in a deep, rich voice.
- Phillip expected that God would speak in Latin but did not expect to hear those words. I fact the voice sounded somewhat familiar to me. I opened his eyes to behold the man standing before me.
- ‘Leonardo Da Vince?’
- ‘At your service!’ Leonardo bowed as he as he spoke.
- ‘What are you doing here? What just happened?’ I said.
- ‘That is indeed a long story which you would learn in good time but my time before you is limited as I must return to whence I came.’ He said with increasing enthusiasm.
- ‘Although I appear as Leonardo, I am in some way, not Leonardo.’
- ‘I do not understand. Are you God?’ I asked.
- ‘No’ Leonardo laughed.
- ‘I guess you could say, I had some of his attributes but you must not think of me as God, although I am honoured. I must ask of you a favour as you are partially responsible for a predicament I have got myself and others into.’
- ‘I must admit I am still very confused but I will do my best.’ I said.
- But just as I spoke I was startled by another thud, this time much softer than the last. Then another, I looked up and noticed little people were falling from the sky.
- ‘Gnomes?’ I said enquiringly.
- ‘You are correct.’
- Then I looked at the ground to see little Gnomes dropping from the sky, picking themselves up and brushing themselves off. I must admit, I was astounded.
- ‘They’re real!’ I shouted with excitement as they continued to rain upon the garden.
- ‘I only imagined they could be real but I did not hold any hope. I had read about them in ancient texts but thought them just folk law.’
- ‘They were until just recently. This is why you must help me.’
- At this point, the Gnomes had finished falling from the vortex and had gathered in the centre of the courtyard.
- ‘You must look after these creatures for me. I cannot stay here for reasons you will soon understand. You must find them a secret place where they can live in peace and they will gift you much knowledge you so profoundly seek. I am afraid their world has been destroyed, and they can never return. Would you help these little creatures?’
- I just listened while transfixed on the little creatures abound in my courtyard. They were all but two spans tall and could easily sit under a mushroom to shelter from rain.
- ‘Of course’ I finally said. ‘Anything you ask sire, I still cannot believe my eyes.’
- ‘Believe it my Son.’ Leonardo then looks up at the vortex with a distant and solemn look in his eyes. ‘It saddens me, but I must now say my goodbyes. Please look after this one especially.’ Leonardo crouches down and lifts one of the little creature holding it in his cupped palms.
- ‘Goodbye to you especially little one. We will meet again someday, but for now I cannot, as my original self is still of this realm and my presence would disrupt the balance. I hope you understand.’
- The little creature looked at Leonardo with sallow sad eyes with tears rolling out and I was so moved by the scene I could barely contain my own emotions and felt tears welling in my eyes.
- Then, Leonardo placed the Gnome gently on the ground before me, and looked up at the vortex. The little Gnome raised his little arms and look down at the ground beneath Leonardo.
- Suddenly Leonardo was turning on the spot and I noticed the actual ground beneath Leonardo is actually churning and twisting beneath him. I watched in horror at Leonardo was sucked into the ground. I tried to reach out to him but he was gone. The ground that was once churning had returned as if nothing had happed.
- So I just stood there amazed and bewildered. What has just happened? He thought to himself. He looked to the little Gnome that stood before him, and the other Gnomes. He crouched down on one knee and announced himself.
- ‘Greetings little ones. My Name is Theophrastus Phillippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim but you can just call me “Paracelsus” which means “Greater than Celsus” because I will be one day. I will take you to the beautiful Lead Mountain where I work and there you can live in the beauty of nature and surely no ill will come of you there. However, you must keep to yourselves, as men can be cruel to strange creatures’
- The little Gnome looked up to Paracelsus and said in a warm voice. ‘And greeting to you Paracelsus, my name is Odelin but you can just call me “Lightning Gnome” for short.’
- And so we arrive at the end of this little tale. Maybe in some other existence, I will get around the others but this will have to do for now as I am about to surrender to my death and have not the energy to write anymore.
- So I will leave you with the first of many questions I would ask the little Gnome because I think the first one was most significant to this story.
- I leant down close to the small creature and asked him…
- ‘So tell me little one’
- ‘Why do they call you the…’
- “Lightning Gnome?”
- *The Beginning*
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