Three to See the King

the arm.
    ‘Careful now,’ he said. ‘The most difficult part’s already done.’
    ‘Yes,’ I replied, striving to recover my balance. ‘I’m just beginning to understand that.’
    We remained there, with him gently supporting me, as the other man ascended the ladder and joined us.
    ‘Thank you,’ he repeated. ‘I’m so glad I’ve caught you, Michael. I need to speak to you and I thought you were up at the top.’
    ‘Is there something wrong?’
    ‘Well, not wrong as such, and I don’t want to be a telltale, but Steve Treacle’s down there giving out his orders again.’
    Michael Hawkins’s grip on my arm slackened and then he let go altogether. At the same instant a troubled look crossed his face.
    ‘Alright, thank you, John,’ he said at length. ‘You’ve finished work for the time being have you?’
    ‘Yes,’ came the reply. ‘But I can come back down if anything needs sorting out.’
    ‘No, no, I don’t think that will be necessary, thanks all the same. You go home and take some rest, and return whenever you’re ready.’
    ‘Alright, well as long as you’re sure?’
    ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Everything will be fine.’
    As John left us and continued climbing I detected a renewed vigour in his step. This I attributed to the brief exchange he’d had with Michael Hawkins, who watched his progress for a while before breathing a long sigh. It was barely audible, and I wouldn’t have heard it had I not been listening to him so closely. On our journey down I’d come to depend on his spoken directions. He had a voice I felt I could trust, and now, when I heard him sigh, I knew there was something amiss.
    ‘Problems?’ I asked.
    ‘Nothing that can’t be resolved.’
    ‘Steve acting up, is he?’
    ‘By the sound of it, yes,’ he said. ‘Steve today. Someone else tomorrow.’
    He looked saddened, and at that moment I forgot about my own concerns.
    ‘Why don’t we continue down?’ I suggested. ‘They probably won’t misbehave if you’re around.’
    ‘They’re not misbehaving really,’ he answered. ‘It’s just that sometimes they try too hard.’
    ‘Oh, well, whatever,’ I said. ‘Shall we go?’
    I was halfway down the ladder before I remembered I was supposed to be afraid of heights, and by then there was no point in worrying about it. Nevertheless, Michael Hawkins carried on talking me down as if I was still under his care, which in many respects was true. I’d arrived in this canyon as a guest of his, and I had to bear in mind that I was very much an outsider. Best to stay close to him, I thought, at least for the time being.
    When we finally got to the bottom, it was like entering a whole new world! The first thing I observed was that the climate was milder here than high up on the harsh and windy plain. The desultory flapping of the tarpaulins indicated a gentle breeze, rather than a howling gale, and I could easily imagine the place bathed in summer sunlight. Stretching away in all directions were the great earthworks, swarming with hordes of people all bent on a common purpose. Some of them paused and stared across at us as we passed by, just as they had done during our descent. Michael Hawkins was obviously highly revered in these parts, and as we neared the camp I recalled the impression of him that I’d built up over the past year. It was of a man who could do no wrong, who accomplished great things, and whose whole existence was perfect. These qualities had won him many friends, among them Simon, Steve and Philip. They told me he lived in a better part of the plain than I did. They spread stories about how he’d built a house of tin and then rejected it, leaving an empty shell for me to move into. Everything I heard about him told of his superiority: even his ideas were thought to be more interesting than mine. They abandoned me so that they could go to him, and in this way they’d made me jealous. I now realized that it was envy, not curiosity, that had brought me to see the canyon. It was envy, too, that had made me judge him before we’d even met, and now I felt more than a little ashamed.
    ‘Looks as though supper’s almost ready,’ he said.
    Ahead of us a number of long tables had been set up, around which people were gathering for some food and drink. It seemed like a very sociable affair. We walked another few paces, and then Michael Hawkins suddenly stopped and gazed across to his right. He was examining a level area of land where the work