Chicken Little: The Inside Story (A Jungian ... - Inner City Books

An Unveiling 55
I felt a twinge of hurt. Seeing my crestfallen look, Brillig was
quick to modify his words.
“Pardon me, I didn’t mean to insult you; rather the opposite, for
your writing does not denote one faint of heart. We need not pretend,
man to man, that it is all good, but it was immediately clear to
me that you have followed your daimon, as it were, whatever the
cost.”
Brillig now seemed more gnomish to me than ever. I looked at
him with a feeling close to adulation. Had he asked me, I believe I
would—and could—have walked with him on water.
“And so, you see, by the time Norman and I arrived on your
doorstep I had deduced a comprehensive, though tentative, profile
of what makes you tick. Our evening together confirmed it.
“Of course, with all due respect for your excellent company, I
would not be here except for my long-standing belief in the existence
of other Kraznac tablets. Until now I have been frustrated in
attempts to prove this. But the very fact that there are now two of
us changes everything. The task doesn’t simply become twice as
easy; after having been impossible, it has become possible.
“It’s as if one set out to measure the distance from a star to our
planet, with only one known point on the surface of the earth. It
can’t be done, of course; one needs at least two points, and then the
distance can be found by triangulation.”
I was completely bemused and could find nothing to say, except:
“But Norman—surely he too believes.”
Brillig smiled.
“Norman? It is difficult to say. I think he would like to, but his
education and typology mitigate against it. He is not comfortable in
the world of abstract thought, nor does metaphor come easily to
him. My impression is that Norman is waiting to be convinced.
Meanwhile, he is along for the ride, as they say. For all that, he is a
good companion. I have also brought him for practical reasons; as
you will see, he has skills that could prove useful.”
Fixed by those clear dark eyes, I felt I would believe anything
Brillig said. My belly rumbled, as if to concur. If ever I had come