Griffin Canon
[This is an excerpt from The Griffin, a book by children's author Sheila K McCullagh.]Ben went softly across the sand up to the stone, and looked. There on the stone a creature lay asleep. He looked very fine, for he was a deep golden-yellow. He lay very still. He lay there fast asleep in the sunshine. He had a long tail, and at first, Ben thought he looked something like a lion. He was as big as Ben. Indeed he was bigger.
Then Ben saw that he had two big golden-yellow wings, which were over his sides. Ben could not see his face at all, because it was hidden under his wings as he lay there asleep. Ben stood very still. And then the creature lifted his head. He lifted his wings, and lifted his head from under his wings, and looked up. His eyes were golden, and he had pointed ears, and his mouth turned up at the corners. The creature looked up and saw Ben.
Ben didn't feel at all frightened. The creature didn't look as if he wanted to frighten anyone. He just sat there, very still.
And then he smiled. He smiled a very wide smile, and the corners of his mouth turned right up.
"Hello, pirate," said the creature.
"Hello, creature," said Ben, and waved his fist. (Pirates always wave their fists when they meet anyone.)
Ben smiled a little too. He couldn't help it. The creature looked such a fine golden-yellow, there on the stone in the sunshine. The creature smiled a wide smile. Ben began to feel happy.
"Creature," he said, "creature, what are you? I've never seen a creature like you before."
"You're right, pirate," said the creature. "You've never seen a creature like me before. For I am the Griffin." And this time he smiled such a very wide smile that the corners of his mouth turned up and nearly touched his pointed ears!
"I'm not just a Griffin," said the Griffin. "I'm THE Griffin - the Griffin-of-the-Rock. And I'm not like any other creature."
"The rock?" asked Benjamin. "The rock out there, far away in the sea?"
"That's right," said the Griffin. "That's my rock. This stone," (and he touched the stone where he was sitting with his claw), "this is just a stone. But the rock out there in the sea is my rock. I call it the Rock. And I am the Griffin-of-the-Rock."
The blue pirate smiled. It was the first time since the storm that he had felt happy. He couldn't help it. There was something about the Griffin which made Ben feel better whenever he looked at him. Perhaps it was his golden-yellow wings, which shone in the sunshine. Perhaps it was his golden eyes or his wide smile.
"I'm glad I met you, Griffin," said Ben. "Before I met you, I wasn't feeling very happy."
"No?" asked the Griffin. "Was it the storm? I think I saw your ship on her side in the sand. Perhaps I could help. Is the ship broken?"
"Well, it's not just the ship. It's the pirates," said Ben. "The red pirate and the green pirate are on the island too. Their ships went down in the storm and were broken on the rocks. I don't know what to do now. I was going to find Acrooacree. But what am I to do about Roderick and Greg? I can't take them to Acrooacree, and they wouldn't want to go there. But they can't be left here."
Ben looked at the Griffin.
"Don't worry," said the Griffin. He smiled again, and this time Ben felt as if big black clouds were lifting from him. "It'll be all right. The first thing to do is to get your ship back on the sea, and after that, we'll think about it. I have to go back to the Rock now, but I will come again."
And with that the Griffin stood up, and shook his wings. "The sun is setting, pirate," he said. "And I'm going now. I'll be back here in the morning. When the sun comes up in the morning, I shall come back to this island." And he shook his wings again, and was gone like a flash of gold in the sky.
----
It wasn't very long before Ben saw a flash of gold, like lightning in the blue sky, and there was the Griffin, standing before them on the sands. His golden-yellow wings shone as they had done the day before. He held them by his golden-yellow sides, and sat back on the sand.
"Hello, pirates," he said.
The Griffin smiled at Ben, and again it seemed that the sun was shining inside the Griffin. His wings seemed to flash in the sunshine. Ben smiled too. He got up, and waved his fist. "Hello, Griffin," he said.
Then Ben saw that he had two big golden-yellow wings, which were over his sides. Ben could not see his face at all, because it was hidden under his wings as he lay there asleep. Ben stood very still. And then the creature lifted his head. He lifted his wings, and lifted his head from under his wings, and looked up. His eyes were golden, and he had pointed ears, and his mouth turned up at the corners. The creature looked up and saw Ben.
Ben didn't feel at all frightened. The creature didn't look as if he wanted to frighten anyone. He just sat there, very still.
And then he smiled. He smiled a very wide smile, and the corners of his mouth turned right up.
"Hello, pirate," said the creature.
"Hello, creature," said Ben, and waved his fist. (Pirates always wave their fists when they meet anyone.)
Ben smiled a little too. He couldn't help it. The creature looked such a fine golden-yellow, there on the stone in the sunshine. The creature smiled a wide smile. Ben began to feel happy.
"Creature," he said, "creature, what are you? I've never seen a creature like you before."
"You're right, pirate," said the creature. "You've never seen a creature like me before. For I am the Griffin." And this time he smiled such a very wide smile that the corners of his mouth turned up and nearly touched his pointed ears!
"I'm not just a Griffin," said the Griffin. "I'm THE Griffin - the Griffin-of-the-Rock. And I'm not like any other creature."
"The rock?" asked Benjamin. "The rock out there, far away in the sea?"
"That's right," said the Griffin. "That's my rock. This stone," (and he touched the stone where he was sitting with his claw), "this is just a stone. But the rock out there in the sea is my rock. I call it the Rock. And I am the Griffin-of-the-Rock."
The blue pirate smiled. It was the first time since the storm that he had felt happy. He couldn't help it. There was something about the Griffin which made Ben feel better whenever he looked at him. Perhaps it was his golden-yellow wings, which shone in the sunshine. Perhaps it was his golden eyes or his wide smile.
"I'm glad I met you, Griffin," said Ben. "Before I met you, I wasn't feeling very happy."
"No?" asked the Griffin. "Was it the storm? I think I saw your ship on her side in the sand. Perhaps I could help. Is the ship broken?"
"Well, it's not just the ship. It's the pirates," said Ben. "The red pirate and the green pirate are on the island too. Their ships went down in the storm and were broken on the rocks. I don't know what to do now. I was going to find Acrooacree. But what am I to do about Roderick and Greg? I can't take them to Acrooacree, and they wouldn't want to go there. But they can't be left here."
Ben looked at the Griffin.
"Don't worry," said the Griffin. He smiled again, and this time Ben felt as if big black clouds were lifting from him. "It'll be all right. The first thing to do is to get your ship back on the sea, and after that, we'll think about it. I have to go back to the Rock now, but I will come again."
And with that the Griffin stood up, and shook his wings. "The sun is setting, pirate," he said. "And I'm going now. I'll be back here in the morning. When the sun comes up in the morning, I shall come back to this island." And he shook his wings again, and was gone like a flash of gold in the sky.
----
It wasn't very long before Ben saw a flash of gold, like lightning in the blue sky, and there was the Griffin, standing before them on the sands. His golden-yellow wings shone as they had done the day before. He held them by his golden-yellow sides, and sat back on the sand.
"Hello, pirates," he said.
The Griffin smiled at Ben, and again it seemed that the sun was shining inside the Griffin. His wings seemed to flash in the sunshine. Ben smiled too. He got up, and waved his fist. "Hello, Griffin," he said.