Bernard arrived at his grandfather's castle with a heavy heart and he was sad because he hadn't met the old man before he passed away. He had always wanted to travel to Benjwit with his father to see Grandpa but Bernard's dad always had an excuse to leave little Bernard at home whenever he travelled to the Benjwit.
Years passed and Grandpa passed away just at the time when Bernard was old enough to travel alone and he wished the old man had stayed a little longer. The news of Grandpa's death really affected Leonard, Bernard's father and he decided to travel with his family to pay their last respect before Grandpa was buried.
There were family members from home and abroad sharing their great memories about Pa Aaron as they prepared for his burial but Bernard had nothing to say except for the few times they spoke on the phone.
"Too bad you didn't meet Grandpa, I predicted he waited that long just to meet you. He spoke about you a lot like you guys have spent time together," Aunty Mageret said to Bernard as he stared at Grandpa's various artwork in his giant living room.
"We only spoke on the phone and I had a strong connection with him even though we never met," Bernard replied.
Grandpa was an adventurer and artist, he was known across different kingdoms for his exceptional drawing ability. Kings and wealthy families invited Pa Aaron to display his artworks and they paid him handsomely to tell them stories behind many of his drawings. As an adventurer, he always wowed his audience even till he passed away.
Bernard walked around the giant living room checking every artwork displayed in the big space and as a young artist, he was wowed by many of the artwork.
"I see you love those artworks, there are lots more in his bedroom and he specifically said some of those paintings should be given to you," Uncle Douglas, Bernard's uncle said to Bernard as he walked passed him.
"Really? Please where is the way to grandpa's bedroom?" Bernard asked and Uncle Douglas pointed in the direction to Pa Aaron's room.
Bernard went in the room direction and he was wowed at the number of paintings in Grandpa's room.
Wow! Bernard screamed as he took a glance from the entrance before going in. The bedroom walls were covered with different paintings and they were mostly things grandpa saw during his adventure.
Bernard took a tour around the room and one of the paintings caught his attention. He stared at it for over a minute trying to pronounce the words beneath the painting.
"The legend of Zingu," Bernard stuttered and looked around the bedroom.
"There must be more to this particular painting," Bernard thought and while checking around, he saw a space between the paintings that seemed to be a door.
Bernard gently pushed the door and peeped. He finally entered and it turned out to be Grandpa's library. He strolled around the library and a book caught his attention as he browsed through the bookshelf.
"The Legend of Zingu," Bernard pronounced the book title and he immediately remembered the painting.
"This must be connected to the painting," Bernard stuttered as he grabbed the book from the shelf.
He took a few steps backwards and sank into a rocking chair behind him. Bernard gently opened the first page and began reading.
It's the year, 1926 when I and my friend decided to hike the mountains during winter. It was the year when Benjwit recorded the highest level of snow so we were excited to see what things looked like out there.
We got our gears and hit the terrain, I had my eyes peeled and my brain was active because I needed to paint what I saw when I returned home.
We had gone about an hour into the mountains and the view was awesome. I wish we could reach some parts of the mountains but it was very risky so we just stuck to the terrain.
As we moved deeper, the snow started pouring heavily. It was the first I saw it snow that much and it was accompanied by heavy wind. In a twinkle of an eye, we were covered in snow and moving forward became quite challenging.
We hid beneath a rock for safety and we watched the tracks out of the mountains get completely covered. We were freezing and I became worried as I thought we might eventually be buried beneath the snow.
My friend suggested that we climbed the mountain but it was a suicide mission and yet we didn't have another option.
I was praying for a miracle when I noticed a glittering image swaying left and right in the sky. It stopped just right in front of us and we were wondering what it was because I hadn't seen such before.
This creature created a huge hole in the ground as it landed and it started clearing a path heading out of the mountains. It didn't just clear a path for us, it also created a form of barrier that prevented the snow from covering the path or touching us.
We followed the path and it was clear that the creature was there to help us. We eventually got to the mountain exit and the creature flew very high into the sky.
It was far away from the ground but I felt it was necessary to say thank so I screamed and the creature flew back in our direction.
I saw a bright light shining on the creature's forehead and somehow, it communicated with me. I was excited and made up my mind to paint the creature which took me weeks and I named it Zingu.
Zingu! Bernard stuttered. He was wowed by the story and admired Grandpa's adventurous.
"Bernard! Bernard!!" His dad called as the whole family had began looking everywhere for him since he spent hours reading in the library.
"I am here Dad," Bernard replied and left the library immediately to join the rest of the family.
