Living Artifacts are People Too - Well, Sort Of

The Museum of Art and Artifacts in Selwyn invited Lady Nimmo to submit one of her magically created stumpers. Although a great honor, she was hesitant to accept. Several questions plagued her: Will a stumper like living in a museum? Will he scare the kids? Will he get along with the museum staff?

While she agonized over the pros and cons, a shy stumper named Limb Strong approached her.

"My lady, may I have a moment?" Limb Strong asked. "I heard of an opportunity to work at the great museum in Selwyn."

"Well, it's not exactly work."

"Eh?" The stumper looked puzzled.

"They want a stumper to live there as a living artifact."

"Yes, I know I would live there, and, of course, I would clean while I live there. Isn't that correct?"

"Um, well," she noticed his expectant look and just couldn't crush him. "Of course. That's exactly what the museum wants."

"Then I'm your stumper," he beamed with excitement.

So, they packed for the week-long trip to Selwyn. Lady Nimmo was accompanied by a troop of stumpers, their captain, Oakaford, Flimlet the dwarf, Lor, the traveling merchant, and Limb Strong.

Selwyn, the capital city of Wanowyn, gleamed in the sunlight as Lady Nimmo and her troop stopped atop a hill to admire the sight. She never grew used to it. Selwyn is the most beautiful city in all of Wanowyn, with hundreds of towers in dazzling colors, palaces, mansions, houses, merchant shops, colleges, schools, arenas, and the breathtaking Museum of Art and Artifacts. The city was so large, it took some time to get to the museum, which Limb Strong insisted on going first.

"Lady Nimmo," a short man with shaggy black hair, wearing a red knee-length tunic, exited his office with both arms outstretched. "It's wonderful to meet you. I couldn't be more pleased. My name is Roman Black, and I'm the curator of the most fabulous museum in all of Wanowyn."

"I'm very pleased to meet you."

He looked around. "Where is your wonderfully fabulous stumper?"

"He's around the corner. I wanted to speak to you first before introducing him," she said, stepping closer. "There are a couple of things I feel you should know before we go any further."

"Well, dearest, please tell."

"When I first carved this stumper, I named him Limb. However, he started calling himself Limb Strong after a couple of weeks. Now, understand, he didn't give himself a last name but thinks the name I gave him was simply too weak."

"So, he just added "Strong" to make him sound stronger?"

"Yes."

"Well, I just think that's adorable."

"Oh, please don't say that to him. He's very self-conscious about it."

"Have no fear. We will treat him with dignity here at our fabulous museum."

"That's very kind of you," she fidgeted. "Also... I'm not sure how to say this... I guess I'll just spit it out. Limb Strong believes he's here to be the janitor."

"Why would he think such a ridiculous thing?"

"Because I told him he would be."

Roman Black looked confused, "And why would you tell him such a thing?"

"You must understand one thing about stumpers: they love to clean. Well, they love any kind of work, but cleaning is their favorite. So that's why."

"So, Limb Strong would be unhappy if he couldn't clean?"

"Yes."

"We can't have an unhappy stumper. If he wants to be a janitor, then a janitor is what he'll be. It will be absolutely marvelous."

Limb Strong became an overnight sensation. People couldn't get enough of this magical tree stump who went about sweeping and mopping. At first, they didn't understand why he cleaned, but after an informative exhibit explaining the stumper's love of cleaning, people found him even more adorable.

The museum was pleased. Attendance tripled since Limb Strong joined. The entire city wanted a glimpse of the newest living artifact. Everything was going well until it didn't.

Limb Strong had a tough time getting used to the marble floors. His roots, which served as feet, kept slipping. They were more effective on a forest floor than polished marble. One day, he was sweeping around a vase and lost his footing. He tried to regain his balance by grabbing onto the first thing he saw—the pedestal that held the vase. He jostled it, and it fell with a crash.

Unfortunately, this was no ordinary vase; it was the most valuable and historically significant artifact in the museum. During the age when Xer-Bane, the dragon god who created Wanowyn, lived among the Wanowyns, he used his fire to make cups, jars, and vases. This was the only surviving vase.

Lady Nimmo and her troop had decided to stay for a few weeks before returning home. A messenger sent by Roman Black requested her immediate presence regarding Limb Strong. She hurried back to the museum.

Roman Black was waiting outside the main entrance. When he saw her, he stretched out his arms. "Lady Nimmo, I'm positively delighted to see you again. I wish it were under better circumstances."

He filled her in on the horrific accident. No one wanted to see Limb Strong leave, nor could they allow any more priceless artifacts to be destroyed. Lady Nimmo asked to chat with Limb Strong.

"What happened, Limb Strong? You're not usually clumsy."

"I know, but these polished floors are impossible to walk on. I keep slipping."

She inspected his root feet and noticed how smooth and round they were. An idea hit her. She asked the curator to borrow Limb Strong for a couple of days. He reluctantly agreed and asked to return him as soon as possible. He saw ticket sales going down.

Lady Nimmo and Limb Strong returned as promised when the two days were up. However, something was very different with the living artifact. His root feet were replaced with two short legs. For those who may be concerned for Limb Strong, since he originated from a tree, he experienced zero pain.

"Darling, what have you done? Our stumper now has legs."

"Yes. The problem with his clumsiness was his root feet. Although great for forests, they were inadequate for marble floors."

"Wonderful! I'm so happy. And his new legs are fabulous."

The troop from Trungen Forest remained in Selwyn for a few more weeks before heading back, just in case there were any new problems with Limb Strong. There weren't, so they left the great city for home. Although they had a fantastic time in Selwyn, they were ready to trade the city's towers for Trungen's trees.