Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR
PARSONS’ PLATEAU
copyright 2007 Brian Clopper

Parsons’ Plateau’s origins lie amongst the first gargoyle settlers. Malcolm Parsons, filled with renewed hope, had come to Cascade with his family. In the mortal world, he had been an honest gargoyle who had fallen on hard times. Cascade offered him a fresh start. He immediately fell in love with his new home and settled into farming a very fertile patch of land.

As the years passed, Parsons became involved in the gargoyle government, rising to co-chairman of the council. Parsons was fiercely loyal to his new home. He proposed ending the tradition of crossing over to Earth, pointing out that as humans had abandoned belief in all things magical, so should the citizens of Cascade cut all ties with the fickle mortals. This viewpoint was not welcome in the halls of the council. Parsons was voted out unanimously for daring to speak against tradition.

Parsons spent the rest of his life minding his farm and family, blessing each morning with a warm, soulful moment of silence. As far as he was concerned, Cascade was his home and always would be.

When he grew old enough to feel his bones and muscles begin to harden, Malcolm Parsons did not cross over.

Instead, he climbed to the highest point overlooking the village, a nearby plateau, and stretched his stony limbs to the sky. As his life left him, he paid his loving respects to his home. Malcolm Parsons’ stone body didn’t face the village in contempt. No, he faced the rising sun, eternally greeting each morning with outstretched arms, wings and a wide smile of contentment.
While Parsons’ final act was joyful for him, it was anything but for his fellow gargoyles. The council voted Parsons’ Plateau be avoided by all citizens. It became a forbidden zone, an empty final home for one who would dare speak out against tradition.

Of course, try telling a child not to visit a particular spot, and their curiosity will get the best of them. Parsons’ Plateau became a favorable hangout for the young. The children thought it their little secret, but the council knew of their hideout. The council knew the effort of patrolling the plateau would be a lost cause, and it became an unspoken part of village life.

The children had a private hideout, and the adults acted none the wiser.

And Malcom Parsons, he had a home with frequent guests.