The Elzbieta Bud Haiku

Original Post: 30 May 2012
Posted Here: 4 December 2017

In Chapter 1 of The Centaurian Bud Vase, Pierre is told by Princess Milda that the vase is some sort of key, but she disappears before he can learn what it is a key to. Later, he uses the vase as a key to get into the Sanctuary of Ramunus up the Airy Mountain, but just with a bit of luck and deduction.

After the Robe of Ramunus was taken by Aiton and Feynman, I needed Pierre to learn that another “ancient” poem encoded the location of Ramunus’ three treasures, which one was at a particular location, and how to use the bud vase as a key to get to the treasure at each location. Since this was three threes of information, another rolling haiku seemed to be a good idea for encoding these. So I wrote:

Elzbieta bud
Beloved of Ramunus
Holds secrets within

Whispering in the zephyr
Flashing in sunlight
Green mantle of leaves

Dancers pick the bud
Shielded by the thorns
Maturing among the rocks

Open blue blossom
Vivid sparkles in the dew
With roots in the ground

The Elzbieta flower
Beloved of Ramunus
Displayed by the Mountain King
For Waxonians to see
Once more in the Golden Age

Pierre and his companions realized, after the fact, that the second stanza tells them that Ramunus’ robe is hidden in a star system which contains a Type IV Beta supernova remnant and that the bud vase is used by blowing across its opening to form a musical note. Since you are most likely not Waxonian, I don’t expect you to be able to solve the puzzle that The Elzbieta Bud Haiku presents. You might, however, enjoy reading how Pierre and his companions attempt to decipher the information hidden in the poem when you eventually are able to get a copy of The Centaurian Bud Vase. If you are an editor or an agent who’d like to see the novel published sooner rather than later, please contact me via my Contact page. The novel is close to being finished and I won’t need much encouragement to get done with the last few chapters. Any readers out there who know an editor or agent, please encourage them to get hold of me.

Keep reading/keep writing – Jack