The Story of the Voyages (1983) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The robbers keep May alive because his unique ability to sense gold from a distance is incredibly valuable for locating hidden treasure. Even though proximity to gold causes him physical illness, they can force him to lead them to gold deposits while keeping the gold itself at a safe distance. As the timeline shows, May's gift helps the gang locate a chest full of gold, increasing their wealth significantly.

Foreshadowing: May's ability is introduced early as a peculiar gift that the siblings never exploit for personal gain, making his abduction for exploitation inevitable.

• may
• gold sensing
• robbers
• kidnap
• exploitation

Orlando initially resists joining Martha's quest because he is absorbed in his scientific work and fears derailing his research. However, his curiosity about the world and the adventure itself eventually overrides his reluctance. The traveling scientist recognizes that the journey through fantastic lands offers unique observations and experiences that align with his scientific interests, prompting him to abandon his work temporarily.

Foreshadowing: Orlando's character is defined by his constant stream of scientific ideas and his curiosity, which ultimately drives him toward the journey.

• orlando
• martha
• quest
• help
• scientist

The paradise village is a warm, idyllic settlement built on the back of a sleeping dragon atop a mountain. It represents eternal comfort, endless food, no labor, and leisure, luring travelers with the temptation to abandon their quests. Knights guard its secrets, and those who discover it are tempted to stay forever. When the dragon wakes, it destroys the village, demonstrating the fragility of such false utopias.

Foreshadowing: The village's promise of permanent comfort directly contrasts with Martha's determination to continue her quest, foreshadowing the destruction that follows.

• dragon
• village
• paradise
• temptation
• destruction

Martha refuses to abandon Orlando after he is sentenced to immurement, a slow, hopeless death sealed inside a tower. Despite having the opportunity to flee, she chooses to slip into the tower with him, accepting a grim fate together. This act demonstrates the deep bond formed during their journey and her unwavering loyalty, refusing to leave her companion to die alone.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in their journey, Martha pleads with Orlando to help rescue her brother, establishing her as someone who values loyalty and companionship above personal safety.

• martha
• orlando
• tower
• immurement
• loyalty

Even while sealed inside the tower facing slow death, Orlando's scientific mind continues working. He conceives a flying contraption and creates sketches at the tower's summit. Using available materials and his scientific knowledge, he builds the flying apparatus that allows Martha and himself to leap from the tower and escape to freedom. The device represents his ingenuity overcoming seemingly impossible circumstances.

Foreshadowing: Orlando's character is established as a scientist with constant streams of innovative ideas, making his ability to devise an escape plan consistent with his nature.

• orlando
• flying machine
• escape
• tower
• invention

After escaping the tower in their flying machine, Martha and Orlando land in a city ravaged by the Black Death witch. While they successfully fend off the plague witch using fire, Orlando contracts the plague himself and succumbs to it. Plague doctors cremate his body. His death marks a tragic turning point, ending the partnership but leaving Martha with the orphans she had been caring for.

Foreshadowing: The journey's perils have been established through multiple dangerous encounters, making the threat of death a constant narrative possibility.

• orlando
• plague
• death
• black death
• city

During the ten years following Orlando's death, May learns to control his gold-sensing ability and becomes immune to the illness gold previously caused him. He develops telekinetic powers that allow him to attract gold to himself. The robber gang, particularly Gorgon, raises May as their heir, and he eventually becomes the ruler of a land as a prince. His transformation from kidnapped child to powerful prince represents both his adaptation and his entanglement with the criminal world.

Foreshadowing: Gorgon begins showing a protective, paternal side toward May while he is still a hostage, hinting at his eventual rise within the gang.

• may
• prince
• ten years
• power
• transformation

When May discovers that his sister Martha has been imprisoned in a tower by Gorgon and Brutus, he experiences a surge of rage. He draws all the gold in the castle toward himself telekinetically, causing the castle to collapse and killing the greedy robbers inside. This explosion of power represents both his desire to protect his sister and the destructive potential of his abilities when fueled by emotion.

Foreshadowing: May's internal conflict between family loyalty and his life with the robbers has been building throughout the narrative, reaching its breaking point.

• may
• castle
• gold power
• destruction
• rage

In the ruins of the collapsed castle, Martha realizes that May has lost his ability to sense gold. The power that defined him throughout the story, the gift that made him valuable to the robbers and ultimately transformed him, has vanished. This loss represents a kind of liberation, freeing him from the exploitation and attraction to wealth that shaped his life, though it also brings sorrow and regret.

Foreshadowing: May's journey has been a constant struggle between his gift and the corruption it attracts, making its loss both surprising and thematically fitting.

• may
• gold power
• loss
• freedom
• ending

After the castle's destruction, Martha recognizes elements of Orlando's character and spirit in her brother, particularly when May speaks of "flying home." This symbolizes the passing of Orlando's scientific curiosity and inventive spirit to the next generation. May begins recreating the flying machine concept on a wall, inspired by Orlando's earlier invention, suggesting hope and continuity through the sibling bond and the legacy of creativity.

Foreshadowing: The flying machine Orlando built represents the pinnacle of scientific ingenuity in the story, and its concept being passed to May fulfills the narrative's theme of hope after loss.

• orlando
• spirit
• may
• flying
• legacy

Martha sets out immediately after seeing her brother kidnapped during the Winter celebrations. The robbers seize the opportunity during the chaos of the festivities. Though she is only ten years old and the journey is perilous, Martha's determination to save her brother is absolute. She ventures into the freezing darkness alone, eventually collapsing in the snow before being rescued by Orlando, demonstrating her courage and sibling devotion.

Foreshadowing: The story establishes early that Martha and May are close siblings living in poverty, making her desperate rescue mission understandable.

• martha
• may
• kidnap
• rescue
• solo journey

Gorgon, the robber leader, develops a protective, almost paternal relationship with May during his captivity. Despite using May's gold-sensing ability for the gang's benefit, Gorgon begins guarding him and eventually helps raise him as the group's heir. This transformation from exploiter to guardian adds complexity to Gorgon's character, suggesting genuine affection developed over years of caring for the boy.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes Gorgon showing a protective side early in May's captivity, which culminates in his role as mentor and protector.

• gorgon
• may
• protection
• robber leader
• father figure