Hello, my name is...Chapter Four
The Adventures of Grettle and Tunisha: in Scary Forest
Both had stared for a few seconds at the rising wall of trees, twisted branches wrapped in green hiding any easy entrances, before the heavy sound of boots on the cobblestones became more defined from the tight alleys of the village houses behind them. Grettle glanced at Tunisha, at the woods, at the road which split into twos, one which went north then curved into the forest, and one that turned south into the wider road before them. Convinced that a road going to an entire kingdom should be the larger one, neither princesses took a moment to have any doubts as they fled southwards, flanked by the forest on one side and the village's wall on the other.
We can't keep running forever, thought Tunisha. Both princesses were very tired. They looked at each other as they ran, then at the Scary Forest. Could they risk it? We have to, they both thought with a sense of grim defeat. They shared a look, knowing each other's thoughts, and ducked into the Forest. They ran 20 feet inside and dived behind a bush. They crouched down low, trying not to breathe too hard. They could hear the four men's footsteps run past on the path. Grettle and Tunisha both gave a sigh of relief.
"Goodness, if we had kept running, I would have broken a sweat," said Grettle.
"Don't say such things," Tunisha shuddered. She did not want to think what would have happened if they were caught or worse: got dirt on their new dresses.
"At least we're safe," replied Grettle, "We'll get to Isolement in no time."
"'We'll get to Isolement', she says! Well, not in the direction you're going, you're not!"
Both girls jumped up. Where did that voice come from?
They could not see at first, but the voice had drifted serenely from the shrubs around them.
"Hello?" Called out Grettle fearfully, in no general direction. Above them, the leaves suddenly lit up, as if illuminated lightly from a candle and there was a small rustling like a rodent breaking through. Tunisha gave a small whimper.
"You two are heading in the wrong direction," from the leaves a small figure appeared. It was a small women, like a miniature version of the princesses. The light came from her wings, which glowed a bright yellow against her flowing red hair. Only her head seemed visible at first; the rest of her body was clothed in a garment of dried leaves, sown with almost invisible thread into a fading tunic. Both girls realized: it was a fairy!
This realization was met with moments of silence. The only time they had heard of fairies was in the moments before sleep at night, when their annoying maid, Bernadette (who couldn't tell a story to save her boring soul), would try to make up a bedtime story for the princesses. Because of this, seeing a fairy hovering before the two princesses made Grettle wonder if she was going mad.
"Am I going mad?" wondered Grettle aloud. Tunisha questioned her sanity also. The girls had too much ignorance, a general problem with youth, and they denied the fairy's existance. The run from the assasins must have muddled their brains, they were sure.
Grettle turned to Tunisha, "Maybe we should get some sleep...or some food...or an injection-"
"Girls," the fairy interrupted. The girls only closed their eyes and shook their heads.
After this was ineffective, Grettle paused a moment before exclaiming a solution!
"I know what we need! A spectrumicle!"
"A what?" Asked Tunisha; at least the fairy had stopped moving with that proclamation, a quizzical look on her face.
"You know, what wizards use. Maybe it's called a Spectros." Answered Grettle.
"I thought that was a Spectrumike, or a Spectalus."
"That's a Spectum." The fairy interjected unexpectedly. The girls had forgotten the 'illusion'. "Listen, I know you're trying to reach Isolement, and I-"
"See? It's made up of our mind so it knows our destination" Whispered Tunisha, from the corner of her mouth.
"Then why are you whispering? Illusion or not, follow me if you want to reach Isolement." Both sisters glanced at each other, then at the fairy. It sounded like their persuers had turned around and were heading back, probably to investigate. How wrong could their minds be?
The two girls rose slightly in the under brushed, and with gaining speed made their way from the fringe of the forest, the fairy fluttering about them like a lantern.
In all the panic and mind trauma, the two princesses had forgotten where they were. The trees of Scary Forest were close together near the entrance, but spaced out as they walked further in the forest. Still, the branches up above only left a few spots for the rising sun to shine.
Grettle tore her eyes from her surroundings and gazed at the "fairy" that they followed. When Bernadette had told the girls her pathetic stories, Grettle always imagined fairies to be in hot pink ballgowns, with fulttering, translucent wings. The fairies' hair were always a shimmering blonde with big blue eyes. How could Grettle create a fairy like THAT from her mind.
"I'm surprised my mind could make up a fairy like that," whispered Grettle to her sister.
"I know. I always imagined fairies dressed in pink, not that hideous leaf-" Tunisha clamped her mouth shut, because the fairy had just turned around with anger all over her face.
"First of all, nobody makes clothes especially for fairies, so it's not like I choose to wear this!" She cried, "And second of all, I can't be a figment of BOTH your imaginations. That's impossible!"
The girls stood staring at the fairies, and then both muttered "Oh"s. They were having a blonde day.
"So then...why are you trying to help us?" Asked a bewildered Tunisha after a few MORE minutes of silence.
"I was sent to you, and don't ask by whom, to guide and protect you through your journey. So I found you two, and seeing that you were going in the wrong direction, I tried to steer you in the RIGHT direction of Isolement, which is that way," The fairy pointed deep in the Scary Forest, "So let's go." She continued flying in front of them, "My name is Aleza, by the way," She added, and kept on flying. The girls, feeling slightly unknowledgable and foolish now, attempted to become more conscious and had realized that the fairy probably knew their names already, and so they traveled in silence through the wide gaps of the dark vines and trees.
Many of the overgrown trunks in the most distinguished path, the one the girls traveled, were slanted to the side, each in the opposite direction of it's counterpart on the other edge, as though a giant had gone through like a man in a field of untouched hay. Each one was wrapped in a woven coat of long-dead vines and their succesors, the former light brown that contrasted with the tree's own darkness, and the latter a heavy green which bound both wood with some notion of active life, if not a vibrant example. Most of the forest so far had followed this example, a dark fringe of life resting lightly over an even darker version, which itself had more in common with the infinity of death it bore all around. Tunisha and Grettle were used to the precise neatness and light, strong green of the castle's gardens; now, it felt to them that they were entering a dungeon with older, diesesed prisoners, and newer additions that saw what awaited them and had no reason to live on their own accord. They couldn't tell if this affected Aleza or not; the bedtime tales they had were not completely accurate and it was true fairies loved the brightness of most nature. Their guide was aloof and did not glance back, unless the foot steps behind her sounded like they were wandering to far from the path. It never felt like the nature around them was moving; that seemed to be the farthest thing the trees could manage to do, and even their leaves rustled very little from the winds in the obscured sky, but there was something else that was conscious beyond their own path.
Gradually, water came into sight as a spring slowly trickling from the base of a great, black oak beyond them, and between two of it's great roots, it was guided along the trunk itself into a small pool that inturn became a clear stream that surely ran alongside the rest of the path. There was a bright sparlikng all along that side, growing more broad the further it went.
The girls gazed at the stream's beauty as they walked along it. It seemed as though the stream was the only place that trees did not cover, and light danced on the stream's crawling waters. Grettle soon became entranced by the lights, skipping along the gentle current. However, as Grettle looked harder, two red specks of light rested with the others. Grettle stopped, transfixed by this strange illumination. The red lights were stiller than the white lights. What was it? Slowly the answer dawned on Grettle. It was a reflection! Grettle looked up quickly and saw two glowing red eyes watching her from the other side of the stream but it was dark; she couldn't see the body that surrounded the unblinking eyes. Fear gripped Grettle, and she realized that Tunisha and Aleza were further up the path. Grettle tore her gazxe from the eyes and ran to catch up with them.
"Aleza, there's something on the other side of the stream!" Grettle whispered once she had caught up. Aleza did not turn her head.
"Keep walking. Do not look at it. It will not harm you while I am here," She replied. Tunisha looked from Grettle to Aleza, not understanding.
"What is it?" asked Grettle. Why wasn't Aleza surprised.
Aleza replied, "There are many creatures, unheard of by humans, that live in Scary Forest. You two would have been long dead if I had not been with you. One of the biggest disgraces any one or anything can commit is to kill a fairy. Even the creatures in this forest know that."
They continued to walk, but the fear in Grettle increased. The scariest beast she had ever encountered was Foofs, the vicious poodle owned by the two princesses' aunt. The only time Grettle had gotten within 7 feet of Foofs, she got bitten in 5 different places. Shots were fired, animal control was called, lawsuits were filed, etc. Grettle could see the eyes following them on the other side, and that terrified her. Tunisha, on the other hand, still had no idea what was going on and regretting the fact that she left her Tutti Dolci Lipgloss at the castle.
They coninued to walk silently up the path. Grettle could hear the sound of footfall across the pond, but didn't dare to look. She knew the creature wanted nothing more than to harm her and Tunisha. She had to stay close to Aleza.
After another hour of silent walking, the path finally bridged off from the stream. Grettle breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe for now! Now that there was no longer a threat, she relaxed enough to return her attention to her surroundings. There was definitely more sunlight coming through the branches. After a short while, they came into a clearing.
Tunisha gasped. "Are we still in Scary Forest?" she asked to Aleza. This clearing was a meadow, with only a few sparsely ddistributed trees, and colorful flowers. Sunlight filled into the meadow, and butterflies fluttered around to complete the effect.
"Yes," She replied, "This is the part of Scary Forest humans rarely see. Scary Forest used to be called Fairy Forest, before the surrounding area was invaded by you humans, and all the dark creatures were driven in here. Before Fairy Forest this place was actually called Hairy Forest, but that's a whole other story," Aleza looked around with satisfaction, "We'll rest here. There are berries here that you can eat."
Tunisha at once began to frollick over to a patch of berries, but Grettle didn't. She was staring at the edge of the meadow, where the trees were still huddle together, and where two red eyes were still watching...
To be continued...
Written by Alex Julio and Christian Walker
Both had stared for a few seconds at the rising wall of trees, twisted branches wrapped in green hiding any easy entrances, before the heavy sound of boots on the cobblestones became more defined from the tight alleys of the village houses behind them. Grettle glanced at Tunisha, at the woods, at the road which split into twos, one which went north then curved into the forest, and one that turned south into the wider road before them. Convinced that a road going to an entire kingdom should be the larger one, neither princesses took a moment to have any doubts as they fled southwards, flanked by the forest on one side and the village's wall on the other.
We can't keep running forever, thought Tunisha. Both princesses were very tired. They looked at each other as they ran, then at the Scary Forest. Could they risk it? We have to, they both thought with a sense of grim defeat. They shared a look, knowing each other's thoughts, and ducked into the Forest. They ran 20 feet inside and dived behind a bush. They crouched down low, trying not to breathe too hard. They could hear the four men's footsteps run past on the path. Grettle and Tunisha both gave a sigh of relief.
"Goodness, if we had kept running, I would have broken a sweat," said Grettle.
"Don't say such things," Tunisha shuddered. She did not want to think what would have happened if they were caught or worse: got dirt on their new dresses.
"At least we're safe," replied Grettle, "We'll get to Isolement in no time."
"'We'll get to Isolement', she says! Well, not in the direction you're going, you're not!"
Both girls jumped up. Where did that voice come from?
They could not see at first, but the voice had drifted serenely from the shrubs around them.
"Hello?" Called out Grettle fearfully, in no general direction. Above them, the leaves suddenly lit up, as if illuminated lightly from a candle and there was a small rustling like a rodent breaking through. Tunisha gave a small whimper.
"You two are heading in the wrong direction," from the leaves a small figure appeared. It was a small women, like a miniature version of the princesses. The light came from her wings, which glowed a bright yellow against her flowing red hair. Only her head seemed visible at first; the rest of her body was clothed in a garment of dried leaves, sown with almost invisible thread into a fading tunic. Both girls realized: it was a fairy!
This realization was met with moments of silence. The only time they had heard of fairies was in the moments before sleep at night, when their annoying maid, Bernadette (who couldn't tell a story to save her boring soul), would try to make up a bedtime story for the princesses. Because of this, seeing a fairy hovering before the two princesses made Grettle wonder if she was going mad.
"Am I going mad?" wondered Grettle aloud. Tunisha questioned her sanity also. The girls had too much ignorance, a general problem with youth, and they denied the fairy's existance. The run from the assasins must have muddled their brains, they were sure.
Grettle turned to Tunisha, "Maybe we should get some sleep...or some food...or an injection-"
"Girls," the fairy interrupted. The girls only closed their eyes and shook their heads.
After this was ineffective, Grettle paused a moment before exclaiming a solution!
"I know what we need! A spectrumicle!"
"A what?" Asked Tunisha; at least the fairy had stopped moving with that proclamation, a quizzical look on her face.
"You know, what wizards use. Maybe it's called a Spectros." Answered Grettle.
"I thought that was a Spectrumike, or a Spectalus."
"That's a Spectum." The fairy interjected unexpectedly. The girls had forgotten the 'illusion'. "Listen, I know you're trying to reach Isolement, and I-"
"See? It's made up of our mind so it knows our destination" Whispered Tunisha, from the corner of her mouth.
"Then why are you whispering? Illusion or not, follow me if you want to reach Isolement." Both sisters glanced at each other, then at the fairy. It sounded like their persuers had turned around and were heading back, probably to investigate. How wrong could their minds be?
The two girls rose slightly in the under brushed, and with gaining speed made their way from the fringe of the forest, the fairy fluttering about them like a lantern.
In all the panic and mind trauma, the two princesses had forgotten where they were. The trees of Scary Forest were close together near the entrance, but spaced out as they walked further in the forest. Still, the branches up above only left a few spots for the rising sun to shine.
Grettle tore her eyes from her surroundings and gazed at the "fairy" that they followed. When Bernadette had told the girls her pathetic stories, Grettle always imagined fairies to be in hot pink ballgowns, with fulttering, translucent wings. The fairies' hair were always a shimmering blonde with big blue eyes. How could Grettle create a fairy like THAT from her mind.
"I'm surprised my mind could make up a fairy like that," whispered Grettle to her sister.
"I know. I always imagined fairies dressed in pink, not that hideous leaf-" Tunisha clamped her mouth shut, because the fairy had just turned around with anger all over her face.
"First of all, nobody makes clothes especially for fairies, so it's not like I choose to wear this!" She cried, "And second of all, I can't be a figment of BOTH your imaginations. That's impossible!"
The girls stood staring at the fairies, and then both muttered "Oh"s. They were having a blonde day.
"So then...why are you trying to help us?" Asked a bewildered Tunisha after a few MORE minutes of silence.
"I was sent to you, and don't ask by whom, to guide and protect you through your journey. So I found you two, and seeing that you were going in the wrong direction, I tried to steer you in the RIGHT direction of Isolement, which is that way," The fairy pointed deep in the Scary Forest, "So let's go." She continued flying in front of them, "My name is Aleza, by the way," She added, and kept on flying. The girls, feeling slightly unknowledgable and foolish now, attempted to become more conscious and had realized that the fairy probably knew their names already, and so they traveled in silence through the wide gaps of the dark vines and trees.
Many of the overgrown trunks in the most distinguished path, the one the girls traveled, were slanted to the side, each in the opposite direction of it's counterpart on the other edge, as though a giant had gone through like a man in a field of untouched hay. Each one was wrapped in a woven coat of long-dead vines and their succesors, the former light brown that contrasted with the tree's own darkness, and the latter a heavy green which bound both wood with some notion of active life, if not a vibrant example. Most of the forest so far had followed this example, a dark fringe of life resting lightly over an even darker version, which itself had more in common with the infinity of death it bore all around. Tunisha and Grettle were used to the precise neatness and light, strong green of the castle's gardens; now, it felt to them that they were entering a dungeon with older, diesesed prisoners, and newer additions that saw what awaited them and had no reason to live on their own accord. They couldn't tell if this affected Aleza or not; the bedtime tales they had were not completely accurate and it was true fairies loved the brightness of most nature. Their guide was aloof and did not glance back, unless the foot steps behind her sounded like they were wandering to far from the path. It never felt like the nature around them was moving; that seemed to be the farthest thing the trees could manage to do, and even their leaves rustled very little from the winds in the obscured sky, but there was something else that was conscious beyond their own path.
Gradually, water came into sight as a spring slowly trickling from the base of a great, black oak beyond them, and between two of it's great roots, it was guided along the trunk itself into a small pool that inturn became a clear stream that surely ran alongside the rest of the path. There was a bright sparlikng all along that side, growing more broad the further it went.
The girls gazed at the stream's beauty as they walked along it. It seemed as though the stream was the only place that trees did not cover, and light danced on the stream's crawling waters. Grettle soon became entranced by the lights, skipping along the gentle current. However, as Grettle looked harder, two red specks of light rested with the others. Grettle stopped, transfixed by this strange illumination. The red lights were stiller than the white lights. What was it? Slowly the answer dawned on Grettle. It was a reflection! Grettle looked up quickly and saw two glowing red eyes watching her from the other side of the stream but it was dark; she couldn't see the body that surrounded the unblinking eyes. Fear gripped Grettle, and she realized that Tunisha and Aleza were further up the path. Grettle tore her gazxe from the eyes and ran to catch up with them.
"Aleza, there's something on the other side of the stream!" Grettle whispered once she had caught up. Aleza did not turn her head.
"Keep walking. Do not look at it. It will not harm you while I am here," She replied. Tunisha looked from Grettle to Aleza, not understanding.
"What is it?" asked Grettle. Why wasn't Aleza surprised.
Aleza replied, "There are many creatures, unheard of by humans, that live in Scary Forest. You two would have been long dead if I had not been with you. One of the biggest disgraces any one or anything can commit is to kill a fairy. Even the creatures in this forest know that."
They continued to walk, but the fear in Grettle increased. The scariest beast she had ever encountered was Foofs, the vicious poodle owned by the two princesses' aunt. The only time Grettle had gotten within 7 feet of Foofs, she got bitten in 5 different places. Shots were fired, animal control was called, lawsuits were filed, etc. Grettle could see the eyes following them on the other side, and that terrified her. Tunisha, on the other hand, still had no idea what was going on and regretting the fact that she left her Tutti Dolci Lipgloss at the castle.
They coninued to walk silently up the path. Grettle could hear the sound of footfall across the pond, but didn't dare to look. She knew the creature wanted nothing more than to harm her and Tunisha. She had to stay close to Aleza.
After another hour of silent walking, the path finally bridged off from the stream. Grettle breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe for now! Now that there was no longer a threat, she relaxed enough to return her attention to her surroundings. There was definitely more sunlight coming through the branches. After a short while, they came into a clearing.
Tunisha gasped. "Are we still in Scary Forest?" she asked to Aleza. This clearing was a meadow, with only a few sparsely ddistributed trees, and colorful flowers. Sunlight filled into the meadow, and butterflies fluttered around to complete the effect.
"Yes," She replied, "This is the part of Scary Forest humans rarely see. Scary Forest used to be called Fairy Forest, before the surrounding area was invaded by you humans, and all the dark creatures were driven in here. Before Fairy Forest this place was actually called Hairy Forest, but that's a whole other story," Aleza looked around with satisfaction, "We'll rest here. There are berries here that you can eat."
Tunisha at once began to frollick over to a patch of berries, but Grettle didn't. She was staring at the edge of the meadow, where the trees were still huddle together, and where two red eyes were still watching...
To be continued...
Written by Alex Julio and Christian Walker