In a land where what if happens there is a place for magical races and the unexpected
One extraordinary new day when breakfast was finished and she had time to ride her nice easy slow pedal bike and fly her extra high flying plastic kite into a sky blue land above the clouds when suddenly without any explanation she head the sound of clippety clop and was captured by the sight of a prancing horse that came trotting slowing past her house pulling a strange kind of wooden cart shaped like a mushroom with a red and white spotted top with several multi-coloured balloons attached to the roof . She was entranced and danced along after the horse . She couldn’t help herself and followed it away down the streets and through the town into the park where the horse came to a stop beside a extremely tall windmill house overlooking a valley that was as green as a caterpillars tail in springtime .Outside the windmill there was a gate with a letterbox with her name on it .
So she knew it must belong to her and went inside where the front door opened by itself. And an old man sat in a rocking chair with a pipe in his mouth and a cat on his lap .
He turned and smiled and said ,i.
“Welcome back little one. Would you like to have a walk around my garden today?”
“Yes, I would “
She replied.
“So, do you remember where the key to the door is ?
He asked her and she replied .
“Yes, its on top of the bookcase “
“Then you better get it “
He said ,
Jenny said
“Ok thank you “
And went over to get the ladder in the corner to climb up to the top of the bookcase but the emperor stopped her saying
“No need to get the ladder , it can come to you”
As the emperor whistled over to the corner the ladder began to walk over to the bookcase.
Jenny laughed and said,
“I never knew the ladder could walk ?
The emperor replied,
“‘It can talk as well you know if you really want to know.
Jenny said,
“Thank you little ladder for helping me to get the key from the bookcase. “
The ladder took a bow and spoke,
“I’m glad to assist you to get to higher places. “
Jenny went up the ladder and took the key form where it sat and pushed the button that was there, The bookcase slid away to the side to reveal the secret door that was behind the bookcase . Jenny climbed back down the ladder to the floor.
With a turn to thew right the key unlocked the door and Jenny walked into the emperors garden.
She was met by a butterfly who whispered in her ear.
“Would you like to fly like a butterfly around the garden with me?”
Jenny said,
“Of course I’d love to do that.“
The butterfly said,
“Come, follow me then to the wishing well over the bridge where the fairy’s dwell “
Jenny followed the butterfly over the bridge to the wishing well where the butterfly told her to make a wish to there for butterflies wings and as she did, in that moment Jenny was transformed into a beautiful butterfly. Her friend said ‘
“Let us go now, you and I , to fly around the garden because now you can hear what butterflies hear and see what butterflies see . Come now, follow me “
As they fluttered past flowers, the sound of blue bells were ringing and angels trumpets were singing joined in the chorus by the harmony of life everywhere in the garden. It was such a beautiful sound that only a butterflies ear can hear. There was perfume in the breeze that touched the leaves on the trees and the insects on the ground were dancing everywhere. All of this activity can only be appreciated by butterflies who have wisdom in their eyes and love on their wings. The flight around the garden was brief but a journey filled with colours , smells and sounds in every place they flew.
At the end of the flight the butterfly said now you must return to human form but try to remember life as a butterfly. You never knew what that was like before. Your wish now has only a moment to go. I’m so glad we got the chance to dance in the wind together and appreciate the wonders of life .
Jenny resumed her human form and the butterfly flew away .
On the path she met a higgley piggeldy hedgelesshog . It rolled along the road like a ball . Stopping at Jennys feet , it stood up and said .
“Hello I hope you can join us for a wriggley squiggly road .
There were no prickles on its back and it had a tickle in its throat when it spoke .
“OK when is the race going to start.“
“In a few moment from now. Just wait here my dear until I tell the others.”
The hedgelesshog rolled up in a ball and off he went in a spin and as Jenny stood there waiting for him a crafty flying fox jumped out from its treetop box and flew down to the ground at her feet and started to speak ..
“Listen, see those higgley piggeldy hedgelesshogs they think you can’t win because they can roll and spin all the way on that downhill race . But I want to teach them a lesson, so I want you to win. So, they don’t know about the short cut on the path. Halfway down the hill up ahead you’ll see a green post with an arrow pointing to the right, go the other way to the left you will find the finish line not far ahead. Please do it for me and win the downhill hedgelesshogs race “
Jenny laughed and said.
“Sure , ok I’ll do it for you “
All the higgley piggeldy hedgelesshogs lined up at the starting line and Squeaky squirrel the starter said.
“Get ready, get on your marks, after three . One. two three. Go, “
All of the hedgelesshogs ran then rolled into a ball and went spinning down the hill. Jenny was running to catch up as they were getting away in front of her. Then she saw the green post with the arrow and ran the opposite way on a sidetrack that took her back to the main road near the finish line where lots of small creatures had assembled to cheer home the first of the runners. Jenny crossed over the line and won the race to the jubilation of all those who had gathered. As the first of the higgley piggeldy hedgelesshogs rolled home past the finish line they were very surprised and disappointed to see Jenny had already won the race,
As champion of the downhill race Jenny was awarded a gold medal
She continued walking along the path through the garden and came to another green post with an arrow so she thought is might be a short cut back to the door so she went the opposite way to where the arrow was pointing. The scenery around her changed an she found herself in a rainforest surrounded by bamboo trees and tall queen palm trees and orchid flowers, lichen covered the tree trunks and the sound of flowing water was all around . It was almost as if she had been transported into another world. She continued to walk along the path that ascended upwards. She was agile on her feet and walked like a deer over the protruding rocks that were steps nature had made to climb up the path . Suddenly she came to a clearing as before eyes she saw a huge waterfall cascading down from above into a pool at the foot of the cliff. From where she was standing she had a wonderful view of the waterfall. Then she noticed a path to the left that went down toward the foot of the waterfall and she changed her direction to go and see what was there. She made her way slowly down the path that descended to the right and left, up and down and round it went twisting and turning until it came to a cave that was directly behind the waterfall . On the roof of the cave there were huge gem stones that sat and they sparkled and shone in the sunlight that flickered through the water that was falling down in front of the cave. As she walked deeper inside the cave her footsteps began to echo and she started singing a happy song that reverberated all around the walls of the cave’s interior and there were steps that went down into an auditorium with seats encircling the stage . She made her way over to the stage and pretended she was giving a performance to an audience. As she began to sing Bhrams Lullaby her voice was accompanied by an invisible orchestra. She had no idea where the members of the orchestra were, and it was the most beautiful music she had ever
heard. After she finished singing there was a thunderous applause that was heard
all around the caves auditorium.
She took a bow and made her exit from the stage and at the entrance of the cave the gem stones in the roof were now brightly lit up and different coloured beams of light illuminated the entire cave .
Jenny returned back to the path where she had come from and after a little while she came to a door that was guarded by two lion statues.
As she drew near to the door the two statues became alive. The first lion spoke in a friendly way and said,
“So you’re wanting to go through the door then?’
“That’s right
Jenny said.
The other lion asked her,
“Before you can leave, we need to ask you a few questions”
‘Sure.”
“Did you make a wish in the wishing well.”
“Yes “Jenny replied ,
“Did you fly with a butterfly and hear the flowers singing?”
“I did “
Jenny answered.
“’Did you speak to crafty flying fox “
‘Oh, I sure did “
Jenny said with a giggle.
“Did you race downhill with the hedgeless hogs and come first?’
She pointed to the medal around her neck and said.
“Yes I did and look, see I won a gold medal .“
Last question before you go said the lion,
‘Did you give a performance inside the waterfall secret chamber?”
“Yes, I sang a song and there with an orchestra before a huge audience “
“Well then I guess you can walk back through the secret door , but don’t forget to stop and go hop, hop, hop over to the last exit door and rap it three times with a knock , knock , knock and wait for it to open by itself “
Jenny followed those instructions and was soon back into the real world again where everything was either black and white or right or wrong never anything in between the grey and what if just maybe it could be world
With careful steps she returned home to her parents house and sat and wondered about the next time she could make an escape to the incorrect land of weird and wonderful things
This is book 2 of my new fantasy trilogy, The Twins of Moon. As Quimbre warns Eefa, 'No world is more riddled with secrets than the eldritch waters we now blithely sail.' Here in the Sea of Stars the twins discover their extraordinary true destiny.
Cetronia Strikes Back is the fifth book in the fifteen book series, The Adventures of Lord Belmundus, a remarkable tale of others worlds, strange customs, beauty and warfare; and, in its grips, lands a young celebrity, who has the chaps to play the m
