Little girl Belinda is growing too fast, she has outgrown the wooden crate. She now needs a new home.
NOTES FROM AUTHOR
Some clarifications below:
Words in Italics = the character's thoughts.
Words in quotes but in "Italics" = conversation transmitted through the mind from one to another.
Words in quotes but in plain "non-italics" = normal conversation between the characters.
decorate the area. Then, for the rest of the time, they were waiting for the gigantic iron cage that needed to be delivered by Lambert. When the pieces were built, they arrived separately at first and were then welded together after they were set in place.
Theo took Belinda out to see the place everyday while it was being built and let her get accustomed to the new environment and its climate.
“Hey, girl! See this? This is going to be your home!” Theo would tell to Belinda while the work was in progress.
“There's going to be a lot of space for you to move around," he assured her as she moved along the edge of the pool.
“It will not be too long now. You will have this place soon,” Theo promised, making sure Belinda knew this area was just for her, allowing her to see how the workmen worked to build the place.
Sparky, who was walking alongside them both, wondered what all the commotion was about. He was so excited as well and wanted to jump into the pool for some fun.
Belinda would slither along the edge of the pool excitedly, exploring every bend and curve. When Theo held her up to take her back to her crate, she would look at Theo, flapping her long eyelashes in appreciation. Theo sensed that building the home for Belinda in the pool was the best decision he had ever made. He was proud of himself.
Time went by fast, and before he knew it the iron cage was finished. Theo invited his father, King Aylard, his mother, Queen Isabella; his two brothers, Galien and Xavier; his friend Emma and her two brothers, Drake and Durwin; her father, Samuel and mother, Cateline to the opening ceremony. Belinda would be officially moving into her large home in the garden.
The pool was very roomy for Belinda. As soon as she got in she was swimming like a pro. She swam under the water, and occasionally, she would poke her head up to the surface to see everyone, making sure they were still around her. Then, as she got tired she slithered herself up those big rocks to get dry and rest.
In another area along the poolside, a small structure had also been built that resembled a small cave. It was built fashionably, being put together with small rocks piled on top of one another. Inside the cave was layered with some green grass for Belinda's comfort. The area was climate protected. The home was well-designed and well-constructed. Everyone was impressed, and Belinda was delighted to have her new home.
Sparky, who stood on the side of the pool, jumped into the water on an impulse. He too began to swim with excitement, splashing water all over the side of the pool, wetting the spectators. Galien and Xavier got wet, but they were both laughing at silly Sparky's energy. The foolish dog seemed to have more fun than Belinda.
Theo noticed that his brothers had grown again, after not seeing them both for the past little while. Galien had grown much taller although he still appeared slim, his dark blond hair was almost turning light brown after his hands-on training at the southern border, while Xavier was only just half a head shorter than Galien. His dark hair shone healthily under the sun.
Theo thought of how he had missed playing with his two brothers. He missed the time when they would play with the wooden swords, fighting and wrestling each other to the ground. Once, Theo accidentally made a cut on Galien's hand and they had to go to the nurse's station to get some medications to stop it from bleeding. The nurse applied some ointment to the wound and applied a wrap around his hand. He had even made Galien promise him that he would lie to Father and tell him he had fallen off from a tree and that his hand landed on a piece of rock, cutting it. Galien was good enough to do as he had promised. They were such good brothers and playmates. Theo could still see that small scar on Galien's hand. It is less visible now as he grew, but if Theo looked close enough, the scar was still there. Those innocent days were filled with so much fun. Theo really missed those innocent carefree days.
Everyone was happy for Belinda. They talked to her. Belinda was mesmerizing everyone with her beautiful eyes and long eyelashes. The little girl quite enjoyed her sudden popularity.
When the sky turned darker they all went to Theo's back chamber to have supper, leaving Belinda behind, alone in the park. Theo was glad that he would no longer need Emma to come in the morning to care for Belinda, and he no longer had to walk Belinda out to the garden two or three times in the afternoon. He could now concentrate on his work.
For the following several days, everyone would walk by the pool to greet Belinda and admire the newly-built space. Soon, the crowd thinned out, and Belinda was left alone. Although there were frogs and tadpoles in the pool as well to keep her company, but she did not feel the same because they were not humans. Belinda was longing for human companionship.
Theo and Emma would still come by to greet her everyday, and whenever they come she would slither herself over to the side of the iron cage and let Theo and Emma reach over to stroke her on the head. She missed the times when Theo and Emma would pick her up from the crate to hold her in their arms. It was the human touch that she missed.
XXXXX
Today was bright and sunny, and Emma had to stay back to help her mother to bake some cakes and pies for their neighbor's wedding. She could not come to see Theo and Belinda. Theo was left on his own. He finished some chores that his father had left him for the day and decided it was time to check on Belinda.
He walked out to the garden and came to the side of the cage. Belinda came forward to greet him.
“Hey, Belinda girl! Isn't this a nice day for you? How are you doing girl?”
Belinda did not respond cheerfully. Theo sensed that she was not happy.
“What's the matter, girl? Why are you giving me that long face? Aren't you happy in this new place?”
Belinda did not respond. She turned around and swam away.
“Hey! What's that attitude? Come here, girl! I have not finished talking to you yet,” Theo was now a bit annoyed. He thought that after all the time and effort he put in to build this new place she could at least show some gratitude.
Okay! Perhaps I should go in to sit with her for a while since Emma won't be here.
At that thought, Theo opened up the cage's gate and walked in. He sat beside the pool to wait for Belinda to come up to him. It did not take long. Soon Belinda popped her head to the surface of the water and swam over to him.
“Gosh! Belinda, you seemed to have grown again!” Theo couldn't believe that Belinda was growing at such a fast pace. Now, the pinkish part of her skin looked so shiny, especially when highlighted by the glistening water as she basked under the sun. He held out his hands to allow Belinda to come up to his arms and he held her there.
“There! Are you satisfied now? Do you like this place? It is built especially for you! You like this?” asked Theo.
Belinda looked Theo in the eyes. For the first time, Theo was surprised to find that Belinda had a pair of beautiful green eyes, and with the long eyelashes, her eyes almost looked human. He held her head up and couldn't stop admiring them.
“Wow!!! Belinda, I must say you have a pair of beautiful green eyes! Are you aware of that? You are such a pretty girl!” Theo exclaimed in admiration.
Belinda flapped her long eyelashes a few times, and for a moment, Theo thought he heard a young girl's voice.
“My new home is good, but do you know how lonely this place is for me? I'm always left here by myself during nighttime, and I cannot wait 'til the morning to see you and Emma and everyone.”
What? Theo couldn't believe it! Did that girlish voice come out of Belinda's mouth?
No! It couldn't be! How can a snake talk in a human's voice? When has Belinda learned the language? When has she learned how to talk? It can't be! It must have been from my imagination! Theo told himself, and yet he was beginning to feel the possibility that some sort of magic was in the air.
Under the sun, Belinda's body was sparkling pinkish, shining with the droplets of water like pinkish pearls that became multi-color under the sun.
Belinda continued to look into Theo's eyes and he could feel himself communicating with her, not only through her eyes but actually hearing her, understanding her words.
“I'm lonely!” Belinda continued to say, “I missed being with you in the same place.”
Belinda's sudden ability to speak had taken Theo by surprise. He was scared. He did not know what to think of this. Is this a dream? No, he knew it was daytime, and he hadn't gone to sleep yet. The last thing he remembered was opening the gate and walking in to sit by the poolside.
“Belinda! Sorry girl! We have not thought about how lonely it would be for you to be here by yourself, but you are growing big so fast, that the wooden crate could not hold you anymore. To keep you in a small environment would be very cruel of us,” Theo explained, but this time he found himself speaking without opening his mouth.
Suddenly, Theo was aware that he could hear his own voice talking, yet his voice was being transmitted through his mind, not from his mouth. He suddenly realized, that the voice he “heard” coming from Belinda, was transmitted to him through the thoughts of her brain and not transmitted through her mouth. Was he imagining this, or had he been gifted some sort of magic, unbeknownst to him until now?
“What would you like us to do? Can we bring you a playmate? Perhaps, Belinda, some more playmates for you?” Theo asked Belinda in his head.
“It wouldn't matter,” Belinda replied, in her transmitted girlish voice. “Other playmates won't be able to understand me. I'm almost human. I can communicate with humans through my thoughts, but not every human can communicate with me,” said Belinda.
“I read into Miles' thoughts daily, even though he is far away. I know he has been marked for death by someone and was lucky enough to be saved from harm,” Belinda continued.
“That's incredible!” Theo exclaimed, “So, you mean to tell me that you can communicate with others even from afar and know their thoughts too?”
“Yes! But not all people! Only those ones who are born with the same ability to connect with others through their minds,” answered Belinda.
“That's incredible! So you are saying that I have this ability too? I was never aware of this. No one has told me.”
Theo was still in total disbelief. He was excited and yet scared. He wondered what would happen to him next now that he had discovered this ability.
“That's because no one had tried to reach you yet. No one is aware of your ability. You were born with this gift already inside of you. This ability cannot be learned.” said Belinda.
“Listen, Belinda!” Theo looked her in the eyes and said, “You must keep this a secret for me. Do not let anyone know that I have this ability! I will keep yours a secret too. Okay? In the meantime, act normal! I will think of something to get you some playmates. Miles will be back after another 4 full moons. It won't be too long now.”
“Thank you, Theo! And thanks for taking such great care of me! You and Emma are my heroes,” said Belinda.
“No problem, beautiful! Whatever belongs to Miles, it shall be taken care of by this palace. You need not fear. Emma and I shall try coming by more often. Okay?”
“Thank you!” replied Belinda, before slithering away from Theo's arms and re-entering the water. She seemed to be still having fun with the large pool.
Theo got to his feet and walked back outside of the gated cage. His head was still ringing with the sound of Belinda jumping back into the water. He could not believe what he had just done. He was communicating with a snake! He wanted to keep this ability a secret. No one was to know about this, not even Miles.
He went back to his chamber and was beginning to feel very tired. He lay on his bed to get some rest, but all he could see and think about was Belinda's beautiful green eyes and her human voice. He was beginning to wonder if all that has just happened was real. Could that be from his own imagination? If not, then how can anyone explain it? Was that some kind of magic ability that had surfaced just now? He had never believed in magic before, but now all that had changed!
There is so much going on Sandie…you are such a great
Storyteller! I particularly love your characterisation of Belinda…your enjoyment of writing about the children really comes through!…
Looking forward to more…!
A WHOLE NEW WORLD IS OPENING UP FOR THEO. I LOVE THIS STORY'S JOURNEY AND I WAIT WITH GREAT ANTICIPATION FOR WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT! THANKS SANDIE. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
Thank you so much, my dear friend!!! 💖 Yes, there are still a lot of storylines for this story.
As the story develops, we will talk more about Theo's two brothers, Galien and Xavier; especially Xavier, as he grows into a strong warrior. Don't forget that we still need to talk about the other Kingdoms: The Kingdom of Everland, where Zena, The Lightning Sword Princess, resides, and I need to bring Prince Xavier and Princess Zena together. They will meet each other soon.
Also, don't forget that Prince Xavier is not King Aylard's real son. He was an orphan, found wandering the street during the mudslide and storm in Chapter 3. King Aylard took in this little orphan boy as his own, so there will be more twists and turns to this story in the future as Xavier grows into a warrior.
I am happy whenever I write this story, especially when writing about the children. It is as though I can decide what their lives will be.
Thank you for your kind review!!! 💖
And thanks, everyone, too, for your reviews! Your feedbacks are well-appreciated!!! I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing skill.
Some interesting "twists." And Belinda is so "human" in many ways. May you continue to have success with your story, Sandie. Love, peace, and best wishes,
I suppose the newfound talent in Theo has something to do with the magic potion that the King and Queen had ingested before conceiving him. So, I suppose this story can be developed all over the place in many directions, but only Miss Sandie Angel would know where this story will go from here.
You have an amazing talent in writing your stories, always giving yourself so many other directions to keep the story going! Great job!
Born of their seeds, kingdom will rise against kingdom, one will hold great mysteries, one will turn the tide and one will not be bound. War is fought, not only on the field but also within the mind. Nothing is what it seems take nothing for granted.
Book Two of The Jade Owl Legacy Series: The quest continues as the Professor and his confidants discover the full weight of their mission and acquire supernatural powers to further heir success.
