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Category:
Fantasy
ISBN-10: 1777751535
Type: Fiction
Pages: 142
Copyright: Oct. 14, 2022
ISBN-13: 9781777751531
Price: $4.99 (eBook)
When an imagination impairing disease infects the Castle of Imagination, the Rainbow Dream Trains embark on a global treasure hunt to find the hidden cure. Using the spirit's power, Nina transforms herself and Danielle into a pair of eagles to guard them on the trip.
Danielle and Nina return to the Castle of Imagination, only to be surrounded by rumours of a terrible imagination-impairing illness that infected the castle once before.
The cure to this disease does exist, but it is hidden somewhere on Earth and no one but Ruby’s late sister Lucy knows where it is. Luckily, she has left a map.
The Rainbow Dream Trains embark on a global treasure hunt to recover the cure, and, determined to use the Spirit’s power to make a difference in this, Danielle and Nina take to the skies to guard them on their journey.
Excerpt
“The father loon I met last summer said that those infected birds are really only waterfowl or small songbirds,” she said. “Well, I know of one bird that is more than a match for any of those!” She closed her eyes, spread her arms wide, and let the moons’ light wash over her. She immediately saw the animal she was thinking of. Its wings spread majestically outward, its golden-brown feathers gleaming under the moonlight and, whoa, look at those talons! They made the nightmare birds’ look like butter knives! Nina saw all this as it began to emerge in her. After a minute or two she opened her eyes and looked up at Danielle who was staring down at her wide-eyed.
“Nina, you look beautiful” she whispered in awe. Nina turned, looked at her reflection in a mirror, and gave a cry of joy. She was beautiful. She was powerful. She was . . . a Golden Eagle! A great itch began to form beneath her wings and Nina knew there was only one way to scratch it; she spread her wings out and leapt into the air. Other birds would have had to learn how to fly under the watchful eyes of their parents, but thanks to the spirit, Nina took to it like a fish to water. She soared up and over the castle which began to get smaller and smaller.
“Let’s see what I can do!” she said to herself. She turned and flew away from the castle. She soared higher and higher, then looked back. The Castle of Imagination was over a mile away from her. But, incredibly, she could still make out Danielle’s form on the balcony. She was squinting into the darkness trying to find her sister. I’d better get back before I worry her Nina thought and swooped back to the balcony.
“Uh Spirit, how do I land?” she asked nervously.
“When you come to just above your intended perch, fan out your wings and tail, throw your legs forward and raise your feet” said the Spirit. “It’s as easy as pie after that.” Nina lifted her wings and felt herself slowly coming in. Following the spirit’s instructions, she was amazed to discover that she could slow down very easily. A moment later, she managed to land perfectly on the stone railing. Not bad for the first try, she thought to herself.
Then she looked up at Danielle. “Could you see me a moment ago?” she asked. Danielle shock her head. “Well I could see you!” laughed Nina. “This thing has the most amazing eyes you ever imagined. Come on, join me!”
“Who, me? How?” asked Danielle.
Using her powers to retract her talons, Nina flew up and landed on her sister’s shoulder. “If I can share my powers with you when we’re touching each other, I should be able to change you into an animal as well. Because I’m going to need another eagle at my side. Let’s see if this works.” She again closed her eyes and let the moonlight wash over her. She tried to let the tingling feeling leave her and spread across Danielle to, but it didn’t seem to be working. “Spirit, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“Danielle,” they both heard him say, “If you want to change shape, you need to picture what you want to become in your own head.”
“Oh, okay.” Danielle shut her eyes and tried to concentrate. After a moment, she seemed to relax and Nina again shut her own eyes and again tried to spread the spirits’ power across Danielle. And this time, she felt a spark in her talons like a brief static burst. Then she felt the yellow swirls float off her and onto her sister. When the girls opened their eyes again and looked at each other, they each saw an eagle. Although Danielle had changed herself into a bald eagle rather than a golden eagle.
“Whoa, it worked!” she gasped.
Grinning, Nina nodded. Then she asked “But why a bald eagle?”
“I don’t know” said Danielle. “It just seemed to be calling to me.”
“Hmmm, I suppose that makes sense” said Nina. Then she looked up at the night sky. “Aw, who cares what species we are; let’s go!” And she leapt back into the air. Cawing with laughter, Danielle took off after her.
Now this was the way to get around. The golden and bald eagles soared high into the air to a point where they could see the whole castle. Flying with Gabriel last year had been amazing enough, but flying on their own wings was even better! “Race you to the Yellow Tower?” said Nina.
“You’re on!” cried Danielle. And the two of them swooped in a big circle towards it, with Nina taking the lead. “Well I guess we’re even from the waterslide races last summer” said Danielle. As the two eagles sat on top of the tower looking up at the starry night, they thought about how far they had come since Emma had found them. “It’s amazing what a bit of hope can do to you” Danielle said quietly.
Nina had to agree. “Do you remember the wish we made the night we met Emma?” she asked.
Danielle nodded. “The one where we wanted to fly away on our own wings” she said. She ruffled her dark brown feathers and said “Looks like we did make it come true.”
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