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Peggy McAloon
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Category:
Fantasy
Publisher: Wheatmark, Inc.
ISBN-10: 1627870563
Type: Fiction
Pages: 274
Copyright: May 19, 2014
ISBN-13: 9781627870658
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
Young girl is enlisted by winged creatures from another dimension to help them protect the children of Earth.
Elle Burton is an ordinary kid...or so she thinks. On her tenth birthday, she encounters Eunie Mae, a tiny, fairylike being who comes from a world called Fiori. Other than some children under the age of eight, the only human beings who can see Fiorins are guides—people who have been chosen to help protect the children of Earth.
Being a guide seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Elle has always loved helping others, and now she'll have magical assistance. But not everybody wants her to succeed. There are evil forces who do everything in their power to keep the guides from offering support to those in need. Can Elle be brave enough to oppose them?
Excerpt
Elle Burton and the Reflective Portals
Copyright © 2014 Peggy M. McAloon and Anneka Rogers.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or re-transmitted in any form or by any means without the written per-mission of the publisher.
Published by Wheatmark®
1760 East River Road, Suite 145
Tucson, Arizona 85718 USA
www.wheatmark.com
ISBN: 978-1-62787-065-8
LCCN:
This book is dedicated to my grandfather, who had the
kindest heart of any individual I have ever known;
and to my husband, who uses the same words
to describe me.
Chapter 1
“Elle, can you hear me? Are you having a bad dream?”
Elle blinked her eyes open. Her long lashes fluttered furiously.
Ginny Burton’s face hovered above Elle, and her hand smoothed the dark auburn curls back from Elle’s cheek.
Elle’s panicked eyes darted around the room. She bolted upright.
“I was in Miss Holmes’s classroom, and I didn’t have my assignment done,” Elle whispered. Her cheeks were flushed, and small beads of perspiration dotted her forehead. “She was so angry. All the kids were staring at me. It was horrible.”
“That is the silliest thing I have ever heard. You always finish your assignments early. What did you eat before you went to bed last night?”
“Your molten chocolate cake.” Elle giggled. “I guess I shouldn’t sneak into the kitchen at bedtime anymore.”
“You’re right, young lady. Get out of bed now and get ready for school. I’ll be down in the kitchen making your special birthday breakfast.”
Her mother headed for the bedroom door but stopped for a moment.
“Have you forgotten today is your birthday? You should be waking up singing.
“I wish Poppy could be here.”
Elle’s father was serving in Afghanistan. He hadn’t been home in nearly twelve months, and not a day went by that she didn’t miss him.
“I know, sweetie.” Her mother sighed heavily. “I miss him more now than ever.”
Her mother came back over and sat down on the edge of the bed. “He was so excited the day you were born that he couldn’t take his eyes off you. He talked about your future and the potential it held. You’re as wonderful as he predicted.”
Elle could see the tears in her mother’s eyes. The new baby was coming any day now, and her father would miss it all. She always tried to help her mom, but it wasn’t the same as having Poppy here.
Ginny slowly rose, putting a hand on her lower back as she moved awkwardly toward the bedroom door. As she went, she brushed her other hand across her cheek.
Elle knew she was crying again. It was something she did nearly every day now. Why did people have to hate each other and make war? All Elle wanted for her birthday was to have her father home, but he was a world away protecting someone else’s children. It didn’t seem fair.
She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. “Please, God, watch over my mother today. She is so sad without Poppy. Make her strong for the baby’s sake. Amen.”
She jumped out of her canopy bed and raced for her closet. She was determined to change her mood. It was a special day and she wasn’t going to let a stupid dream ruin it. What was it that Grandma always said? “Gratitude is carefully planted in your soul . . . waiting to spring to life.” She was going to try her hardest to be grateful for this day even if Poppy couldn’t be here to share it.
What should she wear for her birthday? All of her friends expected her to wear something special today.
She chose the jeans she and her best friend, Megan, had decorated with bling and puff paints. Then she snatched up the sparkling pink top her grandmother gave her for Christmas. They looked perfect together. It was going to be a great day.
By the time she reached the kitchen, her mother had the table set. Two piping hot blueberry pancakes were on her plate.
“Yea! I love blueberry pancakes.”
“You know I always try to make your favorites on your birthday. What else do you want?”
“This and a glass of milk will fill me up.” She took her first bite and let out a little moan of gratitude. “This is great. Thank you so much.” Her eyes sparkled as she savored the fluffy pancakes on her plate. The blueberries exploded in her mouth.
Ginny Burton turned back to the stove and turned the heat off under the skillet. She placed the remaining pan-cake batter in a covered bowl and put it in the refrigerator.
“Aren’t you going to have some?” Elle said.
“No, I’m not feeling well this morning.”
“Don’t forget what Poppy always says: 'you’re eating for two now'.”
“I know, but today I’m going to wait. I’m sure I’ll feel better at lunchtime. Get a move on, or you’ll be late for school.”
Elle gobbled down the last of the pancakes and syrup. She carried her dishes to the sink and rinsed them off, then grabbed her backpack on the way to the back door.
“You go straight to school. Don’t take any side trips,” her mother warned before the door slammed shut.
“See you at four.”
Elle skipped down the driveway and turned onto Locust Avenue. It was a perfect fall day. She planned to stop at the lake on the way to school. She loved walking on the path there. Sometimes she found a frog on a log or some wood ducks floating along in the water.
She soon arrived at the shoreline of Lake Menomin. She ran across the Wolske Bay parking lot toward her fa-vorite weeping willow. The tree’s long, graceful branches hung over the water.
This place felt safe to her. She enjoyed sharing her innermost thoughts with the critters she found by the lake. She took a stick and swirled it around to break up the green scum on the surface of the water. Now she could see herself in the reflections of the early morning sunshine. The water rippled with pink and gold starbursts in the small circle she’d cleared of floating algae.
She pondered the meaning of last night’s dream.
A sudden splash shattered her reflection in the water. Her hands flew out to protect her face from whatever ex-ploded upward and she felt . . . something. A butterfly’s wings? She cupped her hands together, lacing her fingers tightly.
“Let me go!”
Elle’s dark eyes widened in amazement, but she did not loosen her grip. Was this another dream?
“Let me go! I have to be there when he’s born.”
“What are you talking about?” Elle whispered, afraid she might break the spell and end the dream. She was curious how this might turn out. It couldn’t be any worse than the nightmare last night.
“I can’t talk to you . . . it’s against the rules.” The creature was now trembling in her hands.
“What rules? What are you talking about?” Elle felt a tugging sensation against her palms. “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me who you are.”
Elle unlatched her fingers a little. She stared down in amazement at the tiny figure huddled in her hands. It looked like a butterfly but it was standing on two legs. Yellow wings with black markings were wrapped neatly around a petite human-like being with curly red hair.
“I’m a Fiorin,” stated the small voice after some hesitation. “I don’t have time to explain it all. I must get to the hospital to breathe the first breath into the child when he is born so he will have a kind heart. If I promise not to leave, will you at least open your hands wider so we can talk face-to-face? You’re bending my wings, and it hurts.”
Elle opened her hands further so the creature could unfurl her wings. The creature’s huge emerald-green eyes stared defiantly at her.
“What’s a Fiorin?”
The creature hesitated.
“We are special friends to human children and protect them from the day they are born. You are making my as-signment quite difficult for me. I promised you I wouldn’t fly off, and I’ve kept my promise. I need to get to the hospital now. The baby will be here soon.”
“I’m not going to let you go yet. I’ll take you to the hospital. You can explain what you’re doing here on the way.” Elle started walking in the direction of the hospital. “What’s your name?”
“Eunie Mae,” answered the small creature. “I have been assigned to a child who will be born today. It is important that I get there. If I fail, the child will forever have a cold heart. He will inflict pain on others. He will experience no peace throughout his lifetime.”
“I’ll get you there in plenty of time. I want to know more about you.”
“We come to your world through the reflection of a child, which creates a portal for us to move between the two worlds.”
“Reflections like mine in the lake?”
Eunie Mae let out an exasperated sigh.
“We find a reflective portal, like a lake, near the child we have been assigned to so we can enter the world near him or her. We stay with the child until they are eight years old."
“Then why haven’t I seen one of you until now?”
Only a few children are able to see or hear us at all. When they turn eight, even they will lose that ability and forget all about us. It is as if we never existed in their lives.”
“But I’m ten years old today, and I can see you just fine.”
Mary Young, a kindergartener from Elle’s church, came out of her house on Pine Street at that moment and headed in the direction of the school bus stop. What looked like a beautiful blue butterfly wove in and out of the lilac bushes on the sidewalk beside her. Mary waved, and Elle politely nodded in acknowledgment.
Suddenly the blue butterfly veered across the street and hovered over Elle’s hands. It looked like Eunie Mae, though the new creature’s huge eyes were cerulean blue.
“Oh my, Eunie Mae, whatever have you gone and done now?” it asked.
“I’m not entirely sure.” Eunie Mae shook her red curls. “This child captured me when I entered her reflection through the portal of Wolske Bay. She could be one of the guides assigned by Mother Blue. She told me this is her tenth birthday.”
The second Fiorin glanced first at Elle, then at Eunie Mae, and again back at Elle.
“It must be so.” She looked over her shoulder to check on Mary. Suddenly she flitted back across the street to re-join the little girl.
“What in the world are you talking about?” Elle said.
“We need to hurry. Timing is so important now. Please, I beg you.”
Elle started running. Her backpack thumped against her back as she raced toward the hospital.
“This is never going to work,” Eunie Mae said, bouncing up and down in Elle’s cupped hands. “You have to stop running and listen to me.”
Elle stopped short. “I’m not going to let you go until I have a chance to ask more questions and find out how this dream ends.”
“All right, all right!” responded Eunie Mae. “If you are a guide, you will have some special abilities which we can test right now. I want you to close your eyes and wish us to the hospital. Do it right this second!”
Elle knew she couldn’t simply wish herself to the hospital. She could probably do anything she wanted to in a dream, though. She closed her eyes and wished as hard as she could.
The sudden shifting sensation was so strong it made her gasp. Her eyes flew open, and she nearly fell from the high branch of the maple tree. She looked down from her precarious perch at the spot where she stood only seconds before. Her strong legs wrapped tightly around the branch and she pushed her back against the trunk of the tree. She was terrified she might fall.
Eunie Mae groaned. “Perfect. You looked at the tree before you wished, didn’t you?”
“I think so,” whispered Elle. “How do we get down?”
“Don’t look at anything. Don’t think of anything else. Concentrate on the hospital and wish us there.”
Elle squeezed her eyes tightly closed for the second time, took a deep breath, and pictured the hospital in her mind. I wish we were at the hospital, she thought.
She felt the same shifting sensation she did before. When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing next to the emergency entrance to the hospital. Eunie Mae was still standing in her open palms.
An ambulance pulled into the emergency dock. Two men in blue uniforms jumped out and opened the back doors. They locked the wheels of the gurney and lowered it to the asphalt driveway.
Elle gasped as she recognized the woman being wheeled to the entrance.
“Mom?”
“Elle, how did you know?” Her mother reached out to her.
“I’m not sure,” Elle said. Without thinking, she dropped her hands to her side. The small creature fell a few inches, recovered, and flew over to the gurney.
“You can follow us inside,” one of the men told Elle. He ignored her mother’s attempt to embrace her and quickly pushed the gurney toward the hospital entrance. “Your mom is going to be fine, but this baby isn’t going to wait much longer.”
Elle moved behind them toward the open doors. She suddenly noticed Eunie Mae flying through the doors ahead of her. She had forgotten all about her Fiorin companion.
“I promise I’ll come find you as soon as the child is born,” Eunie Mae said. “We will figure this all out. Don’t be afraid.” She flew down the hallway behind the gurney and out of sight.
“Do you need some assistance?”
A woman wearing a special smock was standing beside her. She had silver curls that reminded Elle of her grandmother.
“My mom’s having a baby. I was on my way to school, but . . .” Elle struggled to think of an explanation that wouldn’t require her to lie.
“Where’s your daddy?” asked the woman.
“He’s in Afghanistan,” Elle blurted out tearfully. She felt so alone. She wanted desperately to be with her mother, and she needed her father, too. Why was life so totally messed up? Were all of her dreams going to become nightmares?
“I’ll take you down to the maternity waiting room. We can sit together and wait for word on your mommy and the new baby.” The woman reached down, took Elle’s hand, and led her down the hallway into a small waiting area.
“Do you want some orange juice?” asked the woman.
Elle tried to smile. “That’d be great.”
“Why don’t you call me Gamma? It’s what my grand-children call me.”
“Thank you, Gamma, for staying with me. I’m scared about my mom. I don’t know what to do but I want to help her. I’m just a kid and I don’t know what to do.” Tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped onto her birthday shirt.
Gamma knelt down to Elle’s level. She took her in her arms and held her.
“Soon you will have a little brother or sister. Your daddy will be so pleased when he comes home and you tell him how you took care of your mom. You’ll tell him how you helped her feed and bathe the baby. You will have so many stories to tell him.”
Elle nodded.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Elle.”
“Oh, that’s pretty! Is it short for Ellen?”
“No, it’s just Elle, spelled E-L-L-E. Some people pro-nounce it like the letter L, but it was my dad’s mother’s name, and she pronounced it ‘Ellie,’ and I do too.”
“I see.” Gamma smiled and handed her a glass of juice. “Why don’t you have a seat? I need to go let someone know where I am. I’ll be right back.” She hurried out the door.
Elle sat on the edge of one of the gold chairs, setting her orange juice on the table beside the chair. She closed her eyes and settled back.
“Elle!”
Elle’s eyes jerked open. Eunie Mae was directly in front of her face. Her wings were a blur as they moved furiously back and forth.
“You have a beautiful, brand-new baby brother.” Eunie Mae beamed. “Your mother has named him Joshua James.”
“Are you sure?” A baby brother was exactly what she had wished for.
“I’m definitely sure. Little JJ was born about ten minutes ago. Someone should be coming to let you know any minute.”
“Does he have a kind heart?”
“Oh yes, he does.”
“You’re the best, Eunie Mae. Thank you for coming to help Mom and JJ. Poppy will be so excited to have a son.”
Eunie Mae stopped smiling for a moment. “I need to get back now. You should be able to see the baby soon.”
Was this a dream too? School was about to start, and Miss Holmes would throw a fit if she was late.
Chapter 2
Gamma rushed through the door. “There you are, dear. You have a baby brother! Let’s go have a look.”
Elle jumped up and grasped Gamma’s hand. “What are we waiting for?” Her dark eyes sparkled in anticipation.
They hurried out of the room and down the hallway. Elle’s feet felt as though they were flying across the polished floors.
Gamma stopped in front of a door and let go of Elle’s hand. “You go on in. I’ll come back later and check to see how you’re doing.”
Gamma leaned down to hug her. Elle threw her arms around the older woman’s neck and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
“Thank you so much for helping me. I was so scared.”
“Hush, child. It’s what I do.”
Elle let go of Gamma and pushed through the closed door. Her mother looked up from the bed. She was holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket.
Elle rushed over. “I was so worried about you.” She stumbled over the footrest on the side of the bed.
“Be careful! You don’t want to hurt yourself on your birthday.”
“It’s not only my birthday anymore; I get to share it with the new baby.” Elle tugged at the blanket to get a better look at the peaceful little face surrounded by soft dark curls.
“Mom, he’s so beautiful.” Elle gently touched the baby’s cheek with the tip of her index finger.
“Don’t let your father hear you say that. This child is downright handsome.”
Elle chuckled. She could almost hear her father roar with laughter at the idea that his much-anticipated son was “beautiful.”
The baby’s lips started to pucker and suck on an invisi-ble bottle.
“JJ is so funny.”
Her mother looked up at her quizzically. “How did you know his name?”
“Um . . . I probably heard you and Poppy talking about it,” Elle fibbed.
“I don’t think so.”
Elle shrugged and leaned forward for a better look at her brother.
“Ouch!”
“What?” Elle jerked away from the bed as Eunie Mae extracted herself from the lower portion of the railing. Elle had almost pinned her there.
“What’s wrong?” Elle’s mother asked.
“Nothing . . . I pinched my leg on the bed.”
“That was close,” Eunie Mae said. “Be careful what you do or say around me. Your mother can’t see or hear me, and we can’t ever let other people know we exist.”
JJ opened his eyes and started to fuss. Ginny rocked back and forth and sang softly. “Hush, little baby, don’t say a word. Daddy’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”
Eunie Mae sang along with a mesmerizing voice.
“I’ve heard that song before.”
“Of course you have.” Her mother smiled. “I used to sing it to you when you were little.”
Eunie Mae continued singing, and the baby closed his eyes again.
Elle laughed. “How can I possibly remember what hap-pened so long ago?”
“Some things are more magical than we can even imagine,” her mother said.
“Now, what am I going to do with you? It should be a special day for you with the new baby and your birthday to celebrate. Sending you to school now seems almost like a punishment.”
“I agree,” Elle said. “I’m staying right here with you. Poppy asked me to since he can’t be here.”
“Poppy would want you to get some decent rest so you can help me when I bring home the baby. There will be a lot of work to do then.”
“I’ll rest later, but please, please, let me stay. I won’t be any trouble.”
“Let’s see how the day goes.”
Eunie Mae perched on the bed railing. “You are doing a good thing being here with your mom. She misses your father a lot.”
Elle tried not to look at the Fiorin.
A nurse entered the room and walked over to Ginny’s bedside. “I’ll take the baby back to the nursery now. You need your rest. Do you want me to turn on the television for your daughter?”
“That would be wonderful.” Ginny smiled at the nurse. “I’m a bit tired. She can watch something while I doze off for a while.”
The nurse turned to face Elle. “Would you like that?”
“Yes, please.” Elle walked over and settled down in the tan chair by door. She was determined to be extremely well behaved and quiet so the nurse wouldn’t send her home.
The nurse clicked on the television. She explained how the remote worked and left the room with the baby tucked safely in her arms. Eunie Mae followed them closely.
“Get some sleep now, Mom. I’ll sit here and watch television.” Elle tried her hardest to sound grown-up. “I can do some of the assignments in my backpack.”
Elle sat and watched television while listening to her mother’s soft breathing. Mom looked so tired. It must be a lot of work to have a baby. She wasn’t about to make any noise to wake her up.
Elle was tired now, too. Her eyes kept closing as she curled up deeper into the soft cushions of the chair.
“Elle, honey, wake up.” Warm breath from the low whisper tickled her ear.
Her eyes flew open. Before she could yell out, her father put his finger up to his lips. He whispered to her.
“Please be quiet, Elle. We don’t want to wake your mother.”
“Poppy! You came home. You get to see Mom and the new baby,” she whispered.
“I will get to see the baby, but first I want to wish you a wonderful birthday.”
“I knew nothing could keep you away on my birthday.”
“I can’t stay long. I have to lead my men again today.”
“You’re going back to Afghanistan?”
“We are going on a different journey. This will be hard for you to understand, but I need you to be grown-up to-day.”
Elle couldn’t stop grinning.
“I want you to know how much I love you and your mother,” he continued.
“Don’t forget JJ.” Elle couldn’t contain her excitement.
“I won’t forget little JJ.” Her father smiled with tears in his eyes.
“Why are you so sad, Poppy?”
“I want you to know I would never leave any of you if I had a choice.”
“Where are you going?”
“Elle, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Elle glanced over at her mother who was sleeping peacefully. “I don’t understand.”
“Several of my men and I were in a Chinook helicopter in Helmand Province in Afghanistan today. An enemy rocket hit the helicopter.”
Elle stared at him as tears began to fill her eyes.
“No one made it.” Her father reached out to pull her into his arms.
“No!” Elle gasped. She jerked free and ran down the hall toward the nursery. She stopped at the viewing window.
“This has to be a nightmare.” She shook her head frantically from side to side.
Her father was there beside her. “Elle, you have to listen to me.”
“Why are you telling me these horrible stories? You’ve never lied to me before.” Elle choked on the words.
“Honey, please calm down. I don’t have much time.” Her father gazed at the crib where his son slept. “He’s as beautiful as you were when you were born.”
“I knew it was a dream,” Elle said angrily. “You would never call your son beautiful.”
Her father laughed. “After today you have to tell people JJ is handsome. Please promise you’ll tell him about me.”
“This is too hard, Poppy. Stop it!”
He reached for her again. This time she did not move away. He embraced her for several minutes, and then he gently held her out at arm’s length and looked deeply into her misty eyes.
“Elle, you are going to have experiences others only dream of. You will visit Fiori, where the flowers are as big as tractor tires. You will sail on the back of a giant turquoise bird and catch an elevator made of a spider’s web. You will ride on the back of Pegasus and be protected by a powerful warrior named Amadeus. You will save so many children as you grow into adulthood. Your mother and I will be so proud of you. I need you to be brave now. It’s time for me to leave.”
“Can’t you stay until Mom wakes up?”
“It’s not possible, honey. My men need me now more than ever. The Fiorins will help you and Mom.”
“How do you know about the Fiorins?”
“I only found out a little while ago. There is so much I see and understand now I didn’t before.”
Eunie Mae appeared at his shoulder. “That’s a fine son you have, Major.”
“Yes he is.”
“I promise we will watch over Elle and JJ. We will do the best we can to protect both of them. Your daughter is a wonderful young lady.”
Major Burton knelt down and put his hands on Elle’s shoulders.
“My time is up. Tell your mother and brother how much I love them. I am so proud of you. Your path in life will lead you to places you have never dreamed of. You have to believe in yourself. Remember, you can’t see the breeze, but you can still feel it. Just like you will always feel my love for you.”
“Don’t go, Poppy.”
“I love you, Elle. I will be with you in the sunrise that warms and brightens your face and in the stars you gaze up at when you fall asleep at night.” He was fading.
“Poppy?”
“Never forget how much I love you all. Tell JJ about me. Teach him to be kind and helpful to your mother.” He dis-appeared.
Elle buried her face in her hands and sobbed as she sank to her knees.
“Can I do anything?” Eunie Mae said softly.
“I’m never going to see him again. What am I going to do without him?”
“Your dad told you he would always be with you. I believe that with all my heart.”
“You think?” Elle looked up through teary eyes.
“I know he will. You will feel him in the breeze on your cheek when you walk next to the lake. You will see him in JJ’s eyes. He will be there, Elle. You won’t be able to see him, but you can always talk to him."
Elle pulled herself up, wiping her eyes. She stared through the window at JJ. Fiorins were curled up in the cribs with the other sleeping babies. Why hadn’t she noticed them before?
“Why were you selected to come to JJ?”
“Mother Blue assigns the babies to us. We try to get to them before they are born, though sometimes we don’t quite make it in time.”
“This isn’t a dream, is it?” Elle asked through her sniffles.
“No, Elle. This is all real. Some men will be coming to your mother’s room soon. She will need you to be there when they arrive. This is going to be one of the happiest days of her life and one of the saddest. Your father’s death is the biggest tragedy she has ever faced. It won’t be easy for her with two little children.”
“I’m not little,” Elle retorted.
“Elle, you’re only ten. You have so much to learn. You need time to grow up and find your own joys. Maybe ten isn’t little, but it’s not big either.”
“Will you be there when I need to talk to someone?”
“I’ll be around until JJ’s eighth birthday, and then I will move on.”
“Can we talk tonight when Mom and JJ are sleeping? I have so many questions.”
“Of course we can. I’m going to go back into the nursery with your brother. You go stay with your mom. Her time of rest will soon be over.”
Elle turned and started back down the hallway. She spotted the minister and a man in uniform walking from the opposite end of the hallway toward her mom’s room. She wanted them to disappear, but she knew they wouldn’t. Her small family was going to need her help now and she needed to stay strong.
For the first time in her life, Elle felt grown-up.
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