by V F Sharp
“I guess it doesn’t matter what it reminds me of, does it, Mr. Feet? If we don’t hurry and get back, everyone’s going to be pretty concerned!”
He took one last look around, analyzing whether the risk of losing the arrow was less than the risk of staying too late in the forest trying to find it.
Just then he noticed a glimmering sparkle in the tall grass.
“What?! There’s no way it’s there. That was the first place I looked.”
He made his way toward the tall grass.
“Maybe it’s some kind of sparkly insect.” In truth he couldn’t think of any insect that sparkled like that.
As he approached the area, lo and behold, the arrow was sitting right on top, creating a large dent of the same shape in the grass. It wasn’t even hidden and would’ve been impossible to miss. He stood there staring down at it in disbelief.
“I know I looked here. I specifically made a point of methodically looking section by section in this very spot. I looked there, Mr. Feet. I know I looked there.”
He could feel his face getting red. Now he wasn’t just confused; he was angry. Clearly, something was amiss here.
He picked up the arrow and stomped back to Mr. Feet, hurriedly grabbing the reins from the bush. He tied the arrow securely to his saddle using one of the loose ropes that was hanging from it. As he mounted Mr. Feet, he slowly took one last look at the forest around him and shook his head.
“I’m no fool,” he said, studying the trees once more to reassure himself he wasn’t crazy. Frustrated, he rode off.
Meldon didn’t like having his mind played with. If there was one thing he could count on in this world, it was being able to count on things that could be counted on. And now he couldn’t even count on that.
As he rode back toward the pasture, he went over the situation in his head. He began to question his initial search: Maybe I didn’t look there. Was it another piece of grass that I thought was that one? I could’ve sworn…
He remembered, he’d specifically mapped out the sections as he’d searched. No, there was nothing wrong with him. It was this forest.
Finally, he saw the light of the open green grass pasture ahead and sped up to exit the forest. His friends were just ahead on their rabbits. They looked like they were arguing about something. Then someone pointed his way and they all yelled his name, rushing toward him on their rabbits.
“Meldon, what took you so long?” Fin yelled as he approached. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” said Meldon. “I was just enjoying the beauty of the forest. Was I gone that long?”
“Yes you were,” said Fin. “Do you have the arrow?”
“Yes, of course I have it,” said Meldon. “You know I’d never—”
“Is Ezstasia with you?” said Lanzzie, trotting up behind Fin.
“Your sister isn’t back yet?”
“No,” said Lanzzie, “she hasn’t come out of the forest.”
Meldon found himself distracted and mesmerized by Lanzzie’s beauty. She was one of the most stunning girls he had ever seen. She always wore ribbons in her long, dark hair, with dainty trinkets placed at perfect intervals. Her hair was always styled beautifully, and he couldn’t help but to admire her precision and perfectionism. As she stared at him with a quizzical look, he couldn’t avoid noticing her wide, hazel-green eyes.
“Meldon!” said Lanzzie, snapping him out of his trance. “Did you see Ezstasia in there?”
Lanzzie dismounted her rabbit and began walking past him toward the forest.
“I didn’t see her,” he said. “But she may still be exploring. That’s a pretty crazy forest.”
“Crazy how?” said Fin.
“Well… uh… beautiful crazy,” he said. “There’s a lot to see.” He didn’t want to get into too much detail or they would have thought him mad. And he especially didn’t want Lanzzie to think he was bonkers.
“I’m going to ride along the tree line and call her,” said Lanzzie.
Meldon watched as she climbed back up onto her rabbit, Jewel, the whitest and fluffiest of all the rabbits. Everyone knew Lanzzie always cared for Jewel like it was her own child.
He stood silently as Lanzzie grabbed Jewel’s white reins, which were fittingly embroidered with different colored jewels. She rode off calling Ezstasia’s name as she rode along the tree line.
“I’m gonna join her,” said Fin as he mounted Zon. “It’s getting dark soon and it’ll be harder for Ezstasia to find her way out.”
“Yes,” said Meldon, “calling her name may help if she’s confused about which direction she’s facing.” He steered Mr. Feet beside Fin to join him.
“Let’s split up,” said Fin. “We can all ride along the tree line, but don’t go back into the forest unless you see her. We don’t need to lose anyone else.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” said Meldon. He knew all too well what kind of weird things were happening in that forest and especially didn’t want to be in that place after dark.
He followed Fin and the rest of the group, as they split into different sections along the forest line.
As they rode back and forth along the tree line shouting out Ezstasia’s name, Meldon began to grow worried as he mapped out what could’ve happened to her. There could’ve been so many reasons why she wasn’t back yet, compounded with the possibility that there might be magic in that forest. He gazed at the others along the forest line as they each waved a hand horizontally to indicate they hadn’t seen any sign of her yet.
Time passed and there was still no sign of her. She definitely should’ve been out by now. Meldon felt a gnawing in the pit of his stomach as he began to get the disheartening sense that something was truly wrong. The skies were growing darker, and his outlook along with it. Always one to contemplate the risks, he began planning for the worst. If they had to go back into the forest, what approach should they take so that they didn’t all get lost? And what if they still didn’t find her? How could they possibly return to the Cottages without her? And what would they even tell the townspeople? After all, they had been playing with magic, which presented its own set of problems. Even with weak magic, they could all be thrown into the dungeons.
He was terrified for Ezstasia. She was such kind girl, just like her sister, but more curious, almost naïve in a way. He sure hoped her curiosity didn’t get her into trouble in that forest. But Ezstasia was resourceful. That girl didn’t give up. He truly believed she would turn up eventually.
After what seemed like hours, and with the sun quickly setting, there still wasn’t any sign of Ezstasia. He watched helplessly as Fin rode up and down the forest line, telling everyone to meet back in the center of the pasture. It was time to make some decisions.
* * * *
Fin was nearly at the center of the pasture when he saw Lanzzie rushing toward him looking as if she were about to cry or hurt someone—or both.
“Fin!” she yelled as she approached. “We’re running out of sunlight. We have no time for this. We need to get back out there now and keep looking. Every minute counts.”
He knew she’d be upset. Of course she was, it was her sister.
“Lanzzie—”
“We can’t leave her there, Fin!” said Lanzzie in desperation. “Not in that dark forest. There’s nothing to discuss.”
“Lanz, please calm down. We can’t fall apart right now. We have to be strong.”
“I’m not leaving without my sister.”
Before he could reply, she turned her rabbit around toward the forest and began heading away.
“I’m going,” she yelled back at them, “no matter what you all decide to do.”
“She’s right, Fin,” said a female voice from behind him. It was Jezreel. “I’m going with her.” No surprise there. Jezreel was about as compassionate as they come. Everyone always tagged her as meek and dainty—someone who needed looking after. But the truth was, she was always caring for everyone else.
Jezreel steered her rabbit around
toward Lanzzie. “Come on, Buttons,” she said. The grey rabbit, like her, was the runt of the litter.
Fin heard someone else moving behind him, too. It was Ithron.
“You’re going, too?” said Fin.
“If I must,” said Ithron, who sounded completely indifferent, though his concern for Jezreel wasn’t hard to miss. Actions spoke louder than words. She was about the only thing he seemed to care about, though he’d likely never admit it.
“Will everyone please stop for a minute?” said Fin.
Fin gazed out at Lanzzie, who was still riding away.
“Wait!” he yelled, loud enough for her to hear.
Lanzzie halted her rabbit and turned to face him.
“I have an idea!” he yelled. He motioned for her to come back, but she put her hands on her hips in protest.
“Just hear me out,” he shouted. “That’s all I ask.”
He watched as patiently as he could as Lanzzie raced back.
“You better hurry,” she said as she approached. “The sun’s setting. I don’t have much time.”
“Everyone gather around,” he said. “You all need to hear this.”
He looked at Meldon as others approached. “Is everyone here?”
“I count seven of us,” said Meldon.
Fin glanced around. Lanzzie, who looked ready to dart away any second, Jezreel, and Meldon all stood around him. Ithron was just outside of their small circle, only half paying attention as he sharpened a stick with his dagger. The twins, Zander and Randin had just arrived as well.
“We seem to be missing somebody,” said Meldon.
Pallu, pudgy and red-faced as always, came meandering into the circle, holding a giant loaf of bread.
“Do you ever stop eating?” said Zander.
“Why would I?” said Pallu. The way he crinkled his brow made it seem as if Zander had asked him if he ever stopped breathing.
“Guys!” said Lanzzie. “I’m leaving here in two seconds. Start talking.”
Fin gave one last look to make sure he had everyone’s attention and took a deep breath.
“Okay,” he said. “I don’t have to tell you all, but just as a reminder, if the people from the Cottages find out we were playing with magic, we’ll be locked up—or worse.”
“Locked up?” said Zander. “We could be beheaded!”
“Zander,” said Randin, “beheadings are just for dark magic. We’d be hung at worst.”
“What’s the difference?” said Zander.
“Gentlemen,” said Meldon. “The treaty clearly states that frivolous, harmless magic—which this is—warrants a minimum of ten years in the dungeons. The laws haven’t changed in hundreds of years. You should read it sometime.”
“But is it?” said Ithron.
“Is it what?” said Meldon.
“Is the magic harmless? We just lost someone while using it. That is why we’re standing here discussing it, right?”
“He’s right,” said Zander. “She could be missing her arms and legs for all we know. And—”
“Not helping, Zander,” said Randin, always the calmer of the two.
“That’s it!” said Lanzzie. “I’m leaving.”
“Wait, Lanz,” said Fin. “Can we all agree that being locked up in the dungeons would not be a good thing? And that if we are locked up, then we can’t be out here looking for Ezstasia?”
“What’s your point?” said Lanzzie.
“My point is, that if we go back into that forest, everyone will realize by nightfall that we’re all missing. Especially when we don’t check in our rabbits. They’ll come looking for us. And then what’ll we tell them?”
“How about that we’re on a camping trip?” said Pallu. “I brought plenty of food for all of us. They may even believe it. I always pack lots of—”
“That won’t work,” said Fin. “We have to report any camping trips to the stable keepers way ahead of time.”
“He’s right,” said Meldon. “You know the rules, Pallu. We have to have the rabbits checked in by nightfall and overnight trips must be reported in advance to get approval.”
“Exactly,” said Fin.
“So, if we can’t go into the forest,” said Meldon, “what is your plan?”
“We go back to the Cottages now, and—”
“Without my sister?” said Lanzzie. “You brought me back here for this?”
“Hear me out,” he said. “We need to show our faces back there so that there isn’t any attention drawn to us. We check in our rabbits and we meet in the morning at the stables and come back here first thing. Ezstasia’s a strong girl. You know that better than anyone.”
“That’s not a plan!” said Lanzzie.
“Listen, Pallu still lives with his parents. What do you think will happen if he doesn’t come home?”
“He’s right, you know,” said Pallu. “They’ll have a search party out here in no time.”
“And trust me, that search party will make sure we’re all accounted for,” said Fin. “But if we all go back and check in our rabbits, and people see most of us, they’ll assume we’re all back. Plus, it’ll give us a chance to hide these arrows and the magic I brought. It’s the safest plan. It’s the only plan at this point.”
“I still can’t believe you brought the magic,” said Lanzzie. “And did it ever occur to you that the search party can help us look for her?”
“Lanz,” said Fin, “they can’t catch us with these arrows, or even worse—this!” He held up the bag of magic powder. “I’m sorry I brought it. But think hard and listen to what I’m saying.”
“What about Tia?” said Meldon. “If we go back now, that might draw attention toward Ezstasia if her rabbit’s missing.”
Fin thought for a moment. Meldon had a point. Leave it to him to think of every possibility.
“I have an idea,” said Jezreel. Everyone looked at her. She wasn’t usually one to speak up. “What if we say that Ezstasia felt like sleeping with her rabbit tonight?”
Zander threw up his hands. “Yeah, sure, they’ll believe that,” he said, not even attempting to hide his sarcasm.
“No, she’s right,” said Meldon. “It’s better than having nine rabbits missing. At least they’ll have eight checked in and a report of where the last one is. And she’s done it once before.”
“There you have it,” said Fin. “If it’s good enough for Meldon, it’s good enough for me.”
“Won’t she get in trouble?” said Randin. “I mean, for not checking in her rabbit?”
“Yes, but she isn’t here to get in trouble,” said Fin. “And when we find her, we can deal with it then. At least we won’t all be in dungeons for using magic.”
“Always a good thing,” said Ithron.
“I like this plan!” said Pallu.
Lanzzie cleared her throat.
“What about the part where my sister spends the night alone in the forest? Are you all forgetting that part?”
Fin put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her and spoke softly. “Lanzzie, it’s hard for all of us to have to leave her. You’re her sister, but we all care about her. Can’t you see that we have no other choice? If we get caught, then none of us can help her. You understand that, right?”
“You’re overcomplicating this,” she said. “Why can’t we just go find her and if they come looking for us, we’ll just tell them we were exploring and lost her?”
“You’re forgetting about the arrows,” he said. “We can’t ditch them. It’s nighttime, and the powder doesn’t completely wear off, they glisten. You’ve seen it yourself, it can take days. And what about this entire bag of magic?”
Lanzzie paused for a moment and took a deep breath, apparently trying to calm herself.
“Okay,” she said, “then what if we go back, check in the rabbits, and come right back here?”
“On foot? It would take forever. By the time we got here it would be the middle of the night. It’ll be dark and we’d never see a thing. And
we’d be on foot. Better to come in morning with our rabbits. At least we’d be prepared and better able to do a proper search. I’m sorry, but that’s a bad idea Lanz.”
Lanzzie held her head down. It looked like she was finally getting it. He felt bad for her though. He couldn’t imagine what she was going through.
He leaned in.
“Remember,” he said. “We always pack plenty of food and water for ourselves and the rabbits, so she at least has food for the evening. We’ll come first thing in the morning. I promise we’ll find her.”
“Some of us,” said Zander, patting Pallu on the belly, “pack excessive amounts of food.”
“The smart ones do,” said Pallu. “You just never know when your stomach will scream out that it’s hungry.” Pallu was about to take another bite from his loaf of bread, when he stopped and looked at Lanzzie.
“Lanz,” he said. “Fin’s right. She’ll be fine. You know how many crazy adventures Ezstasia has gone on alone?”
“Yes, but why hasn’t she come out by now?” Lanzzie looked back at the forest. “She’s tough. She would have found a way.”
“Even if she got lost,” said Pallu, “she’s smart and maybe decided it was safer to camp out for the night. We shouldn’t assume something bad. I’m just saying—”
Pallu paused to take one last bite from his loaf of bread before tucking it back into his food bag. Unlike the others, he always brought three saddle bags—two just for food and one for supplies. Fin thought Pallu was clumsy and forgetful, but that curly-haired, freckle-faced, roly-poly bear had a heart of gold.
Speaking of forgetful, Fin noticed something seemed to be missing from Pallu’s saddle bag.
“Hey, Pallu?” said Fin.
Pallu looked up with the face of innocence.
“You do have your arrow, right?”
“Oh, my arrow,” said Pallu. “Um, yeah… so… about that.”
“You don’t have it?”
“Pallu!” said Lanzzie. “You’re kidding me, right? Please say you’re kidding. We don’t have time to deal with this.”
“It’s okay,” said Pallu. “I—”
“This isn’t happening,” said Lanzzie. “This really isn’t happening.”
