The Gold (The Magical Forest Series Book 1)

by Krista Wagner

  Connie started a conversation with a girl to her left. All seemed normal until Shane tiptoed to Amanda's right and swiped the backpack. He unzipped it, lightning quick, turning it upside down and shaking it hard.

  "Hey, there's nothing in here, you little freak. You're hiding nothing. I can't believe it!" He threw the backpack down, laughing with his buddies.

  Connie frowned at him and squeezed Amanda's shoulder. "Just ignore him."

  Amanda got up. Shane leered at her. The rest of the students seemed to be holding their breath, wondering if Amanda would do something. But she did nothing, because she didn't care anymore. Instead, she walked past her backpack and straight out the door.

  Later that night, Amanda stared at the blank paper in the typewriter, trying to come up with a new story to write. But she couldn't help overhear her sister in the next room. She sounded upset.

  "No, you can't do this. What about Homecoming? You can't go with someone else." Amanda heard the phone hit the receiver.

  She stepped outside onto the deck and stared at the sky. Only three stars were visible, all of them dull and distant. The air was so still out here, making the world seem empty.

  From inside, a door slammed. "Jane?" Amanda searched for her down the hall.

  "What?" A muffled sobbing came from behind Jane's door.

  "I'm sorry. . .he's wrong." The door opened. Jane's face was a rosy pink, and she sniffed back more tears.

  "Why do you care?"

  "I've always cared." Jane looked confused as she closed the door.

  The next morning, Amanda paused at the end of the road leading to the forest. A soft wind blew through the leaves, curling and twirling them into something like a cotton candy cone. Shane suddenly materialized. "Here again, huh? What is so important about the forest?"

  "Go away."

  In response, Shane pushed her down the path. "What gives? You're not afraid anymore."

  Amanda continued to stare straight ahead. The opening to the forest was backlit by a dull golden hue.

  "Hey, what is that?"

  Amanda started down the sidewalk toward school.

  "Hey, come back here!" But Amanda was brave now. She continued walking away.

  When she got to the classroom, Mr. Ammons was writing the day’s spelling lesson on the board. Students scribbled notes. Amanda stared out the window to see the rays from the sun funneling a dim golden outline across the tops of the trees. The clock on the wall behind Mr. Ammons's head read 9:30. But when she checked the time on her watch, the hands were spinning wildly in reverse. It read 3:30. Hours had been stolen. But the wall clock's second hand moved predictably to 9:31. Amanda was finding it hard to swallow, she was so worried. What did this mean? Why was time going backward?

  She pulled out a folder from her backpack and set it on her desk. The inscription on the folder read, "The Gold and the Girl became best friends." A stick figure girl was standing next to a large shiny golden rock and a rainbow was arching over them.

  "Amanda?" Mr. Ammons was calling her. His voice carried through what sounded like a tunnel.

  "Yeah?"

  He floated far away as though there were oceans between them. Shane and the other kids snickered; their laughter shook all around the room. Their bodies were swinging up and down like the horses on a carousel. Shane's face zoomed in and out, his nose and eyes becoming distorted as they folded in and out of his face. His body flopped back and forth, up and down like a broken fish.

  "He's asking you for the answer, though I don't know why he thinks you have it." His voice shook and jiggled.

  "Principal's office. Now." The classroom erupted in ooooo’s as Shane hurried out the door. Mr. Ammons pointed to an equation on the board.

  "Forty-two," Amanda managed to say, though her eyes were frozen on the clock behind him. It, too, now read 3:30, its black hands bent and arching across one another, the plastic face of the clock curving outward like a giant bubble ready to pop.

  She looked around at her classmates, but they were all focused on Mr. Ammons.

  "That's right. Excellent!"

  Time was running out. Maybe he was already gone. She wrote something underneath the previous caption across her folder: "The light is gone. She wanted to cry, but her eyes were too dry."

  Lunchtime was happier. Gina and Connie bookended Amanda in the cafeteria, sharing their snacks with her, both of them alive with excitement.

  Two girls carried in Homecoming decorations to the front of the room. The first girl was dressed in blue, the second in pink.

  "Oh, I can't wait!" Gina clapped her hands. Darla slid onto the bench across from them.

  "What's going on?"

  "They're going to announce the theme!” Then she frowned. “Hey, there's something missing."

  "What do you mean?" Amanda asked.

  "Shane's not here."

  "I heard the principal gave him lunch and recess detention today." Connie bit into her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

  "Good. Maybe he'll finally learn his lesson." Gina stuck her hand inside her lunch bag and pulled out a green apple.

  Mr. Williamson switched on the microphone. Feedback screeched across the room. The students clamped their hands over their ears, cringing. "Sorry," he said as he motioned to the blue and pink girls. Blue Girl stepped before the microphone. "OK, everyone, we have had fun going through all the ideas you came up with for the Homecoming Dance."

  Pink Girl stepped forward. "Now it's time to announce the theme. Are you all ready?" A round of cheers echoed. Blue Girl took out a slip of paper. "OK, get ready! And the winner is. . ."

  "‘The Power of Love’!" Pink Girl exclaimed. Everyone started shouting. Some of the kids got up and started dancing on the benches.

  "Get down," Mr. Williamson spoke into the microphone.

  "We are, Mr. Williamson!" one of the kids joked. They all laughed. Even Amanda found herself joining in on the dancing and laughter. She was enjoying herself so much, she almost forgot about Gold.

  After school, Amanda rushed past all the vehicles on her way home. When she arrived at the forest she was shocked to find Shane sitting at its entrance, staring at it. When he spotted Amanda, he quickly jumped up. "I got detention. I hope you're happy." He threw down a stick and walked away before she could reply.

  The forest looked different to her at that moment. Just a regular forest. Like all the magic was gone. Suddenly, this world, the reality she had always known, felt more unreal than the one she had shared with Gold. She stared at the woods in disbelief.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Amanda scrolled a blank piece of paper through the typewriter. “The Gold was no longer. Now it became the pebble again, the pebble no one could see, that no one noticed. The girl missed him, but what could she do? He had grown too big to hide.”

  Amanda gazed out the window. The three stars were barely visible. She typed. “How had he turned back into that pebble again? The girl did not have an answer.”

  In the living room, Jane was staring at the TV—it was off. Amanda sat next to her.

  "We chose the Homecoming theme today, so you have to go."

  "With whom? I have nobody."

  "Simone talked about somebody that day in the store."

  Jane continued to stare at the blank screen. "I'm not going."

  Amanda looked down at her watch. The hands continued to spin too fast and then two more hours got erased.

  "You have to go, Jane." Jane was holding a glass of water and staring at Amanda.

  "Why? Why are you being so nice to me when all I have ever been is mean to you?"

  Then she said something she had never said to Jane before. "I love you."

  Jane put the glass down, shaking her head. "Something is wrong."

  "What's wrong?"

  Jane shook her head. "With you. Something is wrong with you. These past few months you were happy. I couldn't figure out why. I still don't know why. But the last few days, I haven't seen you smile."

  Ama
nda was worried. How would she explain it?

  "I smile," she protested.

  "Not once. Something's changed."

  "What about Homecoming?"

  "It's just a dance. You need me. It's Mom, right?” In a way, she was right.

  "Yeah. That's it." Amanda headed back to her room where she went straight to her story again. “The bear came to the girl. 'It's getting late.' The girl replied, 'It's only 5:00.' You misunderstand me,' he growled. 'Time is running out.'”

  Amanda held her breath and glanced at her watch. The hands spun frantically, faster than before. She had to get to the forest.

  Jane was in the living room when Amanda ran for the door. "Where are you running off to? Dad's almost home."

  "I'll be back for dinner." Jane was watching the TV, but this time there was a show on. She simply nodded at her.

  When she arrived at the magical woods, she saw Shane walking a few yards away, his head hanging low. He didn't see her. His attention was on the street. A car pulled up beside him and an older man stuck his head out. He sounded angry. "I better not hear about you getting detention again or you'll be grounded for the rest of the year."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Look at me when I'm talking to you."

  Shane lifted his head. "Yes, sir."

  The car sped off, burning rubber as it screeched through the stop sign.

  "Shane."

  He shot her a dirty look. "What do you want?"

  "I'm sorry you got yelled at."

  "What's it to you?" He whipped around and stormed away.

  Now the hands of her watch moved slowly, struggling to propel themselves forward as if crippled by something. The forest seemed to have transformed. The leaves were covered in frost. Amanda pulled her jacket closer to her body and moved toward the entrance. A stronger chill whirled around her. She pulled her hood over her head and stepped to the doorway of the woods.

  "Gold? It's me," she called out.

  Inside the forest, everything was covered in ice. She touched a leaf and gasped as it broke into shards of glass, the fragments tinkling onto the floor. A few yards in, she noticed a hole in a white-encrusted tree. She knocked on the trunk and snowy glitter whisked into the air.

  Behind her, a chipmunk peeped out, squeaking urgently. It looked rapidly to its left and nodded its head as if to encourage her to continue on. Amanda moved deeper into the forest and soon found herself walking through inches of snow.

  "Gold?" She pulled the hood of her jacket closer to her face.

  "Amanda?" Gold was tucked behind a snowy drift. He was as tiny as the pebble she had seen the first time, his ears hardly visible. He had no eyes anymore, only a small opening for a mouth, just as before. "You can still hear me."

  "It's hard to because your voice sounds like it's so far away." A large tear wiggled out of her eye, plopped on top of the pebble, and transformed into a crystal atop its head.

  "What's that? It feels like something cold. Are you crying?"

  "I should have never left you here."

  "But you couldn't hide me anymore."

  "I promised to come back, but I shouldn't have waited so long." She picked up the pebble and cradled it.

  "You have to leave me here. It's the only way."

  Amanda was deep in thought. "No. I know of a better way. You're coming home with me, but this time it's for good."

  Back in her room, Amanda read her story. Gold's ears started to grow with each word she spoke. She looked at her watch to see the hands moving clockwise at a normal speed. "Gold, I was right. It's happening again!"

  "What are you talking about?"

  She was grinning excitedly. "You'll see."

  "But I don't have eyes."

  "You will soon."

  The seasons came and they all blended into one exhilarating experience Amanda would never forget and would always hold dear: Amanda trick-or-treating with Gold in her bag, sneaking him a tiny piece of turkey at Thanksgiving—his mouth widening—and throwing tinsel on him and watching him catch it with his hands.

  Then the end of December came. The fog was thick and heavy. Rain fell at a steady pace. Gold was back to his three-foot stature again.

  "You're growing so fast. It's like you hurried up to where you left off from before. And you know what's happening this Thursday?"

  “No."

  "New Year's Eve!"

  "What's that?"

  "A celebration of the new year. Jane is going to throw a party."

  New Year's Eve came. Their dad was away on business, but he agreed they could invite friends over. Popular music was bursting through the radio. Jane, Simone, and a group of ten teenagers mingled. Amanda lingered near the bowls of chips and plates of vegetables and fruits.

  The TV was casting Dick Clark in Times Square. Simone asked Jane, "Got any Pepsi?"

  "Yeah, there's some in the fridge." Her eyes shifted to Amanda. "Hey, where are you going?"

  "Just to my room."

  "No, you can hang with us. It's OK."

  "Really?"

  Jane exited the room and quickly returned with a small package. "Open it."

  Amanda carefully tore off the wrapping. Inside was a silver framed photo of Jane and Amanda standing next to their mom.

  "I remember her too."

  Amanda's eyes filled with vivid tears. The girls embraced.

  Later, in her bedroom, Amanda lovingly set the frame on her desk, next to the typewriter. The room was too quiet.

  "Gold?"

  She searched all over the room, not spotting him anywhere. She moved out into the hallway and her eyes drifted to the back door of the house. It was open. As she stepped to the door, she saw a dark shape cartwheel across the pathway.

  "Gold?"

  "It's me."

  From inside the house, Jane and her friends began to yell. "10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

  "Why are you hiding?" she asked. A boy appeared, about Amanda's age, with thick black hair, bronze skin, and blue eyes. As he moved to her side, she saw he was about an inch taller than she. He smiled at her, a sweet shy smile. His blue eyes sparkled with a golden light. "Don't be scared. It's still me."

  "It’s you.” She stared at him and joy leaped like a gazelle across the arch of her heart. “But what will I tell Jane?"

  "You don't have to say anything. I can go now. I have legs and feet that can walk. Look, I can even run, too." And before her eyes the creek magically reappeared! He took off toward it, running so fast his legs seemed to swing out before him in a blur of spinning wheels.

  "Wow." Her heart racing with the same adrenaline Gold had just executed in his dash around the creek, she touched his hand when he returned. An amber-colored spark ignited. She jumped back.

  "Did I hurt you?" he said with a worried look.

  She was laughing. "No. It just surprised me."

  "Amanda, why aren't you out here with us?" Jane called from inside. Amanda tripped over the doorstep. "I'm coming!" Then Jane was in the room. "Who are you talking to?" Gold was standing in the same spot as before, a small smile on his face. Amanda was trembling visibly. What would her sister do?

  "Oh, you must be one of Amanda's classmates. I'm Jane. Would you like to come in?"

  Amanda could still feel her heart leaping, even as she realized Gold looked just like a normal boy.

  In the living room, the TV was blasting music and a huge crowd was still cheering in the New Year as streamers flew in the air. "So, what's your name?"

  "Gold."

  "Oh, I know a Mr. Gold, the grocer. Is he your dad?"

  "Lieben Gold."

  "Lieben? What an unusual name. Where are you from?"

  "The forest."

  "You're from Idaho? Nice to meet you." Jane shook his hand and then rejoined Simone.

  Back in the privacy of her room, she asked Gold, "Why did you make that up?"

  "Make what up?"

  "That's not your name."

  "Because of you."

&n
bsp; "I don't understand."

  "It means 'to love' in German. I'm someone now. More than just a pebble."

  Amanda was stunned. "How did this happen?"

  "Amanda, your love. It was your love."

  "But you showed me."

  "No, it was in you all along. I just helped you find it."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Clusters of adults, kids, and families were spread throughout the library. Gold and Amanda studied at a table. Gina walked over. "Hi, Amanda." She stuck her hand out to Gold. "I'm Gina."

  "Nice to meet you. I—"

  "We have to go." Amanda grabbed his hand and hurried them out of the library.

  "Why are we running?"

  She wouldn't answer. Within minutes, they were at the familiar spot. The trees bowed as they entered. A squirrel scurried before them, holding a flower for her.

  "Thank you, Mr. Squirrel."

  "Amanda."

  "Yeah?"

  "Thank you for being so good to me."

  "I'm sorry about Gina and Jane. I don't know how to explain you. They wouldn't believe me."

  "I understand. It's time for me to go." Gold walked ahead.

  "No, please don't leave." He turned slightly, a golden light flickering across his face.

  "Maybe one day we will meet again." He took one more step toward the forest and disappeared. "Gold!" Her voice echoed through numerous rows of trees. But only a deep dark silence replied.

  Back in class, Mr. Ammons was lecturing about their history assignment. The kids were split into groups. Amanda sat with Gina and Connie, but her mind was elsewhere.

  Time was a funny thing. Months spun by and they all fused together, sharing one common thing—emptiness.

  The months spun into years, Amanda gradually getting older until she became a high school senior.

  Gina and Amanda walked arm in arm in the mall. Shoppers flooded the stores. Windows were covered in Christmas decorations. Jolly music overflowed from the speakers.

  "I think he's going to ask me to Prom. Can you believe it?" Gina said.

  "You're already talking about Prom? That's months away!"