The Key and the Broken Wing Final Edition

by Jessabell Tales

  Chapter Thirteen

  Towards the Frith beach but between the overgrown seeds and soft gravel laid a butterfly. Beside the butterfly's open wing, lay a circular path of white and brown seashells. The circular path had four circles of shells surrounding this butterfly. As the butterfly was small, it's only wing made it impossible for her fly Again. Jezzabell had not realised that she had shrunk in size, she hobbled to her right, as her wing touched the inside of a brown sea shell, she leapt back onto her feet. "Ouch" she shouted in pain and she began to grow into the form of a human being. The frosty fog of green mist that surrounded her hid her creature legs that were forming into thin and narrow feet. The green mist twisted and twined itself around her, covering her skin.  As it covered her knees the rest of the jeans showed up the dusty sand. It almost looked like she had fallen into the sand.

       As the green mist flew up her body, her worn top had faded into a loose rag, its arms covered her sparkling hands and her nails turned grey. It was almost as if she was dieing.

       "Stop!" shouted a man’s voice.

       "Krome, it would have stopped. She could hear us," Kimberly kissed his hand. His green and white sleeves hung onto his Stripped robe, covered with three silver chains revealed three separate pendants, a heart, leaf and of course a butterfly  dangling around his neck. The middle of the heart glow bright orange making the other pendants shiver amongst the silent breeze. It was almost like he had gained more power. His eyes glared right into Jezzabell's face. Perhaps he wanted to take her life. 

       "It is only until we become more powerful. We can always get Jezzabell to work in the human land for us whilst we hide in our new domain," Kimberly remarked. Both of them watched the final transformation of Jezzabell's black round head turn into a pale face. Her sleeping eyes lay closed amongst the purple eye shadow and her antenna's formed into little ears. 

       Once the mist had gone, Krome looked at her, it was almost like that she was pretending to sleep, but when he touched her sparkly hand she did not flinch.

       "It will be time to turn her into a Monarch," Krome spoke.

       "When the sun begins to move in the clouds, we can perform our chant," Kimberly suggested. She held his hand.

       "What's up?" Kimberly asked. Krome began to sniffle; it was like that he could sense someone or something. He grabbed Kimberly's hand tight making her cringe and he sniffed.

       "Someone's been busy healing," he mumbled. He glared at Jezzabell's sad face.

       "She can't heal, she has one wing," Kimberly spoke aloud.

       "That Peacock is cleverer than she thinks, but it won't save her," Krome sniggered.

       "You, you cannot kill her, she’s only a young peacock," Kimberly let go of him.

       "She is well known, killing her will make the Peacocks weak," he said.

       "No, you said you were going to turn her into one of us," Kimberly pulled the heart shaped pendant away from him. Before it could snap he pushed Kimberley onto the floor.     "If you want to be a peacock then go into that circle,"Krome yelled.

       "No, I am a Monarch," Kimberly stood back up.  She looked away from him and clenched her hands.

       "Don’t," Krome warned her as she was about to thump him. Kimberly's clenched hand fell into Krome's side pocket. As she pulled out a small piece of paper she began to read it. In green glitter, the healing glitter that Jezzabell had found was written in letters. These letters said that 'Kimberly N Krome are evil. Kimberly screwed it up and she threw it into the circle of shells.

       "Go, on, let’s see what energy we can drain from her," Kimberly grumbled. She did not want to think that she was mad or evil. She just changed sides. Her new friend Krome had talked her into becoming a Monarch. Kimberley also knew that she could not change sides again, even if she wanted to as Krome, the Lord of the Monarchs would kill her. She chose to be with Krome, make him into a boyfriend and share the glory.     

       ***

       Whilst they were waiting for the sun to go in, the round glassed room that held the sleeping policeman had been a sleep for two days. The light breeze blew the unlocked door open and a waft of green grass travelled across the room. George’s nose shivered as the smell of grass travelled up his nose. His weary eyes blinked. He opened his left eye and then he closed it. He opened his eyes and he jumped up from the chair. The green gem that Jezzabell had given him rolled towards the windows.

       "My foot," he sighed. He looked down, only to see two black boots, with shoe laces and the bad foot that had swelled, had grown back to his normal shoe size.

       "It worked, the healing potion worked," he cheered.

       "Quack," said the eldest swan. He looked at the upset swan and its cygnets.

       "I wish your little one was here?" he cried.  He walked up to the father swan and it widened his wings.

       "Ok, I know you want to protect them.” he said. He walked over to the windows, one of the young cygnets who had wandered away from its mother and father picked the green gem up. Holding it in its beak the policeman grabbed the young cygnet and the gem fell out of its mouth.

       "Quack, “it screeched running towards its mother.

       "Sorry, but I have to save Jezzabell," George apologised as he ran out into the small rain shower.

      

       ***

      

       Minutes later, or rather half an  hour later, once the rain had gone, he hid behind a bush, Over there near the white bridge, sat two rabbits, One which had made him fall over and hurt his foot. His happy face turned sour, he watched them chatter to each other.

       "Where is Jezzabell?" he asked himself. Again the rabbit’s ears twitched.  He opened the palm of his left hand and he looked into the green gem. Inside the gem he could see a picture of Jezzabell sleeping amongst a circle of shells. The gem wiped the image away to reveal two other characters.

       "Where is she?" he asked, the gem revealed a plot of long grass and soft sand.

       "OK," he sighed.

       He threw the gem across the small lake, both of the rabbits eyes glared at the bouncing gem. As it skimmed the water next to the ducks, the gem landed into a set of wild bushes.

       "Gem," the rabbits said and they hopped towards the bush.

       Just as they had turned their back towards the bridge the policeman ran over the bridge. He stopped halfway and said”I cannot see them awful rabbits.

       "Go, we will keep them from running towards you," the father swan answered him. George peered over the bridge, he could see the swan out on his own, the young cygnets wandered underneath. He knew that animals could not talk English, but today he could listen to their language. The green healing glitter helped him to listen to the Swans commanding the others what to do.

       "Go and help our butterfly," the swan spoke to him.

       "I will rescue Jezzabell, the two yobs won't get away from me," George made a fist and he continued to run onto the other side of the lake.

       "Hey it is me, do you want to place chase," the father swan spoke to the seagulls who were watching the policeman.

       ***

      

       The cloud just gathered around the sun. It seemed as though the sky had turned to Dusk.  Kimberly picked up the first circle of White Sea shells. As each White Sea shell had been taken out of the circle, Jezzabell started to wake. Her weary eyes opened and her sleepy smile turned into a frown.

       "What, What are you? Leave me," she yelled.

       "Shut up," Kimberly ordered.

       "Daniel, Daniel, Slinks,” Jezzabell shouted. Her sparkly face shined against the last part of the shining sun.

       "No one will save you. Why did you have to heal that policeman?" Krome asked. Kim
berly poured the White Sea shells into the bucket. He picked a couple of Shells up from the bucket and he blew onto them.

       "No, don't do that," Jezzabell screeched in pain. Her left foot turned white.

       "Where did you get the healing potion," he asked her.

       "It's none of your business," Jezzabell answered.  He blew onto the same shells again and her other foot became white. Jezzabell could not move, she wanted to walk near the shells but she couldn't.

       "No one answers back to Krome," he yelled.

       "Stop it, we need her," Kimberly knocked the White Sea shells out of his hand. Before he could catch them Kimberly caught them in her right hand and she closed it tight, crushing the shells into tiny pieces.

       "How could you," Jezzabell slightly shook her head. The spell she was under had broken, the past would reveal itself and more Monarchs would fly to Krome. Perhaps it was better that her Uncle would return to safe her.

       "I have to let him kill you," Kimberly shouted.

       "She will be better off dead, her uncle Cherrome will become weak and then I can rule the butterfly world," Krome was determined to kill her.

       "Kim, Please, Please," Jezzabell begged. Kimberly stood back.  She picked another sea shell up, held it up to her mouth and blew into its hole.

       Jezzabell' feet lifted off the ground and she began to shiver. Shivering in the cold, her pure white face turned into tiny winkles, she started to cry.

       "Now blow into the brown one," Krome ordered Kimberley to pick the shell up.

       They both picked a brown Sea shell up. Holding it together, counting to three, they blew the shell away from them. As it struck Jezzabell she slightly lifted.  Again they blew another brown shell towards her, she lifted higher and her arms turned white. The third brown shell fell into the circle and her emerald wing smashed onto the ground.

       "One more and she will," Kimberly cried.

       "I'm sorry mum, dad," Jezzabell whispered. She had stopped crying, her lifeless arms, hands and feet would not move.  Slowly the white shells that lay on the inside of the circle helped her to reach down. She just managed to pick a single white shell up. Cherrome did not come to help her out of the circle of shells. She knew that she would have to get herself out of this mess.

       "Ouch", she cried as she rose from the ground. She lifted her left arm up. The shell that lay in her hand made her arm stay still.  Again she could not move.

       "When trouble brews and you are not happy just blow, “She murmured her mum and dad’s old sayings.

       Krome and Kimberly blew their last brown shell out of their hands. Once the shell was heading towards her, she blew hard on the white shell. It dispersed into tiny grains of sand, leaving the little bit of shell on the floor. With the brown shell aiming towards her heart, Krome and Kimberly were clapping their hands. She closed her eyes.

       Whoosh," the wind blew Krome and Kimberly onto the floor. The Sea shells slowly edged towards Jezzabell and a large grey swan, larger than an average adult swan picked her up. It whisked her body onto its back, where a young lads hand held against her waist.  The swan looked down at Krome and Kimberly.

       "Gotcha", said the policeman as he pushed Krome back down onto the ground. Kimberly threw a white shell against the policeman’s head.  The shell shattered into pieces. George cuffed Krome’s bear hands.

       "Watch out," a ribited voice warned him.  As the rabbits were about to kick the George, he jumped as high as the tallest boulder making the rabbits bump into each other. They fell into the circle and they quickly became stunned.  Each rabbit stood still for a second and then they ran into the bushes.

       "Come here, you witch," George chased her.

       "No, I am not a witch. I am a butterfly," She said and she turned into a small creature with orange and green wings. The policeman tried to clap his hands over her, but she was too fast for him. He knew that he couldn't catch her. He turned round to find an empty pair of handcuffs on the sand.

       "They got away, I’ll catch them next time," he mumbled.

       "Where is Jezzabell?" George asked himself. He looked down and grabbed the small green gem that the rabbits had chased.

       "I need to return it to you," he shouted running after the flying swan.

       ***

       Jezzabell was leaning along the huge Swan, one not as white as an ordinary swan but light grey and swirls of black feathers. Her lame body felt the cold sea air fill her cold face with warmth. She opened her eyes.

       "Daniel, Daniel, you saved me," she cried, Daniel brushed her hair away from her face.  He smiled at her and starred into her eyes. Jezzabell smiled back, She grabbed hold of him and shuffled herself upright.  His eyes blinked every time she starred back at him.

       "We saved you. Babsy saved you," he stopped her from falling into the soft sand.

       "The missing cygnet, we thought we had lost him," George gasped. Daniel let go of her.

       "Your wings have smashed to bits. I am sorry Jezzabell, we couldn't save the wing,” Daniel looked away.

       "Slinks has got two butterfly wings, he is on the beach," Babsy spoke aloud.  Jezzabell sighed. Her feet began to turn back to its original colour and her winkles faded into the wind.  Her face lightened up.

       "Come on," Slinks shouted. Babsy landed onto the sand. He skidded into the ocean. Daniel leapt off into the shallow sea and helped her off the huge back.

       "Thank you Babsy, Do you want to see your family?" Jezzabell hugged the large swan.

       "Yes, I miss them," Babsy cried. Jezzabell blew him a kiss; All of a sudden he began to shrink back into a cygnet. The force of the kiss made Babsy skid further into the sea and his family flew above him. He had turned back into a normal cygnet.

       "Quack," he said in amazement.

       There was one thing that they had forgotten and that was the nasty seagulls. The two seagulls that were under Krome's control, dipped down near Babsy and as they were going to bite his little neck, the mother swan swung her left wing out and battered them with one heavy blow.

       "Ouch," they screamed bouncing in and out of the water. Both of the seagulls flew away into the sunset     "We will protect you Babsy," his mother quietly spoke. The other cygnets that had missed him swam up to him.

  “We missed you. Tell us about your days with the lads,” his siblings wanted to hear his adventure away from his family.

       "Jezzabell," Slinks waved her new emerald wings.

       "The butterfly queen gave them to me, she told me that you needed them," Slinks handed the wings over to her. Jezzabell held them up to the sun and she tossed them into the air. They carefully slid down and attached themselves onto her back. Each wing had the exact number of gems and pearls on each wing. Their emerald glow sparkled across the water.

       "That butterfly, I mean your queen told me that these wings will protect you for seven blue, brown and white shells. I don't quite understand it," Slinks passed the message on. Jezzabell’s wings began to flip in and out.

       "He can’t kill me, until the shells with the gems in are split." she said.