Willow Bloom and the Dream Keepers

by E. V. Farrell

  “I knew you could, Willow.” Peonie pointed to the crystal path. “You must go now.”

  “I know,” Willow said reluctantly. She faced the dreaded crystal path and locked her eyes onto the silver platform at the other end. “Here goes. ‘Do not look down,’” she reminded herself.

  Planting one foot firmly in front of the other, she steadily inched her body through space, away from the Doorway, and towards home.

  Changing Times

  Hugo jumped first from his chair when the TriVrata began to emit a glowing pulse of light. “She’s coming back!” It took him only three strides to reach the TriVrata. With a faint tremble of his hands he tapped the symbols and recited the incantation: “Simbodin Dra-vartis Exmora Tempa.”

  He held his breath, waiting. Nothing.

  His parents and Willow’s parents had moved in closer. Everyone stared at the TriVrata.

  “Please work, please work,” Hugo pleaded silently. “Do something!”

  One of the sides of the TriVrata began to unfold, followed by the next two. “Thank you,” he sighed, and the adults echoed his sigh.

  The blue beam of light flashed outwards and the rainbow of colours came quickly after. Glancing at the adults, he could see their shoulders ease downwards as their tightly coiled tension unravelled.

  There was no mistaking Willow’s exhilaration as she stepped out from the beam.

  “You did it!” Hugo cried, half-hugging her before awkwardly pulling back.

  For a moment, Willow looked slightly dazed. Then a huge smile broke out on her face. “I know! It was unbelievable! Incredible!” She raised her hand for a high five. “You did it too!”

  Willow’s parents seized her and embraced her tightly.

  “Welcome back,” her mother said, tenderly cupping Willow’s face with her hands.

  “Good to see you home,” her father whispered, his relief palpable.

  “It was so amazing! I can’t believe I did it!” Willow broke away from her parents with a sudden gasp. “The TriVrata! I have to close the TriVrata!” She turned to see Hugo still on guard, with his parents beside him. “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  Clasping her pendant, Willow announced, “Zatvorus Ladora Imena.” They all watched as the TriVrata powered down, its beam of colours retracted into the central crystal and the sides raised themselves to form the pyramid. Willow tapped some of the glowing symbols to complete the shutdown sequence.

  “Thanks,” Hugo said, taking the hovering TriVrata. He pressed several symbols and placed it on the palm of his hand where it proceeded to fold itself back into a flat wristband.

  Back at the Cottage they were all sitting around the kitchen table, their hot drinks slowly turning cold as they listened to Willow’s account of the Prophecy and what it could mean. All kinds of theories and ideas began to arise. And the question as to why the Ancients chose Willow to be at the helm of this Prophecy in the first place was discussed more than once.

  They had been talking for well over an hour since returning from the woods and it was now nearing midnight. “I’m going to bed,” Willow told them. “I’m tired and I have to go back as soon as my body’s adjusted.”

  It was a little before midday and the thirtysix hour adjustment period was up. They all met in the woods at the back of the Cottage.

  “You okay?” Hugo asked, preparing to release the Chabels.

  “Yeah, just thinking about the trip. Mum and Dad are still pretty shaken up.”

  Hugo glanced over to Willow’s parents who were standing a short distance away. “You can’t blame them, the Prophecy is pretty intense.”

  Willow sighed. “I know.”

  Hugo let go of the Chabels and they immediately darted off through the trees in pursuit of the strongest portal. He raced off behind them, determined not to let them leave his line of sight.

  Willow followed on, allowing for some space between them so that Hugo could do his thing.

  Hugo found the portal with relative ease.

  “The Chabels finally seem to have bonded to you,” Willow commented.

  “Hmm – hope so.”

  Audrey and Thomas gave their daughter a tight embrace.

  “Stay safe out there, Willow,” Thomas said.

  Willow arrived on Thera and this time the dizzy sensations only lasted half as long and felt half as intense.

  “Your body is adjusting very well,” Avari told her. “Soon you will not experience the dizziness at all.”

  “Looking forward to that!” Willow said, her eyes still half closed as she waited for the brightness of the park’s colours to soften.

  Avari took her straight to the Doorways.

  Willow settled her body inside the circle for her second light stream. The gold symbols pushed up from the floor as she began her incantations, and her beam of light joined others already streaming across to Earth.

  Willow emerged from her trance-like state.

  “You were in the Light Stream considerably longer today,” Avari remarked. She helped her to the Healing Chair.

  The soft coloured balls of light restored Willow’s energy to optimum levels. Slowly, the radiant glass cylinder receded into the floor. “Aah, that’s better,” Willow said. “I love this chair.”

  Avari led Willow to the Halls of Mondria. “We will begin the search for the hidden Book in the History Room. There we may find clues left by the Ancients within our texts.”

  Willow was quietly excited about the Quest to find the Book. Even if it did mean that things were starting to get a bit hairy with the Dark Forces.

  Avari opened one side of the emerald green double doors. “The Consuli are aware that we both have full access to the History Room,” she said as they stepped inside.

  The Consuli looked up, their gaze on the two for several moments before returning to their work.

  The scale of the History Room was impressive. Willow stood gazing at the glass ceiling, which perfectly mirrored the room’s decagonal shape. Her eyes followed the shelves of books all the way down to the ground floor. There were more books here than she had ever seen in any one place; with a quick count, she estimated over twenty levels. There were floating lights too, in the shape of eggs, like the ones she had seen in the High Council Chambers on her first visit. She homed in on the hushed tones coming from some of the Consuli to her right but couldn’t make out anything they said. They had a number of scrolls unravelled across a desk with an unusual glass surface and were pointing to something written on one of them. In another area of the room there were Consuli holding quiet discussions about the three holographic galaxies slowly turning above their heads. A male Consuli in a red robe prodded an area of one of the galaxies with a long silver rod, which made that area become larger. Willow immediately recognised the Milky Way.

  “I will be back shortly,” Avari said.

  Willow broke her gaze from the holographic galaxies to watch Avari cross the room towards a woman in a turquoise robe. They greeted each other with a reverent tap of three fingers against their foreheads then exchanged a few brief words before Avari made her return.

  “I have spoken with Consuli Yule and she has offered her services should we require any assistance with the texts,” she said.

  “Sounds good,” Willow said. “Hey, what was with the greeting you just had? I haven’t seen you do that before.”

  “Consuli Yule is one of my teachers. Tapping our foreheads is how we honour each other, in recognition that we are both the student and the teacher.”

  “Hmph. Wish some of my teachers at school would do a bit more honouring.” Willow turned towards the bookshelves again. “Just how much history do you have in this room?”

  “The books and scrolls alone span forty-five thousand tarons of our history, which is approximately one hundred thousand of your Earth years,” Avari explained. “We use hard copy and holographic storage here; you may choose whichever modality you prefer.”

  “Some History Room!” Willow enthused. “I’m for the
hard copy. Who wouldn’t want to read an ancient inter-galactic book? So where do we begin? I mean, look at this place – it’s huge!”

  “Perhaps you could let your senses guide you,” Avari suggested.

  It took a moment for Willow to register what she was getting at. Willow hadn’t consciously applied her senses or her intuition to anything before. It usually just happened randomly, or at least that was what she thought. “You mean to find books that will help us figure out the Prophecy? I’ve never done that before, at least not on purpose anyway. I guess it’s worth a shot.”

  Willow wasn’t quite sure how to summon up her senses. She tried to remember how it happened when she was back home but she couldn’t quite work it out. Maybe the Light Keepers mantra of “Focus, then act” could help. She craned her neck towards the upper levels. “Focus, then act,” she whispered to herself. Willow’s eyes followed the shelves lined with books, but nothing caught her attention. She was just about to give up when she had a sudden impulse to turn to her left. “Huh! I’ve got a strong feeling to go to the third level over there,” she said, pointing.

  “Good, Willow. You are becoming aware of your inner capabilities,” Avari said. “The more you practice, the better you will be.”

  They made their way to an automated floating platform and stood inside the rail perimeter. Avari pressed number three on the rail.

  “Hold on, Willow,” Avari advised.

  Willow almost squealed with delight as the platform began to float up towards level three like a magic carpet.

  Stepping off the platform, Willow leaned over the side rail of level three to see the design of a cosmic map spread out across the dark polished floor. She made her way to the area that drew her. “Okay, let’s see …” She took in a calming breath and waited for a sign. Willow gave a faint gasp at the sight of a glowing book on the shelf in front of her. “This one,” she said.

  Willow coaxed the blue book out from its tight embrace between two other tomes. It was nearly as heavy as the TriGamon. “The Dark Light of the Universe,” was written in silver script. She read the title aloud. The name, ‘Arla Tax-amel’ was inscribed beneath. “It sure sounds like a book we need to read.”

  “Yes, it does,” Avari agreed.

  Willow held the book to her chest and made her way back to the automated platform.

  They sat at one of the large desks with unusual glass. Only then did Willow realise that the table had no legs. It was floating all by itself. And the strange glass was actually like a silvery liquid, so that when you touched it, it made a soft imprint within its surface.

  Avari placed her hand on the surface of the desk triggering a holographic screen to rise from the silvery glass. A keypad then appeared in the same way. She quickly moved her fingers over the keyboard. “I have asked for a compilation of references regarding the Ancients and Maliceius,” she said.

  Willow was still staring at the desk and the holographic screen. “That’s the coolest computer I’ve ever seen.” She leaned in and poked her finger through the screen. “So cool.”

  Avari looked at her. “Your world will create these one day.”

  They read some of the references on the screen, she began to tap and drag those references outside of the main screen to create even more screens. Pulling one of them towards her, she said, “I will begin the search for clues here.”

  “And I’ll start with this,” Willow said tapping the blue book.

  They had been reading for some time when Willow suddenly looked up from the page. “No way!” She lowered her head with a glance at the whispering Consuli and continued in a low voice. “I’ve found a direct reference.” Willow pushed the book towards Avari and pointed to a passage.

  Avari pulled The Dark Light of the Universe, a little closer. She began to read: “There will come a time when, in the tarons of the future, Thera will be made vulnerable. At this time one so young will appear from the Earth realm. She will hold the key to ending UnderLord Maliceius’s unremitting quest to cast a dark shadow upon the Universe. Her light will be strong and she will be skilled beyond any before her.”

  Willow could barely breathe. The moment she had read those words every cell in her body had buzzed with recognition. Being told about the Prophecy was one thing. Reading about it from a really old book was another level of crazy. And it made a reference to her!

  “This is good confirmation, Willow,” Avari said. “And it mentions your skills. Have confidence that they will develop and grow in strength as the Quest unfolds.”

  Willow shook her head. “I hope they do, because right now I’ve got no idea how I’m meant to do that. And I have to say, it’s really weird reading about yourself in that way.”

  They continued with their research for a while, reading about Maliceius and his servants, the Vraag, but they found no further references directly relating to the Prophecy.

  “It is time for your departure, Willow,” Avari informed her. “This is only your second visit to Thera; we must allow your body to acclimatise gradually. Your next stay will be much longer.”

  They walked through the gardens towards the Arch. A group of Light Keepers were already gathered there. Willow noticed a girl with bright red streaks through her hair talking to a young man wearing a blue robe. It had to be the girl she had met at ALFA. She waved to her as she and Avari approached. “Jessie – hi!”

  “Hi there,” Jessie replied in her Australian accent. “Glad to see you made it, Willow.”

  “Just finished my second visit,” she replied.

  Jessie gestured to her male guide. “This is Atlas. He keeps me out of trouble.”

  His gaze settled on Willow. “Atlas Pan,” he said, then shook her hand.

  “Avari Nova,” Avari said, greeting Jessie. “I am sorry that we do not have more time to speak. Perhaps on another visit.”

  “Yeah, sure, I’d like that,” Jessie said. “Well, we’d better get going before we start a queue.” She faced Atlas and offered her fist. Atlas pressed his fist against hers. “See ya when I’m looking at you,” she said to him. Jessie then turned back to Willow. “I’ve been teaching him a few Earth moves.” She then stepped beneath the Arch, and before she could finish saying goodbye, a swirl of colours swept her away.

  Willow went to say farewell to Avari, and in the turn of her head, noticed Ambrosia Abernathy staring at her from amongst the departing group. The scene from ALFA came back to her. She swallowed nervously and looked away.

  “Does something trouble you?” Avari asked.

  “It’s nothing. I should go.” Willow quickly stood beneath the Arch.

  A Bloom Christmas

  The following morning was Christmas Eve, and another traveller was arriving home. Willow made her way down the stairs shouting, “Mum, Gran’s here.” She opened the front door and her father was already unloading her grandmother’s luggage and Gran was walking up the driveway.

  “Hey, Jet-Setter-Gran! Great to see you,” Willow declared, giving her a hug. “I’m so glad you can stay for a few days this time. I’ve got heaps to tell you since we were in France!”

  “I bet you do,” her grandmother said, hugging her back. “Let’s go inside and you can tell me all about it.”

  “Okay. I’ll take a case, Dad,” she offered. Willow took hold of one of the suitcases and started to roll it along the path.

  “Ooh, I like this,” Grandmother Isobel said. “It’s like arriving at a five-star hotel – and I don’t even have to leave a tip!” she quipped.

  Willow shared her incredible visits to Mondria over a warming stew with crusty bread. Her Gran was stunned to hear about the Prophecy. Only the Keepers Council would be privy to that information back on Earth, though for how long, Willow wasn’t sure.

  They were sitting on the sofas by the fire and Grandmother Isobel recounted some of her travel adventures to China. “So you went from Mongolia to Beijing?”

  “That’s right, dear. I went to visit an old friend of mine in Ulanbatar before f
lying in to Beijing. I only stayed in the city for a day to get a sense of things and then ventured out by train to the countryside – a welcome relief from the crowds, I might add.” She shook her head in wonder. “It’s truly fascinating, seeing so many people living so closely together. I ended up spending most of my time in small villages up in the mountains, that way I could experience their culture at a slower pace – and eat the best food!” she winked, rubbing her belly. “There was a wedding in one of the villages and you wouldn’t believe the culinary delights they had … mmm, makes me hungry just thinking about it. Mind you, your mum’s food isn’t bad either,” she said, smiling at Audrey. “As for the bridal garments, they were something else. Beautiful silks all hand sewn by the local women in the village. It was lovely being a part of such an intimate celebration. I spent the week prior to the wedding with the bride and her family and I listened to how she spoke about her future life with her husband and the dreams that she had. It’s a precious gift knowing what we do in the Keepers’ community and more so when you have a granddaughter who is directly assisting those dreams to becoming a reality.”

  “Now I get why you love travelling so much,” Willow remarked.

  Isobel smiled. “It might not be inter-galactic, but it is very interesting. I still have to keep my wits about me because there are plenty of unexpected things that can happen, let me tell you. Erupting volcanoes, earthquakes, floods …” She took a sip of her wine.

  “You’ve been close to an erupting volcano!” Willow exclaimed.

  “Oh yes,” Isobel replied. “A bit too close for my liking. Mother Nature does like to surprise us occasionally but, as long as you’re able to stay calm and not let your fears over take you, you can get through just about anything.”

  “What happened?”

  “Well, fortunately the group I was with managed to get to an area where a helicopter could safely hover to winch us off the mountain.” Isobel placed her wine glass down. “Willow, that all happened well before you were born, but they’re not experiences I will ever forget.” She closed her eyes for a moment then stared into the fire. “I was fortunate to survive a horrendous flood once too. My friend Prue and I were in Chile and it happened to be one of their wettest seasons on record. It rained for days, non-stop. Your mother was at home with your Uncle Alex and your Pa. He was such a wonderful man. We travelled together often, but not on this occasion.” Isobel paused with a heavy sigh. “Anyway, enough of that. The rain eventually did stop and we thought that was the end of it. How wrong we were … It was hours later when we heard a deep rumble; it was unlike anything I had ever heard before. So loud, it vibrated inside my own rib cage! I’ll never forget that sound. The rumble was followed by a loud hissing. Very eerie. It got louder and louder until it was a thundering noise.”