Willow Bloom and the Dream Keepers

by E. V. Farrell

  “She’s waiting for you to greet her,” her mother said.

  Willow headed for the door. “Oh my God, I won’t be long,” she chirped. “I know we’re leaving for London soon.”

  The pony was happily munching on some hay. Willow walked up very slowly so as not to frighten her. “It’s ok girl,” she said in a soothing voice. “No need to be frightened.” Willow could hardly believe the pony standing there belonged to her. She had been dreaming of a pony since before she even started riding lessons. Not that she needed any reminding, but here was yet another example of just how important it was to find the Book. Without dreams coming true, life would become pretty dull and miserable.

  “Now … what will I name you, I wonder,” she said looking into her pony’s dark eyes. “I promise before the day is done, I will have a name for you. I have to go away for a few hours for my birthday, but I’ll be back later.” Willow put her arms around the pony’s neck and gave her a kiss. “You are the best present ever.” She turned to the small barn where her father usually stored his gardening equipment and tools in and noticed that it had been cleared out. There was a layer of thick straw on the ground and a water trough too. It would be good enough to keep her pony sheltered from the cold and snow.

  On the way to London, Willow’s parents stopped off to first pick up Hugo and then Claire and Harriett. The moment each of them sat in the car, Willow told them all about her pony.

  “That’s a great birthday present, Willow,” Harriett stated.

  “I know, right?” she replied.

  Willow noticed that when the girls turned sideways to include Hugo, who was sitting in the rear seat at the very back of the car, their eyes became ogling pools of gooey mush. Harriett talked about her stay in Florida and then grizzled about the weather upon her return home, and Claire, she didn’t say much about Christmas but seemed glad to be back from Scotland.

  “So I’m really looking forward to today,” Harriett said. “I’ve heard the stage production of ‘Hair’ is really good. And High Tea at the Ritz, well, who wouldn’t love that!”

  “My grandmother gave me the idea,” Willow said. “She’s been a few times and just raves about it.”

  After the Theatre, Willow, along with her parents and her friends, followed the crowd out on to the street. “I really enjoyed that,” she said. Turning to Hugo she screwed up her face. “How about you? Not so much?”

  “Hmm, it’s an acquired taste, I guess.”

  Thomas grinned. “Very reserved of you, Hugo.”

  They were walking along a packed street, chatting and giggling about the show when Willow slowed down suddenly and turned to look behind her. For the past few minutes she had been feeling a little uneasy. She tried brushing it off but it seemed to be getting stronger and she could no longer ignore the sensations going through her body. With a sweeping gaze she scanned the street and the throng of people all around them – but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She pulled on Hugo’s arm and gave him a look that said, ‘slown down and match my pace’.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  Willow peered through the crowd again. “Can you feel it?” she said in a low voice.

  Hugo turned his gaze towards the people around him and then gave a quick look behind. “Do you feel like someone’s watching us?” he said quietly.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “C’mon you two,” Claire shouted, who was quite a way in front with the others.

  “Coming,” they both answered.

  “We should stay close together,” Hugo said.

  They took another quick look around before catching up with the rest.

  As they were crossing the road, Willow noticed an odd-looking man with long, jet-black hair standing on the footpath near the traffic lights. He wore a dark grey coat that skimmed the top of his boots, and he was staring straight at her.

  Willow was caught by the blackness of his eyes and only broke her gaze when a passing pedestrian bumped her shoulder. She turned back to where he was standing.

  “He’s gone,” she said in surprise. “Did you see him?” she whispered to Hugo.

  Hugo nodded.

  “Who was he?”

  Hugo shook his head. “Whoever he was, he sure didn’t look friendly. He made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.”

  “Don’t tell my parents,” Willow told him. “Promise me. They’re already worried enough with this Prophecy thing.”

  “Okay, promise,” Hugo said. “But if it happens again, we’ll have to. By the way, a friend messaged me from ALFA earlier. Said he’d heard a rumour that Ambrosia was somehow contaminated by some of Maliceius’s darkness when he was tampering with the Doorways the day communications went down. That was just before we went to France. That’s why she was acting so strange. Her Mondrian Guide noticed the changes and informed the High Council. And her family had begun to notice her unusual behaviour too. Anyway, the top heads at ALFA are apparently exposing Ambrosia to some kind of light frequency that can neutralise the effects, but it takes time. They’re watching her pretty closely. She’s been banned from leaving Earth until she gets the all clear.” He looked at Willow. “Thought you’d like to know.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “I saw her in Mondria a few days back. She threw daggers at me. That explains a lot.”

  Sitting at their table inside the Ritz Hotel, watching tiers of sandwiches and intricately decorated miniature cakes arrive, all worries of the strange man were put on hold. After munching through quite a few different sandwiches they all began, “ooh-ing and aah-ing” as they stuffed the small cakes in to their mouths. Tea and hot chocolate arrived to wash it all down. Just when they thought they might burst, a waiter arrived with a huge birthday cake.

  “Oh wow, what a cool cake!” Willow exclaimed. It was in the shape of a pony and covered in glistening dark chocolate.

  Willow gave a sheepish smile to the diners surrounding them when they joined in to sing, “Happy Birthday”. She blew out her thirteen candles.

  “What did you wish for?” Harriett asked.

  “It’s a secret,” Willow told her. She couldn’t very well tell them that her wish was to find the hidden Book in Mondria as quickly as possible.

  “Ooh,” Claire said. “Sounds very mysterious.”

  Somehow, they all managed to squeeze in a slice of birthday cake before admitting defeat.

  In the car on the way home, Willow began thinking about names for her pony. She went through name after name in her head, but nothing seemed to suit. Her mind wandered back to the man in the grey coat in London and again she felt uneasy. She would have to tell Avari about it.

  “Thanks for such a great day,” Willow said to her parents as they pulled into the driveway. “You’re the best.”

  “We’re glad you and your friends enjoyed yourselves.”

  Willow went straight to the laundry and changed into her boots before racing out to see her pony. With the sun already setting behind the hill there wouldn’t be much time before it was too dark to see. The small barn was now the home of her pony. Willow was disappointed that she hadn’t come up with a name yet. As she neared the barn, however, she began to hear a voice in her head that kept saying the same word over and over again. Willow smiled. She finally had a name that suited her pony.

  “Well,” she said rather smugly to her pony, “I did struggle with a name for you, but I think you just told me what your name is.” She cupped her pony’s face with her hands and stated, “From this moment on, I will call you, Mykah.” And much to Willow’s surprise and delight, her pony began to nod. “Well, look at you. You obviously approve.” Willow gave Mykah one last hug for the night and she sensed that there was something quite special about this pony.

  It was a little over a week since her birthday and Willow had already returned to Thera three times and resumed school. She prepared herself inside the portal again and smiled at the Woodsman, Fergus. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry,” she told him.


  “See you when I’m looking at you,” she said to Hugo, as she wrapped a hand around her pendant. “Otvari Man-drata.” The TriVrata opened and Willow stepped inside the blue beam.

  Moments after Willow’s departure the portal boundary began to shimmer and warp. This was now the second time that Hugo had to find a new portal during an Activation. The difference however was that his father was with him on the first occasion. He was now questioning the wisdom of his and Willow’s decision to activate the Doorway on their own without their parents being present. He had the Wood folk to help him but he knew his father would be mad, let alone Willow’s parents. They had both been told why at least one parent needed to be present during Activations. These were not normal times afterall. Maliceius was disturbing the peace – literally.

  He snatched the floating TriVrata. “Track the Chabels!” he told the vanishing Wood Folk. With his eyes on the Chabels he hurried off through the woods. The Chabels changed direction several times, almost as if they couldn’t quite detect where the strongest portal was located. He listened for the rhythmic tapping sounds left by Heath and Clover and eventually found the bright green stripes left on the trees. Finally, the Chabels did lock on to a new location. Catching his breath inside the portal, he released the TriVrata again. Hugo gave a heavy sigh as he texted his father the location.

  “Where’s Willow?” Thomas said the moment they entered the portal.

  “She’s – already left.” If looks could kill, well … Hugo swallowed.

  Not long after Hugo had finished explaining, the portal showed signs of being on the move once more. “This isn’t normal. Something’s wrong,” Hugo said.

  John glared at his son. “Yes, Hugo. As you have been told a number of times, there’s nothing normal about any of this. But now’s not the time.”

  Fergus pushed aside a wisp of dark hair from his silver-grey eyes and came up beside Hugo. “I wasn’t sure, but now I am. Tracking the Chabels here, I saw a slight colour change in the energy around the trees. Perhaps something is affecting the Sanct …”

  “Crap!” Hugo cried. The portal disappeared again and he could no longer see Fergus or the other Wood Folk. He swooped his hand towards the TriVrata and chased after the Chabels. “I’ll call out when I find it!” he yelled out to his dad. Hugo ran through the woods, scanning the trees for fluorescent green paint and completely missed seeing the log in his path. He came down with a heavy thud. “Aagh!” He raised his head to see the glowing Chabels fading away on his right. Wiping the mud from his face, he scrambled to his feet and patted down the pocket of his coat to feel for the TriVrata. “Thank God.” He pressed down on the stud to make sure it hadn’t come undone. “Guys, I could really do with your help right now!” he shouted.

  He heard the tapping sound in the distance and searched for a green stripe in that direction. Out of the darkness a green stripe emerged. One after the other, a trail of green stripes led the way. Hugo followed for quite some time before he finally caught sight of the hovering Chabels.

  “What just happened?” he asked the Wood Folk once he was back inside the portal. “What’s going on with the Sanctuary?” He turned to see his father and Thomas come through the portal’s boundary field.

  Fergus shook his head. “We are not sure.”

  “Portals don’t shut down like that,” Hugo’s father told him. “At least not that quickly. Something is definitely wrong.”

  The TriVrata began to glow, though it was too soon for Willow’s return. Hugo tapped the symbols for the return sequence anyway. “Simbodin Dra-Vartis Exmora Tempa.” He stepped back, but the blue beam didn’t appear. Frowning, he checked his watch and tapped the symbols again. Nothing. He waited and then checked his watch: two minutes had passed. It never took this long. He repeated the sequence once more and still nothing happened. “Even the TriVrata’s not acting right.”

  “I agree. But let’s not panic. We need to focus right now on what we can do,” his father said.

  “C’mon, Willow. Where are you?” Hugo muttered. “If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny.” He restlessly scanned the portal’s barrier for any signs of weakening then examined the TriVrata again.

  A cloud of familiar green was forming inside the portal. “Our time is brief,” Peonie’s voice was urgent. “A rift has appeared between two of the galaxies, causing disruption to the Doorways. All Doorways have been disabled and there can be no further travel between the worlds at this time. A residual effect will be felt inside the Sanctuaries. You must stay alert. It is imperative that you keep the portal open.” She looked upon the Wood Folk. “Assist Hugo in any way you can. I must go now.” Her form quickly faded away.

  A wave of energy rushed up through Hugo’s body. He turned to his father, tension in every fibre of his being.

  John looked to his son and then to Thomas. “We’ll figure this out.”

  Hugo took a few moments to breathe and centre himself. He then turned to address the Wood Folk. “You all heard Peonie. The Sanctuary’s playing up. If the portal starts to move you need to track it fast. And it’s probably a good idea to spread out – the Chabels could go crazy.” It was just as well that the Wood Folk were light on their feet and knew every part of the Sanctuary. “Leave your markers and I’ll follow you.” Hugo bent down to Fergus’s level and regarded him gravely. “You’re in charge of all the trackers. I’m relying on you.”

  “I won’t let you down,” the Woodsman said with an assured look on his face.

  Some time had passed before Hugo heard cracking twigs and running feet. Audrey burst in through the portal field, breathing hard.

  “Any change?” Audrey gasped.

  Hugo shook his head. “But the portal’s holding so far.” He could just imagine how Willow’s parents must be feeling. Audrey’s eyes were wide and scared. No-one spoke.

  The portal shifted three times in the next thirty minutes. Most of the Wood Folk had spread out, scouting the Sanctuary to help keep track of the erratic Chabels. There would be nine more portal shifts before midnight.

  “We can’t keep doing this!” Hugo said by the seventh shift. “When the Doorways re-open we have to have a portal open long enough for Willow to get back. Right now, they’re moving way too often to be anywhere near reliable.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Thomas said. His frown had been deepening with each run through the woods.

  Fergus’s whole body was drooping when he entered the portal, making him look even shorter than he already was.

  “Are you okay?” Hugo asked.

  “We are all feeling the effects of the Sanctuary fields not functioning correctly,” he replied. “But some of us have been talking and we think we have an idea that could help stabilise the portal and the Sanctuary.”

  The tired Woodsman gave them his plan.

  “And this is the first time this has ever been attempted?” Hugo asked, after Fergus’s detailed explanation of accessing the energy of the woods directly with the help of the community of Wood Folk.

  “Yes, to our knowledge,” Fergus said, gravely.

  “Is it safe?”

  Fergus’s face was a blank expression.

  Hugo sighed. “How will we know if it’s working? Remember, we can only see you guys when you’re inside the portal?”

  “We will need a little time to gather everyone but when the process of combining the energy of the woods with our community has begun, step outside the portal and put your hand on the portal’s field – then wait for the magic of the Sanctuary to do its work,” Fergus explained.

  “I guess you guys know this Sanctuary better than anyone. And keeping up with the portal shifts is only going to get harder. Let’s do it.”

  Much of the Wood Folk community had already gathered outside the portal. Holding hands, they formed a circle around the portal’s perimeter. Then, like the spokes of a wheel, seven groups stretched out from the circle in the direction of the woods, until the final member of each line touched a large tree kno
wn to the Wood Folk as a “Grounding Tree”. These seven trees were scattered throughout the Sanctuary and were responsible for generating the energy fields within it.

  The seven groups closed their eyes and in loud whispers began to chant, “Ashta Garta – Ashta Garta – Ashta Garta …” Their whispers grew louder and louder, and echoed around the woods like the sound of a thousand voices.

  Darkness Comes

  “What’s happening?” Willow asked Avari the moment she stepped away from the Arch. “Peonie practically pushed me through the Doorway!” There were several other Mondrian Guides anxiously awaiting their Keepers imminent arrival through the Arch.

  “There has been new damage detected between the Doorways,” Avari told her. “Repairs have commenced, however once again travel between our worlds has been interrupted.”

  Willow felt her heart rate quicken again. “So what do we do now?”

  Avari gestured towards the city square. “Creating Light Streams is still possible.”

  Willow sat in the circle surrounded by the golden pillars and began her incantations to create a Light Stream. The white orb that carried human dreams formed, and moments later streaked out across the galaxies.

  Later, after completing her Light Keeper duties, Willow entered the Halls of Mondria and immediately noticed a change in its glass dome. “Why is the dome grey?” she asked. “It’s usually clear.”

  “I am unsure,” Avari replied. “But do not be concerned.”

  Willow looked across the room to see Jessie and Atlas arrive from one of the Halls.

  “Hey, guys,” Jessie said. “We’ve just come from the Food Hall.”

  Willow noticed that there were quite a few Light Keepers and their Guides coming through the Halls.

  “We were asked to leave,” Jessie continued. She glanced over to a group of passing Light Keepers. “All of us.”

  “High Chancellor Antoy informed us that the security fields for the Halls of Mondria will be undergoing maintenance for a brief time,” Atlas added. “We may return upon its completion.”