by B. J. Smash
I blinked several times and refocused my attention on her, all the while I had a tight knot in my stomach. If I fell; I was doomed.
Three flips to the left, four steps to the right, and she spiraled up and posed with one arm up, one down, nose held high, straight legs and ankles crossed. I copied each move and landed on a single lily pad right before the rocks. I posed with one arm up and one down. I stuck my nose in the air, stood on my tippy-toes, and crossed my ankles.
The orchestra of pixies began to clap their hands, and hoot and holler. I’d done it! Slouching my shoulders, I stepped up to the rocks only to find that they were covered in slippery slime and I slid. As I stumbled back, a long white slender hand with sharp black nails got ahold of my ankle. I grabbed a protruding rock and held on for dear life. Unfortunately, he was strong and his other hand came up and latched onto the same leg.
I could do nothing but scream like a crazy woman. But as luck would have it, I had gained the respect of the pixies and they came to my rescue, swatting his hands, and biting his fingers as hard as they could.
He finally released me and I escaped to the mossy bank. That was one fresh water merman I did not want to mess with. He made the stories of modern day mermen sound like happy bed-time stories. I panted and wiped the sweat beads from my brow. The pixies went back to their gaiety, slapping me on the back, and a young little peppy one kissed my cheek.
“Ivy, we like!” she said.
They coerced me to have lunch with them and it wasn’t too bad at all. Dandelion roots, watercress and arugula salad was on the menu. Then they brought me an acorn filled with a green liquid that tasted like watermelon and lime. Oona said it would give me energy for the road.
“You will run four mile. At the end of four mile, you climb Rock Mountain. After, another several mile….straightaway. You will find what you are look for.”
“I will find what I’m looking for?” I clarified.
“Yes,” she said. “Pixie no go there unless have to. We stay here.”
“Though I walk through valley of shadow of death…” The old man pixie said. I believe he was trying to recite an old bible verse.
“Ah don’t listen to old timey. Yes, this wood dead. This wood called: DBD forest.”
“DBD? What does that stand for?”
“Death by Depression,” she said. “It cursed.”
“Great,” I said, not having a clue what I was getting myself into.
Apparently no one was coming with me. I was now going to be on my own as I walked through a forest coined, “Death by Depression.” They waved as I turned to leave.
“Good-bye,” I said.
I was soon out of sight and in the middle of a dark wooded forest. Half the trees had gnarled roots that grew above ground, and leaned sideways forming a weave of impenetrable walls. I climbed over and walk crisscrossed through the maze of tangles. Solstice would have had trouble making it through here without flying.
My bottom lip quivered as I thought of my friends back in the field, but I bit down on it. Hard. There was no room for sorrow right now. I must be tough and carry on; or they wouldn’t make it. They were counting on me; and me alone.
Despite my attempt to be strong, tears spilled down my cheeks and an overwhelming feeling of dread filled my soul like a gooey black mess.
I fought my way through thickets and bramble, gaining many cuts and scratches along the way. Instead of the ever present white misty fog, there were dark clouds drifting around, and they smelled of smoke and decay. A pit with goo gurgled and bubbled from the earth, and black smoke rose up from its center. It had the suffocating smell of sulphur and it made my eyes water.
I had to be the only living thing here. I heard no sounds. No birds. No squirrels. Not even a single buzz of an insect. I even focused once, just to catch some sign of life. I couldn’t find any and it had been a waste of my energy. This forest was definitely cursed and I didn’t want to be here any longer than I had to be.
As I walked along, my thoughts became gloomy and with them came a heaviness that burdened my soul. I thought of Granddad and how he was getting old, and he had to hobble when he walked. And Gran…she was going to die someday. And oh, how I loved Drumm but I loved Lucian too. And why? Why didn’t I get to go to Hy Brasil instead of coming here to this forest? My thoughts were relentless.
I hate Ella. She’s such a pain. I should just let her get the damn djinn bottle. Let her take over Merribay and rule the stinkin’ world. Who cares? Everybody is always rude to one another anyway. The world sucks.
These thoughts were unlike me but they continued to torment me just the same. I wiped my tears with a handful of dead, brittle leaves, and they disintegrated on my face. The leftover dust flew up into my nostrils, and I inhaled the putrid fumes of death and decay. Stumbling, I fell to the ground and curled up into a remorseful lump.
Oh how I hated everything. Things were horrible. Izadora was a pain in my butt. Drumm probably liked someone else that was prettier than me. My father prefers Zinnia over me because she knows more magic.
Yes, the forest had me pitying myself to the point where I didn’t want to continue. I could have probably laid here and wallowed in my depressing thoughts until death consumed me. Instead, I grabbed the elven stone around my neck. It was the only positive energy that I had around me but even it had darkened. I said a prayer, hoping it would somehow reach through the thick canopy of dead limbs hovering above me and head out into the Universe. “Give me strength,” I whined aloud.
My thoughts of horror continued: Why is my sister better at magic? She’s such a bitch. Why doesn’t my father go and see my mother? They suck. Izadora thinks I’m useless. I can’t stand her. I’m such a failure. They are all so much better than me.
Indeed, this forest was like some sort of purgatory. If you stopped to think about everything negative in your life, you would conjure up more untrue thoughts and lose sight of your destiny. This was similar to death; I had no doubt. That must be why some spirits linger here on earth. They lose sight of the light. They don’t think they are good enough to make it into the light.
I was in a purgatory.
The last thought I remember was of Drumm and how he’d probably marry someone else, and forget all about me…if he was even alive. How could I know for sure?
And then…blackness. I was conscious but in the dark. I couldn’t open my eyes but I could still feel my body, move my fingertips, and feel the tears roll down my cheeks. It was the scariest thing I’d ever experienced. I was alive…but dead. It was like being buried alive in the earth.
I don’t know how long things went on like this. An hour. Possibly two? Maybe three or even four! When finally, I could see a speck of light. It opened up and expanded, and I could see Izadora standing on her porch. Her singing bowl lay on the floor with the rune stones inside. She held a staff and looked toward the sky. Suddenly, she turned and slammed her staff into the wooden floorboards. The runes flew up, the bowl following close behind. The bowl began to sing loudly with a zinging noise, and the rune stones floated above the opening. They came into some sort of formation, appearing like a constellation. They hovered before her face and she straightened her slouched shoulders, and appeared to be looking right at me.
“Snap out of it girl!” she said in an encouraging way. “Wake up! Time is coming to a close. Look to the Light Elf within you.” Her last words continued to echo within the dark caverns of my brain.
And she was gone. Like the flip of a page, there was another scene before me. Aunt Cora and Aunt Clover were standing outside Gran’s house. They were inside a circle of salt and they wore their long witchy robes, and pointy hats. They held their hands to the sky, although Aunt Clover leaned on a crutch. Outside the circle the wind whipped at great speeds, bending limbs, and swaying branches. It was like a helicopter was about to land. My conclusion was…the aunts are powerful.
Next, I saw my grandmother at the kitchen table. A tree limb scraped the window and the wind how
led outside. She held firm to her golden cross and before her was an opened book. The Holy Bible. And with these events, a sliver of hope welled up inside me.
Coexistence was a firm rule in my family’s household. Something that had to happen or we’d be at one another’s throats.
In the next scene, I saw my mother. She sat beneath a beautiful tree surrounded by a patch of violets. A picturesque waterfall as her backdrop. Her back was aligned with the tree, and her eyes were closed. A soft white glow surrounded her as she focused on something. Was it me? Was she sending me positive energy? Her eyes flew open causing me to flinch inside, but she seemed to be staring at nothing. She picked a violet without averting her eyes and held it out toward me. I wanted to take it but I couldn’t move. And then BAM! I was awake. Back to the smelly, dank, decaying forest of death. My limbs were stiff but I could move, and when I pushed myself up to my elbows, lying on my chest…was a pretty purple violet.
***
My family was rooting for me. Whether their prayers, and positive energy could reach this alternate dimension—I didn’t know. But I liked to think that it did.
I crawled for a long time, just barely being able to move. This depth of darkness was like nothing I had ever felt before. A depression so horrible that even after seeing visions of my family, I still wanted to lay down and never move again. But I fought it. I fought it with everything I had. Groaning, I pulled myself up to my feet using a black tree branch, connected to a dark tree covered in an oily slime, and circled by shadows. Negative vibes vibrated within the tree and I quickly removed my hand. The tree was alive but it was also being tormented by this horrible presence. This saddened me further. If I could help this forest, I would.
I tried to pick up speed, dragging my feet the entire time and soon came to a river the color of blood. It was spooky as hell itself. Anxiety overwhelmed me but I needed to cross this water. I stepped only upon the dry rocks and began to talk aloud to myself. Who knows what would happen if the water touched me?
“Where have the pixies sent me? To my doom?” I wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my arm. “What has happened here to make it so damn desolate?”
After crossing the river, I noticed a patch of flowers. Several of them grew in a cluster beneath a rock wall. I had seen this certain flower once before. My Aunt Cora had one and she used it to curse her ex-fiancé. He had deserved it though, after what he had done. Anyway, this rare flower I knew to be Hades Paradise. The dark purple flower had black edging that bled into the purple petals. It was sort-of pretty but deadly when used in spells. I was becoming entranced by these flowers and I had to do something to break the spell. Holding out my purple violet, I glanced at it, instead. This worked and soon my feet were moving again.
I continued on, carefully not touching the trees and finally I saw slivers of light trickling down through the limbs. An iota of hope fueled my heart and my muscles felt less like cardboard.
To the left of me, I noticed a cavern. What are the odds? The opening was shaped like an almond and one red flower grew at the entrance. I knew what this cave signified. This had to be the cave that held Izaill’s magic “chimera bean.” Forget that! I wasn’t wasting my time. He could be as disappointed as a pig without mud but I was not going inside to get the bean. Just forget it. I wasn’t even supposed to come this way! This way was shown to me by the pixies. How did he ever think I’d find it on my own? This was far off the original path that I had intended to take. Unless…he and Izadora knew something that I did not. Wouldn’t be the first time. I snorted. Besides, if I didn’t get out of here soon, I was a goner. The heaviness of this forest was no joke.
Another quarter of a mile brought me to the edge of the forest, where the sunshine spilled through with a gentle warmth, covering me with a blanket of light. Instantly, my worries melted and I took a moment to rest, taking in deep breaths. Not wasting any more time, I opened my eyes and took off jogging through the valley. Birds! I could hear their lovely songs and see their beautiful wings as they flew through the sky. There on a flower sat a turquoise dragonfly and on another flower, a stinkin’ beetle! There was life once again.
I chased a butterfly while my head cleared of the oozing sadness that I had just experienced and the darkness that had permeated my soul. Perhaps it was rather childish of me to chase a butterfly but at the moment I didn’t give a flying hoot. Soon enough, I was able to think clearly again and I began my trek to Rock Mountain.
Chapter Seventeen
I felt a million times lighter after leaving the “DBD” forest behind. Nothing could stop my happiness and hold back the energy that welled up and burned inside me. This race would soon be behind us all and that bottle would be mine. Well, I’d have to hand it over to Izadora but still that bottle was mine to win.
My thoughts drifted to Hy Brasil, and how I’d soon be learning Earth magic on the enchanted Maximus Bay. Maximus had a more natural approach to magic and this is what I enjoyed the best. Izadora’s magic seemed like an unrealistic goal to me. It was more complex and the rules were far more complicated.
It wasn’t that I wanted “easy” magic. Believe me, Maximus had powers far, far beyond Izadora’s. I mean, he once lifted the whole island of Hy Brasil into the clouds. I’d like to see Izadora try that one. He wasn’t called, “The Great Wizard Maximus” for nothing, and he was considered to be the best of the best.
Izadora, well… she was bossy and kept secrets from me. She was haughty and she was arrogant.
I guess some of the negativity from Death by Depression forest still lingered in my heart, and I was taking it out on thoughts of Izadora. I was angry with her.
Yet, there was something about the old woman that I missed. But my negative thoughts soon came to a close when I approached the vast cliffside of Rock Mountain. It was still a good half mile away and the thing towered over me. The top—if there was a top—was swallowed up in clouds.
Picking up speed, I ran through the forest and was soon at the base of the cliff. Flowers abounded here, as if someone had nothing to do but plant flowers. I disliked trampling over them but there was no other way to go around. Hundreds of flowers, ranging from purples to pinks, reds and yellows, blues and greens. And there I was, standing before the majestic and mightily steep cliffside. It seemed to expand straight up and I had no idea how this climb was going to happen. I’d have to give it my best shot, anyhow, and wish for the best.
That’s all I could do. Most of my strength, as with any elven, lay in their legs. We had upper body strength of course but I was still a young woman with no climbing experience. Yes, I thought I was strong but strong enough to climb this monstrosity? And with my bare hands?!
Regardless, it had to be done. And how high could it be anyway? Those clouds were probably covering the tippy top. I was going to do it anyway and there was nothing here to stop me. I braided my hair and tucked in the purple violet that my mother had somehow sent me through time and space. I still couldn’t fathom that one and I would be asking her about it.
I took several deep breaths before I lunged up the side to grab an overhanging rock. There weren’t too many rocks above me that stuck out this far. This was going to be one heck of a harrowing hike.
I kept my eyes in front of me most of the time. The mass of steep gray granite above me became more and more intimidating as I climbed. Here and there were tree limbs attempting to grow but they were so far apart that they weren’t of any help to me.
“You’re home free after this hike,” I said to no one but myself, which was a sure sign that I was getting nervous. Each time anxiety threated to overcome me and close my throat, I would take a deep breath and exhale. I was careful though…I didn’t want to end up hyperventilating.
About half way up (or what I thought should be half way), I looked down. I’d never been afraid of heights but this could be the exception. The flowers blended together now.
Shaking those thoughts aside, I focused on the hike ahead of me. The surface w
as becoming more and more sleek, and there were less and less places to hold onto. Not a good sign. What was I going to do if I ran out of foot holding? Climb back down? I’d never make it!
“My arms are so stinkin’ sore,” I complained to myself. Resting my head on my arm, I held back tears. These tears were not of sorrow. Nope. They were tears of pain. My arms were really starting to burn. My legs were holding in there but my arms were beginning to shake, and sweat dripped down my backside.
Finally, I was in the clouds and I couldn’t see the ground below me. I had a headache coming on and I could only guess that it was from the pressure of being up so high. The white misty fog peacefully floated around me and clung to the rocks. A few sun rays beamed through, coloring the clouds with a golden hue. It almost seemed angelic and for a moment I felt as though I was hiking up to the heavens.
Never the less, it didn’t last. Rumbling could be heard off in the distance and the clouds seemed to take on a darker quality, and soon they were grey. The smell of rain lingered in the air.
“Oh, how lucky I am,” I said through gritted teeth. “Stupid clouds. Go away!”
However, they didn’t listen and it began to rain. I continued to climb and it continued to pour.
“What have I done,” I whined, “to deserve such a piddle of good luck in my lifetime?”
I never thought of myself as the whiny type. No, that was my sister, Zinnia. She used to whine about everything. Not so much anymore; but in the past she’d never shut-up. If she were here, she would somehow have made it up this cliff with the use of magic. I tried to remember a floating spell…a flying spell…a disappearing mountain spell! But no…nothing. I hadn’t studied anything of that caliber yet.
“What is wrong with you? Why don’t you want to learn some hefty spells? Then maybe you could save yourself for once!” I chastised myself, and then I pretended I was Zinnia for a moment. What would she do in this instance without the use of magic?
