The Golden Acorn

by Catherine Cooper

  ‘What is it?’ he whispered to Elan.

  ‘A water nymph.’

  ‘A water nymph!’ exclaimed Jack. ‘But aren’t they supposed to be beautiful?’

  ‘She thinks she is!’ explained Elan, but before she could say any more the creature began to speak to Nora.

  ‘I hope it’s important?’ she wheezed. ‘I was very busy and you’ve disturbed me.’

  ‘Jennet,’ said Nora, addressing the water nymph, ‘Elan is here and we’ve brought Jack Brenin to meet you.’

  She stepped aside so that the water nymph could get a better view of Elan and Jack.

  ‘Well that’s quite a different matter. Why didn’t you say they were coming today?’ She looked at Elan first and nodded her head, then turned towards Jack and spoke to him directly.

  ‘Come here Jack Brenin so I can get a good look at you.’

  Jack stepped forward rather reluctantly and stood in front of the nymph whilst she inspected him. He felt uncomfortable as Jennet not only looked but also sniffed the air around him. When she’d finished she turned back and addressed Nora.

  ‘He’s not much to look at is he?’

  ‘I agree,’ croaked Camelin. ‘He’s going to be as much use as a chocolate teapot.’

  An awful sound came from Jennet and Jack only realised she was laughing when Nora looked crossly at her.

  ‘I’m going to do my best,’ Jack announced loudly.

  This must have satisfied Jennet because she turned her attention back to Nora.

  ‘Does he know what he’s got to do then?’

  ‘Not yet, but he’s spoken to Arrana and she’s explained our problem to him.’

  ‘Is that all you wanted to tell me? I’m very busy you know.’

  ‘No,’ said Nora sternly. ‘I want you to promise to help Jack should he ever need it and tell the other water nymphs they must promise too. You can start by working out which symbol Jack needs for the lath Arrana gave him.’

  Jennet screwed up her face and narrowed her eyes.

  ‘What do I get in exchange for this?’

  The water began to bubble around Jennet again as she waited eagerly for her gift. Elan stepped forward and produced a large black shiny marble from her pocket. The bubbles were now turning into what looked like a mini-whirlpool. Jennet stretched out a long arm and wrapped her spindly green fingers around the offering.

  ‘This is very acceptable,’ she crooned and pointed towards one of the rocks in front of the well. ‘This will be your mark. Come and touch it.’

  Jack approached the well, taking care to stay out of Jennet’s reach. He put his right hand upon the cool mossy rock. There was a flash of light. The rock became burning hot. He pulled his hand away. Glowing in the rock was a strange symbol. His finger was throbbing and when he examined it, the same symbol was glowing there too.

  ‘Make sure you succeed Jack Brenin. We’re all counting on you.’

  Jennet’s words were almost lost as a final surge of bubbles engulfed her. Then she was gone.

  ‘Take the lath,’ said Nora. ‘See what happens.’

  Jack held Arrana’s twig in his right hand. He felt a strange hot burning sensation in his fingertips. The gnarled twig glowed too. It almost shone. To Jack’s astonishment it was now perfectly smooth.

  ‘Don’t you point that wand at me,’ shouted Camelin as he hopped out of Jack’s way. ‘Somebody show him how to put it away before he does any damage.’

  Before Nora could give Jack any instructions the wand grew even brighter. Sparks flew. One caught the tip of Camelin’s tail and slightly singed his sleek black feathers.

  Jack dropped the wand. Before it hit the floor it turned back into the same gnarled twig Arrana had given him.

  ‘I told you he’d be useless but I didn’t realise he was going to be dangerous. Look what he’s done to my feathers!’

  Jack hung his head. He didn’t want Camelin to see his smile. It had been an accident, unlike the acorn Camelin had aimed at his head, so in a way it served him right. Now they were even, but it wasn’t a good start if they were going to have to get along.

  BOOK OF SHADOWS

  ‘Pick up your wand Jack,’ said Nora kindly. ‘You’ll soon get used to it when you’ve had a few lessons. It’s quite safe as long as you don’t hold it in your right hand.’

  Jack’s mouth was open again, which seemed to amuse Elan.

  ‘Wouldn’t it be better if he didn’t hold it at all?’ Camelin grumbled as he twisted and turned to try and see the damage to his tail.

  ‘If you haven’t got anything good to say, don’t say anything at all,’ Nora snapped.

  Camelin gave a loud humph and flew into the nearest tree.

  ‘We’d better be getting back for tea,’ said Nora and set off along the path. Jack and Elan followed a little way behind.

  ‘Do all water nymphs look like Jennet?’

  ‘Oh no!’ Elan laughed. ‘She’s good looking compared to the others!’

  Jack wasn’t sure he needed to meet any more water nymphs.

  ‘Why was she so excited about the marble?’

  ‘It could have been anything shiny. Nymphs like sparkly things too. It really doesn’t matter as long as it’s not reflective.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘They’ve no idea that they aren’t beautiful. If Jennet saw her reflection she wouldn’t be very happy. Nymphs can do quite a lot of damage when they get upset.’

  The last thing Jack wanted to do was annoy Jennet. She didn’t look very pleased, even when she was laughing.

  ‘If you ever need help call her name through the water but make sure you’ve something to give to her in return.’

  ‘Would she get upset if she didn’t like what I offered her?’

  ‘It’s possible but she’d be more likely to disappear and refuse to come up again. It’s best to carry something at all times. You never know when you might need help. Camelin’s got a lot in common with water nymphs. He hoards anything in his loft if it sparkles or shines. The only difference is he likes mirrors. He’s very proud of his appearance.’

  Jack thought Camelin and Jennet had something else in common too. They both seemed grumpy and bad tempered.

  ‘Did you say Camelin has a loft?’

  ‘Yes, up there. Can you see it?’

  Elan pointed to the roof of Ewell House which was just visible through a gap in the trees.

  ‘That round window is Camelin’s ‘front door’. He has the whole attic to himself. I’m sure he’d give you something to keep in your pocket if you asked him.’

  Jack didn’t want to ask Camelin for anything. He decided to go through his things later. He was sure he’d have something a water nymph might like, just in case.

  It wasn’t long before they reached the hedge. Nora stood and raised her arms. Jack heard the rustling and scrunching as the hedge parted again. Even though he’d seen it happen earlier, it still made his legs tremble.

  Camelin was already in the garden. He was prancing up and down on the lawn with a small twig in his beak. He stopped when he saw them and made a great flourish in the air. Jack looked at his own wand and wondered what would happen if he did the same. Somehow, he didn’t think he’d be allowed to use it without supervision for a while, although he was desperate to find out what it could do. His thoughts were interrupted when a large white goose waddled around the corner and cackled loudly. She stopped abruptly and stared at Jack.

  ‘This is Gerda,’ said Nora, as the goose stretched her neck to get a better look. She nodded her head several times then started cackling at Nora.

  ‘She’s pleased to meet you.’

  Jack nodded back to Gerda.

  ‘Can she speak too?’

  ‘Only to Camelin and Nora,’ explained Elan, ‘but she understands everything we say.’

  Jack was relieved that not all the birds in Nora’s garden could talk.

  ‘Gerda’s our watch-goose. She helps to keep unwanted visitors out,’ explained Elan.
<
br />   The large goose snapped her beak and raised her wings. She shook her feathers, flicked her tail and cackled loudly again before waddling over to the pile of food Nora was sprinkling on the patio.

  ‘Perhaps after we’ve eaten you could try and get to know Camelin a bit better,’ urged Nora.

  At the mention of his name Camelin swooped down and landed in front of the patio doors. He hurried past everyone.

  ‘I’m afraid there’s nothing for you,’ said Nora. ‘I believe you ate earlier.’

  Camelin turned around and glowered at her.

  ‘That’s not fair. I knew I should have gone somewhere else to eat my sandwich. I’d forgotten what a blabbermouth that ash tree is.’

  ‘It’s a beautiful tree,’ replied Nora, ‘very reliable and always quick to inform me of anything which happens on the other side of the lane.’

  ‘Too quick!’ added Camelin sulkily. ‘It’s not easy being a raven when everyone pokes their nose into your business.’

  ‘Don’t you go taking any of Gerda’s food either,’ said Nora sternly when Camelin began shuffling towards the patio.

  Afternoon tea didn’t turn out to be tiny sandwiches or tea in china cups, as Jack had feared. Instead he enjoyed freshly baked bread rolls stuffed with cheese and a glass of Nora’s homemade ginger beer. Afterwards she sent him out into the garden to see Camelin.

  ‘Did you save me any cheese?’

  Jack shook his head.

  Camelin sighed and gave Jack a pathetic look.

  ‘They make really good sandwiches at the Cricket Club you know; big ones too, not like those tiny little triangular ones they have at the Village Hall.’

  ‘Do you steal food often?’

  ‘Well, I don’t consider it stealing. I like to think I’m doing them a favour, you know, like a tasting service. If the food isn’t any good I don’t eat it; they know there’s something wrong with it then.’

  Jack tried not to smile; food was obviously very important to Camelin.

  ‘How often do you leave anything?’

  ‘It’s only happened once. Last summer there was a Mexican night on at the Village Hall. I heard someone talking about a chilli and I fancied something cool, only when I tried a beakful it was red hot. Took me two days to stop my beak burning. Won’t be having any more of that in a hurry.’

  Jack had to laugh, especially when Camelin shook his head and made a disgusted kind of noise.

  ‘I’ve not been back to the Village Hall since then.’

  Jack thought that was probably a good thing.

  Elan came out carrying a small square book, which she offered to Jack.

  ‘This is for you.’

  ‘Thanks,’ he said, looking puzzled.

  It was handmade like all the other books he’d seen on Nora’s bookshelves. It was decorated with two trees. Their entwined knotted roots were made from twisted copper wire. In the middle, written in silver letters, were the words, Book of Shadows. It was like the one he’d seen in Nora’s herborium, only smaller, and at the bottom was his own name.

  ‘Wow! What’s it for?’

  ‘It’s for you to write in, not with a pen, with your wand.’

  Jack’s eyes became wide; he was going to be able to use his wand after all.

  ‘The first page is blank,’ explained Elan. ‘If you write my name or Nora’s at the top your message will appear in our books. We can write back to you the same way.’

  ‘But I don’t know how to use the wand.’

  ‘When you’re ready,’ said Nora, ‘take it in your right hand, wait until it transforms then instruct it to become your pen.’

  ‘What do I say?’

  ‘When your wand gets used to you, no words will be necessary. It will instinctively know what you want it to do, but for now try scriptum. Don’t get excited or you’ll have sparks flying again.’

  Jack had no idea how he was going to keep calm. To have a magic wand and be taught how to use it was incredible. He gave the book to Nora and took the wand in his right hand. The tip of his finger felt hot and soon the whole twig started to glow. It wasn’t long before the gnarled bark became smooth again.

  ‘Wow!’ exclaimed Jack.

  There was a crackle as sizzling lights erupted from the tip of the wand.

  ‘Not again!’ shouted Camelin and hurriedly skipped out of the way.

  ‘Take a deep breath,’ instructed Nora.

  Jack watched in fascination as he managed to bring the wand under control. His hand was shaking and the wand wobbled about but the sparks had stopped.

  ‘Imagine it’s a pen,’ urged Elan.

  Jack concentrated hard. He visualized his pen and prepared to say scriptum, but before the words left his lips his wand transformed itself.

  ‘You’ve done it!’ squealed Elan as she jumped up and down.

  ‘Brilliant,’ said Nora.

  ‘Beginner’s luck,’ Camelin croaked.

  ‘I can’t believe I just did that. Was it me or the wand?’

  ‘It was you,’ replied Nora. ‘The wand only works to your command.’

  ‘Try writing something to me,’ said Elan as she ran into the kitchen. ‘I’ll write back and you can see how it works.’

  Nora passed Jack the open book. He didn’t know what to write. He put Elan’s name at the top of the page and underneath wrote…

  …Am I doing this right?

  He watched the words sink into the page and disappear. Seconds later Elan’s reply appeared…

  …Yes… we’ll try it again tonight when you get home.

  ‘I think that’s probably enough for today,’ said Nora.

  Jack put his wand into his left hand. The smoothness vanished immediately. He knew without looking that he was holding the twig again; he could feel the rough bark under his fingertips.

  ‘If you have any questions about the task you have agreed to undertake just ask your book,’ explained Nora. ‘It also contains the history of the Otherworld in the section about The Annals of Annwn.’

  Jack flicked through the pages; they were all blank.

  ‘But…’ he began.

  ‘It’s magic Jack,’ laughed Nora. ‘You have to know what to do before it will reveal any secrets.’

  ‘Do I have to use the wand?’ asked Jack nervously. He didn’t want any accidents in Grandad’s house.

  ‘No, it couldn’t be easier,’ continued Nora. ‘Touch your name with your finger and the book will recognise you; ask a question and it will reveal the answer.’

  ‘If you want to write any secrets down, use the back pages. It will be invisible to anyone who might pick it up,’ added Elan.

  ‘It’s amazing!’ exclaimed Jack. ‘Thanks!’

  He couldn’t wait to try it out. It was going to be better than a laptop. He’d have an email, notebook and search engine, only he was going to be the power source. It still sounded incredible but he’d seen it work. It had really happened and he felt confident he’d be able to do it again when he was back at Grandad’s.

  ‘Camelin will take you down to the hedge,’ announced Nora.

  Jack would rather have gone out of the front door and he suspected Camelin didn’t really want go with him through the garden.

  ‘Come back tomorrow,’ Nora continued, ‘we’ve got a lot of things to do before you’re going to be ready for the ritual.’

  ‘Ritual?’

  ‘We’ll talk about it tomorrow.’

  Before Jack could ask anything else Nora and Elan went back into the kitchen leaving him alone in the garden with Camelin.

  ‘This way,’ Camelin grumped.

  Jack’s mind was working overtime as they made their way to the hedge. He was too busy with his own thoughts to worry about speaking to Camelin. He wondered what other surprises were in store for him. Could he be getting himself into something dangerous? Maybe Camelin was right and he wasn’t going to be worthy, or it could all be a dreadful mistake and this prophecy didn’t mean him after all. Perhaps he’d find out more
from his Book of Shadows.

  ‘Here you are,’ croaked Camelin.

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  ‘Can you bring some cheese with you?’

  ‘I don’t know if Grandad’s got any cheese.’

  Camelin looked disappointed.

  ‘I’ll see what I can find,’ said Jack kindly.

  ‘You won’t tell Nora?’

  ‘No, I promise, but she might find out.’

  ‘Not if I meet you here tomorrow. I’ve got a safe eating place. It can be our secret.’

  Camelin didn’t seem to be as grumpy now he was talking about food.

  ‘If you haven’t got cheese anything will do, except banana. I don’t like banana.’

  ‘I won’t forget,’ laughed Jack. ‘Bye.’

  Jack wasn’t alone until after dinner. He excused himself, went up to his room and took out his Book of Shadows. He couldn’t decide what to do first, write to Elan or try to find out more information about Annwn. He touched his name with his finger and watched as the silver writing glowed brightly. Without warning the book opened and pages began to flip over, slowly at first, then quicker until the book lay still. Beautiful flowing writing began to appear.

  The Law and Annals of Annwn.

  Jack plucked up courage to ask about the Otherworld.

  ‘Where is Annwn?’

  Beyond the four Portals of the mortal world.

  ‘What is my task?’

  Jack’s hands trembled. He was scared and fascinated at the same time. The book didn’t answer straight away so he repeated his question.

  ‘What is my task?’

  You must return to the past and find the three missing cauldron plates which were lost. Once the cauldron is remade the ritual can be performed and the Western Portal on Glasruhen Hill can be opened again.

  This must be the ritual Nora spoke about.

  ‘How can I return to the past?’

  The answer came straight away.