Maddie Shirkoff: World of Odds

by Danit Knishinsky

  “That was ridiculous!” Chloe snarled.

  “I swear it had to have been one of the guests! I say we check on them right now!” Casper growled.

  Maddie only had a limited amount of time to return to her room, then leave again to continue her quest for the castle’s magic. She checked her watch and was annoyed to find out that it said it was now two am and she had to “wake up” at six am to continue the journey. Maddie ran down the hall pausing every few seconds to catch her breath. She entered her room and as she quietly jumped back into bed, she clutched the key tighter in order to calm herself down. She held her breath as the voices of Casper and Chloe got closer by the second. As the two puppies came into the room, she stayed extra still in order to not make a peep.

  “Hmph,” grunted little Chloe angrily. Chloe seemed downright angry at the fact that she now had nothing and seemed to have wasted her time going on a chase for no absolute reason. Maddie heaved a sigh and peered down the hall to see if the two puppies were gone. Maddie quietly rose, ignoring the exhaustion that pulsed through her body. It was like venom, slowly reaching every part of her.

  Maddie began walking through the halls to the kitchen. She imagined what would have happened had Casper and Chloe apprehended her. The poor goblins would have also been in trouble…even if they had nothing to do with the situation. Maddie felt guilty in a way because she could only seem to imagine they would receive the worst of the worse punishments. Maddie continued walking until she reached the pantry. Groaning with exhaustion, Maddie pushed the pantry door open. As she walked down the spiral staircase, she found, to her delight, the chamber door untouched and open. As Maddie approached the iron door, she held the key in her shaking hand.

  Maddie inserted the key into the keyhole, and she was instantaneously excited to realize that at this very moment, there was a real possibility of returning home. All she wanted was to see everyone she cared about again, to feel the warmth of her mother’s touch, and to eat the food that her father kindly brought home every day. She took a deep breath and made sure that she was ready and… she inserted the key.

  Maddie watched as the door slid open ever so easily. The door seemed to be old, and because of that, it made many odd creaking sounds. All Maddie could see at first was a dimly lit room with a dark brown desk, a brick fireplace, and a nice crackling fire. As she looked around more, a bookshelf came into view.

  5 boxes sat on the shelf. She decided to open each of the boxes and every time she opened one of the dark black boxes with gold decor, she was not too shocked to find spoons and cups to measure ingredients and more tools to help with magical cooking, potion making, and dangerous spells that could instantly defeat an enemy with 1 flick of the wrist (she made a mental note to try these on Charlotte, the mean girl at the rink, later).

  Maddie didn't want to lie to herself. It was one-hundred percent true that she was highly annoyed with the fact that she couldn't seem to find any sort of magical ingredients or a magic cookbook. She knew anything she found would be somewhat valuable but not as valuable as any items in this odd room that were magic. As she was getting ready to leave, from the corner of her eye she noticed a gold door. It was embroidered with diamond designs. Clearly expensive. It was as if it was purchased just for this room, for it fit the wall’s and room’s designs perfectly. It reminded Maddie of the custom designed items you could simply purchase online.

  Maddie tried to open the door, giving it a little nudge. The door seemed to be incredibly heavy, so she tried her best to shove it open. It was clear the king and queen didn't want anyone in here because as soon as she pushed the door open a little bit, a giant ax came swinging out of nowhere!

  Maddie ducked with a terrified squeal and backed into the wall. The ax slowly went back to its hidden spot, and the little door that had opened to let it out was once again hidden from sight. Maddie watched with horror as she felt a tiny poke hit her shoe. Nails were coming out of the floor. Bits of clothing and dried blood were on the nails. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time someone had attempted to break into the royal magic chamber. Maddie hopped onto a random table, her shoe falling off, left on the floor. Maddie watched as the nails rose, one of them puncturing her shoe. As soon as the nails retreated into the floor, Maddie desperately grabbed her shoe and did her best to place it back on her foot before some other ridiculous trap came to kill her. Nothing seemed to happen next so she went over to the door, finding herself victorious for surviving that encounter.

  It had no signs of a keyhole which made Maddie NEED to explore. As she opened the door, she peeked inside, hoping to find magic within the walls of this chamber. To her surprise, every shelf in the room was filled with bottles and bottles of magic. Maddie excitedly began to look around, preparing a bag she snatched from the goblins’ cave for the trip. But of all the items Maddie was interested in within the room, only one specifically caught her eye.

  A lovely little book laid in the center of the room. As Maddie stepped closer, she looked at the cover and found herself incredibly fascinated at the beauty that was inscribed on the cover page. The design was simple but stunning. The cover was light brown and showed a wave pattern inscribed with gold. As Maddie eagerly flipped through the pages, her smile slowly turned to a frown. It was a book about magical ingredients.

  Half of the book contained information about magical ingredients themselves while the other half listed out magical recipes. But, as Maddie searched thoroughly through the recipes, she realized that none would be strong enough to heal Sparky. She had flipped through a few of the healing spells, but each time it ended with the same sentence: magic for minor injuries. But if this was a cookbook with somewhat minor spells for beginner magicians, then what was it doing placed in the center, being the most important feature of this little room? Maddie figured there was a more important book somewhere in the castle. After all, something more powerful wouldn’t have been so easy to find. But for now, she had to make her way back to her bedroom.

  Maddie crept back up the hallway while she clutched the key in one hand and the cookbook in the other. She seemed to be incredibly weighed down from the amount of magic she had stolen from the chamber. Maddie once again checked the time and was very annoyed to discover it was now 5:30 a.m. That’ll be only thirty minutes of sleep! How will I act natural in the morning if I’m falling asleep at the table?! Maddie ran as fast as she could to the room, hid all her supplies under the bed, and fell asleep in only a few seconds with Sparky lying beside her.

  Chapter 8

  Busted!!!

  Maddie wasn't sure if she would be able to rise out of bed that morning only thirty minutes later, but she did anyway. She knew everyone would be too suspicious if she missed breakfast or acted out of exhaustion during the meal. As Maddie trudged down the hall, she searched her bag to make sure nothing had been removed or taken. Luckily, the bag had not been touched, which meant that it was safe to head to breakfast.

  While passing through the hall, Maddie watched as the servants solemnly put up a few more pictures of a young girl who apparently belonged to the Enchanted Royal Family. At first, Maddie figured it was only Princess Luna. But as she peered closer, it seemed to have been another child about eleven years old. The same age as Maddie. She was wearing a royal blue ball gown and donned a tiara of diamonds like her mother. As she watched the servants put the picture up, she noticed each one curtsying at the picture and lighting a candle. What could have happened to this child? Who was she? Questions filled Maddie’s head like a swarm of angry bees.

  “Ma’am?” Maddie asked a nearby maid.

  “Yes, Madam?” the maid responded quite suddenly as if she had been trained to answer inquiries quickly.

  “Who is that girl in the picture?” Maddie said, walking up to the portrait. The maid slowly looked at Maddie, as if still deciding and pondering exactly what that answer might be.

  “That is Princess Kara,” she said, “She was taken from the Royal Family by the evil queen. Kara was playing o
utside with Casper and Chloe,” the maid looked at Maddie then went back to adjusting the picture.

  “So that is who the evil is in this world! Queen… um… name?” Maddie asked meekly.

  “Lilith. Queen Lilith,” the maid shuddered as if it was too terrifying of a thought to allow permission to roam around her brain. Maddie figured that the topic must be hard to talk about for the Royal Family.

  “Do you mind telling me a bit about what happened?” Maddie asked thoughtfully.

  “I already did. Just not in great detail,” she grumped.

  “Well, I wouldn’t mind if you told me the story in great detail,” Maddie shot back.

  “I don’t like to speak of it. It is a waste of time repeating it over and over and over again. By the time I am done explaining, people like you always have another request or question about the subject. All for that dumb reward the king and queen are giving out to find their daughter. Can anybody just ask about her because they feel bad?!”

  “Well, that is what I was trying to do before you yelled at me,” Maddie said, annoyed with the maid.

  “Very well then.”

  “Thank you. Now, may I hear the story?”

  “Alright. Everyone in Enchanted knows about the Royal Family. It is a common goal for many people either inside or outside the kingdom to try and kidnap a member of the family. They could earn great money for doing that. Hold the child and demand money for their return. However, many commoners wouldn’t think of harming the children. After all, the royals are like family to them. Although there are guards all around the castle, the children do not need them when they are playing in the courtyard. Kara knew this. Every commoner understands 1 thing. The security outside the castle is protected by magic. No commoner could get into the castle. However, one person could. For one to try and defeat this woman would make them mad. Kara knew she couldn’t fight off Lilith. Neither could the guards. They tried very hard to save her, though. But nothing worked. Kara has been missing for a few months now. Three to be exact.”

  Well that was one heck of a story, Maddie thought. She thanked the maid and continued to walk down the hall. She had to hurry to the breakfast table. She didn’t want to look to the others as though she had slept in…that was a bad sign considering her eye-bags were probably GINORMOUS.

  As Maddie walked down the hall, she wondered: Why would the evil queen take Princess Kara? There had to be a good reason for kidnapping a Royal Family member. As Maddie sat down at the table, she wanted to think of the best way to raise the subject of Kara with the family. If Maddie found the evil queen (and Kara of course), there would be tons of different magical ingredients in the evil queen’s lair! And of course, she would be able to save Sparky! Maddie hurriedly ran to the dining hall. Everyone was already seated.

  “Dear lord! Maddie looks like she didn’t have enough sleep whatsoever!” Ragon said as he peered across the table. As soon as that remark was made, Casper and Chloe looked at Maddie suspiciously. Everyone at the table waited for Maddie’s response.

  “Ah. Well you see… I was up all night for Sparky. Yes! Sparky! Hehe…” Maddie nervously giggled. The king shot her a confused look. It was as if he suspected something…

  “Well. If you were up all night for Sparky, then what was wrong with him, may I ask,” the king inquired. But, through the fake smile and tone of voice, something told Maddie that he was waiting for an accidental or jumbled-up response, then he would point to her as the one who stole the key and broke into the chamber. That’s when it hit her. She had forgotten to close the chamber door! No wonder the king was suspicious! It was obvious that someone had snuck into the chamber last night! And Maddie was the only one awake at the time!

  Maddie scolded herself. I messed it up! she thought. I gave up the fact that it was me by attempting to deny! Maddie knew that she would have to see how much more she could deny it. But she knew that once the king had found out, she would have to RUN.

  Maddie looked at the king and said, “As much as I enjoyed this lovely breakfast, thank you, I understand that my timing for our visit is to be cut short so if I may…would you mind if we traveled through your land?” the king looked boggled for a second due to the quickness of the question. After all, many people would love to spend more than one night, right?

  “Sir?” Maddie brought the king out of his thoughts.

  “Ah, well Maddie, as you know, the royal land is the safest route. But of course, a challenge always lingers. Therefore, I always need to make sure that the people who are taking this roadway are to be trusted.” That word hit Maddie hard due to the fact that she had not been very trustworthy towards the Royal Family. But her excuse never changed. It was for Sparky.

  “Guards,” the king said, “Check the child’s bag.” Maddie knew what she had to do.

  “No,” she screamed! “Get your dirty hands off me!” she cried as one of the guards grabbed her wrist to pull her away from the bag. The goblins were in utter disgust at the fact that their amazing royal stay had been ruined by Maddie’s lack of brains. “WELL DON’T JUST STAND THERE! RUN!” she shouted across all the commotion. But each goblin had been handcuffed. Maddie stared in shock.

  “I didn’t take anything!” she shouted nervously. She hoped she sounded more confident in front of the family than she did to herself. But, Maddie knew. They had figured out what she had done. There was no point in denying it. She would have to fight back. As the goblins stared in disbelief at Maddie, they seemed to understand why she had done what she had done. All of them except for Samara. It was like the two were having a mind war of their own. It went a little something like this…

  Maddie: I’m sorry… I didn’t think we would get caught.

  Samara: Oh, that’s ok. I totally understand that you had no clue we would end up handcuffed and grabbed by a bunch of giant, sweaty guards. NO PROBLEM, MADDIE.

  Maddie: Really…I had no idea. Why are you so mad? If I knew exactly where the magic was…I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN UP UNTIL 5:30 A.M LAST NIGHT!

  Samara: Good to know. Next time, why don’t you consult with us instead of going on to ROB THE ROYAL FAMILY?!

  Maddie: It’s fine. We will find a way out of this.

  Samara: YOU will find a way out of this. Until then, I will come up with ways to KILL you in your sleep!

  Maddie: I appreciate your lovely idea, but I am not exactly drawn towards the idea of my death at elleven years old!

  Samara: Well, you will end up having it if you don’t get us out of this situation!

  Maddie: Calm down. I will figure something out. I have an idea.

  Samara: Yes. Because I should trust your ideas. LOOK WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THE LAST ONE!

  Maddie: I DIDN’T KNOW!

  Samara: THEN YOU SHOULD’VE WAITED UNTIL YOU DID KNOW!

  Maddie: And if I did… SPARKY WOULD BE DEAD!

  Samara: I DON’T SEE SPARKY DEAD RIGHT NOW! SO, YOU WOULD’VE BEEN ABLE TO WAIT! BECAUSE NOW…

  Maddie: Now what?!

  Samara: Because now… SPARKY ISN’T DEAD, AND WE ARE HANDCUFFED BY A BUNCH OF GIANT, SWEATY PEOPLE!

  The entire argument had gone on rather quickly. But, in the end, they were still handcuffed and said no words except for what was communicated through their looks at one another and angry facial expressions. And neither of them liked the conversation very much. Maddie tried to escape from the guard’s grip, but it was no use. They had her locked up nice and tight.

  “Take them to the dungeons,” King Caimal ordered.

  “Yeah! And why don’t you murder my dog as well!” Maddie yelled sarcastically. Sparky had been put in a cage.

  “If the dog dies, then the dog dies,” he said coldly.

  “Nobody robs this family without receiving punishment,” the queen said.

  “But…I was doing it for-” Maddie was cut off.

  “SPARKY! WE KNOW!” Samara yelled, “BECAUSE OF YOU, THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE IN THIS STINKING POSITION!”

  “But he-he-he-he’s my d-d-
d-dog…I want him to be s-s-s-safe,” Maddie’s body shook and she at once broke into sobs. It was embarrassing to have everyone watch her cry, but they were all so wrapped up in the situation that, truthfully, nobody cared.

  The group was escorted down the hall. The guards took an abrupt turn and removed a portrait. Behind the painting was a staircase. The very one that led to the dungeon so many feet below.

  Chapter 9

  Time to Break Free!

  The guards had managed to stop Brido from whining after giving him a blow to the head. Maddie and the remaining two goblins watched as Brido slumped unconscious.

  Samara was outraged. “HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY BROTHER,” she screamed, “I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO IS ALLOWED TO WHACK HIM OVER THE HEAD LIKE THAT!”

  “What Samara means is that we will stay quiet until you-” Ragon began.

  “I MEAN WHAT I SAID! IF I BREAK FREE OF THESE HANDCUFFS, SO HELP ME!” she shouted, her naturally green face slowly turning a beet red.

  The staircase was long. And it was no easy breeze for these guards to carry one incredibly mad goblin, a crying child, and 1 heavy, unconscious goblin. Ragon stayed very neutral. Since each guard took 1 prisoner, Ragon’s guard seemed to be incredibly thankful for his choice to grab the quiet one.

  The dungeon was gray, with rusted iron, and one single seat for the dungeon guard outside the cell. The group was not pleased to find out they all would share one cell. It was an absolute mess. Samara was happy that the guards had removed the group’s handcuffs as soon as they had entered the cell. Luckily, the guard who was on watch duty in the dungeons seemed to be tired, so he fell asleep right away. Some guard, Maddie thought. With the entire group in one cell…Maddie had no clue how the guard seemed to sleep so peacefully.

  After all, a lot of noise was being made…Maddie sobbing in one corner, Samara cursing angrily in the next. Not to mention Brido’s groans of pain. He sat up and asked, “Why did the big, sweaty, hotdog hit meeee? Ooohh…beefy…” then he fell back over once again unconscious. Ragon, however, still had not said a word. Not even with all this commotion.