(Previous chapters 1-13 are available here.)
Arthur and Beatrix walked side-by-side across the vast valley. She looked at him. His brilliant red eyes gazed straight ahead. He looked so certain of where they were headed, and what to do next. She looked ahead again. The wind poured down into the valley. Dust and debris crept down the sides as Beatrix and Arthur made their way up the valley’s side. When they reached the top, they peered out at the overgrown forest ahead. Beatrix paused for a moment, and glanced back at the large clearing she had created. A sense of sadness filled her heart. Trees, hundreds of years old, lay scattered across the valley. She took a deep breath, turned, and continued walking.
The woods were alive with color. The trees were covered in orange and red hues. Vibrant flowers blanketed the forest floor. She walked up to a large pink flower that resembled an over-sized lily. The center of the flower emitted a mesmerizing purple light. Arthur gazed at Beatrix, adoring her fascination with the world around them. Her blonde hair poured across her shoulder, as she knelt down to smell the flower. He watched her smile; it made him smile. Arthur loved seeing her happy.
She stood back up, and they continued walking through the woods.
“Where are we going?” asked Beatrix.
“To the cuckoo tree” said Arthur.
Beatrix looked at Arthur; a confused expression spread across her face. “The what?” she asked.
“The cuckoo tree” said Arthur as if everyone had heard of it. “The cuckoo tree is a very old, large tree. Centuries ago, a very powerful warlock carved a cuckoo clock in the side of the tree, and spelled it. Each person gets to use the clock once in their lifetime. When a witch or warlock moves the pendulum, it takes them back to a moment in time they wish to see.”
“So it is like time travel” asked Beatrix.
“No” said Arthur. “Not quite.”
Arthur looked all around him for a second, scouting out the area, and continued.
“The witch or warlock is put into a trance” said Arthur. “Their soul visits the particular moment in time they wish to see, but their body stays behind.”
Beatrix looked at him with awe. “Do you know where this cuckoo tree is?” she asked.
“My great grandfather once shared with me his experience of meeting the clock. He told me that the clock was near the river bend. He told me the moss that grew on the trees surrounding the area was a vibrant yellow. That is what we will look for” said Arthur.
They continued on their way through the forest. Beatrix took note of the moss color every so often, but it was still a bright green. They began to hear the sound of rushing water. They made their way through the dense forest into a clearing. There was the river.
The water had a bright blue coloring to it, and was completely clear. Sunlight illuminated the vibrant water. Crystals shined and sparkled across the river bottom. Beatrix, enthralled with its beauty, gazed at it as the water rapidly rushed downstream.
“There!” said Arthur, pointing up ahead at a bend in the river. Beatrix gazed across the river and saw vibrant yellow moss cascading down the trees. They walked down the river bank, and stood at the edge of the rushing water.
“How will we get across?” asked Beatrix.
Arthur stood back, and muttered “bleqosa sorraloh.” With a flash of light, small sparkles floated around him. He lifted off the ground, and hovered to the other side of the river. He smiled at her as he stood on the river bank on the other side. “Now you try” he said.
Beatrix walked up to the edge of the river, closed her eyes, and muttered “blegus…sorulo?” A flock of tiny pumpkin orange birds flew to her, and rested on the shore around her feet. Beatrix opened her eyes to reveal the army of tiny birds surrounding her. She looked up at Arthur with embarrassment. Arthur tried his best not to laugh. “Try again” he said smiling.
Beatrix closed her eyes once more and exclaimed “bleqosa sorraloh!” Beatrix opened her eyes as a flash of light surrounded her. The birds fluttered in all directions around her. Her feet left the ground; she hovered over the river, and landed next to Arthur. Arthur walked up to her and gave her a big hug. “You did it!”
They walked past the yellow moss covered trees, and looked all around for the cuckoo tree. Up ahead, they could hear a bird singing a beautiful tune. Beatrix and Arthur followed the sound of the bird. As they walked through a patch of thick bushes covered in pink berries, there it was. The tree was as wide as a banquet table. The face of the tree was carved away, leaving the little cuckoo clock protruding from it. A little door at the top of the clock was open. A red bird was perched there, singing a beautiful melody. Arthur and Beatrix walked up to the cuckoo clock.
“We need to go back to the day your Mom and Dad vanished” said Arthur to Beatrix. “We need to see what happened.”
Beatrix began to tremble. She hoped her parents were alright. The destruction in her house flashed in her mind. She needed to know what happened.
“Ok” she said. “Let’s do it.”
They held hands as Arthur reached up at the clock. The little red bird paused for a second, looking at him, then continued singing.
He grasped the pendulum, raised it to the left, and…
I am using the tag "beatrix-percival", so you can easily find all the previous chapters, as well as see the new ones as soon as they are released!