Exercise Your Imagination! Do you like stories with mystery and suspense? Well, if you do, keep reading and enjoy Eggcentricsagas. If you are just joining Eggcentricsagas, start from the beginning: A La Mano: Part 1-The Treasure
Magic had taken up residence at the corner of the house. Usually, the cat would snooze in the afternoon sun. But he stayed alert, his gaze trained upon his arch enemy. The foe in question was none other than Mason. Although the stone-throwing culprit was on the other side of the fence, Magic was not taking chances at being hit with another missile. Hard at work, the boy was trimming the large weeds to the ground. The cat scrutinized Mason, only occasionally blinking his big blue eyes as his tail flicked lazily.
Ravenna and the girls had chosen a spot under the apple tree near where Mason was working. They laid out their blanket, put down their snacks, and sat down. “Why don’t you join us for story time, Mason?” Ravenna inquired solicitously.
Mason looked up from loading an armful of chopped weeds into a nearby wheelbarrow. “No, ma’am. My grandpa says I need to get these cut down so he can dig the roots out.”
Pleased that Herman had listened to her, Ravenna persisted, “Surely, when you finish, you can come and have a snack. We have strawberry Kool Aid too.” Myrtle had informed Ravenna earlier that it was Mason’s favorite.
Mason looked longingly at the meal and then said hesitatingly, “Well… Maybe when I am done.”
“Then it is settled. When you are done, wash your hands, come through the house, and grab a cup from the kitchen cupboard.” The grandmother looked at the girls already munching on their crackers. “Now let’s see, where was I? Oh yes, the princess…”
“With the wind conjuring spell, the sailboat sped across the sea to the Moon Kingdom. Her long, blonde hair streaming in the breeze, Cora enjoyed watching the dolphins try to outrace them. Brooding, Owl crouched in the stern, as he didn’t like his feathers doused in seawater. Eventually, they reached the other shore and moored the boat in a small bay. Taking the lamp and the feather, Cora stepped out onto the dock. ‘What about the Book of Spells?’ she asked Owl. As the words came out of her mouth, the boat disappeared.
‘Don’t worry, the bird reassured her, ‘Raven told me how to summon it again, should we need it. Right now, we must find Frog. I heard he lives on the Amber River, deep in the forest. It is a long journey.’
They began following the dusty path lined with moonflowers into the trees. Cora tramped on and on through Grey Woods till, at last, she reached the Amber River. She walked alongside it, searching for lily pads with frogs on them. But none were to be seen upon the floating, round leaves. Worn out, the princess became impatient. She was unfamiliar with looking for things. If she wanted something, all she had to do was ring a bell, and a servant would appear to do her bidding. After spotting the tenth empty pad, she snapped at Owl in a nearby tree. ‘I’m tired! Where is this silly amphibian?’
The wise owl surmised, ‘He must have moved. I will fly up ahead and consult with some of my friends.’
Standing at the white picket fence, Mason interrupted Ravenna. “I’m done. Should I come over now, Mrs. Mariposa?”
“Yes,” Ravenna answered and nodded.
“Go on with the story, Baba,” Zerlinda told her.
“No, let’s wait. Mason might want to hear it.”
Looking cross, folding her arms over her chest, Zerlinda asked, “Why did you invite him, Baba?”
Mildly reproaching her granddaughter, Ravenna stated, “It’s better to have a friend than an enemy.” With Magic hiding from him, when Mason settled, the storyteller resumed her tale.
“Owl returned shortly and said, ‘It is not far. Keep going.’ Finally, he commanded her to stop. Landing on a nearby bush, he pointed to the ground. Cora looked and saw a small, round, yellow door with a tarnished copper lily pad doorknocker. The door was covering a hole in an old stump. ‘He is in there,’ Owl informed her.
Cora bent down and rapped sharply on the door.
‘He has a bad habit of ignoring that sound.’
The princess knocked again. This time more insistently.
‘He won’t come. You must just go in.’
Cora snorted. ‘And just how am I to fit in there?’
‘Well,’ said the old sage bird, ‘since you are weary, why not lay your head on that mushroom and take a nap. I will wake you when I think of a solution.’
Cora rolled her eyes in distaste but complied. Laying her head on the large red and white cap, soon she was fast asleep and dreaming. The princess dreamt Owl had told her to take the feather and write upon the scroll. Writing and underlining three times, I am Small, she looked up at the bird. He seemed to get farther and farther away. When the princess looked at the feather in her hand, it had grown to the size of her arm. Surprised, she dropped it and looked at the door. Now, with the dimensions that she could fit into, pulling the door open, ducking her head slightly, she stepped into a foyer. The princess continued down the hallway and, shortly, came upon another door. Partially ajar, pushing it open, she found a dark and dank room.
Somewhat apprehensive, Cora called into the gloomy interior, ‘Hello?’
‘State your business,’ a raspy voice croaked from a shadowy corner.
‘I am here because…’ The princess hesitated and wondered, Why am I here?
Before she could answer, a giant frog with a chubby face hopped towards her. He was greenish-brown with black stripes and spots. Wart-like bumps were on his chin and at the corner of his lips. His skin was moist yet scaly, and his large, buggy eyes were bright gold. Reminding her of Farley the Footman, he looked her up and down as would the servant and stated, ‘I know who you are and why you are here. To get what you want, you must give me a kiss.’
This idea disturbed Cora greatly, as she didn’t know what, where, why, or who she was at that moment. However, the memory of kissing a frog and him turning into a handsome prince surfaced. The princess kissed the amphibian and instantly regretted her action, as it was most unpleasant. His lips tasted like musty and mildewed leaves that have hidden for some time under a rock.
Ravenna puckered her face as she said the last statement.
“Ew!” the girls exclaimed in unison.
Mason added, “Gross!”
“Unfortunately, he remained a frog but smiled, if you could call it that, and presented her with coral earrings and a bracelet. ‘Find the mermaid,’ he croaked before dissolving into nothingness.
Cora woke up and opened her eyes. On the ground next to her were the pieces of jewelry.”
Ravenna stopped and stretched.
“But what about the prince?” Mason asked between bites of a Fig Newton. “I want to hear about him.”
“He was on the opposite side of the forest. Falling out of the Elder Tree, the prince might have died or severely injured and unable to carry out his quest, but another fairy took pity upon him. Her name was Tarragon, and she was very forgiving. Aware of the faults of Thaddeus, she knew he had a good side, too. Besides, she was somewhat enamored with him.”
“Baba, what does enamored mean?”
“That means that she had a crush on him.”
“Blech!” Mason exclaimed. Myrtle and Zerlinda both glared at him. Ravenna suppressed a chuckle and continued.
“Using her wand, Tarragon wove a net of sparkly, silken threads, much like a spider web, to catch him before he hit the ground. Thaddeus fell right into it, and it was like landing on a soft quilt of down feathers placed in a hammock. He bounced lightly on it and then crawled out.
Tarragon darted to him and asked anxiously, ‘Are you alright, m’lord?’
Still upset at losing his knife and being bested by a tree rodent, the prince nodded sullenly.
Trying to impress the prince, Tarragon told him, ‘I’m so glad that my net worked!’
Instead of thanking her for her efforts, he grimaced as he wiped the remnants of the shimmering mesh off his tunic and grumbled, ‘Glitter! I don’t like glitter!’
Unfazed by his sulky attitude, Tarragon flitted around him and introduced herself. Then she offered further help. Hummingbird had flown down and was also inspecting Thaddeus.
Intervening between Tarragon and him, she proclaimed, ‘Thank you, Miss, but the only help he needs is mine.’ Then, humming rather loudly, the bird shooed her away with, ‘Begone. Off with you.’
Frightened by Hummingbird, Tarragon flew away. However, not to be deterred, she hid nearby to watch and follow the prince.
The naughty fairy, Noscere, had stolen the prince’s belongings while he was in the tree. Now, she found his knife and placed it and his pack on the top of the entrance to Fairy Lair, a large hole hidden at the base of the tree.
Discovering his possessions gone, the prince became more irritated. All these interactions with the animals were foreign to Thaddeus. He was certainly not used to losing his things at such an alarming rate. ‘Where did all my stuff go?’ he shouted angrily.
Hummingbird saw the knife and pack nestled in the gnarled roots and alerted the prince. When Thaddeus retrieved his things, Noscere removed the barrier spell covering the portal to the fairy cave. For the second time in five minutes, the prince fell again. Now it was into a large tunnel. One that dove deep underground and followed the roots of the Old Lady of Grey Woods.
Next: The Myth of Madame Mariposa: Part 12-The Sea of Light
