| Children Fiction posted January 19, 2025 |
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In The Attic - 7
Tabitha
by Begin Again
"Jordan!"
The voice was soft and musical but insistent. "Jordan!"
The young girl rolled over and pulled the blankets around her chin, burrowing deeper under the covers. The voice called again, and Jordan stirred, listening.
Rubbing her eyes, she sat up, calling to her brother, asleep across the room. "Quinn," she hissed. "Wake up."
He groaned, pulling a pillow over his head. "I'm sleeping, Jordan. We're on vacation, remember?"
"Quinn, someone is calling my name. "Listen!" she whispered.
The voice came again, clearer this time.
"Jordan — Quinn — I need you."
Quinn sat up abruptly, his eyes wide. "Okay, I heard that. Who is it?"
Jordan climbed out of bed, motioning for him to follow. "It's coming from the attic."
"The attic?" Quinn whispered, his voice tinged with nervousness. "We're not supposed to go up there at night!"
Jordan shot him a determined look. "When has that ever stopped us?"
"You've got me there." He swung his legs over the side of the bed and followed his sister out the bedroom door.
Together, they crept to the attic door, careful not to make a sound. The faint glow of moonlight filtered through the hallway window, casting long shadows on the walls. Jordan slowly turned the doorknob, wincing at the creak, and they slipped inside.
The attic was dark and silent, except for the faint shimmer from the mirror. The surface rippled like water, and a figure emerged — a fairy with jagged wings and worried expression.
"Jordan! Quinn!" the fairy called, her voice trembling. "You must come quickly — it's Lyria. She's in danger!"
Jordan frowned, stepping closer. "Who are you?"
"I'm Tabitha," the fairy said, her voice urgent. "A friend of Lyria's. The Forbidden Glade trapped her. I barely escaped to warn you!"
Quinn eyed her suspiciously. "Lyria's never mentioned you before."
"She wouldn't have," Tabitha said quickly, wringing her hands. "Lyria is too proud to admit she needs help."
"Hmm — she had no problem asking us for help," Quinn responded.
"And we've met a lot of fairies in the forest. Why weren't you ever there?" Jordan chimed in. "Is this some kind of trick?"
A tear trickled down Tabitha's face, splashing against the mirror. "Okay, Lyria and I had a misunderstanding, and I haven't been around much. But when I heard she went to the Forbidden Glade and the gremlins had trapped her, I knew she needed help."
"The Forbidden Glade?" Jordan echoed. "I've never heard of it."
Tabitha's wings fluttered, sending sparkling dust scattering. "It's hidden deep in the Forest of Wonder. Few dare to enter because the magic there is wild and unpredictable."
"Why would she go there alone?" Quinn asked, his brow furrowing.
Tabitha's eyes shimmered, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Because she knew it was the only way to save the forest — and you."
Jordan's jaw tightened. "Save us?"
"The spell she was trying to stop," Tabitha said, her voice quivering, "was meant to sever your connection to the Forest of Wonder forever. Without her intervention, you would have forgotten this place entirely. She risked everything for you."
The twins exchanged a glance. Quinn shifted nervously. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"
Jordan nodded. "What does the Guardian say? Did he send you?"
"The Guardian — uh!" Tabitha's voice wavered.
Quinn leaned closer to the mirror. "Yeah, the big guy who's in charge. Did you tell him Lyria needed help?"
Tabitha thought for a moment and then whispered, "No because Lyria would be banned from the Forest of Wonder if the —uh — Guardian found out. You don't want that. Do you?"
Jordan hesitated, glancing at Quinn. "What should we do?"
Quinn folded his arms. "We should wait until morning. Grandma's going to notice if we disappear."
Tabitha's gaze turned mournful, and she raised her hand. A swirl of light appeared, forming an image of Lyria caught in a glowing net, struggling against invisible bonds.
"This is her now," Tabitha said softly. "I can feel her pain through the magic. But I'm not strong enough to free her. Please, I beg you. I need your help."
Both children gasped as they stared at Lyria trapped in the net.
The room fell silent. Jordan clenched her fists. "We'll come."
"Jordan!" Quinn protested. "What if it's a trap?"
Tabitha's eyes sparkled like diamonds. "If you do nothing, you'll lose Lyria forever."
Jordan grabbed the pendant hanging around her neck. "Let's go."
Quinn groaned, "I suppose you're right. We must help our friend, but something tells me this is going to be a disaster."
He touched the pendant, and they slipped through the mirror. Tabitha flew ahead, calling them to follow her into the forest.
*****
The air grew colder, and the light filtering through the trees turned an eerie green with purple streaks. The path opened into a clearing with a massive oak tree towering above them. Its branches stretched toward the sky like arms, and at its base was a small, wooden door with intricate carvings glowing faintly.
The air grew colder, and the light filtering through the trees turned an eerie green with purple streaks. The path opened into a clearing with a massive oak tree towering above them. Its branches stretched toward the sky like arms, and at its base was a small, wooden door with intricate carvings glowing faintly.
"This is it," Tabitha said, her voice hushed. "The door to the Forbidden Glade."
Jordan stepped forward, her fingers brushing the carved symbols on the door. "What's inside?"
"A way forward," Tabitha replied cryptically. "But it's not for the faint of heart."
Quinn hesitated. "I don't like the sound of that."
"It's for Lyria. We have no choice," Jordan said, gripping the pendant. "We're going in, Quinn."
Tabitha smirked faintly as Jordan pushed the door open.
The twins stepped inside, and the floor gave way beneath them.
Jordan and Quinn screamed as they tumbled down a long, twisting shaft, the walls of the tree blurring into darkness. The fall seemed endless until they finally landed on a soft, moss-covered floor with a thud.
Quinn groaned, sitting up and brushing dirt off his pants. "I knew this was a bad idea. Where's Tabitha?"
Jordan stood, looking around. "My guess is that she didn't come."
They were in a dimly lit tunnel with walls that seemed to shimmer as if alive. Strange markings pulsed softly along the floor, leading deeper into the darkness.
"Where are we?" Quinn asked, his voice echoing.
"Inside the tree," Jordan said. "But something doesn't feel right."
Quinn muttered, eyeing the pulsing markings warily. "I don't see any exit signs."
Jordan studied the markings. "We'll follow the markings on the floor."
The twins followed the glowing path through the tunnel, their footsteps echoing softly. The air was damp and cool, and faint whispers drifted from the walls, speaking words they couldn't quite understand.
"Are those voices?" Quinn whispered.
"It's probably just the wind," Jordan said, though she wasn't entirely convinced.
As Jordan and Quinn ventured deeper into the tunnel, the whispers grew louder, transforming into low, mournful moans. Shadows shifted along the walls, and the markings on the floor pulsed erratically.
"This is —," Quinn muttered, gripping Jordan's arm.
"Don't say it, Quinn. We have to be brave. Remember your Scout patch?"
"I can be brave." Quinn's jaw jutted forward, and he stood taller, a beacon of determination in the darkness.
A face emerged from the tunnel wall, its hollow eyes and jagged mouth twisting as it let out a long, ghostly wail. "Leave — this place."
Quinn stumbled back, his heart pounding. "Did that wall just talk?"
Another face appeared, then another, until the walls seemed alive with moving, wailing faces. Their voices overlapped, filling the tunnel with a jarring wail of sorrow.
"We are bound — trapped — doomed to remain —"
Jordan forced herself to speak despite the fear tightening in her chest. "Who — trapped you?"
A nearby face twisted toward her, its expression pained. "A cruel magic binds us here. Help us, and we will help you."
Jordan and Quinn exchanged a look. "How do we help them?" Quinn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The face gestured weakly toward a small alcove in the wall, where a shimmering chain of light pulsed faintly. "Break the chain — free us."
Jordan stepped forward cautiously, examining the chain. It radiated a cold energy, sending chills through her fingers as she reached for it. "This has to be it."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Quinn asked.
"No," Jordan admitted, gripping the pendant for strength. With a deep breath, she pulled at the chain. Cold energy surged through her, but she held firm, yanking, but the chain wouldn't come free.
"Let me try." He wrapped his fingers around the chain and pulled, but nothing happened. "Jordan, let's pull together. I know we can do this."
The twins put their hands around the chain and tugged. "It's no good, Quinn. We aren't strong enough."
Quinn looked around the room for something to help them break the chain. Then he saw it — a short metal bar. Jumping across a pile of rocks, he raced toward the bar.
"Quinn, what are you doing?" Jordan called frantically.
He picked up the bar and waved it in the air. "My Scout Leader showed us how a bar could add more tension to something. If we twist it so the chain tightens, it might snap."
"Good job, Quinn. Hurry and let's try."
Quinn slipped the bar through one of the chain's loops, and they both pulled, twisting the chain.
SNAP!
The chain popped and fell to the floor. Quinn's triumphant yell echoed through the tunnel, a release of the tension that had gripped them.
The wailing ceased. The faces melted back into the walls, and a gentle hum of gratitude filled the air as little people, gnomes, or dwarfs appeared one by one. "You have freed us. Now, we can help. We will guide you."
"Our friend, Lyria, is missing. Tabitha told us —"
"Tabitha? She's an evil one. She's tricked us all." A gnome with a very long white beard stepped forward. "I'm Stonebeard, and my friends here are Earthstone and Sagewhiskers. We were the keepers of the Earth Treasures, but Tabitha tricked us and stole our powers and the treasure."
"Oh no!" Jordan cried. "She brought us here and said Lyria was in trouble. We've got to find her."
"We said we'd help, and we will. Let's go before it's too late."
As they continued through the tunnel, they stumbled into a chamber where tiny, shimmering cages held fairies. Their wings drooped, and their light was faint.
"Help us," one fairy begged, her voice weak. "Please, free us from this curse."
The twins inspected the cages. Each lock was shaped like a thorny vine, pulsing with dark magic.
Each of the gnomes tried their best, but their powers had faded. "We're sorry. I guess we aren't much help."
One of the fairies could barely lift her head but cried, "Take the glitter from my wings. It might give you more power."
The other fairies whispered, "Take mine, too."
Stonebeard nodded. "Maybe combining all their remaining power might be enough. It's worth the try."
Jordan shook her head. "But if we take their glitter, they might die."
The tiniest fairy lifted her head. "Do it! Even if you only save a few of us, it's better than all of us dying."
Stonebeard exchanged glances with Earthstone and Sagewhiskers. "Come on, guys. We'll each climb up there and gather the glitter, and then we can hold hands and give it a shot. What do you say?"
Soon, everyone, including Jordan and Quinn, was climbing the trees and gathering the glitter from each fairy, their lights fading fast. They put the glitter in Jordan's hands, and then everyone wrapped their hands around hers.
"Now what?" Jordan asked.
One of the fairies lifted her head and said, "Call on the Guardian to send you strength in your time of need. But hurry — we don't have much time left."
Together, they all called out, their voices echoing through the tunnel. "Guardian, we need your power and strength. Save the fairies, please."
Nothing happened.
With more determination than he'd ever shown, Quinn shouted as loud as he could. "Guardian, please help us. Help the fairies."
A tiny white orb appeared and hovered over their hands, its light growing bigger and brighter by the second. Suddenly, the room was aglow, and a brilliant flash of light struck each of the locks, breaking them. The doors on the cages opened, and the gnomes lifted one fairy at a time from inside.
When the last cage opened, the fairies circled the twins and gnomes in a jubilant dance of gratitude. "You've saved us," their leader said, her voice filled with relief and joy. "Now we will help you."
The fairies cast a spell, lighting up the chamber's walls and revealing a hidden staircase spiraling upward. "This will lead you out of the tree and to Lyria."
The twins climbed the staircase, the light from the fairies illuminating their way. As they reached the top, the tree opened into a new clearing, and the path ahead seemed to hum with energy.
One of the freed fairies hovered beside Jordan. "Lyria is near. We sense her magic, but it is faint. Hurry."
*****
Famished from their ordeal, Quinn's hand went to his pocket, searching for a candy bar or anything to eat. Instead, he pulled out the sorcerer's gift — the small pouch of sparkling powder. He held it up for Jordan to see. "I forgot about this. The sorcerer said the forest would come to our aid."
"Then use it, Quinn." She pointed to something moving in the distance. "It looks like Tabitha and her army are coming for us."
Quinn tore open the pouch and flung the powder into the air. "We need help!" he cried.
The powder sparkled as it spread, and the ground beneath their feet began to tremble.
From the edges of the meadow, majestic creatures emerged — golden deer with antlers glowing like the moon, wolves with shimmering coats of silver, and soaring eagles with wings of fire. Alongside them were armored figures, their forms both humanoid and ethereal, wielding swords that pulsed with the forest's magic.
From the edges of the meadow, majestic creatures emerged — golden deer with antlers glowing like the moon, wolves with shimmering coats of silver, and soaring eagles with wings of fire. Alongside them were armored figures, their forms both humanoid and ethereal, wielding swords that pulsed with the forest's magic.
At the head of the army stood the sorcerer, his staff glowing brightly. "Tabitha, you dare challenge the magic of this forest?" he bellowed, his voice echoing like thunder. "You will not prevail."
Tabitha's confident smirk faltered, but she quickly regained her composure. "Do you think your little army can stop me? Attack!" she screamed, sending her dark creatures charging toward the twins and their allies.
The clearing erupted into chaos. The forest's defenders clashed with Tabitha's twisted animals, magic and light filling the air. Wolves leaped at shadowy hounds, their howls mingling with battle cries. The golden deer charged forward, their antlers scattering Tabitha's forces like rays of sunlight piercing through storm clouds.
Jordan and Quinn huddled together, their pendant flickering but holding its glow. "We need to get to Lyria," Jordan said, her voice barely audible over the noise.
"How?" Quinn asked, glancing at the chaos around them.
Jordan pointed toward the far side of the meadow, where a glowing cage hung from a gnarled tree. Inside, Lyria lay motionless, her wings dim. "There," Jordan said. "We'll circle around while they're distracted."
Keeping low, the twins crept around the edge of the battlefield. They dodged stray bursts of magic and ducked behind trees as shadowy creatures darted past. Finally, they reached the tree where Lyria was imprisoned.
Jordan inspected the cage. It was sealed with a lock of dark vines, pulsing with Tabitha's magic. "How do we open this?" she muttered, tugging at the vines to no avail.
Quinn fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a shard of glowing crystal he had picked up earlier in the tree. "Maybe this?" He pressed the crystal against the lock. The vines hissed and recoiled, and the cage swung open. Lyria's eyes fluttered open as the glow returned to her wings.
"Jordan — Quinn —" she whispered, her voice weak but grateful. "You found me."
Tabitha, sensing her plan unraveling, turned toward the tree. "No!" she shrieked.
The sorcerer stepped in her path, his staff blazing. "Your time is over, Tabitha." He raised his staff, casting a beam of pure light that engulfed her.
Tabitha screamed as the light stripped away her dark magic, reducing her to a small, trembling fairy. The dark creatures dissolved into mist, and the meadow fell silent.
The sorcerer approached the twins and Lyria, his expression stern but kind. "You've done well," he said. "The forest owes you its gratitude."
Lyria smiled weakly. "It's thanks to them I am here."
The freed fairies yelled as loud as they could, "They saved us too."
Quinn held out the now-empty pouch. "I think this helped, too."
The sorcerer chuckled. "Indeed. Never underestimate the power of asking for help. Friends will always be there for each other."
Quinn yawned. "I'm glad everyone is okay now, but can we go home now? I'm tired and need some sleep."
The sorcerer ruffled Quinn's hair. "My friend, you and your sister were very brave today and saved many lives. You should be so proud."
Jordan smiled at everyone and then took Quinn's hand as she spoke, "We're quite the team. I couldn't imagine anything better."
"Except maybe something to eat and some sleep." Quinn added.
The sorcerer chuckled, waved his staff, and with one giant whoosh! — Quinn and Jordan found themselves back in their beds. As their sleepy heads hit their pillows, they each mumbled, "Goodnight." Their dreams were filled with their friends and a successful adventure.
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