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The Wondrous child
By Estee Olive
A wise sorcerer ruled the Land of Beauty according to legends passed down from ancient years. This sorcerer was not evil
nor was he good. He scoured the trails that crossed through his land waiting for the child. This child was no ordinary child.
It was told that this child could one day conquer the sorcerer. The penniless child would be no older that seventeen winters.
Knowing the outcome that the sorcerer would face, he set his life's desire on finding that one child. His servants tried
to tell him that he had nothing to worry about. That it was only a myth told to frighten him. But his reply was always the
same. "If it is nothing more than a little myth then why not say it's true. For in some other world you and I are nothing
but fairy tales."
"But master," one servant did protest, "sir, how can there be any other creature more powerful than you?"
Those words did brighten the sorcerer's spirit, but there was a minute feeling inside him that said there was something
to worry about and his men were closing in on it.
What he didn't know was that just beyond the Land of Beauty's border the child lived in the peddler's town of Syle. Just
beyond his sight the child was growing stronger by the day. The child found the new powers easy to master and scary to perform.
As the sorcerer looked out on his swamp-like lands, the child was asleep in a clover pasture dreaming of the Land of Beauty.
The child shifted in her sleep moving her long blond hair out of her face. In the distance a voice could be heard calling
the child's name. "Cara! Cara!"
The child slept on oblivious to the voice. Again and again it called and again and again it grew louder until a plump,
old lady appeared from the forest edge.
"Again I find her asleep when there is work to be done and men to feed," She said, spotting the child. She
placed her hands on her hips and sighed as she walked up to the child. The woman was known as Ma to the town of Syle. She
was the oldest woman in the village that was still raising a child. Ma was Cara's grandmother and the only relative she had
left.
Ma reached down and tugged on the girl's tattered dress. "Now, get up child. Your work still needs to be done."
Rolling over slowly Cara opened her beautiful, ocean blue eyes. A small smile could just be seen on her lips. "I
was dreaming about a boy. He was waiting for me by a tall, black castle. And I was in this land my eyes have never seen before.
It was full of mythical creatures and the land was wet and mossy. But then when I reached the boys side the land changed to
a wonderful place. There were moonflowers all over and the land was full of clover fields. Oh, grandma, it was wonderful!"
"You can finish your dreams after your work is done!" Ma said adjusting her big straw hat. "You think
your old grandma can do it all herself?"
"You're not that old." Cara said sitting up, pulling a purple clover flower out of her hair. She held it in
her hand like it was a bird, and then softly blew over the flower sending it into the air. It began to grow till it became
a beautiful purple dove.
"Well, I'm old enough," Ma said, watching the bird perch in a nearby tree. She glanced back at Cara with a
persistent look.
"Fine." Cara said, slowly getting up.
"That's my girl." Ma said putting her arm around her grandchild. Slowly they walked back down the cow path
toward the forest. The sun was just touching the tree tops and the darkness slowly crept up behind them.
Walking in silence, Cara felt fear creep through her body. She knew it was not her own fear but it kept growing inside
her. Being a sorceress she could feel other people's emotions but she hadn't figured out the way to find the source of the
emotions. Afraid that it could be another tragedy in Syle , she didn't want to go back to witness it.
"Grandma, let's stay out in the fields tonight." Cara said, hoping her grandma didn't hear the fright in her
voice. "I'm sure no one back in Syle will miss us."
"Awe, my child, always up to something, aren't you." Ma said not stopping to ask questions. "We might
not have any one at home but the people around us wait up for us."
Tagging slowly behind, Cara felt tears roll down her cheeks. Syle had been taken by a plague that killed only her parents,
brother and her two best friends. The others in the village fell deathly ill. Even Cara fell ill. It all started when her
brother, Charlie, came home from the river pale as a white, fluffy cloud. Sweat was dripping off him like rain and Cara could
do nothing to stop the fever from rising. The rest of the village came down with the same symptoms but the fever only got
out of hand with Cara's loved ones. Her friends, Andy and Matt, died the first week from their body temperatures rising to
the boiling point. Cara used every spell she knew to take away their pains but they were too weak. Her loved ones began to
die one by one in front of her and she could do nothing about it.
Ma stopped walking after awhile, realizing that Cara was not following her. "Oh Cara, I'm sorry. Come here."
Cara didn't wait for another opportunity. She rushed into her grandmother's arms, letting the tears take over her. As
soon as the first teardrop hit the ground, the stars disappeared and rain began to fall.
"Now, don't cry, or you'll have the whole village out on a search party." Ma said, hugging Cara with a comforting
hold.
"I'm sorry. I just miss them." Cara said still hugging her grandma. "Why did they have to die?"
Ma let go of Cara and stepped back to look at her. "My child there are a lot of things in this world that don't
make sense. You, for example, are one of those things. Who knew a child could change the weather with her emotions? Why the
ones closest to you were the only ones to die, no one can answer that."
Cara looked away from her grandmother. She didn't want to hear that kind of an answer. If a question can be asked why
can't it always be answered? Cara thought. It didn't seem right to her that everyone had unanswered questions. As Cara pondered
on that the rain slowly quit and the stars reappeared in the black sky. But the rumbling of thunder answered the silence set
between Cara and Ma.
"Cara, are you mad honey?" Ma asked, almost stepping away from Cara.
"That was no thunder coming from me," Cara said, searching the darkness. She couldn't see the source of the
sound, but it was getting closer. " Grandma, it sounds like wagon wheels."
"Stand back child!" Ma said, grabbing Cara's arm and pulling her off the trail. "No man wondering the
woods at this time of night is up to any good."
"Grandma, I must have a look. If its destination is Syle then I must know what it wants there, "Cara said,
pulling herself out of Ma's grasp."If it is going there to make trouble then I must stop it. Trouble is the one thing
Syle can not withstand."
"No, Cara, you don't know who or what will be accompanying that wagon!" Ma said in a hushed voice, trying to
grab Cara's arm.
"I must." Cara said, facing away from Ma. "You go on to the village, tell them there is trouble on the
way and to get the men prepared. If I am not back, don't come looking for me. I will always know the way home."
Cara took off before Ma had a change to argue any further. The wagon wasn't too hard to find. It had only been a few
yards away from where Cara had left Ma. Hidden by a big oak tree Cara studied the wagon. It was painted black and a cage sat
upon it. In side the cage were boys, various in ages. They were all dressed in ragged clothes. There were fresh cuts all over
their bodies. One boy stared straight at her. Three men walked beside the wagon. They were dressed in black cloaks and their
faces were covered with black masks.
"How dare you treat kids that way!" Cara said, taking a step toward the wagon but found herself hanging from
a tree branch, her dress fell over her face. She could hear the three men roar with laughter. Cara struggled to push her dress
back up to hide her underwear.
"Look boys, a little girl wants to come and play with you!" said a deep voice. Cara was slowly spinning around
by the rope that now surrounded her feet.
"But the boss said boys only," said another man. "He said girls could never conquer him."
"Let's just keep her around for fun." The third man said. "You know these boys could use some entertainment."
"Looks like it's two to one," said the first man, taking Cara down and throwing her into the cage with the
boys. The same boy still stared at her.
They traveled for along time with the sound of breathing as the only noise. Cara watched the boys squirm around trying
to get comfortable, the same staring boy sitting beside her. She looked past his stare and saw the front of the wagon with
no animal whatsoever pulling it along. "How is this wagon moving?"
"It's called magic, that is," said the sandy haired boy. Cara could tell by his build and his green eyes that
he was about her age. His accent was like no other accent heard before in that part of the land. "The Spindlers are taking
us to a sorcerer."
"What is a Spindler?" Cara asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.
"Spindlers are men who work for sorcerers who are too scared to do their own dirty work. The men who are guarding
the wagon are Spindlers," the boy said pulling Cara down beside him, careful not to let the men hear him.
"What would a sorcerer want with all these boys?" Cara said, looking around at all the scared boys.
"Says one of us is to over power him," the boy said, with a little smile he added. "But I know better.
Not a single one of these boys has magic streaming through their blood. He is really looking for a girl."
Cara gave him an odd look. What if she was the girl the sorcerer was looking for. By the look on the boy's face, he was
thinking the same thing.
"Me name's Charlie by the way," He added, holding out his hand for Cara to shake. "What might yours be?"
"Cara," she said looking away at the sound of her brother's name.
"I'm sorry, did I say something that upset you?" Charlie said, placing his hand on Cara's shoulder. "I
seem to be good at doing that."
"No, you didn't say any thing wrong," Cara said, blinking back tears. "My brother died not too long ago.
His name was also Charlie."
"The sorcerers plague, huh. It went through my village too, but no one died from it," Charlie said, looking
at Cara with his big blue eyes. "No magic could save them, I see."
Cara looked up at Charlie in surprise. What was he saying? Did he know she had magic in her veins? But before she had
the chance to ask him she saw a tall black castle in the distance and the land that was luscious and green was now mucky and
brown. She recognized the land from her dream. All that time it was only a small distance away and she never knew it. Cara
could feel the sorcerer's eyes upon her.
"STOP!" a loud booming, voice came from the sky. The boys all fell back with fright. "BRING THAT GIRL
TO ME!"
A Spindler opened the cage door and groped for Cara but Charlie yanked her out of his reach. "You're not taking
her with out me!"
"The boss wants the girl, not you, little brat," the Spindler said again reaching for Cara. Charlie pulled
her away once more. Cara was now up against Charlie's strong build. She could feel his chest move with the steady beat of
his heart. "You're not getting the girl with out me!"
"COME THEN, BOY! IF YOU ARE THAT STUPID, COME!" The voice rang out again. Slowly Charlie loosened his grip
on Cara and took her to the cage door. The Spindler went to grab Cara but Charlie again pulled her out of his reach. "Don't
touch her!"
Charlie hopped down off the wagon then lifted Cara down. Taking hold of Cara's hand Charlie kept her close to him as
they followed the Spindlers down the swampy path toward the castle.
"Why are you doing this?" Cara whispered in Charlie's ear.
"Because not everything is how it really looks," Charlie looked back at Cara and smiled. His smile was almost
like the stars that still shown bright in the sky. They were now just arriving at the Black Castle's large, wooden doors.
"The boss awaits." The Spindler said with a smile on his words. He opened the doors and the smell of must reached
Cara's nose. Charlie tightened his grasp on Cara's hand and slowly led her into a dark, stone room.
"COME, COME AS LONG AS YOU DARE LITTLE GIRL! DON'T BE SCARED, I WONT KILL YOU YET!" the voice said again but
this time from behind them. Charlie brought Cara closer to him. She could feel his heart beat once again but this time it
wasn't as steady as before. His heart beat was racing and Cara knew he was scared. Cara looked at Charlie and actually noticed
him for the first time. He was just as human as she was.
With a loud, pinking noise, a tall old man appeared in front of them. He was wearing a long, dark gray cloak and his
beard was almost as long as he was. "I see you have yourself a bodyguard. Too bad he can't save you from what I am prepared
to do to you. And all this time I thought the child would be a boy. Well, I see that I was wrong."
With a snap of his fingers Charlie flew out from Cara's arms and slammed into the wooden doors.
"Why would you do such a thing?" Cara said horror struck.
"You have a lot to learn if you are to defeat me," the man said with an evil bellow. "To bad I won't let
you grow up to learn it." Again he snapped his fingers sending himself to the ground screaming with pain. Cara just stood
there unsure of what she was supposed to do.
"I should have known that it was you!" the sorcerer said, getting to his feet. His icy glare set on something
past Cara.
"That's right. Who else would it be?" Charlie said. His left hand extended as though trying to hold something
back.
"So Jimmy, I see you have found yourself a new toy," the sorcerer said, still keeping his glare on Charlie.
Rage flew through Cara's body. Who did this sorcerer think he was for calling her Charlie's toy? The wind outside started
to pick up and the sky lit up with bright lightning.
"Well, it looks like some one has a temper. I thought killing off all your loved ones would have pushed you to show
yourself back then. But, I guess I was also wrong there." The sorcerer turned his glare on Cara.
"It was your plague! You killed all the ones that I loved!" Cara's eyes raged with furry. The lightning streaked
the sky as the wind gusted through the cracks in the walls bringing the sent of Syle with it.
"Don't loose your temper, that's what he wants," Charlie said, now standing right behind Cara.
"Don't listen to poor little Jimmy. He has no clue what power I have," the sorcerer said, throwing his head
back with an evil laugh. With another snap of his fingers Charlie fell to the ground in pain.
Do it now Cara. He is keeping his concentration on me. Hit him with all you got. Charlie's voice echoed in Cara's head.
Ok, she whispered back to him.
Cara stepped forward pushing all her anger at the sorcerer. Lightning bolts flew from Cara's hands hitting the sorcerer
in the chest. The sorcerer's spell broke and Charlie returned to his feet.
"You're doing it, Cara, just don't break your concentration," Charlie said disappearing behind her.
With a pop, the sorcerer disappeared leaving the aroma of burnt flesh behind. Cara fell backwards from the power that
left her hands.
"You did it, Cara. You killed the sorcerer!" Charlie said, leaning over her and kissing her on the nose. "The
Land of Beauty is now yours."
The doors slowly opened bringing in the rays of sun and the smell of moon flowers. The Land of Beauty had changed its
appearance. Cara got to her feet and looked at the land that she had longed to go to her whole life.
"Dear Sorceress, your people await you." Charlie said bowing. Outside, the village of Syle was now the Land
of Beauty and all of her people sat out side waiting for her. Charlie smiled and got to his feet. "You have a land to
rule now my dear Sorceress."
He turned and started to walk away.
"Stop!" Cara called after him. "Who are you really?"
"My real name is Jimmy," He said smiling sweetly at her, "You had just defeated the father who had tried
to kill me many years ago."
"That man was your father?" Cara asked with surprise.
"That's right." Jimmy said "You also know me as the boy who comes to you every night in your dreams."
With that Jimmy left his Lady Cara breathless and in love.
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