athaniel Mapleson lived with his aunt Annabella in a house on the edge of the forest. His mother and father had died two years ago in a car accident when he was ten years old. He was in school in New York when that happened. Nathaniel moved in to his aunt痴 house in Pennsylvania a few days after the accident. There, he met a stray dog after two weeks and became best friends with her. He named her Carrie.
Nathaniel lay on the grass by his aunt痴 garden as the sounds of running water of a creek and birds chirping fills the air. Carrie lay quietly next to him as if she was asleep. A soft breeze spun through the boy痴 short, brown hair, lifting it off his face to expose a light tan forehead. Nathaniel was thinking about Aunt Annabella痴 stories about fairies, dwarfs, pixies, griffins, dragons, and much more. She spoke of them as if they are real, and that she had met some of them before. Suddenly, a scream pierced through the air disturbing the silent and soothing sounds of nature. The scream shook the forest and the ground violently. It sent the birds flying, animals growing, Carrie onto her feet barking, and the boy痴 heart pounding. Nathaniel jerked up and sprinted toward the house knowing instantly that it was his aunt痴 scream. Carrie ran after him to the house. At the front door, Nathaniel opened the door with shaking hands and heart pounding against his rib cage. He glanced around the room for his aunt. Seeing that his aunt was not in that room, he hurried through each room skimming for his aunt. Finally, he stopped in front of his aunt痴 bedroom. Nathaniel took a deep breath and opened the door.
Carrie darted into the room just as Aunt Annabella fell to the ground, dropping a small glass bottle. The bottle crashed against the hard wooden floor.
鄭unt Annabella! Nathaniel cried as he rushed forward to her side.
His aunt showed no sign of hearing him. She lay there like a statue, staring straight ahead. Her skin had turned pale from her normally tan skin.
Carrie walked over to what is left of the bottle. A pale blue smoke seemed to be rising out of the broken bottle. She took a sniff of the smoke and quickly backed away. Nathaniel rose to his feet and strode over to Carrie.
展hat痴 the matter, girl? Did you smell something bad or poisonous? he asked with concerns.
It had something to do with the bottle, he thought. Nathaniel strode out of the bedroom to the living room to think. He paced across the room, while Carrie sat by the couch watching Nathaniel. He thought, Why me? Of all people, why me? Could things get any worse?
Then, there was a loud bang coming from the garden. Nathaniel froze where he was standing in shock. Why did I have to ask that, he thought as he ran out of the house. Carrie raced after him to the garden where he slowed down. Halting in front of a tall hedge, he peered around the hedge into the garden. His eyes widen at what he had discovered. So it痴 true he thought, it痴 really true. He had just seen a real live fairy in the garden.
The fairy has long blond hair with a lily tucked behind her left ear. She wore a jade green dress, and she has light cream skin. When she turned to the direction away from Nathaniel痴 face, he caught a glimpse of her white wings that is transparent yet visible. She was no taller than Nathaniel痴 hand. She was looking around the garden with great interests.
Nathaniel emerged from behind the hedge to face the fairy. Carrie jogged forward and barked out a greeting to the fairy. Startled at the bark, she jumped up and spun around. Her eyes grew big with her mouth opened as she stared at them in surprise. Realizing what she was doing, she closed her mouth.
展ho are you and what are you doing here? the fairy inquired.
的知 Nathaniel Mapleson and this is my dog, Carrie. We live here. May I ask who you are? Nathaniel replied politely.
溺y name is Mayfana Lilinin. I am a tree fairy from Flowrodon, she answered to Nathaniel痴 question. 鼎an you do me a favor?
展hat kind of favor do you need? Nathaniel asked thinking why would she need a favor.
的 need help getting back home. I don稚 know how to go back home to my world.
溺y aunt might know how to get you back to your world. She knows a lot about fairies and other like you. I think she might have met some of them before, Nathaniel offered to Mayfana.
典hat would be great. Thanks! Mayfana told him with a hopeful look in her eyes.
徹kay, but there is a problem. Something happened to her a few minutes before you came. She turned pale and unmoving. I think something in a bottle might have caused her to be like that. It is not like her.
鏑et me see her, because I might know how to cure her.
鄭lright, you can see her. Follow me.
Nathaniel walked toward the house with Mayfana and Carrie following him. Mayfana gasped when she saw inside the house. Carrie barked at Mayfana, who was about to crash into the wall. She pulled up just before she was about to collide with the wall. Nathaniel climbed up the stairs to the bedroom.
Mayfana watched him climb up the stair, so she didn稚 watch where she was going. She knocked over a vase and caught it before it crashed only to bump into a chair. She knocked over the chair and dropped the vase. It crashed making a very loud noise. Nathaniel peeked down the stair when he heard the noise.
的s there something wrong down there? he called down.
摘verything is fine now. Just bump into a few things, that痴 all, Mayfana called back as she pick up the chair.
鄭re you sure?
的知 sure.
Carrie barked in agreement, and they both hurried up the stair.
Nathaniel opened the door to Aunt Annabella痴 bedroom, and they went in. Mayfana flew to Annabella, who lay unmoving just like she was when Nathaniel and Carrie left the room.
Mayfana put her hands on Annabella痴 arm and closed her eyes while muttering under her breath. Nathaniel glanced at his aunt, and he discovered that she had turned green. When Mayfana finished what she was doing, Annabella became pale once again. Nathaniel痴 eyes widen with amazement.
添our aunt is under a spell a dark witch has cast. The spell or potion must have been kept in a bottle. I don稚 know how your aunt got hold of it, but it is not from around here, Mayfana announced to Nathaniel. 典he cure is the magical Harp of Startadom. It can cure your aunt by playing it. You need to find it if you want to cure your aunt.
鄭 magical Harp can play away dark spells, Nathaniel repeated making sure he heard the words correctly. 添ou mean that all you need is a harp that can play away spells. I thought it would be more complicated than that. One of his eyebrows rose up as he looked questioning at Mayfana.
She shrugged her shoulders. 鉄ome spells or curses are easier to cure than others. It is complicated enough if you don稚 know about the spell or the Harp. I mean, you humans would not know what to do or what caused it. Humans don稚 know about magic, witches, or even us magical people. You humans called us fantasy creatures and don稚 even know we existed on another planet. I say the witch is smart doing it here. It hard enough as it is to find the Harp of Startadom.
添ou致e got a point there. Without you, I wouldn稚 even know what happen to my aunt. By the way, do you know where the Harp of Startadom is?
哲o, but I can find out.
Mayfana held out her right hand, and she shaped her hand as if she was holding an imaginary ball. Eyes shut tight with forehead crease in concentration, a yellow orb slowly appeared in her hand. A picture of a creek appeared in the middle of the orb. A golden harp sat on a large rock that is part way in the water. There is a ripple in the water by the harp. Many large rocks decorated around the creek. Hills covered with trees filled the background. The picture slowly faded into the yellow becoming a yellow orb once again. The orb disappeared from Mayfana hand leaving only a hand.
Mayfana opened her eyes and took a deep breath. 鉄o Nathaniel, do you recognize where the Harp is? It is not somewhere I know before.
鼎ome to think of it, yes I do recognize that place. So do Carrie, right Carrie?
Carrie barked in agreement.
的t痴 a place Aunt Annabella took us for a trip. It is in the forest behind the house. You go northeast toward the sound of running water. That must be where the Harp is. How did the Harp of Startadom get here on Earth? I thought it would be in your world. Plus, how come the Harp is close by?
的 forgot to tell you that the Harp would go to those who need it. Since the spell was cast here, the Harp is nearby. Someone who made it had bewitched it to go where it is needed to help him or her. That痴 why not a lot of people cast spell that the Harp can cure.
的 guess we are going to the forest to get the Harp of Startadom. We better get pack up.
After they packed what they would need, they set off for the forest.
Nathaniel carried the backpack, while Carrie carried the bottle of water on her back. Mayfana flew on ahead. She moved back and forth ahead of Nathaniel and Carrie. By the way she flew, she seemed to be very excited to go on the trip. As they walked through the forest, the sun was high in the sky-representing noon.
They paused for a break and to have lunch. After they finished, they packed up everything to continue their journey. Nathaniel picked up the backpack and swung it on his back. He glanced around the forest and spotted a broken tree branch, he picked it up. He steadied his backpack and used the tree branch as a climbing stick.
鼎ome on, we better continue before nightfall, Nathaniel called to Mayfana and Carrie.
They started off deeper into the forest. The flies buzzed around Nathaniel, annoying him. He tried to swat them, but they kept buzzing away from his hand. The hot summer temperature made them all sweaty and sticky. The backpack felt like it weights a ton on Nathaniel痴 back. The trees seemed to be endless. Carrie was panting hard as she continued to walk with her tail hanging down. Mayfana was flying slowly now, tired by the summer heat. Each flap of the wings was an effort.
Then, they stopped on top of a hill looking down with the sound of rushing water filling the air. They looked down at the creek knowing they have to go down. The sun was starting to go down the sky.
Mayfana looked at the creek with hope in her eyes. She flew down the hill toward the creek. Rushing with excitement, she almost crashed into an oak tree. Nathaniel and Carrie walked to the creek. They stopped after they turned a corner. There sat a golden harp on a rock by the water. It looked exactly like it was in the yellow orb. When they crossed the creek, a water elf emerged from the water where the ripple is.
徹h, hello, the water elf greeted them.
展e need the Harp of Startadom to cure my aunt, Nathaniel told the water elf.
滴ow would you know it would cure your aunt, boy?
溺ayfana, a tree fairy, found out what was wrong.
鄭 tree fairy, huh. Well all right, you can use it.
典hanks for the Harp, Nathaniel called to the water elf.
典ake care of it, he replied.
泥o you know a way back home without the long walk?
笛ust picture your home and my unicorn friend will you there. Goodbye, the water elf instructed.
Nathaniel picked up the Harp and climbed on to the unicorn痴 back. Carrie jumped onto the unicorn痴 back, and Mayfana settled down in front of Nathaniel holding on to the unicorn痴 manes.
展here would you like to go? the unicorn asked them in their heads.
Remembering what the water elf had told them, Nathaniel pictured his house in his mind. The unicorn nodded his head to show that he understood.
鉄how me how to get there, the unicorn asked in their heads again.
Nathaniel and Mayfana pictured the way they had traveled here.
The unicorn took off, bolting pass trees and hills away from the creek. He galloped toward the house at a blinding speed, picking up speed the longer he ran until he can稚 run any faster. Nathaniel, Carrie, and Mayfana had to hold on tight, so they won稚 fall off the unicorn痴 back. Before they knew it, they were in front of Nathaniel痴 house.
Nathaniel, Carrie, and Mayfana rushed into the house to Aunt Annabella痴 bedroom with the Harp of Startadom. Nathaniel kneeled by his aunt and placed the Harp in front of him. Aunt Annabella was the same as if they have never left. He began to think how is a Harp going to cure her.
Nathaniel plucked a few strings, but it did not sound like music. It sounds like a group of broken notes put together. Then suddenly, the Harp of Startadom started to play on its own. It was a bit rusty at first as if it hasn稚 been played on for a while. Then, it played beautifully with one note flowing into another making music. They stared at the Harp in amazement, and then they looked up at Annabella. Her pale skin began to change from pale to tan. Her body started to relax and be able to move. Her eyes, once dull with no life, became lively once again fills with life. Annabella struggled to sit up, so Nathaniel helped her up. She sat and blinked around the room. She caught sight of Mayfana and gasped.
哲athaniel, what happened here? Annabella asked.
Nathaniel told Aunt Annabella what had happened with Mayfana helping and introducing herself. Annabella petted Carrie while she listened to Nathaniel and Mayfana. Finally, Nathaniel asked Aunt Annabella if she could help Mayfana get back home.
展hy certainly after what you have done for me and Nathaniel. Follow me, Annabella declared as she walked to get the book about fantasy creatures she told Nathaniel last night from the table.
She led them outside to the garden. Opening the book to the pages on fairies, she skimmed through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She told Mayfana instructions on what to do. Mayfana then recited a spell and made some complicated hands movement with her hands. After she finished her spell with a quick goodbye, she disappeared from sight.
Annabella, Nathaniel, and Carrie stayed outside in the garden as the sun began to set. They sat down on the grass where Nathaniel had lay earlier in the morning before Annabella screamed. Annabella opened her book and read stories from it to Nathaniel and Carrie. They lay there listening to the stories from the book.
Between the stories, Nathaniel asked, 展here did you get the book Aunt Annabella? How did you know that spell would work?
典hat痴 another story for another time, Nathaniel, Annabella answered. 的 think you have enough adventure for today. Why not listen to stories from the book.
She continued reading the stories from the book as Nathaniel thought about the magical creatures he had met today. It has been a very exciting day for Nathaniel, and he can稚 wait for Annabella痴 story. The sun set with the full moon shining brightly as the day ended.