AUTHOR'S BORING NOTES: Hello Reader. This is the second part of the story. And I hope you are enjoying it so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. I also would like to apologize in advance for any awkward word choice, grammatical or spelling errors in my story on this chapter and the next chapter. Warning: This chapter is quite long. speaking of length, This story might be longer than the Lucinda story before this. But I hope you enjoy just the same. Now, enough with my Rambling, Let's Begin!
Chapter Two
Exploring…. And a New Friend
“What did you
do that for?” said Billy. Referring to when Mary pulled him into the valley.
“I don’t know”
Replied Mary. “I Just Did”
“Well, no use
arguing now” Said Billy Sensibly “It’s already happened.”
Mary nodded
in agreement before flopping down on a stool shaped rock a few steps away from
her. Billy Sat down on a fallen tree beside Mary. Mary looked about and saw how
peaceful the valley was.
She sighed
and said “We wished something would happen. And now something has happened! And
we can’t get home” She looked depressed for a second before her face lit up again.
“While we’re here, we might as well do some exploring!”
Before Billy could reply, Mary had tugged him
off the log he was sitting on and dragged him to the edge of a stream.
The stream
had snow white pebbles lining the bottom. And was a fresh, blueish colour, with
just a hint of green. Ferns lined the banks of the stream and other various
plants grew in, on top of, and beside the water. The stream was very beautiful.
Mary Bent down
and tasted the water, while Billy crouched down beside some ferns examining the
plants that grew there. The water in the stream was fresh, drinkable water.
Nice and cool too.
Mary was
about to tell Billy all about the water when Billy called out to her. “Hi!
Mary! Come here! I’ve found something!”
Mary rushed
over to Billy as fast as she could. “What is it Billy?” Asked Mary anxiously.
“I found some
Berries” said Billy Pointing to some berries that grew on a very weedy looking
plant.
The berries
looked a lot like Bilberries, except they were a light shade of purple, and the
leaves had a reddish tint. The plant was thin, weedy, and rambling, and it grew
everywhere.
Mary took one
and bit half of it. It was chewy and the inside was a pure white. It tasted
very sweet but also a bit sour at the same time, out of the berry oozed some
clear juice and it was unlike any plant that Mary and Billy had ever tasted
before.
When Mary got
to the part where the pits or the seeds were supposed to be, she found small,
diamond-like crystals that were, in fact, edible. Mary offered some to Billy,
who ate them and said they were delicious.
They decided
to call them Crystal berries, named after the edible crystals found inside.
When they had eaten until they were full, they sat for a bit and talked. Then,
Mary found some big leaves in which they wrapped a couple dozen of the Crystal
berries, and continued exploring.
“I think we
should follow the stream” Said Mary thoughtfully “That way, if we do get lost,
we can find our way back by following the stream back.”
Billy nodded
his approval and together, they walked downstream until they came to a beginning
of a small forest. They walked in with ought many a-fear but a slight doubt was
lingering at the back of her head.
After a few
minutes of walking, Mary was beginning to wonder if they were the only living
creatures in that forest, except for the birds, bees, and bugs and stuff.
They began to feel very hot, so they decided
to have another drink in the stream. The doubt in Mary’s mind was growing
larger by the second. While stooping down to drink, Mary heard a soft S P L O O
S H. Mary turned around quickly.
“What’s the matter?”
asked Billy anxiously,
“I thought I heard...,”
said Mary “Never mind.”
Billy
shrugged and began to eat some Crystal Berries, when he felt something cool and
soft brush against his neck.
“Wha-?” exclaimed
Billy as he sat up quickly.
“What is it?”
said Mary, not really paying attention.
“Something
touched me!” said Billy in an unusually large voice.
Mary was
about to reply when they heard a soft giggle, like the gurgling of the stream.
“Who said that?”
said Mary sharply
“I did silly!”
said the same voice, it was a tinkling sort of voice, like light rain on a roof.
Then, in about a second or so, they could see a figure standing in a sunlit clearing
a few steps away.
It was a little
girl, about a year older than Billy and Mary. The girl had straight hair that
was a curious shade of Jade green, the colour of water weeds. She fore a
greenish-blue dress of floaty material, and she had a heavy tan from the sun,
and her eyes were a piercing blue.
She gave the
tinkling laugh again. “You humans look so
funny when you’re surprised!”
Billy shrank
behind Mary, trying not to be seen. The girl saw this and grinned, flashing
pearly white teeth at them.
“You shouldn’t
be afraid of me! I shan’t Bite you!” She said
“But we don’t
know what you are!” Said Mary sensibly “How do we know you’re not a demon or
something?”
The girl looked
thoughtful for a second. “Fair point” The girl said shortly. “But I’m a Cutoa.
We are guardians of the water. If you think I’m a demon then...”
she stepped
out of the clearing, away from the sunlight, and she immediately vanished into
thin air.
“Where are
you?" Said Mary, afraid that the girl would attack them or something.
“I’m still
here” said the girls voice “I’m just invisible”
Mary felt a
poke on her left arm, though she could see nothing. “Hey!” Mary exclaimed. “Stop it!”
Once again,
they heard the laughter of the girl. In a
few seconds they saw her again in the clearing.
“I get it” said
Billy in a quiet voice “You can only be visible in direct sunlight, can’t you?”
“Yup!” said
the girl “Oh, my name’s Brook by the way. And for your information” here she
shot Mary a look “I am not a demon. I am a water guardian. Otherwise known as a
Cutoa.”
Seeing that Brook
was apparently not a threat, Billy came forward and introduced him and Mary. He
invited Brook to sit down with them in the clearing, so they could plan what to
do next.
Mary however,
was not as welcoming. Her instincts were telling her not to Trust Brook. Mary
felt Brook was not telling them something. And Mary wouldn’t rest until she had
found out everything about Brook, and anything Brook might be hiding.
Mary refused
to join in the planning and Merry-making, though she listened intently at the
plans. Mary would get to the bottom of
this, whatever this is.