The Key to Her Mind

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

            When Jillian awoke she felt sick. Her head was spinning and she could hardly move. Her eyes were fuzzy from all the bright lights so she lay quietly on the ground for a while. When she finally felt like she could get up she sat up slowly and looked around. She had no idea what had happened but she could see that she was no longer in the palace. A large field stretched out in front of her and she could feel a warm summer breeze. Jillian stood up and realized that she was standing in the shade. That meant that there had to be a tree or something behind her. Jillian looked to either side of her. The Shade stretched on for a ways so Jillian decided that it must be a forest. She turned around slowly. A huge wall of rock loomed in front of her. Jillian stepped back, startled. There was a big cave right dead ahead of her with a huge wooden door. Jillian approached it slowly. The door had a strange sort of lock on it with an oddly shaped hole that looked like something was supposed to fit inside it. It also had lots of very colorful keys and buttons. Jillian stared long and hard at the lock.

            “That shape”, Jillian thought, “it looks so familiar”.

            Jillian puzzled to herself for a moment and then remembered something. She reached into her pocket and pulled out queen Lorraliell’s crown. She placed it in the lock. It was a perfect fit but nothing happened.

            “There has to be a combination or something”, Jillian thought.

            She looked at all the little buttons. They were in all the colors of the rainbow and Jillian could not think of a combination. She pushed them in rainbow order, then backwards, and then she just punched all the buttons randomly. Nothing worked and she was very frustrated.

            “In every story that I have told my little brothers and sisters”, Jillian thought, “the key always has some sort of rhyme or spell on it and in this case the crown is the key”.

            Jillian pulled the crown from its slot and examined it. Sure enough it had something written on it. Jillian read…

“When spring’s golden sun shines on

Green summer pastures and the blue

Birds of autumn drop their seeds of

Orange, silver winter is gone and we

Show our thanks to our princess of

            Sparkling pink glory

   -To our princess Lorraliell on her Birthday

     - From your loving parents”

            Jillian studied the poem for a minute until she noticed all of the colors that were mentioned in it. She began to push the colored buttons again but this time in the order that they appeared on the crown.

            “Gold”, thought Jillian as she pressed the buttons, “green, blue, orange, silver, and pink”.

            Jillian waited for something to happen but nothing did. Jillian was confused. She read the poem again to make sure that she hadn’t missed anything. She turned the crown over, frustrated, and looked at the beautiful purple orb. Jillian thought for a minute and then suddenly she jumped up and pushed the purple button. The she set the crown back in its slot gently and all at once the huge door unlatched and slowly creaked open. Jillian was very excited as she looked into the deep, dark cave. Slowly she took a step forward and then another, and another. She stepped into the cave and began to walk down into the dark. As she walked she noticed that the cave grew brighter and brighter. The air started to fill with a strange colorful fog. Jillian came to another big door but this one was not locked and she opened it and entered a small, dim room. The colorful fog was mistier in the little room and the colors seemed to dance and play in the air. The room was almost completely empty except for a little table that sat in the center of the room. Jillian walked over to the table. There were several items sitting on it. An old book, a wooden box, a little bell, and long glittery stick that looked very magical to Jillian. The bell was very, very tiny and it fascinated Jillian. She picked up the little bell and gave it a little jingle. The colors in the room whooshed and the mist swirled around and eventually came to rest in the shape of a young woman.

            “Jillian”, said the woman in a soft, kind voice, “Jillian, it is nice to see you”.

The woman was unlike anything Jillian had ever seen. She was made of the dusty mist that shrouded the room and she was almost transparent. It seemed like she wasn’t completely there. Nevertheless she was very beautiful and her face and gown sparkled with the colorful light.

“Who are you”, asked Jillian?

“Jillian”, said the woman, ignoring Jillian’s question, “you have returned to us at last. There will be much rejoicing in the land when the people know that you are here”.

“Who are you”, Jillian asked again?

“Jillian”, said the woman, “you are the one who will save us all from the clutches of Loukraiza. Only you can help our kingdom”.

“Please tell me who you are”, said Jillian, annoyed. “I am so very confused about everything”.

The woman walked over to the table and lifted the old book from it. She opened it and began it flip through the pages.

“Jillian, asked the woman, “have you read this book”?

“No”, answered Jillian. “What is it”?

“It is the book of Gantailzian Lore”, answered the woman. “You should read it. It is very interesting”.

“Wait a minute”, said Jillian, “that book was taken by Loukraiza. You are magic. Are you Queen Lorraliell”, Jillian asked, excitedly?

“No”, said the woman laughing, “I am not the queen. I come and go as I please. I am not trapped like Lorraliell”.

“Oh”, said Jillian. “Then who are you and where is the queen”?

“Jillian”, said the woman, “the queen is in her castle”.

“You mean Loukraiza”, asked Jillian, surprised?

“No, Loukraiza will never be the queen”, answered the woman. “The queen now sits in the tower of the castle. She sits there waiting for you Jillian. You will save her”.

“I, don’t know”, said Jillian. “I haven’t had much luck saving the queen. I don’t even know where I am right now”.

“Jillian you are in the cave”, said the woman.

“What cave”, asked Jillian?

“The cave”, said the woman, “the cave that Gobdiron guards, the cave that I live in, the cave that holds the secret to queen Lorraliell”.

“The secret”, asked Jillian, “what is the secret to Lorraliell”?

“Read the book Jillian”, answered the woman. “Open the box. Use the wand”.

With that the woman swirled in the air again and the dust separated and settled to the ground and she was gone. Jillian was more confused than ever so she called out to the woman but there was no answer. She rang the bell again but nothing happened. Jillian was alone. It was up to her now. She turned to the table and opened the book.