MAGISTAN

Chapter 11: You're Not Ready To Find The Oyster Shell

Sofia pulled out the Golden key. She held it in her hand and watched as it captured the morning light that trickled through the forest of Blue Bark trees. She was mesmerized by its brilliance. For a moment, she felt nothing existed other than the key. She nibbled on her lower lip while wondering, what to do next. The thought of swimming in the bottomless pond was terrifying to her. Lorn's plan seemed like a good one to Sofia. He could go first. He could see if the key really worked. Then he'd be back to help her through the pond. Only... the Spirit of the Wind told her to never take the key off or give it away. Maybe, Lorn can help me through the pond now, she thought. That way, I don't have to give him the key. "Can we go together?" Sofia asked, looking up. But, Lorn was no longer standing beside her. Strangely, he had disappeared.  

"Lorn," Sofia hollered, searching the shore. She glanced up at the Blue Bark trees. She looked behind the boulders. She peered under the logs that were scattered on the ground. But, there was no sign of Lorn.  

"Lorn," Sofia called out again. She paced along the shore wondering, where he went. She hated to be alone in an unfamiliar forest where strange sounds were so abundant. But, the creatures that lived there appeared so shy. Not one of them came out to meet her, as so many of them had at home. This made her feel very uneasy. She hoped one might appear to greet her, when suddenly she heard a buzzing sound coming towards her.  

Sofia froze. "What's that?" she whispered. She gripped her papa's spear and glanced around. The buzzing sound quieted as the sound of footsteps grew louder. The ground trembled. The forest became silent. Nothing moved except the clouds that passed overhead and the water that rippled ashore. As it settled, Sofia spotted the Purple Poppy Princess's reflection in the water. Startled, Sofia whipped her head around. Now the Purple Poppy Princess was nearly three times her height. Sofia stepped back. "Lorn?" she squeaked.  

The Purple Poppy Princess frowned. She leaned forward. "Where's Lorn?!" she demanded. 

"Stay back!" Sofia shouted, holding up her spear as if she were going to strike her. The Purple Poppy Princess leaned in even closer. "Are you talking to me?" she asked, knocking Sofia's spear out of hand.  

"She can't swim," a strange voice shouted from above. Sofia glanced up and found a honeybee wearing a dark pair of shades. Twigs and leaves covered in pollen were spewing out of the bee's arms. The bee buzzed around the Purple Poppy Princess's head as if it was trying to distract her. "Quick!" the bee hollered to Sofia. "Jump into the pond!"  

"Get lost Shady Kay!" The Purple Poppy Princess shouted to the bee, trying to swat it away.  

The bee ducked. Sofia cringed. She spun around and dove into the pond. Quickly, a strong current consumed her. It sent her spinning in circles. She struggled to get to the surface. But, she continued sinking deeper and deeper into the bottomless pond. Soon she lost sight of which direction was up or down. Her eye's shifted wildly.  

In the distance, she caught a glimpse of a golden gooney bird swimming towards her. What's a bird doing down here, wondered Sofia, trying to keep her eyes open by focusing on the bird's bright pink legs. The golden gooney bird plucked Sofia up with its downward curved bill. It darted through an underwater passageway and brought her to the surface. Then it lifted her out of the water and gently placed her on some rocks. Quietly, golden gooney bird sank back into the bottomless pond.  

Sprawled out on top of the rocks, Sofia violently coughed. She spit up water and gasped for air. She lay there for a moment until her breathing settled. Then she looked around and found she was now inside a cave. There was a stone walkway near her feet, which led to a short staircase at the base of a tunnel. Golden light seeped out of its sides. Beside Sofia there were several purple and orange plants that looked like seaweed. Glowing red mushrooms, spotted with white dots sprouted out of the rocks. They lit up the stalactites that dropped from the high ceilings, which partially shadowed the walls.  

"Who are you?" A deep voice asked from across the pond.  

Sofia glanced sideways. She found a yellow banana slug tucked under a red mushroom that was taller than Sofia. Sofia jumped up. She spread out her wings, flapped them a few times. Instantly, she was dry. Then she stepped onto the stones and crossed the pond. "I'm Sofia," she said, walking up to the banana slug. "Who are you?" 

"Shuuu," the banana slug whispered, looking up.  

Sofia raised her eyes. She didn't see anything but divots of darkness. She turned back to the banana slug. "I'm looking for the Spirit of the Wind's oyster shell," she said, quietly. "Do you know where it is?"  

"You shouldn't be in here," the banana slug warned.  

Sofia nervously brushed back her hair. "Please... if you could just tell me where it is. I'd be so grateful."  

"You should leave!" the banana slug insisted.  

"I can't," Sofia argued, holding up the Golden key. "Don't you see," she added. "I must find it. I have the Golden key." 

"You're not ready to find the oyster shell," the banana slug said, gravely. Then the banana slug slowly slunk away, leaving a trail of clear slime in its path. 

Sofia looked confused. "Not ready," she mumbled, staring at the banana slug, which soon disappeared into a mound of red mushrooms. "I am," she insisted. "I am..." She turned around and stared at golden light that seeped out of the tunnel, wondering where it led. Carefully, she crept over to the tunnel and poked her head inside. It twisted and turned. She couldn't see the end. She wondered if the oyster shell was somewhere down there. Bet it is, she thought stepping into the tunnel. She'd only walked a short distance when she stepped on something sharp. "Ouch," she uttered, lifting her foot. She found a key. It looked exactly like the Golden key. Only, this key was wooden. Beside it was a trail of bits and pieces of wooden shavings. She wondered how these wooden chips had gotten there and why they were scattered everywhere. She didn't see any trees in the cave, which led her to believe someone else had been there.  

Sofia tiptoed through the tunnel. It turned several times and then split in two. She stopped. She wondered which tunnel to take, when she felt something drip on her shoulder. She glanced over and found it was a dark red spot, like blood. Goosebumps rose on her arms, as she remembered there were Vampire bats that lived in the cave, a few thousand of them according to Lorn. Sofia slowly raised her eyes. It was then she noticed a small hole in the ceiling. It was about the size of two fists put together. Maybe the vampire bats are up there, she thought. But it was so quiet. Suddenly, she heard a distant sound of splashing water behind her. Sofia's heart skipped. She stood there for a moment and listened. Again the splashing sound was heard. "Who's there?" Sofia called out and waited, when something tickled her wings. She flinched and spun around. Standing beside her was a Vampire bat with red stained fangs. Blood oozed from its mouth. It dripped onto the ground, leaving a tiny puddle by its webbed feet.  

Sofia jumped back.  

The vampire bat hissed.  

"Please don't!" she begged, backing away.  

"I thought you were Lorn, creeping around the cave," the bat said, calmly. "But, I'm pleasantly surprised to see someone new," the bat added, with its eyebrows raised. Then the bat opened its mouth wide and drew its head forward.  

Sofia screamed.  

A clambering of flapping wings came from above. Sofia glanced up. Thousands of tiny red eyes appeared through the hole in the ceiling. Gaping mouths and jaws clenched, the vampire bats circled and screeched. Sofia's eyes bulged.  

"Sofia!" she heard Lorn holler from behind.  

"Lorn?!" she said, looking back. She couldn't see anything but the twisting tunnel.  

The vampire bats shrieked. One by one, they flew through the hole over Sofia's head and swarmed around her. She flung her arms around trying to whack them away. 

"Run Sofia! Run!" Lorn shouted.  

Sofia plowed through the bats. She darted into the tunnel on her right.  

"No!" Lorn shouted with his cane swinging in the air. "The other one," he insisted, chasing after her.