In a Time Far Away

In a Time Far Away Part 6

Tim next looked over at the cooks and raised his wand.

"No!" they shouted and scattered. They had seen enough.

Having heard of the unusual visitor, curious elves continued to filter in from the woods. Joan took the opportunity to slip out of camp. She needed to check something.

As she left the grove, the elves were trying to get Tim to do more magic, but the wood sprite was too impressed with the wood benches. As Joan walked into the forest she heard Tim exclaim, "This is like magic!"

Joan also needed time to sort out her crazy experiences. The whole mess had seemed like a deceitful wood sprite trick, but she realized it was just the way his fairy world worked. He didn't know how to help an elf at first because the elf world worked so differently.

"He thinks a spoon is magic," she laughed to herself.

Somehow she had been trapped in the future, and she didn't like what that future looked like. But to Tim, the time difference didn't seem to matter at all. He didn't even notice it.

Joan stopped when she drew near the cliff, unsure if she wanted to see what the view had in store for her. Would it be that ruined future landscape? Was her river valley gone forever, or had Tim managed to set everything right?

Holding her breath, she forced herself to the edge and studied the view carefully. A long, relieved sigh escaped her. The scene was as Joan always remembered.

Back in camp, Joan found Tim gaping in amazement at the cloth weaver's loom. He sat fixated with his mouth open, watching the weaver twine the strands together. Most of the elves had gotten bored watching Tim watch the weaver and had wandered off.

"Amazing," said Tim when saw her. "Did you know that she can turn thread into fabric? This is a wondrous power."

"Amazing," Joan echoed kindly. "I see you've gotten over the spoons."

Tim proved her wrong by proudly displaying his new wand—a hand-carved wooden spoon. Pleased and excited, he explained how the wood-smith had been very interested in the pencil and offered the trade. Tim was thrilled with the bargain.

At that moment the elf king and his entourage entered the grove. He had gone hunting, and the newly arrived elves carried a buck trussed to a pole. Having heard of the visitor before his arrival, he searched protectively for any signs of magical mischief. After assuring himself of no catastrophes, he quickly sought out his daughter.

"Joan, I'm so happy to see you safe," he said with relief as he hugged her. The king then cast a wary glance at the wood sprite and whispered, "But you brought him here into our community. That could be dangerous."

"Father, I didn't bring him," she explained. "He brought me home. I would never have found my way back from his world without his help."

She told him of her perplexing troubles and of Tim's patient assistance. To the king, the most disturbing part of the story was the fact Joan could not find her own way home. Elves never got lost. With a look of deep concern, he again expressed his doubts about having Tim in camp.

"You know, brother," interrupted Ned. "A sprite might be handy to have around."

"Sprites don't make reliable associates," said the king. "They are unpredictable, and their curiosity is fleeting."

Uncle Ned eyed his brother's beautiful daughter. "Maybe we can keep him interested."

Joan's father didn't notice Ned's suggestion. He approached Tim and thanked him for bringing Joan safely home. Hoping to judge for himself if his powers were dangerous, he asked the wood sprite for a display of magic. Tim was eager to comply. Looking for a suitable demonstration, the king glanced toward the center of the clearing where the elves were preparing the buck.

"Can you cook that deer for us?" he asked.

Tim was entirely confused at the request, as if he had never heard of such a thing.

"You know," the king clarified. "Make it into a meal."

"Oh!" Tim exclaimed, delighted to have figured out the riddle. "You mean turn it into food?"

The king wasn't sure why the idea of cooking had to be explained. "Yes," the king nodded patiently.

"No. That's magic. I can't do that."