Hidden Magic (2 page)

The radio burst into action, blaring out a cheery Christmas song and woke Grace with a start. She stretched out her small hand from under her warm cosy duvet and fumbled to slam it onto the alarm clock's snooze button. She had her alarm set every morning for 7am and although it was the school holidays, she had kept it set at this time to ensure that she was up and out of bed, ready to go and help Elsie. Elsie was the elderly lady who lived in the house next door to Grace. Grace visited Elsie every day, helping her with some general chores and also helping to look after her pet house rabbit, DD. Grace loved animals and therefore enjoyed helping Elsie with DD, especially seeing as Elsie would usually repay the kindness in the form of a freshly baked cake.

“Uugghh, what am I doing?” Grace said, pushing the quilt off. “I can't sleep in today, it's Christmas Day!” she cried with joy and with that, she sprang out of her bed and ran into her brothers' bedroom, “Merry Christmas, Dan, Merry Christmas, Harry!” she yelled.

The teenage boys responded in their usual teenage manner, telling her to “Shut up,” and then they grunted, pulled their duvets up over their heads and snuggled back down to sleep.

Grace had not yet reached this age, the inability to communicate without grunts age. She was only eight years old and was full to bursting with life's spirit and joy. She bounded down the stairs and through to the kitchen.

“Merry Christmas Chyna, mwah, Merry Christmas Womble, mwah,” she said as she planted kisses on the pug's and bulldog's heads.

Then she pulled on her wellies and, still wearing her PJs, she went into the garden. Her feet crunched in the thick snow. It was the first white Christmas for many years and the first that Grace had ever and possibly would ever see. Grace made her way to the garden shed, grabbed a bag of bird seed from inside and then continued to crunch her way across the thick-snow-covered lawn to the apple tree at the bottom of the garden. The apple tree's branches were adorned with a variety of hanging bird feeders which Grace very carefully proceeded to fill up with the seed. Once all of the feeders were full, she stepped back to admire the beautiful wintry wonderland. The air was crisp and fresh, the birds were singing their morning chorus and the sun, having just risen, beamed a golden ray of sunlight through the broken clouds and onto one of the apple tree's branches, where a robin had been sat waiting, eager for its breakfast. The sun illuminated its red chest producing a warm, glowing patch amid the cold, snowy background.

“Wow, you are beautiful, aren't you?” Grace whispered softly so as not to scare the little robin away.

“Grace, Grace, come on in, don't you want to see what Santa has brought for you?” her mum, Mary, called from the back door and with that, the little robin spread his wings and flew off over the garden gate and into the woodland that lay beyond.

“Goodbye Mr Robin, Merry Christmas,” Grace said.

Then she ran clumsily in her wellies, back across the deep snow and into her warm house, an innocent young girl completely unaware that this brief encounter with the robin was to change her life forever. It was to be the beginning of the most magical, yet terrifying, rollercoaster of an adventure that anyone could ever imagine.

Santa had brought Grace the latest high-tech, slim-line digital camera. Her parents had given her some binoculars and an adventurer's rucksack. Her brothers gave her a book on wild birds, a notebook and a pencil. Daniel had given Harry a pair of girl's dressing-up pink butterfly wings. Dan thought this was quite hilarious. Harry, on the other hand, did not and decided to dress Womble the bulldog up in them instead of wearing them himself. Nanny Lizzy's and Grandad Arthur's presents to the Darling family were knitted hat, scarf and glove sets for each of them, which had been lovingly made by Lizzy herself. Grace's knitted set was quite fashionable. It was cherry red, with a bow on the beret-style hat, a small bow on each glove and one on each end of the scarf, too.

When Nanny Lizzy and Grandad Arthur had arrived at the front door earlier that morning, Grace had been the first to wish them a Merry Christmas and the first to check out Grandad Arthur, all kitted out in his knitted Christmas waistcoat, his gift from Lizzy. It was truly amazing, very festive indeed, with knitted Christmas trees, snowmen, Santas, bells, reindeer and robins attached to it. Grandad Arthur always got right into the swing of Christmas spirit and was also wearing a hat that was the shape of a chimney. The chimney hat had a Santa stuck inside of it and Santa's black boots could be seen sticking out of the top.

“Ha, ha, ha, what do you look like, Cranky?” Grace had chuckled when she'd opened the front door. Grace and her brothers always called their grandad Cranky. The name suited the funny old man and even though he had now been in their house for a couple of hours, Grace still had the occasional laugh out loud when she looked at him in his Christmas outfit.

Grace had unwrapped the last of her gifts. She crumpled the wrapping paper into a ball and hurled it across the room. This crumpled-up paper ball was followed closely by Chyna and Womble as they raced to catch it and tear it up. This activity was definitely the dogs' favourite part of Christmas. They loved those crumpled-up balls of paper much more than any of the gifts that had been lovingly wrapped inside them. Womble was still wearing the pink butterfly wings that Dan had bought for Harry as he charged across the living room in pursuit of the paper ball. As usual, he failed to activate his brakes in time and ploughed rather ungracefully head-first into the Christmas tree. The tangled wreckage that had once been the beautifully decorated tree began to move and the dopey bulldog's tinsel-covered head emerged from under it, his worried expression indicating that he knew he was in big trouble.

“Oh Womble… what are we going to do with you?” Mary sighed and the whole family roared with laughter.

Grace snapped a quick picture of him with her fancy new camera and then she helped her mum put the tree back together.

“Thank you all for my lovely pressies,” Grace said. “Is it okay if I go outside to take some photos with my new camera, Mum?”

“Okay, Grace, but make sure you wrap up nice and warm, it's freezing out there!” Mary replied.

Grace did as her mother had asked and wrapped herself up in her new Christmas knitwear set and put on her wellies and a warm winter coat. She packed her camera, binoculars, books and pencil into her rucksack and crunched her way back across the crisp snow, down the garden to the gazebo that was opposite the apple tree.

She tipped the contents of the rucksack out onto a bench and placed the binoculars around her neck, then, holding her camera, she sat very still and quietly waited.

The first photo opportunity that presented itself was when the biggest, fattest wood pigeon she had ever seen landed on the hanging seed tray and was shortly followed by another one landing on the opposite side. The seed tray began to swing to and fro as if the pigeons were swinging on one of those see-saw swings. Grace tried to contain her laugh, chuckling inside quietly to herself so that she didn't scare them away and then she focused her camera and snapped an image of the comical moment. She opened up her bird book, flicked through the pages and identified the pigeons as common wood pigeons, then gathered her notebook and pencil and started writing.

BIRD SPOTTING

Common wood pigeon √

Grace looked up from the notebook and was flabbergasted to see that the tree was now a bustling hive of activity with a variety of birds amongst the branches and the list in her book began to grow at an alarming rate.

Magpie √

Coal tit √

Blue tit √

Great tit √

Tree sparrow √

Collared dove √

Robin √

Starling √

Blackbird √

Chaffinch √

Crow √

Long-tailed tit √

Grace had been watching the birds for around an hour when the bitter cold finally became unbearable. Unable to grip the pencil for a moment longer with her frozen, numb fingers, Grace decided to pack away her things and head back indoors. She stood up and, as she did so, the apple tree's canopy became enveloped in a cloak of pulsing wings, as the birds took flight, all but one. The same little robin that Grace had seen earlier that day remained perched on a branch. He appeared to be looking at the ground. Grace moved closer and there on the ground beneath the tree was what she thought to be a thrush, but as she neared the thrush it did not fly away. She approached it and as she looked at it more closely, she could see that in fact it was not a bird at all, but the cutest little wild bunny that she had ever seen. Something was wrong because the bunny was barely moving. Grace took off her hat and gently nestled the bunny inside it, then she carefully carried it indoors.

“Mum, Mum, look, it was under the apple tree,” she said, peeling back a section of hat to reveal the cold, limp bunny.

“Oh, poor little thing, I'd better ring the vet, let's hope they are working on Christmas Day,” said Mary.

Mary rang the vet's practice. “Oh, thank goodness, yes, we will leave straight away, be there in five minutes,” and with that, she put the phone down.

“Okay, Grace, we are in luck, Noah's Ark is open. The vet was there checking up on the in-patients and he said that he will check the bunny over for us if we can go now.”

Grace placed the hat containing the rabbit inside a shoe box that she had stabbed with a biro pen to make a few air holes, and then she secured the lid with an elastic band, carried the box out to the car and carefully climbed into the passenger seat. The vet practice, Noah's Ark, was only a few minutes' drive away from Grace's house, but it took a little longer to get there because of the snow and her mum's bad driving. As they got out of the car and walked towards the practice, Grace spotted a little robin sitting on the arm of a bench.

“Are you the same little robin from earlier? Are you following me?” she asked, giving the little bird a curious smile.

The practice door opened.

“Merry Christmas, Mrs Darling, bring the poor little chap through to the examination room,” said Mr Copper.

“Merry Christmas to you too, Mr Copper. Thank you for seeing us so quickly and on Christmas Day, of all days.”

“No problem at all and please, call me Noah.”

Grace carefully placed the shoe box on the examination table, pulled off the elastic band and lifted the lid. Then, with her big blue eyes, she looked up at Mr Copper in anticipation.

“Is he going to be okay?” she asked.

“Hmmm, well, rabbits are very fragile little creatures, but I think, with some TLC, he has a pretty good chance,” Noah replied, having examined the small rabbit. “Now then, you will need to keep the little fella nice and warm. He will need regular feeds. Little and often is the key with these little ‘uns. I have some recovery formula for rabbits that you can syringe-feed him. Do you think you'll be able to do that, Grace?” he asked.

“Yes, I have to try,” she replied.

Noah gathered the formula feed and syringes, then gave Grace a demonstration on how to administer the liquid slowly and carefully, to ensure that the bunny didn't choke on it.

“Now don't forget, little and often is the key. And when he is bright enough and manages to eat hay or grass on his own, you can release him back into the wild where he belongs. Good luck.”

*

That night, Grace set her alarm and got up every two hours. She re-warmed the hot water bottle that she'd placed under the bunny's shoe box to keep him warm and, carefully following the vet's instructions, she fed him the formula. The next morning, almost afraid to open the shoe box, not sure if the little bunny would be dead or alive, she gingerly lifted the lid.

“Whoa!” she yelled, as the bunny sprang out of the box and hopped around her bedroom.

She managed to get him back into the box, secure the lid, and then she rushed next door to her elderly neighbour Elsie's house. Elsie's pet house rabbit was named Donna Doughnut, or DD for short. Grace helped Elsie care for DD by ensuring that she had fresh food, water and clean bedding every day.

“Morning, Elsie, please may I have some of DD's hay? I'm looking after a wild bunny and if it eats some hay on its own, it can be released back into the wild and go back to its family.”

“Yes dear, of course you can, help yourself and good luck.”

“Thanks, Elsie,” Grace called out as she ran back to her house with fistfuls of hay.

She opened the box and put in a handful of the hay and, to her delight, the bunny immediately started to pull at it with its teeth. It singled out a strand and began to chew on it. Grace watched it gradually disappearing as if it were a long piece of spaghetti.

“Well done, now you can go back home, back to your family!” She beamed, feeling very proud of herself, for nursing the little bunny back to health.

Grace made a clearing in the snow underneath the apple tree and then placed the box inside it. She slowly lifted the lid, but instead of springing out like she had expected the bunny to, it remained in the box, where it stood for a few seconds, looking directly into Grace's eyes as if to say ‘thank you'. Then the bunny turned, jumped out of the box, hopped across the snow and into a hole under a bush, then disappeared off into the woods beyond. As Grace turned to go back to the house, she caught a fleeting glimpse of red as the robin flew past and she could have sworn that she heard a little voice say, “Thank you.”

Grace had received many lovely gifts that Christmas, but it was Grace herself who had given the very best gift of all, for she had given the bunny that most precious gift… the gift of life!

The little bunny hopped his way across the snow-covered woodland floor, eager to get back home. Unbeknown to him, the little robin was flying above, moving from tree to tree, keeping a close eye on his every move.

The small rabbit came to an area of dense ferns that lay below a thick holly bush. He manoeuvred his way through the spiky maze and there before him stood an ancient wooden gate. The old gate was very mystical in appearance. It had slatted wood panels that were knotted and aged, partially covered in a rich green moss. There was a circular wrought-iron handle with a lever latch and there was an ornate wrought-iron emblem within a circular hole at the top of the centre panel.

This gate was the entrance… the entrance into Liberty!

Below the gate was a small hollow. The bunny pushed his head through this hole, lengthened and stretched his body, flattening it like a pancake, then he pushed and pushed with his back feet until the white of his tail disappeared under the gate and he popped through to the other side. The other side was still woodland, but instead of a thick covering of snow, the floor was dappled with golden sunlight and carpeted with vibrant bluebells that flowered all year round. This area of Liberty was therefore known as Bluebell Wood. The rabbit climbed to his feet and there in front of him stood the little robin.

The robin spoke!

“Benjamin, what were you doing in the Human world, alone, without your family?” he asked.

“Oh Chester, it was terrible,” said Benjamin. “The Nomeds, they… they… caught one of the Halfses, you know the young one, Caspian. He didn't stand a chance, he didn't make it. The Nomeds were too strong. The rest of the Halfses' herd fled and I was left there alone. I was so scared! I didn't know what to do so I hopped and leapt until I got into the Human girl's garden. I was really tired after all that hopping, so I sat below the apple tree to rest, but it was
soooo
cold and I couldn't find the strength to get back up. I fell asleep and that's when you spotted me and then the kind Human girl came and picked me up.”

“Well, thank goodness I did spot you, or things could have been much worse. Listen, Benjamin, when we get back I don't think that we should tell the others about our interaction with the Humans. It is forbidden and they probably won't understand or believe that the Human girl was so kind to you. So I think we should tell the others that you ran away because you were scared after the Nomeds attacked Caspian and that you then became lost in the Human world, until I found you and guided you back to the entrance,” said Chester.

“Okay,” agreed Benjamin.

“Now, come quickly, we must return you to your family in Maytime Meadow, they must be absolutely worried sick about you,” said Chester.

Benjamin and Chester made the long journey through Bluebell Wood, down the wooded hillside and into Maytime Meadow. The sun was shining brightly in the meadow and the meadow flowers danced a flamboyant display of colours in the soft breeze. The sun glistened on the gently rippling surface of the pond and the weeping willow tree's branches swayed gently as they dipped their tips into the pond's beckoning water. There was no remaining evidence of the battle that had taken place there, less than forty-eight hours earlier. Chester spotted Benjamin's family heading towards the Great Prophet. The Great Prophet was the large weeping willow tree that stood beside the pond. Chester flew ahead to speak to the rabbit family.

“Cara,” Chester called out to Benjamin's mother.

“Not now, Chester. Benjamin has been missing for almost two days and we are going to ask the Great Prophet if it knows where he is or if… if… he is even alive,” Cara said, with tears welling in the corners of her bright brown eyes.

“It's okay, Cara, Benjamin is alive, and he's here!”

Benjamin sprang through the long meadow grass towards his mother, his brother, Hippo, and his sisters, Bethany and Lu Lu.

“Oh, thank God!” said Cara and the family celebrated his return by hopping and skipping joyfully together in the meadow grass.

Benjamin then shared with them the story of how he had become lost and how Chester had led him back home safely.

“Well, thank goodness you are okay, we were all lucky to have survived that night. The Nomeds are growing more and more powerful and if the dragonflies hadn't joined forces with the Halfses, then I don't think anyone would have made it. Even with the joining of forces, they still only managed to see the Nomeds off. Who knows when they may strike again? The Halfses are to attend a meeting with the Great Prophet at dusk. Hopefully, the Great Prophet will be able to advise them on what to do,” said Cara.

The sun began its daily descent, gradually dropping behind the woodland trees, filling the sky with beautiful, layered shades of pinks and reds. The Halfses trotted toward the weeping willow tree, whose long, wispy branches and leaves were gently swaying and rustling. Chester and the rabbits were already there, waiting eagerly to hear what the Great Prophet would have to say. Zavier walked into the tree's canopy. The feather-like leaves began caressing his body.

“Oh, Great Prophet, please advise us,” he begged. “We fear that we may lose our fight against the evil Nomeds. They are growing stronger, they feed more frequently and they are slowly depleting Liberty of all that is good.”

The gentle breeze began to strengthen slightly and the Great Prophet's branches swayed a little more vigorously.

The playful young bunny sisters, Beth and Lu Lu, began to chuckle.

“QUIET!” commanded Zavier. “I cannot hear what the Great Prophet is saying.”

The naughty sisters, having been reprimanded by the meadow's Berthold, then stood silent, afraid to move. The branches began swaying more and more vigorously, the rustle of the leaves was getting louder and the whispers that they emitted began speaking in unison, whispering these words:

“It is vital that all of Liberty's Berthold hear what is said. We are all in great danger and must unite. I fear the only solution foreseen will not be received gladly by the Berthold. You must bring all of the Berthold here to me and then I will tell them what is required in order to win this fight. I must express to them just how imperative it is that they allow what is required to happen. But Zavier, beware, the journey shall be fraught with danger. You will, however, learn many valuable lessons along the way. I will expect you and the other Berthold to return within a few days. Now go, act quickly, time is running out!”

“Thank you, Great Prophet,” said Zavier. He turned to face the others.

“Cara, you and the kids must stay here in the meadow,” he said. “Chester, you will come with me. I will also select some of the herd to accompany us on the journey to collect the Berthold. The remaining herd, along with the Fire Fairies and dragonflies, can guard the meadow while we are away.”

Zavier went to the pond's edge to inform the dragonflies of what had been said and he instructed them to be on guard while he was away. He then headed over to a gently sloping bank, which was speckled with an abundance of vibrant red poppies.

“Ember!” he summoned.

One of the closed poppies began to open, slowly unfolding one delicate petal at a time, and then, just like an exploding firework, Ember, Queen of the Fire Fairies, shot up into the night sky, her red-and-orange-flamed hair fizzing like a sparkler, the irises of her eyes alive with flickering flames, her blazing beauty brightening the darkness and emanating a heat that was inconceivable for her tiny size.

“What is it, Zavier?” she asked and once again he explained what the Great Prophet had said and requested that she assist the others in the guarding of the meadow.

Zavier rejoined the herd and requested their attention.

“I must select some of you to accompany me, but you all heard what the Great Prophet had to say. This journey will be extremely dangerous! If any of you are willing to embark on such a journey and face its many dangers with me, then put yourselves forward now.”

The herd, an intertwining mass of muscle and manes, began to shuffle. Aaron thrust himself through to the front of the herd and stood beside Zavier.

“Bring it on,” he said, pawing at the ground with his hooves, anxious to get started.

Then Ezekiel, a powerful and athletic bay stallion, threw back his head and exhaled loudly through his flaring nostrils.

“You can count me in,” he said, and he joined them.

They were soon followed by three mares, Lettitia, a stunning palomino with the most beautiful blonde, flowing mane and piercing aquamarine eyes; Hazel, a pure white arab with amazingly rich and warm hazel-coloured eyes; and April, a feisty appaloosa, white with black spots and a very distinctive black and white striped mane. Jazmine, the arab bay, tossed her thick black mane and joined the girls.

Then from near the back of the herd a voice called out.

“There is no way that you are going without me!” shouted Tobias.

“No, Tobias, you are too young and inexperienced,” replied Zavier.

Tobias was a young colt around two and half years of age, the equivalent of a fifteen-year-old Human. He was a handsome white and chestnut pinto.

“But Caspian was my best friend,” he said. “Please, I beg you, give me this opportunity to avenge his death.”

Zavier hung his head in contemplation.

“Okay,” he said. “But you must follow my orders, stay close and do not, I repeat,
do not
take any unnecessary risks.”

“AWESOME!” Tobias said excitedly.

Then he galloped the perimeter of the herd and joined the newly formed legion of courageous Halfses.

Chester had been sat atop Zavier's head the entire time, puffing out his feathers, pretending to be brave, but really he was wondering just what it was that he had actually gotten himself into.