 
THE WORLD BEYOND THE DOOR

Copyright 2006 by Steven & Margaret Larson and Clive Moore

Smashwords Edition

Published by Margaret Larson at Smashwords

Special thanks to Clive Moore for first recognizing the enchanted tree, helping to visualize what lay beyond the door, and for his collaboration, editing, and encouragement throughout this work.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold. Thank you for respecting the work of the authors.

Other books available by these authors

CHILDREN'S FANTASY BOOKS

Murky Manor

Cave of Discovery

Worlds Within

A COLLECTION OF WRITINGS

Thoughts on the Wind

Print versions available at www.lulu.com/larsonworlds

Visit us at our web site www.home.earthlink.net/~larsonworlds

CONTENTS

1 A Garden Party

2 Cleaning and Spinning

3 A Pixie Melody

4 All in a Dream

5 The Pixie Woods

6 The Cave

7 Lyte Spinning

8 Old News

9 The Party

10 Poetry and Plans

11 Riddles and Old Poems

12 Opening the Door

13 Exploring Beyond the Door

14 Berries and Belvedere

15 Back from the Herb Garden

16 Honey and Hiding

17 Pixie Brouhaha

18 Danger in the Dark

19 Unexpected

20 Fox Hunt

21 Out of the Bag

22 Tooth or Talon

23 Thunder and Pixie Dust

24 Lost World

CHAPTER 1 - A GARDEN PARTY

Just off the main highway, away from the noise and bustle, a side road branched off and led to houses that were spaced far enough apart to give some privacy to the residents. Nestled in a group of apple trees sat a one-story brick house with red leaves scattered on the newly shingled roof.

Many more leaves were strewn at the feet of two enormous oak trees that towered over the home. The trees had provided shade all through the long hot summer. Now that winter was approaching, their large branches still offered a shield for the house. A winding driveway made a path through the apples trees. Apples hung on branches just out of reach, waiting to be picked and turned into pies, cobblers, cider, and apple butter.

A fence encircled the back yard offering the perfect place for the family's dog to romp and chase squirrels. A quaint herb garden in the back corner was surrounded by flowers and separated from the rest of the yard by a short wrought iron fence.

Just beyond the fence, the trees grew close together. Thick undergrowth and fallen leaves from past seasons gave an unkempt feeling. A gate opened onto a path of stepping stones spotted with moss. The branches of a red maple tree formed a natural trellis over the entrance. Climbing vines had grown up the trunk and covered the arch. Just on the other side of the opening stood a stone figure about three feet tall. He had a long beard and was dressed in a flowing robe. On his head was a tall pointed hat with an owl perched on the brim. In one hand he held a staff, and with the other hand he gestured invitingly into the woods.

Down the path the air was cool and crisp with a deep earthy aroma of decaying leaves and pine needles. Squirrels scampered briskly through the underbrush carrying horse chestnuts and acorns, which they were busily storing for the coming winter. There were numerous finches, sparrows, chickadees, and an occasional cardinal or robin. Many of the branches hung down across the path. Here and there a pine sapling was trying to grow in the center of the trail. A light breeze brought the faint hint of a wood fire, perhaps from someone's fireplace.

Deep in the woods, and just a little off the path, brambles grew in profusion. The thorns and branches were thickly interwoven, and reached several feet high forming a natural hedge. An open area near the ground was just large enough for a rabbit to squeeze under.

On the other side of the hedge was a small clearing with a giant oak. It was very old and very large – a grandfather among trees. The lower limbs started close to the ground, and the massive branches reached up, up, past all the other trees, until it looked as though it were holding up the very sky. The roots were bent and twisted from growing for many years around the rocks in the hard ground. It was a perfect tree for climbing. Its roots and footholds were within easy reach for all but the smallest child.

Long ago lightening had struck the tree leaving a scar that ran from one of the large branches all the way down the trunk to the ground. Lightening storms have an aura of fear and awe, and there was an air of magic and mystery about the tree and the clearing. Lightening often appears out of nowhere with a FLASH and a BANG, lighting up the sky and sometimes changing what it touches forever. Strange things can happen when opposite forces of nature are brought together suddenly, and this was one of those rare and extraordinary examples of when two worlds collide and leave behind a lingering magical residue.

At the bottom of the tree sat a small man who was about six inches tall when standing. He might have been considered extraordinary, but other than his size, his appearance wasn't that unusual. He was sitting comfortably in the hollow of one of the roots with his back against the trunk.

Just behind him in the tree was a door, and it looked very much like he was sitting on his front porch. In one hand was a cup full of water and some herbs. In his other hand he held a small shimmering bead between his thumb and finger. Squeezing the bead gently he held it for a couple of seconds until it began to get hot, and then he dropped it into the water. In a few seconds the water began to steam. He settled back and took in the evening air as he sipped his mint tea. He was very fond of mint tea.

The door behind him led through the tree to his home. It was a door that he had journeyed through many times. Just that morning he came for an herb gathering expedition. He made the long journey to the edge of the woods, slipped past the stone figure, and entered the herb garden to harvest what he considered to be unusual and rare herbs. The tea he was now enjoying was made from mint leaves he had gathered that morning. The herbs he collected had a richer and more exotic flavor than those he could grow at home. He suspected this was due to their size and to the peculiarities of the soil.

After finishing his tea, he packed up his cup, and gathered up his sack of herbs and his backpack. Touching the door in several secret places, it opened, and he passed through.

He experienced the familiar dizzy feeling that always accompanied traveling through the door, and found himself once again in the cave located behind his house. He spread the new herbs on the shelves in the back of the cave to dry, and hung his backpack on a hook.

Unpacking his gear, he carefully cleaned his tools and put them away, ready for the next trip.

As he left the cave, the sun was just setting. A gentle breeze stirred the bush that grew around the mouth of the cave, flooding him with the smell of lilacs. The breeze shifted and he caught the whiff of a wood fire, and knew that dinner would be waiting. He hurried down the path through the trees to the stone house where he had lived all his life.

Kendra Wordsmith, a slim, lady gnome, met him at the door. The sleeves of her dark green dress were rolled up. Her face was framed by wisps of dark red hair that had escaped from the long braid down her back. She drew him into the warm inviting kitchen where the delightful smell of her hot stew filled the room. She and Morley had shared the secret of the door for many years.

When her grandfather, Axel, was young he had discovered the door on property owned by Morley's family. Axel had written several books on his discoveries and adventures, though he never revealed the location of the door. That was a secret that was kept by the two families.

During his lifetime, Axel was viewed as eccentric and fanciful, and was often scoffed. Controversy about his writings continued even after his death. In spite of this he was very generous with donations to others, and shared his personal collection of books by opening a public library, with the stipulation that Kendra would be the caretaker. All this no doubt added to the general good will and high esteem that his name now carried, although his writings were mostly considered fiction by the general populace.

"How was your trip, Morley?" she asked, setting the plate she had been keeping warm for him on the table. "I hope you didn't run into any more strange creatures. You know it worries me when you are off on these adventures, especially when your lyte cloak is getting so thin." She drew two frothing mugs of apple cider from the keg in the corner and sat down with him. She had already eaten, but companionably sipped her cider while he ate his dinner.

Morley smiled and said, "You know I'm always careful. Got a nice batch of mint and some herbs drying in the cave. Should be ready for you to make up one of your special herb chicken dishes for the party next week," and he grinned. "Course if you'd like to make up some before then....", his voice trailed off.

She ignored the hint and said, "I've just about finished your new cloak. It will be ready for your next trip."

"That's good news," he sighed with relief. "The old one fully evaporated just before I got back to the door." He saw the concern in her eyes and hurried on, "But I was already through the Tangles so it didn't matter that I was visible."

He glanced up at her and said, "Have you decided yet about your trip next week?" He looked back at his plate and continued, "Will you be around for the party? It won't be the same without you – and I was counting on you going with me."

She smiled and answered, "I wouldn't want to miss it. I thought I was going to have to visit Aunt Matilda, but her neighbor Nellie is looking in on her. So I guess I'll need some of those herbs if you're planning on taking me, and the herb chicken, to the party."

He laughed and said, "Great. You can pick out whatever you need tomorrow."

They chatted for awhile longer about Morley's trip while he finished dinner, and they cleaned up the dishes. It was late and the moon was up when Morley walked her home.

In the moonlight they could see pixies; tiny, frail, almost transparent creatures much smaller than the gnomes. Their wings shimmered as they chased each other through the treetops, something gnomes would never do even if they could fly. In fact many gnomes felt pixies were not respectable company. But they were pretty to look at on a moonlit night, and their singing and laughter in the trees was a pleasant accompaniment.

As they reached the big apple tree near Kendra's front gate, Morley slipped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. She felt the warmth of his side, and smelled the faint fragrance of exotic herbs. She caught her breath, and Morley said, "Shhhhh," and he pointed past the tree.

Standing in the deep shadow of the old tree, they were almost invisible as they watched what was happening. A large group of pixies danced in Kendra's garden, playing their version of blind-man's bluff. About half of the pixies had devised blindfolds from things they had picked up, mostly large leaves or scraps of cloth they had found. The ones without blindfolds were singing and taunting those who did, leading them around the garden with their songs.

All this flying around blindfolded led to a great deal of bumping and knocking into things. Whenever they ran into something, their magic flared up to protect them, and created a shower of pixie dust.

The dust from the smaller bumps looked like fireflies and would wink out quickly, but the harder bangs would send out a plume of sparkling dust that hung in the air. This seemed to be the object of their game because pixie dust from their magic was everywhere, and the dust from each pixie was a different color.

"Oh Morley, it is so beautiful." Showers of light of every color exploded across the garden. Pixies were running into things everywhere. One landed on a stem just behind a large, ripe tomato. For a moment her blue wings sparkled like a flower sprinkled with dew. Then the blue was hidden as she folded them against her back. Her short brown hair swirled around her head like feathers as she peeked out and called to her friend,

" _Hi de ho, why are you so slow,_

Can't you tell which way to go?

Hi de ho, hi de hey!

I'm right here, come and play."

Her friend hovered in the air, his white wings fluttering to hold him in place. A piece of red cloth, torn from someone's old shirt, made a stark contrast to his silver hair. As he turned his head in her direction to listen, his fine hair, held captive by the blindfold, rubbed across his collar. Moonlight reflected off the silver gilding on the tips of his wings.

Quick as a thought he dove. Splat! Into the tomato he flew. Silver sparks flew into the air, dimming slowly as they drifted towards the ground.

The sight was too much for Morley, and he burst into a deep fit of laughter.

"Morley! Keep it down or they will see us here for sure," but Kendra was laughing almost as hard as Morley. All their whispering and laughing caught the attention of every pixie in the garden, and soon they were surrounded by pixies swarming like noisy bees.

"Spying on our games you were," said a stout pixie. His round head was covered with dark red hair that curled tightly to his head. He was the most solid pixie that Kendra had ever seen.

"We meant no harm, and besides you can hardly call it spying when you're in my garden after all." Kendra didn't mean to be rude, but she was caught by surprise.

"Could it be true, you came to play too?" said a soft voice. Morley turned his head. The voice came from a very delicate little pixie that seemed to be made of gold. Her long curly hair was the color of spun honey, and even her skin had a golden glow. Her yellow tunic fell below her hips and was belted about her waist. Wide yellow pants tapered down to her tiny bare feet. Her name was Marigold, though everyone called her Mari.

"Oh thank you, No!" said Morley. "We have things we must do in the morning and we can't be playing all night in moonlight with you." Morley realized he could have said that a little nicer, but it was hard to think clearly with all the pixie dust in the air.

Mari sang,

" _No time for fun and games you say?_

There's always time to laugh and play."

She spun around tightly. The golden fabric billowed out and then gently swirled around her knees. One arm pointed up in the air to the sky, and a spiral of golden pixie dust was sent spinning into the air.

Then the other pixies began to sing:

" _What's that you say?_

No time to play?

Even a gnome should have some fun,

If you won't play let's see you run."

As they sang, they picked up strawberries and grapes. Splat! One of the berries struck the tree beside Morley's head, and another glanced off his shoulder. A little eep of surprise escaped from Kendra's lips when a grape bounced off her hat.

Morley grabbed her hand. "Looks like we're in for it now. Let's run for it!"

Off for the house they ran, the pixies parting before them like spilled beans on a wooden floor. Up the main walkway Kendra and Morley ran, hand and hand, like newlyweds fresh from the church. Pixies on either side of the walk showered them with berries, grapes, and flower petals. Kendra wasted no time opening the front door under the hail of debris. Morley turned and slammed the door before any of the pixies could get though. Standing in the hall with his back against the door Morley broke into another fit of laughter.

"Did you see that pixie stuck up to his wings in that tomato?"

Kendra was laughing too. "And the look on his friend's face when she was splattered with all that tomato juice. What a sight."

A sleepy voice called down from upstairs, "Kendra?" It was Telah, her little sister.

"All's well, dear," she called up the stairs. "Go back to sleep." There was the sound of a door shutting, and Kendra turned back to Morley. They were both still grinning and holding back their laughter. As the noise in the garden died down, Kendra bent down to pick up a stray grape, and walked to the window. "My poor garden. It looks a mess."

Morley followed her to the window and put an arm on her shoulder. "I know it looks a little beat up right now, but it's not all bad. I don't know anything that makes a garden grow better than pixie dust, and there was plenty of magic out there tonight."

"You're right. I must be tired," admitted Kendra, as she turned to look up at Morley. "I'm going to have the best garden around for many years."

"Well I best be getting home. It's been a long day, but one I won't soon forget," said Morley through a yawn.

"What about the pixies?" said Kendra.

"I'll just slip out the back door. The only thing shorter than a pixie's temper is their memory. I'm sure they have forgotten all about us already. Wish me luck." Morley bent down and gave Kendra a quick kiss on the cheek, and then he was down the hall and out the back door.

Kendra stood in the doorway and watched Morley slip through the yard. As he turned to latch the gate he looked back to Kendra and waved, then he was off down the path and into the woods. She watched until he was out of sight, and then she closed the door and turned back down the hall.

Morley was right. This has been a night to remember, she thought. Then she smiled and brushed the back of her hand across her cheek where Morley had kissed her.

CHAPTER 2 - CLEANING AND SPINNING

Telah Wordsmith was up early the next morning. Kendra told her about the pixies, and asked her to check the garden for any vegetables that had not been damaged in the fray.

The sun was just rising as she left the house with a large basket. The dew on the grass mixed with the pixie dust, and created an iridescent glow that made her toes tingle as she walked across the yard to the garden. The smell of ripe tomatoes was strong in the air. There were strawberries squashed against trees, tomatoes split open on the ground, and grapes everywhere.

She carefully picked up the ones that were not damaged, and placed them in the basket. She reached for a particularly large tomato that weighed down the vine and rested on the ground. Something moved as she touched it. She jerked her hand back, and gave a little squeak of surprise.

Lying on a leaf behind the tomato was a pixie, sound asleep. His wings were folded up, and his shirt was covered with tomato juice. His silver hair and face were spotted with bits of tomato except for the clean band across his eyes where the blindfold had been.

Laughing softly she carefully picked up the leaf with the pixie still sleeping, and placed him in the flowerbed on a soft bed of grass under some flowers. Returning to her work, she was just placing the last of the tomatoes in her basket when she heard a flutter of wings. Looking up she saw the pixie girl with the beautiful blue wings darting in an agitated way around the tomato plant where the other pixie had been sleeping.

Catching her attention, Telah pointed to the flowerbed and said softly, "Hey Della, if you are looking for Thistle he's under the daffodils." Smiling and waving, Della sped off to the flowerbed. Telah laughed and took the tomatoes inside.

She was eager to get to her favorite reading spot. She washed up and hurried to the window seat in the front of the house, carrying her favorite book. It was a large, heavy book with an ornate cover. On the front under the title were pictures of fanciful herbs and flowers that had been imagined by the author.

But it was the back cover that was the most interesting. Each corner had four lines of writing like the stanzas of a poem, but many of the words had been worn smooth and were unreadable. In the center was a picture, which had originally been embossed in gold, but most of the gold was now worn off.

Many of the details were blurred, but the picture was still clearly recognizable. It was the image of a man walking under a large oak tree. A branch bent down to his upraised hand with an acorn dangling from the tip, almost within his reach. At his waist hung an ax. The blade had a leather cover embroidered with an oak leaf. There were scattered leaves about his feet and his left foot rested on an acorn. The picture was framed with a border of branches with acorns and oak leaves. At the bottom of the picture in small decorative letters was inscribed The Way Back.

The name of the book was _The World Beyond the Door_ , and it was written and published by her grandfather, Axel Wordsmith. His books were greatly enjoyed by children and he was considered an excellent storyteller, but respectable citizens thought they were obviously fictitious.

Telah loved to read about the other world and imagine the adventure of exploring its wonders. The books described a world of giant people, monstrous animals, and bizarre contraptions made of metal and glass that had strange powers. They also told how the lyte cloth, woven by the gnomes, could be made into cloaks that made them invisible when worn in the other world.

It was mid-morning, and the sun was shining brightly outside. Kendra was upstairs in the sunroom, which was ideal for spinning lyte thread. Weaving sunlight, moonlight and starlight was a long tradition with the gnomes. The window on the east wall was open allowing the morning sun to shine directly into the crystal spindle on the spinning wheel. She was spinning the sunlight into a fine gold thread, which she used to sew together the pieces of lyte fabric that lay in the covered basket beside her chair. She had almost finished Morley's new cloak, and just needed a bit more thread to finish the last few seams.

Downstairs, Telah's reading was interrupted by a knock on the door. She grudgingly put down the book, and went to answer it. She was greeted by Morley's bright eyes and cheerful, "Helloooo." It was always fun visiting with Morley. Even though she was now twelve, he didn't laugh at her for reading her grandfather's books. He even speculated with her about what the other world might be like.

"Reading Beyond the Door again, eh?" he smiled. "What part of the story are you at today?"

"The part with the big iron contraption that blows out steam, and pulls large buildings behind it down an iron road. It says that some of the giant people climb inside the buildings, and you can see them through the windows as they whiz by." Her voice was whimsical.

"Hmmm, sounds like an interesting way to travel. I wonder how they managed to keep the furniture in their houses from sliding around. Do you suppose they nailed it to the floor? And how do you suppose they stopped? Or turned the whole thing around to come back? Of course it would certainly make packing for a trip easy - they just took their house with them. It's like they stayed home and the journey came to them."

Telah giggled. Morley had read all of Axel Wordsmith's books, and had experienced many of the things written in them when he secretly went on his adventures through the door. On one of his journeys he had even come across what he thought was the iron road that Telah had just described. It was overgrown with weeds and grass, but fit the description perfectly. Though he had never seen the machine that traveled on it, he had often wondered about that chapter in the book.

"Is Kendra about?" he asked.

"Upstairs in the sunroom, weaving."

"Okay if I go up?"

"Sure, she said you'd be stopping by."

Morley climbed the stairs to the sunroom. Kendra was seated in front of the spinning wheel in a cushioned wicker chair embroidered with small blue flowers.

There were two overstuffed chairs in the room with a table between them. She glanced up and flashed a quick smile, and then bent over her work again.

"Almost done," she said. "I need to finish this spool of thread before I lose the strength of the sun."

"Go ahead. I'll just make myself comfortable," and he sat in one of the chairs. "How's the cloak coming?"

"I just need to attach the hood, and something new I've designed, and it will be finished. I made the hood extra full so it will shadow your face. The bottom of the cloak will reach the tops of your boots. They should blend in with the grass or foliage, and we don't want the cloak to hinder you when you walk." Stopping the wheel she said, "That should do it."

She opened the basket. Inside, the glowing folds of the lyte fabric lay in soft piles. She had woven cloth from sunlight and moonlight and then made it into a reversible cloak that would cover the wearer in a shimmering golden mist during the day, and in a soft gray mist at night.

The cloak would make Morley practically invisible on his journeys. She dropped the thread into the basket and closed the lid.

"Aren't you going to tell me about the new design?" he asked teasingly.

She smiled. "I've added an outside flap to the back that you unroll to cover your backpack. Then you'll be completely invisible."

"Clever idea. Can't wait to try that out. Speaking of trying out new things...I was thinking about trying my experiment with the owl tomorrow night," he said casually.

"So soon?" she looked up startled. "From the pictures in the book they look very fierce."

"Well, I haven't seen one up close, but I think the plan will work. If the owl is tamable, I'll feel much safer about being there at night. Maybe I could even ride on it like in those tales we have about riding on the backs of dragons." He grinned. "But I won't try that the first night."

"You will be careful won't you?" she looked hard at him. "Dragons don't exist in our world, and I'm not sure you should be riding anything like that in any other world either."

He sobered up and said, "Yes, of course. Besides, I'll have my new lyte cloak to keep me invisible."

"I just have one more seam to do on it, and it will be done."

"How about I go clean up the garden, and then repair that broken hinge on the gate while you're finishing up?"

She nodded, "Come on back afterwards and we'll have some lunch. Telah is learning how to bake."

He laughed, "Sounds interesting."

He headed downstairs while Kendra sat in the overstuffed chair and finished up the lyte cloak.

Slipping quietly up behind Telah, who was deeply concentrating on her book, Morley reached out and tugged on her braid. She jumped and yelled, "Hey!" Morley chuckled and went outside.

He had finished straightening up the garden and was putting the rake into the shed when he heard whistling. Down the lane he saw Travis Fields coming towards the house.

Travis' father, Garth, was a gardener for two of the big landowners. With skill and imagination he had turned those gardens into the talk of the village for their beauty and variety. He often experimented with hybrid plants mixing wild flowers from the Pixie Woods with the domestic gnome garden variety. Travis had been learning about flowers since he was old enough to walk in the garden. Lately Morley had been teaching him about spices and herbs, and he was a quick learner.

"Hellooo Travis," he called. Nice kid, he thought, but spends too much time by himself roaming around the woods. Maybe I can get him to talk to Telah. She might be able to get him interested in reading.

Travis grinned and waved.

"Where ya headed?" Morley asked as Travis stopped and leaned on the fence to talk.

"Off to the Pixie Woods for some wild flower cuttings," he said. "Dad has a spot in one of the flower beds that needs something new to brighten it up."

"Can you give me a hand to set this gate? Should only take five minutes."

"Sure." He set down his backpack and together they soon had the gate back on its hinges.

"Thanks. Telah just made a cake this morning. You might stop in and see her on the way."

Travis blushed and said, "Okay." He grabbed his bag and went up to the house. Morley finished putting away the tools, and headed for home.

Telah saw Travis coming up the path and met him at the door.

"Still reading that book?" he asked as he noticed it lying open on the windowsill.

"Yes – you should try reading yourself. Might find there's other things of interest besides gardening."

He laughed. "Does it give you cake recipes in that old book?"

"Oh – you do think about other things – like eating. I made a cake this morning. Would you like some?"

"Don't mind if I do," and he followed her to the kitchen. She cut him a piece and they sat down at the table.

"So, tell me about what you're reading in that fascinating book."

She pretended to look out the window, but she was watching him closely as he tasted the cake. He took a small bite, then ate the rest with enthusiasm. Satisfied, she told him about the giant plants in the book.

He sat back and patted his stomach. "Nice story, but it sounds like something you'd dream up after spending too much time in the Pixie Woods."

She laughed and said, "Well, going through the door does make you a little light headed, but I don't think my grandfather spent a lot of time with pixies." She changed the subject. "Where are you headed this morning?"

"Off to the Pixie Woods to get some flower cuttings for my dad. Say...you wouldn't consider giving me some cake for the pixies, would you?"

"You want to give MY cake to pixies?" she said indignantly. "You know you shouldn't be hanging out with them."

"And whose garden were they in last night? And who knows them on a first name basis?" he retorted. "Besides, you know it helps if I give them something in return." He looked at her hopefully.

She sighed, and wrapped up a large piece for him in a napkin.

"Thanks," he said. "You're terrific. I'll bring you back some flowers. Course they won't be of gigantic size, like in your book..." he teased.

She laughed and said, "It's almost noon. You better go before it gets too late. And yes, I would like some flowers."

He put the cake in a basket inside his backpack, and headed off to the woods.

CHAPTER 3 - A PIXIE MELODY

Morley had cleaned up from his work that morning, and was now home in his study getting ready for his trip. He pulled down a book from the shelf entitled _Monstrous Mammals – Do They Exist_? It was one of Axel's books, and had a short appendix about the possible effect of music on songbirds, which had given him the inspiration for an experiment he wanted to try.

On the wall beside his desk hung a map that was sketched in pencil. In the center, a large tree was labeled Grandfather Tree. Off to the right another tree was named Owl Tree. He studied the map measuring the distance between the two.

On previous trips, Morley had noticed a great horned owl living in a tree not far from the Tangles. Although obviously not a songbird, his theory was that the owl could be tamed by flute playing, and he was eager to test it out. He had carefully chosen the music, and practiced until he thought he could play it even in his sleep. Now he felt confident enough to test the idea. He briefly reviewed the information about the owl, and then placed the book back on the shelf.

He went back to Kendra's for a late lunch, and to pick up his new lyte cloak. After lunch they sat on the back porch enjoying the breeze, and talking about village business and the upcoming party. When it was time to leave, Kendra packed him a dinner to take with him. After stopping at his house for a lyte hammock, he headed for the cave. Taking his backpack, he added Kendra's bundle of food and the hammock to the bag. He then slipped on the new lye cloak.

It was late afternoon when he passed through the door in the tree. The sun was warm with just a few white fluffy clouds on an otherwise clear day. Climbing the tree, he found a shady spot to hang his hammock between two branches. It was a perfect setting for an afternoon nap. He was virtually invisible once he settled into the hammock and covered himself with the lyte cloak. He drifted off to sleep.

The sun was low on the horizon when he awoke, and the breeze was cooler. Perfect timing, he thought to himself as he tucked the hammock into his backpack and slid down the tree.

Sitting in his favorite spot on the root outside the door, he opened Kendra's dinner. Inside he found some of the raisin cake that Telah had baked that morning, a slab of cheese, a hard-boiled egg, and a bottle of his favorite cider. The cake was sweeter than Kendra's, but it was still quite tasty and he washed it down with the cider. The tune he had chosen ran unceasingly through his mind as he thought about what he was going to attempt.

It was dusk when he headed towards the Owl Tree. Owls hunt at night, and he hoped he had planned his experiment so as not to become a meal himself. He was wearing his cloak with the moonlight side out, so he would be invisible under the light of the moon. Knowing that the owl slept during the day, he planned to get into position and wait for nightfall.

As he approached the tree he could just see the outline of the owl high up in the branches. A mound of rocks had piled up near the base of the tree. Climbing up the pile he found a small dip in the rock where he would be able to sit securely balanced. He settled in and waited for dark.

About an hour later the moon rose, and cast a cool light into the clearing. The owl began to stir and stretch its wings. It uttered an oot-too-hoo hoo-hoo, which made Morley shiver.

He stood up. He had draped his cloak loosely over his shoulders so it still covered him, but would not be in his way. Taking out his flute, he proceeded to play a sweet haunting pixie melody. As the notes drifted through the air it was as if they had substance and produced a mild hypnotic effect. It made you think of distant enchanted places full of noble deeds, valiant friendships, and brave adventures.

The owl slowly walked to the end of the branch, its long sharp talons curling and uncurling around the branch. When it got to the end of the limb, it paused and looked down into the clearing. Spreading its wings it glided noiselessly down to a nearby rock swaying slightly with the music.

The breeze had subsided, and the night had become warm. Morley felt a trickle of perspiration roll down his spine, but he shivered and felt chilled. The only sound was the captivating melody. Morley's original plan had been to bond with the owl. But now that he was so close, he was beginning to doubt the wisdom of this whole adventure, and was hesitant about revealing himself too soon.

The owl perched on the rock a few feet away and faced Morley. It leaned forward intently, listening to the music. Gathering his courage, and careful not to interrupt the flow of the tune, Morley shrugged off his cloak watching the owl closely. It seemed to notice him immediately, but made no intimidating move. Its eyes were bright, but distant and dreamlike. Morley carefully sat down on the edge of the rock, balancing in the small hollow. He played for a couple more minutes, and then allowed the last mournful note to fade into the still night.

The owl studied him carefully and uttered a low hoo-hoo, and ruffled its feathers. It then sighed, and slowly and majestically flew off into the night.

Morley breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly wrapped his cloak around him. A good beginning he thought. He was glad the night was warm for he felt chilled, and was uncertain about any further encounters with the owl.

After a few minutes he packed his flute into his backpack, and headed back to his own tree, and home.

CHAPTER 4 - ALL IN A DREAM

After Travis left for the Pixie Woods, Telah poured herself a cup of tea and cut a generous slice of cake. Taking these with her to the window seat, she settled in to enjoy _The World Beyond the Door_. She took a couple bites and began to read. As she was pulled into the story, the cake sat forgotten on the shelf beside her, along with her tea, which had become cold.

The afternoon sun poured in through the window, filling the seat with a comfortable glow and warming her back. She had gotten up early that day, and was tired from the morning's activities. The tick, tick, tick of the mantle clock had a soothing rhythm. She leaned back to briefly close her eyes.

As she drifted off to sleep, she thought pleasantly of warm woods with beautiful enormous blooming flowers that spread a thick pungent perfume in the air. She saw herself in a clearing surrounded by bushes laden with large juicy berries. The berries were so heavy that the branches drooped almost to the ground. How easy it would be to simply pull one of the berries down, and drink the sweet juice.

As she walked towards one of the bushes, she felt a chill from a cool breeze. The sky clouded over, and it began to get dark. Glancing at the sky, she could see just a sliver of the moon shinning behind the clouds. As they parted, the Forester Constellation was visibly spread out across the sky. A strange musty scent drifted on the breeze. It was getting colder, and there were unfamiliar noises. She could no longer see berries on the bush in front of her. Was it the same bush, or was it just that the light was dimming?

From the other side of the foliage came a scratching and snuffling sound followed by footfalls that were getting louder. Someone was running towards her. She stood frozen in place unable to move. Into the clearing ran a gnome wearing a cloak that shimmered faintly. She couldn't make out his features. It was like looking at a reflection in a pool when the water is slightly rippled. He stood panting in the middle of the clearing, either not seeing or not acknowledging her presence.

Out of the bush came a large, terrifying, creature walking on four legs, and covered in fur except for a long naked tail. Small menacing eyes looked out of a face with a pointed nose. It turned its head from side to side, sniffing the air and trying to catch the scent of its prey. She didn't understand why it couldn't see the gnome, and was terrified that at any moment it would turn and see her. The gnome stood motionless, covered in a luminous mist.

She tried to scream, but the cold air took her breath away and only a small whimper came out. The breeze swirled the leaves on the ground, and she shivered with cold and fright. With the shifting of the breeze the animal caught the scent of the gnome, and focused its attention in his direction. She could smell its fetid breath as it barred its teeth.

She screamed in horror. Instead of hearing her own voice, she heard a terrifying screech of some creature in the air. Above her a knocking noise drew her attention. Looking up she saw the branches in the tree above her creaking and rattling together. Forcing herself to look back at the ground, she saw the animal charging toward the gnome.

Just then a shadow passed overhead. Large powerful talons descended out of the sky, and fastened mercilessly on the animal. Huge wings briefly blotted out the Forester Constellation as it flew off carrying the limp body into the night.

The branches above rattled again. She woke with a start, but the noise continued. The sun had gone down, and her cozy warm corner was now cold and dark. Dazedly she realized it was evening, and someone was knocking at the door.

CHAPTER 5 - THE PIXIE WOODS

While Morley was preparing for his adventure, Travis was entering the Pixie Woods. He walked along the path through tall, ancient oak trees. Their wide trunks prevented him from seeing very far down the path. A layer of decaying leaves covered the ground adding a fine earthy smell. There was very little undergrowth. The whole area was deeply enchanted from all the pixie dust that had accumulated over the years. The dust kept away harmful insects, and only a few weeds could be found. Travis stepped carefully so he wouldn't stir it up. Unwary travelers who breathed in too much of the dust found themselves lightheaded and talkative.

Every so often he came to a clearing where the trees had separated. Opaque shafts of sunlight shown down revealing hundreds of tiny sparkles from the pixie dust floating in the air. It was in these clearings that Travis would find the small, delicate flowers called Wing-Buds. Every morning their four, leaf-shaped petals opened like pixie wings. The color varied depending on the type of pixie dust they grew in.

These clearings were also where the pixies ate and had their parties, when they weren't having their merriment in someone's garden. They also had water parties on the river that ran through the woods, when they floated on water lilies and teased the fish.

Wing-Buds were only found deep in the forest, and Travis passed several of the clearings before coming to one where he heard the singing and laughing of tiny voices. Mostly concealed by the trunk and branches of a tree, he peered into the opening.

In the center, a group of pixies was dancing and playing a game of water tag. They were in pairs except for one who had a cup of water. He was waiting for the right words in the song when he would throw the water at one of the couples. If he was successful in getting them wet, they would join him as Water Pixies.

Others were sitting on mushrooms and clapping and singing:

When pixie dust with iron is mixed

Those nearby are firmly fixed

And held in bonds - they cannot fly

However hard that they might try.

Tell me now what do you think?

Where does water get a drink? (splash!)

The Water Pixie threw his water at a nearby couple soaking them. They separated, grabbed full cups from under a mushroom and ran back into the fray.

Sparkling dust floats in the air

Trapping those who don't take care

When metal is red with spots of rust.

Careful, careful with Pixie dust.

Tell me now what do you think?

Where does water get a drink? (splash!)

How can a Pixie brave and bold

Break the bond and free the hold?

Stronger than iron it falls from the sky

Soft as a tear drop in your eye.

Tell me now what do you think?

Where does water get a drink? (splash!)

When the last couple was doused with water, they shook their wings scattering drops of water everywhere, and creating a small rainbow. A thin gold band was placed on each of their heads, and they were declared prince and princess of the evening.

Travis was enthralled by the scene, and didn't notice the pixie buzzing about his head until it landed on his shoulder, pinched his ear, and said,

" _I've found a big one_

Who's come to join our fun."

Travis laughed and said, "Hello Thistle. I was hoping to get some Wing-Buds, but didn't want to interrupt the fun."

Thistle flew into the circle calling,

" _Hey ho_

Join the show

Travis has come

For flowers and fun."

The dancers stopped and turned to face him. Della and Mari had been giggling together. Now they turned to see the intruder, and Mari sang,

" _You have to pay_

If you want to stay."

A tall pixie named Briar jumped down from the mushroom he'd been sitting on. His copper colored wings had a dull glow in the soft light.

" _What did you bring_

To hear us sing?"

Travis sat down on the edge of the clearing and said, "As pretty as you sing that's not why I came. I brought you cake in trade for some Wing-Buds."

An old pixie named Forrest quavered out

" _Sweets are nice_

But they won't suffice."

The stocky pixie with the short curly hair chimed in:

" _But a story will do_

And we'll eat cake too."

Briar laughed, then sang,

" _Buckleberry's in the mood_

For tasty treats or fancy food."

"A story?" Travis frantically searched his mind trying to think of a story.

Spikenard flew over his head. His beating green and brown wings looked like falling leaves.

" _Here's pixie dust_

To end the fuss

To clear your mind

And save some time."

As he sang he scattered green dust in the air, and it drifted down on Travis.

"I wish you wouldn't do that Spike. It makes me light headed. I can see how going through a door into another world would make one dizzy. Probably filled with pixie dust," he said disgustedly.

This statement made them all buzz with excitement. Pixies love a good story and are inclined to believe any tale that is well told.

Della tilted her head to one side and looked at him quizzically.

" _Of this we'll hear_

You have our ear.

Don't make us guess

Now tell the rest."

Travis said, "There's more to this tale than can be said – In one short night, and that before bed." He groaned. "Now you've got me doing it."

There was much laughter. He cleared his throat and started, "Once upon a time..." but he was interrupted by Buckleberry who shouted:

" _Let's have the cake before you start,_

And I wouldn't mind a pie or tart."

Travis put down his backpack, carefully brought out the cake, and set it on the napkin. As the pixies descended on the cake, he told them the story of a door into a world where everything was of gigantic size. He described the flowers, trees, and herbs, adding imagined details when he ran out of facts. They were delighted with the tale, and pestered him to know where the door was. He shrugged, and said he didn't know.

They allowed him to dig up some flowers, and he carefully wrapped the roots in wet moss to keep them alive. He chose a gold Wing-Bud for Telah. After dining on cake, the prince and princess graciously allowed him to also dig up some truffles to take home.

When it was time to leave they escorted him out of the woods, buzzing around his head and singing. Sparkling dust floated everywhere. By the time he got to the end of the forest his head was buzzing, and he was glad to be back in the fresh air. As the jumble of words and rhymes floated around in his head, a clear voice rang out above the rest. It was Spike.

" _When the door you find_

Keep us in mind."

With that the pixies darted back into the woods, and Travis made his way to the village. It was almost dark when he arrived at Telah's house, and knocked on the door. There was no answer, and he knocked again. Telah was just waking from her dream. She was dazed and white when she opened the door, and stared in amazement at him. He was covered with pixie dust, and his pants were spotted with mud. There were cake crumbs on his shirt, and his hands were stained from the flowers.

"You look white as a ghost," he said. "Are you okay?"

She had recovered from the dream now, and laughed a little shakily. "You don't look so good yourself, Travis. You're a mess." She brushed the dust off his shoulders. "I'm not sure you should be visiting the Pixie Woods."

"Aw, it's okay. I'll be all right as soon as my head clears. I brought you a flower. It reminded me of the little golden pixie, Mari." He handed her the golden Wing-Bud which had closed up for the night.

"A Wing-Bud. It's enchanting." She gave him a quick hug. He blushed and said, "Just don't smell them. All that dust on them will make you light headed and you'll be talking in your sleep. Goodnight."

He turned and hurried down the path. Telah isn't silly like the other girls, he thought. She understands about the Pixie Woods and cake. Her grandfather was a bit weird, but he did write interesting stories.

Telah shook the dust off the flower outside, and then placed it in a vase in her room. It was kind of romantic getting flowers from a boy. The terror and vividness of her dream was forgotten.

CHAPTER 6 - THE CAVE

Several days later, early in the morning, Travis stopped by Telah's house. Tomorrow night would be the Harvest Gala. Everyone in the village was talking about it, and getting ready for the big night.

Kendra was in the kitchen preparing to bake her special spice cake and herb chicken for the party. Morley was overseeing as chief taster for the delicacies.

An old swing hung from the large maple tree in the backyard. Its wide weather stained, wooden seat was cut from a piece of hickory. Carved into the wood was a tree with many branches, and tiny chickadees perched on the boughs. Travis and Telah sat on it together, discussing his trip to the Pixie Woods.

Travis was saying, "Well, after Spike dropped pixie dust on my head, I couldn't think of anything except what you told me about your book. They were clamoring for a story, so I told them about the door, and the gigantic plants."

"But I didn't tell you very much of the story. What did you tell them?"

Travis looked a little smug. "Well, I just sort of filled in the parts I didn't know with new stuff. Turns out I'm not too bad a story teller in a pinch."

Telah looked surprised and said, "What did they think of the story?"

"You know pixies. They like to believe anything – and it is a good story, even with my additions. They pestered me something fierce about where the door is. I don't remember you telling me that part of the story. Where is this door supposed to be anyway?" he laughed.

Telah paused before answering, "It doesn't really say....but...I have a theory."

He snorted, "You mean you really think there is a door?"

"Hush...," she said quickly. "Not so loud."

"Why?" he whispered. "Are the pixies going to hear?" and he smirked.

"No, but Kendra and Morley might." She lowered her voice, "I think they know where the door is. In fact – I think they might have even been to the other side."

"Aw, come on. It's just a fantasy story that your grandfather made up. What makes you think it's real?"

"Ever wonder where Kendra gets the spices for her cake, and the seven secret herbs and spices for her chicken?" Telah said mockingly. "And what about the skeletons in the village museum? We've never seen animals that big around here."

Travis shrugged it off and said, "Those are from prehistoric times. And of course Kendra doesn't want to share her secret recipes. Her cooking is certainly delicious and everyone raves about it but it's not – " and he paused for effect, "other worldly."

"Okay, Mr. Practical, but you should see the flower she has in her bedroom. She doesn't know that I saw it. But it's strange – and huge. Not even your father or the pixies could grow something like it."

"Really?" he said suspiciously. "You're not making this up?"

"Really," she said emphatically.

"Well..," he drawled. "I'd have to see it before I could tell for sure that it wasn't from our world."

"Always the skeptic, huh? We can't go upstairs, but this tree has a limb that gets pretty close to the house. The flower is on the dresser right next to the window. You could climb up and have a look."

"Oh sure. And Kendra would come in and see me looking in her window. That would be a fine mess."

"Nonsense. She and Morley are in the kitchen. I can hear them talking. I'll let you know if they leave the room. Up you go and don't fall."

"I would never fall," he said disgustedly. "And don't push." He scrambled out of the swing and up the tree. As he walked nimbly along the branch towards the window, he glanced down. Telah signaled that all was okay. "Okay for her," he thought. "I'm the one who's going to be in trouble if we get caught."

He knelt down and crawled along the branch to look inside the window. There on the dresser was a flower with large orange petals and brown spots. They were wide at the bottom where they joined the stem, and then tapered to sharp points.

He had never seen anything like it. Working with his father, he thought he had seen every flower there was that grew in the area, including the Pixie Woods. This was definitely something new, and it was huge. He was puzzled and excited as he turned and climbed back down to the swing.

"Well?" Telah said smugly.

"Are you sure that's a real flower?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure. When Morley gave it to her a couple nights ago, I heard her tell him he shouldn't be bringing back things like that. He just laughed. Now, where do you suppose he was bringing it back from?"

"Okay, so you think there's really a door and they know where it is. How do you plan to find out?"

"She'll be going with Morley soon to get herbs and spices. She'll need them to cook this morning. I say we follow them, and see where they go."

Inside, Morley was sneaking a taste of the cake batter while Kendra was at the sink finishing up the dressing of the chicken. She placed it in the pan and covered it. "Ready for the magic ingredients," she teased turning around.

Morley finished licking the spoon, and dropped it in the sink. "Excellent. Let's head for the cave. Everything should be dried and ready for use by now."

Kendra called out the back door, "Telah, we're going out. We'll be back in a bit." She waved goodbye in answer.

As soon as Telah heard the front door close she turned to Travis. "Come on. We can cut through the backyard and watch them from the trees."

Jumping off the swing, they slipped through the garden, over the fence, and into the woods on the other side. Morley and Kendra were deep in conversation as they walked up the path. The kids were surprised to see them pass Morley's house and head around the back. Cautiously they peeped around the corner just in time to see them reach the end of the path and disappear around a large lilac bush. Travis looked puzzled. "Where are they going?"

"I don't know. That's why we're following them, silly. Come on. We'll lose them if we wait here."

They bounded up the path and peered around the lilac bush. To their surprise they saw the mouth of a cave.

It was hard to hear anything distinctly, but they caught snatches of conversation about "rare spices," and "herbs drying nicely," and "quite a haul," and something about "another trip in a few days."

They hid themselves in the lilac bush and waited. After awhile Morley and Kendra came out carrying a small basket full of what looked like leaves and twigs. As they paused, the two children held their breath, hoping they wouldn't be seen. They were so close that Travis could have reached out and touched Morley. But after rearranging the herbs in the basket they headed back down the path.

Travis whispered, "Let's go see what's inside," and he started towards the cave.

Telah grabbed his arm and hissed, "We have to get back home before they notice we're gone."

He hesitated, looking longingly at the cave, and then reluctantly agreed. Speeding down the path they raced past Morley's house, through the trees, and over the fence. They were just settling into the swing when they heard voices coming from the kitchen.

Kendra looked out the back door, and noticed their red faces. "You two look out of breath. Been racing around the yard?" She didn't wait for an answer but continued, "Why don't you head up to Moore's dairy and get a dozen eggs so we'll have something for tomorrow's breakfast? While you're there you can each get a Honey Dunk. There's money in the box." She went back into the kitchen.

When they arrived at the dairy, Elder Moore was sitting on the porch with his grandson. He was bouncing him on his foot and singing:

I had a little pony

He was dappled gray

He could muster he could trot

He could carry the mustard pot

Horseradish made it hot

Hey boys, Hey!

His grandson was laughing and shouting – "Again Grandpa! Sing it again!" As he bounced up and down.

They played with the little boy while the old gentleman scooped buckleberry ice cream into pastry shells, dribbled honey over the top, and stuck in two flat wooden sticks. They paid for the Honey Dunks and the eggs, and headed back to the cave while eating their treat.

After eating the cold ice cream, the cool air made them shiver when they entered the cave. In a few moments their eyes adjusted to the dim light. The cave seemed to be just one large room with a high ceiling.

Travis gazed in wonder at the strings of herbs hanging from the ceiling. Shelves along one wall were covered with very large leaves and plants in various stages of drying.

Telah examined barrels along the other wall. "These barrels are full of apples and potatoes. And that one over there has onions, but they all look normal size," she sighed disappointedly. "I guess this is just a storage place."

But Travis was drawn to the shelves. He set down the eggs, and looked closely at the plants. "Wow," he breathed. "This is really something. These leaves are huge. Of course there isn't much light in here, but I don't recognize any of them."

"Do you think they might be – other worldly?" she said raising her eyebrows teasingly.

He grimaced. "Some look a little like plants I'm familiar with – but they're way too big."

"Maybe there's something in this old chest," she said. He turned to see what she was talking about. A chest with tarnished brass hinges sat against the wall. The clasp on the front was shaped like an acorn. There was no lock. A large oak leaf with a small W was carved in the top.

Slowly Travis opened the lid, and they looked inside. There were some old clothes, a lyte rope, and some lyte beads. A stale, musty smell from an old burlap bag assailed them. Telah wrinkled her nose, and said, "Whew." Travis quickly closed the lid, and rubbed his nose. They continued looking around.

As they explored, they tried to be careful not to disturb anything. When Travis reached the back of the cave he discovered that the wall curved around, and there was a passageway they hadn't seen before. "Hey, look at this," he called.

Telah hurried over, and together they cautiously walked up the passageway. It was fairly dark. Empty barrels lined one side.

The path sloped up rather steeply. A thin shaft of light from the afternoon sun shown through a narrow crack in the roof. A chill air filtered down on their heads. Telah shivered. They had only gone a short way when Travis stopped suddenly. "Look," he said in awe. "It's...it's...a door..." his voice trailed off.

Telah stood beside him staring in amazement. "Do you think it's the door?" she whispered. Travis didn't answer. After a moment's hesitation, she headed purposefully towards the door.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

But she was already trying the handle. Then her shoulders slumped in disappointment. "It's locked," she said. "I wonder if it needs a key, or if there's a secret mechanism."

Annoyed and somewhat relieved the door hadn't opened, he said testily, "Well what does it say in your book?"

She ignored him and looked up at the opening. "It's just about noon outside, and the light is shining on the path. If we'd been here earlier this morning it would have been shinning right on the door, and we could have studied it for a keyhole or a some mechanism."

"Speaking of time," Travis said, "We better get those eggs back or they are going to wonder what happened to us."

Telah agreed, and they went back down the passage. Picking up the eggs, they headed back home.

CHAPTER 7 - LYTE SPINNING

On the eve of the big party, women and girls all over the village were spinning starlight. Kendra and Telah were on the balcony. There was just enough room for the spinning wheel and two small wooden chairs.

The waning moon hadn't risen yet. Thousands of stars filled the clear, dark sky. Well above the horizon, the eye in the Fox Constellation shown brilliantly. Carefully adjusting the spindle to catch the blue light from the star, Telah started spinning it into a fine thread.

Kendra took the lyte thread and deftly twisted into an intricate pattern that they would wear as a netting over their dresses and hats.

"Is Travis coming to the party tomorrow?" Kendra asked.

"I think so," Telah answered absentmindedly.

"I noticed he brought you a Wing-Bud the other day," she teased. "Was it from his father's garden?"

Telah hesitated, and then replied, "It was from the Pixie Woods."

"Really?" Kendra said surprised. "Pixies usually aren't very social with gnomes. He must know them pretty well. They've been reported to be unfriendly to anyone entering their woods. Some gnomes think they aren't the best influence." She glanced at Telah out of the corner of her eye to see her reaction."

Telah stiffened a little, but shrugged and said defensively, "Some folks say things they don't know a lot about."

Kendra laughed, "You are right about that. So...how does he manage to take their flowers from under their little noses...or is that a family secret?"

Telah said with a grin, "He tells them stories."

"Stories? What kind of stories?"

"Oh just about anything you can make sound believable. They love stories. Lately he's been telling them tales from Grandfather's books." Kendra stiffened and her hand trembled. She lost her place in the pattern she was weaving, but Telah didn't notice. "I've been telling him about _The World Beyond the Door_."

Kendra knew she should tell Telah there really was a door, but she wasn't sure how to start. She found her place in the pattern again and said, "You've been spending a lot of time reading that old book. What does Travis think of it?"

Thinking she might have said too much, Telah hesitated. "Oh, he's too practical to really believe in other worlds. He said they are great fantasy stories."

Telah quickly changed the subject, and talked about their dresses. All the gnome girls and women would have party dresses and tall pointed hats of the same soft gray color. In addition to the netting over their dresses, a thin starlight fabric attached to the hat would float behind them like a glowing gossamer web. Heavier lyte ropes would be draped from the tip of the hat to the brim.

Each clan chose light from a different star. There would be nets of blue, green, red and yellow. Many of the patterns, like the one Kendra was using, were handed down from mother to daughter. Occasionally one of the women would create an original design and a new tradition would begin.

When they all got together in the dancing hall, the combined light glittered and sparkled over the walls and ceilings, casting a rainbow of highlights among the shadows.

When they finished the nets, Kendra moved the spindle to a white star and spun a small amount of some very fine white lyte. This she quickly twisted into a necklace and bracelet for each of them. When all was finished they stored the starlight items in a basket, and closed the lid tightly.

Things woven from starlight usually only last one night, but if they are stored out of sight of the sun, or the star from which they were made, they will last several days. No one really minded because the netting and jewelry were just for one night, and afterwards would be allowed to evaporate. Part of the fun was making new things the next time. It also meant that they could wear the same dress to parties for years, and still have a new outfit for each event.

It was very late when all their preparations were finished. Tired but satisfied with their work, Kendra and Telah lit their candles from the oil lamp on the table. Heading to their bedrooms, they chatted happily about the party and their dresses.

After saying goodnight, Kendra closed her door, and placed her candle on the table next to her bed. In the faint light she could see the flower that Morley had brought her. It was still fresh and lovely. Taking the pitcher of water from her dresser, she bent over the vase and breathed in the delicate fragrance from its petals. Smiling with happy memories, she added water to the vase. Blowing out her candle she went to bed.

CHAPTER 8 - OLD NEWS

Early the next morning Travis leaned on the gate outside Telah's house. The cool air was a reminder that summer was over. The sun was just emerging over the horizon, filling the sky with orange streaks, and illuminating the leaves that had turned red and gold.

He had been hoping that Telah might be up, but the house was quiet. He reconsidered his plan. He wanted to check out the cave and see if the early morning light would be shining on the door, and maybe show up some hidden mechanism. At the same time, he wasn't sure he should explore the cave without Telah. After all, it had been her idea.

He didn't notice the sparkle of light glinting on copper colored wings in the woods behind him. A slight breeze blew leaves in a circle on the ground. Spike and Briar were standing on a branch and sprinkling green and copper pixie dust into the swirl.

As the dust mixed with the air, it created a strong wind current that caught up the leaves, and brought them spiraling up to the branch. As one of the big maple leaves floated nearby, Briar jumped onto the middle of it. His weight tipped the nose of the leaf sharply downward causing it to pick up speed and soar out away from the tree. Spike quickly leaped onto a second leaf. Surfing close to the trunk, they dodged branches and vines and raced to the forest floor. The leaves slid across the mossy ground, and came to rest on a slight rise at the edge of the woods.

Briar flew into the air laughing. Spinning backward he landed on a nearby branch, and smugly smoothed down his tousled hair. As the thin branch bent under his weight, the end slapped at Spike's shoulder. Quickly grabbing the branch, Spike shook it until Briar lost his balance, and fell laughing to the ground. After more laughing and pushing, they stretched out in the moss to rest. Looking out from the edge of the woods they noticed Travis leaning on the gate.

Travis had finished debating with himself, and had decided to visit the cave. Of course he wouldn't do any experimenting, just check the time and position of the light. Happy with this decision, he headed off. Spike and Briar had a brief consultation, and then flew after him.

All was quiet at Morley's too. Probably up late last night decorating the hall with rainbow lights for tonight's party, he thought. Slipping quietly past, he arrived outside the cave and hesitated, listening. The two pixies hovered, waiting to see what he would do next.

Not hearing anything from the cave, Travis ducked down and went inside. Once his eyes adjusted, he headed for the passageway. The shaft of light shining from the crevice was filled with dust particles, some sparkling suspiciously like pixie dust. It shown directly on the door, revealing a pattern carved into the wood. He looked closely at the carving trying to find a recognizable design.

Hearing a soft buzz, he spun around and looked behind him. Spike and Briar had flown past, and were perched on a rock shelf next to the crevice where they sat quietly. Their wings were silent now, and only a faint light shown on their delicate surface. Travis, however, saw nothing but the beam of sunlight full of spiraling dust particles. He shivered slightly and turned back to the door.

As he refocused on the pattern, he suddenly realized it was the outline of the Forester Constellation. Excitedly he ran his hand over the door looking for a keyhole. Overlaying the pattern was a lightening bolt that ran from the left hand, through the belt, and ended at the right foot. Tentatively he tried the door handle again, but it was still locked.

Sighing, he went back to the main cave. Spike and Briar glided after him, landing on a shelf where they settled in among the dried leaves. As Travis passed by the old trunk he suddenly thought maybe there's a key inside.

Opening the lid, he was greeted with the same musty smell as before, which made him sneeze. He rummaged through the chest trying to keep everything in place. Don't know why I bother, he thought. It sure doesn't smell like anyone's been in this chest in a long time.

The burlap bag had lyte beads nestled in the folds. There was an old leather hat that was cracked and weather stained, and of a fashion that was popular a long time ago. Pulling out an old woolen shirt, he held it up. He could see through the holes where the fabric was frayed.

As he put it back in the chest, his hand brushed up against something cold. His fingers closed around a round tube. Pulling it out, he saw it was a spyglass. An ornate pattern of strange flowers had been painted on the tube, but the colors had all faded to muted grays and browns. He extended the tube, and looked through it. Spike and Briar ducked back into the shadows as he swung the glass in their direction. It was still intact and worked perfectly. He collapsed it.

As he carefully put it back in the chest, he noticed a page from an old copy of the Village Monthly. The Monthly was a publication that included information about crops, weather, local politics, and community events. He gently unfolded the page to reveal the headline. As Spike leaned forward, trying to see what was on the paper, his foot slipped off the edge, causing a small shower of debris to drift to the floor. Briar grabbed his coat and hauled him back up on the ledge. They sat crumpled in the shadows shaking with silent laughter.

Travis was absorbed in the Monthly and didn't notice the commotion behind him. In the dim light he could only read the headline "Monstrous Mammal Bones Found on Axel Wordsmith's Farm." He chuckled and thought, I'll just borrow this and show Telah. She'll want to read about her grandfather. He refolded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. We'll bring it back after we've laughed together over the article, he thought.

Continuing his search of the chest, he ran his fingers along the bottom to check for any sign of a secret compartment. All he found was a leather strap. When he held it up, he laughed at the funny configuration. It was a belt with pockets, strings, and loops for hanging, tying and attaching objects. Deciding all this was a pointless effort; he put the belt back in the corner of the chest, closed the lid, and left the cave.

The pixies flew back down the passage, up through the crevice, and off to the Pixie Woods.

CHAPTER 9 - THE PARTY

It was finally the night of the Harvest Gala, and there was much excitement at the Wordsmith household as Kendra and Telah dressed for the party. Earlier they had taken their food to the hall and helped set up. Morley would be arriving at any moment to escort them.

As they rushed about, the light made their swirling gray dresses change from pale to dark, and back again. The blue lyte nets fastened over their skirts created intricate patterns on the gray background. Delicate necklaces and bracelets of starlight sparkled on their skin.

Up the path outside it was dusk, and Morley was just leaving his house. His dark trousers and jacket blended in with the brown branches, and he was just a shadow slipping through the trees. Under the jacket he wore a tan shirt of brushed cotton. Moonlight glinted on the lyte thread that was woven into a design on the dark green sash about his waist. His leather shoes made no noise as he walked down the path.

He fidgeted with his sash, and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew that Kendra was looking forward to the event, and he very much wanted to make the night special for her. He reached the door and stood nervously on the porch for a moment. Running his fingers through his hair again in a nervous gesture, he took a deep breath and knocked softly.

He caught his breath as Kendra opened the door, and stood framed in the doorway. The light from the lamp behind her caught the pink flush in her cheeks. A breeze gently ruffled her hair creating a soft halo about her face. Light glinted on the golden starlight strings woven in her hair. After an awkward silence he cleared his throat and said, "Is the Light Princess ready to go to the ball?"

Kendra smiled slowly and replied quietly, "If the Prince is ready to escort her."

He held out his arm, and she slipped her hand through. Telah called from the other room, "Is that Morley? Are we ready to go?"

Morley laid his hand over Kendra's and squeezed it. He called over her shoulder, "Yes, blow out the lamps and let's be off." He and Kendra walked out, and waited by the gate.

Telah hurried down the hall putting out the lamps along the way, and pulled the door shut behind her. This was her first gala when she was allowed the wearing of the gray. There would be lots of children at the party, but they would not be dressed up in the grays and browns of the adults. She was very excited about her new gray dress, and was feeling very grown up and sophisticated.

The three of them walked through the cool night. The leaves rustled in the light breeze that carried the faint smell of a wood fire. The sky was clear, and the stars were shinning brilliantly.

As they neared the hall there was the sound of pixie laughter from the trees. One of the pixies was calling yoo-hoooo. Morley thought of the owl and shivered slightly as he pulled Kendra protectively closer, and glanced up at the sky. She turned to him questioningly. He smiled and patted her hand. Turning to Telah he motioned for her to lead the way into the hall. Happily she skipped past, and went to join her friends.

As they entered the room they were greeted with the delicious smell of roasted meat, spiced potatoes and sauces. The aroma of baked fruit pies blended with the pleasant tang of cider. Over all was the pervasive fragrance of yeast in the freshly baked bread, and it mixed delightfully with the flavor of cinnamon from the sweet rolls.

A large fireplace blazed and crackled with a fire of apple wood. The room was filling with gnomes dressed in gray and brown. The light from the ladies dresses and the men's sashes began to light up the otherwise softly lit room. A band at one end of the hall was playing lively music, and some of the younger gnomes were dancing in one corner.

A podium was setup on a raised dais where poetry and recitations would be forthcoming. Hung on the front of the podium was a dark blue cloth, and draped over it was a lyte net woven in a depiction of the Forester Constellation, which was this year's theme.

Morley and Kendra mingled through the crowd greeting friends and talking about the weather, the harvest, and the recent election of the new mayor. There was some talk about whether the new mayor would support more funding for the library. The ongoing controversy about the authenticity of the giant fossilized bones in the history museum was bantered about. The debate had become popular again, since the discovery of new bones in Sam Tiller's field.

Sam and Lizzy were newlyweds, and had been given the land to start their own farm. The bones had been discovered when Sam was plowing the field for spring planting. The bones had been moved to the museum, but their origin was still being argued.

Travis had just entered the hall, and was looking around the room excitedly. After leaving the cave that morning, he had hurried home and drawn a rough sketch of the pattern carved on the door. It had occurred to him that there might be a picture of the door in Telah's book, and he was eager to share his new discovery with her. He was wearing the browns of the gnome men, but had not taken the time to smooth his hair. It was windblown from hurrying the last part of the way. His face was slightly flushed, and his collar was just a bit awry.

He spotted Telah across the room talking with several young people. Making his way through the crowd, he joined their group. Telah, laughing at some joke that Riley had just made, turned and saw him.

She looked a bit surprised as she noticed his appearance. The others were all focused on Riley, who was glibly telling about one of his exciting adventures. Travis moved closer to Telah and whispered, "Can we go somewhere and talk about the cave?"

"Now?" she whispered back indignantly. "You want to leave the festivities?"

"Y- Yes," he stammered. "Can't we go now?"

She turned away and looked at Riley who was enjoying all the attention. He was at the height of elaborating about his part in the exciting story.

"Telah," Travis whispered tugging at her sleeve. "This is important."

She turned to him slowly and whispered, "This is my first party in gray, and I don't want to miss any of the fun. Look at you. You're a mess. Where have you been? No," she interrupted him as he started to answer. "I don't want to know. Can't we talk about this later?"

Several of the others were glancing at them questioningly, and frowning at their whispering. Telah smiled reassuringly at them.

"Fine," he snapped. "You stay here and enjoy Riley's stories. When you're ready we can talk about a real story." Irritated, he slipped through the crowd toward the cider barrel and out the side door, where he sat on a bench under a tree.

Pulling out a piece of paper, he studied it carefully as he smoothed his hair and straightened his collar. On the paper was a sketch of the pattern on the door. He now compared it to the Forester Constellation that was shinning high in the sky.

In the hall the music stopped, and dinner was announced. Conversations were wound up as they made their way through the line. Morley seated Kendra, and went to get their drinks. When he returned, she was vigorously defending her grandfather's position on the bones with the Mayor's secretary, Miss Polly Worder. Polly was older than Kendra. She had short curly gray hair that fanned out about her open and frank face.

"Just because you don't have proof of another world is no reason to totally dismiss the idea," Kendra was saying. "There's plenty of things I know exist that I can't touch or see. But just because I can't perceive them with my five senses, doesn't mean they don't exist. Does everything have to be limited to what I can comprehend?"

Polly answered in a soft voice, "Maybe you're right." She smiled at Kendra. "It does make a pretty tale and no one can doubt that Axel Wordsmith was a great writer."

Morley saw the flush rising up from Kendra's neck, and making a pretty rosy glow on her cheeks. Laying his hand on her arm he smiled and set down her cider.

"Speaking of writers, have you had a chance to read the new poem book by Nolan Lyricraft? I understand he will be reciting some of his new verses this evening," Morley said smoothly.

Polly gushed excitedly, "Oh I just love Nolan's work. His verses are so simple and fun. Do you know what he will be reciting tonight?"

"No," Morley replied. "I just overhead his name being mentioned at the cider barrel."

The conversation slipped from poets to the workings of the mayor's office and the upcoming winter. Kendra forced herself to relax, and turned her thoughts away from the trivial talk. She began to enjoy her meal and Morley's company.

Telah was still fuming inside from the parting remark as Travis left the hall. Riley continued with his stories, which were beginning to annoy her. The voices around her faded as she was lost in thought.

She had been looking forward to this evening for a long time, and had been hoping to share it with Travis. She had been a little disappointed that he had not been there when she arrived. Then having him show up late looking that way – it was too much. He hadn't even noticed her dress or that she was wearing her hair up. All he could talk about was some stupid idea about the book.

Suddenly she was brought back to reality. Abbie was tugging on her arm and saying, "Telah, come on. Are you ready to go eat? Almost everyone else has already been through the line."

"You go ahead. I'll join you in a minute."

Abbie shrugged and joined the rest of her group in line. Telah made her way to the side door, and slipped out into the courtyard. She could see Travis sulking on the bench under the apple tree. He was staring at a paper, and kept glancing up at the sky. Sighing she sat down beside him and said, "Okay, this had better be good. I'm missing a great meal and the other festivities."

"And Riley's witty stories?" he said sullenly.

"Come on Travis. You know Riley is a braggart. What do you have?"

"I went to the cave this morning," he began.

"You went without me?" She looked indignant as he groped for an answer and then she sighed and said, "Okay, okay. What did you find?"

"Well, the light was shinning on the door, just as you suspected."

"And??" she said impatiently.

"There was a pattern on the door. I made a rough sketch of it from memory when I got home." He handed her the paper.

She looked at it quizzically. "This looks like the Forester Constellation," she said slowly.

"Just what I was thinking," he nodded towards the sky where the constellation was shinning brilliantly. As they were both looking up, a shooting star flashed across the sky, crossed over the constellation from the upraised arm, passed through the belt, and disappeared near the foot.

"Everything except the lightening bolt," he said slowly.

"Yeah...."

"Well...," he said after a moment. "If we're ever going to get the door open, we'll need a key. So while I was there I took a look around to see if I could find one. The only place I could think of to look was that old trunk."

"That old musty smelling thing?" She wrinkled up her nose in memory.

He laughed. "It had some pretty strange things inside. Old clothes and stuff like my grandfather would wear. Oh, and there was this really great spyglass. It was ancient, but in super condition. The paint on the tube was faded, but –."

"Yes," she interrupted, "but did you find a key?"

"No, but I found this." He took the page from his pocket and handed it to her. As she unfolded it he said, "I just borrowed it so you could see it. We'll have to put it back of course."

She looked down at the paper and scanned the article quickly. "This is about my grandfather," she said surprised. "Did you read this?"

"Yes. Sounds like the writer isn't convinced your grandfather's theory is right about the bones. There seems to be a poem at the end of the article. I can't tell if it's all there or if it's continued on another page. It seems to end abruptly."

"I know this poem," she said excitedly, "Or at least part of it. It's on the back cover of _The World Beyond the Door_. But that one is rubbed smooth in places and it's no longer possible to read all of it."

"What do you think it's about? Is it just a poem, or is he trying to tell them something?"

Kendra called from the doorway, "Do we have to bring a plate of food out to you two?"

Travis jumped and flushed. Taking the paper back, he stuffed it in his pocket and said, "No, no... we're coming."

While they were eating, several of the more prominent gnomes were getting ready for the speech making and poetry recitations. Elder Moore, as he was known in the village, would start off the evening's festivities. Elder was the title given to retired mayors. It was also appropriate in this case, as he was one of the older gnomes in the village. He was the owner of Moore's Dairy and was in fact one of the large landowners who employed Garth Fields as a gardener.

He was very proud of the unique and extravagant garden around his elegant home, and freely admitted it was due to the care and talents of Garth. He was a very generous gnome and events such as weddings and birthday parties were often held in his gardens at no cost, which made him very popular. The younger gnomes were also very fond of his Honey Dunks.

Almost all the gnomes had finished eating, and were now sipping tea or cider and nibbling pastries. Elder Moore made the announcement to start the dancing. Everyone cheered, and the music started.

There were several exuberant dances, which the energetic young gnomes loved and joined enthusiastically. Kendra and Telah were whispering together about the light patterns on the dresses, and Travis and Morley were discussing gardening. Travis glanced up just in time to see Riley walking towards them with his eye on Telah. Realizing his intentions, Travis jumped to his feet, grabbed Telah's hand and said, "Come on, let's dance." Surprised Telah got up slowly looking questioningly at Kendra. She smiled and nodded, and gave her a little push.

They spun out onto the dancing floor leaving Riley with a surprised and disapproving look on his face. But he too was soon swept into the crowd by Abbie, who giggled and chattered happily while they danced.

Kendra turned to Morley, her eyes sparkling and said, "Well? Are you up to this old man?"

He jumped to his feet. "Old! Old you say," he said indignantly as his eyes sparkled. Pulling her to her feet he slipped his arm around her waist, caught her hand tightly, and laughingly led her briskly into the dance.

CHAPTER 10 - POETRY AND PLANS

When everyone was out of breath and needing a break, Elder Moore stood and introduced Nolan Lyricraft who would be reciting one of his poems. Everyone gladly took the opportunity to sit down with a drink, and rest up for more dancing later.

Nolan was highly admired, and his poems were loved by all. He was a scholarly gnome with thinning hair and a long white beard. The light from the hall reflected off his thick spectacles, which were perched on the end of his nose. The light webbing on his sash was woven from a deep somber blue light into the simple pattern of the Forester Constellation. He meticulously adjusted his spectacles, and peered at his notes. Clearing his throat he began to read in a deep baritone voice, "A reciting of...

The Tale of the Forester

Looking down at the earth below

the Harvester watched the gnomes

Sailing boats and casting nets

and taking the fishes home.

And then he gazed at the Milky River,

and thought he might like some fish

But he didn't have a boat to sail,

so his thought was just a wish.

He gathered some wood, and piled it high,

and then began to design

A marvelous boat on which to sail

the Milky River sublime.

He caught a beam from a nearby star,

and wove a string of lyte

And with that string he formed a net

that shimmered in the night.

From bow to stern the timbers ran,

with sails and rigging too.

He then set sail that very night

to practice his daring-do.

The cow looked on with a doubtful eye

at the brashness of this rogue

Who dared to sail on her river of milk

that through the heavens flowed.

He cast his net, and soon it filled

with stars and comets and such

Until it was over stretched and strained

and bulging very much.

He pulled in his net with the wonderful catch,

but the cow would not have it so.

With a mighty charge and a bellow loud

her great horns delivered a blow.

The Harvester fell right out of the boat,

and sprawled across the sky

The boat broke up in a thousand pieces,

and rained down from on high.

The fishnet tore and came apart

and the gossamer strands unfurled

In strings of lyte it floated down

and descended upon our world.

And everywhere the timbers fell

a tree began to grow.

Until the Harvester looked amazed

to see a forest below.

The delighted gnomes examined the strings

and soon discovered the way

To catch the beams and spin the thread

from the light of night or day.

The cow returned to her place in the sky,

and the river was calm and still

The starfish returned to their ancient homes,

but the comets wander at will

The Harvester thought how nice it would be

to live beneath the trees

A Forester he decided to be,

and gave up the Milky Sea."

There was great applause, and whistles of admiration from the audience. The poem was the myth of the origin of the Forester Constellation put to rhyme, and was just the sort of entertainment they liked. There were, of course, a few exceptions. Old grandfather Harold Handyman, who owned the village tool supply store, was sitting in a back corner and bellowed out "Hogwash! Pure nonsense," as he set his empty cider cup heavily on the table with a thud.

His startled granddaughter Emmie, who was sitting beside him, turned red as a beet and hissed, "Grandfather, it's poetic license."

"Didn't know you needed a license to write a poem," he grunted loudly. "Who granted him a license?"

His wife Edna filled his cup, and patted his arm. "Never mind dear," she soothed. "Have some more cider and then we'll dance the firelight jig."

There were grins and much good-humored laughing. Handyman was a gruff and cantankerous individual, but he was more than fair in his dealings at the tool shop, and everyone ignored his crusty ways.

The band started playing a lively melody, and a group of gnomes sang to the catchy tune. The floor filled with couples, and gray skirts swirled casting a rainbow of shimmering lights around the room.

The music then slowed and the gnomes began a new dance, forming an intricate geometric pattern in time to the music.

The dancing continued until the fireworks began. Everyone went outside to watch. Barrat Blacksmith and a small group of craftsmen put on the show. They had been planning the program for over a month, and the display was exceptional. The last rocket burst in a flowery finale that filled the sky with blue and yellow embers and slowly faded.

Suddenly a shooting star crossed the sky. Another followed a couple minutes later. Then they could be seen every minute or two. It was the beginning of a meteor shower that would last all night. The gnomes wandered in and out of the hall, watching the sky, nibbling bits of food, sipping drinks, and enjoying the company and conversations of their neighbors. The band continued to play softly outside for those who wanted to dance under the stars.

It was after midnight when the party began to break up. Families gathered together and headed for home. Travis and Telah sat on the bench under the apple tree.

"I'm staying at Morley's tonight." Travis was saying. "He has some projects he wants help with tomorrow."

Morley and Kendra strolled up and Morley asked, "'bout ready to head home?"

"Already?" Telah asked.

Travis smiled timidly. "Maybe we could stay and listen to one more song?"

Kendra looked at Morley who shrugged. "Okay," she agreed. "When this song is over, come right home. We'll go on and meet you there."

"Okay," they both said together, and sat back to finish discussing their plans about the cave and the door.

The last notes of the band faded away, and Travis grabbed a couple pastry rolls on the way out. As they walked home they could see pixies flitting among the branches. Pixie dust sparkled and floated in the air like leftover fireworks. The shooting stars were becoming more frequent, and it was easy to mistake a pixie darting through the trees for a shooting star.

"Kendra will be going to see Aunt Matilda in a couple days. Maybe we can get together and try to figure out the poem. There's a map in the book we can look at too," Telah said.

"Great idea," Travis mumbled as he munched on a roll.

"Were you able to see a way to open the door?"

"Nope. Actually I was feeling guilty that I was exploring it without you. Besides, we shouldn't be exploring alone. Did you say there was a map in the book?" He stuffed the last roll in his mouth.

"Yes, there's one in the back, but it's attached. We couldn't take it out without damaging the book. But we could copy it."

Kendra and Morley were waiting for them when they arrived. She poured a glass of buckleberry juice for everyone, and they toasted the night. Morley and Travis left and headed home.

Outside, the Forester Constellation was now low on the horizon. There were a few gnomes in the village who stayed up all night, or who slept outside so they could watch the meteor shower as they fell asleep. High up in the trees, pixies sat leaning against tree trunks or stretched out on branches as they too watched the wonders of the night sky.

CHAPTER 11 - RIDDLES AND OLD POEMS

Several days after the party, Telah and Travis were seated at the kitchen table hovering over the old book. Kendra had left early that morning to visit Aunt Matilda and would not be back till late. She had left instructions for starting supper. Morley would be joining them.

Examining the picture of the man under the oak tree on the back cover, Travis said, "Wow, this is a pretty fancy engraving." Squinting at the ornate writing under the picture he read out loud, "The Way Back. Is that the name of the picture?"

She shrugged, "I don't know." Pointing to the stanzas in the four corners she said, "Some of these words match the poem in the article."

She read the words that could still be made out, and Travis wrote them down.

Between two ------ stands a ---- of wood

Where the Forester guards --- ---.

\----- to him the source of light

That is not f--nd –y ---.

The depths are not his natur-- ----

F-- he -ides the --- by night.

Capture the key from --- ------- ----

In a ----- ---- -- -----.

At the --d of the ---row path he -----

For the designat-- key,

Place -- ---- ---- -------- hand

For pass--- through the ----.

Exotic creatures and unknown ------

Lie just ------ the door.

Adventure awaits the ----- -- -----

And --------- to explore.

They began comparing the writing on the book to the poem from the old Village Monthly. The writing in the two top corners matched the first six lines of the poem.

Between two worlds stands a gate of wood

Where the Forester guards the way.

Bring to him the source of light

That is not found by day.

The depths are not his natural home

For he rides the sky by night.

"Maybe The Way Back is the name of the poem," Travis suggested.

"Okay, but the way back to where?"

"To the other world?"

"If there is such a place," she said wistfully.

"Hey, you're the one who started this. Are you saying you don't think it's real?"

"Well, it's one thing to believe in something. It's another thing to start living it. I'm apprehensive about actually going through a door into another world."

"Apprehensive? You mean scared?"

"Yeah – scared – nervous. Aren't you?"

"Maybe. Yeah. Some. It would be easier if we had a map of the place and knew what to expect. Didn't you say we have a map?"

"We do – but it's almost 100 years old."

"Oh, things don't change that much in 100 years," he said confidently. "A map of our village would still be good. Why wouldn't a map of that world still be good?"

"Okay. Then let's see what that other world looks like." She opened the book near the back where there was a folded page. Carefully she opened the paper to reveal a map.

Travis bent over it excitedly. He started reading off the names of the places. "Forgotten Woods, Border Path, Lady Elaine's Woods. Who's Lady Elaine?"

Telah answered in a dreamy voice, "According to legend, Elaine was the first gnome to weave starlight."

Travis rolled his eyes, "You mean the one the pixies always call Roberta?" He looked back down at the map. "I don't think she ever visited these woods." He continued reading, "Then there's The Downs, and the Lesser Bog – that one doesn't sound too good."

"Sounds better than Greater Frog Bog."

"Yeah. What's a Grandfather Tree?" he asked pointing to the center of the map. "It looks like something called the Tangles surrounds it. It's quite a detailed picture of a tree – must be important. Now....assuming you go through a door to get to this place.....does this map show a doorway?" he squinted at the map trying to find a picture of a door.

"Huh uh," she mumbled.

"Too bad we don't have the rest of the article with the poem," Travis said. "I was never good at crossword puzzles. There's a lot of it missing, and it talks about a door and a key. Maybe it tells where the key is hidden, or how to open the door, or even where it opens on the other side."

Telah jumped up suddenly. "We DO have the rest of the poem."

"We do?" he looked up surprised.

"Sure. We have a library," and she grinned. "Kendra keeps old publications in the attic. Is there a date on that article?"

He pulled the paper out from under the book, and scanned the page quickly "It was 90 years ago this month," he exclaimed. "Does the library keep copies that far back?"

"Let's find out. There's a lot of stuff up there, and no one is around right now to ask questions."

They folded the map back into the book. Taking the article with them, and a paper and pencil, they headed to the library. It was a stone structure over 300 years old. Originally it was the Town Hall, but had been sold to the Wordsmith family when the new Town Hall was built. They had lived in it until Axel Wordsmith had turned it into a public library. Many of the books were from his personal collection.

There were regular hours when the Library was officially open, but it was never locked. Gnomes are generally honorable and it was virtually unheard of for them to misuse public property. Occasionally someone would be there reading, but it wouldn't be crowded during off hours.

They slipped into the building unnoticed. The smell of old books and old leather greeted them. Telah loved the smell of the Library. A soft rustle of pages could be heard coming from a corner near one of the back windows behind the stacks of books. They tiptoed up the stairs. Telah motioned for Travis to step only where she did. She had traveled these stairs since she could walk, and knew all the places where they creaked.

Once in the attic she led the way to the back wall where all the old Village Monthly copies were kept. Dust tickled their noses and they struggled not to sneeze. Finally they found the right issue. The paper crackled noisily as they turned the brittle pages until they found the article. On the next page was the rest of the poem.

Between two worlds stands a gate of wood

Where the Forester guards the way.

Bring to him the source of light

That is not found by day.

The depths are not his natural home

For he rides the sky by night.

Capture the key from his jeweled belt

In a woven drop of light.

At the end of the narrow path he waits

For the designated key,

Place it in his upraised hand

For passage through the tree.

Exotic creatures and unknown plants

Lie just beyond the door.

Adventure awaits the brave of heart

And mysteries to explore.

They copied and poem and put the publication back. As they quietly slipped back down the stairs, the reader in the back corner coughed. The leather chair creaked. A quavering voice called out, "Polly? Polly, is that you?" The two children slipped out the front door and raced down the steps. They didn't stop until they reached Telah's house, exhilarated and laughing at their success.

They read the poem several times. "The door is mentioned, but even with the whole poem, I don't see how it's operated. Maybe we should just go check it out. Isn't this about the time you said the light would be shining on the door?"

"You're right. Should we take the map? Just in case," he teased.

She hesitated. "We'd have to tear it out of the book. Maybe we should just make a quick sketch instead. You do that while I throw together a lunch. At least we can have a picnic here if we don't get the door open."

Leaving the book on the table, they headed for the cave. Travis carried a backpack with the copy of the map, the poem, and lunch.

CHAPTER 12 - OPENING THE DOOR

We'll have to be careful as we pass Morley's," Travis said. But when they got there the house was quiet, and no one was home. They slipped up the path to the cave.

On Morley's roof, Briar, Thistle and Spike were leaning against the still warm chimney, soaking up the morning sun. Lying on a tree branch over the path, Mari and Della looked down at the children as they passed underneath. At a bush by the back gate, Buckleberry was living up to his name. The stout pixie was busy picking and eating berries.

Della and Mari sat up on the branch, and bent their heads together in a brief consultation. Taking a horn from the belt at her waist, Della stood, placed the horn to her lips and blew a sweet clear note like a bird's call. Briar, Thistle and Spike looked in her direction. She waved at them to come down. They flew over to Buckleberry, and dragged him along with them to the tree. Another pixie named Buttercup joined them when she heard the horn.

"First Morley, and now these two. What do you think they're up to?" Spike asked.

"Maybe something's happening in that cave you told us about," said Buttercup. She tilted her head to look around them up the path. The light shinning through the curls of her short, pale yellow hair made a halo around her head.

"Well, we'd better hurry if we don't want them to get too far ahead," Briar said. He flew off the branch and they all followed. They chased each other through the crevice in the roof of the passageway. The sloping walls had many protruding rocks that made natural ledges on which the pixies landed and sat for a front row view of the door.

Outside, Telah and Travis hurried up the path. It had rained the night before, and the sound of their steps was muffled in the wet leaves. The smell of damp earth was replaced by the fragrance of drying herbs when they entered the cave. A faint light could be seen at the back. Following the passageway they found the light shinning directly on the door, and Telah could see the carved pattern. It did look like the Forester Constellation. Travis ran his hand lightly over the pattern. "Do you feel anything?" she asked.

"No, there doesn't seem to be any mechanism, or even an opening. The light is starting to fade, and it's hard to make out where the door would be."

The pixies were all intently watching the children. Several were leaning forward precariously, and one nearly toppled off his ledge.

"Hey, weren't there lyte beads in the chest?" Telah asked. "I'll get one. Then at least we can see what we're doing."

"They weren't very bright. I think they're starlight beads, but let's try it," he agreed.

She went back to the chest, and struggled with the heavy lid. Inside the lyte beads were still nestled in the folds of the burlap bag. She reached in and took several beads, stirring up the musty odor. "Ugh," she grunted. She slipped a couple into her pocket and hurried back to Travis.

He was feeling the area around the top. "Wait a minute," she said, "Let's get some light on this." Taking one of the beads, she squeezed it gently in her hand until it glowed like a small candle. She held up the light to examine the door. Thistle motioned the other pixies to lean back into the shadows as the light got brighter.

"Bring it a little closer," Travis said. She held it near the top. To their surprise, the light slowly faded from her palm, and flowed to the outstretched hand of the figure on the wall. The light moved in a jagged line crossing the figure and ending at his opposite foot. "Just like the shooting star crossing the Forester Constellation," Travis said quietly.

"Or like a bolt of lightening," she said. Then there was a faint "click" as the lock opened. Sunlight from the other side seeped in, outlining the frame around the door.

They stared incredulously. Travis turned to her and said, "Are you up for an adventure?"

She hesitated, then replied, "Only if we're back in time for supper."

CHAPTER 13 - EXPLORING BEYOND THE DOOR

Travis pulled open the door. Beyond they could see enormous tree trunks. In a shower of color, gigantic leaves drifted down from the branches far above. Sunlight glistened on the reds and brilliant golds. In front of the door, the ground was covered with a thin carpet of leaves that twisted and turned in a faint breeze.

As they passed through the door, Telah felt a wave of dizziness. She reached out for Travis, and their hands met. A gold mist swirled around her, and settled like a blanket on her head and one shoulder. She started to lose her balance, and gripped Travis' hand tighter. The golden blanket slipped off her head, and her vision cleared. She saw the blanket was just a gold leaf, which now lay on the ground. Turning to Travis, she saw that he too was disoriented. She smiled weakly and said, "Whoa...that was unnerving."

Travis laughed nervously, "Nothing like stepping off the merry-go-round into a new world."

They realized they were still holding hands, and self-consciously let go. Travis cleared his throat, "Should we shut the door? I wouldn't want anything from here going back through."

Telah looked a little alarmed at the thought. "No, that's definitely not something we'd want. Look at the size of this place. That door's not very big, but anything that could get though would be as big as the bones in the museum."

Her voice trailed off and they looked at each other. Surprise swept across their faces as they both had the same thought. "This must really be where those bones came from," they said together.

"We're going to have to be careful," Travis said. His voice had a nervous edge to it. "We don't have wings like pixies."

Telah nodded a little shakily. "So, what do we do about the door?"

"Well, we don't want to get locked out. Maybe we can close it most of the way, and block it so it won't latch. That way nothing big can get through."

"That might work," she agreed. They found a stick to put in the door, and Travis wedged another stick on the outside as a brace to keep it from opening any further.

Getting up he asked, "Sure we're up to this?"

She nodded determinedly.

A massive wall of twisted thorns as high as a house circled the clearing. Purple and blue flowers as big as their hand were mingled in. Near the ground was an opening high enough for them to walk through without ducking. Telah pulled out the map that Travis had copied.

"This wall must be the Tangles. It shows the road that way," and she gestured to the left. "From the sun, it looks like it's about the same time as at home."

"There's no problem keeping track of time. When it's gets to be noon my stomach will remind us."

She smiled wryly, and stuffed the map into her back pocket. They headed for the opening under the Tangles. The path twisted and turned through the thorns, and finally came out on the other side.

To their right was a grove of pines with a mist rising just above the treetops. The faint odor of decaying vegetation drifted to them on an intermittent breeze. A vast sea of tall grass stretched off into the distance on their left. They paused to examine the map and get their bearings.

They found the Grandfather Tree with no difficulty. The grassy place was labeled The Downs and they decided the mist must be coming off the Greater Frog Bog.

Telah wrinkled her nose. "Doesn't smell like the Pixie Woods."

Travis laughed. "No, but I think following the woods might be the best way to go. According to the map it leads to the herb garden. No telling what's in that tall grass."

"What are these cone shaped figures near the herbs?" She pointed to a grouping of symbols on the map.

He shrugged. "Let's go see."

The air under the trees was damp and cool, but the earth was dry. Brittle brown pine needles littered the ground and muffled their footsteps. Sunlight glinted through the branches high above.

They had been walking for about ten minutes when the silence was shattered by a loud raucous 'caw caw' overhead. Startled they ducked under the cover of a low bush, and looked out. Overhead an enormous black bird was being chased by a group of much smaller birds. They flew out of sight, the small birds darting about the black bird's head and driving it away from the woods.

As they walked, they were startled several more times by other birds flying through the woods, but the birds paid little attention to them. One time while hiding under a bush, Travis noticed large berries hanging from a branch.

"Any mention of berries on your map?" he asked as he tugged on one. It came loose suddenly. He fell backwards sitting down hard on the ground with a surprised look on his face, and a large berry in his hands. Telah giggled, and he gave her a disgusted look.

"It would be easier, and a lot less work, to pick up the ones that are already on the ground," she said smugly. "Like this one." She stooped down to pick up a large one, but the overripe berry squished in her hands, and dark juice ran through her fingers. "Yuck!" Dropping the berry, she jumped back to avoid getting juice all over her.

"Yes, I see that method does work better," he said with a smirk. There was silence as they frowned at one other for a moment, and then they both laughed. "Here, help me get more off the vine. Exploring is hungry work."

The berries were sweet and delicious. They ate their sandwiches, and finished off their bottle of water. After they finished eating, they continued their walk. Coming to the end of the trees, they could see a road ahead. Travis noticed the sun reflecting off a piece of metal on the other side. Hurrying across the road, they ran up to a large, round, flat piece of white metal about the size of a saucer. Bending over, they examined it.

"There's a picture of a tree on it," Travis said.

"You're right, but what is it doing here? And what is it for?"

"Maybe it's the Grandfather Tree. Let's see what's under it." Using both hands he lifted the disk. It wasn't as heavy as he thought it would be, and he turned it over easily.

"It's a picture of an Elder gnome," Telah said. "There's writing, but I can't read what it says."

Under the portrait was written "Quarter Dollar," but neither of them could read the language. Turning it back over they examined the tree again. Printed in the same language were the words "Connecticut 1788-1999."

"We should take it back to the tree with us," Travis said. "Maybe it has some purpose connected to the door. Why else would it have a picture of the Grandfather tree on it?"

As they were packing the disk into the backpack they heard voices. Startled they looked around. The laughing and talking were getting closer, but they couldn't make out the words. Mixed in with the voices was a strange yapping noise that sounded like some kind of large animal. Frightened, Travis grabbed the backpack in one hand and Telah's hand in the other, and ran for cover.

CHAPTER 14 - BERRIES AND BELVEDERE

Back at the cave, Thistle and Spike were sitting on the wall talking in low voices. After a few moments Spike flew down to explore the door. It was open just wide enough for a pixie to fly through. Landing on the handle, he leaned out and peered cautiously through the doorway.

The others watched him anxiously. From their vantagepoint they had a clear view of the door, but could not see what lay on the other side. After a few minutes Spike slowly flew back, and landed next to Thistle. Several of them crowded around on the narrow ledge. Others landed on an outcrop just above, and precariously leaned over to hear what Spike was reporting.

"It's bright on the other side. Looks like it's just after midday meal time there," Spike was saying.

"Did you see Travis and Telah?" Thistle asked.

"No sign of them. There's a golden red shimmer, and lots of enormous leaves floating through the air. If they went very far it would be hard to see them through the leaves."

Briar's eyes shown with excitement. "Giant leaves might make for some really great leaf surfing."

Spike laughed, "They were big enough for group surfing. We'd all fit on one leaf."

"That doesn't sound too safe," Della said timidly.

"It would be hard to fly through thick leaves," Mari pointed out.

"I don't think there were that many leaves," Spike chuckled.

Mari sighed and asked, "What about the air? Was it cold? Did you smell any animals?"

"Nooo....," Spike drawled. "The air felt cool and refreshing. There was a fine earthy smell with just a hint of berries. If they are anything the size of the leaves...." His voice trailed off as he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Buckleberry.

At the mention of giant berries, Buckleberry perked up, "That sounds promising. Maybe we should explore. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say."

Briar snorted good-naturedly, "Well we wouldn't want to miss a food opportunity would we?"

"Sounds like fun. Let's go explore," Thistle said.

With that, he and Spike flew to the door with Buckleberry trailing along. Mari was mumbling about rashly flying into danger, but was following with a curious anticipation. They all grouped around the door.

"Come on," said Thistle. "We can always just come back if it looks unsafe." With that he flew through the door with Spike close behind.

"Our Fearless Leader certainly sounds sure of himself as he flies into the unknown. Hope he knows what he's talking about," Della muttered as she followed the others.

As she flew through the door, she felt the disorienting effect. Landing hard on a pile of leaves, she looked around dazedly. The others were scattered on the ground nearby looking much the way she felt.

Glancing back, she was surprised to see how far they were from the door. It was in the bottom of a tree trunk. Though it had appeared quite large to her before, it was now dwarfed by the wide girth of the tree. Her gaze followed the trunk up, up, up, where she saw a gigantic leaf floating to the ground.

Hearing voices she looked around to see that Spike and Briar had recovered from the initial transition, and were now discussing the possibilities and difficulties of surfing on one of the enormous leaves. She smiled and noticed that Buckleberry was following his nose, and heading for berries that were high up in a tangle of vines circling the clearing.

A moth about the same size as the pixies landed in front of the door. As she was admiring its brown and yellow wings, a large bird dived down into the clearing. Della gasped in dismay as the bird swallowed the moth in two bites. Everyone turned, and stared in horror at the bird.

"To the vines quickly," Thistle commanded. Everyone flew to the Tangles where Buckleberry sat, oblivious to the danger. Hearing the commotion, he looked up. His face was covered with juice, and he had a large berry in each hand. His eyes got large as he saw the bird chasing his friends. He hurled one of the berries. With an explosion of red pixie dust, it hit the bird in the eye just as it was about to gobble up Buttercup. The bird screeched angrily with temporary blindness. Shaking its head, it veered off in the other direction. His friends tumbled into the safety of the vines around him.

There they all sat panting and weak with fright. Buckleberry looked around at them, heaved a sigh, and said, "Anyone want a berry?" He offered the one he still held to Buttercup, who smiled weakly and said, "Hero food. I'll have several."

Soon they were all stuffing berries in their mouths, the frightening incident forgotten.

"If we're all recovered quite nicely and fortified for the journey, shall we continue?" Thistle asked.

Buttercup looked scornful, and Della frowned doubtfully. Buckleberry looked up and said, "Leave this feast?"

Thistle laughed, and he and Spike made their way through the tangles to the other side with the girls trailing behind. Briar turned to Buckleberry and teasingly said, "Might be new and wonderful food just waiting around the corner." Buckleberry muttered, "Berries in the hand worth more....," but got up to join them.

Emerging from the Tangles, they discovered a path, which they decided to follow. Although they did not know it, they were following the route Morley had taken that morning, and heading in the opposite direction from Travis and Telah. Buckleberry was at the end of the group still grumbling. As they flew along a few feet above the ground, a tantalizing smell wafted towards them, fading in and out.

When Buckleberry caught a whiff of pastry, he stopped grumbling and sniffed with anticipation. Maybe Briar's right he thought to himself, and flew up close behind Thistle and Spike.

Mari glanced at him, "Change your mind about adventure?"

Buckleberry shrugged, "Just adding my support to the team."

The breeze shifted. A strong smell of pastry mixed with heavy spices flooded over them. Buckleberry closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. Buttercup giggled. Mari laughed and said, "Especially if the team is heading for a sweet encounter."

As Buckleberry feigned an injured look, Buttercup said, "Nothing wrong with some incentive. We are here to explore."

Buckleberry smiled happily, "What better to explore than new culinary adventures."

Thistle and Spike had been conferring together. Thistle nodded. Spike veered away from the others, and shot up to the tops of the trees where he hovered for a moment before he dove back down. "There's a house ahead with a fenced in yard. Must be where the aromas are coming from," he reported.

They hurried along, eager to find the source of the tantalizing smells. It wasn't long before they came to the edge of the woods, but stopped short when they saw the stone figure. The tall hat shadowed its face, and the menacing owl filled them with apprehension. The figure's hand pointed directly at them.

There was much commotion as they bumped into each other trying to stop their flight and get back under cover of the trees.

Suddenly Buttercup giggled. "It's just a stone statue," she said. Flying over, she landed on the hat, and sat down dangling her feet over the brim. Soon there were pixies on the statue's outstretched arm, a couple on its shoulder, and one on the owl's head.

From this vantagepoint they had a clear view. They could see scattered trees in the yard leading up to a large porch on the back of a red brick house.

But what caught their attention was the enormous beast running through the fenced in area. It was covered with solid black fur, and had a long tail that was constantly in motion. It loped around the yard chasing a ball and chewing on it ferociously. Occasionally it would jump up, place its front paws on the top of the fence, and look over into the woods.

They watched with amazement. After some discussion they decided the beast couldn't jump the fence, and they would be safe in the air.

Flying to a tree near the house, they sat on one of the lower branches. A delightful aroma was drifting through an open window. Unfortunately the window had a screen. They were busy discussing how to get in when the dog, which was a Labrador Retriever, caught sight of them. It immediately gave chase. Reaching the bottom of the tree, it stood on its hind legs and barked loudly. It then ran back and forth between the house and the tree, barking and panting and making a horrendous din.

The back door of the house opened, and a giant stepped out onto the porch.

He called, "Belvedere. Come here!"

Panting and wagging its tail enthusiastically, the dog obediently trotted over to the man.

"What's the matter boy?" he asked the dog. It ran back to the tree and barked up at the pixies who had scrambled for cover in the foliage. The man walked over and looked up. "What is it Belvedere? A squirrel?"

Buttercup was on a branch nearest the ground. She peered at the dog through a small opening in the leaf she had wrapped around herself. It looked up and yawned widely revealing a cavernous mouth lined with sharp white teeth. Startled, she let the leaf slip.

The movement caught the dog's eye causing it to bark again. She felt dizzy and started to lose her balance. The man was turning in her direction when a woman called to him from the house. He turned back to the dog. "Come on Belvedere. Let's get your leash and we'll all go for a walk."

The dog immediately forgot about the pixies, and bounded to the porch. It lapped water noisily from a dish just outside the door. The man came up behind it, and they went into the house.

Buttercup collapsed in a little heap. The leaf she had been clutching floated to the ground. Mari and Della fluttered down to the branch to console her.

CHAPTER 15 - BACK FROM THE HERB GARDEN

That same morning, Morley had risen early and prepared for another excursion through the door. He was getting low on mint and some of the other herbs, which he sold to Barley the grocer.

He was now returning from a successful journey to the herb garden with his backpack bulging. His new lyte cloak had worked perfectly, and had kept him invisible in the bright sunlight. The trip had taken longer than he expected, and it was already twilight. His cloak still partially hid him, but he now appeared as a shadow slipping quietly through the grass. There was a full moon in the sky. Although the sun was not completely set, it was already dark under the trees.

Realizing the light was changing, he stopped and reversed the cloak so that the cloth made from moonlight was on the outside. He unrolled the new flap over his backpack covering it neatly. As soon as the moon dominated the sky, he would once more be invisible except for an occasional shimmer of gray.

CHAPTER 16 - HONEY AND HIDING

Telah and Travis did not stop running until the road was out of sight, and the voices were fading. They paused to catch their breath. Travis dropped the backpack and collapsed next to it.

He panted "What do you think that was?"

"Could be one of the large animals described in my grandfather's book Monstrous Mammals."

"It certainly sounded monstrous," Travis said emphatically. "Speaking of monstrous...look at the size of that bee!" He pointed over her shoulder.

She jumped, let out a squeal, and scurried over behind him.

"It's okay, they're honeybees. They won't bother you if you don't annoy them. My grandfather keeps bees, but I've never seen any that size."

"You're sure?" she said doubtfully.

He nodded. "Come on." Telah kept a watchful eye on the bee's movements. White flowers grew abundantly in the grass, and more and more bees buzzed around the flowers. Just ahead was a large mound.

They cautiously approached it, and found it to be an abandoned hive that still had honey in it. After eating some of the honey, they decided to get on with finding the herb garden, and think about heading back.

Chewing on beeswax, they skirted around the fallen beehive, and made their way to where they thought the garden should be. The map showed a tidy square garden bordered with flowers, located right next to the beehives. All around them was a variety of weeds and various flowering plants, but nothing resembling a garden such as Travis' father would design.

He began to look closer at the plants, and was wondering where the flower border would begin when he suddenly recognized one of the leaves. It was one of the plants in the cave. Excitedly he showed his discovery to Telah.

"But it's not like on the map," she said hesitatingly. "Do you think we're in the wrong place?"

"No...," he said slowly. "I think maybe we were wrong about the map still being accurate. I think it's changed a lot in 100 years. Everything's gone wild. I think we're IN the herb garden."

"But this can't be where Morley gets his herbs, can it? There's no sign that anyone, other than us, has been here in a long time. None of the plants have been cut or broken."

"The only answer is that there must be another herb garden. Maybe it's time to head home. It's getting late. You did want to be home before dinner." She nodded.

The journey back was longer than they remembered. They were getting tired and regretted having drunk all their water. It was late afternoon. Although the sun was starting to set, it was still hot and they were very thirsty. When they finally reached the trees, it was a relief to get out of the sun and into the cool shade. All their thoughts were focused on finding the berry patch, and quenching their thirst with the cool sweet juice. Even the birds overhead were no longer frightening.

As they stumbled along, Telah began to have doubts about the direction they were heading. She looked around for something familiar, but everything looked the same. It was an endless line of tree trunks, pine needles, and an occasional pinecone. There was no sign of a berry bush.

She was getting ready to stop Travis when she heard a rustling behind them in the trees. Travis heard it too and stopped, his back stiff. He turned slowly to face her and their eyes met. The rustling stopped, but they now heard a snuffling noise from the same direction. Ahead of them was a tree that had a mass of entangled roots protruding from the ground. Travis nodded towards it. They ran to the roots, and crawled in among them. Peering out, they watched the open space.

CHAPTER 17 - PIXIE BROUHAHA

Mari, Della and Buttercup huddled together as the man and woman passed by the tree, talking and laughing together. The dog was now on a leash. They went through a gate in the back of the fence.

The pixies watched the giants disappearing into the woods – all except Buckleberry who was staring at the house. Clearing his throat, he said softly, "They left the door open..."

Before anyone could say anything, Buckleberry had slipped off his branch. He flew towards the screen door, drawn by the enticing aroma. Thistle, Spike and Briar immediately took off after him.

"Thinking with his stomach again," Mari said exasperated. "Come on Buttercup, let's go rescue your hero and the other boys." Giggling they pushed off the branch, and flew to the house.

Thistle looked through the door and saw a kitchen. Along one wall there was a counter with metal mixing bowls, spoons, bags, and other containers of what looked like ingredients for baking. Cupboards lined the wall over a deep sink. In the middle of the room was a long wooden table with chairs. Three ceramic cooling racks on the table were filled with the biggest rolls he had ever seen or imagined. They were still warm. Icing dripped down their sides, and pooled on the wax paper under the racks. The whole room smelled intoxicatingly of yeast, spice, and sugar.

In the middle of this pastry paradise sat Buckleberry. He was covered with frosting and had a piece of pastry in his right hand. He was attempting to use it to catch the frosting dripping from his other hand, but ended up just licking his fingers. His eyes were closed in bliss, and he had a contented smile. Opening his eyes he waved a gooey hand and called, "Over here. It's food fit for a forest king."

They all flew in and joined him on the table. Soon they were laughing and throwing pieces of pastry to each other. In short order, the table was littered with pastry and sticky with frosting.

Mari decided she was thirsty. Flying lazily around the room, she looked for something to drink. She landed on top of a large bag of flour raising a cloud of powder. Laughing and kicking her dainty feet, she created a great white cloud that sparkled with gold pixie dust as it hung in the air.

Spike flew over to join the fun, and landed on the other side of the bag. Mari quickly hit him in the chest with a handful of flour, and knocked him off balance. Green pixie dust rose in the air as Spike laughingly flapped his wings, and struggled to catch his balance. In spite of his efforts, he tumbled off the bag falling towards the mixing bowl. He tried to fly back up. His laughter stopped as he realized that he wasn't slowing down. Pixie dust exploded around him as he struggled to slow his fall. He felt a strong force pulling him down. He hit against the inside wall of the bowl, and stuck to the side instead of sliding down to the bottom.

Hearing Spike's surprised shouts, Mari leaned over the side of the bag laughing, and saw him stuck on the side of the bowl. "What's the matter – too much sticky frosting?" she called.

Spike looked up and saw Mari's pretty face. Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she looked down over the side of the bag. It was white with flour and there were streaks of white in her golden hair.

Not wanting to admit any weakness he called back, "Just checking the bowl for any tasty treats." He put more effort into his struggles. Soon the inside of the bowl was covered with green pixie dust. The only result was that he ended up stuck even firmer, and his struggles had turned him upside down.

Thinking he was playing, Mari laughed at his antics until she almost fell off the bag herself. Soon Spike could do little more than wiggle his toes, and his face was turning red under the flour. Mari lay down on the bag, and peered over the side. "Stop fooling around Spike. "

He sighed, and realized he needed help. "I'm stuck, and I can't get loose."

"Okay," she giggled. "I'll come down and rescue the big strong prince." With a flourish of her hand she raised a plume of pixie dust and floated slowly down in a golden cloud. As she neared the bowl, covered in sparkling golden dust, she suddenly started to fall faster. She gave a little cry of alarm as she careened into the side of the bowl just above Spike.

"What is it? What are you doing?" he called up to her.

"I'm stuck too," she wailed. They both started calling for help.

Back at the table, the other pixies were singing and eating – which is only easy if you're a pixie. As they came to the end of one of their raucous choruses, they paused for breath and heard faint cries for help. "Is that someone calling for more food?" suggested Briar.

"Maybe they've found something good to drink," said Buttercup.

"I think it sounds like they might be in trouble," Thistle said with alarm. "I'll check it out." He jumped off the table, and flew around the room leaving a trail of silver dust behind him. Landing on the counter next to the bag he called to them, "Spike? Mari?"

Faintly he heard a chorus of "Inside the bowl. We're stuck."

"Stuck?" he muttered. "How can they be stuck?" He ran across the counter towards the bowl. As he stepped in the flour, he began to slide. Pixie dust flew everywhere. He tried to catch his balance, but fell. Sliding in a sitting position, he came up hard against a metal mixing spoon. A shower of silver dust and flour settled down on him.

Muttering he tried to get up, but his foot was glued to the spoon. Reaching down to pull his foot free, his hand became attached. Soon he was covered with sparkling flour, and stuck fast to the spoon.

Spike called out, "Thistle, what are you doing? Are you going to help get us out of here?"

Thistle said disgustedly, "I'll be there as soon as I get free from this spoon."

Mari grimaced. "Some rescue," she muttered. Now they all three started calling for help.

Briar, realizing something was wrong, flew slowly around the room looking for signs of danger. Flying high over the counter he saw Thistle on the spoon, and Spike and Mari in the bowl. He flew down towards Thistle.

"Don't get too close," Thistle called.

Briar pulled up and hovered. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"We're stuck," Thistle said.

"What do mean? What's holding you?"

"Can't tell. But the more we try to get free, the more we can't move."

"Okay, I'm going to go back and warn the others, and we'll figure out something. I'll be back"

Briar returned to the table. They all gathered together to discuss the problem. Buckleberry was having difficulty following the conversation. He had eaten too much, and was not feeling well. The water tag song kept running around in his head. He tried to push it aside and listen to the others, but the words kept drumming in his thoughts.

"You think it's magic that's holding them?"

"It seems like the more they use their magic, the stronger the force holding them becomes."

"It we can't use magic, how we will ever get them free?" wailed Della.

Buttercup said, "First we have to figure out how to get them unstuck so we don't pull them out of their skin. Then we have to get them away without using magic."

"Well, why aren't we stuck to the table or something else. Why only the bowl or the spoon?"

Suddenly Buckleberry jumped up and sang,

" _When pixie dust with iron is mixed_

Those nearby are firmly fixed."

They all looked at him startled.

Briar said, "This isn't the time for party songs – we're trying to put together a rescue."

"But the bowl and the spoon are metal – like iron," Buckleberry protested.

"But that's just a song," Briar said.

"No wait," Buttercup interrupted. "Maybe he's on to something." She sang:

" _And held in bonds - they cannot fly_

However hard that they might try."

"In the game we throw water on the couples to separate them," Buckleberry said thoughtfully.

Buttercup brightened and said, "Tell me now what do you think? Where does water get a drink? Maybe water is the key to getting them free."

Briar looked doubtful, "I don't know..."

"It's worth a try," Della said. "We have to do something before the giants come back."

This thought made them all nervous, and they immediately started putting together a plan. Soon they were organized. All they had to do was wash away the pixie dust with water, pull them out of the bowl, and get far enough away from the metal so they could fly.

Briar and Buckleberry flew over to the counter. Taking care not to get close to anything metal, they selected one of the small plastic measuring cups that were sitting on the counter. They chose the one that said ¼ on it.

Grasping the handle they flew over to the dog's water dish and filled it. Della and Buttercup helped as they flew back to the counter. Water sloshed over the sides of the cup as they flew across the room. They hovered over Thistle who looked up and shouted, "What are you doing?"

"Just a little shower," Briar called. There was much jostling as some tried to turn the cup one way and some the other. Water started splashing out and falling on Thistle.

"Hey!" he yelled.

Then they all tipped the same way, and the water came pouring out. Thistle was soaked. The water flowed across the counter and mixed with flour and pixie dust. This messy mixture ran over the edge and dripped onto the floor.

Thistle stood up indignantly, stamping his feet and shouting before he realized he was no longer a prisoner of the metal.

"Don't use magic," called Buckleberry. "You're too close to the bowl."

Thistle edged nervously away from the bowl and spoon. When he was far enough away that he thought it was safe, he jumped into the air and joined the others.

They quickly returned to the dog dish for more water. The cup was only half full this time, but with Thistle's help they didn't slosh as much out on the way. Under his direction they were also much better at aiming. Soon the water was falling again. This time Mari and Spike were soaked. As the metal let go of the pixies they slid down the side of the bowl. They landed in the gooey batter at the bottom which was now mixed with water and pixie dust.

"Ugh," said Mari. She stood up dripping and covered with slime.

Thistle landed on top of the flour bag, and peered down at them. "Everyone okay?" he called.

"Sure," Spike said. "Where did you get the water?"

"There was a bowl on the floor next to the door."

"Not the drinking water of that brute," Mari said disgustedly. "Yuck!"

"Sorry. It's all we had to work with. We're going to lower a wooden spoon over the side. You can't use magic around metal. That's how you got trapped."

Mari looked up to see the handle of a large wooden spoon sliding down the side of the bowl. It came down fast, and they just had time to jump out of the way. When the spoon hit the bottom, they were splashed again with the gooey mess. The end of the handle slid across the bottom of the bowl, and stuck in the batter on the other side.

"Hey!" they yelled.

"Sorry. Spoon was heavier than we thought. It got away from us."

"Well be more careful. We almost got squashed."

"Do you think you can climb up the spoon?"

Mari looked doubtfully at the wooden handle. It was tilted at an angle so the climb would not be straight up. "Oh sure, no problem."

Spike held his hands together, and nodded to her. She placed her delicate foot in his hands, and he gave her a boost. She began scrambling up the pole. Spike followed quickly behind.

They had gotten about three-quarters of the way up when the bowl began to tip. Looking up Mari saw all the other pixies sitting in the round part of the spoon to create leverage to help tip the bowl.

"You didn't tell me this part of the plan," she gasped.

The bowl tipped over, and the spoon was tossed across the counter. Pixies were catapulted in all directions. The metal bowl rocked back and forth noisily on the counter for several seconds before crashing to the floor. The gooey mess was splattered all over everything.

The spoon flipped over several times before hitting the floor, and rolling under a chair. Briar and Buttercup were thrown across the room landing on the rolls. Thistle and Della managed to catch themselves while they were hurtling through the air, and started flying.

Spike and Mari were thrown into the flour bag. It tipped over, spilling flour across the counter and sending them sliding. Thistle and Della, hovering near the ceiling, turned just in time to see them slide over the edge, and fall into the trash container at the end of the counter.

Then they heard the dog barking and the gate creak open. Thistle hissed, "Giants are coming back. To the trash container." Briar and Buttercup crawled out of the rolls and they all flew over to the trash. Spike and Mari were just struggling out.

"Back in! Giants are at the door," and they shoved them back in, and dove in after them.

Crouching in the trash bag they heard voices on the porch. The man was saying, "I don't remember leaving the door open..." There was a bang as the screen door slammed against the frame, followed by a gasp as they saw the room.

CHAPTER 18 - DANGER IN THE DARK

As Morley traveled along the well-known path, he heard a familiar oot-too-hoo hoo-hoo in the distance. He shivered hoping he wouldn't meet the owl tonight. He didn't have his flute with him, and he remembered his last encounter only too well.

As the stars began to appear, he saw the Forester Constellation, and his thoughts turned to Kendra. His thoughts were turning to Kendra a lot lately.

He remembered the way she looked up at him with laughing eyes, hanging on his every word and making him feel clever and wise. The song they danced to was playing softly in his head. He could almost smell her perfume, and feel her soft hair against his face as they glided together across the dance floor.

A rattling noise above him startled him out of his reverie. The breeze had picked up and was causing tree branches to rub against each other.

He relaxed and started to smile, but then stiffened when he heard a scurrying noise in the underbrush behind him. As the breeze changed direction, a nasty, musty odor was evident.

Alarmed, he quickened his pace. The sounds of pursuit became louder, and he began to run. Breathing hard he burst into a clearing. Knowing he could not run all the way back to the safety of the door, he turned to face whatever it was.

CHAPTER 19 - UNEXPECTED

The shadow from the Grandfather Tree stretched across the clearing. In the waning sunlight was a small brown rabbit. Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air. Hopping into the grass, it nibbled contentedly.

A shadow passed overhead startling the rabbit. In terror it ran towards the tree and the small door that looked like a way of escape. Shoving its head through the opening, the small twigs holding the door were pushed aside. As it slipped through, the door swung shut behind it with a soft, barely audible, "click."

The shadow overhead passed on into the dusk.

CHAPTER 20 - FOX HUNT

As Telah and Travis looked out between the tangled tree roots, they heard the rustling start again. A furry red animal with a fluffy tail emerged from the foliage. It stopped, raised its pointy nose, and sniffed the air trying to identify the scent. A faint musty odor drifted downwind to them on the air current. It snuffled the ground where they had been standing, then looked around. Its bright eyes were clever and terrifying.

"We can't outrun it," Travis breathed softly.

"Can we scare it off?" Telah asked

Travis thought frantically. Anything like a stick or stone that was small enough for him to throw would not be enough to frighten the animal. What did they have in the backpack? The metal disk was too awkward, and he didn't think he could throw it far enough. The water bottle was empty, and was too lightweight. Then suddenly he remembered the door. "Do you have any more lyte beads?" he asked.

She nodded and got one out of her pocket. Travis searched the area around them. He found a stick with a fork at the end, perfect for throwing something. The animal was stealthily moving towards them. Their scent was strange to the fox, but it was curious and hungry.

She handed him the bead. He quickly broke the seal. As it started heating up, he dropped it into the crook at the end of the stick. With a deft movement he slung it arching towards the fox.

It landed on the fox's shoulder and began to smolder in the fur. Yelping, it shook off the lyte bead, and ran away into the woods. When it yelped the children grabbed their bag. They ran, not looking back. The lyte bead fell in the pine needles, and a thin column of smoke began to rise from the forest floor.

As they ran blindly away from the fox, to their surprise the wall of tangles suddenly loomed before them. In just a few moments they were under the tangles. They slowed to a walk and caught their breath. Following the winding path, they stopped just at the edge of the thorns and looked out into the clearing. The Grandfather Tree stood stretching up into the sky, but to their horror, the sticks holding the door were gone. The door was shut tight.

CHAPTER 21 - OUT OF THE BAG

Buckleberry trembled as he hid behind an old cookie jar in the shape of a fire hydrant. It was stored out of the way on top of the cupboards. The shelf was quite dusty, and now there were tiny footprints leading up to his hiding place. But they would not be noticed until the next time that the giants dusted.

When the giants had first come into the kitchen, Buckleberry had been too slow to hide in the trash bag with the others. Instead he had dodged behind the salt and pepper shakers, and watched nervously between them. He spent the next half-hour darting from one hiding place to another as the giants moved around the room cleaning up the mess.

A couple times he was almost caught when the dog spotted him and went into a frenzy of barking. The giants, thinking the dog was just being a nuisance, finally put him outside. While they were occupied with the dog, Buckleberry took the opportunity to fly to the top of the cupboard, where he now sat hiding, wondering how to help his friends.

The pixies in the bag were busy dodging debris from the cleanup that came flying down from above. They could hear the sweep of the broom across the floor, and then they were showered with debris as the dustpan was emptied. There was the sound of running water and the rattling of dishes. Soggy paper towels covered with batter and bits of dough dropped down through the opening, much to their disgust.

Occasionally one of them would not dodge quickly enough, and a small trail of pixie dust mixed with flour would float up out of the bag. Before long they were all covered with flour, dust, and wet batter, and thoroughly miserable.

Suddenly the entire bag began to shake and shift as it was lifted out of the basket. The light at the top was cut off as the opening was tied shut. Buckleberry watched with dismay as the bag was carried swiftly across the room. It swayed back and forth dizzyingly as it was carried out the back door. Both giants were occupied with taking out the bag.

Buckleberry was anxious to know what would happen to his friends. He flew over to the windowsill. Looking through the glass, he saw the bag dumped abruptly on the back porch.

Inside, the pixies were thrown against the sides, landing on the soggy paper towels. Flour floated up in a cloud, causing them all to sneeze and cough.

The giants did not notice these small noises, but the dog barked excitedly and pawed at the bag with his front paws. His sharp nails punctured the bag in several places. The man took the dog to the other end of the porch, and filled his dish with fresh water. The woman picked up the bag and walked to a metal trash can. Lifting the lid she called out to her husband, "The can is full." She pushed down hard on the bags inside the can. "Should I try to squeeze it in?"

Watching the woman try to compact the bags filled Buckleberry with great fear. Even if his friends were not crushed, he would never be able to get them out of a metal can. Realizing he had to do something, he recklessly flew towards the door.

The man called back, "No, I already packed the last bag in tight. Just set it next to the can. The trash pickup is tomorrow morning. I'll put them out by the road after dinner."

The woman dropped the bag next to the can, and turned back to the house. "Okay," she answered. "Don't forget to sprinkle pepper on the bag so the birds and stray cats don't get into it overnight."

Just as Buckleberry reached the door, the woman opened it. The sun was just setting outside, and there were shadows across the porch. He flew past her nose. Startled she gasped and waved her hand, just missing him. He flew into the tree, and landed on a branch.

"Bugs are out," she called, and the giants went inside taking the dog with them.

As soon as the lights came on inside the house, Buckleberry flew over to the bag. He could hear his friends moving about inside. Finding one of the holes the dog had made, he put both hands on either side of the opening and pulled. Not much happened. Putting one foot on either side, he clumsily pulled, and pried, until he had made the hole larger. Putting his head through, he tried to call out, but was overcome with a fit of coughing.

"What was that?" Buttercup sputtered. "Is that beast back?"

"Sounds more like a pixie choking on too many pastries," said Spike as he sneezed several times.

Buckleberry pulled his head out, and cleared his throat. Taking a deep breath he thrust his head inside again and called, "Hey you! Over here."

Soon they were all crawling and scrambling through the ooze and mess to Buckleberry. He helped each of them through the opening. Once outside, they checked to make sure everyone was there and safe. They were a sorry looking group. Even Buckleberry was covered with icing and dirt.

Della moaned softly, "I can't possibly fly with my wings in this condition."

Buckleberry grinned. "Come with me." He led them to the dog's dish, which was full of fresh cold water, and they all jumped in. After much splashing about, they were a lot cleaner, and their spirits were much improved. They sat on the porch railing for a couple of minutes to dry off. Spreading their wings, they shook sparkling drops of water into the air.

Hearing the door open behind them, they all quickly flew off towards the woods. The giants saw them flying off together and the man said, "What a lot of dragonflies we've had this year."

CHAPTER 22 - TOOTH OR TALON

Morley looked around the clearing, trying to find something to use for defense. He spotted a stick that was sharp where it had been broken off. He picked it up weighing it in his hand. Into the clearing came a dark furry creature with a pointed nose and long naked tail.

He recognized it at once from the Mammals book. A rat, he thought with disgust, and a shiver of fear. He felt very grateful that he had reversed his cloak, which now hid him in the moonlight. The rat sniffed the air trying to locate the smell. Morley froze, anticipating the worst. The rat caught his scent again, and began to move toward him.

Suddenly a shadow passed over the moon, and the large powerful talons of an owl fastened its death grip on the rat. Its wings blotted out the stars as it rose into the sky carrying the limp body. It circled once, then passed across the moon, and was gone.

The branches in the tree rattled again, and he realized he needed to get back to his own world quickly. A fog was moving in on the breeze making the night damp. He felt chilled, and pulled his cloak closely around him. Making use of his new walking stick, he hurried forward.

CHAPTER 23 - THUNDER AND PIXIE DUST

It was getting dark and clouds were filling the sky as the pixies arrived at the Grandfather Tree. Thistle flew up and stopped suddenly, hovering in the air. The others grouped around him. There in front of the door, Travis and Telah sat glumly with their chins in their hands. They had been arguing about how to get the door open, and were now thoroughly discouraged, tired, and thirsty. To make things worse it was getting cold and felt like rain.

Travis looked up, and stared at the pixies dully. "Thistle? What are you doing here?"

Telah looked up, and squinted at the pixies in the fading light. "There's pixies in this world too?" she asked.

Travis snorted. "What are you and your group doing here Thistle?"

Telah rubbed her eyes. "Della? Is that you?"

Della giggled, and waved her little hand.

Thistle answered,

" _Now that we all know who we are,_

Let's all go home,

We've traveled far."

Spike added:

" _Fun we've had,_

We want no more.

Up with you,

And open the door."

Travis smiled grimly. "Wish we knew how to open the door. We left it propped open and now it's shut tight. We've tried everything we can think of, and can't get it to budge."

This news made the pixies very agitated. They flew up to the door, and examined it. Intermittent drops of rain started falling. The efforts of the pixies became more intense. Soon pixie dust was everywhere.

Travis and Telah stood back muttering, and brushing the sparkles off their arms and shoulders. There was now a fine mist of rain, which was turning the pixie dust into a paste on the door.

In the midst of all this, there was a rustling in the bushes. Turning quickly, they all wondered what new danger awaited them. A gray shimmer of light moved into the clearing. They stared nervously, dreading the new encounter.

Throwing back his hood, Morley appeared as a floating head. He quickly took off the cloak, and they sighed with relief as he stood before them whole. They all stared at each other in surprise and amazement as the light quickly faded, and it began to rain in earnest.

Telah muttered, "Looks like we're all going to be late for dinner."

Travis poked his elbow in her side.

Morley cleared his throat. "Well, quite a party we're having I see," he said quietly.

Telah and Travis both started to explain, but Morley raised his hand and shook his head. "It's getting late and it's dangerous and wet out here. Let's get back to safety before we talk."

He went to the tree and passed his hands over the door. They couldn't see exactly what he did, but after a few seconds they heard a faint "click". Morley scraped the paste of pixie dust off the cracks and the handle, and pulled on the door. It stuck, but he persisted.

It gave way just as a flash of lighting lit up the clearing. The pixies flew forward. Morley stepped aside, and motioned to the opening, "After you, my little friends." They flew through and Morley turned to Travis and Telah. They grabbed their bag and rushed through.

Morley followed as a flash of lightening lit up the sky with the sound of distant rolling thunder. He tugged on the door trying to shut it, but the paste from the pixie dust had seeped into the door frame and was blocking the mechanism.

Another flash of lightening lit up the frame around the door. There was a crash of thunder, and the door clicked shut. But instead of being plunged into darkness, the narrow passageway was lit up. Covered with pixie dust, the door shimmered with iridescent colors.

Suddenly it exploded, throwing Morley backwards. Bits of the ceiling began falling, and Travis and Telah rushed back. They each grabbed one of Morley's arms, and pulled him down the passageway into the cave. The ceiling collapsed, and the passageway was filled with debris.

Morley struggled to his feet. "Let's get home. Kendra will be wondering where we all are."

Dinner was not the fancy fare that Kendra had planned, but there was plenty of plain food. No one minded, as they were all just glad to be warm, fed, and safe. Travis spent the night at Morley's, and they all slept in.

CHAPTER 24 - LOST WORLD

The next morning Kendra made a large breakfast for everyone. Telah and Travis had been sternly reprimanded for intruding in Morley's business, and for taking dangerous risks. They were both feeling embarrassed and sorry they had offended Morley and Kendra. They realized they had acted selfishly, and that Morley might have been hurt badly. There was also a good chance that their adventure had been partly responsible for the door being destroyed.

Many questions were answered, including how the door was originally found, and had been used by Axel Wordsmith. The book, _The World Beyond the Door_ was an accurate account of his discovery and travels.

"From what we know of these doors to other worlds," Morley was saying, "they don't stay open very long. This one was unusual as it had been open for many years, but we expected it to collapse eventually. There are usually signs that show it is weakening, and the door looked as strong as ever yesterday morning. I think the pixie dust, and the lightening together was too much for it. Perhaps it's for the best. When one door closes, another opens as they say."

Telah looked wistfully at the shelf on the wall where the metal disk was now displayed. Light from the window shown on the metal making the picture of the tree seem very real. All that was missing was the door at the bottom of the trunk.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on the door. Kendra went to answer it. To her surprise, Polly Worder, the mayor's secretary stood on her porch. Her face was flushed and very excited. "Kendra dear, you'll never guess what's happened." She swept into the living room and sat on the edge of a chair. Kendra followed her. "Sit down my dear, sit down," Polly gushed. She stood up and gently pushed Kendra into another chair, and then resumed her seat.

In the kitchen Morley winked at the kids and laid his finger over his lips. They sat very quietly listening. Polly was easily excitable, and this might be an amusing visit.

Kendra looked questioningly at her guest, "So what is your news Polly?"

She clasped her hands nervously. "Well, you remember all those...fantasies...uh, stories...uh well, theories your grandfather had about the bones in the museum?" Kendra nodded politely. Polly conspiratorially whispered, "They're true."

Kendra raised her eyebrows. "Why do you think so?"

Polly leaned forward, and spoke in a hushed voice. "Last night a large beast bounded through the middle of town."

Kendra was intrigued in spite of herself. "What kind of beast?"

Polly frowned and sat back. "You don't believe me, do you? I thought you of all people would believe me."

Kendra smiled. "I don't disbelieve you Polly. Why don't you tell me more about it?"

Polly hesitated, then rushed on. "It was a beautiful night, and we were meeting on the large balcony at City Hall. I was taking notes for the meeting when it came down Main Street and passed right underneath us. It was huge and covered in fur. It had a very short fluffy white tail. And it was hopping!"

Kendra's smile froze as she began to realize that maybe something really had gotten through the door. "Where did it go?" she asked.

"To the Pixie Woods," she answered in a hushed voice.

"What did you do?" Kendra asked.

"I was so frightened, I hurried right home. The Mayor is organizing a hunting party to search this morning." She paused and then looked right at Kendra. "Is everything in those books of Axel's true? What are we going to do?"

Kendra patted her hand and said, "I think it will be okay. Even if everything in Grandfather's books is true – it all happened in another world so we don't have to worry about it here. I'll bet the hunting party doesn't find anything. It won't be long till this will be just another great legend and you'll be famous."

Polly smiled timidly, "Do you really think so?"

Kendra smiled. "I'm sure of it. Why don't you go home, and we'll see what the Mayor's group reports back."

After Polly left, Kendra went back to the kitchen. Morley smiled. "Sounds like a rabbit. They're not particularly dangerous. They eat grass, and it should be very happy in the Pixie Woods." They all relaxed.

Then Morley added, "I just hope it wasn't pregnant." They all looked at him startled.
