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“Hurry!” Jamie called to the others. He grabbed his viola and off they sprinted, chasing after Mister.
Tillie fired away questions as they ran. “Is she a fish, or is she a river serpent? A water dragon? Mister! What is she?”
She is the Lady of the Forest!
“Agh!” she yelled back.
“I’m telling you, it was a water dragon,” Graham shouted.
Mister raced ahead, disappearing into the buckthorn.
Jamie, Tillie, Graham, and Elinora quickly traversed the hidden trail, cutting through the thorny patch in a daze, still astonished by what they had just seen. Then Mister came into view again, already waiting for them in the amphitheater. He stood on his hind legs and chattered eagerly at Jamie, inviting him to come over and take his place next to him. He spoke nothing more of the Lady of the Forest, and everyone knew asking about it wouldn’t make a difference if he wasn’t ready to explain.
Jamie stepped forward and set his viola case down in the center of the clearing then looked around. Creatures of all shapes and sizes had all already gathered—water buffalo, Bekanan tigers, the sienna capybara who Tillie had named Popo, rabbits, turtles, lemurs, foxes, deer, even the tiniest of creatures, the bats, butterflies, salamanders, bees, and a tiny chipmunk that Jamie loved to feed, who he had named Mitch. Mister was beside him, as were the other Buckthorn squirrels, attentively watching his every move.
Jamie opened the case and took out his viola. He smiled at Mister then stroked the bow across the strings to warm up. The sound caught the attention of the other forest animals that had been roaming about the amphitheater. They watched with intensity as the vibrations filled the air, ears twitching and hooves pawing the ground.
Tillie, Elinora, and Graham followed Henry and sat down on the second tier of the amphitheater to watch the performance. Pipe ambled over and joined them, as did a tiny fawn with spindly little legs that had recently come to the forest seeking shelter. Elinora had named her Vita when they had first seen her. Vita came over and curled up in Elinora’s lap for the performance.
Once everyone was settled, there was a moment of quiet anticipation.
Jamie nodded and raised his bow in the air, placed it on the strings, then let the music flow freely out through his heart, into his viola, and back out into the forest, not thinking about anything but the music. This helped him forget he had an audience. Gorgeous, mystical sounds, foreign to the animals, flooded the amphitheater. Some of the more elusive creatures, those who lived deep within the forest, had been listening from the fringes and were drawn closer by the music. A kudu and a clouded leopard peeked out and watched from the edges. Others came out in the open, too. Jamie was able to remain composed when a beautiful panther trotted out of the woods and sat beside him; he even continued playing when a shy okapi emerged from the undergrowth, but he almost dropped his viola when a pair of white rhinoceroses entered the amphitheater to listen.
Despite the surprises, Jamie finished the first movement of the sonata without making a single mistake, then bowed, his cheeks flushed. Elinora and Graham clapped and cheered as Tillie jumped up and shouted in delight, finally getting to hear her cousin play. The animals flitted about in a buzz celebrating the performance. Jamie bowed again, then looked around, secretly hoping the Lady of the Forest had been able to hear, too. He set his instrument down in its open case and invited the animals to come look at it, then he plopped down onto the grass to relax. “It’s all right, Boing, go ahead and have a look,” he coaxed the tiny rabbit, picking him up and setting him on the viola so he could explore.
Vita watched this with great interest and jumped up from Elinora’s lap to get a better look. Mitch followed eagerly. Elinora watched the little deer, the chipmunk, and the rabbit as they studied the instrument with wide eyes.
Jamie reached over and plucked a string of the viola. Boing popped into the air playfully when he felt the vibration beneath his feet, then he, and Mitch, and Vita scampered off together.
Jamie chuckled, then sat quietly for a moment watching all the animals, very much enjoying their excitement. He felt the time slipping away, but was certainly not ready to return to the manor house, especially since now that he could hear the rush of the waterfall again. Graham, Tillie, and Elinora were a short distance away, engrossed in conversation, so he took the opportunity to slip away and investigate.
“Where did Jamie go?” Elinora asked after a short spell when she noticed he was no longer lying next to them.
“Jamie?” Graham called out, but there was no reply.
Tillie pointed into the distance. “I know where he’s headed.” Sure enough, they could see him off in the distance, heading to the far side of the amphitheater, into the forest.
“Now?” Elinora sighed. We’ve got to get back home.”
“Jamie!” Graham shouted again.
Jamie turned back and waved, but kept going, determined to find the waterfall. Very quickly he found himself scrambling down the rim of a deep gorge; the red rock terrain was slippery from the moss and spraying mist, so he climbed carefully, working his way toward the sound of the waterfall. Louder and louder it thundered the closer he got.
Graham, Elinora, and Tillie reluctantly followed him.
Then came the sound of cracking branches. Then a yelp.
“Jamie!” Elinora yelled as they ran to the edge of the gorge.
“Oof!” his voice echoed from below. “I’m fine! But I banged my leg up. Oh dear, I think it’s going to be a bit tricky to get back out,” he shouted over the din of the raging water. “There it is! There’s another level of ground below me, between me and the base off the waterfall, but I can see it! I wish you could all come down here. It’s...well, it’s not normal.”
“We can’t see anything. And it’s so loud we can barely hear you,” Tillie yelled through the rising mist.
“There are three waterfalls,” he shouted back even louder. “They form a circle around a pool at the bottom! I’m on a ridge above everything, looking down at them. Water is coming in from everywhere! One of the waterfalls is rocky and stepped, another flows much more gently, then a third one on the other side of the gorge plunges straight down. It’s incredible, the pool below is spinning like mad! But, there’s no more river after that. It’s like the water disappears into a hole!”
“Oh Jamie, please come back,” Elinora pleaded.
“Do you think you can make it out by yourself?” Tillie shouted.
“I don’t know...wait a moment, I just saw a flash in the pool beneath the waterfall, I think the Lady of the Forest might be down there!”
The others looked over the edge and could just make out faint flashes of light through the haze.
“Hello?” he called out. His voice echoed in the gorge. “I wish we could stay out here longer. Oh fiddlesticks, she’s disappeared again!”
“James, for crying out loud, just climb up. You can tell us about it later!” Graham coaxed.
“Just give me a moment.” He picked his way through the rocks, being careful where he stepped, then grabbed at the rocky wall. “I can’t get a grip to climb up!”
“Try grabbing onto some tree roots. If you can get high enough, we can reach down and grab you,” Graham yelled.
“Maybe we can tie our clothes together into a rope,” Tillie suggested.
Henry, meanwhile, had been tussling and playing with Pipe in the amphitheater, but he sensed something was amiss. Quickly, he ran to the gorge to see what was happening, and Pipe followed. They reached the edge and looked down. Henry turned to Elinora with a distressed whine, then paced back and forth, surveying the terrain. He conveyed to Pipe to wait for him, then he climbed down. Rocks plunged into the chasm around him as he struggled to keep his footing.
“Henry!” Elinora exclaimed. But he was swift and nimble, righting himself and quickly making his way to Jamie. He grabbed him by his trousers with his teeth, then hauled him up the side of the gorge.
As Henry came back into view carrying Jamie by the seat of his pants, he made his way back to Pipe, who reached down and grabbed Jamie in his large, soft paws. Graham was there and together he and Pipe pulled him over the cliff edge, up to safety. Henry bounded out of the gorge and rushed over to them.
“Well then,” Jamie said, collapsing to the ground when he reached the top. “Hoisted by my own petard! Well, not really. Hoisted by my own pet, more like.” he chuckled.
Tillie groaned at his quip, but Pipe grunted when he saw his pant leg, dirty and torn, with a tinge of blood soaking through.
Jamie sat back up and reached over to ruffle his scruff. “I’ll be all right. Thank you both for helping me.” Then he put his head to Henry’s.
“Oh Jamie,” Elinora lamented.
“Really, it doesn’t hurt that bad. And I’m sure that was the Lady of the Forest down there. The water was glowing before she vanished. I have a feeling that’s her home.” He shifted his body as he sat on the ground. “Ouch, all right, I guess this does sting a bit. I feel a tad woozy now,” he said, looking closely at his leg. He pulled up the cuff of his torn pants, revealing a deep gash on his shin. It was bleeding more than he had realized.
Tillie gasped.
“We need to get you out of here right away,” said Elinora.
By this time, word of the accident had reached the forest council. Mister approached and implored Jamie to go to the river. He chattered, asking him to follow.
Tillie grabbed Jamie’s viola. Pipe leaned down so Jamie could climb onto his back. With help, Jamie heaved himself up, lying flat on his belly and holding on to Pipe’s soft fur as everyone followed Mister out of the amphitheater to the rocky beach beneath Ole Warty. Pipe set Jamie down at the river’s edge when they reached it, then Mister instructed him further.
Step into the water. It will soothe you.
“If you say so; I trust you,” he replied. He pulled off his boots then pulled up his pant cuffs again. He waded out ankle-deep into the water then cupped his hands, dipping them into the river and splashing the water onto his legs and arms. The ice-cold water felt good. Mister spoke to him again.
Take the earth, mix it with the water. Hold it in the air, then rub the soothing clay onto your wound.
Jamie mindfully did as he was told, rubbing the mixture over his leg. “Ah, it feels so much better, and it’s stopped bleeding,” he reported to the others.
The waters of the Iveria, the earth, and the sky together are healing.
“But of course they would be, wouldn’t they? Thank you, Mister,” he said, stepping out of the water and returning to shore. He looked again. The wound began to fade—not wholly, but the healing process was quickly setting in.
Tillie climbed down the slope to join him. She looked at his leg. “Oh, what a relief! Whatever is in that water?” She looked to the river, then quickly pulled a necklace from around her neck—the little monkey figurine she had taken from the tower. She scooped up some of the crystal-clear river water and silt, combining them as Jamie had, then flipped open the figurine’s tiny lid and filled the vessel with the mixture. She saw Mister watching and quickly stood up, fearing she had done something wrong.
But Mister encouraged her.
It is yours to take. Keep it close for times of need.
“Thank you.” She smiled then put the necklace back around her neck.
Jamie looked up the embankment to Elinora and Graham who were standing on the trail. “I’m sorry I’ve taken so much time. I’m sure they’ll all be wondering where we are by now—we’d better hurry back.” But Mister intervened.
You have been to the vortex and have set the energy of the forest to work.
No one will know you were gone, they will not have had the time to notice.
Then he scampered away, leaving them standing there looking at one another blankly.
“Now, what does that mean?” Jamie scratched his head.
“That tricky little squirrel!” said Tillie.
Jamie pondered Mister’s words on the way back, the phrase turning over in his mind. “No one will know you were gone, they will not have had the time to notice.”
As they passed by Ole Warty, Jamie checked his pocket watch. He lifted it closer then put it to his ear. “Rubbish. It must have stopped working while we were gone. Who knows what time it is now,” he said winding it, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Come on,” Elinora beckoned.
They rushed back onto the grounds, pausing at the edge of the gardens before heading down the steps.
Tillie peered out from behind the towering fountain grasses and pulled a puzzled face. “They’re on the lawn in the very same spot they were in when we left. Aunt Penelope is over there looking for her ball still.”
“My watch is working again,” Jamie said, furrowing his brow. It was ticking, but only a few minutes had passed. He tapped it, then looked up into the sky. The sun was in the same position as it had been when they had left for the forest. “They will not have had the time to notice,” he said out loud.
Tillie shot him a sideways glance.
“I’m going to go have a chat with them.”
“Jamie, please,” Elinora said. “Let’s just go in through the scullery and hope they don’t see us.”
“But you heard Mister. I think I know what he was trying to say now.” Before anyone could stop him, he walked toward his mother with Henry at his side, taking care to hide his torn, bloodied pants behind some shrubbery.
Elinora, Tillie, and Graham hovered in the background.
“Hi, Mum!” he called.
She turned to him in surprise.
“We’re off to let Henry stretch his legs for a bit.”
“Yes, dear, you just said that not a moment ago.”
“Oh, right, silly me. Don’t worry, we will stay in the gardens and will be back in time for supper.”
“Very well then, see you inside.”
He looked over to the others and shrugged. “They didn’t have the time to notice we were gone,” he said, with a wild grin. Just as Mister had said, the energy of the forest had been at work. Jamie had encountered the vortex, and to his delight, he had discovered that time had been disrupted by the powers of Kellandale Wood.