Twisting Time - A Halloween Tale - Part Three

Caroline Keeps Watch

The Wizard went straight to the Tower of the Castle where the Books of Lore and Scrolls of Secrets were kept. He had not been there in a VERY LONG TIME.... but he knew where he would find what he was looking for! He could FEEL in the Depths of his Soul the Discordant Rift that had opened in the Veils of Time.... and he knew he did NOT have very much Time to set it Right. But first he Must check his Ancient Scrolls..... they held the Magic of the Ages and would not betray him.....

He recognized this Rascal at once......

they had a Long History together....
and he was pretty sure now what he would find...

He did not need to look into the Scriving Bowl to know what would be the outcome if he failed .... the Ages of Dragon Slaying would be opened once again.....

So WHERE had the Dragon taken Beatrice?

To the caves deep below the Castle.......

"Is this where Tommy is?" asked Beatrice as she looked around at the glittering cavern.....

Suddenly a Very Tall Man appeared before her and the Dragon cowered away in the corner.....

"You KNOW the Rules Slitherwing......." he said fiercely to the Dragon.

"You MAY NOT keep the child!"

"But SHE said she wanted to keep MEEEE...." pleaded the Dragon....

his eyes glittering slyly....

"I was just trying to help......."

"You MUST NOT break the RULE...!" Repeated the Wizard, and he turned to Beatrice....
"Come, my child," he said.... "I will take you to where your Brother will find you!"

And he picked her up and whisked her away to the Castle Stables.

There was Prince! With the Castle horses!

Beatrice was VERY happy to see Prince!

She Believed Tommy would be here soon too!

The Wizard told her to STAY in the Stables until he came back with Tommy.

And then he vanished!

MEANWHILE, in the Victorian Times..... Caroline was still looking for Tommy and now she was also searching for Beatrice. She was getting annoyed, and MAYBE a little frightened too.... WHERE were they hiding? Then she remembered another door she had not looked behind.....

She opened it and bravely entered......

It took her a minute to realize she was looking at LONG DEAD BONES!

She was NOT afraid.... but she had NOT expected Skeletons!
She felt slightly dizzy.....

And then she fainted!

When she awoke, it was to find a HUGE furry face Breathing on her....

It took her only a moment to recognize her FAVORITE Toy stuffed LION.......
"Oh Aslan!" she said (that was what she named her toy)... "I am SO happy to see you!"

"You must be VERY Brave, my child" he said to her..... "You must go and wait by the Castle Doors until Tommy and Beatrice come to you! Stay outside where you can see the doors!"
And then he was gone.

"Am I dreaming....?" wondered Caroline....

but she did as he had told her and left to wait by the doors!

Meanwhile in the MODERN AGES....
Tommy was still trying to decide whether he was in the Right Castle or not! There were so many odd people here.......

But he still needed to try to find the Stables because that would be where Prince was waiting...

But NOW the Wizard had arrived at the Party to look for Tommy.........
At least I will not stand out in this place he thought.....
But he had NO TIME TO LOSE......
He could feel the Veils stretched too thin.......
And Danger Lurked........
He MUST find the Boy quickly and get him away.....

But someone else was also looking for Tommy....
Joanna was concerned that no-one had arrived to claim him....
Where could his parents be? she wondered.....
and she set out to find him so she could ask him again who his parents were....

The Wizard floated through the crowd like an October mist......

they hardly noticed him passing....

And Yet..... there were those that saw him and knew he was not one of them...!
He would have to deal with that problem later......

By now, Tommy had found his way to the Stables.

He was SO Disappointed to find them Completely empty!

But on his way back to the Party, he met a VERY Strangely dressed Man......
Who stopped him and asked him if he was ready to go Home....

Tommy was SO relieved that he blurted out

"I just don't know HOW to find my way and I need my pony Prince...!"

"He is waiting for you in the Stables." said the Tall man.
"No he is NOT " said Tommy, "I have just been there and there is No-one there!"
"Well, THIS TIME he will be there " said the Wizard as he led Tommy back to the Stables...

And when they got there, sure enough, there was Prince AND Beatrice!
"I knew I would see you Tommy," said Beatrice......
Tommy was too tired to even wonder why Beatrice was there...

The Wizard helped them both climb onto Prince's back and then he slowly opened the Stable doors. But first he warned them that they MUST NOT go through the door until they could see their sister Caroline on the other side! She was their Beacon, he said.... and when they saw her they would KNOW it was the RIGHT TIME to go through......

And Caroline had been waiting FAITHFULLY outside the Quiet Dark Castle for HOURS it seemed..... or was it... she wasn't sure any more..... but Aslan had told her to WAIT! So she waited.....

And all of a sudden THERE THEY WERE, coming out the stable door.... which moments ago had been so dark and empty! She was SO Glad to see them that she forgot to be mad at them.....

And instead they headed quietly for HOME which was only a little way over the hill... And Heaven knows, they were ALL so tired that none of them noticed the shadowed figure that followed them to see them safely HOME.......

But the Wizards work was not yet done.......
He returned to the Castle where the party was still in full swing......

He went straight to the Books of Lore and Secret Scrolls and searched out the ingredients for the Magic Spell he would need to cast..... The Tears in the Veils of Time had opened too wide this Night.... and he knew the DANGERS of NOT mending such a Rift......

He found the Magic Elixir.... and mixed with just a hint of Hemlock...... and chanted the Spell

And Cast it's Net over the Castle and ALL within......

if done right,

NONE would remember the Boy....

Or the Wizard who had come for him......!

It would be Nothing More.........

nor Less than a Halloween Party at the Castle

Among Family and Friends.........

And a GOOD TIME was had by All!

"Did you feel that, Honey? asked Arthur....

"I thought I felt something..... Now I can't remember what..."
"Hmmmm?" says Pollyanna, dreamily....."What are you talking about...?"
"Like a Ghost walked past..." said Arthur....
"Well, it IS Halloween......." laughed Pollyanna.....
"And you ARE the Wizard..... so YOU should know!"
"I'm SURE there was Something..." said Arthur... gazing into the distance.....

THE END

Caroline Keeps Watch

Twisting Time - A Halloween Tale - Part Two

Beatrice Has An Adventure

It was just Dusk when Caroline and Beatrice arrived at the Castle Ruins to search for Tommy. Caroline was a very Practical Young Lady and did not believe in ghosts or ghouls at all. So she was not concerned to be searching the Castle ruins just as it was getting dark.... she had been here before and she was CERTAIN that Tommy was hiding somewhere, waiting to jump out at her and scare her! Just the same, she was glad to have the company of Beatrice. And Beatrice was too young to be afraid of much of anything... EVERYTHING was still a marvelous adventure to her! So they set out across the cavernous Great Hall ruins. It was just an empty old castle full of bats! Caroline led the way to the stairs that would lead them to the lower level.

They walked through the deserted old kitchens towards the stables.....

They thought it would be the sort of place Tommy would hide with his pony....

But when they got there it was empty.....

So they retraced their steps through the abandoned kitchen ruins......
But halfway across, Beatrice stopped and said "There's someone here..."

Caroline peered into the corner where Beatrice pointed and said in annoyance

"That's just a pile of old rags, you Silly! Now come on...!"

But Beatrice was sure she had seen someone

and so she took a step forward to have a better look....

That was when Old Meg spoke....

"She cannot see me, my child. One can only see what one Believes."
Beatrice replied "I believe in Tommy."
"And so you shall see him..." said Old Meg.

But Caroline, who had hurried ahead, heard none of these words.....
And when she turned back to hurry Beatrice along...... she could not see her at all.....

She stomped her foot in annoyance and returned to the Main Hall, thinking Beatrice had gone ahead of her.... but when she got there Beatrice was nowhere to be seen. It was just an empty old Hall full of bats! But Caroline was not to be deterred.... there was more Castle still to search..... and she would try not to get too annoyed even if Beatrice DID find Tommy first and join him in his teasing!

MEANWHILE in the Modern Times, The Castle Halloween Party was just getting under way!
Ken had thought of everything.... including a spooky smoking bowl of punch and cakes that looked like skulls and witches!

And the Host himself, resembling a certain Count....

was greeting all his guests in front of the great hearth.......

And there were all kinds of Characters showing up....

from Crusading Knight to Pirate of the High Seas.....

And children in costumes too... are you Peter Pan?

"No, I'm Robin Hood, Silly!"

And little Witches ready for treats!

And Pollyanna dressed as a Gypsy....
and WHO is that Handsome Wizard with her?

And the King and Queen of the Castle are enjoying a lively dance........

To the WILD music of the musicians in the Gallery......

Meet the "DEADLY NIGHTSHADES"..... a demonic electric punk band.....

With twin brothers Jason and Justin and their Manic keyboardist Paul.......

Perfect for Halloween, don't you agree...?

And in the Guard room, the Gypsies, Pollyanna and Daphne have been taking turns telling fortunes to the arriving guests...... Would you like to hear yours...?

But BEFORE we get too caught up in the Party....

you MUST be wondering WHAT happened to Beatrice.....

Well, do you remember the door to the Dungeons that had not been opened in
MANY LONG YEARS?
Beatrice opened the door!
She was looking for Tommy.
She thought Caroline might have gone ahead of her and so she went boldly in!

She was only a Little surprised to see instead a small Green Dragon!
"Puff!" she cried (thinking it was her Favorite storybook dragon....)

And she held out her hand to greet him.....!

"Ah, my Little One" said the Dragon....

"Your INNOCENCE Slays me.... I am Yours to Command!"

"I am looking for Tommy" she said.
"Well, Climb on my back...." hissed the Dragon, "Perhaps I can help you to find him......"

So she climbed onto his scaly back..... it was not slimy at all..... and off they went......

Meanwhile in the Modern World..... Tommy has come to the Castle with Joanna and Victor...... and at first he thought it must be the same Castle he was looking for... but now he is NOT so Sure! There are so many people.... all dressed very oddly...... he thought the Castle was just a Ruin.... but THIS seemed different.....

He thought maybe he should try to explore..... perhaps if he went to the stables he would find Prince waiting for him and then they could just go Home...... he thought he remembered the way to the stables..... if he could get past all these people......

Guests were still arriving at the party..... the STARS were coming out it seems.....

IS that CINDERELLA .....?!
Would she want her Fortune told...?

Daphne was having fun with the Fortune Telling!
But SUDDENLY Something changed.......
Her crystal Ball seemed to grow much larger and Brilliantly clear......

Daphne could SWEAR she saw a face appear in it's depths.....
and then she went rigid.......

And a VOICE spoke, not hers at all......

"The Boy MUST NOT Stay!"

And then, just as suddenly, everything seemed Normal again,

and Daphne slumped back in her chair.... not sure what had just happened.

But Joanna had heard............

and Chip, a VERY Practical sort of Guy..... looked a bit shocked.....

and wondered if he had IMAGINED that.... and the tremors he felt shake the floor........!
Had anyone Else noticed anything.....?

But DEEP Below the Castle the Earth had Shaken.....
WHO....

WOKE.....

The WIZARD...!

TO BE CONTINUED.......

Beatrice Has an Adventure!