The Key Of Time - Part Three

The Witching Hour.....

They were running out of Time, Dear Readers, and no amount of Casting Spells or Turning Back Clocks could change that Fact! They were running out of Time! The Little Dreamers were drifting in Worlds none knew how to find, and the Creatures of the Deep were Loose upon the Earth. Things had gone Awry and there was very little that could be done to fix the Holes in Time! But the Wizard was not ready to give up, and he summoned Old Meg from her Ancient Castle Hearth to help him with the Spell. One More Time they would go to the Fountain of Dreams.....

 They who Dared to Dream themselves could Dip into the waters.....

And pour the Dark waters into

Dream Potions.....

So Strong and Pure that None could Defy them.....

If they could Only Find the Dreamers!

The Little Dreamers, who even at that moment 

were happily playing with the Tiny Dolls 

who had arrived at the Castle 

with the "help" of Samuel Whiskers and Anna Maria.

Amy and Beth were happy to spend hours and hours 

in the Wonderful Old Castle....

Nobody ever interrupted their play..... 

and there were always new things to discover and play with!

They had no desire to leave,

and it never occurred to them that they had strayed out of Time!!

But the Wizard knew that this could not continue Forever....

and that the longer it went unhealed, the the worse the Damage would be...

And so he gazed into the depths of Time....

And Brewed the Potion!

But there was more than One sort of Magic that was needed this Night....

High Above the Earth in the Cloud Palace,

Perry was meeting Blue, the Blue Fairy Bear...

"And Blue can Grant your Wishes...." said Sir Orion very proudly...

"If you Wish..." he added a little self-consciously.

(He was so Proud that he could help in this Wish-Granting business...!)

Perry couldn't quite believe his ears....

(He was still trying to get used to the idea of Talking to Bears 

and Flying up to the Clouds!)

"You mean I can wish for Anything and you will Grant it," he asked?

"If I wanted you to find my sisters, you could," he added?

Blue Blushed a little bit, 

but even then there was a Star that appeared in Perry's hand...

"You must speak your wish aloud," said Blue. 

"If the wish is Truly from your Heart, it will be granted....." she added.

Just then Tiny Bear woke up.

He looked up at Perry and said "Oh, can I come too?"

Perry was for just a moment, at a loss for words.

Then he cleared his throat and said...

"I Wish we could find my sisters, the Lost Princesses..."

And just like that.... he was standing in the Great Hall of the Castle.....

It didn't look at all like the Hall he had seen before.....

this one was filled with furniture and dogs....

And there were his sisters, Beth and Amy in their Princess costumes!

"Perry!" cried Beth....

"What are you doing here...?"

"The Wizard sent me to find you..." he said.

"He said we need to leave now."

"And I have a Wishing Star for you," he added.

"But why should we leave," asked Beth, not wanting to go at all!

"Because the wizard says it is Time to go Home..." said Perry!

All of a sudden, at the mention of that word "Home," 

the Little Dreamer Beth was filled with an intense longing!

She knew with a certainty that she wanted to go "Home"....

wherever that was!

And she found herself whispering...

"I want to go Home..."

 And just as suddenly, 

the Castle was no more..... 

And they found themselves standing in front of a dark and spectral house.....

It had a slightly familiar yet ghostly look.....

And on closer inspection, the house was still unfinished....

The windows just gaping holes....

The walls only halfway done....

As if it were just built of Dreams!

And yet there was an Old Woman on the porch to greet them!

"Come in, my children," she called.

"Do not be Afraid! The Wizard has told me to expect you...." she added.

"You can stop here for a while 

and have some 'refreshment' on your Journey..." she said.

So the children followed her into the unfinished House.....

Where they sat in the strangest "parlor" they had ever seen...

With the gaping windows, and the half built walls 

painted with skeleton trees....

"Someday, this will be your 'Home' ...." she said to Beth.

"But you have arrived too soon... it hasn't been completed yet..."

"It will take Time to finish it properly!"

"But meanwhile, we have some 'Treats' for you..." she added.

"The Wizard made them just for you.... 

to help you have 'Sweet Dreams'..."

"And we will be sending you back to stay with Great Aunt Agatha...." she said.

"So be good children, and eat your 'treats'...!

And then we will tuck you into bed.... 

and Tomorrow you will be at Great Aunt Agatha's.....

just as if Nothing Ever Happened at all," she declared heartily!

Well, Dear Readers, the children were very Hungry 

and rather thirsty.... and really very tired....

So they did as they were told....

And before they knew it....

They were stretched out on a huge old four poster bed....

In a room that appeared Made of Dreams....

And whether it was the instant Before their eyes closed......

Or the instant After.......

That they were suddenly transported 

to Rose Thorn Cottage on Distant Briar Moor.... 

None could say!

But suddenly, there they were......

Once more in the Familiar bed under the eaves.....

And the Not at All Familiar bed by the stairs.....

Almost.... Almost as though Nothing at all had Happened!

But we know better, Dear Readers!

And as much as we may Wish that we could 

Turn Back the hands of Time...

We Cannot!

Chaos might be momentarily held at Bay.....

The holes in Time might be knitted closed.....

But Where, Oh Where is the Key to Time?

 I truly regret to have to tell you 

that Perry Lost it on the Distant Moors 

when the Dragon threw him down!

And it was Found not long after by the Fairy on his Racing snail......

And the rascally Fellow dragged it away behind him!

And Heaven only knows what Mischief the Fairies will make 

now that they have the Key To Time!!!

So, Dear Readers, it is Almost The Witching Hour....

When All is not as it Appears.....

And Nothing Is as it Seems....

Like it or not we are Running out of Time.....

And we may never know Whose Dreams These Are!

But, if Nothing else, 

I hope you have enjoyed this 

Tale of Tangled Time...!

Happy Halloween!

The Key Of Time - Part Two

Lost And Found....

The Moment that Peregrine touched the Key, Dear Readers, he found himself standing at the Castle Door. It was dark but the moon was shining brightly and it was easy to see the large and ancient lock on the door. Mindful of the Wizard's instructions, he needed to be sure the key would open this door before he entered!

Perry took a deep breath and inserted the key into the lock. 

It turned smoothly and the door swung silently open.

He looked cautiously into the Guard Room,

but it was empty. 

So he entered and crossed to the large doors

 on the opposite side of the room.

 Once again, he tried the key in the ancient lock.

And again, it turned easily,

And the door swung open.

It led him into the Great Hall.

It, too, was deserted, although the torches were still lit.

There were many doors in this Hall, but one on the other end stood open.

He crossed to it, but thought he should try the key in the lock first....

Just to be sure....

It turned easily. So he passed through.

It took him down a narrow stairway to the cellars.

There was yet another door across the hall....

With yet another lock....

 

It, too, turned smoothly and the door opened.

It led into the old kitchens.

They too, were empty!

Perry began to wonder whether his sisters were here at all!

Perhaps the Wizard had been mistaken....

but he would keep looking.

There was another door at the bottom of the stairs.

It was closed, but it had no lock on the door.

Perry reached for the handle and the door swung open....

He leaned in and looked around the door.....

And came face to face with a young Dragon!

He was only startled for a moment, 

and then he thought that if there was a Wizard in this Castle, 

then he should not be surprised to see Dragons too!

"Are you 'Smaug'?" he asked.

"Do I look like Smaug...?" replied the Dragon.

"Then, are you 'Puff'?" asked Perry. 

(He had also heard of Puff the Magic Dragon.)

"You tell me your name, and I'll tell you mine...." hissed the Dragon.

"I'm Peregrine and I'm looking for my sisters the Princesses," he declared.

"Have you seen them anywhere?"

"Ah, Princesses....." hissed the Dragon....

"I Love Princesses.... but sadly, 

I have not seen any for many a year...." he added.

"But I might be able to help you find them...." he hissed.

"I know a few places to look..... I can fly you there...." he added.

"If you are not afraid......."

"I'm not afraid!" said Perry adamantly.

So he climbed onto the back of the Dragon.

And before he knew it they were soaring over the Moors.

The wind whistled in his ears, and it was cold.

But Perry thought it was very exciting!

 Until suddenly the Dragon plunged toward the Earth.....

 And landed with such a jolt....

He was thrown to the ground where he hit his head rather hard,

and all the breath was knocked out of him!

Then the Dragon hissed "I think I will find the Princesses for myself......"

and he flew away into the night and left Perry behind!

He did not lie there for long before he heard 

the sound of thundering hooves on the ground,

and suddenly a horse and rider raced over the hill.

Before Perry could even catch his breath, 

a Great Black Warrior Bear was standing beside him.

"Hello, my friend..." he said.

"I am Sir Orion Blackthorne."

"You look like you could use some help..." he added.

Perry sat up and rubbed his head.
"I think I fell off the Dragon...." he said.

"Ah, a Dragon rider...!" said Sir Orion, quite impressed.

"We were looking for my sisters, the Princesses..." added Perry.

"The Wizard said I would find them in the Castle, 

but they weren't there," he explained.

"Then the Dragon said he would help me find them..... 

if I let him out of the dungeon, " added Perry.

But suddenly he wasn't so sure the Dragon had meant to help him after all.

"Well, perhaps I can help you find them..." said Sir Orion.

"At least I know someone who is sure to help you..." he explained.

"But you will have to climb onto my back... 

it will take a bit more flying to get there," he added.

So Perry climbed onto Sir Orion's back. 

And before he knew it, they were flying up into the sky!

They went much higher and farther than the Dragon had flown!

And at last they landed high up in the clouds at The Cloud Palace.

Sir Orion was very happy to be able to set his passenger down!

But he was not going to admit how tiring it had been to carry Perry.

He took him straight into the Palace to meet Blue, the Blue Fairy Bear.

"I have found another lost Traveler," said Sir Orion to Blue.

"His name is Peregrine. 

And he is searching for his sisters..." added Orion.

Meanwhile, the Dragon had returned to the Wizards Cave.

He had hoped that the Wizard would give him some clue 

to the location of the Princesses.

But the Wizard knew that something had gone wrong.

"Slitherwing..." he said "Who let you out of the dungeons?"

"I just want to help find the princesses...." whined Slitherwing.

"What have you done with the boy?" demanded the Wizard.

"He fell......" said Slitherwing, with mock sadness.

"Begone with you!" ordered the Wizard.

"You have made great mischief this night!"

 

The Wizard had hoped he would not need to, 

but now he knew that he must summon Old Meg!

He would need her Wisdom to help untangle Time!

To be continued.....