The Dark Times Have Come.....
Helen and Charles were among the first to Arrive at the Annual Castle Halloween Party, Dear Readers, because Helen was afraid they might be late and Charles was always willing to reassure her by being early. But it did not take long before most of the other guests had also arrived.
The Aileen's came dressed as a Pirate and a Fair Lady....
and their son Jasper came as a Musketeer....
Pollyanna and Arthur arrived soon after....
With Sally May and Chip right on their heels....
Along with Annabelle, Victor and Joanna.
Fleur brought Juliet...
but couldn't persuade the girls to leave the Gypsy's Table....
so she left the girls in Gabrielle's care
while she and her husband Daniel joined the dancing in the Hall.
She had barely left when suddenly the Gypsy's Crystal Ball grew to twice it's size....
And the Gypsy began to chant in an eerie voice...
"Two who have been Found will find One who is now Lost.....
Two who have been Lost will Find One who has been searching....
Three must leave with Two Before Two can Find their One....
All will Find their way before This night is Done....."
She stopped as suddenly as she began....
and the little Princesses just stared in fascination....
unsure of what had just happened!
Meanwhile in Another Time altogether...
Caroline had just arrived at the Castle hoping to find Tommy and Beatrice.
She was relieved to find Prince....
but neither Beatrice nor Tommy were there!
She did not want to search the old Castle Ruins....
it was getting late and dark...
but Snowy had other ideas.....
and went dashing off into the dark old castle...
leaving Caroline to try and follow him!
And you may recall, Dear Readers,
that Tommy and Perry had crossed paths
in the empty old Castle Kitchen
and had decided to search for Treasure together!
It was not long before they came across
an old abandoned chest in the Lord's Council Chamber...
They weren't afraid to open it....
They couldn't quite believe their luck.....
It was full of old weapons!
And I am sure you will Understand, Dear Readers,
when I tell you that Old Meg was Alarmed!
She stood in the empty Old Kitchen and stared into the fire.
It had been a Very very long time since she had felt the need
to cast a Spell of Protection over the entire Castle!
But the Darkness was encroaching....
reaching its tentacles into the very Fabric of Time...!
She was going to need help....
She summoned her Sister Witches...
They would need to Guard the Portals of Time....
while Old Meg went back....
as far back as she could go....
to a Time before the Castle even stood....
To the Sacred Grove.....
and the Spring of Faith....
Wherein she might see the certainty of that which she would Dream...
And with that Certainty...
ignite the Sacred Fire....
Without which there would be no Future....
No Dreams......
Only Darkness.....
And Drawn by her implacable Faith...
the Little Dreamers appeared....
And Bound with a Magic as Old As Time itself.....
they were once again inside the Ancient Castle Kitchen....
for the Little Dreamers were not tied by Time....
They could go where Old Meg could not....
even if they could Not see what Old Meg could!
Their task was to find the Young child
who had strayed out of her Time and bring her Back!
And Lest you think I have forgotten the two young boys
and left them too long alone with sharp weapons...
no time has passed since they chose their swords.
"We could be Pirates" declares Tommy excitedly as he holds up an old saber!
"I want to be a Knight" replies Perry as he flashes his sword.
"But this is a Cutlass" said Tommy... "it can't be a Knight's sword!"
Perry glanced at the chest and saw another hilt.....
He leaned into the chest and grabbed the hilt and pulled...
just as Tommy leaned in and grabbed the sheath...
The sword came free in Perry's hands....
he could feel the weight and strength of this sword...
"Hey... this is a real Knight's sword...." he said in awe!
Tommy just stared.... "Let me have a try..." he said after a minute.
But Perry wasn't listening....
he was imagining all the feats of valor
such a sword could perform.....
He turned and swung the heavy sword in a mighty slash through the air......
And to his utter amazement...
it sliced through the air cutting right through into another Time.....
And there stood the Wizard!
Right in this room .... where before it had been empty!
"I see you have brought 'Harbinger'" declared the Wizard....
"or has It brought you....?"
Suddenly Tommy wanted to go home....
he turned and ran back through the empty Castle...
where he found Caroline coming through the Kitchen.
He was very happy to see her,
even though she was looking annoyed.
"Where is Beatrice..." she said?
"I don't know..." said Tommy...
"She didn't come with me..." he added.
"Well, she must be here somewhere" said Caroline...
"she left home right after you... "
"I haven't seen her at all...
and I've been all over the place" declared Tommy.
"Well, Snowy just went running off too... "
said Caroline, beginning to feel worried.
"We have to find her!"
Well, rest assured Dear Readers,
that Beatrice had hardly moved from the same spot
since she had arrived at the Castle with the Gypsy Lady
and discovered the Castle was filled with strange people!
And in fact, such was the Fickle nature of Time,
that the Gypsy had hardly finished uttering her baffling prediction
before the Little Dreamers were there by her side!
Beatrice did not know them at all....
but they had been told who she was...
and no sooner had they arrived then
the air about them began to shift.....
And all the strange people disappeared.
And in the very next second....
Snowy was running into the room...
And jumping up to greet her!
"Snowy!" cried Beatrice "where did you come from?"
But Snowy just turned and ran back the way he had come.....
so they followed him.....
And there were Tommy and Caroline.....
just getting ready to look for her!
"Let's go home" said Caroline "before it gets too late!"
And back in the Guard Room,
the Crystal Ball is just its normal size
and nobody seems to have noticed anything strange at all.
The Little Princesses are having their Fortunes told,
and Gabrielle is looking after them.
The Deadly Nightshades are filling the Great Hall
with all your old Favorites and even a few new ones you haven't heard before.....
The Guests are Dancing.....
The Night is young.....
You are welcome to stay as long as you like, Dear Readers,
and I do hope you are enjoying the Party!
Yes, The Dark Times have come....
Happy Halloween!
