FACES IN THE FOREST

Sam stared gloomily at the awful state of her well-chewed fingernails. Words couldn’t begin to describe them. Gross. Ghastly. Grim. Nasty. All of those, and then some! Even the tips of her fingers had swelled up in disgust. It was a silly habit. She knew that. But she just couldn’t stop herself. There was something very comforting about nail nibbling.

The tickety-tack of perfect fingernails tapped loudly on the bedroom door.

“Lights out!” commanded the voice in the corridor. Sam shuddered. The nail damage was going to get her into big trouble. Clarissa would be wild. Nails were high on her ‘must-be-perfect’ list. And Sam knew that in the world according to Clarissa, she was considered far from perfect. The nasty nails would see her downgraded from ‘just-about-all-right-to-introduce-to-acquaintances’ to ‘barely-reasonable-enough-to-be-seen-with-in-public’. With a long sigh, Sam leaned over to turn out the bedside light.

“Good night,” she mumbled to the retreating footsteps. There was no chance of a goodnight kiss or tuck-in. Clarissa wasn’t the cuddly type.

Sam peered into the blackness of the room. Dark rooms weren’t her best. And this was a new room. With it came a new life. Both would take some getting used to. But at least it was her own room. That had to be a good omen. It had to be better than boarding school where bells told you when to wake up, when to go to sleep, when to eat and when to do homework. The bells always tolled. Tomorrow, bells would ring for a different reason. Something she didn’t want to think about. A finger with a life of its own crept into her mouth. She caught herself mid-nibble and sat on her hands.

The darkness in the room lifted as her eyes adjusted. The pitch black dissolved into ghostly shapes and shadows that made Sam shiver. A wave of fear surged through her body. Fear not only of the gloom in the room. Fear of what this new life would bring. The sound of voices drifted down the corridor. Sam fought the urge to rush out looking for comfort and a friendly face. She knew she wouldn’t find either.

“I have to get a grip,” she thought, looking around the room for a distraction.

A glow behind the curtains caught her eye. She leapt off the bed, threw open the curtains, quietly opened the window and took a long, deep breath of the crisp, fresh air. The air cleared her head. She took a few more deep breaths. The fear dissolved and her body relaxed. She leaned further out of the window to look up at the moon and the stars and the sky. Everything glowed in the silvery light of a full moon. Sam’s mind began to wonder. She had a busy mind. A mind that kicked out a flurry of thoughts. Thoughts about life and the universe and everything.

“What is space?” she questioned the ether as she gazed up at the heavens. “Where does it begin and where does it end?” She had no answers and the ether wasn’t telling. But that didn’t stop her thinking. She gazed. And wondered. Another question raised its head. The Big Question. The question that has boggled the brains of Big Minds for centuries.

“Is there anybody out there?” she whispered to the glittering stars, hoping that a friendly Mother-ship would appear to rescue her.

Just then an especially bright star flew through the sky wagging its long shiny tail. A smile flickered across Sam’s face.

“A shooting star! I must wish! I wish…”

The wish got strangled in her throat.

“Wish pish!” she grumbled. “That’s such a load of rubbish.”

Sam had given up on wishing. No matter how hard or how often she wished, she knew that nothing could bring her mother back. Sam stepped away from the window, choking back tears.

“What’s the point of being on this stupid planet? It’s such a miserable place!” she moaned. “I wish I’d never been born!”

She dived headfirst onto the bed, buried her face in the pillow so no one would hear, and burst into tears. She cried tears of fear, tears of rage, tears of sadness, tears of loneliness and tears for all the other emotions she’d bottled up inside. Sam hated being miserable. But life was such hard work. Even for a twelve-year-old. Especially for a twelve-year-old. That thought made her cry even harder. She eventually lifted her head off the pillow to catch her breath. A cold nose nuzzled against her cheek. A rough tongue licked her tears. Two gleaming green eyes glowed in the dark inches from her own.

“Cosmo!” she gasped.

The black cat miaowed and snuggled up close. She turned over and cradled the cat in the crook of her arm. He kneaded the bedclothes, purring happily. The sound was like a gentle lullaby that sang her to sleep.

Not for long. She’d barely drifted off when Cosmo sprang up, jolting Sam awake. He crouched next to her staring at the window. Sam’s bleary eyes followed his gaze. When she saw what he saw, she had to blink a couple of times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. She wasn’t. Cloudlike whisps of luminous smoke were pouring in through the window and settling on the floor. Cat and human stared transfixed. The smoke kept coming until it completely covered the floor. The bed appeared to be floating on a cloud. Sam didn’t dare move. Cosmo remained totally rigid. Both looked as if they’d turned to stone.

Suddenly a bright beam of silver light shone in through the window. It stopped at the foot of the bed. The luminous smoke and shimmering beam hovered expectantly. In the distance a low rumbling sound broke the silence. It grew louder and louder, came closer and closer, and turned into words.

“Hold on! Not so fast! Slow down for goodness sake! This is insaaaaaneeeeeee…”

The words were in the room before Sam could blink again. They came from a speeding blur of dark blue that slid down the light-beam at rocket-speed and landed on the floor with a bump. The blur groaned, then it grew legs and staggered up onto them. At that point Sam almost fell off the bed. She leaned forward and blinked hard and fast. According to her eyes, a very rumpled version of Merlin the Magician had crash-landed in her room! He turned to the window - carefully avoiding the shining beam - and shouted angrily:

“Why didn’t anyone tell me it was so fast???”

The Merlin look-alike was a mess. His robe was hitched up around his thighs revealing long, spindly legs in laddered silver tights that sagged around his knees and ankles. On his feet were well-worn pointed pixie shoes. He pulled down his dark blue robe - that had a few silver moons and stars sewn on - and bent down to pick up a pointed hat off the floor. This he placed firmly on his head, forcing his wild grey hair to stick out at all angles like unruly mattress stuffing. He looked so funny Sam had to stifle a giggle. He hadn’t glanced in her direction and, as far as she could tell, didn’t even know she was there. She watched quietly as the grumpy wizard-person watched the window. His face cracked a smile when a glow appeared outside. The glow expanded into a small Oriental man who walked on air into the room.

“Ah, Maverick! Have a good trip on the speed-of-light slide did you?” giggled the Oriental.

“Greetings, Chang-Soo! Perfect timing as usual,” responded Maverick, ignoring his question. “Cool threads” he commented admiringly, looking Chang-Soo up and down.

While Maverick’s clothes were second-hand charity stall wizard fashion. Chang-Soo’s were the finest in up-market Oriental. He wore a golden-yellow kimono made of ornate brocade with wide sleeves that draped over his folded arms. Neatly perched on his pigtailed head was a matching skullcap. On his feet were delicate Chinese sandals. Unlike the grumpy and untidy Maverick, Chang-Soo was quiet and refined. The essence of calm. The inscrutable Oriental.

A fragrant scent drifted in on the breeze.

“So he didn’t forget,” said Maverick, his attention drawn back to the window.

A flying lantern appeared beside the speed-of-light slide. It drifted in as if spellbound by a snake charmer. The lantern halted and hovered. A swirl of smoke spurted from the spout. It shape-shifted into a purple turban with a large glittering scarab. The smoke continued to billow until the entire body of a smiling genie with a round, tan face had formed. He was dressed in a baggy purple shirt with matching trousers and jewel-encrusted Arabian slippers. Aladdin’s genie had nothing on this. Sam’s eyes were just about popping out of her head.

“Always the dramatic entrance,” praised Chang-Soo.

“Ah, Sahib! It’s the job of the Dream Genie,” he replied, bowing politely.

“Cut the theatrics!” groaned Maverick. “Must you be so over-the-top?”

“You call me over-the-top? I didn’t come in on my bum!” teased the Dream Genie.

“Don’t rub it in,” snapped Maverick. He quickly changed the subject. “We’ve got work to do. Let’s get on with it.”

Sam did an extra double-blink to make sure her eyes were still working. Cosmo flicked his tail as the three otherworldly characters moved to the end of the bed. They stared at Sam.

“So this is one?” queried Chang-Soo softly.

“Mmmm-Hmmmmm,” hummed the Dream Genie. “The one who doesn’t believe in wishes. Trying to put me out of a job. I live to grant wishes. If people stop wishing – oh woe!”

“Woe schmoe,” grunted Maverick. “Looks timid to me.”

“Ah so, but not so,” chimed Chang-Soo. “Don’t be deceived by appearances. Look closely into the eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul. They tell you everything.”

The three moved closer and stared harder.

“I must be dreaming,” thought Sam.

“No you’re not!” grunted the Merlin lookalike. “We’re as real as that cat!”

“Prrneouw?” questioned Cosmo. (“You’re not serious!” in cat-speak.)

“Of course we are,” responded the Dream Genie.

Cosmo was surprised that his reply had been interpreted. Most humans had forgotten how to communicate with animals. Sam leaned forward gingerly when she also realised that the strange trio had read her thoughts.

“That’s impossible,” she thought.

“No it’s not,” replied Maverick. “It’s perfectly natural. You humans have just lost touch.”

“Pardon?” she asked out loud. “Lost touch with what?”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” retorted Maverick.

“Now, now Maverick…be friendly,” interrupted Chang-Soo. His soft voice was very calming.

It encouraged Sam to question, “Who are you? The Three Wise Men?”

Cosmo was slinking forward to get a whiff that would help him identify the intruders in the vast library of recognisable smells stored in a cat’s brain. He couldn’t get a match.

Chang-Soo drew out his hands from under the long sleeves, clasped them together in greeting, bowed and introduced each by name. As he finished, the Dream Genie tap-danced around the other two, waving his hands about.

“We’re your Giddy Guides!” he sang out, ending his dance with a frenzied spin.

Convinced this strange team was a dream, Sam couldn’t resist saying, “You’re more like nutty fruitcakes!”

“A perfectly reasonable assumption,” nodded Chang-Soo, grabbing the Dream Genie by his shirt to stop him falling down.

Maverick stretched out an arm to help steady the staggering Genie. “Too giddy by far!” His bushy eyebrows twitched with annoyance.

Sam’s interest was aroused. “What do you mean by Giddy Guides?”

“Thought you’d never ask!” gushed the Dream Genie, regaining his balance. “We’re G-orgeous, I-nteresting D-udes D-evoted to Y-ou!”

“And G-reat, U-nderstanding, I-ndividuals D-etermined to E-nchant S-am,” chuckled Chang Soo.

“Or G-alactic, U-nconventional and I-llustrious Do-gooders here to E-ncourage your S-uccess,” added Maverick.

“Not to mention G-enius, U-nusual I-mmortals, whose D-estiny it is to E-mpower your S-pirit,” they said together as if they’d been practicing.

“Take your pick,” concluded Maverick.

Confusion was causing chaos in Sam’s brain.

“You might find this hard to understand right now,” Chang-Soo had a hot-line to her grey matter again, “but it will make sense in time.”

“Yeah, right,” said Sam. No way could this make any sense ever.

“Modern youth,” growled Maverick. “They lose touch with the magic before they can even spell the word.”

“There’s no such thing as magic!” The words shot from Sam’s mouth.

“Are you in for a surprise,” smiled the Dream Genie smugly. “If words have to be eaten, I hope yours don’t taste like broccoli.”

“Not likely,” responded Sam. “You’re as impossible as wishes and fairies. And,“ she threw in just for good measure, “your clothes are so silly anyone would think you’d escaped from a circus.”

“We have,” replied Maverick. “The circus of life.”

“A fortunate escape too, I must say,” said Chang-Soo.

“Make no mistake!” agreed the Dream Genie. “You humans turn life into a circus of note. Sadly, not a very good one!”

“If we’re so hopeless, why are you here?” Sam challenged.

“Questions, questions, questions,” grunted Maverick. “Curiosity is healthy, but this girl takes the cake!”

“Back off, Maverick,” ordered Chang-Soo. “This is a good sign. Life is like a game of hide and seek. Some people hide – and go to their graves knowing little more than they did when they were born. Others seek – and discover the magical mystery of life. We have a seeker here. She has the right stuff.”

“What do you mean by right stuff? The right stuff for what? I’m a total disaster!” spat Sam

A smile flickered across Chang-Soo’s mouth. One of those ‘I-know-something-that-you-don’t’ smiles. “Never sell yourself short kiddo. You could surprise yourself yet.”

“Oh yeah? That’ll be a first! You still haven’t told me why you’re here.”

The Dream Genie was quick to answer. “We’re on Rainbow Warrior roll call.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” she questioned indignantly.

“Exactly that!” answered Maverick. “Earth!” Despite his grumpy manner, his eyes twinkled warmly as he spoke. He dug around in the folds of his robes.

“Ah, here it is!” he said, pulling out an old parchment scroll. He began to read. “Earth. Planet with potential.” He glanced at the others, his eyes tinged with sadness. “The planet might have potential, but these humans are doing a jolly good job of messing it up. Let’s see - the cosmic record lists greed, cruelty, hatred, jealousy, corruption, environmental destruction, pollution, wars, terrorism… to mention but a few of their faults. Not very impressive. Looks more like Mission Impossible than Mission Evolution.”

Chang-Soo nodded. “Most humans do good job of bad job.” He scrunched up his nose in disgust. “No respect!’ Then he brightened up. “But things can change,” he said optimistically.

The Dream Genie stared at Sam. “That’s where you come in. You’re on earth to help change things for the better. And we’re here to make sure you’re in place.”

The conversation was getting curiouser and curiouser.

“How can I change things for the better? I can’t even do that to my fingernails!” she snarled. “And what am I supposed to be in place for?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” said Maverick.

“That’s no help. I want to know now!” Patience wasn’t one of Sam’s virtues. “Can’t you give me a hint?”

Chang-Soo shook his head. “Nope! We can’t give the game away. You have to find your own way. Learn from experience and connect with your calling.”

Sam dearly wanted to ask more, but she didn’t get the chance.

“Come along, fellows. Time to move,” stated Maverick, looking at the fob watch he’d pulled out from under his robes. “She’s checked and counted. We’ve got another call to make.”

“But…” attempted Sam as the three moved to the window.

The Dream Genie turned, his gentle eyes gleaming. “Don’t worry. You’re never alone. We’re always here for you. Only a thought away.”

Chang-Soo fiddled with his sleeves. “But we won’t be popping in too often. Taking on these physical forms is such hard work.”

“Move along, move along,” hurried Maverick, looking suspiciously at the speed-of-light-slide. “I think I’ll toddle through the portals on my own pins this time.”

In his haste, he tripped on the frayed hem of his robe and fell face down onto the slide. Quick as a flash he was whipped up by the magnetic pull, roaring loudly as he went.

“There he goes,” laughed Chang-Soo.

“We’d better catch up,” said the Dream Genie, sliding feet first into his hovering lantern.

“Let me give you a lift.” Chang-Soo took hold of the lantern and levitated out of the room.

Before Sam could gather her wits, they were gone. The speed-of-light-slide evaporated in an instant. The cloud of smoke wafted out of the window. Cosmo jumped onto the windowsill to watch the last puff disappear. Sam quickly joined him. She could see the garden clearly in the bright moonlight. Everything glowed with an unusual radiance.

“How odd,” said Sam.

For while they both gazed out at the sparkling skies. Eventually, Sam picked up Cosmo and climbed back into bed. She felt unusually calm and peaceful. The two snuggled up and fell asleep in seconds.