Chapter 1
I awake and I’m in a beautiful forest. The last thing I remember was falling asleep in my mom’s car on the way home from school. However, this forest is ten times better than my mother’s old Honda-it is breathtaking. The trees are so tall, and so green! The ground is soft and mossy, perfect for napping or a picnic. The sky is strikingly blue, with a few pretty clouds floating aimlessly. The sunlight filters through the trees just so, and I feel right at home. I am considering what to do next when a small bear hops into sight-yes, a bear. A bear hops into my vision, and I study it carefully. It is very cute, with soft-looking ears and a very round belly. It is wearing a green shirt the color of the moss on the ground and a blue bandana around his head. It reminds me of my childhood favorite Pooh Bear, and I find myself liking it very much.
“You must be Meddy!” It declares without prior greeting.
“Yes, that’s me,” I say with a polite smile.
“I am Beani. Pleasure to meet you, miss.” It holds out a paw to shake my hand.
I shake and smile again. “The pleasure is all mine, but I’m afraid you’ve misgendered me. I prefer they/them pronouns, and you’ve called me ‘miss’. It’s a common mistake, but be aware of the error.” I explained to Beani gently. They are an animal, after all, and I’m not sure if they have been acquainted with the ways of the twenty-first century.
I have nothing to fear, however. They give me a big smile and say, “Pardon my error, love. I’ll do my best not to slip up again. You are the chosen one! With all due respects, allow me to bring you to the village.”
“Are your pronouns he/him/his? Am I the chosen one?” I ask, following Beani to the village.
“Indeed to both! You have been selected to save this world from certain doom. You are quite good with puzzles and riddles, I have heard?”
He says this like it’s a question. “Y-yes, I am good with riddles-I mean, I like them; I find them fun. I’d be happy to help this world in anyway I can, but I’m not sure if you should trust me with the stopping-of-impending-doom part-”
He cuts me off. “Nonsense! You shall be our dearest angel and save us all. You see,” he says wiggling his eyebrows at me, “It is in the Prophecy.”
“Oh,” I say with a start. “This prophecy, I presume, will need my help in deciphering?”
“Quite right!” Beani says with obvious glee. “Before we go on, I should introduce you to my friend, Sal. Sal!” He taps to the ground twice with his right foot. I watch with interest.
A mushroom sprouts out of the ground. It is about two feet tall and has a blue stem, with a red cap and white spots. It looks like a very nice mushroom, and I cannot wait to make its acquaintance.
“Sal, this is Meddy. They have come to save our world!” Beani says with happiness.
Sal looks at me without much joy. I swear, they look me up and down, sigh, then condescene and say, “Hello”, without much cheer. “So you’re our blessed savior. Good luck.”
I tilt my head without offense and laugh. I have an affinity towards Sal already, just like with Beani.
“I’m so happy to meet you, Sal. You seem like a very sweet soul, and I do believe we shall get along splendidly.” I kneel down and kiss Sal’s head. “He/him/his pronouns for you, too?”
“Yes.” He grumbles, which I find quite endearing.
“And how do I summon you, dear Sal?” I straighten and look at Beani expectantly.
“Just tap your foot twice on the ground and say his name,” Beani tells me.
“If it’s urgent, then tap with your right foot. Only if it’s urgent.” Sal adds with a mutter.
“Alright then,” I say, quite pleased with this information. “Shall we continue to the village?” I ask Beani.
“Yes, we shall!” Beani exclaims. “Sal, we’ll see you there?”
“I ’spose so,” Sal grumbles before disappearing into the ground.
Beani continues walking and I walk with him glancing about curiously. We arrive in the village shortly and I feel right at home. The village is a large cluster of small cottages made of sticks, with many, many Earthlings that look like Beani and Sal. There are chipmunks and deer, foxes and owls. They chitter and chatter to each other in what looks like a very busy market.
“Attention, all! Our dearest, dearest Meddy has arrived. Then have come to save us all! Please, welcome them warmly to our world!” Beani announces to the village. I smile bashfully and wave. The entire collection of folk erupts into cheers of happiness.
“Allow me to show you around,” Beani says grandly. “Before we go to the Great Hall for you to review the prophecy, that is.”
I nod and follow him on a grand tour of this townlet. “Here is the market”, Beanie says, striding forward. “You can buy anything you wish here, anything at all. Pots, jackets, ribbons, food-you name it, our crafty makers have it. Come visit the shops from 10:00-4:00.
“Moving on to the more central part of town. Here you will find the clothes maker, the bookseller, and the fortune teller.”
I raise my eyebrows at the mention of “fortuneteller”, but decide to keep quiet.
“Here are our humble homes,” Beani broadcasts as we go by a patch of cottages and gazebos, each individually decorated with various flowers and plants. “Very quaint, wouldn’t you agree?”
I nod with a small smile, and we continue walking. “Where does dearest Sal reside?” I ask Beani curiously.
“Sal is a forest spirit, and he floats wherever he pleases. The Fortuneteller, Rizela, and our head Protector, Jaxon, are also spirits-you’ll be meeting them shortly as well.”
We arrive at a stone formation that resembles a small castle. I study it carefully and guess that I’ll be spending a lot of time here in the near future. I am not wrong.
“And here is the Great Library,” Beani announces. “You’ll be spending a lot of your time here. Here is where the Great Scrolls reside, as well as the Prophecy. Enter, please.”
I go in first and instinctively look up. I see beautiful, colorful paintings on the ceiling. It seems like a story, and I feel as if it is a story I’ve heard before but can’t place. Casting my gaze around the hall, I see many tapestries that continue depicting the story with bright silks and intricate threads. I could study them all day if I had the chance, but Beani hurries me on.
“Those are the stories of our world,” he says as we go down the hall. “You’ll have a chance to read the story if you can save our world first. But please, Rizela and Jaxon are waiting for you.”
At the end of the hall there is a big room with more tapestries, these more exquisite than the last. There is also a big island table toward the back of the room, and lots of bookshelves line the walls where there is space. The room is well-lit with soft candles and feels inviting. At the table is the biggest elk I have ever seen and a beautiful creature that looks rather human-except it’s skin is a light purplish-pink. They both have kind smiles on their faces, so I smile back.
“Rizela! Jaxon!” Beani says with familiarity. “This is Meddy. The prophecy’s-”
“Yes, yes, and all that,” Rizela says impatiently, striding forward and enveloping me in a lavender-scented hug. “Welcome, dearest,” She breathes in my ear. The elk, Jaxon, also comes forward and bows it’s great antlers towards me. I feel honored by the gesture, and I dip my head towards it as well.
“Welcome,” Jaxon says in a deep voice. “I am Jaxon. Protector of this world, advisor to all. And I’m quite like you, little one,” it says with a wink. “I am also abstract in the ways of referral. Xe/xim/xirs pronouns, if you will.”
I nod respectfully, briefly touching my forehead to Jaxon’s. I am filled with awe for this creature, a being like my own.
“Aren’t you darling?” Rizela says, inspecting me head to toe. “I am Rizela, Fortuneteller and Healer, goddess of helpfulness.”
“And I’m Sal,” Sal says, popping out of nowhere. “But you already met me. Not that you remember. Or care.”
“Nonsense, I do care,” I tell Sal cheerfully, kneeling down to give him a pat. “Where did you go, dear Sal?”
“A-hem.” Beani says loudly. “As I was saying, Meddy is the prophecy’s chosen one. Shall we show it to them now?”
“We shall,” Jaxon says in xir wonderfully rich voice. “Rizela-?”
Rizela beckons me to follow her to the big table. She selects a scroll from one of the shelves, unrolls it and smooths it on the table for me to view. The others gather around the table to look as well. I read the scroll’s words out loud carefully and clearly.
“To the chosen one thereof,
The solemn task remains.
To save this world from certain doom,
Must give their all, not in vain.
Friends and helpers must assist,
Magic and cures necessary,
Forest spirits’ help they must enlist.
To fire or justice this world must fall
Riddle’s truth must prevail
The riddle, the puzzle, dear one
Is this:
Impossible comes true,
Pigs can fly
And in water you breathe
Mermaids are real
And unicorns too
Dragons and griffins, they soar
The sky is not blue,
It’s red! No, it’s pink
And nothing is real-
Or is that what you think?
Final clue, final clue
To make these be real
at first you must wake
In order to make your ______
Come true.”
“Hmm,” I mutter. “Pigs can fly…”
“You are not alone in your puzzlement, my dear,” Jaxon says empathetically “All of us forest spirits have puzzled over this prophecy for many years. We thought the chosen one might have a fresh take on it. What do you think? Come on, tell us.”
“Yes, tell us,” Sal says disagreeably. “We’re dying to hear your take on the story.”
“I have this feeling in my gut,” I say out loud. “That the answer is not going to be anything we expected. It also is going to feel very obvious, like it was in plain sight. However, it currently feels very puzzling. Take these lines for example: The sky is not blue, It’s red! No, it’s pink/And nothing is real-Or is that what you think?” I let this resound with everyone before I go on. “What could these mean? And nothing is real-Or is that what you think? What is nothing? This seems like a fairy-tale story, full of cotton candy clouds and sugar plum fairies. Maybe the prophecy is referring to a children’s tale? Or a fable?”
“I do not think so,” Jaxon says with a frown. “These lines do not refer to any story in this world, and certainly not the Great One. Do these ring any bells with you?”
The other forest keepers and Beani shake their heads no.
“Hmmm,” I say. “To fire or justice this world must fall…”
“Puzzling, isn’t it?” Sal comments unhelpfully.
“Mermaids are real/And unicorns too/Dragons and griffins, they soar,” I read out loud. “ Do you have any dragons in this world? This fantastic, dreamlike world?” Then, realization hits me like a bucket of cold water. “Fantastic, dreamlike world…”
I smile to myself sadly. I bow to Jaxon, and hug Rizela. I give Beani an ear tug and a big smile. Kneeling down, I kiss Sal tenderly on the head. “I’ll miss you,” I tell him quietly. He gives me a look of puzzlement.
“Have you figured it out, then?” He asked me.
“Yes, I have,” I say wistfully. “To make these be real, at first you must wake. The answer is...a dream.”
****
I awake in the car. My mom is pulling into our driveway, for we are home. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I miss Sal and Beanie already.
“I’ll see you again, very soon,” I whisper. “I’ll see you tonight, in my dreams.”
