Bram's Hollow

The trees were huge, at least two-hundred feet tall with trunks so large that you could live in them. It was nothing like the tight tangled trees on the other side of the lake where Tobias found the Den of Souls. Sunlight poured into the forest giving everything a warm friendly feel.

“I don’t know how to say this without seeming rude so I guess I’ll just ask.” Tobias said as he and Isabelle followed Bibby threw the tall tree forest. “What exactly are you?”

“I am Bibby, right?”

“Oh no, that’s your name.” Isabelle said as she tried to clear it up for Bibby. “He means what kind of creature are you?” Bibby looked at Isabelle utterly confused by the question. “It’s just that Tobias and I have never seen anything like you before, we were just curious.”

“I am what I always am.” Bibby replied playfully.

“Well, what guild are you in?” Tobias asked determined to solve the small mystery.

“What is guild?” Bibby stopped walking and turned to look at the two junior interrogators. “Like home?”

Isabelle scratched her head. “In a way I suppose.”

“He’s obviously not a spirit or an undead.” Tobias deducted.

“I suppose that leaves him a beast or monster.” Isabelle added.

“Monster?” Bibby squinted his large round eyes. “Bibby is no monster, me is nice to my friends and to the little furries in the trees.”

“Not all monsters are mean.” Isabelle said defensively. “I have monsters that are friends.”

“Friends?” Bibby was appalled. “Monsters are cruel to Bibby. How could Isabelle like a terrible monster?”

“Looks can be deceiving?” Tobias said as he gave a wink to Isabelle who knew exactly what he was getting at. She stretched out her arms to add some drama to her transformation into a robin. It was a spectacle that dazzled and mystified Bibby who was at first frightened but soon melted away into amazement. Isabelle swooped around Bibby’s head as he clapped and giggled spitting copious amounts of water from his beak as he did so. Isabelle perched on a low hanging tree branch and changed from bird to beast and in her chipmunk form, scampered about causing Bibby to dance about and laughing even harder. After dazzling the fish like boy a few minutes more Isabelle turned back into herself hanging from the tree branch. She let go of the branch and Tobias swooped beneath her and caught her under her arms. Isabelle and Tobias locked eyes and became lost in the moment before being interrupted by sheer glee from Bibby.

“Yes, yes.” Bibby was hopping about. “You are the queen of the furries?”

“No, I’m just a shape shifter.” Isabelle explained. “I can change into certain animals.”

Bibby looked confused at Isabelle first then Tobias second. “You change to furry too?”

“Jury is still out on that one Bibby.” Tobias said glibly.

The threesome continued into the tall trees a little longer until Tobias saw it in the distance. The largest, most branch covered tree that he had even heard of let alone seen. It was immense, like a fortress or castle that was trapped inside of wood, bark and leaves. It was a fat tree, bulging at the bottom where the roots dug into the ground deep and sturdy. There was never a tree like this one, even the leaves were large, the size of dinner plates and green as brilliant jade bunched together on branches that could themselves be mistaken as the trunk of a large, mighty oak. Wonder was painted across Tobias’s eyes. This tree, tucked away in the back of the forest of tall timbers was deep in a cull de sack of mountain as if it were there to be fortified by a wall of mountain and a gate of forest. They were deep into the forest now at least a few miles from Bram’s Hollow, but it felt like another world entirely. The mountain loomed from above and yet somehow this tree grew.

Closer and closer they walked to the gargantuan tree, a tree so high it was near impossible to see the top of. Isabelle, Tobias had noticed, was holding her breath. He gently nudged her with his elbow and whispered. “Tell me you have seen this before?”

“I’m not sure if I’m even seeing it now.” She replied with a gasp. “This is a wonder of nature.”

“Come see, come see.” Bibby waved them closer to the colossal natural artistry.

“Bibby, what is this?” Isabelle asked. “How does no one else know about it?”

“It is the Mother Tree. All the trees are children to her.” Bibby brushed his hand over the thick bark. “Very hard climb too.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Tobias said as he looked up the virtual maze of branches and leaves. “I couldn’t even guess how tall it is.”

The Mother Tree was warm to the touch and as Tobias felt the grooves in the bark he could almost feel a pulse gently thumping from deep within. He turned to comment about it to Isabelle but saw no one behind him. He had to take a few steps back before he could see her just around the colossal bend of the tree. It was a tree straight out of some ancient myth that he had never heard. Tobias walked over to Isabelle who looked at the Mother Tree like it was the source of all joy and spirit.

“Tell me if you see anything cool.” Tobias said.

“What do you mean?” Isabelle asked with a small smirk on her lips.

“Like you’re not thinking about going up into the tree.”

Isabelle giggled. “Be right back.” She transformed into a robin and fluttered her small wings, flew up and into the branches of the Mother Tree.

Bibby jumped up and clutched onto the massive trunk attempting to climb it. “Wait for Bibby.” The fish boy cried. “Bibby wants to go up too.” After a few moments and struggling and kicking Bibby slid down the trunk defeated and agitated.

“Don’t feel bad.” Tobias said. “I don’t see how anyone could climb it.”

Bibby hopped about anxiously as both he and Tobias waited for Isabelle to return. A gentle breeze caused the large leaves to sway back and forth. Tobias hoped one would dislodge so he could take a closer look. He looked around the ground for a dead leaf but found none that could have come from the Mother Tree.

“Bibby, do the leaves ever fall off of the Mother Tree?” Tobias asked. “You know, like in the winter?”

Bibby thought for a second. “No, she is always warm.”

It caught Tobias odd that Bibby would talk about a tree as if it a person. Of course Tobias was getting used to a lot of unusual things as of late. “You don’t have talks with the tree do you Bibby?”

“No, can’t talk to Mother Tree.” Bibby looked at Tobias like he was insane. “I no speak tree.”

Puzzled, Tobias opted to watch the tree for any sign of Isabelle than try to figure out what Bibby was trying to say. The branches that he could see were gently swaying with the breeze. It was hard for Tobias to get over just how large the Mother Tree really was. It seemed to him that you could move the whole of Bram’s Hollow into the branches and it wouldn’t even feel cramped. Though there seemed no way to get up into the tree. He couldn’t imagine a tall enough ladder to reach even the lowest of the branches.

It was then, as Tobias was looking up at the rustling branches that he noticed that they were not moving with the breeze anymore. In fact they seemed to be whipping back and forth. Each branch was moving as if they were fingers trying to flick something off of one another.

“What is that?” Tobias said allowed.

“The tree looks mad.” Bibby said.

Tobias’s heart sunk into his stomach. What was the tree doing? He was afraid of the answer and hoped not to find out. “Isabelle?” He cried out up into the tree. “Isabelle are you okay?”

The branches whipped about frantically now, and it even appeared that the trunk was now even starting to twist with the action. One of the low branches suddenly flicked its tip against a higher branch, Tobias saw something fall from where it hit. The small object dropped threw the tree and was headed for the ground. Tobias then realized what it was. Isabelle was in her Chipmunk form and was falling to the ground. He tried to eyeball where she was heading and dove to get his body beneath it. As Isabelle fell into his hands Tobias crashed into the ground.

Bibby ran over to Tobias. “Isabelle hurt?”

Gently Tobias opened his hands, horrified at the possibility of what he might see. The small chipmunk was curled up in his hands. Bibby and Tobias stared, waiting to see some sign of life.

“Isabelle?” Tobias woefully asked. “Say something Isabelle.”

The small furry belly of the chipmunk started to move in as if she were taking a big breath. Isabelle was then motionless. Tobias was scared that he might have just seen Isabelle’s last breath. Bibby, perhaps out of panic, shook Tobias’s hands.

“Wake up Isabelle.” Bibby shouted. “Stop faking.”

The shout startled the small chipmunk and she made a noise not unlike a sharp sneeze. Isabelle then got to her feet and looked up at Tobias.

“Are you alright?” Tobias asked.

A small high pitched voice came out of the rodent. “I think so. Would you set me on the ground please?”

Gently Tobias set Isabelle down and she was able to transform back into her normal self. She was favoring one leg and needed Tobias’s help to walk. She put her arm around his shoulder and they started to walk back toward the lake.

“What happened up there?” Tobias asked.

“Oh, Toby.” Isabelle said with wonder in her voice as she limped through the tall trees. “It was incredible. The branches were like walkways. I walked across the limbs like I would down a sidewalk.”

“Was there anything up there?” Tobias asked.

“I didn’t see any animals or anything like that.” Isabelle’s eyes widened. “But I did see something in the center of the branches.”

“What do you mean in the center?” Tobias asked confusedly. “What was it?”

“Well, the branches don’t exactly connect to the trunk in the center like normal trees.” Isabelle explained. “The trunk sort of flattens out and the branches weave about like roads leading to the large patches of leaves that you see from the outside.” Tobias felt Isabelle squeeze the back of his neck. “But in the center, it was amazing.”

“What amazing?” Bibby asked as he scurries behind Tobias and Isabelle.

“It looked like a jewel.” Isabelle said. “But without edges, everything was rounded and natural like it grew from the Mother Tree.”

“There is a jewel up there” Tobias asked.

“I suppose that is what you would call it. I really couldn’t tell you what it was for sure.” Isabelle opened her free hand to show the size of it. “It was like a large grapefruit but lumpy and swirling with the colors of autumn. Brown, yellow, orange and red sparkled in the stone. I reached out to touch it and the tree branches swatted at me as it they were protecting it.” Isabelle pointed at her bruised leg. “I turned into the chipmunk so I could get away. But I guess it got me anyway.”

“You’re lucky.” Tobias said. “You could have been killed.”

“You were there.” Isabelle hugged Tobias from the side. “I knew I would be alright.”

“Lovers going to love?” Bibby spat out gleefully threw a mouthful of water.

Tobias and Isabelle walked in silence after that until they returned to the meadow there they met Bibby. They said their goodbyes and promised to visit again soon. Bibby was tearful in his goodbye but Isabelle assured him that they would see each other soon. By the time Isabelle and Tobias were walking on Main Street the sun was setting for the night. Isabelle was on her own two feet again and wanted to stop for honey cakes before going home for dinner. Tobias graciously declined and opted to go home for the evening. They shared a gentle hug and Tobias walked up the cobblestone road and to the stone bricked house.

The living room was quiet when Tobias walked inside. As soon as he closed the door behind him Tobias felt cold and despair began to seep into his pores. From the darkness of the living room Tobias heard a soft raspy voice. “Candles are on the coffee table. Light one quick.”

Carefully, Tobias bent down and relying only on his sense of touch, managed to find the box of matches and light the short candle on the table. He struck a match and held the lit candle up piercing the darkness and was finally facing his great Uncle Jerome.