SWNOVELS Chapter 26
Saturday seemed to come around rather quickly this week. Krikkit dragged herself out from under the covers, wishing she could return to continue the wonderful dream she did not want to leave.
It was time again to do that dreaded Saturday chore and she had gladly slept later than usual to avoid it. It seemed that she had just finished cleaning her room. However, looking around at the array of clothes piled in various corners of the room, she knew that such was not the case.
Indeed, another week had sped by. She had heard her mother telling her much the same things she said every Saturday. “I expect to find your room shining and clean on my return.”
When her mother left for her usual Saturday shopping trip, Krikkit knew she had only two hours before her return and the big inspection. On hands and knees, Krikkit peered under the bed, hoping against hope there remained one more chocolate in the candy box.
She had kicked it far under the bed, away from her mother’s searching eyes. Stretching and reaching for it, her fingers just barely grasped it. Treats like these seemed much tastier knowing that it was forbidden to eat them in the bedroom.
Finally munching on the one and only remaining chocolate left in her secret stash, Krikkit pulled clothes, books, and games out from under the bed, eventually deciding this was a good place to begin cleaning.
At the very far end, she spied a small wooden box. What was this? Not remembering what she had put in it, Krikkit swept the broom under the bed to drag it out. She gasped in surprise. The box was beautifully carved with figures on it similar to the characters in her beloved story books.
Opening it, Krikkit beheld a shimmering silvery cloth that was wrapped around something hidden. Unwrapping it, she discovered a pair of the most beautifully exquisite, purple leather shoes she had ever seen. Shiny and unique, the soles of the shoes were silver, shimmering in the morning light. Where had they come from?
Remembering that she sometimes received special items when her grades improved, Krikkit realized it must be a gift from her mother. She ran her hands over the purple shoes several times, admiring their brilliant color and the sheen.
Touching a rough spot with her fingers, she looked closer to see what it was. Thinking they might be letters, Krikkit peered at the area, bringing the shoes up to her face. These were tiny letters indeed, she discovered, etched into the side of each shoe.
“D’Arragon,” she read aloud, carefully sounding out the word. “I wonder what that means?”
Krikkit decided she would wear them as she cleaned. After placing them on her feet, she was amazed at how comfortable they felt. They fit perfectly. She skipped around, tossing dirty clothes into the hamper and returning everything to its proper place while she stopped every few seconds to admire her new purple shoes.
Determining that she had earned a break, she skipped down the stairs to the kitchen to grab an ice cold coke. Now resting upon the sofa, Krikkit looked out the window periodically in case her mother returned early. She drank and admired the bright purple shoes, marveling at their beauty.
She felt like dancing and got up, prancing around the room, moving her feet in time to a song that came to mind. Suddenly remembering her room again, Krikkit realized that her mother was due home any minute. In fact, as she took a quick glance out the window, she could see her coming up the street, her arms filled with shopping bags.
In a panic, Krikkit headed for the stairs, taking a giant leap up the first few steps. She was anxious to get to her room before her mother did. To her utter shock, Krikkit found herself surrounded by a purple mist. Bursts of a crackling white light thrust their way through it. She was moving upward. Higher and higher she floated away, having no idea what was happening to her. She closed her eyes in fright, covering her face with her hands. She felt as if she was flying and could not stop herself.
After a brief time, she sensed herself descending and she experienced great relief once her feet touched firm ground once more. Slowly Krikkit opened her eyes, peering through her fingers. She was standing directly in front of a sign.
“D’Arragon,” she said, reading it aloud.
Startled, Krikkit recognized it as the same name that she discovered on her new shoes! Suddenly overwhelmed, she somehow knew this place. Coming straight toward her was a huge brown animal, a ram with a long mane almost reaching to the ground and huge, curling horns gleaming golden in the sunlight. Upon the ram’s back, a rider appeared, an old man with greying hair and a silvery beard.
“Jara! Syntaba!”
The names sprang from her lips, beyond her control. She stood totally still, memories of D’Arragon instantly flooding back. She had forgotten. She didn’t know how, but she had. “It really is you! My favorite sorcerers!” she cried out, running to meet her faithful friends. “Absolutely stupendous!”
Moving toward the young girl, Jara and Syntaba cried out together, “It really is us, Krikkit, “Absolutely stupendous! Very magic!”