Spellbound

It was now the day of the test and after nights of revision and going over any text book he could find Nathaniel thought he was ready. His parents wished him well and waved him goodbye from the porch of the family home and he walked off to the meeting point he had pre-arranged with Penelope to meet at.

He was nervous.

What if he stuffed things up?

What if Penelope got hurt and he had to help her come home?

So many variables were flashing like a broken merry-go- round inside his head. It wasn’t long before he saw Penelope wave to him as he approached her and they headed off in the direction of The Scartlant Forest together both talking flat out to each other and enjoying each others company...immensely.

Penelope was talking much quicker than she ever did and Nathaniel knew that from the speed of her words she was just a bit excited about what was about to happen. She asked him a volley of questions....

“Did you bring a pen with you in case we have to write something?”

“Yep”

“Did you bring a notebook or paper to write on?”

“Yep”

"Did you bring some food and something to drink in case you get hungry?”

“Yep”

“Did you bring a first aid kit in case either of us gets hurt?”

“Yep”

“Show me the first aid kit Nat because...I don’t believe you”

Nathaniel ferreted around in his back pack while looking Penelope straight in the eyes and then produced a leather satchel with bandages, antiseptic creams, sticky tape, and a needle and thread incase of a severe emergency. Then Nathaniel spoke to Penelope....

“Are you in great physical pain Pen, or is that your thinking expression?” laughed Nathaniel putting his first aid kit back in his back pack and the walking to the river recommenced with the swapping of insults back and forth at each other.......

Pen: “Don’t you love nature, despite what it did to you?”

Nat: “Don’t you realise that there are enough people to hate in the world already without your working so hard to give us another?”

Pen: “I’ve only got one nerve left, and you’re getting on it.”

Nat: “This is no battle of wits between you and I because I’d never pick on an unarmed woman.”

And having said his last insult Penelope turned and tackled Nathaniel to the ground laughing all the time she tried to pin his arms whilst Nathaniel encouraged her to try harder laughing at her feeble attempt to win the wrestling match.

Then...they both stopped and looked at each other in the eyes and it went very quiet. Except for the thumping of blood traversing around in both of their ears matched with the sounds of the forest. Both their hearts were beating fast and there was a moment that they would remember all their lives that just happened between them.

To ease the tension between themselves Penelope spoke first and let Nathaniel get back on his feet.....

“I didn’t realise Nat you are as strong as an ox...and almost as intelligent.”

“Er...excuse me Pen but I’m busy right now. Can I ignore you some other time?”

And this was how it went until they both reached the river and meeting place that was given to them by Azadarin on his note that Nibbles delivered. Both of them had sore sides from laughing so much at each other and now that they could see the river in all its running majesty they were quiet and just soaked up the beautiful setting together.

The river was a ribbon of living turquoise, boldly flowing amid the green of the forest. No matter the chatter of the trees it is steady, welcoming, refreshing. On quiet days it can be heard to whisper its wisdom, on stormy days it is lost to all but those who listen closely. The river always talks, always speaks the wisdom of the water to anyone who treasures its musical words. Even on the rainiest of days it can heard beneath the splashes, a sacred melody, always moving, always present.

Nat and Pen stood transfixed gazing into the river together and then they looked at each and smiled, sat down and instead of hurling insults prepared themselves the best way they could for what was about to happen to them both. They went over the previous days school work and tested each other on that while they waited.

Penelope was concentrating on all the questions Nathaniel gave her about the work they covered in school, but Nat had already met Azadarin when he was fishing and he remembered how he never heard him approach while he was trying to catch the evening meal.

He was asking questions to Pen but at the same time on the look out for any movement or sound that was different. Penelope could write and talk at the same time but Nat could talk and watch for anything that was out of the ordinary. After all it was a test but as to the nature of the test this was yet to be determined. So Nat was on the lookout. Good thing to...because out of the corner of his eye he saw something land in a pine tree some 40 feet away and at once he told Pen to stand up and for them to be back to back. That way if anyone came at them from any direction they would be ready. Pen spoke to Nat.....

“You didn’t happen to bring a kni....?”

“Knife?......Yes Pen I did... it’s in my hand right now....keep watching for movement...Azadarin is very quiet and I speak from experience on this, I wont let him hurt you or whatever we are being tested against ok” said Nathaniel under his breath watching for movement in the forest around them.

For both Nat and Pen they both realised something together at the same time. They both thought how time is so much like the water in the river; it can pass slowly, a drop at a time, even freeze, or rush by in a blink. The clock says it is measured and constant, tick tock, part of an orderly world; the clock lies. The past three days had passed like thousands of water droplets per second shown one at a time. In this slow time-bubble the birdsong was louder, coldness was colder and colours were brighter.

All the while their insides felt as if there was nothing there, nothing to need feeding, nothing to have need of anything at all. Both of them were stead fast and concentrating on their surroundings intently. Both of them were breathing as quietly as they could. Their gaze covering the surrounding forest for movement, any sign of anyone approaching. Nat even checked the river gently turning his head so as not to alarm Penelope in any way because she was already tense and he didn’t want he to yell out or move suddenly.

“Pen...I think I saw Nibbles land in a tree about 40ft away...so Azadarin is going to try and catch us off guard...be ready and stay calm ok” whispered Nathaniel to his friend.

“Ok...we are in this together....I trust you Nat” said Penelope reaching out for his hand which he grabbed and held tightly.

The forest was quiet. All bird song had stopped. The only sound was the wind whistling through the pine trees and the babble of the river against its muddy banks. Nat looked up into the sky. The sun was at its peak.

“Get ready Pen” he whispered to her and they stood their ground ready for the slightest nuance to arm their concentration and defence skills together.

You could feel it, building like an unstoppable tidal wave in the pit of their stomachs. Nat and Pen could not concentrate on anything else. The next step is their hearts starting to beat harder and faster, adrenaline levels rise, and their brains start to fire out negative thoughts like a machine gun. As sweat starts to happen all over their body. It feels like your skin has another hot skin on the outside, like a bin bag, it moves over their bodies and never releases. The negative thoughts keep coming like waves on rocks. In a kind of fear they both want to start pacing or moving around irrationally. The arguments in their heads get so fast and so disturbing that both of their brains shut down their bodies. The sweat has completely covered both of them and it feels like their hearts are going to explode.

Both motionless save the movement in the trees and the river.

Listening....watching.....waiting for a sign or a sound.