The Chameleon Shop

Like a wraith Kaylee soared through the night, clinging tightly to the mighty Pegasus. They flew up through the deep purple night sky to the floating islands of the Wind Realm.

Opal’s Palace was on the largest of the floating islands. The two magnificent moons side by side gave a truly spectacular backdrop to the islands. Misty clouds shrouded their green hills and gushing waterfalls tumbled into sparkling rivers below them.

It looked as though a giant had plucked each island from the earth as if it were a weed for the base of each one was a dagger-shaped spear of dirt, its roots exposed and raw.

There were five floating islands in total, each joined by long swinging rope-bridges. Opal’s palace had a domed roof reminding Kaylee of the Arabian ones in the Middle East back home, but inside customised to suit its feline charge. A gigantic maze of carpeted tunnels ran everywhere, through the halls, rooms and walls; a giant cat’s toy.

Opal’s ethereal helpers greeted Pegasus and Kaylee as they landed softly before the grand entrance at the bottom of the staircase. There were lights all along the handrail of the staircase and the windows of the palace glowed invitingly.

Opal was a large white Messenger Cat with a grey rainbow shape across her forehead. She had a grey tail, amber eyes and unusually short-cropped ears like a Lynx. She was very old and stiff and rarely moved from her throne unless the palace was on fire or her dinner-bell chimed and even then a servant came bearing her meal on a silver platter; or (ahem!) the litter box, though we don’t mention that.

Her helpers were elflike. They had pointy ears and were very peaceful and graceful. Nevertheless, they were very tall and ethereal looking. They wore Grecian clothes and carried long bows and arrows, which would shoot bolts of actual lightening! There were men and women, all with blonde tresses. Their hair was long and straight and glowed like rays of pure sunlight.

When Kaylee first saw Opal, the large elderly cat was trying to reach behind herself to scratch an itch on her back. She no longer had much flexibility and couldn’t quite do it by herself anymore. Impatiently Opal ordered one of her Elflike minions to do it for her with a special back-scratching instrument fashioned like a big-clawed hand.

Her helper didn’t mind scratching Opal’s back, as Opal was a very revered and respected figure. The old cat’s eyes turned to slits of ecstasy and her back foot tapped slowly at first, then faster as the helper got exactly the right itchy spot.

Kaylee felt a little awkward, as if she was intruding and turned away politely to look around the beautiful domed ceiling. Up there were lovely paintings of little cherubs and kittens playing with balls of brightly coloured wool. Beautiful chandeliers hung in three places and the room was so pristine white Kaylee thought it had an otherworldly, almost ‘heaven-like’ feel to it.

The tall figure next to her cleared his throat, ‘Ahem, Your Eminence?’

Opal stopped and stared at them. She shooed off the backscratcher person and sat up in her usual formally dignified manner.

‘Yes?’ she spoke in a creaky sounding voice.

‘You summoned the girl-child, Kaylee.’ he said with his right arm outstretched, introducing Kaylee and moved aside to give her centre stage.

‘So I did,’ Opal replied. ‘Could you go find Kaylee some supper Marcus? She’s looking a bit peaky.’ Marcus bowed respectfully and headed to the kitchen to find Kaylee some warm food.

‘Now Kaylee, you have my full, undivided attention. Sit child and do tell me your story. I am extremely interested.’ Opal listened patiently to Kaylee’s tale, as the girl sat in a white padded chair near Opal’s stand. Kaylee thanked Marcus when he returned bearing sumptuous savoury dishes and continued telling her story between spoonfuls of delicious chicken soup, bread and fish fillets.

When Kaylee had come to the end of her tale, Opal lifted her noble face and said, ‘I agree with Jett. There is some important reason for your being here. The Dragon does not waste her magic without good reason. Here ...’ from a fur-lined cubbyhole along one wall, Opal used her mouth to pick up a stick with a shiny red ball at the end of it, which tinkled a little when it moved. She dropped it on the soft rug near Kaylee’s feet. ‘Take this rattle and shake it at the entrance to the cave. Ruby, messenger of the Earth Realm, will come. She will help you get through the combs and take you safely to the Gnome King, Mossbreath.’

‘But won’t the bugs and other creepies get her? Kaylee was honestly frightened and not afraid to show it.’

The regal old cat chuckled, ‘They don’t bother with Ruby. You’ll soon see why.’ Following this Opal moved forward, creeping stiffly down the steps closer to Kaylee; that in itself showed her affection for the girl. She came to sit beside Kaylee, wrapping her tail around the child like a comforting arm. ‘I’d offer you a bed to rest for the night my dear,’ she said quietly, ‘but I’m sure you’re anxious to finish this quest of yours, so you can return to that poor worried mother of yours?’

A tear slipped silently down Kaylee’s cheek as she nodded in agreement. She had been trying to keep thoughts of home and her mother pushed to the back of her mind, but they all came flooding out with the tears and Opal’s kind words.

The grand old cat, who was still a massive size even at such a staggering age, asked Layla, one of her minions, to take Kaylee back to the Pegasus. ‘He will fly you back down to the caves. Have courage young Kaylee. You are stronger than you think.’

There was something about being in the Wind Realm Kaylee adored. Maybe it was the elf-like, gracefully gorgeous minions in the palace, who jumped to Opal’s every whim. Perhaps it was the fact that this realm floated serenely above the world, weightless as a hot-air balloon in the clouds.

Maybe it was just the smell of rain in the air, fine delicate misty droplets caressing your cheeks and coating your windpipes. It summoned images of lush green trees and sparkling streams flowing over majestic waterfalls and crashing on the glistening rocks below where rainbow trout leapt as if they desired capture. And many of them got their wish. The whole place cried out in melodious tones, ‘I am alive!’

Layla escorted Kaylee through the palace halls. She was a friendly and very pretty, but also frighteningly tall, woman with flowing white robes and a bow that must have been as tall as Kaylee herself. They were heading for the glorious white stables where the Pegasus rested when the servant spied something through one of the open, arched windows.

The window looked out over the fields many miles below and Kaylee could see one of Wilfrey’s gargoyles beating some poor donkey with a whip. The animal was hitched to an overloaded wagon. It now sat on its rump; suggesting the exhausted and stubborn creature did not have the strength to go on.

Layla shook her head, ‘Those abominations of Wilfrey’s! That simply will not do!’ She notched her lightening arrow in place on her bowstring, aimed and fired the lethal bolt, blasting the unaware gargoyle to bits in a bright flash of light. Seconds later what remained of him, rained down on the earth like dust. The donkey ‘ee-ored’ joyously showing its approval.

‘You didn’t see that, did you?’ she whispered aside to Kaylee.

Kaylee smiled and shook her head. Layla grinned back and patted Kaylee affectionately on the head.

Upon reaching the stables, Layla gave the rest of the Pegasus herd orders from Opal. They were to take their magical paintbrushes out, to paint a rainbow across the sky. The drizzle of the afternoon had ceased and rainbow painting was an important part of their duties.

Eight more of the big black winged horses came thundering out of the stables, golden brushes in their mouths of all the colours of the rainbow. The ground shook beneath her feet as they thundered past and took flight, one after the other, painting an arc like none she had ever seen.

Another duty they had, Layla explained to Kaylee, was to stir up the winds when there was a storm coming. A very impressive sight it was to see, the whole herd flying in formation. Round and round in circles, so fast they became just a grey blur, spiralling up the wind-funnel.

‘Why do you need to make storms?’ Kaylee asked. ‘Are storms good for anything? I think they’re really just a nuisance, where I’m from.’

‘My dear child, if you get targeted by that swarm of giant wasps, you’ll be glad of them for one thing,’ Layla replied. ‘But the wind and rain are all necessary for blowing seeds around and spreading the plant life in the realms.’ She reached inside a closet at the stables and handed Kaylee a dark-green cloak with a hood, ‘You’ll need this, it’s very cold out there at this hour.’

Kaylee slipped the heavy cloak on. It was a little large, but deliciously warm. ‘Thank you Layla. I enjoyed meeting you all.’ Kaylee reached out and shook the surprised woman’s hand. She tucked the rattle Opal had given her down the front of the cloak and climbed on a step and onto the back of the huge black Pegasus again.