The Lost Quest
Chapter 9: Inside the Tree

Yannic looked towards the grave.

“Wolves won’t replace him after being buried this deep,” said Zohar, as he stood up after throwing the last pound of the soil to the grave.

“We might need this.” Yannic moved towards a bag lying on the forest floor, beside the grave. He slowly unzipped the bag. He could see a recorder, an Ouija board. Beside it, at the lowest part, he found student’s ID.

“Roll number 342, Beth Renis!”

“He was a pretty lad.” said Zohar, who was staring from behind. “Not tough though.”

Yannic nodded.

“Let’s move ahead. We should replace a safe place before its dark.”

Yannic carried the bag and the men moved towards the denser part of the forest. The forest was getting thicker and the dusk was getting darker as they were wondering ahead.

“Tap! Tap!”

“What was that?” Yannic turned around. “What?” Zohar asked.

Yannic nodded no and followed Zohar.

Another tap closer to his ear. Yannic turned around, nothing he could see. Ignored again as he followed Zohar.

(Crumbling of the leaves)

This time he heard some giggles, laughter like some group of little lass have just ran past him. He turned around, he could see a pink silk shawl floating behind a tree. Yannic tapped Zohar.

“Zohar!” he whispered.

Zohar looked back.

“Whose there?”

Leaving Zohar to walk ahead Yannic slowly approached the tree. He saw three pretty little girls, with dress of silk white, blue and pink floating away from him, giggling and looking back. There was something so sweet and magnificent about those giggles. So sharp, yet beautiful like heaven’s sent the messengers and they were talking to him in form of these sweet and angelic sounds, in that hideous forest.

He wanted to hear them more.

Yannic kept on following the little girls.

Zohar called Yannic but he was so mesmerized by their laughter, he could not hear anything else.

“Yannic! We have to head this way.” Zohar shouted but he saw him running away recklessly towards the opposite part. The little giggling girls were moving towards a huge, wide tree and stopped in front of it. Yannic stared them from a distance.

“Tap! Tap!” one of the girls, in pink, tapped the tree.

The tree slowly started getting brighter, the lowest part of the trunk slowly raised above and it looked like there was a house inside the tree. The little girls giggling entered the door. The last one, in white, turned towards Yannic and moved her hand in a way that she was inviting him in. Yannic had to enter. He wanted to hear more of those angelic voices. As he entered the tree, the opening slowly got closed. The light of the dusk no more could enter the tree. It was dark neither he heard the giggles nor he could see any of them

around.

Yannic slowly moved ahead. Even after walking few meters past, he was amazed he had not yet bumped into anything.

“How can a room in a tree be this huge?” wondered Yannic as he continued moving ahead.

Suddenly, beside him, he saw a little sparkle of a fire that soon turned to a flame held by one of those little ladies. He could see her milky white skin turn red with the warmth of the burning flame.

“Mama!” she said “Look daddy’s here!” as she pulled a pocket of Yannic’s pants.

The girl was staring ahead. Yannic could feel a dark feminine figure sitting in front of him on the dim light of flame. He got closer he could recognize her face. On the light of flame, he saw the most beautiful woman in front of him. On her rapture blue eyes, he could see the image of the flame burning aside. He looked at her dainty nose and plumbed lips. The flame had made her long hair look sunrise golden.

“You’re back!” she spelled.

She got up from her seat.

Oh! That angelic beauty, the queen of fairies. Yannic could not take his eyes off her.

“I have been waiting for you for so long.”

“Where had you been, my lord?” she bowed down to him and clanged to his feet.

“What are you doing? Who are you lady?” Yannic tried to pick her up. A beauty like her would never suit on a commoner’s feet. But she curled more.

“They told you’re gone, to the land beyond the stars.” (Sobbing)

“But I always knew, you were coming back. I knew, we had to wait and we would wait eternity for you, my lord”

“Who are you, lady?”

“You might have…you might have mistaken me for someone else.” Stammered Yannic.

“Didn’t you recognize me?” The lady got up, pulled him closer and stared into his eyes. “I am Arina, the Queen of Peninha. Didn’t lord Aerius recognize me?”

Yannic was amazed.

“Your princesses, they had been waiting for their father with me.” She pointed towards those three little girls beside the flame.

“I’ve waited for you so long and now that you’ve arrived, I feel so complete, so safe.”

He looked deep into her eyes, he could see the time she had waited for him. It was long. The pain of undying love she had carried in her tears.

He slowly wiped away her tears.

“I will never leave you again.” Yannic hugged her and kissed her forehead. Yannic never felt so strong, he didn’t know what made him so connected to that unknown lady inside the tree that he could feel the pain in her soul.

“We were so scared. They followed us up here.” One of the little princesses stepped ahead and told him.

“They put us in cage and took mommy to the hall.” Another spoke.

“They are never going to harm you again.

Your daddy’s back.” Yannic didn’t know why he was telling all these to some kids, he had never met before but it felt really good. The little girls giggled and ran towards him. He embraced them tight, beside him sat the queen. He hugged them all. That was the moment, the moment of realization when he felt like the greatest, strongest and the most fulfilled person in the world. He felt like a king, a warrior lost in his battle, who finally got back to his long lost family.

Yannic looked at them. Hugged them. He felt, this was where he belonged.

“Now, that we’ve met you, our wait’s over! We can peacefully go to the rest.”, Softly said the queen as she wiped her tears.

“Rest? What are you talking about?” asked Yannic.

“Lord! After you left, they tried to torture me and these little kids. We fled away from Peninha. They followed us even here. So we chose to leave our bodies rather than being tortured by those demons. But our souls, we were captured here. All this time, we were yearning to meet you, we were in pain but your kiss have melted all that away. We’re free now. We can easily go on rest. Other good souls in Peninha need you my lord! You go! Set them free!” The queen smiled as the tear of happiness flowed through her cheeks. She walked away from Yannic and the little girls followed her. They all looked happy. The little princesses were still giggling covering their tiny little teeth.

“Thank you father!” said one of them, smiling. Yannic looked at them from a distance with tears in his eyes. The queen placed her hands above the heads of princesses and they all disappeared with the sparkles of glittering stars.

Within a lapse of a moment, he found himself resting under a tree, beside him was Zohar snoring. He looked up, the sky full of the stars. He was quite sure this was not just a dream. He looked around, all the trees were tall and straight. None of them were creepy and twisted.

The curse was broken! Yannic shook Zohar.

“Zohar!”

Zohar was half awake. “Get up Zohar! We must move ahead, now.”

“It’s late night, my lord!” said Zohar yawning.

“Zohar, Let’s go to my kingdom and free all the good souls. Save the long lost land.”

Zohar smiled to his realization. They both stood up. Through the gaps of those aligned and straight trees, they could clearly see the light of the holy pond, the way to Peninha, their long lost kingdom.