Chapter I                      Chapter IX                            Chapter XVII
Chapter II                     Chapter X                             Chapter XVIII
Chapter III                    Chapter XI                            Chapter XIX
Chapter IV                   Chapter XII                           Chapter XX
Chapter V                    Chapter XIII                          Chapter XXI
Chapter VI                   Chapter XIV                         Chapter XXII
Chapter VII                  Chapter XV                          Chapter XXIII
Chapter VIII                 Chapter XVI

    It was a warm and sunny spring day in the small town of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.  The birds were singing, the grass was green, the smell of fresh flowers was in the air, and the children at Beaver Falls Elementary School were playing outside on recess and enjoying themselves tremendously.  It seemed to the children that this was the first day that the sun had come out in months, though it was probably closer to two weeks.
     While most of the children were having a wonderful time playing, there was one little girl who was sitting all by herself.  This little girl’s name was Molly Jenkins.  She was about ten years old, with long, dark-brown hair, brown eyes and freckles on her cheeks.  Molly was sitting by herself, as she had not really felt like playing in a long time, because last year, Molly’s mother died of Leukemia. It all happened so quickly for Molly.  One day her mother was okay, and the next day she was extremely sick and then suddenly she died.
     Molly was tremendously sad and missed her mother much.  As she was sitting alone on the playground, she was remembering some of the fun times they had had.  They used to read books together, go for walks in the park, and they even had pillow fights once in a while.  They were always laughing, it seemed to Molly.  And Molly used to laugh a lot.  Her eyes used to light up when she really smiled, but no one had seen that smile since her mother died.
 It was, of course, natural for Molly to be sad, but her teacher did not like to see Molly so sad, especially on such a beautiful day.  Molly’s teacher seemed to think that if Molly would just go play with the other children, she would not be so sad.  She was certainly wrong.  However, many people think this way, and I hope you will not hold it against her teacher for thinking this.
     “Molly,” her teacher said, “wouldn’t you like to play with your friends on the playground?”
     “No, not right now,” Molly replied.
     “I think you would feel better if you did,” her teacher said.
     “Please,” Molly said sadly, “can’t I just be alone?”
     “But, Molly, it’s such a beautiful day.  You don’t want to waste it sitting her moping around, do you?”
     Molly realized that her teacher was not going let her alone, and so she sighed, “No,” and walked over to where some of her friends were sitting.  To be honest, Molly was not always sure what to think of her friends.  Sometimes they acted like they really like her, while other times they teased her and made fun of her.  She never understood their behavior, but she was nice to them anyway.  Their names are Josephine Adler, Alexandra Brandt and Christine Tulliver.  When Molly walked up to them, Josephine and Alexandra were sitting on top of a large cement tunnel playing hand games.
     “Oh, Molly,” said Christine trying to sound grown up, but sounding a bit silly, “I’m glad you came over.  I was just about to tell a funny story, and I think you will laugh a lot.”
     “Alright,” Molly said.
     “Yesterday,” she began, “I was playing in my front yard and a dirty looking man came up pretending to know me.  He was so gross.  His pants were filthy, his shirt had a hole in it, and he smelled pretty bad too!”
     “Ew,” Josephine and Alexandra said together.
     “What do you mean he pretended to know you?” Molly asked.
     “Duh!” said Christine, “He knew my name and pretended to know who I was.”
     “How do you suppose he knew your name?”
     “Well,” said Christine pointing her nose a little in the air, “my family is pretty important, and everybody who is anybody would know my name.”  (She had been listening to silly grown-ups too often!)  “Anyway,” she continued, “this man came up to me and told me he was hungry and asked if I could give him something to eat.  I went into the greenhouse and took the biggest tomato I could find and I threw it at him and ran inside.  It splattered all over him!”  As Christine said this she let out a loud laugh.
     Josephine and Alexandra both laughed with her.
     “That wasn’t very nice,” Molly interrupted.
     “Dat wuzn’t veery nice,” repeated Christine in a voice to make fun of Molly.
     “But it wasn’t!” Molly persisted.
     “Dut et wuzn’t,” Christine teased, while the other two laughed even more.
     “My grandma always says we should be kind to everyone.”
     “My grandma always says, blah, blah, blah,” Christine said harshly.  “Your grandma is stupid.”
     “She is not,” shouted Molly, who by now was trying hard not to cry.
     “Chee ith not,” said Christine, sticking her tongue out and crossing her eyes.  This made the other girls laugh much harder than before.
     Molly just could not stand to be teased any more and started to cry.  She hated crying in front of people, and in her embarrassment, she starting home.  As she ran away, she could hear the other girls calling her a crybaby, but as bad as she felt it no longer bothered her and she just kept running.  She ran all the way home, went into her room, took hold of her teddy bear named Joey, and cried.  Joey had always been there when Molly needed a good cry.  Her uncle Joseph had won this teddy bear for her at a carnival when she was only two years old.  It was the biggest teddy bear at the whole carnival—I am sure you have seen one this big.  Molly named the bear after her uncle, and Joey has been a great comfort to her ever since.
     Molly had only been in her room a short time when, quite suddenly, she heard a knock at her door.
    “Molly, dear,” a voice said softly, “what’s wrong?”
     “Nothing Grandma,” Molly said.
     “Are you sure?” her grandmother asked, “If nothing was wrong, I’d think that you would still be at school.”  She slowly walked into Molly’s room and sat down next to her.
     “Christine was teasing me again,” Molly said sniffling.  “And Josephine and Alexandra were laughing at me.”
     “I’m sorry, Molly” her grandmother said.  “Why don’t we call the school and let them know you won’t be back.  Then you can come to my house and we can spend the day together.  Would you like that?”
     “Yeah,” Molly said nodding her head.
     “Now, let me get you a tissue,” her grandmother said.
    Molly’s grandmother lived close to her house and Molly went there every day after school, because her father had to work a lot.  Her grandmother was a sweet old woman, who always seemed to be cooking something good to eat.  She was a little taller than Molly, with gray hair and lots of wrinkles.  She was always happy to see Molly, but never pinched her cheeks, like some old people do.  And, somehow, Molly’s grandmother always seemed to know when Molly needed her.
     Molly wiped her eyes and blew her nose and her grandmother hugged her tightly for a while.  After a short time, Molly’s grandmother got up from the bed, called the school and told them that Molly was okay and that she would be out of class the rest of the day.  After that, they walked hand-in-hand to Molly’s grandmother’s house.

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     “Grandma,” Molly asked, “How did you know I was at home?”
     “Oh,” she said, “grandmas just have a sense about things like that.”
     “I’m glad you came,” she said, her face brightening up.
     “I’m glad that you’re glad,” her grandmother replied.
     When they got to Molly’s grandmother’s house, they played a few games of “Go Fish” in the living room, and then Molly’s grandmother began to make lunch.  The kitchen sink was under a window and the sun shone so brightly on her that it seemed to Molly that her grandmother was glowing.  “Almost like an angel,” Molly thought to herself.  On the windowsill sat an old radio.  It was always on softly during the day, and when Molly’s grandmother wasn’t talking or laughing, she was humming along with the music on the radio.
     The house was old and small compared to today’s standards. Beaver Falls is a suburb of Pittsburgh, and it was founded when Pittsburgh was known as the steel capital of the world.  As a result, all the houses there are old, but they were well built, and almost all of them look as nice as they did when they were first built.  This house, much like the rest, was built using red bricks.  The roof was made of wood, with the sides and edges painted white. It had a small front porch, also made of wood, with a porch swing, and wide steps that led up to the front porch.  It, too, was painted white. The front yard was always green during the spring and summer and Molly’s grandmother kept some of the most beautiful roses, of almost every color, that the world has ever seen.  Molly’s dad said her grandmother had a green thumb, though neither of her thumbs looked green to Molly.
     There were only two bedrooms and one bathroom upstairs.  Downstairs was a living room, a large kitchen where the dinner table sat, and another bathroom. There was a basement, too, where Molly’s grandmother kept all of her cleaning supplies, as well as many boxes, which contained lots of old things.
     At the top of the stairs, there was a door that did not seem to do anything.  It was not a closet or anything useful like that.  It actually seemed like it should go outside, had there been a balcony, but there was not a balcony and the door did not open.  Molly tried knocking on it, but all she ever heard was a thud, like knocking against a brick wall.  When she asked her grandmother what is was for, she only replied that it was there when she bought the house, and that perhaps the previous owners were planning to build an addition.
     “But perhaps,” her grandmother said one day with a twinkle in her eye, “there is great adventure behind that door.”  Molly wanted to ask her more about it, but she found that somehow she just could not speak.
     Molly’s grandmother was a good storyteller.  She often told the fairy tales, as if she really had been there, and watched everything that happened.  Once Molly asked her in disbelief, “Did that really happen?”  Her grandmother paused, and then said, “If you believe, anything is real.”  And while Molly did not understand this, she did love her grandmother’s stories and kept asking to hear more.
     “Grandma,” Molly said, as her grandmother was getting lunch ready, “Will you tell me a story?”
     “I am not sure I have one, right now,” she replied.  “Perhaps some magic would help.”
     “Please!”
     “I think I feel something coming.”
     “Pretty please!”
     “It’s almost here,” her grandmother said, happily smiling,  “But it’s not quite here yet.”
     “Pretty please, with sugar on top!” Molly pleaded.
     “I think that did it,” she replied.  “Have I ever told you the story about Kathryn, the Princess of Rosenblum?”
     “No, Grandma.  Where’s Rosenblum?”
     “You won’t find Rosenblum on any map,” her grandmother said.  “It is a magical world, beyond any land, sea or sky.”
     “How do you get there?”
     “I don’t remember,” her grandmother replied.  “It’s been a long time.”
     “Grandma!” Molly protested, “Stop kidding around.”
 Her grandmother only smiled, with that twinkle in her eye and said, “Maybe I should just get to the story.”
     “Alright,” Molly said, still wanting to know how one got to Rosenblum.
     Molly’s grandmother cleared her throat a little and began telling Molly the story.  From what I know, it went something like this:
     Once upon a time, there was a young Princess named Kathryn.  Kathryn was tall for her age, with short blond hair, and brown eyes.  She had fair skin, and was a good person at heart.  She loved animals, for she had three dogs, four cats, some rabbits, and a horse.  She also had an animal that looked like a big ball of fur.  It did not have any legs, and bounced around to get from place to place.  It was called a snoodle.  Kathryn was allowed to pet it and hold it, but she never did for long because snoodles like to bounce, and get restless when they cannot.  Kathryn had just put her snoodle down when her father came in.
     “Katie,” her father, the King, said, “today your mother and I are going to meet with the council of Rosenblum.  We need to make preparations for the festival.  If you go out today, please be careful.”
     “Yes, Father,” Kathryn responded.
     It was springtime in Rosenblum, and the weather was wonderful.  The sun was shining, the hills were green, and the dew was still on the grass.  It was on days like today that Katie would get on her horse and ride for hours.  There were many trees covered with flowers.  The air was fresh and smelled delicious.   So Kathryn did get on her horse and was riding her as fast as she could, through a great, green meadow.  When she reached the edge of the meadow, she saw an old man lying on the grass.  It looked as if he had been badly hurt because his head was bruised and bleeding.  Kathryn dismounted her horse, and ran to the man.
     “Sir,” she said, “are you alright?”
     “My head . . . it is so dreadfully hot,” he replied.
     Kathryn ran back to her horse to fetch a flask of water, and then ran back to the man.  She tore a small piece of cloth from her shirt (it was a lovely shirt), soaked it in water, and began to wipe the old man’s head.  She cleaned off the blood and sweat, and as she did, the man’s face seemed to change before her eyes.  He grew less frail and more noble.  His eyes became less sleepy and more mighty and courageous.  His tattered clothes began to be restored, while his arms and legs grew strong.  Kathryn was incredibly frightened, got up and took a couple steps backwards.
     “Do not be afraid, my daughter,” he said as he stood to his feet.  “I have been waiting for you.”  (It was customary for older people in Rosenblum to formally address younger people as “my son” or “my daughter.”  It was also customary for younger people to address the older people formally as “my mother” or “my father.”  A person’s name was only used by family or friends.)
     “Waiting for me, my father?” she questioned.
     “Yes,” he said.  “I was waiting here for you to ride by.  I wanted to know if you would be my friend.”
     “How do you know me?” she asked.
     “I know everyone,” he replied.
     “How?” Kathryn persisted.
     “My daughter,” he said, “you are curious, indeed.”
     “Forgive me, my father,” she said.  “Please tell me how it is that you know everyone.”
     “You need not ask my forgiveness.  You have not offended me.  I only meant that your curiosity serves you well.  My daughter, I am a Wizard.”
     “Are you the Wizard?” she asked.
     “I am,” he responded.
     “Please, sir,” she said.  “Do not be angry with me.”
     “My daughter,” he said with surprise, “do I look angry?”
     “I do not know.  I do not dare to look at you,” Kathryn said.  She had dropped to the ground on her knees with her eyes looking down.
     “Katie,” he said warmly, “you have done well today.  I tested you and you passed the test.”  He then walked to Princess Kathryn, raised her to her feet, and put his hand gently under her chin, lifting her face, to look into her eyes.
     Kathryn saw the compassion in his eyes, and she felt much better.  She had been afraid of the Wizard because she knew he was powerful.  She also knew that he was good and that he hated that which was bad.  She knew that she had sometimes behaved badly and thought that the Wizard would not like her because of it.
     The Wizard was extraordinarily old, though he did not look old.  No one in Rosenblum knew how old he was—it seemed as if he had always lived there.  He had a small cottage in the forest, but he was not always to be found in it.  Actually, most of the time he was not there.  Everyone knew he was incredibly powerful and extraordinarily good.  In Rosenblum, the son or daughter of the King and Queen did not always become a King or Queen himself or herself.  Instead, the Wizard would test the future King or Queen to see if he or she was good, pure in heart, and capable of being a good leader of the people of Rosenblum.  If the person were not good or pure in heart, then the Wizard would choose someone else to be the King or Queen.  Kathryn was not worried about this last part.  She did not want to be the Queen anyway.  She was just afraid that his goodness would make her seem dreadfully bad.
     “You have pleased me,” he said looking into her eyes.  “I am at your service, Princess,” he said, dropping to one knee and putting her hand close to his mouth as if he were kissing it.  It would have been rude if he had actually kissed her hand, but his gesture was one that showed respect for Princess Kathryn.
     “Please, you need not do such things,” Kathryn said, feeling embarrassed.
     “Perhaps,” replied the Wizard.  “You are, however, the Princess and, therefore, deserve my respect.  Would you give me the pleasure of accompanying me for tea?”  He smiled at her as a father might smile at his daughter, when the father is proud of his daughter.
     “Yes,” she said, returning the smile and feeling much more at ease with the Wizard.
 Kathryn took hold of the reins of her horse with one hand, and took the hand of the Wizard with her other, as he offered it to her, and they walked to his cottage.  It was something of a distance to get there, but that was good because it gave the horse a chance to cool down.  The Wizard’s cottage was small, but comfortable and familiar.  There were flowers growing in the garden all around it.  Kathryn put her horse in a small stable outside and the Wizard, took off its saddle gave it some water and, then placed a small bag of oats over its mouth as a treat.  Inside the cottage, there was a kitchen and a sitting room, and two other doors, which Kathryn believed to be the Wizard’s bedroom and washroom.  There was a small, plain table in the middle of the room that had already been set with tea service and delicious-looking pastries.
     The Wizard pulled out a chair for Kathryn and she sat down and waited to be served.  It was not that she could not serve herself, or would not have served herself, (for she took great pleasure in doing things for herself), but it was polite to wait for her host to serve the tea.  The Wizard did serve the tea and pastries, and sat down across the table from Kathryn.  They began to talk as though they had been friends for a long time.  The Wizard was an exceptionally good listener and Kathryn felt that she could talk to him about almost anything.  She stayed with him until it was late in the day, and she knew she must begin riding home, if she were to get home before dark.
     “Thank you so much,” Kathryn said, “for having me over today.  I have enjoyed our time together.”
     “You are welcome, Katie.  I would be glad if you would come and visit me often.”
     “May I?” she asked, a little surprised.
     “Of, course,” he replied.  “You are welcome whenever you want to come visit me.”
     “But they say that you are rarely here.  What if I should come and find no one at home?”
     The Wizard stretched forth his hand, and, in his palm, was a ball that gave off an emerald green light—much like a light bulb.  This ball, unlike a light bulb would be, was not hot.  “Take this, and wherever you are, you need only to hold it tight in the palm of your hand and speak to me.  I will hear you always.  Whenever you would like to have tea again, use it and I will be waiting here for you.”  He then gave her a small, velvet pouch in which to put the ball.  This she hung around her neck, so that she would not lose it.
     “Thank you, sir,” Kathryn said.  “I will come and visit you often.  Will you tell me for whom I should call?”  This was her was of asking what his name was.
     “Why Katie,” he chuckled delightedly, “ few people have ever asked me that.  My name is Aryeh.”
     The two walked outside went to the stable and Aryeh took the feeding bag off the horse, quickly brushed it and then put the saddle back on.  He then helped the Princess mount her horse.  They both said “good-bye,” and with this Kathryn rode swiftly home.  Over the next few years, Kathryn did visit the Wizard as often as once a week.  He was always delighted to see her and they constantly talked about a great many things.  The Wizard had so much to teach the Princess and she enjoyed learning from the Wizard more than from her private tutor because the Wizard always taught her about the practical things in life.  Every time Kathryn wanted to visit the Wizard, she would simply hold her magic ball tightly in her hand and say, “Aryeh, may I come visit you now?”  She would then get on her horse and ride to his cottage and each time he was waiting there for her when she arrived.
     But as the princess started getting older, her visits to the Wizard became less and less frequent.  Kathryn began wanting to be grown up, and found the Wizard to be too childish.  Indeed, he was childish—but this was not bad.  Rather it was good.  There are good qualities that almost all children have, which most adults try to rid themselves of in an attempt to be “grown-up.”  So, instead, they take on qualities that adults have, that are not good.  The Wizard had kept the best qualities of being a child while taking on the best qualities of being an adult, so that while the Wizard was diligent in keeping his cottage neat and clean, after his work was done he loved to romp and play in the garden.
     Kathryn, however, became too busy trying to be “mature” to visit the Wizard any longer.  She was attending royal parties and trying to impress whomever she met by acting grown up.  She did manage to impress some people, but these were the silly adults who were trying harder than Kathryn to be grown up.  She changed from being the person she used to be and she was now more interested in wearing the right clothes, fussing with her hair, and wearing makeup than trying to be a good person inside.  Of course, as she filled her life with these things and pushed the Wizard out, she became sad, though she did not understand why.  When she felt sad, she would buy new clothes or get a new hair style, and that would make her feel better for a short time.  But then, she would feel worse again.
     One evening there was to be a royal ball.  There were going to be stately people from all over Rosenblum there.  Kathryn wanted very much to impress everyone there.  She had been preparing herself the whole day.  She was hoping to be noticed by some young noble, though she was still pretty young to be thinking about marriage.  It had been longer than a year since she had last visited the Wizard, and this made him sad.  So, he decided to visit Kathryn at the castle and it happened to be on the exact night of the ball.  He came dressed modestly, as she had always seen him.  He arrived with many of the other guests, and they, not knowing who he was, made fun of him.  When one of the servants finally brought Kathryn to the Wizard, she was embarrassed to find him there.
     “Your Highness,” he said to Kathryn.  “It is good to see you, again.”
     “Yes, it is good to see you,” she replied, though she did not mean it.  “However, this is an inopportune time.  Could you please come back some other time?”
     “I suppose I could come back some other time, but it has been so long since we have really talked.  Can’t you spare a moment to catch up?”
     “No,” Kathryn said, “I really must entertain my guests.”
     “Katie, please,” Aryeh begged.
     “My name is not Katie,” Kathryn insisted.  “I have grown up, and people call me Kathryn.  Now if you would go, that would please me.”
     “Yes, I will go,” he said, and a tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.  As he turned and walked away, his tears hit the ground and suddenly it began to rain hard.  The poor Wizard walked away with his head hung low, as the rain drenched his clothes.  And that night, it rained longer and harder than it had ever rained in Rosenblum.
     As the Wizard was walking away, one of the Kathryn’s guests said with a laugh, “It’s good you got rid of that fellow!”
These words had an interesting effect upon the Princess.  Suddenly Kathryn realized that she had been mean to him.  She remembered all of the wonderful times she had with the Wizard and that he was never once anything but kind to her.  She was also suddenly able to see exactly what she had become and she—the real Kathryn, not the Kathryn she was trying to be—did not like it.
     Kathryn’s eyes then began to fill with tears and she cried, “Oh shut up!” to her guest and she ran away into the night.  She knew that she could never face the Wizard again, after the way she had treated him.  She also knew that she no longer wanted to live her life the way she had been living it.  She could no longer be queen of Rosenblum, and felt like she had no reason to remain there.  So, she left, and no one knows where she went or has ever heard from her again.

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     “Well, Molly, I think lunch is ready,” her grandmother said.
     “Is that the end of the story, Grandma?” Molly asked.  “Because it wasn’t a nice ending.”
     “That is as much of it as I know,” her grandmother replied.
     “I am sure that the Wizard would have been happy if she had run after him and apologized.  He sounds like a good person.”
     “I think you are right Molly.  But sometimes people do not apologize, not because they cannot face the people they hurt, but because they cannot face themselves.  If the princess wants to be friends with the Wizard again, she will have to face and defeat that part of her that she doesn’t like.  Now, why don’t you sit outside to eat your lunch.  Some fresh air would do you good.”
     “Okay, Grandma,” Molly said. “Thank you for telling me a story and making me lunch.”
     “At your service,” her grandmother replied with a graceful bow, and then they both laughed.
     Molly’s grandmother had prepared her a bowl of homemade vegetable soup and a grilled-cheese sandwich and Molly went outside and sat on the steps of the porch to eat her lunch.  She put the bowl of soup next to her, so as not to spill it in her lap.  Just as she had begun to eat her soup, an older man in shabby clothes approached her.  His poor overcoat was stained red with the juice of a ripe tomato.  Molly remembered what Christine had told her and at once knew it was the same man who had visited Christine the day before.
     “Hello Molly,” he said.
     “Hello sir,” Molly replied.  Being cautious and not knowing what the man wanted from her, she stood up so that she could quickly run back into the house if she needed to do so.
     “Please, Molly, do not be afraid,” he said.  “I only want to know if you could spare this old man something to eat.”
     “My grandmother has just made vegetable soup.  I am sure she would be glad to let you have a bowl, if you would like.”
     “I would like that much.  Would you ask her, Molly?  ”
     Molly went inside and told her grandmother about the man and asked if she would make him a bowl of soup.  She agreed, and they both went back outside together.  When the man saw her grandmother with the soup, he smiled broadly.  Molly’s grandmother smiled too.  And although neither one said a word to the other, it seemed that the man knew Molly’s grandmother well and that she knew him equally well.
     “You have nothing to worry about Molly,” her grandmother said.  “Enjoy your lunch.”
 Molly was much more at ease with the man now.  She invited him to sit down on the stairs with her and he did so happily.  Molly watched as he ate his soup, and thought she had never seen anyone enjoy a meal so much.  When he had finished his soup, she offered him half of her grilled-cheese sandwich, which he also gladly accepted.
     “Sir,” Molly said to the man, “how do you know my name?”
 “    I have been around a long time,” the man replied.  “I know almost everyone in this area.”
     “Sir,” she said again, “did you visit Christine Tulliver yesterday?”
     “Why yes, I did,” the man answered a little surprised.
     “I am sorry she threw that tomato at you.”
     “You do not need to be sorry,” he said, “you did not do anything.  But thank you for your kind words.”
     “Sir,” she said, “please do not be angry with me for asking, but why do you beg?”
     “I cannot be angry with you Molly.  I am not as poor as you may think.  I beg because I am looking for good people.  I have been looking for a child with as big a heart as yours for some time now.”
     “Why?” Molly asked.
     “Because I have a special present that I have been saving for a child with a heart like yours.”
     “Sir,” she said, “You don’t have to give me any present.”
     “Of course I do not have to, Molly.  I want to,” he said.  He pulled from his coat pocket what looked like a solid gold necklace with a bright green emerald hanging from it.  He put it around her neck and said, “Thank you for your company, Molly.  Please thank your grandmother for the soup.  Shall I bring my bowl into the kitchen?”
     “I will take it in for you,” Molly replied.
     “Thank you again, Molly,” he said.  “I will see you soon.”  And, with that, he began to walk away.
     “Sir,” Molly said, “thank you for the gift.”
     The man turned for a moment, smiled, and waved good-bye to Molly.  He walked away quickly and happily was soon out of sight.  Molly, who had not wanted to be rude, had not looked carefully at the necklace when the man gave it to her.  However, when she finally did look at it, she saw that it was more than a necklace.  It was actually a key, made of pure gold, she thought, with an emerald as the handle.  It was beautiful, Molly thought to herself.
     When she brought the dishes inside, her grandmother asked her if she had had a nice visit.
     “Yes, Grandma,” she said.  “And look! He gave me something.”
     “That is beautiful,” her grandmother said.
     “I wonder what it is for?” Molly asked.
     “You will know . . . when the time is right.”
     “Grandma, do you know that man?  Who is he?”
     “I have known him a long time,” she replied, “and while I cannot say who he is, I do know that he is good and that it is a special thing for him to visit you.”
     After this, Molly’s grandmother had to run some errands and Molly went with her.  They went to the grocery store, the post office, and the gardening store.  When they got home Molly helped carry all the groceries inside.  It was almost dinnertime and Molly’s grandmother had a message from Molly’s father on her answering machine.  He said that there was a problem with the computer network at his office, and he had to stay late to make up for the lost time.  He said that he thought it would be best if Molly spent the night there.  Actually, Molly spent the night with her grandmother quite often, and the spare bedroom was pretty much Molly’s.  So Molly was not at all unhappy about spending the night there.
     They had a nice dinner together and afterwards watched a little television.  Molly’s grandmother did not watch much television.  She felt that it was mostly a waste of time.  She did, however, like to watch the game shows that tested a person’s knowledge and she often knew many of the answers.  Molly was feeling pretty worn out from the day’s activities and so she went to bed a little early.  Her grandmother tucked her in bed, kissed her on the forehead and then Molly thanked her grandmother for being with her that day.  The sweet old woman just smiled and turned out the lights.  Molly was soundly asleep in a few minutes.

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     Molly was not sure how long she had slept, when she thought she heard her grandmother calling her to get ready for school.  She was still sleepy and, with her eyes half closed, she got dressed.  She suddenly looked out the window and noticed that it was still pitch black outside.  She had not noticed at first that, while her room was lit up, everything had a strange green color.  Molly looked all around the room but could not see where the green light was coming from.  She then caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and saw that the light was coming from the handle of the key that was hanging around her neck.  She looked down at the key in amazement.  Wanting to be sure that she was not dreaming, she pinched herself so hard that she cried, “ow!” from the sting.
     She wanted to show it to her grandmother, but when she opened the door to her room, she saw something even more amazing.  For the first time ever, she noticed a keyhole on the door that did not lead to anywhere.  From the keyhole there poured a bright white light.  Molly just stood there dumbfounded looking at it for a moment because she was quite surprised.  It was such an incredible sight, that I doubt if even people who have traveled the whole world over would have been able to do anything else but just stand there looking at it for a while.
     Of course, Molly was a smart girl and came to her senses shortly.  She went to the door, put the key in the keyhole, and turned it.  She then pulled the key out of the keyhole and gently turned the doorknob.  It opened without making a sound.  The whole upstairs was instantly lit up as if the sun had been up.  It took some time for Molly’s eyes to adjust to the brightness of the light, but when they finally did, she saw that she was looking into an old hallway.  It was made of stone, like many of the old castles she had read about and seen pictures of.
     This hallway was nearly ten feet wide and twenty feet high.  There were large paintings on both sides of it, which made it look much like an art gallery.  Molly could not see where the light was coming from to make it so bright and she might have thought that the light was coming from the paintings, if she had not known any better.  After pondering this for a while, she cautiously stepped in through the door.  As Molly began walking, she wondered where the hallway went, because it looked like it stretched on for miles and miles.  She began walking, looking at all the paintings.  They were all paintings of landscapes—most of them exceptionally beautiful, but some of them, however looked ugly—and they all looked amazingly real to Molly.  They looked so real, in fact, that she thought she could step right into them.
     Molly kept walking slowly down the hallway and took notice of every single painting she passed.  She had walked a long way and seen hundreds of paintings, though she did not know it, because she did not feel at all tired.  She walked and walked until she saw a beautiful young woman standing next to one of the paintings, looking at it intently, with a tear running down her cheek.  She was about seventeen, Molly thought, with long golden blond hair.  She had fair skin and wore a lovely dress, though it was completely soaked and covered in mud.  Her eyes were green and her cheeks rosy.  She was staring so attentively at the painting, that she did not even notice Molly.
     “That’s a beautiful painting,” Molly said.
 The young woman started, but, upon seeing Molly, she relaxed and replied, “It is.  I used to live there.”  Her voice was soft and quiet, but friendly.
     “You don’t live there anymore?” Molly asked.
     “No,” the young woman replied, “I cannot.”
     “I’m sorry,” Molly said.  “Where do you live now?”
     “I . . . I do not know,” she answered.  “I suppose I shall have to find a new place to live.”
     “Have you been here a long time?”
     “Sometimes it seems that I have been here an incredibly long time and sometimes it seems that I have just gotten here,” the young woman replied.
     “I hope I am not disturbing you,” Molly said, wanting to be polite, “but where are we?”
     “You do not disturb me,” she answered.  “On the contrary, I am glad to have your company.  I think we must be in the Wizard’s house, though I do not know.  How did you get here?”
     “I came in through a peculiar door in my grandmother’s house.  How did you get here?”
     “I was running through the forest.  It was raining and I could not see where was going.  I tripped over something, and somehow landed on this floor.”
     Molly was contemplating the girl’s answer when she realized that she had not told the girl her name.  “I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself.  My name is Molly.”
     “I am pleased to meet you, Molly.  My name is Kathryn, but please,” she said in a pleading tone, “call me Katie.”
     “Are you Princess Kathryn from Rosenblum?” Molly asked excitedly.
     “Yes,” Kathryn replied, much astounded.  “But how did you know?”
     “My grandma told me about you.”
     “How did she find out about me?” Kathryn asked.
     “I don’t know,” Molly said.
     “Indeed!” exclaimed Kathryn.  “That is remarkable.”
     “Katie,” Molly said quietly and humbly, “do you think you will ever be able to talk to the Wizard again?  I think he would forgive you and would be glad to have you as his friend again.”
     “Dear Molly,” Kathryn said sadly, “I have been mean to the kindest person I have ever met.  Even if he would take me back, which I do doubt, I do not deserve his friendship.”
     “But . . .” Molly started to say.
     “No,” Kathryn interrupted.  “You will not change my mind.  I must suffer the consequences of my actions, however wretched my life may be.”
     Molly wanted badly to help Kathryn see that she was not as bad as she imagined.  But she realized that Kathryn would have to hear it from the Wizard before she could believe it.  “Where will you go?” Molly asked.
     “I do not know,” Kathryn said, as though she had never thought of it before.
     “Will you come and stay with me?”
     “May I?” Kathryn asked doubtfully.  “If your grandmother knows my story, perhaps she will not like me.”
     “Oh, no,” Molly responded, “she always finds the good in everyone.  She even tells me to be kind to the girls at my school who tease me.  She says that they only tease me because they doubt their own goodness.”
     “Your grandmother is a wise woman,” Kathryn replied softly.  “Perhaps I should go to your world.  At least I would already have one friend there.”
     Molly smiled.
     “What is it called?” Kathryn asked.
     “The whole world is called Earth, but I live in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,” Molly said.
     “Shall we go to Pennsylvania, then?  You will have to lead the way,” Kathryn said, extending her hand to Molly.
     Molly took Kathryn’s hand and they began walking back down the grand hall.  Both of them were looking at the paintings as they walked by.  Molly noticed something new about each of the paintings as she passed it for a second time.  Then, without saying a word, both Molly and Kathryn stopped to look at the same painting.  They stared at it for a long time before either of them spoke.
     “This is a beautiful place,” Kathryn said.
     “Yes,” Molly replied, “but it feels like there is something sad in this place.”
     “I must agree,” Kathryn said.  “I wonder what it is that makes this place so sad?”
     “I don’t know,” Molly said, “But it seems so real to me.”
     “Yes,” Kathryn said as she put her hand up to touch the painting.  She wondered how the paint would feel but never felt anything.  Her hand seemed to go right into the painting.  She almost jumped back in amazement. She tried to touch it again and stretched her hand out a little farther.  Soon her arm, up to her elbow, was inside the painting.  “Molly,” she whispered, “these are not paintings.  They are doorways to other worlds.”
     Molly then put her hand inside the painting too, and said, “What should we do?”
     “I am drawn to this place, Molly.  I feel as though I must find out what is wrong here.  But I cannot ask you to come with me.”
     “You don’t need to ask me.  I want to know what’s wrong too,” Molly replied.
     “You are brave,” Kathryn said, “there may be some danger in this world.”
     “I don’t know if I am brave.  I just feel like I am supposed to go with you.  My grandma says that I should always trust my feelings.”
     “Indeed,” Kathryn said thoughtfully.  “Then we shall go together.  We must not let go of each other’s hand.”
 After agreeing upon this, they both carefully stepped over the bottom part of the picture frame.  This might have looked strange to anyone who did not know what was happening, because each of them had one foot inside the picture and one foot in the giant hallway.  But then they carefully pulled the other foot over the picture frame, never letting go of one another’s hands, and disappeared into the painting.

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     Kathryn and Molly found themselves standing in the middle of an extraordinary forest.  It amazed them both because the trees were incredibly different from anything either of them had ever seen before.  They were giant trees, as tall and as big around as the Sequoia trees that Molly had seen when she visited California with her family—except that the leaves on these trees looked like maple leaves, only much larger.  They had giant knots in their trunks that sometimes reminded Molly of tiny windows, and the bark looked thick.  They could hear the chatter of birds in the branches of the trees, and the forest floor was covered by grass.  Flowers grew at the base of these large trees, whose petals grew into a large, feathery, red ball.  The stems, however, were purple.  Kathryn was taking in all the scenery and beauty of this world, when she stared up at the tops of the trees and saw something astonishing.
     “Molly,” she said. “This world has two suns.”
     Molly looked up and saw that, truly, it did have two suns.  She was amazed by this and wondered to herself whether this planet orbited both suns, or whether its orbit went between the two.  It looked to her, though, that one of the suns was chasing the other across the sky.
    As she stood there wondering about this, Molly’s fingers and toes began to tingle.  They almost felt as if they were on fire.
     “Do you feel something strange?” Molly asked Kathryn.
     “No,” Kathryn replied.  “Is something wrong?”
     “My fingers and toes are tingling,” she replied.
     “Do you have magic in your blood?” Kathryn asked.  “Because it sounds like the magic in this world is affecting you.”
     “I don’t think so.”
     “Does your world have magic in it?” Kathryn inquired.  “If you have never been exposed to magic, you might not know.  Is anyone in your family a fairy?”
     “Of course not,” Molly returned.  “Fairies aren’t real.”
     “There may not be fairies in your world, but they are real,” Kathryn replied a little irritated that Molly could doubt such a thing.
     The feeling spread throughout Molly’s entire body and for a moment she felt as though every inch of her body had that feeling you get in your hand when you wake up after sleeping on it.  This lasted only a moment and then disappeared.  When it did, calmness fell around her and she felt lighter and yet, at the same time, more focused.  She had a hard time describing the feeling to me because it was unlike anything she had ever felt before.  But she did say that afterwards she felt as though she understood the world around her better.
     She looked over at Kathryn who was quietly soaking in all the wonder and beauty that surrounded them and realized that she was still holding Kathryn’s hand. Both the girls had almost forgotten why they came into this world when, suddenly, they heard a voice which seemed to be coming from inside the tree next to them.
     “If you don’t want them to get you, you had better come inside quickly,” it said.
     “Who will get us?” Kathryn asked, “And who are you?”
     “There is no time to explain right now.  You both really must come inside.  They will be coming by here any minute, no doubt,” said the voice hastily.  “Be assured,” it continued, “I am a friend!”
     At this, they saw a hole in the trunk of the giant tree appear, as though a door was opening.  From the hole came a soft light that was comforting and familiar to both of them.
     “Please, do come in!” the voice begged in an extremely urgent tone.
     Because of the gentleness of the voice and the comfort she felt from the light, Kathryn lost any fear she had about going into the tree.  “I think it is safe enough,” Kathryn said to Molly.  “We should heed its warning.”
     “I think you’re right,” Molly said.
     They walked toward the hole in the tree and Kathryn, who had to duck down to get through the door, went in first, followed by Molly.  As the door closed behind them, they saw that the light was coming from the body of a small figure.  It looked a little like a dwarf, but not so much like a man to be a dwarf.  It was not fat like a dwarf and it had no beard.  The light seemed to be coming from inside its chest and reminded Molly of the kind of light that comes from a firefly.  It was like a night light, shining brightly enough to see objects in a room, but not so brightly as to see colors or details.
     By this light, Molly and Kathryn were able to see that the creature actually lived in the tree.  On one wall, there was a small table that was carved out of the tree.  There were two chairs at the table.  Just a few steps away from the table, there were four deep holes in the side of a tree, one on top of the other.  She could make out what looked like pillows and blankets inside the holes.  Of course she realized that they were bunk beds, as one might find on a ship.  There was a ladder carved in the tree just next to the bunks.  The floor reflected the light and looked as if it had been sanded and polished.  Kathryn could just barely make out the rings in the floor by the light of the creature.  On the opposite wall, there were several cabinet doors hanging on the wood of the tree.  There was another small table next to the doors with a silver basin on top of it and a mirror just above it.  Molly also saw that the knots in the tree, which reminded her of windows, were, indeed, tiny windows.  None of them were opened, however.  The little house was not at all damp or sticky from sap, as one might expect the inside of a tree to be.  Rather it was dry and quite comfortable.
     “Who are you?” Kathryn asked.  “And who are we hiding from?”
     “My name is Knoll, Royal Ambassador.  Welcome to Trinidar.”  Turning to Molly he said, “Welcome to Trinidar, Young Warrior.”  He then turned back to Kathryn and said, “We are hiding from_” here, he said a word that is difficult to say and even harder to write, but translates roughly as, “the ugly ones.”
     “Who are the ugly ones?” Kathryn asked.
     “My, my, Royal Ambassador.  You really seem to know nothing about us.  I should have hoped that you would have come a little more prepared.  The ugly ones are the creatures that have enslaved most of our people.  Only a few of us have escaped without being chained and having our hearts covered.”
     “But why do they enslave you, and why would they want to cover your heart?  And why do you keep calling me ‘Royal Ambassador?’”
     “I see I shall have to explain everything to you,” Knoll said, a little frustrated.  “The ugly ones enslave us because it brings them some kind of pleasure.  They don’t make us do any hard work.  They don’t use us for any purpose.  They just get a bizarre happiness out of putting chains on our hands and feet and watching us walk around in misery.  The ugly ones came from a dark world and they couldn’t stand to see the light that comes from our hearts.  So, they invented metal vests that cover our chests and our hearts so that our light cannot shine.”
     “That’s terrible,” Molly said passionately.
     “It certainly is,” Knoll returned.
     “You do not have a vest on.  Were you able to get it off?”  Kathryn asked
     “Oh no, Royal Ambassador.  Not even our best blacksmiths have found a way to break the metal they use to make these chains and vests.  I just haven’t been caught yet.  I don’t intend to be, either.  Of course, if you had waited any longer to come in, I just might have been,” Knoll said with a little laugh.  This laugh was like neither Kathryn nor Molly had ever heard before.  “I call you Royal Ambassador, because you are the royal ambassador.”
     “What does that mean?” Kathryn asked.
     “The Great Book of the old days told about you coming to bring us a King.  The Young warrior,” pointing to Molly, “will lead us in a battle to free us from the ugly ones,” Knoll said rather proudly.
     “What is this Great Book?  Why are we in it?” Molly asked, a bit confused that any book would have been about her.
     “The Great Book,” Knoll answered, “is a magic book.  No one knows exactly how it came into our world, but it’s been here since the beginning.  It is full of stories of the past, present and future, and magic spells and enchantments.  I don’t know exactly why you two are in the Great Book.  Still, you are, and it was told that you would come and bring us a King.”
     “But how do you know that I am the royal ambassador or that Molly is this young warrior?”  Kathryn said, in disbelief.
     “I can see it in your faces.  Of course, you both fit the descriptions in the Great Book.  But your faces have a kind of gentleness in them that I know.  I can see the goodness in your eyes.  To those who know how to read them, the eyes never lie. The Great Book tells of a royal ambassador and a young warrior who will come from another world.  It tells of the beauty of the royal ambassador . . .”
     “Oh bother,” interrupted Kathryn, “I must look terrible at the moment.  I have no make up on, my hair is a mess, and my dress is terribly dirty.”  While Kathryn’s heart had changed, and, on the inside, she was becoming more like the young Princess that she had been, it would take her quite a while to overcome the years that she spent valuing only her appearance.
     “Her face will show gentleness and kindness,” continued Knoll, who had ignored Kathryn’s comment, “and she will be noble and honorable.”
     “And the young warrior?  Tell me about her!”  Molly blurted out excitedly.
     “I was just getting to that part,” said Knoll.  “She will be young, but full of courage and honor.  The King has granted her grace and skill.  She will fight in the mighty battle that will give Trinidar back to the Trinidads.”
     “But, I am too young,” answered Molly, “how can I fight a battle?”
     “Young Warrior,” Knoll said sternly, which he rarely ever did, “you cannot let anyone think any less of you because you are young!  You have been called to serve the King.  Your heart is willing, and he has given you everything else you need.  And you, Royal Ambassador; your beauty comes from within.  If you were a Trinidad, your heart would be shining almost as brightly as our strongest sun.”
     Both Molly and Kathryn were a little disappointed in themselves, feeling as if they had just gotten a lecture.  At the same time, however, Knoll’s words were growing inside them and they began to see themselves as the royal ambassador and the young warrior.  They all stood in silence for a moment, reflecting upon Knoll’s words.
     “It really must be true,” Kathryn said to Molly.  “We both felt as if we must come to this place, and it seems that they have been expecting us.  Still, I do not know any great King.  I do not believe they mean my father, the King of Rosenblum.  Please, Knoll,” she said looking at him, “tell me of this King.”
     “You do not know him?!” Knoll said in amazement.  “Surely you must know him.”
 “Perhaps I do; but, tell me, so that I may know the person you speak of,” she returned.
 Knoll sighed deeply as though disappointed and said, “He is not like the kind of Kings that normally rule a country.  He is a magical person.  He will not likely stay in Trinidar long, but he will attend to us when we need him, and at great festivals and such.”
     “Katie,” said Molly, “I think he is talking about Aryeh.”
 Kathryn had not been thinking about that, but once Molly spoke, she knew that Molly must be right.  She was sad about that, because she still did not want to face the Wizard.  “I believe you are right,” she said to Molly.
     “Why do you look so sad then?” Knoll asked.
     “May I tell you at another time?” Kathryn asked in return.
 Knoll was extremely perceptive and replied that it was really none of his concern and apologized for asking.  Kathryn replied that he need not apologize.
     Then, quite suddenly Knoll put his hand to his head and declared, “My, my!  With all of this excitement, I have been a terrible host, haven’t I!  Well, I shall have to remedy this at once!”
     He pulled the two small chairs away from the little table.  The chairs were just the right size for Molly, but too small for Kathryn.  However, being a true Princess, Kathryn never complained about it.  Knoll was busy opening and shutting the cabinet doors and, in a few minutes, he produced some small brown cakes, which were heavy, delicious, but not too sugary, and a yellow-colored sweet nectar.  Both the girls were hungry and began eating at once.  Knoll was still busy opening and shutting things and, in the course of doing this, he brought out a large pot of porridge that was made with the petals of the puffy red flowers and some kind of fowl.  It was served cold, which was the custom in Trinidar.  (Molly told me once that it was one of the most delicious foods that she had ever eaten.)  When everyone had enough to eat, Knoll poured more of the sweet nectar into all three glasses.  Kathryn and Molly thanked Knoll, to which he replied, “I should be thanking you.”
     Molly, wanting to know more about these creatures called the ugly ones, asked, “How did these ugly ones (and why do you call them that) come into Trinidar?”
     “It’s a long story, but it looks as if it will be dark soon, and we won’t be able to get on today.  So, I have plenty of time to tell it.”
     “Please do,” answered Kathryn, who also wanted to know more about the ugly ones.
     “We call them ‘the ugly ones’ because that is just what they are.  They are hideous creatures: ugly to the core of their being.  It’s a wonder that any of us can even stand to look at them.  It is their nature to hate us (even though we never did anything to them) and you can see the red fire of hate that burns in their eyes.”
     “Can we see one?” asked Molly.
     “I don’t think you know what you are asking for,” Knoll answered quite seriously.  “I wish I had never seen them.  Unfortunately, you may have to see one if you are going to help us.  As for how they came into this world, that is a story I will now tell you.”  And with this, Knoll began his tale.

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     A long time ago, there was a Trinidad woman named Shaenor.  Shaenor was a good and gentle Trinidad.  She was the last of her family and, while she and her husband wanted to have a child, they never could.  At that time, the Great Book was kept in the tree in the middle of the forest.  It was guarded by a noble line of Trinidads who had been given the duty at the beginning of the world.  However, the last guardian, Paylar, was growing old and he never married nor had any children.  He was worried that no one would be left to guard the Great Book when he died.  Shaenor knew that Paylar needed to start training a young guardian soon.  She went to Paylar and said, “Noble Guardian, if it pleases you, say a spell so that I can have a child, and let my family continue to live on.  If you will, I promise that when the child is old enough to leave me, it shall come and live with you, to be the next guardian.”
     Paylar was moved by compassion, and replied, “My beloved Shaenor, I will say a spell for you.  You need not make any promises to me.  Perhaps it is time for our King to come and guard the Great Book himself.”  Paylar then opened the book and said a spell over Shaenor.  A few months later (Trinidads are not pregnant as long as humans), Shaenor had a son and named him Simpter.  When Simpter was old enough to leave her, she took him to Paylar.
     “For the honor of our King, who is to come, I keep my promise and leave my child with you to become the next guardian,” Shaenor announced.
     Paylar objected at first, but soon he realized that he could not change Shaenor’s mind.  From that moment, he raised Simpter as his own son, with great joy, knowing that there would be another guardian.  Simpter was intelligent and kind, and Paylar was patient with him.  All the while, Simpter was learning about the secrets and stories of the Great Book and how to say the spells properly.  He also learned that only a Trinidad, true of heart, could say a spell so that it would work.  In addition to learning the secrets of the book, he had to study the kinds of things that all the other young Trinidads had to study, like math, grammar, geography, and wood carving; this was an important skill to learn, for some of the greatest treasures of Trinidar were carved out of wood.
     Simpter grew up, and the time had come for him to become the new guardian of the Great Book.  There was a big ceremony at which almost all the Trinidads were there to see Simpter become the next guardian.  Everyone agreed that he had become noble and strong, and that his heart was good and true.  (Remember that Trinidads can see each other’s hearts and know whether or not it is good and true.)  Simpter took a vow to guard the book and its secrets with his own life and they all cheered as he was passed the sacred medallion and became the new guardian.
     Paylar had become sick, and had only enough strength to pull the medallion from his neck and place it around Simpter’s.  He clutched Simpter tightly and then Simpter helped Paylar to sit back down in his chair.  There was a feast and Simpter was receiving more attention than he had ever known in his entire life.  All sorts of Trinidads were coming up to him, clapping him on the back, or placing their hands on his chest to bless his heart.  (It is a great honor in Trinidar for someone to put his hand on another’s chest and bless his heart.)  Simpter was having such a wonderful time that he had forgotten that Paylar was sick.  Someone had just raised a toast to him, when another voice shouted out, “Simpter, come quickly!  It’s Paylar!”
     He rushed back to the tree in which he had grown up to find Paylar lying there; the light in his heart almost completely gone.  “Son,” said Paylar, for he thought of Simpter as his own son now, “there is one last thing you need to know about the Great Book.”  His words were slow, and it took him several minutes to say this one sentence.  Paylar continued, “You . . . must . . . never . . .” but before he could say any more, the light in his heart went black and he died.
     It was a rule that this last secret be kept until after the feast of the new guardian.  This ensured that only the one who needed to know the secret would.  Often, a child of the guardian would train to be the next guardian and then decide not to be the guardian, after all.  As you have probably guessed, it would not do to have someone know this secret who had not sworn to guard the book with his life.  If Paylar had had a child of his own, the child would have become the guardian many years ago and Paylar would have lived for several years afterwards.  There would have been no danger of losing the secret.  Now, though, Paylar was dead and Simpter was all alone.  There was no one who could tell him the secret.  Overcome with sadness, he laid his head on Paylar’s chest and cried.  (Of course, no one thought him any less noble for crying for Paylar.  Actually, in Trinidar, they would have thought him less noble had he not cried.)
     All the Trinidads joined Simpter in mourning the death of Paylar.  Everyone at the feast began to honor Paylar, standing one by one, telling of his great deeds, his kindness, and his true heart.  This went on for several hours, and, when it was over, Simpter went back to the tree to take his place as guardian of the Great Book.  All the while, he was sad, but he was also concerned because he did not know what the secret was.
    ‘There is something that I must never do,’ he thought to himself, ‘What is it?’  Simpter thought for hours about what it could be.  He looked through the whole book to try to find something that would give him an idea.  In the end, he gave up and went to bed.
     The next few weeks were rather difficult for Simpter.  He had to make many decisions, and had no one to look to for advice.  Trinidads were coming in all the time to look at the Great Book and read the stories.  He would worry that perhaps he was not supposed to let people look at the Great Book, but then he would remember that Paylar always let anyone read it.  At first, he wondered if maybe he was not really supposed to be the guardian.  For a short time, he wanted to give as he felt he would not do a good job.  However, with no one else to guard it, he felt that it was his duty, especially since he had taken a vow to do so.  As time went on, he began to feel confident in himself and even forgot once in a while that he had not learned the secret.  This may have been a mistake.
     One night as Simpter was going to sleep, he felt as though the air was suddenly thicker and warmer than it had been.  His heart shone brightly, but he noticed that it was a much different color than usual.  With a loud bang at his door, Simpter jumped out of his bed and looked out one of the windows.  There was a tall figure outside his door, but it was not a Trinidad.  There was no light coming from this figure.  He opened the door and saw that it was a beautiful woman.
     “Though not as beautiful as you are, Royal Ambassador,” added Knoll as he was telling the story.
     Although she spoke sweetly to Simpter, he felt as if something were wrong with her.  Her voice was so much like a song that it could have put anyone in a trance if he forgot what he was doing for a moment.
     “I have come to lead your people, as it is written in the Great Book,” she said in a compelling tone that was hard not to believe.
     “Then you are the royal ambassador?” Simpter asked with a bit of a hesitation.
     “I am,” she said.
    Had Simpter looked and seen the fear in her eyes, he might have known she was lying, and that she was not the royal Ambassador.
     In reality, she was a powerful witch that had used all her magic to come from another world into Trinidar.  While she was more powerful in her magic than Simpter was, she was afraid of him because there are several spells in the Great Book that could have destroyed her.  Her plan was to steal the Great Book and bring it back to her world.  She was not a smart witch, though, because she had never learned that magic is not the same in every world, and that a spell that works in one world might not always work in another.  Simpter let her in, but, as was his custom at night, he had already locked up the Great Book.  It was a magic lock and would only open after both the suns of Trinidar shone on it.
     “Where is the Great Book?”  she asked.  “I must use it to bring your King!”
     “I am terribly sorry,” said Simpter.  “The Great Book cannot be had until morning.  It is always best to say any spells during the daylight, anyway.”  He had learned that from Paylar.
     “I must have it at once!” she cried.
     Had Simpter not been so intelligent, he might have tried to open the lock right there, but he was a smart Trinidad and simply said, “Royal Ambassador, patience is one of your best qualities, according to the Great Book.”
     “Yes,” she said, more sweetly than she had been speaking before, “ but I want to bring your King as soon as I can.”
     “We want him as well, but it simply must wait until morning.  Where is the young warrior, that is to accompany you?”
     The witch was rather nervous at this question, and she really did not have an answer.  There was a pause for a moment, as she was thinking of what she should say, and then she said, “My faithful guardian, your world is in peace.  The young warrior is only to come when there is a need for her.”
     “I thought she was another of your kind, to come in the same way that you came here,” Simpter said, beginning to wonder if this witch really was the royal ambassador.
     Then the witch did one of the best things that anyone could have done in her situation.  She began to talk in circles (as some grown ups do when they imagine themselves to be smart, but really are not), which greatly confused Simpter.  She talked about the tense of the verbs and actual meaning as opposed to the literal meaning, and really said very much about almost nothing.  She talked around and around until Simpter’s head hurt and finally he stopped her by saying that they must go to sleep and that they could look at the book in the morning.
     If Simpter had not been so confused, he would have known for sure that she had not been telling the truth.  While the Great Book did not tell directly when and how she would come, it did say that the young warrior would fight alongside the royal ambassador to free Trinidar from evil.  Simpter, however, did not know of any evil in Trinidar, which made him think that the witch might be right.
     Simpter suggested that the witch use his bed (which was too small for her, and she complained bitterly about it), while he made a bed for himself on the floor.  He did not sleep well, and he had disturbing dreams all night.  He dreamed horrible dreams and, more than once, the terrible red light coming from his heart scared him as he woke.  He wished that he would wake up and find the whole thing one big, complicated dream.  When morning came, however, the witch gave him a kick to wake him up and he knew for sure that it was not a dream.
     “Royal Ambassador,” Simpter said, “why do you kick me?”
     “I am sorry,” she said, in a way that said she was really not sorry at all.  “It was an accident.  I am glad you are awake, though.  I must see the Great Book now.”
     The lock could now be opened, and Simpter went to the place where the book was kept.  He handed her the book, wanting to hold on to it, but let go because he did not wish to irritate the witch.  She took it, smiled, and then lifted her hand in the air over her head in a circle.  She expected to see her world in that next instant, and when she did not, she realized that her magic was not going to work the same in Trinidar, and that she must have looked quite silly to Simpter.
     “What are you doing?” asked Simpter.
 “I . . . I was blessing this place and you,” said the witch, who had to quickly think of some excuse for her raising her hand as she had.
     When the witch realized that she was not going to be able to get back home with the book as she had expected, she became both sad and angry with the Trinidads for trapping her in their world.  As you may know, people often blame others when things do not work out the way that they had planned, and, it was at that moment that she decided to punish the Trinidads for causing her to stay in their world.  She opened the book, looking for a spell to use on them.  She found one, but as she started to read it, the words vanished before her eyes.  This made her furious, but she never let Simpter know how angry she was, and even spoke more nicely to him now then she ever had.
     “I have found the spell to bring your King,” she said, “but the words have vanished.  Is there something wrong?”
     “Royal Ambassador, do you not know that only a Trinidad, pure of heart, can say the spells in that book?” replied Simpter, who, noticing the change in the witch, almost believed that she was the royal ambassador.
     “Yes, yes,” she said.  “That is why the King told me to have you say it.  He said that your pure heart would bring him into this world.  I am only to lead you to him.”
     This, too, was a smart thing for the witch to say, because it caused Simpter to start thinking himself to be better than the other Trinidads.  ‘Yes,’ he said to himself, ‘I am the one who will bring him into this world.’  This was important to the witch, because she chose a spell that would bring good things if it was said in goodness, but would bring bad things if said with any selfish desires.  Simpter was now daydreaming about how everyone would look up to him even more because he had the power to bring the King.
     Later that morning, Simpter gathered as many of the Trinidads as could be reached and introduced the royal ambassador.  By this time, she had grown quite good at hiding her malicious feelings and fooled some of those present.  Many, however, did not believe her to be the royal ambassador and they, too, asked about the young warrior.  Again, the witch started talking in circles until most of them went away so their heads would stop hurting.  Finally, she convinced those who were left that Simpter should say the spell and after a long pause, he said it.
     At first, the spell seemed to do nothing.  The witch was beginning to be exasperated when, suddenly, the ground started shaking.  The trees were swaying back and forth, and a few even fell to the ground.  (This produced more shaking, for, if you remember, the trees are gigantic.)  Then a large chasm opened up in the ground—a doorway to yet another world.  Out of this chasm, the Trinidads could only see blackness and a pale reddish light.  Although it was only open for a moment when the ugly ones came out and started to attack the Trinidads.  They came bringing chains and bound the hands and feet of all of those present.  Simpter was one of the first to be caught and chained.  The ugly ones could not bear to look at the light in the hearts of the Trinidads, and soon more came with the metal vests.  Once one of these vests was put on, it could not be taken off and the light, which brings joy into the lives of the Trinidads, could no longer be seen.
     “And, as I have said before,” repeated Knoll, “our best blacksmiths have not figured out how to break those chains or cut off those horrible vests.  Now everyone walks around in great sorrow.  The witch has taken the Great Book and controls the ugly ones as they taunt and torment my people.”
     “I am sorry,” said Molly.
     “But how can we help?” inquired Kathryn.
     “I think it would be best if we could find Simpter and then get the Great Book back from the witch.  Then, perhaps, he could say a new spell to put the ugly ones back into their world.  And, there may be some spell to break those horrible chains and vests,” Knoll answered.
     “Is Simpter still alive?  Where is he?  How do we find him?  Will he want to help us?” Kathryn asked, as she had been already thinking about how they were going to face the witch or the ugly ones.
     “The story is,” Knoll said, “that he ran away to a cave on the Eastern edge of our forest.  He is an old man now, but he hides himself from our people.  He still blames himself for all that happened.”
     “But, it wasn’t his fault at all!” pronounced Molly, “That witch tricked him!”
     “You are almost correct, Molly,” responded Knoll.  “He did let his pride get the best of him, and that was his mistake.  Only a few of us blame him for what happened.  None of us tried hard to stop him from saying the spell, so we are all a little to blame.  He should know that the Great Book proclaims that one should make up for his mistakes by doing it right the next time.  With you here, he may just do it.”
     “I do hope so,” responded Kathryn.  “In the meantime, we should be getting some sleep.”
     Molly’s eyes were already getting heavy, and Knoll heartily agreed that they all needed sleep so they could get started first thing in the morning.  Each of them got ready (Knoll had already given Molly and Kathryn a long, gown-like robe that most Trinidads wear to bed, and there was a small curtain which could be drawn at one end of the room for privacy) and climbed into a bunk carved into the wall. The bunk was, of course, too small for Kathryn, but she rather enjoyed the novelty of it all.  Knoll had fallen asleep at once and started snoring.  It was nothing like human snoring; this was more like a song than a snore and a rather soothing sound to Kathryn.
     “Molly,” she whispered.  “Thank you for coming with me.  You are a brave and courageous girl.  Will you tell me more about yourself and your life?”
     “I am glad I came, too,” Molly whispered in reply.  “Of course I’ll tell you more about me.  I think we will be best friends.”
     “Oh no, Molly,” Kathryn said still whispering, “I think we already are.”
     Molly was glad to hear this and she soon fell fast asleep.  Kathryn curled up, as one does on a cold day, and wrapped herself up in a blanket.  She thought about the Wizard and how much she had hurt him.  She worried that he would not come to this world if she asked.  The velvet pouch that the Wizard had given her still hung around her neck.  She always wore it because it seemed to give her strength and joy, even when she had begun to be too busy to see the Wizard.  She wondered if her globe would work in this world, and she came to the conclusion that it probably would.  A tear rolled down her cheek as Kathryn thought more about the Wizard, but because she was tired, she soon fell asleep.

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     The next morning, Kathryn and Molly were awakened by a delicious smell.  Knoll had gotten up early and managed to catch a few small birds.  He had already plucked and cleaned them and was now roasting them.  It was not the usual kind of breakfast that one might have in our world, but it was quite normal for Knoll.  Knoll was also able to clean Kathryn’s dress so that it looked almost as good as new.  Both Molly and Kathryn were hungry and, after washing in a small basin and dressing, they sat down to have breakfast.  He served the roasted birds, which, unlike the porridge, were served hot, with more of the cakes and nectar that they had eaten the night before.  It was probably one of the best meals either Kathryn or Molly had ever eaten.
    Meals were supposed to be a happy time in Trinidar.  So, Knoll began to tell stories of his childhood and how he had gotten into much trouble growing up, looking for adventures.  He was good at telling stories and all of them laughed until their stomachs ached.
     When they were done eating and had recovered from laughing so hard, Knoll cleared the table and got a little more serious.  He produced a small map that he had drawn which showed the tree in the middle of the forest, as well as his tree, and a castle.  He pointed to one side of the map and said, “I have never gone past this edge of our forest.  There are some who are still free like me, who have searched for Simpter.  We shall have to find one of them to help us.  Simpter is said to have gone into caves that are about here,” and Knoll put his finger down on the table about ten inches away from the map.
     “What is that castle there?” asked Molly
     “That is where she lives.  It is not like our houses.  She hated the idea of living inside a tree, and so she had some of the Trinidads build her a castle.  It took several years and some of them died carrying the heavy stones as far as they did,” Knoll explained.
     “I thought,” said Molly, “that the ugly ones didn’t make you do any work for them.”
     “Oh, they don’t!”  Knoll answered, “That’s the worst part.  Some of the Trinidads thought they might be better off if they tried to please the witch and the ugly ones.  They thought they could raise themselves above the rest of us.  So, they willingly give service to the witch.  Somehow, they must have been tricked, because while they believe they are better off, they have only gotten themselves bigger and thicker chains.”
     “Speaking of the ugly ones, how will we get past them?” Kathryn questioned.
     “The witch often walks through the forest, with one or two of her Trinidad servants, looking for those of us who are still free.  She is determined to make sure that all of us are caught and chained.”
     “Yes,” interrupted Kathryn, “but what does that have to do with us?”
     “Why,” replied Knoll, “you are going to pretend to be the witch.”
     “How can I pretend to be the witch?”  Kathryn asked anxiously.
 Knoll again put his hand to his head and said, “Goodness me!  I must have left that part out of the story.  There is a description of you, Royal Ambassador, in the Great Book.  The witch, who had known this, made her self look like you.”
     “But you said that I was much more beautiful than she.”
     “And you are,” replied Knoll.  “Your beauty comes from inside you.”  After saying this, he went to a shelf and brought back a small, round orb made of glass.  It was filled with a light-blue liquid and what looked like chips of silver.  He shook it vigorously and then, after a few minutes, showed it to Kathryn and Molly.  At first Kathryn thought she had caught her reflection on the outside of the glass.  Then it looked as if her face was being reflected off the chips inside the glass.  A moment later, she knew it was not her reflection at all.  She could see a difference in the eyes.
     “That is the witch,” Knoll said, after they had both looked at the orb for some time.
     “She does look like you,” Molly said rather excitedly.
     As they both kept looking at the witch’s image, they suddenly realized what Knoll had meant when he said that Kathryn was more beautiful.  There was a powerful ugliness that surrounded the witch, and it had nothing to do with her physical looks.  Then, a moment later, the picture faded away.
     “Where did it go?” Molly asked.
     “It’s magic,” said Knoll.  “The picture only lasts a short time, but you can use it as often as you like.”
     “Why would you want to look at her at all?” Kathryn asked.  She was feeling down about looking so much like the witch, for she had not quite seen the advantages of it as Knoll had.
     “You don’t have to look at her!  You can look at anyone you think of.  Just shake it hard as you are thinking of someone.”
     “May I try it?” Molly asked.
     “Yes, of course,” Knoll answered.
     Molly took the globe and, thinking of her mother, shook it as much as she could.  Once again, the chips floating in the water began to show Molly a picture.  Molly, her father and her grandmother had many pictures of Molly’s mother.  This, however, was different.  It was so life-like.  It seemed so real to Molly.  She both loved it and hated it at the same time.  She loved it because it made her think of all the good times they had together, but hated it because it made her sad.
     “Who is that, Molly?” Kathryn asked.
     “She’s my mom,” Molly answered.
     “She is pretty.  Why does her picture make you look so gloomy though?” Kathryn asked.
     “Because she died a year ago,” Molly responded sadly.
     “Oh Molly,” Kathryn said, “I am so sorry.  I had no idea.”  In a moment Kathryn was holding Molly tightly in her arms and gently stroking her hair.
     Molly appreciated this.
     Knoll coughed, cleared his throat, and after wiping his eyes, made himself busy getting things together.  When he had a small pile of things on the floor, Molly noticed that he was starting to put on a vest that looked like the ones he described in his story.
     “Oh please don’t!” cried Molly.
     “Don’t worry.  It’s not real,” said Knoll with a kind laugh, “it only looks real.  I can take this one off whenever I want.  Of course, you will have to wear one, too.”
     He put the vest on, and soon everything was dark.  “Silly me,” Knoll exclaimed, “I forgot to put on another light.”  At this, he lit a small lamp. The device was strange for the Trinidads to have because before the witch came, they always had light coming from their hearts and never needed a lamp to see in the dark.  Knoll then helped Molly get into the other vest.   She told me that she hated it almost as much as the Trinidads because it made her hot and was uncomfortable.  Knoll then put a bow and a quiver full of arrows into a small sack and handed it to Molly.
     “It will look good,” Knoll said, “to have you carrying something, as most of the servants do around here.”  He then loaded another sack, which he was going to carry, with food and other supplies for the trip.
     Presently, Knoll took out some large chains and put one around Molly’s hands and another around her feet. When he had done the same to himself, he began to speak:
     “We won’t be able to hide your face well,” he said to Molly, “but most of us walk with our heads hanging, and so your hair should cover your face.  We need to walk slowly too, as if nothing in the world is at all important to us.  You, Royal Ambassador,” now looking at Kathryn, “must walk as tall as you can, with a wicked kind of pride.  Try not to look at the scenery, as beautiful as it is, for this is something the real witch would never do.  But above all,” he said this with a much more serious tone, “you must not let the ugly ones scare you.  They can smell fear.  If they find out any one of us is afraid, they will want to tease us and mock us, and, in the end, they will likely find us out.”

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     Everyone put on a solemn face and said nothing as Knoll blew out the lamp and opened the door.  Their eyes were hurting from the brightness of the twin suns.  They had been inside Knoll’s tree with all the windows shut since they had gotten there.  Moreover, Kathryn was doing what she was told not to, looking around at all the lovely trees, flowers and birds.  Knoll reminded her as quietly as possible that she needed to look angrier, and this kept her from looking too unlike the witch.  Molly was doing a good job of keeping her head down, remembering to look at the ground and her hair was covering her face well.  This was hard, because the air was warm and smelled of sweet flowers and Molly was the type of girl that always took notice of the beautiful things around her.  They passed an interesting kind of flower, which Molly was able to see, even with her head down.  Each petal had a different color, so that it looked much like a rainbow.  It took every ounce of energy she had not to bend down and take a closer look at the flower.  She really rather envied Kathryn at that moment, but who, in reality, had it worse.  While she could look around at the scenery, she had to act as though she did not notice or enjoy anything.  This, as you know, is extremely hard to do when one is standing in front of such beautiful scenery.
     Knoll led the way, and he was walking so slowly that it almost caused Molly and Kathryn to trip more than once.  Still, Kathryn, being the only one who was allowed to look up, had noticed other Trinidads walking even slower.  She thought they might take notice of her and, because she was supposed to be the witch, run away, or at least walk the other way.  They, however, all seemed so gloomy that they really did not notice anything, and so the three were able to walk virtually unnoticed.  The party had walked for what seemed to be hours, and Knoll, while he did not say so, was glad that they had not met any of the ugly ones.  ‘Perhaps we can get away without them noticing us at all,’ he thought to himself.  For the ugly ones did not venture far away from the witch and her castle, and they usually did not come out except at night, for, as you know, they hated light.  There were a few, however, who went out during to the day when they were feeling especially mean.
     Almost as soon as Knoll had thought this, Molly saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye that looked like a giant bird.  The shadow was peculiar to her and she was curious about what the creature looked like.  Nevertheless, she kept her head down, knowing that it would be far worse if anyone realized that she was not from Trinidar.  It really did not matter, though.  Whatever the creature was, it was coming closer to the ground (Molly could tell because its shadow grew smaller and smaller) and soon landed in front of them.  Molly parted her hair just enough to see through it, but later wished she had not.  For what was standing before them was one of the ugly ones.  Molly knew this when she saw it and was sorry she had ever asked to see one the day before.  It was indeed horribly ugly, in a way that most people have been lucky enough never to see.  It looked as if it was half dragon and half man.  It had the body of a man, except with scales all over its face and body.  Its hands and feet were like horrible dragon claws, and it had two horns that came out of its forehead.  It had the huge bat-like wings of a dragon on its back, which were now spread out, looking more ugly than ever.  The worst part was the red fire that burned in its eyes.  Molly half expected fire to come out of its mouth when it spoke.  She tried hard not to be scared, but she really could not help it.  I do not know anyone who has ever seen one of these creatures and not been scared, at least the first time.
     “Hail, Royal Ambassador,” it said to Kathryn with a laugh that sent shivers through Molly’s body.  (The witch insisted that everyone address her as Royal Ambassador.)
     Kathryn said nothing, in hopes that it would think she was being arrogant and leave them all alone.  Knoll saw that it could smell Molly’s fear (and Kathryn’s for that matter) and he thought that they were going to be caught and that their plan had failed already.  The Ugly One started walking toward Molly with a slow and slinky walk.  It rubbed its vicious claws together and laughed again.  The situation was looking rather hopeless, when Kathryn surprised everyone there, including the Ugly One.
     “What do you want from me?” Kathryn thundered.  It was a cruel voice that she had never used before and probably no one she knew would have recognized it as being hers.
     “You always let us play with your little friends,” it said, still laughing, but obviously frightened.
     “Today, you will not!”  Kathryn said in the same cruel voice, though not quite as loud, “Can you not see that these two pitiful creatures are laboring for me.”
     “Yes, but . . .”
     “Go now!” interrupted Kathryn, this time louder than the first, “Or I shall have to say one of the spells in that book and make you more pitiful than even him,” and she gave Knoll a kick.  (She was trying hard not to hurt him, but to make it look as if it really did hurt.)
     At this the stunned creature turned around, leapt into the air, and flew away.   After the creature was out of sight, Knoll began rubbing himself where he had been kicked, and while it hurt him much more than Kathryn had intended, he did not mind so much because the Ugly One was gone.  Molly, who was full of excitement at seeing Kathryn’s courage, began to commend her.  Knoll stopped her, though, knowing that the creature might somehow still be watching, and they kept on quietly.  They were all quite relieved despite the fact that everyone’s heart was still pounding from the experience.
     The ugly ones do not exactly serve the witch, and often they wished that she were not in this world at all.  However, the witch was not afraid of them, so they had no power over her.  This is how she was able to make them do what she wanted.  The ugly ones are much like other predators in nature.  They are confident as long as they know their prey is afraid.  If the prey fights back, though, they will almost always leave it alone.  Kathryn had done a brave thing, indeed, and it probably did help that she looked much like the witch.  In reality though, any one of the party could have challenged the Ugly One and it would have run away just the same.  I hope you remember this, in case you ever meet one of these creatures face to face!
     They walked on for about an hour when Knoll turned and led them a little south.  It was only a few minutes later that they were walking along the bank of a small stream.  There were some thick and tall bushes growing along the stream in places.  Knoll led the party right into one of the thickest bushes.  Neither Kathryn nor Molly liked this idea much.  After pushing a few branches aside, though, they saw that the bush had been made hollow.  Knoll was already taking off his chains and vest before the other two were inside the bush.
     “This should be a good place to stop and have a rest,” Knoll said.
     “How did you know this was here?” Molly asked, dropping her sack on the ground with a great sigh of relief.
     “Those of us who are still free,” replied Knoll, “have many secret places to escape the ugly ones.  We can’t wear these vests too long, or we will get just as sad as those who have to wear them.  I wouldn’t be any good to you then.”  He then helped Molly take off her chains and vest, and she gave another great sigh of relief.
     Knoll opened his sack and produced a loaf of bread and more of the sweet nectar.  He then continued in a soft, but excited tone, “Oh, Royal Ambassador, you were wonderful with that beast!  I don’t believe that we would have had a chance without your courage.”
     “Yes!” agreed Molly.  “You were wonderful!  I could hardly believe it was you.”
Kathryn, who was blushing a little, said, “Really, it was not all that impressive.”  She was being modest, but enjoyed all the praise.  “I am sorry that I kicked you like that.  I hope it did not hurt too much,” she added.
     “You don’t need to worry about it,” Knoll said, “I would have gotten more bruises than this one had that thing found out who we were.”
     “It was my fault that we almost got caught.  I am sorry that I was so scared,” Molly said sadly.
     “You have nothing to be ashamed of,” Knoll said.
     “I was scared too!” Kathryn added, “I do not know where I got the strength to face that thing.”
     “The King, no doubt, gave it to you,” said Knoll.
     After eating, everyone rested in the cool shade of the bush.  Since the time that Knoll handed her the sack, Molly had wanted to take a good look at the bow and arrows she had been carrying.  Now that she had the chance, Molly opened the sack and examined the objects for some time.  Molly had been to a summer camp where she was allowed to practice archery.  She enjoyed it, but never thought she had been good.  Still, the bow she was now holding had been hand carved and was an excellent quality, unlike the battered and lower quality bows that the beginners used at camp.  It was made for someone her size, and it fit her well.  Still, it had been some time since she had shot a bow and arrow, and was hoping Knoll might give her some advice to refresh her memory.
     “Knoll, would you show me how to properly shoot this bow?” Molly asked excitedly.
 Knoll replied that he really must rest a bit before trying anything of that nature.  Kathryn, however, said that she had been trained in archery and would gladly help Molly learn.  “I could certainly stand soaking my feet in that stream for a while too,” Kathryn added.
     Molly had also been thinking about soaking her feet in the stream and having a nice long drink from it.  The nectar they had been drinking was delicious, but it did not quench one’s thirst as water does.  Knoll, however, suggested that they wait until later when they would be safer, but, because Molly was too excited and because Kathryn could only think about the cool, refreshing water, they ignored his advice.
     “Be careful,” he added after they were on their way out of the bush.  “If one of those creatures is around, you may not see it until it is too late.”

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     Molly had already strapped the quiver full of arrows on her back and carried the bow in her hand.  Then she and Kathryn found a deep pool in the stream and they both had a long drink.  There was a much smaller tree across the bank of the stream.  Kathryn pointed out spots on the tree that Molly should shoot for, as practice, warning her not shoot them so hard that they would be stuck in the tree for good.  She then showed Molly how to hold the bow, where to put the arrow and how to support it with her finger.  Meanwhile, Kathryn took off her shoes and began relaxing letting her feet soak in the pool.  Twang!  Kathryn looked up and saw that Molly had hit one of the spots on the tree that she had shown her.
     “By Jove!” Kathryn exclaimed.  “It looks as if you will not be needing much practice.”
     Molly smiled and said, “I did learn to shoot at a summer camp, but I was never as good as that.  I had that strange feeling again.  My fingers were tingling as I put them on the bow and I was completely focused on the target.  I just knew I could hit it.”
     “Indeed,” Kathryn replied, “You must have some magic in your blood.  Are you sure you are not a fairy?
     “I don’t think so,” Molly replied with an embarrassed smile, not sure how to answer such an odd question.  She, however, was quite content with her archery lesson, having taken only one shot.  So, she took off her shoes and put her feet into the water.  It was relaxing, but both girls knew they must not sit there too long and consequently began to let their feet dry.  They had just finished putting their shoes back on when they heard something behind them.  They guessed it was Knoll wanting them to be quick and turned around with a smile.  Their expressions, however, soon turned to fear, for about twenty feet in front of them stood an Ugly One.
     “I knew you couldn’t be the witch,” it growled, “and she will reward me handsomely when I tell her about you two.”  It let out another horrible laugh and leapt up in the air, flying directly above the two.
     Twang!  Just as Kathryn had heard an arrow buzz past her, the creature let out a howl of extreme terror and fell to the ground a few feet away from the two.  Molly had let an arrow fly almost as soon as the creature leapt in the air and Knoll, hearing the great crash of the beast hitting the ground, rushed out of the bush.  When he caught sight of the Ugly One on the ground, his eyes filled with terror and then delight.
     “Is it dead?” Knoll asked, still looking both strangely afraid and happy.
     “I don’t know,” Molly whispered.  She was trembling and almost crying.
     “Nor do I,” said Kathryn who grabbed hold of Molly’s hand to comfort her. “It is over now.  You were absolutely marvelous.”
     Knoll agreed with Kathryn and he patted Molly on the back, all of which made Molly feel much better.  “I didn’t think they could be killed,” Knoll explained.  “Their skin is so hard that none of our weapons could pierce it.”
     Knoll, being the bravest of the bunch just now, turned the creature on its back.  This was difficult for him and took some time, because he was so small.  But when he turned the beast over, he saw the arrow had pierced it just below the area where its ribs joined.  When they were sure it was dead, Molly and Kathryn walked over and examined it.  What they found was that, like a dragon, it had one small spot on its body that was vulnerable to weapons.  This was a great discovery, for none of the Trinidads had ever known about it.
     “Why, this is wonderful!” Knoll cried.
     “How did you know to hit him there, Molly,” Kathryn asked.
     “It was odd,” Molly said looking a little confused.  “As soon as it landed, there was emerald glow which appeared on that spot.  I just knew I had to aim for it.”
     “We have never killed one of these things before,” Knoll said, in an uneasy tone, “and I don’t know how long it will take the others to find out.  We should be on the move now.”
     Knoll said this and then pulled the arrow from the Ugly One.  Neither of the girls watched as he did this, but they both knew they could not waste any of the arrows.  Therefore Molly found a shallow place in the stream and waded across it to retrieve the other arrow from the tree.   When she had returned, Knoll was already in his chains and vest.  Molly was dreading putting her vest and chains back on, because they were so terribly hot and uncomfortable.  She did so with a smile, however, knowing that complaining would only serve to put the rest of the group in a bad mood.  She put the last arrow into her sack, as Knoll had already put the others in it, and picked it up, ready to go.
     Before leaving, Kathryn put her hand under Molly’s chin so that they would be looking at each other’s eyes.  “Molly,” she said, “you may have saved our lives.  I do not know that I will have the chance to say this again - I am proud of you.”
     Molly smiled in such a way that she would not have needed to say thank-you to Kathryn, though being a polite girl, she did so anyway.
     They left the bush, now moving at a faster pace.  While Knoll did not want to stand out, he did want to get as far away from the body of the Ugly One as they could.  The group had already traveled a good distance from the middle of the forest, so they saw fewer and fewer Trinidads.  The Trinidads liked to be close to the Great Book, which is why so few traveled or lived far away from it.  Even though they were in much less danger of being caught now, Molly still had to keep her head down to hide her face.
     Knoll led them along the bank of the stream that soon joined a much larger river.  They turned and began following the river upstream.  It was now apparent that the path was sloping up slightly.  The river parted the giant trees and Kathryn could finally see though the tops of the branches.  In the distance, she saw a huge mountain peak.  It was green with grass, but no trees were growing on the summit
     “What is that mountain?” Kathryn whispered to Knoll.
     “That is Flagstone,” he replied also in a whisper.  “It is one of the mountains that surround our forest valley.  It is also where we are going.”
     “You never said anything about a mountain,” said Kathryn, who was not at all looking forward to climbing it.  “How ever will we be able to climb that?”
     “You needn’t worry,” he said.  “We only have to climb about half way to the top and there is a path.  That is one of the best places to get a view of the forest valley.  The cave in which Simpter is hidden is said to be near the lookout.”
     “I’ll bet it is a lovely view,” said Molly, louder than the rest.
     “You are quite right,” Knoll agreed, “but we really must stop all this chattering!  Captive Trinidads would never talk like this.”
     They continued mostly in silence for the rest of the day, following the river for the majority of the afternoon.  The terrain became slightly rockier and the giant trees thinned.  It, however, was not so rocky as to make their feet hurt, and the flowers, the birds, and the butterflies surrounding the river, made the journey much more bearable.  The beauty of the scenery made them feel less in danger, though they still had no idea what would happen when the ugly ones found their dead comrade.  Shortly after the first Sun had set, Knoll examined his map for a few seconds and then led them away from the river.  A short time later, they were standing in front of one of the giant trees.
     Knoll knocked a peculiar sort of knock that Kathryn and Molly thought must have meant something, and a moment later, they noticed one of the widows opening.  Immediately it was closed and there was a deadening silence.
     “Pug!  Don’t be silly.  Open the door,” Knoll said sternly.  There was no reply.  “Help me get these things off,” he said looking to Molly and Kathryn.  After he had taken off the chains and vest, he knocked again saying, “Look, now, I am still free.”
     The window again opened, then shut; but this time the door opened shortly after the window shut.
     “You scared me to death,” came a voice and a light from inside the tree.  “Do come in before I change my mind and shut you out.”
     The three quickly entered the tree.
     “You are still free, but who are they?” the voice, which came from another Trinidad, asked.
     “This is the true royal ambassador,” said Knoll pointing with his hand toward Kathryn, “and this is the young warrior.”
     “My word!  I am terribly sorry,” the voice said.  “With Knoll chained up and you looking so much like the witch, I thought that I was soon to be captured and chained myself.”
     Molly and Kathryn both said not to mention it and that they might have done the same if they had been in his place.
     “My name is Pugnacious, but everyone calls me Pug.  Please, sit down and rest.”
     Molly, with Pug’s help, began taking off her vest and chains, while Kathryn, who had been holding Knoll’s, set them against the wall on the floor.  Pug had only two chairs, and Kathryn, being more like her real self, offered to sit on the ground.  Pug brought out a blanket for Kathryn and then began opening and shutting doors, just as Knoll had done last night.  It was only a short time before he had set tall mugs of the sweet nectar before them, along with some porridge and lumps of bread in a basket.  Pug joined Kathryn on the floor, and they all began eating.  While they were eating, Pug told stories about Knoll, and Knoll told stories about Pug and, in the end, everyone was again laughing until their sides hurt.
     After the meal had been finished, Pug began to wash things up, and Kathryn offered to help.  She did not know where things belonged, and was really not much help in the long run.  Still, Pug was glad of the offer and thanked Kathryn heartily after everything was cleaned.  Then they all sat down on the floor and began to talk seriously.
     “Well,” said Pug, “to what do I owe the honor of such a distinguished visit?”
     “We’ve come to look for Simpter,” Molly blurted out, before anyone else had a chance to say anything.
     “I see,” replied Pug, looking inquisitive, “and what do you plan on doing once you’ve found him?”
     “He’s got to say the spell to send the ugly ones back to their world,” Molly said, again before anyone else could answer.
     “Maybe I should explain,” Knoll interrupted.
     “I think the young warrior has said enough,” Pug said, not rudely, but letting Knoll know that he had understood.  “How are you planning to get the Great Book from the witch?”
     No one had really thought of this yet.  They all sat in silence for a few moments, feeling a little silly about not having made a plan for this.
     “I say,” Pug began again, “isn’t it obvious?  The young warrior is supposed to lead the Trinidads into a great battle.  So we will fight the witch and take the Great Book back.  But, how can we have a battle if we don’t have some kind of army?”  Pug paused here to make a point.  Everyone knew that it was a rhetorical question and sat silently.  “I will assemble one!  Of course,” he added, “we shall probably all die in such a battle. But all this hiding is driving me mad and I would rather die fighting for the freedom of Trinidar than continue living like this.”
     “Why do you say such dreadful things, that we shall all probably die?”  Kathryn asked.
     “We don’t have much of a chance against the ugly ones.  Trinidads have always been peaceful people.  We haven’t learned how to fight and even if we had, the Ugly One’s can’t be killed.”
     “No, no, no, my friend,” Knoll said excitedly.  “The warrior has already killed one!”
 Pug nearly fainted when he heard these words, for he had long been wanting to free Trinidar from the ugly ones, unlike most of the other free Trinidads who could only think about living another day so as not to be caught.
     Knoll then told Pug the story as best he could and even drew a picture of an Ugly One so as to show Pug the spot on its body where it could be killed.  Kathryn and Molly added details that Knoll had not seen, and in the end, Pug was sure of two things: first that Molly was indeed the young warrior, and second, that others could also kill the ugly ones.
     “So we do have a chance after all!” Pug roared and shook his fist, electrified from the news.  “We shall indeed need an army.  But I do not know that there are enough free Trinidads to make a worthy army.”
     “Perhaps,” said Molly, “some of the others will want to join us.”
     “I do doubt that,” answered Pug grimly.  “Most of them have given up hope of ever being free again, and how could they fight, being chained hand and foot?”
     “The King has sent these two here to help us,” Knoll said.  “Surely that must give them some hope.  The Great Book says that the royal ambassador will bring the King to us.  He surely wouldn’t come to a people who weren’t free.”
     “Well, then, I suppose that means I am to form this army,” Pug answered.  “I shall do it indeed.  But how will they know that I have been with the true royal ambassador and the young warrior?”
     “This will be your sign,” cried Molly, holding out the key that the old beggar man had given her.  For, while they were speaking, the emerald handle began glowing, and the key itself had changed into an image of Kathryn and Molly.
     They all looked in amazement at the image.
     “Molly,” Kathryn asked, “who gave that to you?”
     “I do not know his name.  It was a man who visited me at my house.  It used to be a key, the key which let me into that hallway.”
     “That is marvelous.  I think they will believe me,” said Pug.  “How shall we arrange this?”
     “I don’t know how long it will take us to find Simpter,” Knoll said.  “It is at least two days travel to get to the base of Flagstone.  Of course, we don’t even know if he is really there.”
     “I will hold a meeting every day to prepare the Trinidads.  Hopefully, we can gain numbers as the word spreads.” Pug said.  “What shall I do to prepare them?”
     “Do you or the others have any weapons?” Kathryn asked, being practical at the moment.
     “We have a few bows for hunting,” Pug replied.
     “Perhaps,” put in Knoll, “our army should be busy making more.”
     “Yes,” replied Pug, “that will be our first task.  I don’t know how it will be, shooting a bow with those horrendous chains on.”
     “Oh, I do hope they can,” Molly sighed.
     “Even if we can defeat the witch and send the ugly ones back where they came from, how will we get the chains off the others?” Pug asked.
     “Perhaps there is a spell in the Great Book that will remove the chains,” Knoll answered.
     “Or perhaps,” interjected Kathryn, “the King himself will break their chains.”
     “Oh, no,” said Knoll, “He is far too great to worry about such petty concerns.  Kings are always much too busy to deal with these kinds of problems.  Simpter will have to find a spell in the Great Book.”
     “I agree,” said Pug, “we could never talk to the King, simple creatures as we are.”
     Kathryn argued with the two Trinidads at some length about this idea.  In the end, both sides gave up, as neither was able to convince the other.  Molly, however, was having a wonderful time watching the debate.  When the Trinidads were sure of some point, they would shake their whole bodies and make a noise, which is something between a hiccup and a snort.  It was kind of like a verbal exclamation point and amusing to watch.  By the time they had finished their “discussion,” as Kathryn called it, everyone was ready to go to bed.
     Pug did not have as much space in his house as Knoll had, and there were only two bunks.  Kathryn and Molly agreed to sleep on the floor, and Pug made sure they had plenty of blankets and pillows so that they were quite comfortable.  All three of the travelers were tired.  Knoll fell asleep at once, and his peaceful snore filled the room.  Molly dropped off a few minutes later.  Pug, on the other hand, had been reading a small book, and Kathryn was still awake thinking about the day’s adventures.
     “Pug,” she said softly, so as not to wake the others.  “Do you think we really have a chance?”
     Pug looked down from his bunk into Kathryn’s eyes, smiled, winked and said, “You’re here, and that makes me believe that anything can happen.  Besides, the King will be on our side, won’t he?”
     “What if he does not come?” Kathryn asked sadly.
     “Why wouldn’t he come?  He has promised us that he would!”
     “Maybe he is too angry with me to come.”
     “Royal Ambassador, I don’t know too much about that.  What I do know is that the King promised that you would bring him here.  From everything we've been taught, he never breaks a promise.”
     “Thank-you, Pug,” Kathryn said, feeling much better because of his response.
     Pug smiled, put his finger to his lips, as if to quiet Kathryn, and then went to bed.  Kathryn fell asleep shortly afterward.  For the first time in ages, Kathryn dreamed that night.  She dreamed that she was standing by a lake at home in Rosenblum.  In the distance, a figure was coming toward her.  It was a young girl, just about Molly’s age.  Kathryn thought that the figure was familiar, but she did not know who the girl was at first.  All at once, she realized that she was looking at herself when she was much younger.  Her younger self was wearing the same clothes that Kathryn had worn on the day that she first met the Wizard.  Kathryn could tell because the piece of fabric was torn from the shirt.  The young girl approached Kathryn and simply said, “He is waiting for you.”  Everything vanished at once and a moment later Kathryn was awakened by the sounds and smells of breakfast being made.

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     “Good morning, Royal Ambassador!” Pug said.  “I do hope you slept well.”
     “Thank-you.  I slept well,” she replied.  “Where is Molly?”
     “The young warrior and Knoll went out to catch fowl for breakfast.  They should be back soon.  There is a basin over there if you would like to wash.”
     Kathryn carefully folded and put away the blankets and pillows that she and Molly had been using.  She then washed her face, hands, and arms in the tiny basin.  There was a Trinidad-sized mirror hung just above the basin.  Kathryn was, of course, too tall to looking into it without bending over some.  Still, she had not seen her reflection since her adventures began and she had been in the habit of looking at herself every hour or more back in Rosenblum.  While she was slowly changing back to the real Kathryn, other parts of the Kathryn that no one really liked were still there too.  She was just saying to herself, ‘I must look absolutely horrible, this morning.’  When she looked into the looking glass, however, she was quite startled, because she thought she looked pretty, in spite of her lack of fresh clothes, a nice bath, or make up.
     “Here they are,” said Pug.
     “Good morning, Katie!”  Molly said excitedly.  “I have had a wonderful time.  Knoll was teaching me how to hunt.   I learned how to make bird calls, and where to watch for them, and when just the right moment was to shoot.”
     Molly was not as squeamish as most girls her age.
     “I am not so sure that I was doing the teaching,” Knoll replied.  “She certainly does have skill with that bow.  If it weren’t for this young one, we might not have had any breakfast.”
     “You are being silly,” Molly, replied, smiling broadly for having gotten such a compliment from Knoll.
     Pug had been preparing a hearty porridge and now began roasting the fowl.  In the meantime, Kathryn, Molly, and Knoll were looking at Knoll’s map and discussing plans for the day.  They had traveled about half the distance of the map by the end of their first day.  Knoll believed that they could make it to the edge of the forest before the suns set.  He pointed out the river, which was not marked as a river, and said that they would keep following it.  Pug joined in the conversation to make sure that they knew about all the hiding spots of the free Trinidads.
     “I don’t know if the ugly ones are going to be out in stronger number today, looking for those who killed that one yesterday,” Knoll said with a tiny quiver in his voice.  “Still, they rarely come out this far from the middle of the forest.  They may hate the witch, but they seem to be stronger because of her evil power.  In any case, we must try not to be noticed.”
     “The witch has only come out this far once,” Pug interjected.  “How will we keep them from noticing the royal ambassador?”
     “I was rather hoping that we wouldn’t have to bother with that,” Knoll replied.
     They all agreed, however, that Kathryn should tell any ugly ones which they meet that she wanted to build a monument in her honor in front of her castle and she needed to search out the best stones for the project.  This was exactly the kind of thing the witch might do, which made it believable.  Kathryn, though, had been looking more and more noble, and less and less like the witch since she had gotten there.  This presented a problem in their plans.  Fortunately, Kathryn was able to put on a horrible expression when she needed, and this would likely fool the ugly ones.
     Everyone was hungry and, when breakfast was ready, they ate rather quickly, so as not to waste any time.  Kathryn again offered to help clean up, but Pug refused, saying that they needed to be on their way.  Molly and Knoll put on their chains and vests again, while Kathryn packed up the other things into the sacks.  They all shook hands with Pug and wished him luck assembling an army.  Kathryn also bent down and kissed Pug on the cheek saying, “You are a brick!”  Pug’s heart shone more brightly than any of them had seen.  And without hesitation, he opened the door and wished them well on their journey.

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     At the same time, far away in the witch’s castle, we find that, while the witch did not have the same kind of magic that she had when she came into Trinidar, she had been studying the Great Book and learning about the magic that was in this world.  As you know, she could not use any of the spells in the Great Book (the ugly ones did not know this), but she could look into its pages and understand how its magic worked.  She also found that some of the potions that she remembered how to make would work in Trinidar.  So, while she did not have nearly the same magic power she had when she left her world, she did have some magic.
     When Kathryn and Molly had come into Trinidar, the witch had felt as if she were in some kind of danger, but did not know exactly what had happened.  It was a good thing for them too.  For surely had the witch known that the real royal ambassador and the young warrior had come to Trinidar, she would have sent the ugly ones out to find them and bring them back immediately.  Because she did not understand her feelings, she stayed busy making potions and trying to see in pools of water to find out what had happened.  The only thing she saw, however, was her own reflection.
     This all changed, however, when Molly had killed the Ugly One.  Because the ugly ones were evil like the witch, it was much easier for her to know what was happening with them.  When the creature had been shot, the witch could feel that some evil had been destroyed.  At nightfall, when most of the ugly ones start waking up, she sent them out to look for anything strange.
    As I said before, none of the ugly ones really wanted to go look for strange things and most did not try hard.  They went though because they were all afraid of the witch and were slightly more motivated because she offered them a reward.  Still, they searched without any diligence.
In spite of their laziness, if Pug’s house had had any cracks in it, or if he had left any windows open, Molly, Kathryn, Knoll and Pug would have been caught that night and brought to the witch.  Pug was smart, however, and knew he could not let any light show through his house.
     It was not until dawn that one of the creatures came back with the dead body.  The witch was also amazed (though she did not show it) that the ugly ones could be killed.
     “I found it near the stream,” the creature muttered to the witch.
     “Who killed it?” she asked.
     “That does not concern me,” the creature replied, rather aggravated by the question.
     “Fool!”  The witch stammered.  “Do you not care that someone now knows how to kill you too?”
     “I,” said the Ugly One, “cannot be killed.”
     It really believed that it could not be killed, for even it did not know about the soft spot on its body that was vulnerable to weapons.  This was good for the Trinidads.  If the ugly ones had been smarter or had less pride they might have figured out a way to protect themselves.  As it was, even when all the rest of them heard about how the one had been killed, none of them believed that they could be killed either.  I think part of it was that they just did not care about one another.
     “Be gone, idiot!”  The witch shrieked and threw a small coin at the Ugly One, which was his reward.
     After the creature was gone, she put her hands on the eyes and ears of the dead beast.  In doing so, she was able to see and hear the last few moments before its death.  The witch wailed in horror, as she saw Kathryn and Molly standing by the stream.  She realized that the true royal ambassador and the young warrior had at last come into Trinidar.  It was fortunate that Knoll had not been with them at the time of its death, for this made the witch think that Molly and Kathryn did not have any help.  (She was, after all, not a smart witch.)  If she had suspected that the Trinidads knew about Molly and Kathryn, she might have figured that they would be forming an army.  If she had known about the army, she might have had a chance to defeat it before it was even started.
     The witch, however, spent most of that day reading the Great Book, trying to find out more about the royal ambassador and the young warrior.  She was hoping that it would give her some clue as to where Molly and Kathryn were going.  In the end, it only made her tired and more worried and frustrated.  She really did not know much about Trinidar, its people or its history.  Without this knowledge, it was hard to understand the stories in the Great Book.
     In spite of her ignorance, she was sure of one thing: they would need Simpter to say the spell to send the ugly ones back to their world.  (Even a foolish witch would know that.)  He was, after all, the only Trinidad who knew much about the Great Book.  Because she had no way of knowing where Kathryn and Molly were, she decided that she should go after Simpter and kill him, before the others could get to him.
     ‘I don’t know why I never did that when I first met the simpleton!’ she thought to herself.
     The witch had not cared much about Simpter since the ugly ones had come into Trinidar and really had no idea where he might be.  She was rather hoping that he had already died of old age or some other natural cause.  To find out more about him, she called in many of the Trinidads who fearfully served her and asked them a great many questions about Simpter.  When she had finished, she knew just about as much as Knoll, Kathryn and Molly.
     “Go and fetch me two of the winged creatures,” demanded the witch, speaking to Nebbish, one of the Trinidads who served her.
     “Must I?” he asked in a frightened tone.
     “Yes, and if you waste any more time, I shall not continue to lavish you with service to me.”
     While you might not think this much of a threat, for this Trinidad it would have been a horrible thing.  It is similar to the way in which some children are friends with mean children.  They let these mean children pick on them, tease them, order them around, and even hurt them, because they imagine that they would be worse off not having these mean children as friends.  These Trinidads believed that they too would be far worse off if they were not able to serve the witch.  You, of course, realize how silly this kind of thinking is.
     “Yes, Royal Ambassador,” Nebbish replied, quite scared, and trotted from the room.
     A few moments later, two of the ugly ones came in to see the witch.  One of them was carrying the poor Trinidad upside down by his foot and flung him across the room as they approached the witch.
     “You dare treat my property with such disrespect!” the witch cried.
     “He is fine,” the Ugly One replied.  “We were merely having a little fun with him.  What do you want with us?”
     “I need you to fly me and the little one to Flagstone.”
     “What!” cried the other.  “Never!  I would rather . . .”
     “You will do as you are told, Beast!” the witch interrupted.  “Be ready in one hour.”
     The ugly ones grumbled and groaned, but the only words they said to the witch were, “At your service.”  While the ugly ones were preparing for the journey, the witch was creating two potions.  The first potion was to make the chains and vest on Nebbish invisible.  The second potion was something that the witch had been working on for some time.  She hated the light that came from the Trinidads, almost as much as the ugly ones.  It was too happy, too warm, and too peaceful for her.  She was, after all, a cold and cruel person.  That is why she went out often looking for free Trinidads to have them chained.  It is also what inspired her second potion.  The potion was designed to go straight to the heart of a Trinidad and snuff the light within him.  She was not sure that it would kill Simpter, but she guessed that it would.  She may have been somewhat foolish, but she was right about this.  The witch put this potion in a special flask, to make it look much more magical.  Then she put this and the first potion in a small satchel that she was able to wear on her back.
     It was already nightfall when the ugly ones came back to the witch.  She and Nebbish walked with the two ugly ones up a flight of stairs and onto one of the towers in the witch’s castle.  She climbed on the back of one of the ugly ones, and urged Nebbish to do the same.  The chains on the Trinidad kept him from being able to hold on to the creature well and, in the end, the creature carried Nebbish under its arm.  This was a frightful ride for the Trinidad.  He had never in his life flown and Nebbish had no way of making sure that the Ugly One did not drop him.  The witch rather enjoyed herself.  She was thinking all the time that once she killed Simpter, she would rule Trinidar forever.  She also liked the idea of looking down on everything.  It made her feel as though she were amazingly powerful.  She had not truly felt that way since she had left her world.
     The creatures flew the whole night and by the time the first sun rose, they were approaching Flagstone.  The ugly ones complained the entire trip about one thing or another and they complained even more about having to be out during the daylight.  The witch grew tired of the two, hitting the beast she was on several times and telling it to keep quiet or she would turn it into something horrible.  When people are in a bad mood, as the witch was beginning to be in, it is difficult to do anything to make them happy.  These creatures had never known anything but bad moods, as they always felt pretty much the same.  Still, the witch’s mood made them complain even more bitterly.
     It was just a half an hour later that they landed at the lookout, which Knoll had described to Kathryn and Molly.  It was indeed a wonderful view of the entire forest valley.  They were just high enough on the mountain that they could see the tops of all the giant trees.  Even so, none of the party took any notice of it.  Such beautiful things meant nothing to the witch or the ugly ones, and poor Nebbish could only think about doing whatever the witch wanted.  She let go of the creature she had been riding and walked around for a moment, to make herself less stiff.  Nebbish was dropped from the arm of the other creature about ten feet from the ground.  It was not a good fall and the Trinidad was sore.  Still, Nebbish was glad to be back on the ground and even kissed the earth, before going to join the witch.

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     “Slave!” the witch cried, calling for Nebbish.
     “Yes, Royal Ambassador,” he replied, “I am here.”
     “Fetch me a small stone and a handful of grass,” she said, “and be quick about it!”
     “Yes, Royal Ambassador, just a few moments.”
     When Nebbish returned, the witch bent over and drew a circle in the dirt with the small stone.  She then wrote some strange words inside the circle and began chanting something.  She held her hands out, turning and pointing in each direction, while still chanting the same few words over and over again.  At last, she sprinkled the grass inside the circle and began to look hard at it.
     “The earth itself has spoken,” she said in a grim tone.  “The miserable creature lives in the caves just beyond that ridge.”
     While the witch was saying her spell, the two ugly ones slipped away into a deep cave near the lookout, and went to sleep.  As I mentioned earlier, they really hated being in daylight and wanted to get out of it the first chance they had gotten.  This left the witch and Nebbish to climb the rest of the way by themselves.  It was rocky and a difficult climb, especially for the chained Trinidad.  Still, the witch was not much of a climber, so that he had little trouble keeping up with her.  Finally, they scrambled up over the ridge that the witch had pointed out.  There was a small plateau and at the edge of the Mountain, they found the openings of some caves.  The witch took off the satchel, that she had been carrying on her back and removed the first potion.
     “Slave!  Come here,” the witch said.
     “Yes Royal Ambassador.”
     The witch began dripping the potion on the Trinidad’s chains and they started to disappear.
     “No!  Please!  Don’t do this,” Nebbish cried.
     “You needn’t worry.  I am only making them invisible.  This potion will wear off in an hour and then you will be able to see them again,” the witch replied.
     “Thank heaven.  I don’t know how I would have lived without them,” he said.  For the Trinidad really did not believe he could live without the chains.  He had lived with them so long and even made himself think that they made its life better, that to be free from them would have been the worst thing he could imagine.
     The witch then made the Trinidad’s vest invisible and was telling him what he should say to Simpter when he met him.  Nebbish, whose heart and the light from it could now be seen, led the way into the cave.  The light from its heart shone red, just as Simpter’s did when he first met the witch.  She had not thought about this in advance and was fearful that Simpter would recognize the strange light.  The cave was deep and went a good distance into the mountain, but there were no signs of life in the cave at all.  It was damp and musty.  There was no bed of any kind, no table or chairs, and no Simpter.
     “What shall we do now, Royal Ambassador?”
     “Quiet fool!  Your jabbering down there must have muffed my magic.  Perhaps if you will keep that ugly mouth of yours closed for a few seconds, I might be able to find Simpter.”
     The witch was frustrated that her magic had failed her.  As some grown ups do, she blamed the whole thing on someone else to make herself feel better.  Of course Nebbish was not the one to blame, but he was there with the witch and so he got blamed.  She then put her hands on the stones of the cave, closed her eyes, and began chanting once more.  A few minutes later, she screamed again at the Trinidad that his light was bothering her and began walking towards the opening of the cave.
     “Your people say that he is near here, do they not?”
     “Royal Ambassador,” said Nebbish.  “They do say he is near here.  Perhaps we should . . .”
     “Perhaps you should quit talking so much and let me figure out how to find the wicked creature,” interrupted the witch.
     “Yes Royal Ambassador.”
     “We shall just have to search for him,” the witch said.  “Quickly now!”
     The two hurried out of the cave and went back to the ridge they had just climbed.  The witch was looking around carefully, searching for any other caves in the area.  She turned around to look further up the mountain and could see nothing.  She quickly turned back around, forgetting that she was on a ledge, and lost her balance.  Just before she slipped, she grabbed hold of Nebbish and they both slid down the slope of the rocky mountain.  As they slid, loose stones came tumbling down with them.  It was lucky for both of them that they landed on a grassy plateau.  This broke the fall a little and neither were hurt too badly.  Even so, the loose stones they had kicked up pelted them for another minute or so, bruising them both.  Suddenly, Nebbish noticed that his heart was brighter than before.
     “Ugh!” said the witch, “I wish I hadn’t made that vest invisible.”
     “Royal Ambassador,” the Trinidad replied, “it means that there is another Trinidad somewhere near.”
     “You mean that cursed light in your chest gets brighter when there are more of you around?”
     “Yes Royal Ambassador, I tried to . . . ”
     “If you hold your tongue about any secrets again, I shall unchain you at once and you shall no longer be in my service.”
     “Oh please, Royal Ambassador, don’t say such terrible things,” Nebbish replied clasping his hands together begging for her mercy.
     They turned around and saw a small opening in the side of the mountain.  As they approached the hole, the light surrounding the Trinidad grew brighter and they were sure that Simpter was inside.  They looked in and saw that the entrance was a narrow passageway that went on for about ten feet.  They both had to crawl on their hands and knees in order to get through it and then they came out into a large room.  There was colorful writing and pictures on the sides of the walls, dry grass was spread over the floor of the cave, and there were small lamps set about to light up the cave.  It looked as if the writing and pictures on the wall were telling the story of the coming of the ugly ones.  In the corner, in a small wooden chair—the kind of chair that is comfortable—sat an old Trinidad, asleep.  His face was wrinkled and looked sad, even though he was asleep.  He had long white hair that reminded one of an old mop.
     “Remember what I told you,” whispered the witch.  “If you blunder this time, I shall never forgive you, never.  Now do as you were told!”
     “Yes Royal Ambassador, I promise to do just what you told me,” Nebbish replied also in a whisper.
     Slowly and carefully he went over to the chair where the old Trinidad sat.
     “Simpter,” he said shaking the old figure a little.  “Simpter.  Wake up.  Everything is all right.”
     “What’s going on?” Simpter asked, groggy from just being woken.
     “Everything is going to be okay Simpter!  The true royal ambassador is here and we have the Great Book.  You can send the ugly ones back to their world.”
     “How do I know you are telling the truth?” he asked, now more awake.
     “Look and see for yourself.  I am free and there is the true royal ambassador.  Do you not see the light in my heart?”
     “I am an old man and nearly blind.  Please stop playing with me.  She is the same witch that brought the ugly ones here,” muttered Simpter, who could just make out the light, but could not see that it was the wrong color.
     “No, Simpter, she is the true royal ambassador.  The witch only made herself look like the true royal ambassador.  She has brought a special nectar from the fruit of youth in her world.  It will make you young again and she will reestablish you as the guardian of the Great Book.”
     “And where are the King and the young warrior?” he asked, still in disbelief.
     “They are waiting outside for us with the Great Book.”
     “Why, would the King need me to say the spell?” Simpter asked.
     “You know, Simpter, that only a Trinidad, true of heart, can say the spell.”
     These words were familiar to Simpter.  Paylar had said them to him many times while he was growing up.  They touched his heart in a special way, for he knew them to be true.  Every good lie is always based on a truth.
     ‘Surely,’ he thought to himself, ‘the witch could not know such truth, for she is a liar.’  However, he had forgotten that he spoke these words to her.  “Well then,” Simpter said to the others, “let’s go and meet the King.”
     “You do want to look your best for the King, don’t you?” the witch said sweetly.  “Let’s get those chains off of you and make you young again.”
     “I would rather meet the King first,” Simpter replied.
     “Yes, you will meet the King,” answered the witch.  “This will only take a moment.  It wouldn’t be appropriate to meet the King as you are.”
     Simpter was tired of arguing and agreed to do as the witch said.  She produced the first potion and dripped it on Simpter’s chains and vest.  He was a little suspicious that he could still feel them, even though he could start to see light coming from his own chest.  Nebbish explained that it would feel that way for a short time as he got used to being free.  Then the witch brought forth the second potion.
     “Drink this, and you shall be young again,” she said happily handing him the flask.
     “To the King,” Simpter said and drank.
     It was a gruesome sight, to watch as the potion started to take effect.  The light in Simpter’s heart seemed to be swallowed up by blackness.  It was as if his heart were slowly being covered by a thick tar.  Nebbish had to turn around, for he could not bear to see that sight.  Simpter’s face grew pale as his light grew dimmer and dimmer.  Then, all at once, his heart was dark.  Simpter let out a cry of agony that only a few from this world have ever heard before.  It was a horrible sound, so horrible that I cannot describe it.  I only hope that you never have to hear that sound.  Simpter then fell to the ground and died.  Nebbish was shaken and even crying.
     “You have done well, but we must be on the move now,” the witch said, a little shaken herself, but quite proud of her victory.
     “No, I cannot go,” Nebbish sobbed.
     “What!” cried the witch.  “You must if you ever wish to serve me again.”
     “I have done a terrible thing and I deserve to die here in this cave,” he answered.
     Nebbish went to the corner of the room, lay down, curled himself into a small ball, and cried.  Most of the things the witch had him do were harmless to anyone.  Seeing the light in Simpter’s heart being snuffed out and hearing his cry of agony were too much for Nebbish.  His eyes were suddenly opened to how evil the witch was and how bad he had been for helping her.  He really hoped that he would die a worse death than Simpter.
     “Very well then, you shall!” stammered the witch and she turned around and crawled back out of the passageway to get out of the cave.

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     Not so far away now, we find Molly, Kathryn, and Knoll traveling together.  After leaving Pug’s house they cut back across toward the river.  They were able to travel much more quickly thereafter, because there were so few Trinidads in this part of the forest and because the ugly ones rarely ventured so far away from the witch’s castle.  Everyone was much more careful though to keep watch for any strange activities.  While the terrain around them grew rockier, the bank of the river was still smooth and grassy, so that they did not have any trouble moving at a quicker pace.  It was about noon when the landscape surrounding the bank of the river began to rise around them.   Kathryn could see that they were headed into a narrow gorge.
     “Should we not be going up the bank?  We do not want to get trapped in that gorge with no way to climb out,” Kathryn asked, thinking that Knoll was not paying attention.
     “Not at all,” said Knoll, “there is not much of a path along the ridge of the gorge, and once we are inside it we will be much less visible.  Pug assured me that this was the best path.  He also said there was a friend living in some caves near the end of the gorge, who might know exactly where to find Simpter.”
     “Pug did seem to know this area well,” Kathryn said.  “I do trust his judgment.”
     “It would be wonderful if we could find Simpter without having to search all day,” Molly added.
     “Indeed it would,” declared Knoll.  “The sooner we send the ugly ones home, the better we will be.”
     As they walked further, the huge rock walls rose above them on both sides.  The grassy bank was as smooth as it has been most of the way.  There were smaller trees, much like the trees that Molly was familiar with in Pennsylvania, which grew up along side of the river in the gorge.  Their branches touched the sides of the walls and their roots grew out to the river weaving in between the rocks to find the earth beneath them.  The walls of the gorge continued to climb above them and they were now walking in its shadow.  Its sidewalls were rough with deep crevasses and caves covering them and on the traveler’s left there was a cave that went into the mountain about four feet.
     “This will do quite nicely,” Knoll said.
     “Nicely for what?” Kathryn asked.
 Knoll, who was already taking off his chains and vest replied, “Why we are going to leave these stupid chains and vests here.  We are not likely to be seen here and I am tired of wearing them.”
     “That’s wonderful,” exclaimed Molly.  “I hate them so much.”
     “We can get them on the way back, if we even need them,” Knoll added.
     After Knoll had gotten the chains and vest off, he helped Molly take hers off.  They put them in the sack that Molly had been carrying and Knoll took them to the back of the cave.  Molly now wore the bow at her side and the quiver full of arrows on her back, looking much more like a warrior, as the adventure had given her a valiant and noble look.  If she could have seen a mirror at that moment, she might not have recognized herself.  In any case, she was now looking more like someone who would lead a great battle.
     Knoll opened his own sack and they all had some nectar and a cake, which made everyone feel much better.  Then they rested for a moment in the grass.  Kathryn lay on her back, looking up at the beautiful sky.  Suddenly, she saw a huge eagle perch on the edge of the gorge.  It spread its wings and then stared hard at Kathryn.
     “Look at that,” Kathryn cried.
     “Look at what?” asked Molly and Knoll at the same time.
     “That eagle perched . . .” but in the moment that Kathryn had turned her head to talk to the others, the eagle had disappeared.  “There was an eagle perched on the edge of the gorge.  It seemed to be looking at me.”
     “I wish I could have seen it,” Molly said.
     “That would have been a sight,” Knoll added.  “The ugly ones hunt eagles.  I haven’t seen any in quite some time.”
     “I think we have to hurry,” Kathryn said.
     “But, why?” Molly asked.
     “I wish I could explain it,” Kathryn replied, “I simply have a queer feeling that we must hurry.”
     “I don’t know much about such feelings,” Knoll responded, “but it won’t do us any harm to follow the royal ambassador.  Now that we don’t have to wear those chains, we should be able to get on much quicker.”
     “It is about time I had my turn carrying your sack,” Kathryn added.
     “It wouldn’t do to have the royal ambassador, carrying my sack,” Knoll exclaimed.
     “Oh, bother,” Kathryn responded, “how can I be a great leader, if I do not set the example?  It will allow you to walk much faster as well.”
     “If I must,” Knoll said.
     “Yes, you must,” Kathryn said with a little laugh.
     The three travelers now walked at a much quicker pace.  Kathryn, with her long legs, was striding at a fast walk.  Molly, whose legs were much shorter, followed Kathryn somewhere between a walk and a jog, while Knoll, who was the shortest, was almost running to keep up with Kathryn.   He was honestly glad not to be carrying the sack now.  After a moment, Kathryn realized that she did not quite know where she was going.  She asked Knoll and he said that they must keep going to the base of the waterfall.
     They traveled at this pace the rest of the morning, until late afternoon.  The bank of the river remained smooth as the river bent and curved.  As they continued walking, the riverbank became extremely narrow at one point and it was difficult trying to pass it.  Molly lost her balance and almost fell in.  Fortunately though Kathryn was able to grab hold of her before she fell.  They only rested for a few minutes at a time, in order to keep themselves from wanting to stop for good.  (For when one stops to rest during a long walk through woods or along a river, resting more than a few moments can make one so comfortable that he or she will not want to get started again.)
     Finally, Kathryn mentioned lunch (though it was much later than one usually has lunch) and everyone was thankful for stopping, especially Knoll, who was worn out from the pace.  The bank of the river at this spot was wide and grassy and a perfect place to eat and rest.  Kathryn and Molly had a drink from the river, while Knoll drank the sweet nectar.  They finished the remains of their breakfast and discussed their plans.  They had been traveling mostly in silence.  Nevertheless when they sat down to eat, there was kind of a quietness that only comes when one stops everything and merely sits.  They could hear, off in the distance that there was a faint sound much like thunder.  It was different from the sound of the river itself, and yet somehow similar.
     “I say,” said Kathryn rather suddenly, “can you hear that?”
     “Yes, I do hear something,” Molly answered.  “What is it?”
     “I do believe it is the waterfall,” Kathryn said, turning to Knoll.
     “I’ve never been this far,” Knoll said.  “But I do think you are right.”
     “Well then, if we are so close to the waterfall that we can hear it, we ought to be off.”
     Molly and Knoll were a little sad to be off so soon.  Kathryn, however, had begun to feel much more hope about their mission.  She also felt stronger and braver than she had in some time.  She was feeling more like a real Princess every moment and enjoying the challenges that faced her.  The others were quite glad for Kathryn, though they had much less energy.
     It was about twenty minutes later that they rounded a curve in the gorge and caught sight of the waterfall.  The first sun was nearly directly behind it, while the second sun was still higher in the sky.  The waterfall reflected the light, looking as if it were made of diamonds and they all stopped for a moment to gaze at its beauty.  It was just a few minutes later that they stood at the base of the giant waterfall.  If they did not know that there was some way out, they might have all felt trapped.  The rocky walls of the gorge were more than one hundred feet above them and none of the three were good at climbing.
     “Where do we go from here, Knoll?” Kathryn asked, seeing that there were several caves in the walls around them.
     “We are not supposed to go anywhere, yet,” Knoll said.
     “What do you mean?” Kathryn asked.
     “Yes.  How come you don’t know?” Molly added.
     “You see, there is still something I need to tell you.  It is just that . . .” But Knoll was interrupted by a friendly voice.
     “Welcome travelers,” it said.

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     All three turned to see from where the voice was coming.  What they saw was a young female Trinidar who seemed to glow, not only from her heart, but also from the rest of her body.  While she was so beautiful that they almost could not bear to look at her, she smiled in such a way that put all three at ease, almost instantly.  She then walked over to Kathryn took up her hand and said, “Welcome, Royal Ambassador.”  Then taking hold of Molly’s hand as well said, “Welcome, Young Warrior.”  Molly and Kathryn felt a mysterious power that seemed to flow from her.  It was something good and made them both glow, almost as beautifully as she did.  Molly told me afterward that it was like having all of her worries lifted all in one moment.  The Trinidad then turned to Knoll, put her hand on his heart, and blessed him.  The others could see the same kind of glow coming to Knoll’s face.
     “My name,” she said, “is Mirth.  I have been expecting you.”
     “Please, Ma’am,” said Molly, “how have you been expecting us?”
     “I am, what you might call in your world, a prophet,” she replied.  “I knew that you would be coming for some time.”
     “Everyone, except me seemed to know that I was coming,” Kathryn said softly, thinking no one would hear her.
     “If you had known about your journey,” Mirth said, in an understanding tone “you likely would not have chosen it.  But come, we have no time to spare.”
     She led them all into one of the caves, which turned into a large cavern.  The floor of the cavern was smooth and flat.  In the middle, there was a small table with several finely carved wooden chairs around it.  There was a stone hearth and a small fire in one corner of the room.  There was a large black kettle hanging just over the fire.  Above it was a mantle on which several odd objects rested.  On the back wall there was an opening to another room, perhaps a bedroom, thought Molly.  Against the sidewall were a small table and a silver basin.  Beside the table there was a large wood-carved pantry that had scenes of the forest and Flagstone carved in the doors.  In the opposite corner, there was an eagle perched in a hollow about 6 feet up from the floor.
     “That is the eagle I saw,” exclaimed Kathryn.
     “Yes,” said Mirth, “I sent it to find you.  I was hoping you would know to hurry.”
     “But why have we been hurrying?” Knoll asked.
     “The witch is on the move and Simpter is in grave danger.  It still may be possible for us to reach him in time,” Mirth replied.
     “That is terrible!” Molly cried.  “We have to save him.”
     “Yes, but how do you know that he is in danger?” Kathryn asked with a little disbelief.
     “Why, the King has told me,” Mirth said, surprised that Kathryn would ask such a question.
     “You mean the King is already here?” Kathryn exclaimed, also surprised by Mirth’s answer.
     “The King has always been here, in a way.  His spirit was here from the beginning and some even say that he left us the Great Book.  However, he will be real (physically here, I mean) to all of Trinidar when you bring him to us.  For now, he visits me, and my kind, in dreams and visions.  Soon, though, I will see him face to face,” Mirth responded.
     “I . . . I think I understand,” Kathryn said a little sadly.
     “Child,” Mirth said, “everyone walks away from him in one way or another.  Do not be ashamed.  Only go back to him.”
     Molly wanted to say something in agreement with Mirth, but felt that it was not her place to do so.  She only took Kathryn’s hand and gave it a light squeeze.
     “We have no time to discuss this now, however, we must fly from this place,” Mirth then added.
     “You say we,” Knoll said.  “Are you coming with us?”
     “Yes, I must,” replied Mirth.  “For it is I who knows where to find Simpter.  We haven’t a moment to spare.  Have you eaten?”
     “We had lunch close to half an hour ago,” Kathryn responded.
     “Then, let us be off,” Mirth said and collected a few things in a sack.  “Follow me.”
 Mirth led them to the back of the cavern toward opening that Molly had noticed.  It turned out to be a small hallway with a room immediately on her left, while there were stone steps directly in front of them.  The steps led them into a kind of tunnel, which ended rather abruptly.  Mirth pointed upwards and they all noticed that the tunnel continued almost directly above them, and they saw the light from outside.  Fastened against the wall of the tunnel was a wooden ladder.  Mirth then took two pieces of rope from her sack, tying her own sack around her waist and giving the other piece to Kathryn to do the same.  Knoll was the first to start the climb up the long ladder.  He was followed by Molly and Mirth, and Kathryn was last.
     “Be careful,” Mirth said.  “If you can avoid it, do not look down.”
     This is of course the best thing to do when climbing anything of great height.  So long as you do not realize how high you are, you can keep climbing.  It is only when you get scared that you do not think you can keep climbing.  They were all smart about this and it was only Kathryn who looked down, and she only looked for a moment.  It did frighten her some, but she was able to keep climbing, after relaxing a bit and thinking about something else.  There were handles at the top of the ladder that arched up and were buried in the ground.  This made it easy to climb out of the tunnel onto the ground.  One by one they all reached the top and climbed out.
     “Did you dig that tunnel?” Molly asked Mirth.
     “Nay, Young One, this tunnel was here before the gorge had been cut from the rock.  It was through that tunnel that lava flowed at the beginning of this world.  I merely added the ladder.”
     The first sun had nearly set now and the second one was rapidly descending in the sky.  They all stood on a rocky mesa with Flagstone in front of them and to the left, while the waterfall was on their right.  There were almost no trees between them and the mountain now.  The mesa was covered with a tall grass, which almost looked like reeds at times.  Most of it was dry and brown and it crackled under their feet as they walked through it.  They were a good deal higher than they had realized and when they turned around for a moment, they could see the giant trees of the forest spread out behind them.   Knoll swore that he could see Pug’s tree, but no one else was able to recognize it, even though Knoll tried to point it out.
     As they turned back around, Mirth raised her hands and said, “May the King’s blessing be upon us.”
     At that moment, the seriousness of the journey dawned on everyone, and they all walked on for some time in silence, looking ahead to Flagstone.  Molly could see that Knoll was much more comfortable with Mirth now.  Soon, they began talking about all sorts of things, such as the Great Book, Pug and his family, other Trinidads that they both knew, and how they both managed to escape being chained.  Kathryn and Molly dropped back a few yards and began talking with each other.
     “Molly,” said Kathryn, “you seem to know so much about me, but I know little of you.  Will you tell me more about your life?”
     “Okay,” Molly replied and then began telling Kathryn about her mother and father, her uncle Joseph (and her large teddy bear which he won for her), and, of course, her grandmother.  She tried to explain to Kathryn what Leukemia was and how it had made her mother sick and die, but they do not have such diseases in Rosenblum.  Explaining it was also hard, because Molly did not really understand it herself.  She then told Kathryn that she did not have many good friends, and talked about the girls who teased her on the playground.
     Molly then asked Kathryn about her life, and Kathryn told Molly what it was like to grow up as a Princess.  She said that she also had a hard time making friends, because most of the other children did not know how to act around royalty.  She admitted that the friends she thought she had, as she grew older, only wanted to be around her so that they could say they knew the Princess.  She then said sadly that the Wizard was one of the best friends she ever had.
     “I am sorry,” Molly replied, for she could see that Kathryn was feeling sad.  “But can’t you do what Mirth suggested and just go back to him.”
     “I do not know that he wants me back.  If I had been as bad to you, would you want to have me back?”
     “I suppose if you really were sorry about the way you treated me, I would be glad to have you back.  Even if I didn’t, the Wizard seems like the kind of person who would always want you back.”
     “Yes,” replied Kathryn, “I think you are right.  I just do not know that I am worth a second chance.”
     “I think you are,” Molly said truly meaning it.  “But you will never know if you don’t at least try.”
     “I do not think I could bear it if he said no.”
     “Do you have a choice?  Knoll, Mirth and Pug all say you are going to bring him to this world.”
     “Yes, I have been wondering about that.  Perhaps I could just leave my pouch with Simpter after he sends the ugly ones back to their world.  Then he or Mirth could use it to call Aryeh into this world.”
     “Do you think it could work that way?” Molly questioned.
     “I do not know.”
     “I would like to meet him.”
     “You really should meet him.  Somehow, I know you will,” Kathryn said.
     Kathryn and Molly had been talking for some time and it had grown dark.  There was a full moon out, which gave them plenty of light to see the path.  As well, they caught up with Knoll and Mirth (who were still chatting about all kinds of things), so that the light coming from both of them made it even easier to see the ground.  Having been awake since early morning, both Molly and Kathryn did a good deal of yawning.  They probably would have fallen asleep at once if they could have stopped and lain down.  Knoll, however, seemed to be rather awake and excited.  His new friendship with Mirth, gave him a great deal to be excited about.
     As the group continued walking through the night, the moon dropped behind Flagstone and its silhouette drew closer.  Soon, however, everyone was feeling tired, and their rest breaks grew longer and longer.  It was Mirth who kept them all from falling asleep.  She knew that it was up to her to make sure that they found Simpter before the witch got to him.  This was a difficult job, even though everyone was generally in good spirits.  While they may not have always behaved as though they were thankful, everyone was indeed thankful that Mirth kept them going.
     The only sound heard now was the crunch of the tall dry grass as they walked.  The terrain grew much rockier, making it much harder to find a suitable path.  At times it was all they could do to jump from one large rock to the next.  Jump, jump, crunch, crunch, jump, jump, crunch, crunch, jump, crunch, it went for the next few hours.
     By now, everyone felt a good deal colder than when they had started the journey and they were all glad for having to walk, because it was the only thing that kept them warm.  The sky slowly grew a little darker as the moon dropped below the horizon, and then it turned kind of a dark gray color.  It was not much longer before Flagstone became nothing more than just a dark shadow in front of them.  Shortly after though, they started to make out colors, ridges and boulders on the mountain.  Everyone stopped for a moment to look east as the first sun started rising.  It had not yet come up over the ridgeline of the forest.  The sky began to light up with deep reds, oranges, and purples.  It was one of the most beautiful sunrises that Kathryn or Molly had ever seen.
     The thing about being in a world that has two suns, is that just when one sunrise has ended, the other begins, even more beautiful than the first, because the colors stand out much more against the horizon, which can be seen more clearly.  This happened about thirty minutes after the first sun had risen.  Once again, everyone stopped for a moment to admire its beauty.  Then they focused themselves again ready to start the journey when Mirth began leading them North.  Flagstone was indeed close now.
     “I say,” Kathryn asked, “should we not keep going straight on?”
     “Until now, we’ve stayed off the main path,” Mirth replied, “to keep from being seen.  (One never knows if the witch will be looking for us.)  The main path, though, is the easiest way up the mountain.”
     “Is it much farther?” Molly asked in a tired voice.
     “No, precious child,” said Mirth, holding Molly’s face in her hands and looking into her eyes.  “We shall not be long now.”
     This had a strange effect on Molly, her body was again tingling, and quite suddenly she had much more energy than before.  As Molly told me afterwards, “She looked into my eyes, and I could just see that everything mattered to her.  Somehow, that made me feel much better.”
     And, it really was not much longer before they had reached the main path and then about twenty minutes more to the base of Flagstone.  The journey had been easier, now that they had been traveling on the path.  It wound up the side of the mountain, in a series of switchbacks, until finally they were all standing at the lookout, staring out in sheer amazement at the forest valley beneath them.

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     Knoll drew in a deep breath, and then sighed with contentment.  “This is a wonderful country,” he said.  “How my heart aches for her freedom.”
     “She shall be free soon,” Mirth said with a smile.
     Kathryn and Molly both agreed with Mirth and gave Knoll a clap on the back, reminding him that they had almost found Simpter.  Everyone was silent for just a moment more, feeling peaceful.  Unfortunately, this moment did not last long.  The silence was broken by the most horrible scream that anyone who ever lived has heard.  It was, of course, the scream that Simpter gave as the light in his heart was snuffed by the witch’s potion.  Knoll and Mirth knew at once that something was terribly wrong, as the light in their own hearts grew dim.
     No one quite knew why, but without saying a word all four of them were running as fast as they could to the place where the noise had come from.  It was a terrifying few minutes, as they leapt over large stones, slipping on smaller stones that were loose, and poor Knoll even lost his footing once and slipped down the Mountain a few feet.  He wasted no time in scrambling back up and was not far behind the others.  It was Mirth who told Kathryn exactly which cave Simpter was in.
     Kathryn and Molly (having the longer legs of the group) were in front and almost to the mouth of the cave.  Just as they reached it, the witch was coming out.
     She fixed her eyes on Kathryn, and they flashed with anger.  Yet one could see the terror and surprise in them.  “Fools!”  She cried out.  “You are too late!  And now I have shall have you as well!”
     The witch raised her hand, as if she were casting some spell.  Kathryn, who was probably more frightened at that moment than any other in her life, caught the witch’s hand in her own.  A second later, she had caught the witch’s other hand.  They stared in each other in the eyes, Kathryn holding onto the witch for her very life.
     At this moment, everyone could see just how different Kathryn was from the witch.  Her eyes were brave, yet strong as she held onto the witch.  The witch seemed pale, cruel, horrible, and even ugly next to Kathryn.  No one who saw the two together at this moment could ever have mistaken one for the other.   Molly told me that it was something like seeing Kathryn’s reflection in a lake or stream.  While someone’s reflection would be similar to that person, it would also be different from him or her.  One would never mistake a person’s reflection for that person.  It was like that now for Knoll and Mirth as well.  Of course, they noticed all of this in a single instant, though it has taken much longer to write.
     “You can’t win,” the witch said.  “You turned your back on him.”
     There was so much that Kathryn wanted to say just then.  It seemed like a million thoughts raced through her head in that one instant.  She found, though, that she could not say any of them, and, in the end, simply shouted, “Molly!  Now!”
     Molly, of course, knew what Kathryn meant, but she too was frightened.  She fumbled as she tried to put an arrow to her bowstring, as quickly as possible.  The witch was too fast, though, and wrung herself out of Kathryn’s grip running back down the mountain, and out of range of Molly’s bow. Minutes later, all of them watched as the two horrible beasts flew away, one carrying the witch on its back. The moment she had freed herself from Kathryn’s grip, she uttered some words that no one understood, and had the effect of causing a small rockslide, which buried the entrance to Simpter’s cave.
     Kathryn wasted no time in attacking the rock pile.  She began grabbing stones as quickly as she could and tossing them just behind her.  Many of the stones were sharp and jagged and Kathryn’s hands became bruised and bloody.  In spite of the pain, she never ceased her work.  Soon after she started, the others joined her and it was only a few minutes afterwards that the entrance of the cave was open again.
     Mirth and Knoll quickly crawled into the mouth of the cave, but Kathryn and Molly stayed outside for the time being.
     “I am sorry,” Molly said, “I don’t know why I let her frighten me so.  We might have ended this now, if I hadn’t been so clumsy with my bow.”
     “You tried your best,” Kathryn replied, reaching out to hold Molly’s hand, which was also bruised and bleeding.  “We will have another chance, and I know we will let her get away then.”
     “I hope so,” Molly said, feeling better.
     Just then, Knoll crawled back out the entrance to the cave.  His eyes were filled with tears.  He quietly sobbed, “Simpter... is... dead.”
     “What?!” cried Molly and Kathryn at the same time.  “How could this have happened?”
     “The witch was right,” said Knoll still weeping.  “We were too late.  The scream we heard was Simpter’s last.”
     As they sat silently, staring at one another, Mirth came out of the cave.  The joy that she was so full of, just moments before, had left her.
     “Your work here is done,” Mirth said.  “Now that Simpter is dead, there is nothing else we can do.”
     “But, you could say the spell to send the ugly ones back into their own world.  Couldn’t you Mirth?”  Molly asked.
     “No.  Simpter is the only one who knows its secrets,” Mirth said sadly.
     “At least we could still fight the witch and the ugly ones, maybe we could drive them all away,” Molly responded desperately.
     “While the gate to their land is still open, we could never beat them all, for two would come to take the place of each one we killed,” Mirth said.
     “We have to do something,” said Molly, half crying from frustration.  “We really have to.”
     “Nay.  It is time for you to go back into your own world.”
     Kathryn, who had been sitting quietly, suddenly said, “Mirth!  Have you forgotten what is written in the Great Book?  Is she not supposed to lead Trinidar to freedom?  Am I not to bring you your King?”
     “How can that be true now?” Mirth asked.
     “Yes,” Knoll added, “how can that happen now?  We have already lost.  There is nothing left we can do.”
     “Perhaps we can do nothing, but he can do something,” Kathryn said.
     “You can’t bring the King now,” Knoll stammered.  “We are not ready for him.  We are not yet free.”
     “Without him,” Kathryn replied, “you will never be free.”
     “How can he help us now?” Mirth asked.
     “I do not know,” Kathryn said, “But he will.”
     “Please, Royal Ambassador,” said Knoll, “he mustn’t come here while the witch still lives.”
     “Knoll, you do not understand.  He can somehow make everything right.  I know he can.”
     They again argued this point for some time.  Neither Mirth nor Knoll thought that Kathryn should bring the King into Trinidar.  Finally, Kathryn told them that while she appreciated their concern, she was going to call him now.  She did not say this rudely, but just as a matter of fact, and not as though she were any better than them.  Molly agreed with Kathryn and this put Knoll and Mirth a little more at ease.
    “I honestly must go meet him alone, for now,” Kathryn sighed.
    She never really explained this to Knoll nor Mirth, though Molly understood why.  Mirth then told Kathryn and Molly about Nebbish, and they all agreed that Knoll and Mirth should go inside to try to help him.  Molly stayed outside in case any more of the ugly ones came back, or in case of some other danger.  As the two Trinidads crawled back inside the cave, Kathryn started walking back to the lookout.

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     “Katie,” Molly said, “It will be all right, I think.”
     Kathryn only smiled a moment and then turned around and started back for the lookout.  It was perhaps the longest walk she had ever taken.  She was just not ready to face Aryeh.  Still, she knew that she must.  She tried to think of something to say to him.  (You may have snubbed one of your best friends at some time.  If you have, you know how hard it is to think of something to say when you want to apologize.)  Kathryn felt like that now, except that it was much worse for her.  She was embarrassed about the way that she had acted.  It was hard to believe that she could ever have been so foolish.  When she finally made it to the lookout, she stopped for a moment, looked at the valley beneath her and sighed.  It was, for that instance as she looked down on the valley, as though she were looking back over the last few years of her life, and she shuddered thinking about the snobbish young woman she had become.  She was so ashamed and so afraid to face Aryeh that her heart pounded within her chest.
     Finally, Kathryn pulled her velvet pouch out from under her dress.  She opened it and held the little ball gently in her hand.  She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and whispered,     “Aryeh.”  Initially it seemed to Kathryn that nothing had happened.  The only thing Kathryn felt was her own trembling.  But then it felt to her that her trembling was causing the ground beneath her to tremble.  A moment later, she knew the earth itself was indeed trembling as well.  Seconds later, she realized that the whole world was shaking, as if there had been an earthquake.
    To the Trinidads, the shaking they now felt was wonderful and filled them all with a warm feeling, if you can imagine such a thing.  It was quite different from the quake they felt when the ugly ones came into their world.  The earth shook both times, but the energy and the spirit were as different as night and day.  For the ugly ones, who were awakened by its movement, they hated every second that it continued.  Even the witch, still on her way back to the Castle, screamed with horror as she saw the earth moving, and the trees swaying.
    Then, all at once, the movement stopped.
     In the stillness of that moment, Kathryn hung her head low and stared at the ground, waiting for Aryeh.  If only Kathryn had been watching, she would have seen something so amazing that anyone might have dropped whatever he or she was doing to watch this.  From what seemed to be the pinnacle of Flagstone, came the Wizard, gracefully leaping and bounding down to where Kathryn stood.  No stone was turned.  Never did his feet slip.  He knew every step he had to take and it looked as though it took no effort.  Watching that would have been like the first time a person saw an eagle fly and the light from the suns of that world seemed dull and dingy compared to the glow that came from Aryeh.  In a few moments, he was standing, silently, neither breathing hard nor fast, a few yards behind Kathryn.  For a long time, he stared at Kathryn and there was great Joy in his eyes.
     Suddenly, he spoke.  “My child,” he said, with a deep, strong, yet gentle voice, “I have been waiting for you to call to me for a long time.”
     “A-A-Aryeh?” Kathryn replied shyly, keeping her head down and her back to him.
     “Yes, Child, I have come for you,” Aryeh said.
     “I-I did not want you to come here for me,” Kathryn answered trying to keep herself from choking up.  “These creatures here need you.  They have been enslaved by terrible monsters and the only one who could have sent the monsters back to their world has been murdered.  I did not know what else to do.  They told me that I was supposed to bring you here, so I called for you.  I know you probably do not want to see me.  You are probably mad at me.  I do understand that you should be.  I promise not to bother you again if you will just help these people.  You will not even have to talk to me.”
     Aryeh stood there listening, staring at Kathryn as she spoke.  If only Kathryn would have turned around to see him, she would not have seen a look of anger or a stern look.  Instead, she would have seen kindness, love, and even laughter.
     “Child,” started Aryeh softly, “I have missed you more than you could ever know.  Do you remember the first time we met?  As I lay in the grass, wounded and hurting, your care for me and your tenderness gave me such pleasure.  Do you know how precious that was to me?”
     As Aryeh said this, a tear rolled down Kathryn’s nose and hit the ground.  “I remember now,” she sobbed.  “But, I let myself forget.  I do not deserve to be with you anymore.”
     “My beloved child,” Aryeh said, “I will love you without regard for what you have done.  You are special to me.  Please, come back to me.”  At this, the majestic Wizard shed a tear Himself.
     “Oh Aryeh,” Kathryn cried, “I will, I will.”
     Kathryn turned around to run to meet him, but she did not need to run at all for he was already right behind her.  She threw her arms around the Wizard’s neck, buried her face in his robe and wept.  Aryeh kissed her head and gently rubbed her back.  They stood holding one another for some time.
     However, when Kathryn felt better, she backed away one step or two, bent down on one knee, and lifted his hand as if she were going to kiss it (a great sign of respect and loyalty in Rosenblum, as you already know).
     “I am sorry.  Will you forgive me?” Kathryn asked.
     “I have already forgiven you,” Aryeh said.  “I hope you now better understand the things of importance in life.”  He added this last part in a compassionate tone, not the kind of mocking tone one might expect from such words.
     “I have,” she responded.
     “Then we must help those who need us,” he said.

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    Kathryn and Aryeh walked hand in hand back up to the cave.  Aryeh looked strong, handsome, and younger than he did in Rosenblum.  As they got to the cave, Molly was sitting outside and looked at the two coming up in amazement.  She had never seen Kathryn look so beautiful, and the Wizard looked to her like a great King.  She was a little frightened by him: not the kind of fear that one has of monsters, but the kind of fear that one has when meeting someone extremely important for the first time.
     “Aryeh,” Kathryn said, “this is Molly.  She has come into the world with me.”
     The Wizard smiled as if to say, “Yes, I know.”  He had let go of Kathryn’s hand and she just then noticed that neither of her hands were bruised nor bleeding any longer.  He stretched out his hand to Molly.
     “Little one,” said Aryeh, “Do you know me?”
 Molly looked deep into the Wizard’s eyes.  “Sir,” she said trembling (she did not know what else to call him), “please do not be angry with me.  Your eyes remind of the poor man who came to my grandmother’s house.”
     Much to Kathryn’s surprise Aryeh said, “Yes, you do know me.”  And before their eyes, Aryeh changed into the old poor man with whom Molly had shared her lunch, in tattered clothes, unshaven face, and dirty hands.  This lasted only a moment.  He then began to change again, and began looking more and more strong and noble.  His clothes became new and of royal colors.  His face grew young, and his skin shone white.  The last thing they noticed was that his own chest became transparent, and a light, like the Trinidads, only brighter, deeper and more colorful showed through it.  He then picked Molly up, hugged her, kissed her forehead and said, “Well done, Molly.”  Her hands too were healed the moment that Aryeh touched her.
     “Are you in every world?” Molly asked.
     “Yes,” Aryeh answered.  “I will not always look the same, or act the same.  Different worlds need me in different ways.  Katie,” he continued, “I am proud of what you have done here.  You have proven yourself worthy to be called their royal ambassador.  Little one,” he said looking at Molly, “you too have done well here.  Are you ready to finish the task for which you came here?”
     While both Kathryn and Molly felt as though there was nothing more that they could do, when Aryeh fixed his eyes on them, they knew that there was only one answer.  “Yes,” they said in unison.
     “It is time that the others should meet me,” Aryeh said.
     “Mirth.  Knoll.  Come out here right away,” Kathryn called inside the cave.
     There was a moment’s pause, and they could hear some stirring from inside the cave.  Knoll was the first to crawl out, followed by Mirth, and finally Nebbish.  Nebbish was still crying and trembling as he came out.  One by one, they looked up and saw the tall, handsome Trinidad standing in front of them.  The light, which came from His heart, was brighter, more pure, and more beautiful than anything they had ever seen.  I do not think that any of them expected to see their King standing there.  Knoll and Mirth stared in amazement at Aryeh.  His face was serious; yet, it smiled with a kind of child-like innocence and joy.  Neither of them quite knew how they should act before him, and at once bent down on one knee.
     Nebbish, however, fell at Aryeh’s feet and wailed, “Kill me now.  I do not deserve to live.”
     “Peace, Nebbish,” Aryeh said in a deep and strong voice and at once the poor Trinidad became calm.  “Son of light,” he said to Nebbish, “you know that you have done a great evil.”
     “Yes, sir, I know I have.”
     “Are you sorry?”
     “Yes.”
     “Will you serve me now and fight against the witch for the freedom of your people?”
     “Yes, I will serve you.”
     “Then you are forgiven,” and Aryeh bent down and put His hand over the Trinidad’s heart.  “Take courage,” he said.  “You shall help to make right this wrong.  As a symbol of your allegiance to me, no longer shall you be called Nebbish.  Your new name shall be Tapfer.” By now the witch’s potion, that made Nebbish’s, or rather Tapfer as we must now call him, vest invisible had almost worn off.  Still, everyone could see the change in the color and brightness of the light from his heart.  As Tapfer rose to his feet, there was no doubt that he was a different Trinidad than he had been even minutes before.
     Then Aryeh turned to Knoll, who was still on one knee, and said, “Knoll, my son, you do not look as happy as I wish you to be.  Why do you look so glum?”
     “It is just that, well, we weren’t quite ready for you.  I was hoping that we’d already be free and that the witch and the ugly ones.”
     “Did you not suppose that I would come to set you free, or that I would think any less of my people because they were enslaved by an evil witch?  I have come.  Worry no more.”
     “My King,” Mirth interrupted, “I am glad that you have come.  But why did you wait so long?  If you had only been here sooner, Simpter might still be alive.  Now there is no one to say the spell to send the ugly ones back to their world.”
     “Mirth, do you still not understand?” Aryeh questioned.
     “Do you mean that you will say the spell?”  asked Mirth.
     “Nay, dear Mirth.  Simpter is the only one who can say the spell.  He was called to be the guardian of the Great Book, and not even I can take his place.”
     “Then the ugly ones will stay here forever,” Mirth said in a sad voice.
     “Have you forgotten, Mirth, that I am the light in each of your hearts?”  Without waiting for an answer, Aryeh continued, “The ugly ones and the witch hate that light because they hate me.  Now, bring Simpter to me.”
     Knoll and Tapfer went inside the cave and brought out Simpter’s old and frail body.  The chains and the vest, being magic, simply fell off once Simpter was dead.  They set his body before Aryeh, and then stepped back several feet.  They all watched, as their King knelt on the ground looking at Simpter’s body.  His expression turned from joy to sorrow as he began weeping.  As the tears splashed on Simpter’s forehead, color started coming back into his face.  When the tears stopped, Aryeh breathed into his face, and as he did, it seemed that Simpter’s face had grown less wrinkled and his hair had turned from silver to brown.  It looked as if Simpter were young again.  Still, his body lay there, lifeless.
     Suddenly Aryeh did something that no one would have ever imagined.  He reached inside his own chest, grabbing hold of his heart.  It looked painful for him and no one there liked seeing this.  Then he tore his heart in half and Aryeh pulled a piece of it out of his chest.  It was so bright that neither the Trinidads, Molly, nor Kathryn could stand to look at it.  (Perhaps some of you have seen a strip of magnesium burn in a chemistry class.  If you have, you will know what I mean when I say that this light was a hundred times brighter.)  Yet none of them could take their eyes off of him.  Then Aryeh put the blazing piece of his heart inside Simpter’s chest.  At first the piece of Aryeh’s heart was surrounded by the darkness of witch’s potion.  But slowly, it began to grow and soon it had almost completely filled Simpter’s chest with that light.
     Finally, all the darkness was swallowed up by the Light and Simpter opened his eyes and jumped up.  “Where am I,” he cried.  “Who are all of you?”  He had not quite realized that he was much younger and no longer in chains.
     “Simpter,” Mirth said sternly, “The King has come.”
     Simpter just stared in amazement when he turned and saw Aryeh standing in front of him.  When he had come to his senses, he fell on both knees.  “I am sorry,” he said to Aryeh.  “I was not supposed to be the guardian of the Great Book.  I never learned its deepest secret.  I didn’t mean to let the ugly ones come to this world.  I wasn’t supposed to be the guardian.”
     “Simpter,” Aryeh said putting a hand on the Trinidad’s shoulder, “on the day that this world was created, I chose you to be the guardian of the Great Book.  It was I who brought Shaenor to Paylar, and I who caused Shaenor to keep her promise to Paylar.  You are the guardian and you have done well.  Will you say the spell and send the ugly ones back to their world?”
      Simpter was ready to say that he could not do it, for he did not believe that he had the strength or courage.  However, as he looked into Aryeh’s eyes and saw the confidence in them, he could only say, “You are my King.  I will do as you wish.”
     Aryeh raised Simpter from his knees and gave him a hearty clap on the back.  “It is good, Son of Light,” Aryeh said.  “Come my children, there is much to do.  The witch knows that we shall attack soon.  We must be on the move now.”

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     Molly’s face looked sad the moment Aryeh said that they must be on the move.  “Little One,” he asked, “what is troubling you?”
     “Sir,” she replied, “ please don’t be angry with me.  It is just that we have been traveling so long and I don’t feel I can go on much longer.”
     “Take my hand,” he replied, “and I will give you strength,” and reached His had toward Molly.
 Molly took Aryeh’s hand and suddenly felt as though she had been given a hot bath and had slept for several hours.  A new strength welled up within her.  She smiled and said, “Thank you.  I am ready now.”
     “My King,” Mirth asked, “How shall we ever make it in time to stop the witch’s plans?”
     “Yes,” all the other’s added, “How shall we make it in time?”
 Aryeh smiled.  “Daughter of Light,” he said, “Do you trust me?”
     “Of course,” she hastily replied.
      “Do you believe that these two,” motioning to Molly and Kathryn, “have come to help set you free, as it is written in the Great Book?”
     “Yes, I do.”
     “What is left to doubt?” he asked.
     There were a hundred things that Mirth wanted to say at that moment, but when she thought about what Aryeh had said, none of them seemed worth saying.  So finally she said, “I will go wherever you lead.”
     “Indeed, you shall.  Now my children, we must all join hands,” Aryeh said.
     Knoll held Molly’s hand and Kathryn Knoll’s.  Simpter took hold of Aryeh’s other hand, then Mirth and finally Tapfer.  Aryeh told everyone to walk with him and what happened next was a surprise to all of them.  It seemed as though they had just taken a few steps, when suddenly they were standing back in the forest behind a large crowd of Trinidads.  It did not feel as though they were moving fast, and they did not even seen the scenery move at all.  With one step they were walking down Flagstone, and with the next they were in the forest.  None of the Trinidads in the crowd, however, noticed that they were standing behind them.
     “We must fight,” they heard Pug say loud enough so that all the Trinidads could hear.  “I would rather die fighting than go on living like this.”
     “How can we fight?” asked one of the chained Trinidads.  “I am barely able to catch my dinner with these chains on.  Have you forgotten how many ugly ones are guarding the witch’s castle?”
     “Have you not been listening,” Pug answered in frustration.  “We know how to kill the ugly ones.  The young warrior is here.  It is all in the Great Book.  We shall be victorious.”
     “But she has the Great Book,” said another.
     “And we have not actually seen the royal ambassador nor the young warrior yet,” said a third, whose name was Oppugn.  “Yes there is the matter of that golden image, but how do we know that the witch did not make it to fool us all.  Maybe this is some kind of trap.”
     “Why should the witch want to trap us?  She already has all that she wants.  If she wanted to destroy us, she could have done so before now,” Pug retorted.
     “Perhaps you are right,” returned Oppugn, “or perhaps the witch is trying to draw out all of the free Trinidads, in order to capture them.”
     “Friend,” Pug said in a rather unfriendly tone, “do you think that I, a free Trinidad, would, work to make myself a captive?”
     “That’s the trick,” he replied.  “The witch has even fooled you,” and a great grumble went up from the rest of the Trinidads in agreement with Oppugn.
     “I tell you, I have seen the royal ambassador and the young warrior.  The time has come.  Trinidar shall soon be free.”
     “Yes, you say, that you have seen them, but has anyone else here seen them?” Oppugn asked.
     “Knoll has seen them!  I have told you that already.”
     “It is especially convenient that he is not here right now,” Oppugn said.
     “It is not convenient at all.  I rather wish he were here right now,” Pug replied, quite exasperated.  If he had only looked toward the back of the crowd, he likely would have seen that they all really were there.  “Knoll went with the royal ambassador and the young warrior to find Simpter and bring him back, so that he can close to door to the world of the ugly ones forever.”
     “Sir,” whispered Molly to Aryeh, “oh, please, don’t let them go on like this.”
     “Peace, Little One,” Aryeh said, “I cannot stop them.”
     “Despite what you say, it is rather convenient that Knoll is not here right now,” Oppugn retorted.
     Knoll had been so attentive to the conversation, that he had not quite realized that he might say something.  Just then, Kathryn gave his hand a good squeeze, and he came back to himself.
     “But I am here,” Knoll said, loud enough so that all the Trinidads could hear him.
     At once, all the Trinidads turned around to look at Knoll. Pug, who was not expecting Knoll for another two or three days, was just as startled as the rest of the Trinidads to see them standing there. Oppugn managed to push his way through the crowd, so as to be near Knoll and the rest of the group.
     “Yes,” Knoll said, “I am here and I shall put all of your minds at ease on this topic right away.”
     “You had better,” mumbled Oppugn.
     “Here is the royal ambassador,” Knoll said, taking Kathryn by the hand.  “Here is the young warrior,” he said, now taking Molly by the hand.
     Most of the Trinidads stood in awe; knowing at once, as Knoll did when he first saw them, that Kathryn and Molly were the true royal ambassador and the young warrior.
     “She looks more like the witch to me,” said Oppugn.
     Knoll became angry at this remark, though he never showed it.  “Nay friend,” he said forcefully, “the witch looks more like the royal ambassador.  Look into her eyes and then tell me that she is the witch.”
     Oppugn did look into Kathryn’s eyes, and while he wanted to doubt it, he saw here goodness and kindness, and could not say another word against her.
     “Does anyone else doubt her?” Knoll asked looking out on the crowd.  As no one answered, Knoll looked at Kathryn letting her know that she should introduce Aryeh.
     “People of Trinidar,” she said, “I bring you your King.”  Kathryn turned, and raised her arm toward Aryeh.
     “Now you are asking too much!” declared Oppugn.  “I could have perhaps believed that these two were what they say, but introducing a King made of thin air; do you think we are fools?”  Again a great grumble of agreement went up among all the Trinidads there.
     “What are you talking about?” Kathryn demanded.  “He is standing right there!”
     “Sure he is,” returned Oppugn smugly.  “And I am a fairy, and this is my magic wand,” he said holding up his walking stick.
     “Listen to me,” Simpter said.  “As the guardian of the Great Book, I declare that the King is standing right here.”
     “You . . . the guardian . . . I doubt that.” said Oppugn.  “You are just a kid.  Simpter is an old man!”
     “He speaks the truth,” said one of the oldest Trinidads in the group.  “He is Simpter.  I remember his young face well.  I do not know how he has stayed so young.  Still, I see no King.  Perhaps they have all gone mad with exhaustion from their journey and are having hallucinations.”
     Kathryn was, indeed, being driven mad by their doubts.  She turned, in frustration, to look at the Wizard.  He was standing before her, smiling, as if he had not heard a word that had been said.  This aggravated Kathryn even more.  She was just about to let out a little shriek, when Molly took her hand.
     “Sir,” said Molly to Aryeh, “I don’t think they can see you.”
     “No, Little One,” Aryeh said, “they cannot see me.”
     “Dear Aryeh,” Kathryn asked, “why is it that they cannot see you?”
     “They cannot see me, because they do not know me,” he replied.
     “Sir,” Molly said more shyly this time, “please let them know you.”
     “Of course,” he said with a smile, “they shall know me.”
     “How shall they know you?” Kathryn asked.
     “How shall they know me?” Aryeh asked in return.
     “Please, Sir,” Molly asked, “will you tell us?”
     “They cannot know me, unless someone tells them,” he replied.  He paused for a moment, and then took Kathryn by the hand.  “My Child, are you ready?  Will you tell them of me?”
     “Perhaps,” Kathryn said, “there is someone better suited . . .”
     “There is no one else,” Aryeh interrupted.
     “Are you sure?” she asked looking at the ground.
     You may be wondering why Kathryn was so hesitant about telling the Trinidads about Aryeh.  You need to know, however, that in Rosenblum, the highest honor a person can give to another is to allow the other person to introduce him or her.  While Kathryn was sure that she and Aryeh were good friends again, introducing him to the Trinidads was an honor she felt she did not deserve.
     Aryeh took Kathryn’s chin in his hand and gently lifted her head and her eyes met his.  She saw nothing but love, compassion and encouragement in his eyes.
     “Take heart, my child,” he said softly to her, “I will give you strength.  Will you tell them?”
     “Yes,” she answered.
     “Tell them,” he said.  “Tell them of me.”
     “May I keep hold of your hand?” she asked?
     “For now, my child, for now,” he returned.
     “I know you can do it,” Molly said.  “I just know you can.”
     All the while the Trinidads were growing restless.  Some were saying that it was a “cruel hoax” to get their spirits up.  Some were starting to leave, while others just sat groaning.  A few, however, were waiting patiently to hear what they had to say next.
     “Please, my friends do not go.  I beg you, do stay,” Kathryn began.  “I want to tell you about your King.”
     “I’ll hear no more nonsense about a King who you say is there but I can’t see, if you please,” answered Oppugn.
     Kathryn might have gotten discouraged and given up, had it not been for Aryeh’s strength within her.
     “It is hard to believe, I know,” she continued, “but he is a magical person.  When Aryeh first came to my people, there was an evil King who was ruling my world.  This King had joined a sorcerer and my people were being used for the King’s entertainment.  The sorcerer turned them into all kinds of cruel things.  But a young woman named Dora, who had fairy’s blood in her (though she did not know it), knew of a prophecy, that if a willing volunteer, pure in heart should face the evil sorcerer, his spell would be broken and a door would open for Aryeh to come to our world and defeat the evil King.”
     “A fight, eh?  I suppose I could listen for a while,” the Trinidad said, a little more playfully now.
     By this time almost all of the Trinidads had gathered around Kathryn as she began talking to them about Aryeh. Kathryn began telling them the story of Dora (Perhaps one day I will tell it to you) and many of the other stories about Aryeh’s history in Rosenblum.  As Kathryn told the Trinidads all that she could about Aryeh, one by one they began to see him.
     “My King,” one would say, and drop to his knee.  “It is true, I see him there,” another would say as a tear of joy rolled down her cheek.  “Yes, the King has come,” yet another would join in.  This went on until all the Trinidads could now see Aryeh.  And in the end, they all saw him, and bowed before their King.  Oppugn was one of the first to see Aryeh.  When Kathryn had stopped speaking, he looked up at her as if to say, “I’m sorry,” and she looked back as if to say, “You need not apologize” and the matter was settled then and there.  They never spoke of it at all.

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     “Sons and Daughters of Light,” Aryeh said and raised his hands, “Peace,” and said no more.
     And as he stood before the people of Trinidar, they all thought he was going to say something more.  For a moment it even looked as if he would, but when he opened his mouth, he said not a word.  He began, instead, to sing.  His voice filled the whole valley louder than the loudest thunderclap you have ever heard.  (Yet it did not hurt the ears of the Trinidads.)  It was the richest, sweetest song that any of them had ever heard, though they did not understand the language.  As it echoed though the valley, the ground beneath them began to sway, not like an earthquake, for it was a gentle movement.  The trees began to dance with joy as though there were a terrible wind, but the air was calm.  Soon, the mountains and the stones joined in the song, and it sounded like millions of voices singing.  Even the stones that the witch had used to build her castle began to sing, and as they sang they shook, and everyone in the castle scrambled to get out as quickly as possible, because the castle began falling to pieces, as the stones were set free.
     This song affected everyone differently.  Kathryn wept, not for sadness, but for joy.  Molly felt a new strength well up within her.  The faces of those who had been frowning or drooping were now smiling and laughing.  Those who had been silly now became grave, and Simpter and Tapfer really began to feel as though things were being set right and they began to forgive themselves for their mistakes.  The chains that bound the Trinidads trembled, as though they were afraid.  And the song grew louder and stronger and its power filled the whole valley.  The hearts of the Trinidads grew brighter than they had even known.  It was even strong enough to break though the vests covering the hearts of the chained Trinidads.  The suns in the sky also seemed to grow brighter, as they shined their light down on Aryeh.  The light reached into the caves where the ugly ones lived and caused them to feel more terror.  Molly told me afterwards, that when she feels really sad, she has only to bathe herself in thoughts of that song and that moment, to wash away the sadness.
     The song grew a little softer and Aryeh began to sing a single note.  As he sang this single note an object seemed to appear before his mouth.  Everyone watching knew that it was being created by the song, or that perhaps it was the song.  The object grew as the song continued.  At first it was just a triangular point, though it looked sharp indeed.  The point seemed to stretch out before Aryeh.  It was obvious now that it was the sharp end of a sword.  The song continued, the trees still danced, the earth still shook, the chains on the Trinidads trembled more than ever and the sword grew.  Finally, Aryeh put his hand forward, and then took hold of the hilt of the sword, as though it had been there all along.  And the song stopped.  The trees and the earth stood still.  The mountains and the rocks ceased their song.  All was silent, a wonderful silence; it was a kind of peace that the Trinidads had never known before.  In this peace, the light from their hearts reflected off of the sword, as Aryeh held it over his head.
     The silence may have lasted minutes, or it may have lasted hours.  No one really knew.  The suns of Trinidar stood still in their places, and did not move, as they paid honor to Aryeh.  No one was fidgeting or bored or giggling.  They just simply enjoyed the peace of that moment.
     Then quite suddenly Aryeh cried, “My children.  I have come to set you free!” and a great roar went up from all of the Trinidads.  “Tapfer, come here, and lay your chains across that stone.”  Tapfer obeyed, kneeling down and holding the sides of the stone, so that the chains lay across it.
     “Sir,” Tapfer said softly, “am I worthy of this?”
     Aryeh only smiled a little in return.  He held the sword above his head, and then with all of his might, sent it crashing down on the chains.  In an instant, the chains that bound Tapfer’s hands and feet, along with the metal vest shattered into thousands of pieces.  Tapfer was free.  His heart glowed stronger than it ever had before.  He truly knew that he was free and that he was a different Trinidad.  He stood up and showed the rest of the Trinidads and a great cheer went up from the crowd.
     One by one, each of the chained Trinidads knelt before Aryeh and he set each one free from the chains that bound him or her.  With each new free Trinidad, the cheer from the crowd grew louder.  Oppugn had waited so that he was the last one to have his chains broken.
     “I am sorry I doubted you,” he said to Aryeh.
     “Son of light,” Aryeh responded, “you had good reason to doubt.  Think of it no more.”  Then the great sword came crashing down on Oppugn’s chains and all of the Trinidads there were free.

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     The whole crowd was cheering, jumping, singing, dancing and celebrating their new freedom.  Aryeh watched them with a great smile across his face.  It only lasted a few minutes, however.
     “Sons and Daughters of Light,” Aryeh said.  “The witch will soon be on the move and we must be ready to meet her before she can escape.  You must pay attention to this young warrior.”
     Molly asked Pug if he had told them about the soft spot on the ugly ones.  He said that he had not been able to get to that part yet.  Molly told them all about it, showing the picture that Knoll had drawn.  The Trinidads, most of who had not believed Pug, now believed that the ugly ones could be killed.  Again, a great cheer rose from the crowd.
     Molly admitted that she was not a good strategist and that perhaps someone else could suggest something.  Being that the Trinidads were a peaceful people, none of them had any ideas.  Kathryn, however, suggested that they march in two lines, one in front of the other.  And alternate shooting, and putting another arrow on the string, so that half of them would always be ready to fire a shot.  Everyone agreed that this was good plan and, carrying it out, they began to march toward the witch’s castle, for her castle was near the doorway to the world of the ugly ones, and they knew that they needed to be close to the porthole in order for the spell to work.  They were also hoping that the witch would be there and have the Great Book.
     “We do not have arrows to waste,” Pug added, “so do not shoot at the ugly ones unless you are sure you can hit them in that spot.”
     It was not long before the first of the ugly ones were flying over their heads.  Kathryn then suggested that some of the Trinidads walk backwards to make sure they were not attacked from behind, and that others keep their watch on the sides.  “We should not attack them just yet,” Kathryn said softly, holding her hand up to motion to a few Trinidads who were already putting an arrow to their bowstrings.  “Wait for them to begin attacking.”
     This was indeed a smart thing for the Trinidads to do.  The ugly ones flying overhead were not sure what they should be doing.  They had never seen so many Trinidads banded together, and were watching them more out of curiosity than anything else.  The ugly ones were not ready to attack them.  However, if the Trinidads had attacked first, then they might never have made it to the witch’s castle.
     While it was a tense walk, and took much longer than they expected, because they were so cautious, the Trinidads nearly made it to the castle, or rather the remains of the castle, without having to fire a single arrow.
     “You fools,” the witch’s voice thundered.  “What are you doing?!”  She was standing behind a pile of rubble that used to be her castle, waiting for the battle to begin.  Of course, she had been sure to keep the Great Book with her at all times.  She was positive that the Trinidads could not defeat her or the ugly ones without it.  Either way, she kept herself safely hidden behind the rocks and cried out, “Attack them!”
      The force of her cry woke the ugly ones out of the curious trance they had been in and all at once, they started diving and swooping down on the Trinidads.  The Trinidads began firing their arrows and the ugly ones were falling down around them.  In this way, the Trinidads were succeeding.  But as soon as the battle began, more of the ugly ones started coming out of the porthole from their world.  In this way it seemed like they were failing.  As more ugly ones came into their world, the Trinidads were slowly running out of arrows and they knew they did not have enough arrows to kill all of them.
     Princess Kathryn was directing the Trinidads as they fought.  She was keeping all of them organized, so that no one was ever unprotected.  She would yell out things like, “Knoll, on your right,” so that Knoll would be able to kill an approaching Ugly One before it attacked someone else.  She was doing a good job and all the Trinidads appreciated her leadership.  Tapfer insisted on being in the front of the Trinidad’s lines, and was showing extreme bravery.  He was almost wounded several times, except that Kathryn called out to Pug, Knoll, Oppugn or another Trinidad to save him.  Everyone admired his newfound bravery and inner strength.  As more ugly ones began attacking, however, it looked pretty desperate.  Everyone knew something would have to be done if the Trinidads were going to defeat the ugly ones.
     Over the next few minutes several things happened at once, though I must tell them to you one at a time.  Molly and Aryeh were somewhere in the middle of the Trinidad’s army.  Molly was doing her part to shoot the ugly ones, but knew that it was not enough.  Aryeh seemed to be exuding a strength and power, which was felt by all the Trinidads, that raised their morale.
     “Aryeh,” Molly said wiping a tear away from her cheek, “I don’t think we can win unless we have some help.”
     “I think you are right, Little One,” was his reply.
     “Can’t you do anything?” she asked, extremely frustrated.
     “Molly,” he said calmly, taking her hand.  “Is there anyone you know who could help us?”
     This question confused Molly, for just then the only person she could think of was Aryeh.  But she thought for what seemed a long time, dropping her bow on the ground.  Then, more to herself than to Aryeh, she said, “If only there were a wind to blow the ugly ones back into their world.”
     “Do you know anyone that could do that, Molly?”
     “Huh?” Molly said, forgetting that she had spoken aloud.
     Aryeh repeated the question.
     “My grandmother used to tell me about the Lady of the Wind, but that was just a fairy tale.  She’s not real.”
     “Isn’t she?” Aryeh asked.
     When Molly thought about all the things she never believed to be real until now, she suddenly realized that she was wrong.  She knew that the Lady of the Wind was just as real as she herself was.  “Yes, she is real!” she blurted out excitedly.
     “Will you ask her to help us?”
     “I . . . I don’t know how,” she said feeling puzzled.
     “I think she could hear you, anywhere,” Aryeh said.  He was still holding her hand, and Molly again felt the tingling in her body--starting with the hand he was holding.  As the tingling feeling spread throughout her body, she suddenly understood what Aryeh meant.  She knew that somehow the Lady of the Wind would be able to hear her, even if she only whispered.  For the next few moments, Molly was unaware of anything else that was going on around her.  She closed her eyes and focused on the thought of the Lady of the Wind.  Molly smiled when her grandmother’s stories came rushing through her mind.
     “Mrs. Wind,” she whispered, “could you come help us right now?  We really need you.”  Molly did not know what to expect for an answer.  She waited silently, as a soft breeze blew at her ear, and she thought she heard a small giggle.  Then, she knew, she heard a joyful little voice blowing in her ear.
     “It will take some magic,” the voice said.
     Molly giggled herself and, if she could have seen herself, she would have seen a glow about her, and she replied, “Please.”
     Then with a stronger breeze blowing behind her, she heard, “I will help you, my child, because you asked so nicely.”
     While all this was happening with Molly, Tapfer had spotted the witch hiding behind the pile of rocks.  He knew that she would have the Great Book with her.  He also saw that the witch was distracted at the moment, watching the ugly ones come out of the porthole from their world.  She was probably hoping that she could escape into their world, if the Trinidads defeated the ugly ones.  She was hesitant to run though, because she had a fear of being hit by a stray arrow, even though the Trinidads never missed their targets.
     Because Tapfer was at the front of the line, he was able to see all this before anyone else had time.  He also knew that he had to act quickly.  He dropped his bow on the ground and his quiver of arrows at the foot of the Trinidad next to him.  And before anyone knew it, he was running with all his might in the direction of the witch.
     “Tapfer!  No!” Kathryn yelled after him, but she knew he would not stop.  Not wanting to draw any more attention to Tapfer by yelling after him, she ran to Pug and ordered him to keep watch on Tapfer.
     Tapfer ran as fast as his feet would carry him, drawing closer and closer to the witch.  Her attention was still on the ugly ones and the porthole to their world.  Several ugly ones spotted him running across the meadow, and swooped down on him.  Pug was able to shoot one, but Tapfer had to dive to the ground to avoid being caught by the other.  He picked himself up and kept running as fast as he could.  Almost too quickly for him to know what he was doing, he leapt up behind the witch and grabbed one side of the Great Book.
     The witch jumped in surprise, but never let go of the Great Book.  “You,” she roared, slapping Tapfer with her free hand.  “You are my servant.  Let go of this book now, you miserable little wretch!”
     “No,” Tapfer squeaked, trying to find his voice.  “I serve the King now.”
     “You are worthless,” the witch said, still slapping Tapfer with her free hand.  “When your King finds that out, he won’t want anything to do with you any more.”
     For a moment, Tapfer almost believed her.  He began to feel bad about himself again, and his grip on the Great Book faltered.  Then he remembered the look in Aryeh’s eyes, and knew the witch was lying.  “Liar!” he shouted renewing his grip on the Great Book and pulling with all his might.
     The force of Tapfer’s voice startled the witch and for a moment, she stood amazed, unable to continue hitting the little Trinidad.  A second later, an arrow whizzed just over her head, close enough that she felt the feathers on her scalp.  She threw her hands over her head and ducked behind the rocks in fear.  When she let go of the Great Book, Tapfer tumbled backward with the book in his hands.  When he got to his feet, he once again was running as fast as he could.  Even though he was a good distance away, he could have sworn he saw Knoll winking at him.
     While the witch was terrified by the thought of getting hit by an arrow, she began shrieking with all her might and Tapfer was now the center of attention for the ugly ones.  Tapfer had only one focus: Simpter.  He ran as fast as he could to get back to Simpter.  He could not see or hear anything else that was going on around him.  But the situation was looking dire.  Kathryn shouted for all the Trinidads to focus on Tapfer.  The ugly ones were coming out of the porthole in masses and the Trinidads were nearly out of arrows.  Just as Tapfer was nearing the front lines of the Trinidad army, an Ugly One managed to swoop down and slash his claw through poor Tapfer’s side.  A moment later that Ugly One dropped to the ground, shot by Pug.
     It was obvious, though, that Tapfer could not make it back to their army, even though he tried with all his might to keep moving, and the ugly ones were descending upon him.
     “No,” Kathryn cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks.  “We cannot win now.”
     Just at that moment, when she felt it was hopeless, Kathryn felt a small breeze caress her face and lift her spirit.  She did not know why, but Kathryn felt, at that moment, as though they had already won.  Just before any of the ugly ones made it to Tapfer, the Wind began to blow fiercely, driving the ugly ones off their course.
     A moment later, Kathryn saw a woman flying through the air.  She was a beautiful lady, who looked like a giant to Kathryn.  Her hair was a huge black mass that swirled about her in every direction.  It seemed to Kathryn that the Lady of the Wind (for that is who it was) was growing larger every moment.  As she grew, the force of the Wind grew.  It blew so that the ugly ones trying to come out of the door from their world were blown back in, and those who had already come into Trinidar were being blown closer to the porthole.
     The Lady of the Wind flew just to the other side of Tapfer, who was struggling on the ground, trying to get back to Simpter.  Pug and Knoll ran out to Tapfer and were amazed by the peace and stillness they found at the Lady’s back.  As they began tugging and pulling to get him to his feet, he said, “Forget me.  Take the book to Simpter.”  Knoll was slightly taken aback by the force and the stern sound (though not at all meanness) of Tapfer’s command.  He immediately grabbed the Great Book and ran to Simpter, who had been running to meet him.
     As soon as Simpter had the book, he nimbly turned to the exact spell, for over the years he had memorized its place, constantly thinking about the mistake he had made.  He began saying the spell, and all the other Trinidads could once again feel the power of the Great Book.  Meanwhile, the Lady of the Wind had blown nearly all the remaining ugly ones back to their world.  The witch on the other hand was hanging on to the rocks for her life, as the Wind blew and blew.
    While Simpter read the spell, the other Trinidads gathered around him could see the porthole closing.  It grew smaller and smaller, until when Simpter finished the spell, it vanished completely.  At that moment, the Lady of the Wind collapsed, her hair falling in a huge mass around her and the wind stopped blowing, but a great cheer went up from all the Trinidads.

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     While the other Trinidads had nearly forgotten about the witch, Kathryn had not.  She knew that if the witch were not stopped now, she might wreak more havoc in this world of peaceful people.  She began running toward the witch, who was exhausted, after having to hang on for her life, against the Wind.
     “Katie,” said Molly. “Wait.  I have to give you something first.”
     While Kathryn was hesitant, she stopped before she passed Molly.
     “Take my hand,” Molly said extending her hand out to Kathryn.
     As they joined hands, Kathryn began feeling the same warm tingly feeling that Molly had described to her and had been feeling since she came to Trinidar.  It started with Kathryn’s hand, but quickly spread through her whole body.  For a moment she was lost in the strangeness in this feeling.
     “Katie,” Aryeh said, like when your parents wake you up for school, “you must go now.”
     “Yes,” Kathryn replied, as though suddenly out of a trance, and was again running toward the witch.
     The witch pulled herself up off of the ground as she saw Kathryn running toward her.  She began to use what little magic she had in this world to try to stop Kathryn, but it did not work.  Kathryn kept coming.  At first the witch tried simple spells that were simply to trip Kathryn up or cause her to slip.  When they had no effect, she began saying spells that would have caused Kathryn serious injury.  The witch’s final spell, just before Kathryn took hold of her, was supposed to kill Kathryn.  None of her spells, however, harmed Kathryn at all.
     Kathryn, who still felt the warmth in her body, grabbed the witch by her wrist, imagining that she would struggle.  On the contrary, as soon as Kathryn touched her, the witch let out a painful cry and nearly fainted.  She became weak and submissive and Kathryn easily walked her back to Aryeh.
     While Kathryn was busy with the witch, many of the other Trinidads had gathered around poor Tapfer.
     “Please, Sire,” Pug yelled, holding Tapfer in his arms, just as the wind had stopped blowing, “Can’t you help him?”
     Aryeh, with Molly at his side, walked to the crowd, stood over Tapfer and said to Pug, “I have already helped him.”  Then turning to Tapfer and kneeling down, Aryeh put his hand over Tapfer’s heart and said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.  You shall soon come to my country and be with me forever.”
     “Sir,” Molly said, a tear running down her cheek, as she watched the light slowly fade from Tapfer’s heart, “Won’t you heal him?”
     “Little One,” Aryeh said, “it is not his destiny.  He leaves this world, and comes to a new one.”
     Tapfer had big smile on his face, in spite of the pain he felt, and it stayed there even after the light in his heart dimmed and finally went dark.  It was a somber moment for everyone, and many of the Trinidads shed a tear for him.  And Knoll whispered to Molly, “He truly was a good Trinidad.”  Molly understood these words in a way she could not describe.  She saw how the change in Tapfer had given him a chance to make up for his life of service to the witch.
     “Aryeh,” Kathryn said, motioning toward the witch, “what should be done with her?”
     Many of the Trinidads gathered around demanding that the witch be punished, but Simpter came to Aryeh and said, “Please be merciful.  Forgive her.”
     Aryeh answered, “She can only be forgiven, if she wants forgiveness.”  Then turning to the witch said, “Do you want to be forgiven?”
     The witch was too weak say much, but the look of contempt in her eyes was enough for Aryeh to know she did not want to be forgiven.
     “She will be stripped of her powers and then sent to a world where she can do no harm,” Aryeh declared.  “Simpter, you know the spells.”
     Simpter did know the spells and opened the Great Book.  As he began to say the first spell, to take the powers of the witch away, her form began to change.  She began to look like a real witch.  Her hands became thin and bony.  Her hair started to look like thick black straw.  Her face grew pale and thin.  In a few moments, she no longer looked anything like Kathryn, who somehow knew that she no longer had to hold onto the witch.
     “Do you wish to be forgiven now?” Aryeh asked the witch, who was standing motionless.  He knew that the witch’s life would be hard in the desolate world.  He had hoped she would answer differently this time.
     “You will pay for this,” she answered in a weak squeak of a voice.
     “Proceed,” Aryeh said to Simpter.
     Simpter then began saying the second spell and as everyone watched, the witch vanished.  It began with her head and slowly moved down her body until, finally, her feet disappeared.  She was gone, and again a great cheer went up from the Trinidads.  And Kathryn too felt as though she had conquered an old enemy and had regained a special part of herself.
     While most of the Trinidads were celebrating their new freedom, those who had gotten to know Tapfer were mourning his death.  In spite of this, Molly knew she must go to the Lady of the Wind.  She was concerned when the Lady collapsed, and had been thinking about her ever since.  She hurried over to her, but was slowed by a gentle breeze that caressed her face and seemed to say, “I am fine.  I just needed a rest.”
     “Thanks for helping us,” Molly said.
     “Yes, thank you,” said Kathryn who sincerely wanted to meet the Lady.
     And the Lady of the Wind stood up, looking much smaller than she had before.  “I was beginning to wonder if you would ask for my help at all,” she said smiling—her hair beginning to softly swirl around her.
     “I—I didn’t know you were real—and then I wasn’t sure how to call you,” Molly replied nervously.
     “My dear Molly,” the Lady replied, “you did call and that is all that matters.  And my dear Kathryn, your parents will be proud of how you have helped these people.  You have learned well.  Do you remember the songs I used to sing to you?”
     Kathryn thought for a long time, as she never recalled meeting the Lady of the Wind.  Then she remembered how the wind used to blow through the narrow hall of the castle she lived in.  Some nights, when she felt afraid of the dark, or heard a loud crash of thunder, the wind blowing through the castle almost sounded like singing and would lull her to sleep.  “Yes, I do remember!” she blurted out.
     “You have grown into such a strong, wonderful woman, Kathryn.  I am sorry that I cannot stay, but there is still much work for me to do today,” the Lady of the Wind responded.  She turned to look at Aryeh, who smiled in response, and then she said to the girls, “I am glad I could help.”
     Molly and Kathryn both thanked the Lady again before she flew away.  The breeze that she left behind warmed them both.  They then walked back to Aryeh who led them to Tapfer’s body.  There was joy for the Trinidads in their newfound freedom, but it was mixed with sadness for Tapfer’s death.  Each Trinidad came and laid his or her hand over Tapfer’s heart and praised him for his bravery.  Simpter was the last.  He felt in many ways, he owed his life to this Trinidad who had found the strength within himself to be good.  Through his tears, he said a traditional blessing from the Great Book over Tapfer’s body, and the body soon afterward disappeared.
     Molly was surprised by this, but as no one else seemed bothered by it, she assumed that it must have been natural in their world.  Simpter then lead all the Trinidads to the tree he grew up in and placed the Great Book back where it belonged.  And once again a great cheer went up from the crowd.

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    That night, there was an enormous feast and celebration.  Many of the Trinidads worked for hours preparing a meal for everyone.  Those who were not cooking made all the rest of the preparations.  They gathered wood for a bonfire, they cleaned and set the long wooden tables, which had been built for celebrations (such as when a new guardian of the Great Book takes over), and gathered as much fresh nectar as they could.  Molly, Kathryn, and Aryeh were helping Simpter to put everything back in order, and Mirth and Knoll were helping out wherever they could.
    The whole night the Trinidads feasted, danced and sang songs.  The light from their hearts was so bright, that it almost appeared as though it was in the middle of the day.  The night air was crisp and cool, though the bonfire kept everyone warm.  Molly ate sweet, pulpy, orange and yellow fruits, berries of nearly every kind, and light, fluffy rolls of bread, made from a special kind of dried bean.  She had several bowls of stew, made with vegetables not unlike carrots, and the meat from the birds she had been eating.  For dessert there were cakes with thick frosting, which was not too sweet, fruit muffins, and something like a jellybean, which only grew on bushes near what was the witch’s castle.
After such a hard day and such a big meal, Molly began feeling sleepy.  She tried to stay awake, because she enjoyed watching the Trinidads dance and sing.  They looked so cute dancing and everyone laughed heartily after a dance was over.  She had never seen a party that was anything like it before.  Still, her eyelids grew heavy and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
    Kathryn, who had been sitting next to Molly, picked her up and carried her into Simpter’s tree and put her into bed.  She tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead.  Molly who was already asleep, said, “Good night grandma.”  Kathryn smiled, thinking that Molly must have a truly amazing grandmother.  She returned to the celebration, but it was not much longer before Kathryn went to bed too.  The Trinidads, with Aryeh, had the strength of their new freedom, and stayed up all night dancing and singing, and every few hours, sitting down to eat a little more.
After Kathryn and Molly were in bed, Aryeh quietly said a blessing on Simpter’s house, that evil would never again be able to intrude.  He then said a blessing over Molly and Kathryn: that they would sleep deeply and soundly, and wake up feeling refreshed and strong.
    The next morning, most of the Trinidads were hard at work, cleaning up after the celebration.  Dishes were being washed, the tables were being wiped, left over food was being stored away in cupboards and the young Trinidads were cozy in their beds.  Molly and Kathryn woke up feeling refreshed and, after they washed up, they were given more food for breakfast than they could eat.  Every Trinidad that passed them, or brought them something to drink and eat, made it a point to thank Molly and Kathryn for all they had done.
    Aryeh came and sat beside them both and wished them a good morning.  After having some breakfast, he said, “We must get ready.  The Trinidads have something planned for you this morning.”
    Molly, Kathryn, and Aryeh finished their breakfast, cleaned up their cups and plates, and then Aryeh led the two out to a gathering of the Trinidads, where Simpter was waiting on a platform for them.  The Trinidads gathered around were cheering loudly as they walked up to meet Simpter.
    “Two of our best smiths,” began Simpter slowly and ceremoniously, pointing to a couple of Trinidads behind him, who were looking sleepy and whose faces were covered with soot, “have been working all night, to create these Trinidarian medals of noble deeds for our royal ambassador and our young warrior.  We, the people of Trinidar, present these medals with our most humble thanks, with exalted joy, and with our deepest gratitude.”
    Here Simpter produced two shiny medals, which looked something like silver, except that they seemed almost transparent.  The medals depicted Molly and Kathryn both with bows in their hands, standing tall and looking noble indeed.  Behind them were the twin suns of Trinidar.  When held at the right angel, the light would reflect from the middle of the medal and they could read the words, “For noble deeds done in service to the King,” in a circle around the edge of the medal and in the center it read, “Trinidar.”  The medals were hung from a brightly colored lanyard made from crocheted yarn.
    “Miss Molly Jenkins,” Simpter continued, hanging the medal around Molly’s neck, “we hereby recognize your deeds of courage, honor, and intelligence with this medal.  May it be an outward symbol and reminder of the qualities you posses within.”
After he finished saying this, all the Trinidads cheered for Molly.  Kathryn, knowing that she was next, bowed low so that Simpter could reach around her neck.
    “Princess Kathryn of Rosenblum,” Simpter said hanging the second medal around her neck, “we hereby also recognize your deeds of courage, honor and intelligence with this medal.  May it also be for you an outward symbol and reminder of the qualities you posses within.”
Again all the Trinidads cheered for Kathryn.
    “We hope that you will never forget your time with us.  We will certainly never forget all that you have done.  We will sincerely miss you,” Simpter said, concluding his speech, at which time the Trinidads again cheered.
    Kathryn looked a little pale after Simpter’s concluding words, and said more to herself than anyone else, “How can I go back?”  Aryeh who had been standing between Molly and Kathryn took Kathryn’s hand in his own and whispered, “Your people need you.  You have proven yourself a good leader.  You will be the Queen and leader of Rosenblum.”
Kathryn had learned to look inside herself and as she now did so, she saw the change that had come to her since she arrived in Trinidar.  She had regained her confidence in herself.  She had been a good leader and had been able to do what was right for the citizens of Trinidar.  But, most importantly, whenever she looked in the mirror now, she would see that she was a beautiful person, regardless of whether or not she had makeup, a fancy dress, or a fashionable hair style.  In learning to see inside herself, she also learned to see inside others as well.  Kathryn knew that this would be a great asset to being a good and just Queen.
    “I will be there whenever you need me,” Aryeh said, giving Kathryn’s hand a gentle squeeze.
    “Thank you,” Kathryn said to Aryeh.  Then addressing the other Trinidads, she said, “Thank you all.  I will never forget my time here.  You have given me a gift of trust.  You have helped me to see the person I really am.  I would like to especially thank dear, sweet Knoll, who never stopped believing in me and Pug who reminded me of the goodness of the King.”  At this both Knoll and Pug blushed a little and the Trinidads cheered.
    Molly, who was not used to making any kind of formal speech, simply said, “I could never forget any of you.”

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    Once the Trinidads’ cheering died down, Simpter dismissed them all to return to their work or get some sleep.  Knoll, Pug, Oppugn, and Mirth all went to Molly and Kathryn and with some tears in their eyes, wished them luck and said good-bye, saying that they hoped one day that they would see one another again.   Molly hugged each one and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.  Kathryn, who had learned the Trinidad’s blessing, placed her hand over each of their hearts and blessed them before saying good-bye.
    Simpter was the last to say good-bye.  He received a big hug from Molly and Kathryn blessed him, as she had done with the rest.  Then Simpter turned to Aryeh.
    “Sire,” he said to Aryeh, “are you still sure that I would be the best Trinidad to be the guardian of the Great Book?”
    “Yes,” Aryeh replied with a smile.  “I have always wanted you to be the guardian.  Simpter, my son, you are indeed worthy to watch and keep the it.”
    “But, Sire . . .”
    “Yes,” Aryeh said as a question, still smiling.
    “Well,” said Simpter, “I, uh, never did learn the secret.”
    “Come here Simpter,” said Aryeh, “and I will tell you.”
    As Simpter drew near, Aryeh got down on one knee.  Aryeh put his hands on the Trinidad’s shoulders, drew his head near, and then whispered something in Simpter’s ear.  It was not more than a few words, Molly thought, but when Simpter heard them, he blushed and smiled as if he should have known the secret all along.
    “Thank you, Sire,” he said, after he had regained his composure.  “I will never forget it.”
“I know you will not.”
    After these words, Simpter bowed, turned around, and then hurried off, so that Molly, Kathryn and Aryeh were then left alone.
    “Molly,” Aryeh said, “you too have done well here and, before we go, I have some things to give to you.”
     “Please, Sir,” Molly said, “You have already given me so much.  You don’t have to give me anything else.”
     “You are right, Little One, I do not have to give you anything,” he replied.  “I want to give them to you.  Come here.”
     Molly walked toward him and the first thing Aryeh did was to give her back the key she had left with Pug.  It had returned to its original form.  “This key,” Aryeh said, “is much like Kathryn’s globe.  If ever you need to talk to me, hold tightly to the key, and know that I will always be able to hear you.  I may also use it to call upon your service some day.  Now I have one more gift for you.”
     Aryeh picked Molly up and hugged her tightly.  At first, Molly thought that the hug was her gift.  But then Aryeh asked if she were ready.  And she said that she was not really sure, not knowing what the gift was, but that she thought she was ready.  Then Aryeh began softly singing a song that her mother used to sing to her as a child.  This made Molly sad, because she missed her mother so much and at first, she did not think this was much of a gift.  Aryeh kept singing and as he sang, Molly felt sadder and sadder.  But there was something else in his song.  She felt a kind of peace and security that she never really felt before.
     Ever since her mother had died, Molly had never really been able to cry for her.  She always felt that she could not let her dad or grandmother see her cry.  She did not want them to worry about her.  She was afraid it might hurt them more if they knew how sad she felt.  Aryeh’s song took all of those worries away.  She felt free for the first time to let out all of her heart’s sadness and Molly began to cry.  She cried harder than she had ever cried in her life.  The tears soaked Aryeh’s shoulder.  She cried for all the times she had really missed her mother.  She cried for all the fun they could never have again.  She cried out of sadness and then out of anger.  All the while, Aryeh just held her and kept singing.  With her eyes red and filled with tears she began screaming, “Why?  Why?  Why?  I don’t understand.”  She was kicking and hitting, but Aryeh never moved.  He just held her tightly in his arms and let her cry, scream and even hit him.  She kept crying and let out all of her pain, anger and frustration.
     If you have ever cried like this, you know that there comes a time when you are worn out from crying and then there comes a stillness.  It was the same now for Molly.  After a time, she was worn out and she just lay limp in Aryeh’s arm.  It was quiet for a few moments, when Aryeh said, with tears in his eyes, “I am so sorry, Little One.  I am sorry you are hurting so much.”  He gently wiped the tears from her eyes and caressed her head and her face.  And Molly, being so worn out, went to sleep in his arms.
     Molly told me that she did not know how long she slept, only that when she did wake up, she was back in her bed at her grandmother’s house, and that her grandmother was calling her to get ready for school.  For a moment, she wondered if her adventures had only been a dream.  But then as she turned toward the table next to her bed, she saw the key and her medal lying on top of it.  And, aside from not having her socks and shoes on, she was still dressed in her clothes for school.  She thought they must be extremely dirty, but when she examined them closely, she found that there was not a trace of dirt on them.
     Molly still felt a little sad, but she also felt happy.  She was able to think about the happy times she had had with her mother, and smile.  She still missed her mother, and she probably always would.  Still, Molly knew that her mother had loved her, and that made her happy.  What she could not see (but everyone else around her could) was that there was a sparkle in her eyes again.  It was small and fragile, but it was there again and it would grow.  When I look into her eyes now, they shine brighter than I had ever seen before.
    Molly did not know what happened to Princess Kathryn, but she had a sense that Kathryn was once again happy in Rosenblum, though her new companions were probably not so happy with the changed Princess.  When Molly did start moving around and getting ready for school, she found a note on her dresser, on paper made from the petals of flowers.  At the top she read, “From the Royal House of the Province of Rosenblum.”  Underneath the letterhead was a hand written note that made her smile.  It said, “Dear Molly, we shall be friends for the rest of our lives.  Love, Katie.”
 

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