Amanda Applewood and the Return of the False King: An Everworld Book

by Raymond Williamson

  “What was that all about?” asked El.

  “Live action role play. They want me back. But they take things too seriously for my liking,” he said.

  “Live action role play. Really?” said his sister skeptically.

  “Ok, you’ve got me. She’s the queen of a magical world across the covered bridge in the woods. I wandered over it and discovered that mom and dad were famous wizards in their world and I’m the heir to their magic. I saved her from a terrible dragon and brought peace to the realm. We fell in love and got married in a grand ceremony. We had an argument over where we plan to raise the children, our world or theirs. She got angry and banished me, but she holds me near this house using a magical spell I can’t break,” he said.

  “Well if you don’t want to tell me who the hot crazy chick is, then don’t! But don’t patronize me,” said his sister flatly.

  Abruptly, she turned and went to bed.

  The Book

  The door to Uncle Everett’s office was slightly ajar as Amanda passed by on her way to bed. Like the urge to eat the last jellybean at the bottom of the jar, she felt the need to peek through the crack and look at the book sitting on the glass stand. The room was dark, but the sliver of light from the hallway fell directly on the strange looking tome that seemed to be beckoning her to come closer. The sound of the whale song filled her head as she stepped through the entrance and approached the lectern.

  As though it was the most natural thing in the world, she spoke aloud to the book and introduced herself.

  “My name is Amanda Applewood,” she said as she touched its glass covering.

  The tone of the song changed and an overwhelming sense of happiness filled her to the brim. Memories flooded her consciousness and stopped at one particular Christmas morning on the farm with Nana and Papa when a deer stepped right up onto the porch and let her feed it bits of Cheerios from her bowl.

  It was as if she were watching a home movie, she recalled being in the kitchen quietly eating breakfast alone when she heard the sound of hoofs clomping on the porch. Wearing only her nightgown and a pair of boots she stepped out and greeted her four-legged guest. She remembered standing there in the snow mesmerized by the gentle creature as it nibbled from the palm of her hand. A squirrel leaped up onto the railing and she placed a few little golden O’s out for it as well.

  Her breath hung heavy in the air but she didn’t remember feeling cold as she stood in the snow feeding the animals. Papa slipped quietly onto the porch from behind her and held an apple

  out for the deer. His sudden appearance startled Amanda but the deer was not concerned in the least. Greedily, it ate the apple, stomped its front hoof on the frozen wood three times and shook

  its head at the pair. The deer stared at the little girl for what seemed an eternity and then with no sense of urgency, it turned and casually walked away towards the orchard.

  “You’re must have some special magic inside of you,” chuckled Papa as he led her back inside and poured her a cup of Christmas morning cocoa to enjoy by the stove while they waited for everyone else to wake up. The frenzy of presents pushed the deer from her thoughts for the rest of the day but she’d always remember that moment as among the happiest in her life.

  Suddenly, Amanda heard a sound coming from out on the porch. “Clomp-clomp-clomp.”

  “It couldn’t be?” she thought to herself.

  Slipping down the short corridor, she opened the screen door and found a deer standing docilely on the porch. She wished she had something to feed it. An intuition prompted her to check the pockets of her robe and she was surprised to find bits of cereal. She held them out for the deer and it nibbled from her palm. Amanda dared to stroke its soft fur and never once did the doe shy away from her touch. It tapped its hoof again, clomp-clomp-clomp, then turned away and started down the steps. When it reached the bottom, it turned and beckoned with its head for Amanda to follow.

  After moment’s hesitation, Amanda joined the deer and they walked together along the gravel drive. The deer nudged the girl and then bounded away and back in great leaps as though encouraging her to play. Tentatively at first, Amanda leaped with the deer and found she too could make bounds right across the drive. They began to play and chased each other across the lawn, past the barn and then up the lane towards the covered bridge. Amanda was surprised to find she could run alongside the deer without losing as much as a step.

  Gleefully, she dashed after the deer through the forest, leaping and bounding over logs and along hidden trails that were only known to the deer folk who inhabited the forests around the

  farm. The branches and underbrush tore at her clothes but she didn’t mind. Without warning, the bridge appeared in front of her. The deer crossed her path and jumped clear across the ravine. Amanda followed and flew over the wide gap with ease as they continued towards a high hill that seemed both familiar and out of place at the same time.

  Onward and upward they climbed. The pace was a blur and soon they were high above the forest almost into the clouds. When they reached the peak, the deer leapt off into space and with little regard for her safety, Amanda leaped as well. Although, instead of landing she flew off amongst the clouds. Silently, the doe and the girl floated high above the trees. Amanda spun around and saw the farm house below her. It looked like a little green doll house set amongst a toy forest. She could see the lights of Greenvale in the distance and as though her thoughts controlled her flight she and the deer moved towards the sleepy village like airships in the night.

  She thought about their cramped apartment in the city and in a blink of an eye, they were dashing through the night towards the glow of urbanization. The bright lights formed into patterns as the tall buildings came closer. She whizzed down Yonge St. hundreds of feet above the buildings that reminded her of the miniature village from a tourist trap her dad had taken her to once. Their apartment building, a red brick monstrosity built in the sixties, came into view. The bright blue of its pool shimmering like glass against the surrounding darkness. She hovered for a moment and then lowered herself to watch the kids splashing and playing in the cool water as a respite from the hot summer sun. She heard the shrieks of joy and was enticed to land when a flash of bright yellow caught her eye.

  Claire, wearing a lemon colored bikini two sizes too small, was draped over Devon, her lips locked on his mouth. Stifling a little cry, Amanda floated away, back into the darkness.

  She and her companion made a circuit around the city hoping at the same time to be seen and to keep the secret to

  herself. She thought to fly back to the apartment but the deer beckoned her and instead they flew back towards the green and white house on the apple farm in the country. Together, they landed gently in the yard, the deer landing first and Amanda landed next to her with the ease and motion of stepping off a curb into the street. She stared up at the dark house for a long moment and when she turned back to the deer it was gone and she was alone.

  Desperately, she tried to hold on to the feeling of her flight and could almost feel the weightlessness again. Her toes left the ground for only a moment and the tips of the stalks caressed the soles of her feet before she lost the feeling again and floated back to earth.

  Amanda scampered up the stairs and quietly entered the house. The house was silent. The door to the office was still open and beyond she could see the moonlight across the stand. The book sat open upon the glass case. Just as Amanda approached a cloud passed between the moon and the land and the office became as dark as pitch.

  Not wanting to stumble around in the unfamiliar room and risk waking the house she quietly slipped back into the hallway and upstairs to bed.

  A loud knock on the door woke her.

  “That was a weird dream.” she thought to herself as she lay in bed.

  El opened the door and called in.

  “C’mon, get up. Breakfast,” she said urgently.

  Amanda slipped down out of bed and landed with a thump.


  El turned and frowned at her.

  “Amanda. I know it’s summer and you hate to wear shoes, but please wash your feet before you get into bed. You can’t expect your uncle to wash those sheets every day,” she scolded.

  “What are you talking about?” asked Amanda.

  “Really?” replied her mother looking down.

  Amanda looked down at her legs. Her feet were black and her knees were scraped and stained green.

  A weak “Sorry mum,” tumbled from her lips.

  “Ewww gross!” said Sarah. “You need a bath.” She paused for a moment and then bolted for the hallway.

  Amanda showered and changed quickly; the memories of the previous evening rattling around in her head. The evidence suggested she’d flown around all night with a deer. Reality suggested she was losing her mind. When she passed by the office, the door was closed but she was sure she heard the whale song as she passed by.

  The Covered Bridge

  They ate breakfast quietly and trudged out to the drive to see El off. “Do you need any money?” Everett asked.

  “I’ve got enough,” she lied.

  He handed her an envelope. “This should cover you for a while. But it’s for you. Not him. I’ll know if you use this for anyone but yourself. I put a spell on it,” he laughed.

  She looked at the stack of crisp new fifties and hundreds. “There’s at least a grand in here,” she said in surprise.

  “Two,” he said. “In case you were wondering. I love you. I’ll watch over them like they were my very own. Now the faster you go, the faster you’ll be back.”

  He stepped back to let her embrace her children. Sarah held on for a long moment, squeezing her mother like a favorite toy.

  Amanda stood off to the side, arms crossed, pouting.

  “C’mon A, don’t be like this?” said El.

  “I don’t know why we have to stay. We can come with you. I’ll watch Sarah while you work.”

  “Let’s not do this. I’ll be back as fast as I can.”

  “It’s always about you. I have a life too.”

  “I have to go. Give me a hug.”

  Amanda glared at her mother and took a reluctant step forward then stood there, waiting, forcing her mother to cross over to her as an opening move in some sort of power struggle.

  “Be that way,” said El. “I have to go. I’ll call you later. We can talk when you’ve cooled down a bit.”

  She climbed into the car, slamming the door. The tires skidded on the loose gravel as the Subaru pulled away.

  “Let’s do something fun,” suggested Uncle Everett while a tiny fairy creature studied them from the woods.

  “I don’t know what you meant about watching over us like we were your own but let’s get something straight. We really

  appreciate you helping our mother out and are grateful for the tablet and everything but we have a dad and we don’t need looking after like anyone’s OWN. I can take care of Sarah myself; I’ve been doing it since she was a baby.”

  “Got it,” said Uncle Everett. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”

  Not expecting the acquiescence Amanda simply said, “Thank you.”

  “We done?” he asked.

  “I guess,” replied Amanda.

  “As I recall, you used to like fishing.”

  “Fishing!? Can we go Amanda!?” begged Sarah.

  “I guess. There’s nothing better to do.”

  Following Trevor up the lane, the three of them traipsed through the wood beside the farm to a small private pond hidden just over a tall hill. There nestled amongst the fresh green ferns was a tiny shed that hadn’t been used in a very long time. The rusted lock resisted but after some finessing, it finally clicked open. Everett pulled a worn red canoe out of the shed while the girls grabbed paddles, life jackets and some dusty fishing tackle.

  It took him only a moment or two of flipping rocks and overturning rotten logs to find a small cache of worms to use as bait. At the very moment, El was turning onto the highway the little canoe floated out onto the pond. From behind the cover of foliage, a tiny sprite sent by the Queen watched the three fisherpersons bob up and down on the gentle summer waves.

  Everett paddled the little canoe over to a shady spot where a tributary from the nearby Speed River spilled cold water into the pond on its way down to the city where it would finally flow into a great lake. A fallen tree, half in the water and half out, provided shade and cover for the chubby little fish they were hoping to catch for supper.

  “I can do it myself,” said Sarah when Amanda tried to put a worm on a hook for her. “Like this Uncle Everett?” She showed him the fat little worm wriggling on the hook.

  He reached over and tucked in a loose end or two. “Like that. The fish will steal your worm otherwise.”

  They sat in silence each in their own thoughts, enjoying the warm summer sun until suddenly, ZZZZZZZ! The line on Amanda’s rod began streaming out. She played the fish expertly like Papa had shown her and after a few short minutes, Uncle Everett was holding a dented fishing net under a perfect smallmouth bass.

  “There’s a beauty,” he said as he threaded a line through the gills to keep it attached to the boat. The fish were hungry and it didn’t take long for them to pull out one fish each and one for Trevor for supper. As Everett packed the small boat away and wiped down the tackle for storage, the girls glumly waded along the mucky shore, their toes oozing in the squishy, silty bottom. They saw several frogs, a snapping turtle and even a crane that had landed silently amongst the lily pads.

  Amanda stared closely at the crane. For a second, she thought she saw a tiny person no taller than her knee sitting on its back like a rider on a horse. She shook her head, and it was gone. The two girls returned to the shed and found Uncle Everett seated on a stump waiting patiently. The fish, already cleaned, were soaking in a galvanized pail. Without a word, he rose and the three of them followed Trevor back down the path to the house.

  After a moment he sighed and spoke gently. “You guys have been real troopers today. If you want to go chill, I’ve got to run into town to get some things for supper. I think that tablet needs to be configured. The Wi-Fi password is Tarsinia. Capital T, and number ‘1’s where the ‘i’s should be.”

  Amanda and Sarah sat together quietly on the front porch and watched Uncle Everett drive off in his silver Honda SUV with Trevor up front riding shotgun.

  The summer sun was shining down on them when they opened the package to configure the tablet.

  “Why are you being so mean to Uncle Everett?” asked Sarah, “He seems really nice.”

  “They’re all really nice, until they aren’t,” said Amanda. “Remember mom’s last boyfriend Jeff. He was really nice. We all drove down to Florida in his SUV. We were so excited. But when we got there and there were two rooms, one for us and one for them. And mom said she was going to stay with us and they had that big flight. Then we flew home early. And then there was no more Jeff.”

  Sarah nodded.

  “And Steve, remember him, with the cottage and his own kids. He called you pumpkin and got you the Barbie playhouse that one Christmas, but when Stefanie, what a little bitch, broke it and you cried. He and mom had a fight and no more Steve.”

  “Let’s face it Sarah, we’re it. You and me.”

  “I still think he’s nice. And he’s family,” said Sarah.

  “We’ll see. Just don’t get too attached to him. He'll be gone one day too.”

  The tablet binged as Amanda was reading the manual trying to figure out the next step when a stone landed on the porch. They looked up just as a second stone landed next to it.

  Amanda scanned the yard for a moment and was sure she saw a tiny something run around behind the house. “C’mon,” she said to Sarah, and they rushed around the corner to get a better look at the stone thrower. They came full circle around the house and were surprised to see a tiny little person wearing a suit made from golden leaves holding their new tablet.


  “That can’t be real,” said Amanda.

  “Real or not, it’s got our tablet,” replied Sarah.

  Turning, she shouted “You put that down!” Then started to chase after it.

  “Wait!” shouted Amanda. When it was clear that Sarah had no intention of waiting, she took off after her.

  Before they could reach him or her or it, the little creature scrambled down off the porch with their new device and made a

  break for the woods.

  “Oh, no you don’t! You little thief!” called Sarah and she chased after it.

  “Sarah, wait!” called Amanda as she ran off after her sister.

  Through the woods and up the track, the little golden sprite ran ahead of the girls occasionally pausing to stop and let them get close before dashing away, leading them further and further away from the green and white house.

  They were tired and winded from the chase when they reached the covered bridge at the end of the trail. It was the same as before except now the gate was wide open. The antique bronze lock hung loosely from its hasp. The little sprite stood in the middle of the bridge taunting the girls with their tablet.

  “Gotcha now,” said Sarah and she stalked their prey into the covered bridge.

  She crept closer and closer until the little sprite was pressed up against the back wall of the bridge.

  “Wait Sarah! We’ll do this together, on three,” said Amanda.

  “One. Two. Three!” They pounced.

  Amanda grabbed hold of the little creature.

  When they looked around, they saw they weren’t in the wood on the farm anymore. They were standing in the middle of a cobblestone road.

  They looked around at the strange surroundings, rolling turquoise fields spread off in every direction. Strangely shaped windmills, their round blades churning slowly, crested many of the hills surrounded them. In the distance, they could see a tall, magnificent castle that reminded her of the Empire State Building, perched on the top of a peak that overlooked a distant city.