“Oh, alright. Have it your way,” the mysterious voice rambled on in mumbling fashion. “You’re always making me have to get up and move, after I just settled in to a nice, comfy spot and all.”
Unexpectedly, and to the amazement of all four travelers, the log in the grass moved on its own—rocking back and forth as two appendages grew out from its mid section to form arms with three-fingered hands. Then two longer appendages grew out from its bottom end to form legs and feet. As the log rolled over and sat up, a youthful face was revealed, with two horizontal slits for eyes, robust cheeks, one oddly shaped hole for a mouth, and a knot for a nose, that twitched back and forth to shake off a spot of moss. A long shaggy lump of grass swayed back and forth atop the logs head as it shook itself off to remove all loose dirt and debris.
“What in the world is that?” Michael spat out.
“That? I am much more than a THAT,” the log replied, glaring at Michael.”
“Now-now, take it easy, he doesn’t know any better,” the mouse said, attempting to minimize the friction between the young boy and the log.
“Is it possible you have never seen a magic log before?” she asked Michael in a firm tone.
“Well, noo…not exactly,” he replied.
“But we did see an entire tree come to life in the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade last year. That was pretty neat,” Charlie said, trying to make light of the situation.
“It just so happens that this beautiful, little log was cut from the same enchanted forest as Pinocchio by an old carpenter named Mr. Raspberry. “But unfortunately, she was never transformed by a master craftsman into a whimsical marionette, like Pinocchio when he was just a raw piece of wood. Instead, she remained an ordinary log. However, Sassyfran was never just and ordinary piece of wood. After patiently waiting for over ten long years at the bottom of Mr. Raspberry’s log pile, she finally decided to get up and walk as far away as her legs could carry her. Eventually, her tired body fell to the ground in the rolling meadow of grass you see before you, where she has remained until this very day.”
“So your name is Sassyfran?” Charlie asked.
“Oh, come now, Provo, I am sure they don’t want to hear my life’s story,” she replied with a kind smile. “Yes, I am Sassyfran, the wood maiden. But you can just call me Sassyfran, like everyone else around here. So what, may I ask, are the four of you doing here?”
“We’re here to find the watchmaker,” Ben replied.
“The watchmaker is a very nice man. Usually keeps to himself, merrily working away in his shop.”
“So you know him? Do you know where he lives?” Charlie asked.
“Not exactly,” Sassyfran replied, but I can get you headed in the right direction.
“You never told ME you met the watchmaker before,” Provo interrupted.
“Would you be so kind as to tell us what direction that is?” Midnight asked.
“You never asked,” she snipped back at the mouse. Then she calmly addressed Midnight’s question. “Of course I will. You follow this path through the woods until you come to a divide, then you—”
Provo interrupted again. “It may be easier for you to just show them, then tell them. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, I think you may be right,” Sassyfran replied, looking towards the woods.
“Fine with us,” Ben replied. “I mean, we could use all the help we can get. Don’t you agree, Midnight?”
“The more minds the better, as far as I’m concerned,” the black cat confirmed with a large feline grin.
“So they’re coming with us?” Charlie asked.
“And the mouse too?” Michael added.
“Why yes, lad,” Ben said. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume.”
“Not to worry. It would be our pleasure to take you to the watchmaker,” Sassyfran said.
“Brilliant. Very well then, if you wouldn’t mind, miss wood maiden,” Ben said, motioning for her to lead the way.
“All right then, c’mon Provo, climb aboard.”
The small grey mouse with large blue eyes climbed to the top of Sassyfran’s grass-covered head, and nested—happy to have been invited.
“All set and ready,” the mouse confirmed.
“Very well, let us be on our way. Follow me gentleman,” the wood maiden shouted out.
With Sassyfran confidently leading the way, the small band of explorers marched off towards, and into, the woods, singing out in wondrous harmony to a made up song with the most playful words imaginable.
An hour or two had passed, though it was really difficult to keep track of time in WONDER. Charlie and company were now well into their journey, deep within the forest. The trees and all the surrounding foliage was lush and green. It’s inhabitants, such as rabbits, squirrels, deer, turtles and blue birds frolicked and played, as they followed along from a safe distance. A winding stream intersected the path they had chosen, and at each point, a small stone bridge allowed them to safely cross over and observe schools of brightly colored fish and playful frogs. The water ran over smooth, weathered stones, and around winding banks. Highlighted by rays of sunshine peaking through the trees, ripples in the water danced rhythmically to the flow of the stream.
It was a serene environment, relaxing Charlie’s mind to a point where he almost forgot why they were there.
They continued to move along. The sunshine that had shown brightly through the trees for most of the day, was now lower, creating a soft, warm glow. At that moment, Charlie and the others reached a fork in the path. There were three choices. The path to the left led towards the mountains. The one to the right, towards a lake. And the path in the center, led towards a small village. All were clearly marked by elaborate, wood-carved signs.
“So are we heading to the village?” Michael asked confidently. He thought for sure he knew the answer to his own question. In fact, he was absolutely positive that Raphael the watchmaker, lived in a workshop located in a tiny village.
“Under normal circumstances you would be correct,” Sassyfran replied.
“Remember, Michael, the craftsman we are looking for is quite different from any you may be familiar with in reality,” Ben said.
“Including where he lives,” Midnight added.
“Your friends are right, Michael, we are actually headed towards the mountains. The watchmaker moved out of his village workshop long ago to keep any potential evil away from his friends,” Sassyfran said.
“I, I don’t understand, why would anyone evil be interested in a woodworker who makes cuckoo clocks, nutcrackers and other harmless things?” Charlie asked.
“Because dear, he’s the watchmaker. The one who created the watch you carry in your pocket,” Sassyfran replied.
“Which also means he is the only one who can fix it,” Ben added.
Midnight continued the conversation. “As a result, he was marked as a threat to all members of FOTO, including the Dark Thorns and their Shadow Queen.”
“When Raphael caught word of this, he chose to move away from his beloved village and the people who lived there, to a place beyond the mountains. There, no one he cared for would ever be put in harm’s way,” Sassyfran said, with sadness in her wooden heart.
“Oh, come now, he’s not THAT bad off, is he?” a small, yet deep voice said.
“Who’s there?” Charlie asked, not knowing where to look.
“Up here, on top of the sign.”
Charlie looked upward towards the road sign for the lake.
“Not that sign,” the mysterious voice said, “the village sign, over here.”
As the young boy gazed upward a small creature came into view. It was a little, planetary purple frog with large, lime-green eyes and lime-green finger tips and toes. He stood upright and carried himself like a human—walking on his hind legs only. He was wearing a tiny leather pilot’s cap and goggles, with a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck. And growing out of his back was a set of dragonfly wings.
“Is that
you that’s doing all the talking?” Charlie asked.
“Indeed it is,” the frog replied.
The young boy rubbed his forehead and thought for a second.
Everyone else except Michael stood in amusement. They had met the tiny amphibious creature before, and knew his overly confident personality well.
“I suppose you’re going to tell us how to find the watchmaker, little frog?” Charlie asked.
“I guess you could say that.”
“So what brings you here today, Featherwink?” Ben asked.
“Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“You don’t say,” Ben replied. “Well, we’re on our way to see Raphael.”
“And why would you need to do that?” the frog asked.
“We have a watch that needs fixing.”
“A watch, you say?” The frog squinted and gave Ben a curious look. “You wouldn’t be talking about the Watch of WONDER would ya?”
“Maybe.”
“Rumor has it there are two young boys, paired up with a couple of Patrons, who are searching for the watchmaker.”
“Oh really now,” Ben replied—acting as if he didn’t know.
“I also heard there might be a bit of trouble following close behind.”
“Trouble you say? What kind of trouble?”
“The kind that might get you and your friends into all sorts of bad situations.”
“Is that right?” Ben replied—refusing to give up any information to the frog.
“Shhhh, watch this Ben,” Midnight whispered. “Gentleman, please, there is no need to fight. “Yes, it is true, our young friend here, Charlie, is carrying the Watch of WONDER. So, speak your mind, Featherwink, and we’ll be on our way to find Raphael.”
“Heed my warning, Mr. Cat, there is trouble brewing, and it’s headed right for you. Big trouble—the kind that you never come back from. If I were you, I would think twice about continuing your search,” the frog said in a serious tone.
“If you know such things, why don’t you come with us?” Sassyfran asked.
“Why yes. If you know where the trouble is, maybe you can come along to help us avoid it. Then we can find the watchmaker even faster,” the mouse added.
“That’s a brilliant idea,” Charlie added.
“Well, if you knuckle brains aren’t going to take my advice and turn back, then I’m afraid I’ll just have to come along to try and keep you out of trouble,” Featherwink said begrudgingly.
“See, I told you it would work,” Midnight mumbled to Ben.
“What, what you mean by work? You guys are trying to twist around everything I’m saying,” the frog said.
“Really, it was nothing,” Midnight replied with a giggle.
“Yeah, it was nothing at all Featherwink,” Ben replied, giggling too.
“And what’s so funny? I don’t see anything funny going on here.”
“No, you’re right Featherwink, nothing funny going on here,” Ben replied, rolling his eyes.
“Fine,” the frog snipped. “You, the young man with the watch. Come over here and crouch down so I can hop onto your shoulder.”
Charlie walked up to the frog, who’s eyes were still red from frustration. “I know your name, but you still do not know mine. I think it best we formally introduce ourselves to one another before you jump aboard,” the boy suggested.
“Right, good point young man. They call me Featherwink.” The frog stood up, looked the young boy in the eye, and extended his webbed hand out to shake.
“Hello, Featherwink, I’m Charlie.” The boy crouched down and extended a finger to shake the frog’s hand. “There, that’s better.”
The frog hopped aboard and made himself comfortable on the boy’s shoulder.
“So which direction are we headed again, Miss Sassyfran?” Charlie asked.
“Miss Sassyfran?” The frog interrupted, feeling offended. “I’m the one who is leading the way here. You DO want to avoid the trouble I was telling you about, don’t you?”
“Charlie looked at Sassyfran with a smirk and replied, “Right, I’m so sorry, Featherwink. How silly of me to forget. Which way do we need to go, uh, Mr. Frog?” the young boy asked. Though he already knew the answer.
“Towards the mountains,” Featherwink replied.
Even though Featherwink had been upset, his words carried with them a truthful wisdom. Lurking close behind was trouble of the worst kind.
Captain Fibs, Grim and Duke, were coming up on the fork in the pathway, where just minutes ago, Charlie, Michael and their friends had run into Featherwink.
“Look Captain, fresh tracks,” Duke said, pointing towards the fork in the path.
“I’d say our friends are headed towards the mountains, eh boys,” Fibs replied.
“I can almost smell ‘em,” Grim added, tilting his head back to sniff the air.
“Good, that means they’re close,” Fibs said. “Remember boys, we stay out of sight until the watch gets fixed.”
“Right, Captain,” Grim replied.
The three men continued on down the pathway.
High above the forest of the watchmaker’s realm, traveling through the sky like Santa in his reindeer powered sleigh, were the three shadow villains in a sparkling gold coach pulled by flying mules. Mr. Jollysnaps sat above, guiding his drove of mules, while Flamario and the fox sat facing each other in the comforts of the coach below. They were discussing their plan to capture the watch when the moment presented itself.
“I say you sneak in, grab the watch, then jump into the coach while I burn down the watchmaker’s workshop,” Flamario said in a loud, confident tone. “That will teach him to stay away from dangerous things like an Object of Magic. And the little boys would be so scared, they will run off to their mommy and never want to help the Patrons again.”
The silver fox rolled his yellow eyes. He saw Flamario’s proposal as amateurish and immature. “My dear friend, and a very large friend you are indeed, to acquire something as valuable as an Object of Magic requires much more planning and sophistication. Not to mention, a strategy which will allow us to extract more than just a physical object.”
Flamario’s face turned red at the response of the silver-tongued fox. He was already frustrated from how cramped he felt in the coach, on account of his enormous size. And being insulted by a tiny little fox did nothing but worsen his emotional state. “If you are so smart little fox, what would you do to make a perfect plan, such as mine, better?”
“My dear friend, if you think this heist is only about the watch, then you are sadly mistaken,” the fox replied.
Jolly began listening from above.
“Go on, explain this philosophy of yours little fox,” Flamario replied.
“You see, the Dark Thorns want the watch, which for obvious reasons, we all understand. But if you were to step back and take a careful look at the overall scheme of things, the Watch of WONDER is just a small piece of the puzzle, that will lead to bigger and better things. And in order for the Dark Thorns to execute the Shadow Queen’s wishes, they will not only need the Objects of Magic, but knowledge as well.”
“What do you mean by this knowledge? Flamario asked.”
“He means that having the watch, in and of itself, is not enough for the Dark Thorns to accomplish what they have set out to do,” the coachman said from above. “They will need to know how to use it, when to use it, and where to use it as well.”
“Precisely,” the fox added. “And that is why we need to let the watchmaker tell the boy how to use it, before we take it.”
“I don’t recall those words. And why is this ‘how, when and where’ so important you speak of?” Flamario demanded in a loud, thunderous tone. Clearly, he was outmatched by the fox and coachman when it came to brain power.
“You see, my big friend, I heard through the grapevine that there is much more to the Watch of WONDER than what the Dark Thorns have told us. You might say,” the fox added, “telling
time is not what the watch does at all.”
“Really?” Flamario said, as he began to calm down and listen.
“You are quite right, Mr. Fox,” Jolly added, “I heard a few things myself. It is so much more than a watch.”
“Yes, and therefore,” the fox continued, “learning how to use the watch to its fullest potential could take weeks, months—even years.”
“Well, the little boy only has eight days to figure it out,” the ginormous man replied.
“Even less than that, if you take into account the fact that the watchman has to fix it before the boy can use it,” Mr. Jollysnaps said.
“Right you are,” the fox replied, “I am sure the watchman and his Patron friends will be giving the young lad a crash course on how to use it, where to use it—and just as important, when to use it.”
“I understand the ‘how’, but please explain to me further the ‘where’ and ‘when’ you speak of,” Flamario spat out.
“Of course. The importance of each Object of Magic lies within its ability to guide its user to one of the sacred Kingdom Crystals. There are five in all. Not only that—and this is key, it gives the one who wields its power the ability to ACQUIRE the crystal.”
“So, a big strong man like me could not walk up and take it?” Flamario asked, pounding his chest with his fist.
The fox rolled his eyes and lowered his head. “No my friend, there’s a little more to it than that. Each crystal is hidden and protected by Patron magic. Only a chosen outsider who possesses an Object of Magic can find AND acquire a Kingdom Crystal. Even someone of your size and strength could not remove a crystal from where it rests.”
“And why not?”
“Because, big fellow, like I told you, only a chosen outsider can harness the power of an Object of Magic. And you my friend, are not a chosen outsider.”
“This boy who carries the watch, he is a chosen outsider?”
“Exactly.”
“So why are we going to take the watch if only the chosen outsider can use it? The Dark Thorns did not tell us to bring the boy and the watch back?”
“Yes, why aren’t we bringing the boy along?” Jolly asked.
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