Ambrosia's Story

by Tammy Marie Rose

  * * * *

  “I know that all of you have many questions,” Mirabella said. “The truth is I do not have all the answers. What I can tell you is that the human child, Ambrosia, needs our protection.”

  “A human in the Mystical Forest can only be trouble,” Raz, the elder of the elves said. Raz's big expressive eyes showed his wariness as he shoved his hat back from his face. It came to rest just behind his pointed ears. His long blonde hair stuck out from under it.

  “She is but a child, Raz, a child who has suffered much pain in her short life. I will not send her back into a world where she will not be safe.”

  “If Mirabella says we must help this child then that is what we must do. We must remember not so long ago it was a troll, our mortal enemy, who saved our kind from destruction,” Bean said.

  “Where is Rom?” Mirabella asked.

  “He went to Lilly Peak to gather some Lilly dust for me,” Serena the pixie said, giggling, as pixies will do.

  “Ambrosia's heart is pure and full of pain. This is the only home she knows.”

  “How can she feel this is home when she just got here?” Ellie the wood sprite asked confused by Mirabella's statement. Ellie sat upon her mushroom home her long brown hair shone in the sunshine. Her skin was pale and her features delicate. Ellie's dazzling colored wings twitched nervously.

  “Ambrosia brought something with her from the human world.”

  “What?” Bean asked.

  “A book, a book entitled Majik the Black Unicorn.”

  Everyone fell silent. Mirabella let the news sink in before saying, “It was written by a writer named Tammy Marie Rose from a place Ambrosia calls West Virginia. The book is about our battle with the trolls.”

  “How? How could there be a book about the Mystical Forest, when no one knows that we exist? This is not possible ... just not possible.” Raz said, his voice reflecting his fear.

  “I wish that I could answer that question. I wish that I could calm your fears, but the truth is I do not have all the answers and I fear danger may be lurking in the not so distant future.”

  “What danger?” Ellie asked.

  “In the human world Ambrosia was in a home where she was not loved as a child should be. Her mother has passed into the world beyond and her father was out of control with rage. He hurt her. I sense that as angry as he is this man will not let Ambrosia go so easily. For some reason I sense he has a great need for her, but this need has nothing to do with the love a father should have for a child.”

  Raz was about to speak, but the sight of Ambrosia coming out of the grove silenced him. They all watched her approach. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the sunlight and her brown hair was lifted gently by the morning breeze.

  Ambrosia stopped several feet from them and smiled.

  “Come, Ambrosia, come sit here with me,” Mirabella said gently.

  Ambrosia sat down on the cool ground. Mirabella fluttered up and landed softly on her leg. “Ambrosia this is ...” she began, but Ambrosia cut her off.

  “You are Bean, the gnomes elder. You have 21 grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, 10 great, great grandchildren, 5 great, great, great grandchildren and 3 great, great, great, great grandchildren,” she said with a giggle. “You love apples and are pure of heart.”

  “I am my dear and I do. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Bean removed his hat placing it beneath his snow-white beard and bowed.

  Ambrosia's excitement lightened his heart.

  Ambrosia looked around her. “You are Serena, and you are Ellie and Raz ....” Ambrosia went on and on until she had named every magical face before her.

  The Mystical Forests inhabitants still had many questions, but this child had already won over each and every one of them with her smile.

  * * * *

  As the sun rose the next morning, Rom went to work building Ambrosia a shelter. Fancy the fairy set about making her clothes. Fairies are noted spinners and they weave and spin their own clothes. Basil and Ogre quadrupled their recipes to ensure she got enough nourishment. The entire village, without further questions, had adopted this child.

  While Rom built her a hut Ambrosia sat not far away watching. Majik, the Black Unicorn, rested on her lap. After working for several hours, Rom put down his tools and came to rest beside Ambrosia. “You really love that book, don't you?”

  “Yes. I read it almost every night. It took me away from where I was and to a wonderful place full of amazing creatures. This book brought me here to the Mystical Forest where no one can hurt me,” Ambrosia said with a bit of embarrassment.

  “You should not feel shame for others cruelty, Ambrosia. Do you wish to talk about it? I am a very good listener,” Rom said placing his big troll hand over the top of her small human one. Ambrosia squeezed his hand tightly. She could not help, but wonder how such a gentle soul could be encased in such a loathsome shell.

  “My mommy died last year in a car accident. My daddy drinks a lot and after mommy died, he began drinking a whole lot more. The more he drank the angrier he got. At first, he would just yell at me, but then he started hitting me ... hard. He just doesn't love me.”

  “Love is a funny thing, Ambrosia. I am new to it myself. Some people are not capable of love.”

  “You mean like Nog?”

  “Just like Nog.”

  “Maybe I just wasn't worth loving.” Ambrosia began to cry.

  Rom scooted over close to Ambrosia. He reached up and put his arms around her dainty shoulders. “You are so worth loving, Ambrosia.” She placed her head on his shoulder and Rom comforted her until her tears dried up.

  Mirabella, who sat high above on a tree limb, wiped at the tears streaking down her face. She fluttered off and left Ambrosia in the safety of Rom's arms.

  When Ambrosia composed herself, Rom asked a favor of her. “Ambrosia will you read your book to me?”

  “If you want me to, yes.”

  “I do.”

  Ambrosia opened the book and began to read the Preface. “Perhaps it is a place that exists only in a child's imagination. Possibly, it is more. One may never know, but the magical folks that call the Mystical Forest home are beckoning ...”

  Rom listened in a state of disbelief. How is it possible that someone from the outside world knew the story of his or her lives? He closed his eyes and remembered that dark day.

  An hour later when Ambrosia closed the book Rom had a chilling thought.

  ~ Chapter Three ~

  “Mirabella, will you walk with me?” Rom asked, finding her sitting on a rock watching the flow of the rainbow waterfall. She always came here for solace.

  “Of course.” She flew up and landed softly on his shoulder. “What has your heart so heavy my friend?”

  “I asked Ambrosia to read her book to me.”

  “I want to read its pages, but I have not yet summoned up the courage to do so. Is it truly our tale Rom?”

  “Every word is exactly as things took place. As she read the words I pondered how could this writer know all of this, how could she have gotten every word, every event right?”

  “I do not know my friend, I wish that I did, but I am at a loss. I sense that you have an idea that has brought great sadness and confusion to your soul. What is it my friend?”

  “Mirabella, what if we do not exist, but within the pages that book?”

  The thought took the breath from her. She felt as though a mighty weight sat upon chest. Could it be that they were not flesh and blood, but merely words upon a page?

  It could not be. She lived, she rejoiced, she felt pain and fear. She was more than mere words; she had to be ... they had to be.

  * * * *

  Daniel McDonald woke with a throbbing headache. He pushed an empty bottle of booze from his chest. Slowly he sat up, rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed at his forehead. He stumbled into the bathroom and went through the medicine chest for a bottle of aspirin.

  After swallowing down three, he walked down the hallwa
y to the kitchen where he turned on the coffee maker. He headed back down the hallway and threw open Ambrosia’s door. “Get up and make me some breakfast.”

  Finding the room empty, he threw open the closet but found it empty as well. “I’ll find you, Ambrosia, you can count on that.” He slammed the door shut behind him.

  * * * *

  In the forest days turned into weeks and Ambrosia was now a part of every detail of all of their lives. The warm summer days faded into fall and the villagers soon began to prepare for winter. Mirabella had decided it was best not to dwell on 'could bees' so she put her fears and doubts away.

  Despite the earliness of the day, there was much activity in the village. Dew glistened like diamonds upon the grass as Rom and Ambrosia picked the last of the apples from their small orchard. The task was much simpler for them since they did not need to climb the trees. They could easily reach the apples while their feet stayed solidly on the ground.

  Mirabella and her Fairies had just finished canning peaches, beans and the last of the potatoes from the garden. They could have used their magical powers to speed up the process, but it made them all feel a great sense of pride to use their hands. They also enjoyed the time together in Basil’s kitchen. They talked and giggled like little girls.

  Bean and the other gnomes were busy taking the baskets Rom and Ambrosia filled with bright red apples to the cellar of the church where they would stay cool and fresh through the winter.

  Raz and the elves were busy collecting walnuts and hickory nuts from the forest floor. After they had filled their baskets, Raz had his elves carry what remained of the pile to the base of an old oak tree where a family of squirrels lived high above. The squirrels would take much joy from them. Elves never took more than what was needed and they always shared with the animals that called the forest home.

  Ellie and the Sprites headed into the forest to join Serena and her Pixies as they searched for any remaining herbs and berries. As they fluttered about their laughter echoed among the trees.

  Almost two years had passed since their fray with Nog. Their lives were once again joyful, but they would never forget the fear that they had felt or the loss that they suffered. In their battle to protect the then newly born Majik from Nog and his troll minions they had lost three gentle souls.

  The loss of Tallon and Faron had hurt Bean badly. They were his gnome brothers and he missed them painfully still. Dalin the elf was also lost to them and his wife Cantor raised their sons up with the help of the villagers. The two gnomes and elf perished when a net trap they were trying to tie off that contained a nasty troll snapped sending the troll and trio crashing down from high in a tree. The beloved lost souls were buried under the wishing tree where the children often play. Mirabella chose that spot so that they would always be surrounded by the laughter of their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all future generations.

  Their world was safe again. They had quickly settled into their old routines. It took some time for the others to accept Rom as Mirabella did, but today he was one of them. They trusted him. They had grown to depend on him especially as winter neared.

  The children loved Rom. He would often sit with them spinning tales of dragons and such. They treasured him as an elder and a friend.

  Mirabella dearly loved Rom. He had saved her life, risking his own. It would have been much easier for him to have followed through on Nog's orders, but Mirabella's goodness had touched his heart and he could not bring himself to harm her. Rom had left behind his world to protect theirs. Mirabella often wondered if he ever missed those among whom he once lived. It had to be difficult for him at times to be the only one of his kind.

  Nog and most of his army of trolls had been sealed inside their cave. The few trolls that remained had banded together and long ago moved away. They have not been seen since. Rom had returned to the mountain to offer them the opportunity to live in peace with the inhabitants of the village. They had no use for peace. All they could think of was quieting the hungry sounds coming from their stomachs. When Rom left them, they were fighting amongst themselves for the now vacant spot of ruler.

  Now Ambrosia was part of their world. How things had changed. Mirabella could not help but worry about what other changes the future might hold. As her mind wandered, she was brought from her thoughts by Rom's deep voice.

  “We have finished in the orchard, Mirabella,” Rom said breathing in the delicious smells from Basil's kitchen. He breathed deeply and smiled.

  “That was fast,” Mirabella said as she smiled up at him. “Sit, I will have Basil make you and Ambrosia something to eat.”

  Rom sat and watched as the kitchen began to quickly fill up. The sweet smells that came from Basil’s kitchen had drifted out the windows and caught everyone’s attention. Soon Basil and Ogre were serving up bowls of warm spinach soup, homemade rolls and apple pie.

  Laughter filled the kitchen and intermingled with the tantalizing smells. The mood was festive. Several of them had taken their meals outside to eat with Ambrosia. Things were finally back to normal for them. They had spent most of the past two years coming to terms with their emotions and finding faith in the fact that they were once again safe. They had all grown in wisdom and in strength.

  “Can you box up some of this delicious spinach?” Mirabella asked. “We will take it to the unicorns. We need to be sure they are also properly prepared for winter.”

  “We have several baskets of apples put aside for them,” Rom said.

  “Good,” Mirabella answered. “The girls and I have beans and potatoes for them. Let’s take them the spinach and Ambrosia and Rom can carry baskets of apples. I will ask them to come tomorrow so we can pack up their saddlebags with the rest.”

  Happily, they prepared for their journey to the Rainbow waterfall where the unicorns lived safely hidden behind its rushing water.

  * * * *

  Majik ran out to meet them as they stepped into the meadow.

  “We’ve brought you some fresh spinach,” Mirabella said as she stroked his head lovingly. She could not believe how fast he had grown. Mirabella remembered the rambunctious young foal he had once been. Now, before her, he was all grown. He was the most beautiful of creatures. Majik took after his father when it came to his noble ways, but he also had his mother’s strong spirit. It was a regal combination.

  While Bean and Rom placed the boxes of spinach on the ground Jollah and Nadia appeared. Ambrosia stroked Majik's soft fur as his parents appeared from behind the waterfall. How the child loved the young Prince. They had formed a very special bond. It was now a common sight to see her riding high upon the unicorns back, laughing aloud.

  They visited with the unicorns for a bit, but the darkening sky sent them on their way.

  As they returned to the village, the sky grew angrier.

  “A powerful storm is not far off.” Rom warned.

  An hour later, the storm struck with a great fury. Thunder roared and lightning snapped. Mirabella watched from the window of her mushroom. She so loved storms. She loved the sight of lightning; she saw it as heaven’s magic wand. When the storm passed, she knew the world would appear anew. There would be a great smell of freshness. This storm, however, was about to bring much darkness upon them.

  High above on the mountain that protected the Mystical Forest from the human world, a strike of lightning struck through rock. The same rocks that had for the past two years sealed off the troll cave. The rocks crackled and shifted. The snapping sounds stirred something deep in the darkness of the cave.

  ~ Chapter Four ~

  Nog rose slowly to his feet. He felt his way through the darkness. He walked with a great limp. A large rock had broken his leg the day of the explosion that had sealed him and the others inside the cave. The leg had not healed properly.

  Nog had spent the last two years deep inside the dark, damp cave. He’d spent that time dreaming of freedom and plotting revenge. His evil heart had grown even darker, his soul more bi
tter.

  Nog had survived with only two other trolls. How they had survived is the most evil of things. They had lived on the flesh and blood of their own kind.

  As he limped forward in the darkness, he could see a point of light. The lightning had shifted the rocks and left a small opening. He peeked out into the daylight and immediately shut his eyes in pain. It was the first light they had been exposed to in over two years. Despite of the pain, Nog smiled.

  He called out to the others. “Get up, you lazy dogs! Come to the front of the cave. I have a job for you!”

  He could hear them stir. They began to bicker among themselves. “What is that?” one of the trolls asked.

  “Light, freedom!” Nog bellowed. “The storm has freed some of the rock. Start moving rocks see if you can make an opening big enough to get through.”

  Despite the fact that there were two of them and that they could easily kill Nog, they did as they were told. Trolls are not bright. Their fear of him overpowered any courage they may have been able to muster. They began to push on the rock, as they did so they cursed under their breath. Trolls hated work.

  They saw little progress and were about to give up when one of the rocks tumbled from the top of the cave portal and crashed to the ground. Now the hole was large enough to get their hands through. It took them several hours, but soon the hole was large enough for them to squeeze through. The light was blinding. The trolls sat on the ground; their eyes squeezed shut and they breathed in the fresh air. It took several hours for their sight to return and even then, it was blurry and painful.

  “We must find food and a place to hide,” Nog ordered.

  The three trolls set off across the mountain in search of shelter. Nog’s mind was already plotting his revenge.

  * * * *

  Though the trolls had been sealed up in the cave for over two years, Majik or Jollah would climb to the top of Troll Mountain at least once a week to check on things. They believed the trolls were long dead, but Jollah was sure that eventually the others would return. When that happened, they would be watched very closely.