“I can understand your feelings exactly,” said Professor Ronald, adjusting his red bowtie.
“What does he mean business partner,” asked Tempo, crossing his arms just like Owlbert.
“Well,” said the giant owl, fluffing up his feathers, “kind of you to ask. I’m a Professional Photographer.” Owlbert looked very smug.
“We’re on the job. Me and Charlotte and my trusty Go-Pro are headed to Nunavut to interview a sleuth of polar bears about climate change.” Owlbert clarified.
“A sleuth is a pack,” Professor Ronald said to the children.
“We won’t have any job at all if you don’t get back into that crate,” said a frustrated Charlotte, “You’re a B.O.U.S. You’re on the endangered species list. You’re not even supposed to be in Canada.” Charlotte scowled.
“B.O.U.S.s – or Birds Of Unusual Size – are native to Australia. There’s only a few left in the world, and none have been seen in years,” explained Professor Ronald.
“We keep to ourselves,” said Owlbert with a shrug.
“How did you get him on the train in the first place?” Ava wanted to know.
“I told them he was stuffed, and had him tagged as baggage,” replied Charlotte.
“STUFFED!” howled Owlbert. “BAGGAGE! I AM A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER!”
“Yes,” Charlotte said, rolling her eyes, “you’ve already said.”
“Excuse me,” said Robbie, poking his little head out from behind Uncle Tempo. “Somebody is coming.”
Robbie looked at his sisters, who were still sitting on the floor in front of Owlbert, their hair looking like tangled nests.
There was a voice in the corridor behind them, and the sound of footsteps drew near. Uncle Tempo acted on instinct, swooping up Robbie onto his shoulders and grabbing Anja under one arm and Ava under the other. There was an odd rattle and a pop, and with a flash they disappeared.
Charlotte turned just in time to see Gary approaching.
“I think the lightning struck up here!” he was saying into a walkie-talkie, but then he caught sight of Owlbert and stopped in his tracks. “What the…” said the poor man.
“Gary,” said Charlotte, leaning forward to read the name on his badge, “I’m sorry to do this to you, but it’s for the best.” Charlotte took a pencil from her hair and pointed it at the terrified man. There was a poof, and suddenly Gary’s face relaxed.
Charlotte spun him around and pointed him in the direction he’d come. “There’s nothing to see here,” she told him, sending him off with a little push, “but I do believe you’re needed in the kitchen. There’s a silverware emergency.”
Gary thanked her and, dusting off his uniform, he quickly left to attend to the cutlery.
Professor Ronald, who couldn’t apparate and had therefore stayed behind with Charlotte, let out a laugh.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen somebody do that,” he said, looking at Charlotte and smiling, his whisker moustache twitching.
“It’s such a convenient spell,” she said, grinning at the Professor.
“Now,” Charlotte said, turning to the giant bird that took up a good portion of the train car. “You stay here. Don’t be difficult. Don’t destroy the furniture. And don’t cause a commotion.” Charlotte turned to leave.
“And where are you going, then?” demanded Owlbert.
“To fetch you some breakfast,” answered Charlotte. Then, to Professor Ronald she said, “You’d better come with me, or Owlbert’s breakfast will be you!”
Charlotte and Ronald went back to the dining car, but they were stopped by a very nervous-looking waiter.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no cats allowed in the dining car,” said the young man, looking around for his supervisor.
Suddenly, Gary appeared.
“He’s not a cat, he’s a Professor. Obviously.” said Gary, coming towards them. He had become much more agreeable.
“Ahh,” said the young waiter.
“What can I do for you fine folks today?” asked Gary.
“I need fifteen or twenty large salmon,” Charlotte told him. “Raw,” she added.
“Of course,” said Gary, skipping off to the kitchen.
“A convenient spell, hey?” The Professor looked at Charlotte.
“I may have added my own touch,” she said, smiling, but not looking at the Professor.
The children and their Uncle reappeared in their cabin. The children were out of breath and full of amazement, having never travelled magically before, and Tempo was out of breath because it had been many years since he’d moved that fast.
“I never thought of a giant owl,” said Ava, once she had her bearings. She was thinking about her list.
“Although he does seem very interesting, even if he’s not always pleasant,” she said, trying to smooth out her tangled hair
“I think he’s wonderful,” said Anja, “I feel like the world is turning out to be everything I hoped it would be!”
“Me too,” said Robbie, shaking a stray feather from his shirt.
Tempo smiled. “Of course you feel that way. Your mother was magical, it’s in your blood. And you should know that you come from a line of very powerful witches and wizards.” Tempo looked at the children, and knew the time had come.
“I have to tell you something,” he said, motioning for them to sit down. They did, and he continued,
“Your mother wasn’t my only sister. I have another sister, Chara. She is Queen of the Magical world. Your mother, and Chara and I, we grew up in a palace, in a life you can’t even imagine in your finest dreams. You were destined to be in the Magical world. None of us wanted you to be raised in the Logical world but…” Tempo paused, looking sadly off into the distance.
“Your mother loved your father. He couldn’t live in the Magical world with her, so she left to live in the Logical world with him. We were under orders not to interfere.”
“Whose orders? The Queen?” asked Ava.
“No. It was your mother who ordered us to leave you with your father, and we have all respected her wishes.” Tempo took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.
“It wasn’t until your mother was killed that I came to watch over you, turning myself into a clock to avoid being detected,” he said.
“Our mother wasn’t killed,” said Ava, “she accidentally pricked her finger with a sewing needle and died from an infection.”
“Pricked herself with a sewing needle and died,” repeated Tempo. “Oldest spell in the book. Literally. You can look it up.”
The Smith children stared at him.
“Then what actually happened?” asked Anja.
“Wraithlana,” said Tempo, darkly. “The old witch is full of evil magic and hatred. She wanted to overthrow the Queen, take over the Magical world, and lead a war against the Logicals. If she had overthrown the Queen our world would have been plunged into darkness and despair. But she lost her rebellion, and was banished to the Logical world to live her days alone. When Wraithlana found out your mother was also in the Logical world, she came after her. You see, your mother was also a Timelord, and Timelords are the only ones who can pass from one world to the next. It’s part of our job description, really. Wraithlana tracked your mother down, and tried to convince your mother to take her back to the Magical world, and when your mother refused, Wraithlana cursed her.”
The children sat completely still, listening to every word. When Tempo finished they looked at each other in shock.
“What is Wraithlana going to do with the key?” asked Ava, reaching for the chain around her neck. They key was warm against her skin.
“I can’t imagine what her evil plans are,” said Tempo, his shoulders falling forward.
“What if Wraithlana kills our father, too?” Anja wanted to know.
Tempo put his head into his hands.
“I don’t know the answer to that, either,” her Uncle said.
Ava watched her Uncle, and she knew in that instant
that her Uncle Tempo was not planning on fighting Wraithlana, or rescuing her father. He was planning on taking them home.
Chapter Eleven
A
va could not sleep that evening. She tossed, and turned, and fluffed her pillow, but she could not get comfortable. In the middle of the night the train stopped in Calgary, and she crept out of her bed to look out the window. She saw the bright fluorescent lights of the train station glowing against the black sky, and she watched as two passengers, an old woman and her old husband, got off the train and huddled together on the brightly lit platform, waiting for their luggage. The old man reached out to hug his wife as she shivered in the cool night air. Ava smiled.
It was lovely, she thought. Ava wondered to herself how her parents would have been if her mother was still alive. She wondered if her father was still alive. When the train began to move again, headed east towards Saskatchewan, Ava stayed at the window until the bright lights and the train station faded into the distance. Ava was about to climb back into bed to try and sleep once more, but as she was closing the window curtains a shrill cry pierced the silence.
Somebody was screaming.
That somebody was Robbie. He was sitting up in the darkness on the bunk bed he shared with Uncle Tempo, and at the sound of Robbie’s distress Tempo sat up from a deep sleep and hit his head quite hard on the bottom of the top bunk. This made Robbie cry louder, and Ava rushed to turn on the light.
In a few seconds, everyone in the room was awake. Professor Ronald was sitting up on Ava’s bed, his round eyes alert. Anja was sitting up on her bed, and Tempo was helping Robbie climb down from the top bunk with one hand, and rubbing the growing lump on his head with the other.
“Did you have a nightmare?” asked Ava, running to his side.
“Not a nightmare,” responded Robbie, taking in deep gulping breaths. “I saw…” he stopped, his small voice full of fear.
Ava rubbed his back while the Professor said, “Everything seems less scary once you talk about it. Tell us what you saw, Robbie.”
Robbie looked up at Professor Ronald, and then at the kind face of his older sister, and said:
“I saw Wraithlana, except she wasn’t like the old woman. She was tall, and beautiful. She was terrifying. Wraithlana was standing on a giant rock, surrounded by wolves, and she was chanting some dark and evil spell. The wolves were talking to her, telling her things…things about us.” Robbie shuddered.
Ava looked from Robbie to Professor Ronald, who said, “So, she has spies, does she.”
Tempo exploded, the lump on his forehead nearly turning purple, “Spies, or an army? Wicked, villainous sorcery! That vile, reprehensible demon! That…”
“Did you see father?” Anja interrupted her Uncle.
“No,” said Robbie sadly.
Everyone in the room sighed.
“I think we should send out a messenger, and gather some forces of our own,” Professor Ronald suggested. He thought he made a very good candidate.
“That’s certainly a good idea. We have to go through the whole Enchanted Forest to get to the door, which will be a perilous journey with her wolf pack trailing us,” Tempo conceded. “Although I don’t know who we could send.”
“Yes, who could we possibly send, who among us hates this train and would be willing to risk his life for the safety of the children and the fulfillment of our mission,” said Professor Ronald, puffing out his chest.
“Owlbert!” said Anja.
“But…” said the Professor.
“Yes, we’ll ask Owlbert first thing in the morning!” Tempo agreed, and the Professor lowered his eyelids in defeat and moved to the corner of Ava’s bed, where he curled into a ball and put his head on his front paws.
“Everyone back to bed,” said Ava, and then to Robbie she said, “you can sleep with me, if you want.”
But Robbie felt better, and said he didn’t like sharing blankets with anyone, so all of them climbed back into their own beds and Ava turned out the light, and once again the room grew silent and everybody slept.
Everyone except Ava.
Without a sound, Ava got up and unzipped her suitcase. She searched through her luggage in the dark, her hand feeling for something she had not paid attention to since they left their house on Juniper Street. She felt through her folded clothes and the few books she had packed and then her hand brushed against something hard and cold, and she knew she had found it. Ava closed her hand around the smooth round object and then she eased back into her bed and fell asleep, her hand tightly holding her mother’s compass.
Dawn arrived, bringing a foggy, dull morning.
“What is this?” asked Ava, looking out the window once again. The air was thick with mist, and the sun shone in chalky rays to the dusty, flat ground.
“Saskatchewan,” answered the Professor.
“It looks haunted,” said Robbie.
“Or cursed,” said Anja.
“It’s all those things, and worse,” said Tempo.
“Worse?” asked everyone in unison.
“Yes,” said Tempo, solemnly. “Saskatchewan is a barren wasteland full of hillbillies and Roughriders fans. Let us speak of this no more.”
Ava closed the window, shutting out the unpleasant view.
The children dressed quickly. They were all hungry, and they all were eager to see if Owlbert would indeed be willing to rally a group of warriors to protect them as they made their impossible quest through the Enchanted Forest.
Charlotte was not at breakfast, although Gary greeted them with a bright smile and was quite happy to inform them that she had already eaten, and was right now serving salmon to an esteemed passenger who had taken up residence in the front of the train.
Professor Ronald coughed.
“Good Sir!” Gary exclaimed, “Are you catching a cold? I have just the thing – lemon tea! And bacon and eggs for the lot of you,” he said, running off to the kitchen.
“I like that man,” said Tempo, sitting down at the table.
They ate their breakfast quickly, except for Professor Ronald, who lingered over the bacon and drank his lemon tea with a sour face.
“Are you upset about something?” Ava asked the Professor as they walked to the front of the train to find Charlotte and Owlbert.
“I don’t see why a badly behaved B.O.U.S. gets to be sent off on a special quest, while I have to stay here and suffer through endless days of train travel!” Professor Ronald lamented.
“But Professor,” said Anja, who was walking behind them, “None of us could bear to part with you.”
The Professor had to admit that he was a very important part of their family, and he said that in the end, he would have been sad to leave the children, even if it meant getting off the infernal train.
“It’s probably best to send Owlbert,” he said at last, “The kitchen is bound to run out of salmon at some point, and then who knows what or who he’ll start eating.”
They found Charlotte and Owlbert in the same train car Owlbert had taken over the day before. Everything was covered in feathers, and Owlbert had made a nest out of bench stuffing. He was sitting in the nest now, using a salmon bone as a toothpick and singing a song about lonely sea turtles searching for love.
Tempo looked around and shook his head.
“Don’t you like my singing?” Owlbert asked. “I wrote that song myself, I’ll have you know!” He stood up in his nest and walked towards them. “I’ve got a whole record of songs for sale online, I can sing you my top three,” he said, flicking the toothpick to the side and taking a deep breath in, as if he was ready to begin an Opera.
“Don’t,” said Charlotte from the corner, where she was writing. She looked at the children and smiled. “Owlbert is going a little stir-crazy in here. Luckily, we’re almost in Manitoba, and then we’ll be off.”
She put down her notebook and placed the pencil back into her hair, which wound around her head in glossy, braided circles today.
“Yo
u aren’t going to leave us!” said Robbie, running forward to give her a hug.
“My dear, I don’t want to, of course,” said Charlotte, bending down to look into Robbie’s face. “But Owlbert can’t be kept here much longer, and we have to meet with the polar bears. They’re waiting for us in Churchill.”
“But we have a plan!” said Ava, who also wanted to run and give Charlotte a hug. Instead, she hugged Anja, who was still standing next to her.
“What is the plan?” asked Charlotte.
They told her of Robbie’s vision, and of their hope that Owlbert might fly off and find friends who would be willing to help them safely through the Enchanted Forest.
“So! You need to send out an emissary to gather reinforcements!” Owlbert puffed, stretching out his wings and flexing. “I do happen to know a great many animals in a great many places, and I can convince anyone to do anything if I make myself tall enough.” With that, Owlbert lifted his head as far as he could from his massive body and hooted.
“Why don’t you fly to Churchill, and see if the pack wants to help,” proposed Charlotte. “That way one of us is still showing up for our meeting – it’s very important to keep our word, you know how polar bears are sensitive – and we can meet in Ottawa, just outside the Enchanted Forest.”
Owlbert bobbed his head up and down vigorously. “I’ve known good old Ours Noir, for years, he’d be happy to help,” Owlbert said.
“Who is Ours Noir?” asked Tempo.
“The leader of the polar bear pack, of course!” huffed Owlbert.
“What happened to Ours Blanc,” the Professor joked.
“There’s Ours Vert, Ours Gris, and Ours Bleu, but there’s never been a polar bear named Ours Blanc,” said Owlbert.
“Right,” said the Professor, “why would I ever think that.”
“So you’ll go then?” Tempo asked Owlbert. “You’ll take a message from us, and get help?”
“Just call me Owlbert At Your Service,” said the giant bird.
“How do we send a message?” asked Ava. “Do we roll up parchment and attach it to one of his feet?”
The Adventures of Ava Smith: The Secret of the Enchanted Forest Page 8