"Can we leave right now?"
Alan leapt to his feet, reached for her, and swept her into his arms. He spun her around and kissed her to the tune of Gene Fay's deep rumble of laughter.
***
"Wait. We're walking?" Roxan said, pausing.
Alan too was surprised when Gene led them in the direction of the street's dead end instead of toward his car. In fact, it occurred to him he didn't see the little gold car anywhere.
Gene paused as well, giving them a cordial smile. "Yes. It's just a short trek through those woods up ahead."
Alan exchanged a perplexed glance with Roxan. There's a city in those woods?" Alan asked incredulously.
Gene chuckled and nodded. "That there is, my friends. It's really little known in these parts for as close as it is."
Roxan squealed and gave a little clap. "Even better! Once we get settled and give my dad some time to cool down over running off, he'll be so close to visit!"
Gene said nothing, giving only a mysterious smile as response. He turned again toward the trees and briskly led them on.
***
By the time Gene Fay had led them all the way to the willow tree, neither Roxan nor Alan were as excited as they'd been back in Enchantica. When they broke into the clearing and saw the tree seeming to glitter in the morning light, Alan felt like there was a heavy cloud over his mind. He wasn't sure he was thinking straight. Something seemed off but he couldn't figure out what it may be. He decided to continue following the strange man in blue because he didn't know what else to do.
Under the boughs of the willow, amid the unearthly quiet, Gene revealed the secret stash of candies and drinks. Alan and Roxan clung to each other, their eyes full of uncertainty.
All the same, they did just as they were told.
***
Gene Fay's pleasant demeanor changed entirely as he harshly demanded Alan and Roxan pick up the pace as they traversed the winding checkered path toward Wondernever.
Alan was still thoroughly shaken by the events that had brought them to the strange land with the patchwork moonlit sky. The horrifying sensations, darkness, and spinning colors. Being submerged in water, yet coming out dry. And being cloaked in darkness of night when he fully well knew it was daytime. He'd made a mistake and he feared he'd put Roxan in danger. Yet still, they hurried behind Gene as he did not know what other choice they had.
Soon they entered a small village that looked like something out of a child's storybook. Roxan had begun to cry as she pelted Gene with questions that he ignored. Gene led them up a path made of stones that were painted every color of the rainbow that led to the door of a cottage that stood crookedly on its foundation.
"We've arrived," Gene said curtly, giving a sharp rap on the purple door.
When the door swung open, Alan found himself face to face with the leering grin of his Uncle Samuel.
Alan drew a terrified gasp and tightened his grip on Roxan's hand. "RUN!" he screamed, dragging her back the way they'd just come.
***
He found some relief as they dashed through the village of Wondernever among its bizarre looking occupants, and nobody followed them. He would lead Roxan to safety and get her as far from this place as possible.
"Here! This way!" Alan cried, crashing through some bushes that dripped heavily with fragrant white blossoms. He ran into a misty forest. "Let's find our way back to the gate through here. Stay out of sight!"
Roxan followed him without a word, only responding with the sound of stifled sobbing.
The mist shaking amongst tall black trees was disorienting. He kept glancing up at the wicked looking moon, slivers of which were visible high above the tangle of tossing leaves and limbs. He hoped they were going the right way but he wasn't certain.
When a figure stepped out from a tree in front of them, Alan jerked Roxan to abrupt halt.
"Well, hello there!"
The person who spoke was a short plump man wearing the ugliest suit Alan had ever seen. It appeared to be fur and striped like an old tom cat. Just as ugly was the man's inhumanly wide grin, bearing rows of uneven yellowed teeth and gums. Whenever a person showed gums with a smile, it unnerved Alan. He braced himself for a fight.
"I am Chessy Heart," said the man with a deep, theatric bow. "Might I be of assistance?"
"We're just leaving," Alan said ominously. "We don't need any help from you."
"Oh?" said the man, giving a frown that was just as disturbing as his grin. "But why?"
"We don't want to be in this crazy place! With you crazy people!" Roxan shouted angrily.
"Oh you can't help that," Chessy said as though it wasn't up for debate. "We're all a little nutty here," he giggled, swirling one finger around his temple. "I'm nuts, your nuts! Nuts nuts nuts!"
"What do you know about us?" Alan growled.
"Right!" Roxan added. "As if you could possibly know anything about our mental health!"
Chessy tittered. "You must be nuts! Otherwise you wouldn't have come here!"
The sheer rightness of the man's comment fractured the last of Roxan's strength and she began to wail. Alan drew her into a hug without taking his eyes off the grinning man.
"There there," Chessy quipped. "Come on then, I'll show you out."
Not knowing what else to do, Alan and Roxan followed the man deeper into the mist. He had no idea then if they were headed in the right direction.
But after a few moments, a figure appeared before them and he found it didn't matter. The figure was tall and cloaked in tattered brown robes. Where its face should've been was only black nothingness.
"There you go," Chessy Heart said to the thing. Then he turned and ran away.
A deafening roar permeated the woods, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Alan realized too late that absolutely nothing would matter ever again.
Part VI
Beans
Chapter 22
"Mom please try and calm down!" Jack LeBeau begged, trying to soothe his wailing mother.
"He's DEAD! You know he's dead!" Helene shrieked, sobbing mercilessly.
The police had just left their farm after taking a report about his missing twin brother, Alan. He'd been missing since the previous morning when they'd begged him to call the police regarding Samuel's vicious attack on him. However, he'd refused and seemed distracted over a date with his girlfriend, Roxan.
Also since that time, they'd received numerous angry phone calls from Roxan's father. Mr. Richelieu was a gruff bear of a man who repeatedly demanded to know the whereabouts of his daughter. He refused to believe that they had no idea where Roxan or Alan had gone.
"Maybe they ran away together, Mom. Roxan's father is a terrible man. It makes sense that they would run off so they could stay together."
"Never! Alan would never leave us like that, Jack! It would make sense for her but not for my Alan," Helene bawled. "It's Samuel. I know it's that miserable man. He's probably done something to all these missing kids."
Jack's face darkened. "Well, if that's the case, then at least the cops have a lead now. They're out there looking for him. And I'll go out and do some searching myself."
Helene's head shot up. She reached up, grabbed Jack's shirt, and pulled him down closer to her face. "NO!" she cried urgently. "Not you too! You stay clear of the whole mess, you hear me?"
Jack gently pried his mother's hands off his collar and righted himself. "Alright Mom, alright," he said soothingly.
"Besides," Helene said, swiping the tears and leaving dirty streaks across her blotchy face. "We've got more important things to worry about now. With Alan gone, what are we going to do? We're near broke even with his paycheck! Without it, we're sunk."
Jack sighed, refraining from shooting off a salty remark. It figured Helene was more worried about money than her own son. All the dramatic tears and heartbroken display for the police… It had all been fear over her own hide.
"Jeeze, Mom, just because he ain't here now don't make him gone foreve
r. Have a little faith would you?"
Helene smirked. "Faith never got me nothin' but two boys with no daddy and a bunch of bills I can't pay." She stood abruptly from her chair and shook the wrinkles out of her house coat. "Now then, first things first. That old milk cow ain't gave milk in over six months. It needs sold for slaughter. The butcher in town said to bring it in, he'd give us a fair price. That might hold us over til we figure out what to do."
"Alright," Jack agreed, knowing it was best just to do whatever Helene asked. "But how do you suggest we transport a cow to town, Mom? We got no truck, we got no trailer."
Helene looked at him like she was dealing with an imbecile. "Well, son, you tie a rope around its neck and you lead it to town. It's really not that tricky. Now get going, you're losing day. Gotta get there before the butcher closes."
***
Jack thundered around the barn preparing the cow for the hike. It would be a mile into Enchantica, then another two miles to the butcher.
With a cow on a leash.
As a teen aged boy, Jack was more than a little tired of looking ridiculous because of his mother. He was tired of turning his paychecks over to her. And tired of her constant worrying which directly resulted in incessant nagging. And most of all, tired of his mom not giving hot damn for his brother and him. To him, it didn't seem improbable at all that Alan may have run off. Once he carried out this mundane chore, he planned on taking a look around Enchantica, despite his mother's demand not to.
It was a typical sweltering hot Louisiana afternoon. Jack gently tugged the line, urging the cow along, but it moved excruciatingly slow. The dust kicked up by his feet, stuck to his sweaty skin, and he could taste the gritty stuff. He felt disgustingly hot, filthy, and outrageously cranky.
The walk to the butcher took ages and twilight descended by the time he and the cow reached the parking lot. He'd completely lost patience with the slow moving animal. He dragged at the rope and muttered foul words.
He circled around the back where he saw the door open and the butcher inside cleaning up. When he reached the back door, he knocked on the frame.
The butcher threw down his cleaning rag and approached. "You're late," he grumbled.
"Yeah? Well, sorry," Jack muttered, trying not to blow his stack.
"Yeah? Well! I'm closed up for the day. You'll have to come back tomorrow." This he said with a smart Alec sort of smile.
Jack's jaw dropped. "You kidding me?"
"Sure ain't!" the butcher answered, his voice gnarled by years of smoke and whiskey.
Jack raked his hand through his filthy hair, shifted from foot to foot, and balled his fists at his sides. "Man, I just walked three miles in hundred degree heat with a COW! Now just pay me like ya said ya would, and I'll be on my way!"
The burly man snatched Jack up by his shirt, nearly lifting him from his feet. "You don't TELL me what I'll do, son," the man snarled, spraying spittle in Jack's face. "I don't even need your dang cow, I was just doin' your mama a favor. Now you can go tell her that your smart mouth just wrecked the deal!"
He shoved Jack hard, sending him sprawling to the ground. The door slammed shut in his face.
***
Jack led the cow back the way they'd come feeling angrier than ever before in his entire life. Just then, he hated everyone and everything. He hated his dad for dying. He hated his mother for being selfish. He hated his brother for disappearing. He hated the godforsaken farm. And most of all, he hated that LAZY COW.
Night fell completely before he reached the city limits sign. It was a slight reprieve from the heat, but did nothing to improve his disposition. Just outside of town, he heard tires crunching in the gravel on the berm.
Jack turned around to find a big white dually hauling an animal trailer behind, rolling to a stop right behind him. A green logo printed on the truck said, "WN Farm and Seed."
Huh, he thought. Thought I knew of every farm in the state. Never heard of no WN Farm and Seed.
He couldn't imagine what whomever drove the truck might want with him, and he didn't much care. He returned his attention ahead and started walking, deciding to ignore whoever it was in hopes they'd just go away.
"Hey! You there!"
Jack groaned. No such luck, he thought. He turned back again to see a man in a crisp white long sleeved shirt leaning out the window of the truck. He had sliver hair, a pristine smile, and wore a spotless ten gallon hat. He certainly didn't look like a local. Local farmers would be grimy and sweat drenched, not riding around in some fancy air conditioned truck.
"Yeah?" he said, his impatience showing.
"Whatcha doin' with that cow?"
His foul mood waned slightly. He was so angry at that stupid cow by then, if this guy wanted it, he'd likely give it away for next to nothing.
"Gotta take it home," he explained, leading the cow closer to the man in the truck. "Butcher won't take her."
The man smiled down graciously at him and the cow. "Well today is your lucky day, I might just be able to take her off your hands."
"Mister," Jack said, his conscience getting the best of him. "I gotta be honest with ya, she ain't worth much. Don't even give milk."
He nodded, his smile never wavering. "That's alright!" The man turned into his truck for a moment then back to Jack. Reaching out, he unclenched his fist and revealed a handful of strange looking beans. "Now, these here are a special bean that will soon revolutionize the farm industry! They're fast growing beans. Plant just this small amount, and you'll have twenty acres of beans growing in under a week. Don't need water, don't need chemicals. Plant, harvest, plant again!"
Jack gasped, staring down at the beans. It couldn't possibly be true. Such a thing would save their farm and restore it to what it once had been. It was too good to wish for.
"These beans for your cow, son, and we're square," said the smiley man with a wink.
In that moment, he realized how exhausted he was. He'd blown the sale, and he simply didn't want to wrestle with the dang cow any longer. He stepped back so the man could open his door, and he held up the rope he'd been using as a leash.
"Deal," Jack said.
In a matter of seconds, the exchange was made. Jack trudged on down the road, watching the fancy truck's taillights disappearing on the horizon, beans pressed tightly in his fist.
***
Jack approached the back door and found his mother standing there in the dark on the porch.
"What took you so long?" she griped. Jack just sighed. "Never mind that," she rushed on, extending her palm. "Where's the cash?"
"Well," Jack said hesitantly as he mounted the steps. "I've got something better than cash."
The look that passed over Helen's face was one of pure evil. "What?" she said maliciously.
"I met a farmer on the road," Jack said enthusiastically. "A rich one! And he told me about a new kind of fast growing beans. Just a handful of them yields twenty acres in under a week!"
His cheeks reddened as he said it. The tale sounded ridiculous even to him. Yet he hoped beyond hope his mother would be pleased. He opened his fist to show her the beans.
"Beans?" she said, staring down at his shaking hand. "BEANS?" Her sharp eyes shot up to meet his. "You gave away the only thing we had to sell for… BEANS!"
"Mom! Twenty acres! It's worth a-"
"HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID?" Helene shrieked. She snatched the beans from his palm and hurtled them into the dark yard.
Chapter 23
Jack spent a few hours restlessly tossing and turning in his small uncomfortable bed. He was hot and plagued by thoughts of Alan. He also speculated about the fate of the farm and living with his increasingly volatile mother.
"Please come back, Alan," Jack whispered into the darkness.
At some point he must have fallen asleep because an out of place sound woke him. He sat up in his bed which was next to a window overlooking his backyard and the neck of Enchantica forest right next to the property.
"What
the…"
Jack rubbed sleep from his eyes wondering if he was still asleep and dreaming, for what he saw couldn't possibly be real. Scrambling from his bed, Jack leapt up and dashed out of his room, out of the house, and off the back porch.
A vibrant green plant that appeared to be a bean stalk rapidly emerged from the earth. It looked about twelve inches in diameter and snaked along the ground, unfurling across the yard to the trees. Stems and leaves shot out of the stalk as it grew and moved.
It wasn't exactly what the farmer had told him, but it was amazing, nonetheless.
Jack took off running for the trees, following the beanstalk as it grew.
***
He raced through the forest, gracefully jumping roots and fallen limbs as he followed the rapidly growing vine. He could scarcely keep up with it or take his eyes off the marvel of nature.
Then, finally, it stopped.
The bean stalk so huge and so heavy that it lay on the ground instead of growing straight up, unfurled its last curl then came to a rest in a small clearing. It took Jack a moment before he even thought to look around, which was when he beheld a silvery glittering weeping willow tree.
He drew a sharp intake of breath upon sighting it. Another feat of nature that could only be explained by magic. Alan and he had spent most of their childhood tromping those woods and yet he'd never been in that spot. Jack wondered again if he was dreaming. But, despite the fantastical nature of the magical plants, it all seemed real. Drawn by some unseen force, Jack wandered beneath the boughs of the tree.
He spotted the small door with the golden knob instantly and smiled broadly. He didn't know exactly what he'd stumbled onto, but it excited him.
When he found the treats inside, he didn't even think for a second before partaking.
***
Jack lay on the bank of Wondernever River grasping his chest and gasping for breath. Despite the horrific thing he'd just experienced and almost insurmountable confusion, his sheer excitement had only increased. If this was a dream, it was the best dream he'd ever had. He leapt to his feet.
Wonder Never (The Fairytale Diaries #2) Page 10