So instead, she called Sylvia.
“Good morning.”
“Egg, guess what?”
“Umm . . . monkeys can fly and dogs can talk?”
“What?”
“Just kidding.”
“Very funny. Anyway, Melody called and she wants to have a meeting.”
“Just you and her?”
“No, between the Hameggattic Sisterhood and the Lollipoopers Guild.” She just loved to call it that.
“Why?”
“She wouldn’t say. Can you meet me at the park in half an hour?”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
*****
“Hello.”
“Hi.”
Ham and Egg were sitting on swings, gently moving back and forth. The three Lollipoopers were standing in front of them.
“Why did you want to meet us?” asked Sylvia.
“We’ve been thinking that we really shouldn’t have two clubs. So we voted and we would like you two to join the Lollipop Guild.” Apparently, Melody had been elected to do the talking.
Ham and Egg had already guessed that this might be one of the topics and had prepared their answers. “Thank you, that’s very sweet.”
“Great” Melody said. She had been expecting an argument on which name to use. “Then . . .” but Sylvia cut her off.
“It’s very sweet, but no thank you.”
“Why not?”
“We’re the Hameggattic Sisterhood and we’re best friends. We made a mistake when we invited you to join our club. We’re very happy that you have your own now. I’m sure that the two clubs can do things together . . . sometimes. But, we’re not accepting any new members . . . other than Christy Bacon if she wants. So, have a wonderful summer.”
Ham and Egg stood up and walked away.
The Lollipoopers watched them leave . . . their mouths hanging open in surprise and hurt. Then they all started talking at once. After twenty minutes of heated debate, they decided on one thing — sooner or later, they would get even for this insult.
*****
That night as she was getting ready for bed, Egg remembered what Dazzle had told her . . . sleep with your magic. Well, the only thing she could think of was to wear the suit and jewelry to bed. So she put it all on, slipped under the covers, turned out the light and started to close her eyes. The sooner she fell asleep the sooner she could talk to the Princess.
But before her eye lids could close, she saw a golden cloud appear at the foot of her bed. It shimmered and swirled and just hung there. She probably should have been at least a little bit frightened but she wasn’t. However, it certainly was a curious sight.
“Egg.”
“Dazzle, is that you?”
“It is I,” and the cloud began to slowly take the shape of the warrior princess.
“I am here to tell you my story . . . and to seek your help.”
Book 7
Dazzle and the Crystal Egg
Book 7
Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood
© Copyright, 2016 by Robert Iannone,
All Rights Reserved.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Serpents & Dragons
Chapter 2 – I’ve Got a Secret
Chapter 3 – City in the Clouds
Chapter 4 – I see London, I see France
Chapter 5 – Myst Tree at Sighing Whorl
Chapter 6 – Arm’ageddon
Chapter 7 – Mobius & the Crystal Egg
Chapter 8 – On Second Thought
Chapter 9 – The Millennium Egg
Chapter 10 – To Infinity and Beyond
Chapter 1 – Serpents and Dragons
“Dazzle, is that really and truly you?”
“It is I.”
“How come I can see you . . . without being asleep? I’m not asleep am I?”
“No, Egg. You do not sleep. I have come to tell you my story and to seek your help. You deserve to see me as I am . . . and to take my measure and determine if I am worthy of your assistance.”
Egg stared at the spectral figure standing in front of her bed. “Me, help you? What can I do?”
“What you can do is beyond imagining. You have abilities that far exceed anything that anyone has ever had.”
“Really? Is that because of the suit and jewelry?”
“Yes . . . and no. They do possess great power; but only an extraordinary individual can evoke it. You are that person. You are the one I have waited for. Tonight, I will begin to explain.”
“Dazzle, you don’t look like a real person. You look like you’re made of light.”
“I am not like you. Is my appearance frightening?”
“Oh, no . . . it’s just different.”
“Yes, that is true. I am different. Unlike you, I no longer live.”
Egg’s eyes flew open and she almost shouted, “WHAT? Are you a ghost?”
“No, not a ghost. What you see and hear is the essence of who I am . . . who I was. It is that which he could not imprison.”
“He who?”
“Mobius.”
“Who is that?” No sooner had the words been spoken than an image formed in her mind. “Yikes. Oh my gosh . . . I can see him in my head.” Then she asked, “How can I see him in my head?”
“The same way that I can project my image, I can also do the same for any other. It is why you see me with Storm so often. Mobius is the reason I am here . . . the reason I created the flying suit and jewelry. He is a fiend and under his cruel and evil rule, my people suffer terribly. But, with your help, we shall defeat him.”
Egg didn’t say anything for a moment. Her mind needed a few moments to digest what she had just heard. Dazzle seemed to understand and stood there silently.
“Dazzle, are you sure you have the right person? I’m only a nine-year-old girl.”
“You are more than that. You are my sister, my daughter . . . you are me.”
“What the heck does that mean?” Egg was completely befuddled; she had absolutely no clue what the Princess was talking about.
“Egg, I beg for your patience. Let me start at the beginning . . . my beginning. The tale is long but in the end, there will be understanding. You will come to know the reason I created . . .” Dazzle seemed to be at a loss for words. Then she continued “. . . the reason I created Flying Girl.”
*****
“As I have told you, I am from the planet Aerianna in the constellation your people call the Pleiades . . . also known as the Seven Sisters. It is more than four hundred light years from earth . . . billions upon billions of miles away.
In many ways, Aerianna is like your earth. We have majestic mountains, limitless oceans, emerald green forests and crystal blue lakes. But in other ways, it is vastly different. Our sky is not always blue. Some days it may be green, or red or golden orange . . . any color that you may find in earth’s rainbows.
When we look to the heavens, we do not see just one moon but two. And, Aerianna has a sister planet we called Kallous. Our astronomers had thought it was a barren world. They were wrong. It is . . . it was . . . home to Mobius.
We also have two other sentient species - dragons and sea serpents.”
Egg interrupted to ask, “Sorry, what does sentient mean?”
“It means that they are as intelligent as we humans. As you would imagine, the serpents ruled the oceans. They dwelled deep in the shadowy depths and rarely had occasion to find their way to the surface. They are highly intelligent and gentle by nature.”
Dragons, with their great wings, ruled the air. Unlike their brethren of the sea, they could be bold and overly spirited but lacked the serpents thirst for knowledge. They built their homes on the tallest peaks of the tallest mountains – far away from serpent or man.
Finally, let me speak of us humans . . . rulers of the land. We had much in common with the creatures of the air and sea. We could be intelligent or not, bold or shy, kind or mean spirited. However, you will find
that the color of our skin varied as much as that of dragons. A child may be born with skin that is red or green or orange. My personal favorite is blue,” and she smiled at some private thought.
Dazzle stopped at this point so Egg asked, “Can I ask you a couple of questions?”
“Please.”
“How did this Mo guy take over? How could just one person beat dragons and sea serpents and regular people?”
“With the power of the Crystal Egg.”
“What’s the Crystal Egg?”
“More than a thousand years ago, in order to stop the conflict amongst the three races – man, serpent and dragon – a contest was devised by the Old Ones. The prize was the Crystal Egg. We shall speak more of this later.”
“But who won?”
“We humans thought we did. But in the end it was Mobius.”
“Dazzle, I don’t understand why I almost always see you with Storm.”
“He was my best friend and one of the two most important individuals in my life. Remembering him brings me great comfort.”
Egg wasn’t sure why she asked, but she did . . . “Are you lonely?”
Dazzle lowered her head as she fought some inner battle with her emotions. “It has been difficult . . . but that is of no consequence. Especially now that I have found you.”
Egg thought about her sister Ashley after she had broken up with her boyfriend Brad. “Maybe we could talk about it some other time. Would you like that?”
“I would, my sister. Very much.
“Dazzle, something you said the other night has been bothering me. You told me to take back the ring that I made for Sylvia or she would become my . . . umm . . . I forget the word. And then you said something about her sharing my quest. Could you tell me again what that was all about?”
“Because of who you are . . . who you have become, when you gave her the ring made with your hands and out of love, her acceptance bound her to you for as long as she wears it. As your companion and helper, what we call Feminion, she may know that you are Flying Girl and she may share in your quest . . . should you choose to help me. You must use the power of the bracelet, however, to insure that she does not share this knowledge with anyone else.”
“Oh my gosh . . . I can tell her and she’ll remember? Dazzle, that is so wonderful. Oh, thank you.” Sometimes even a superhero like Flying Girl had to act like the nine year old that she was. The Princess had told her of Dragons and Sea Serpents and Evil . . . but to Egg that paled in comparison to the knowledge that she could share her secret with her best friend.
“You must make her understand that there will be danger. If she agrees, then she may be your Feminion.” Sensing that Egg was now totally distracted by this revelation, the Princess said “Enough for tonight, it is time to sleep. Good night Egg.”
“Good night, Dazzle.”
*****
Egg found it nearly impossible to fall asleep. Dragons and serpents and crystal eggs and evil people kept running though her mind. And the news that she could share all of her Flying Girl experience with Sylvia made her want to scream with happiness.
As much as she loved flying and doing good deeds, not being able to share it with her best friend was the one thing that stopped it from being totally perfect. And now she could.
An hour later she finally calmed down enough to sleep . . . and to dream of quests in far off worlds filled with things beyond her understanding.
*****
Egg slept late the next morning to make up for the lack of sleep the night before. In fact, it was a knock on her bedroom door that finally got her up.
“Who’s there?” she answered while doing a big stretch and yawn.
“Good morning, sleepy head.”
“Grammy . . . come in.”
“I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Would you like some breakfast?”
“I didn’t know you were coming over. Is Mom out shopping?”
“Yes she is. Besides, this gives me a chance to hear all about camp and Sylvia. I’m so very glad it all worked out.”
“Grammy, close the door and come sit on my bed. I have something amazing to tell you. Dazzle came to visit last night.”
The older woman closed the door, walked over, and sat next to her granddaughter. “So, you had another dream. What did she say?”
“No, Grammy. It wasn’t a dream and she was really here.”
“Egg, dear, what are you talking about?”
So, Egg described Dazzle’s visit and related the story she told her.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am for you. This is truly amazing . . . after all these years to finally find out what it’s all about. To be honest, I never believed it was magic . . . at least not as I grew older. It seemed more reasonable that it was some kind of very advanced science.”
“Isn’t that the same as magic?”
The older woman laughed. “You are absolutely right; it is.”
“Grammy, there’s one more thing. Ham is going to be my Feminion.”
“What is that, dear one?”
So Egg explained about the ring she had made and all the rest. “Isn’t that wonderful? I’ll be able to share everything and she won’t forget.”
“Egg . . . that is wonderful news. I am so happy for you. And if you can help Dazzle . . .” but, she didn’t finish.
“What’s the matter, Grammy?”
“I wore the suit for seven years and lived with it in my attic for fifty more. And, in all that time, I never once stopped thinking about why it had been made. I knew deep in my heart that there had to be some grand purpose. And now, to finally hear what it is . . . to help Dazzle save her world . . . well, I am just overwhelmed.”
“It kind of scares me.”
“As well it should. But I just have to believe that Dazzle wouldn’t put you in harm’s way without knowing that you could win. And to know that your girlfriend will be by your side makes it seem just a little less dangerous.”
“But Grammy, I’m only nine years old. It just seems silly to think that I could save an entire planet.”
“Yes it does . . . no offense sweetheart. But, Dazzle said there’s much more to the story. So let’s not jump to any conclusions until we’ve . . . sorry, I mean until you . . . have heard all of it.”
“Grammy . . . let’s have breakfast. Then I need to call Sylvia.”
Chapter 2 – I’ve Got a Secret
“Can you come over?”
“Sure. When?”
“As soon as you can. Oh, and be sure to wear the ring I made for you.”
“I told you, I’ll never take it off. It’s just perfect.”
“I’m not sure that it’s perfect; but it is special . . . wait till I tell why.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just come over and we’ll talk. See you soon.”
“Okay . . . bye.”
*****
About an hour later Sylvia, Egg and her Grammy were up in Egg’s bedroom. The two Eloise’s had already discussed how they would break the news to the other girl. Egg’s heart was racing so fast she thought it would jump right out of her chest. She was both excited and nervous . . . what would she do if her best friend didn’t want to be her Feminion?”
All three were sitting on the bed, which Sylvia thought was just a little bit strange. Egg’s grandmother had never done that before. But, she could sense the excitement in her friend and her curiosity was getting the better of her.
“Syl, you know that you’re my best friend in the whole world, right?”
“Well, of course, silly.”
“I have a story to tell you, and a favor to ask.”
“Okay.”
“First, may I please have the ring?”
“What?”
“I need the ring back . . . but just for a few minutes.”
Reluctantly, the girl took off the ring and handed it back to Egg.
“Now, excuse me for a minute.” Egg got up and went to the bathroom to ch
ange into her flying suit. When she came out, Sylvia’s response was as expected.
“Wow, what a wonderful costume. What is it for?”
“It has to do with my story. But, before I answer – have you ever been to Mount Rushmore?”
Sylvia stared at her friend . . . her eyes were squinched and her mouth was opened. “Mount Rushmore? Egg, why are you asking me that?”
“Please, just trust me. This is going to get a little weird. But, you’re going to love the ending – I hope. So, have you ever been there?”
Egg knew the answer already. She had flown her friend there many months ago. But, of course, an hour after they got back, Sylvia had forgotten it.
“Well . . . I know I haven’t. But I’ve had some really strange dreams about going there.”
“How about Disneyworld in Florida?”
Sylvia stared again. Then she answered, “Same thing. How did you know?”
Egg didn’t answer; instead, she asked, “How about Washington, D.C.?”
Sylvia put her hand over her mouth . . . as if she was trying to hold back a scream. Then she said in a tiny voice, “Same answer. Egg, please tell me how you know.” She looked over at Eloise, the elder, who only smiled back.
“Because, I took you to those places.”
“What in the world are you talking about?”
“I’m getting to it. But, look at this.” She handed her friend an article from a newspaper she had saved . . .
Sylvia read it but it didn’t make any sense. “So?” was all she could say.
Now it was Grammy’s turn. “Sweetheart, when I was Egg’s age, my grandmother gave me the fl . . . ummm . . . costume that Egg’s wearing. And the ring, bracelet and necklace too.”
Sylvia hadn’t noticed those and took a closer look. “They’re very pretty. How come you haven’t worn them?”
“I have. Let Grammy finish her story then I’ll tell you all about them.”
“When she gave them to me, she told me a fantastic story that at first I didn’t believe. But it turned out to be ever so true.”
Boxed Set: Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood: [The 12 book 1st adventure + the series prequel] Page 30