“Zelda”

Alison

                I stare out at the village below me, spreading out, reaching for the hills, reaching for the woods, reading for the treasure that we may never have. I sit every day, sit right here, and I watch. I watch the sun disappear behind the mountain before I walk back inside my mailbox, where I watch Jemma sleep. I live with Jemma in an abandoned giant’s mailbox on a hill by the village. I’ve known Jemma since she was a little more than two months old. I found her, injured and with a broken leg, her tail drenched in blood. And now she’s fine, her broken leg healed and about a year and half old.

                But today, I sit with Jemma out on the ledge, and I watch her take it all in, the village, the mountain, the woods, her little fox eyes shining. I watch her stare at the place she calls home and at the only treasure that we’ll ever have, one that only us two will share. I watch her, and I see that for the first time, she has a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes. Hope that she’ll never go a day without food, that she’ll have more than moss for a bed and cloth for a blanket. Hope that she’ll never be alone, that she’ll have a family some day. Then, she sort of smiles. “Some day, Jemma, some day. You and I will be rulers of a vast kingdom. The rulers Zelda and Jemma. Just you and me and a big castle. Just you wait, bud, just you wait.”

                I awoke to the sound of rain on my leaking roof. Drip! Drop! Drip! Drop! The water splashed into a pail below. Jemma was still asleep, so I walked over to the leak in the roof and let the cool water spill over me. I grabbed a stale piece of bread and cup of well water, and I sat down to eat. I saw Jamma stir in her pile of moss, so I got another cup of water to give to her. She eagerly drank the water and stared expectantly at me for her piece of bread. Sadly, I had no more left to give her. So, I patted her on the head and helped her down the ladder where I reached into an old tin cup and pulled out our last gold coin and sighed. We would surely starve to death.

                “Come on, Jemma, let’s go to the market,” said as I headed for the ladder. Jemma eagerly followed me, knowing that this meant breakfast. I climbed down the ladder first, and Jemma followed with my help. We walked into the market, where we walked over to the bread stand and bought the only thing that a single, gold coin could buy, a small loaf of bread. Just then, I heard shouting coming from around the corner. I rushed around the corner to see two men shouting and then something dropped. Gold.

                I ran over and grabbed the coin, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to face an angry, red-faced man. “Get your hands off my gold, missy,” he huffed.

                Jemma growled.

“Stay back, Jemma,” I whispered.

A small crowd had gathered now. Jemma growled again.

“No, Jemma,” I said.

Jemma sprang onto the man, and he squirmed to get her off. Jemma growled at the man, bearing her pointy teeth.

“Girl, when I’m done with you, you’ll have a scar for every bone in your body,” the man said, gritting his teeth.

“Stop,” a voice called softly.

The crowd parted, and a small, cloaked woman stood, staring up at the man. “Don’t hurt this innocent girl,” she said softly.

“Innocent? Well, I wouldn’t call her that! Her animal attacked me, and she stole my gold!”

“She is even more innocent than you. She was fighting for what’s rightfully hers. Why look at you! You’re as big as the morning sun! You have three children and a wife, and you come home to a feast! And you’re greedy. You steal gold and take more than what’s yours just to give the king a bit more money. And what does she have? She has a small loaf of bread that will feed her and her companion for weeks. Surely one coin from your mound of gold can’t harm you.” Then, the old woman folded her hands and disappeared into the crowd.

I ran after her with Jemma close behind. Finally, I found her, sitting under a tree. I ran over and asked, “Why did you help me back there?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she said, smiling with an almost magical glint in her ice blue eyes. “Come with me, Dear. I have something you might enjoy.”

I followed her into the woods until we reached a clearing blooming with life. I gasped. “Are those…fairies?”

“Indeed they are,” the old woman said.

“I feel strangely like there is magic at my fingertips, like I’m filled with light,” I said in awe.

“That’s because you are,” replied the woman. She slowly walked over to the river and took a drink, and when she stood back up, her hood fell back, revealing flawless skin and shiny, brown hair.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I am Raya, the keeper of the forest,” she replied. “You possess a power just like mine. That’s why I brought you here. To train you to be the next forest keeper.”

“You want me?” I asked.

“Yes, and I will make you a deal. You will never run out of gold.”

And just like that, my gold coin exploded and turned into a pile of gold. Jemma’s eyes widened.

“Now, before we begin your training, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time…” she began.

Read The Witch of the Woods to find out what’s next!