Rosa screamed and grabbed Sarah’s arm.
“He’s joking,” Sarah said. “You can always tell when he is joking around because his nose twitches.”
Trip gave Sarah a dirty look. “Okay, yes— I was joking, but my nose does not twitch.” Just then, he looked into the gazing ball. He stared straight at his nose to see if it was twitching, but instead he saw a mouse huddling against a wall. He backed away and then fell back into the water and swam the backstroke until he was ashore again. He picked up his dry shirt and slid one arm in the sleeve.
Sarah stepped toward her brother. “You look disappointed. What did you see?”
“What I saw is my true self, and I am the only one who needs to know that. If you want some secret knowledge, look into the ball and see your true self.”
The fairy agreed, “He’s right, Sarah. You should take a look.”
“Alright, I will.” Sarah removed her shoes and carefully stepped into the chilly water as well. “Ooh, the mud feels disgusting!”
“It feels so awesome. The mud is the best part!” Trip began tying his high-top tennis shoes.
Even though the water was shallow, Sarah began to swim until she stood in the middle of the lake. She took a deep breath and looked into the black ball. At first all she saw was a distorted picture of herself, but as she looked closer she saw a brave knight. The only problem was she did not want to see a brave knight. She wanted to see a beautiful princess in a silky dress with wavy golden hair.
Rosa asked, “What did you see, Sarah?”
Sarah cleared her throat. “The fairy is right. Our true self is something only we need to know.” She swam quickly back to shore.
The fairy said, “It can be disappointing to learn you are not the person you want to be, but you just need to know so you can work on becoming that person.”
Sarah sat down to put on her shoes again. “It’s your turn. Take a look at your true self in the gazing ball, Rosa.” She put an arm behind Rosa to guide her in the direction of the lake, but Rosa pushed her hand away.
“No! I don’t want to get all wet and muddy. Besides, some of us already know who we are and don’t want to change...even if we are not perfect.” Rosa crossed her arms.
Sarah’s eyebrows raised. “You don’t have to get so mad.”
Chapter 7: Thorn Forest
The fairy led the three teenagers for the remaining miles until they saw a dense forest of thorns. “We’re here,” she said.
The kids stood before the low curvy branches with giant thorns like oversized shark’s teeth pointing out from them. Sarah was exhausted from hiking and sat down on the grass under their feet. “How are we supposed to get through there? It’s impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible with God,” the fairy said.
“Let’s make another torch and burn it down,” Trip said holding a pretend torch with both hands in front of him and aiming it at the forest.
“No! You will burn Miss Kartel alive. She is trapped. This forest may look like an average forest, but it’s not. It lives and breathes. It grows, and as it grows it traps its victims inside. Now you must get her out without getting trapped yourself, Trip.”
“Me? No, I uh—don’t think that’s a good idea. Rosa, why don’t you go?”
Rosa shook her head quickly and sat beside Sarah. “Sarah, you are the bravest of us all. You go.”
“I would if I could, but how can I? The wood is too dense for me to enter the forest. If it’s possible, then show me a way, Fairy.” Sarah stood up and put her hands on her hips.
The fairy said, “Find a green Koban olive and crush it with your foot. Then rub the oil on your skin. The oil will make you so slippery that you will not get stuck under any of the branches. There is an olive tree right here!” The fairy flew to a nearby tree and pointed to its branches. A Koban olive grew as big as an apple and oozed with oil.
Sarah walked over to it, reached up in the tree, and grabbed a small green olive. “Would these be alright to eat? They look delicious!”
The fairy said, “Sure! Haven’t you ever eaten Koban olives before?”
Trip said, “I guess we have never been hungry enough, but I am hungry enough now.” He filled his mouth with a large bite. As he was chewing, he mumbled, “It tastes pretty good.”
Rosa reached up and took one off of the branch. She took a bite and chewed slowly. “Oh no! This tastes like diarrhea!”
“Spit it out, Rosa. That one is rotten,” the fairy said. She turned to Sarah. “Take an olive for Miss Kartel.”
Sarah began crushing an olive with her foot. Then she began rubbing her arms with it.
“You smell like a salad,” Trip said.
“Gee, thanks!” She shoved an olive in her back jeans pocket for Miss Kartel. “I’m ready. Come on, Maria. Light the way.”
The fairy flew in front of her face and looked her straight in the eyes. “You must go alone, Sarah. It will be too dangerous for me to go near her. You must help her decide to give her life to God. Otherwise, she will surely kidnap us all.”
Sarah said, “But if you don’t go, how will I be able to see? It’s pitch dark unless I am near you.”
Maria flew over to Trip, “Start digging! We need to find some Koban glow worms for your sister to have light in the woods.”
“Okay...” Trip bent over and found a stick. “How will I know when I have found them?”
Rosa said, “Duh, they’ll glow.”
“Right.” Trip used it to dig a tiny ditch in the ground. Then he used his hands to dig deeper. “Aha!” He held up a Koban glow worm.
“Right here,” the fairy said pointing to Sarah’s arm.
“Gross!” Sarah yelled as Trip laid the worm on her arm. “Are they dangerous? Are they going to bite me?”
The fairy said, “No worries, Sarah. The glow worms are your friends.”
After a few minutes, Sarah had Koban glow worms on her arms and in her hair. She gave off a bright glow by the time she laid on her stomach to begin trudging through the forest. Trip and Rosa wished her luck, but the fairy said nothing. She closed her eyes and folded her hands in prayer.
Sarah disappeared into the forest. She was making good progress until she saw a hairy spider on a web right in front of her. She paused, but then she remembered the fairy’s words about how the forest grows so she must be quick or she will be trapped. She put her face down and went straight forward.
Soon after, she felt the spider crawling down her back. Without thinking, she reached back to brush it off. Her arm became entangled in the branches. She yanked her arm free. The thorns tore into her flesh, and she began to bleed. Still she trudged forward until she saw Miss Kartel straight ahead.
“Miss Kartel, it’s me—Sarah. I can help you, but you must promise not to harm Trip or the fairy.”
“You make it sound so easy, Sarah. I have already made a deal with the Enemy. If I do not take the fairy back to him, he will kill me!”
“Now you are as good as dead. It’s never to late to change sides. You have evil in your heart, but God can fill it with something wonderful and pure. He can protect you too—if only you’ll trust Him.”
Before Miss Kartel responded, the forest grew and a massive thorn pierced her back and blood dripped to the ground and seeped into the dirt. “Okay, I promise not to hurt them as long as God will protect me.”
“God can only protect you if you join His team. Have you chosen God as your master?” Sarah asked.
Miss Kartel yelled, “Yes, help me out of here before I die!”
Sarah crawled underneath the tree limb Miss Kartel was trapped in. She instructed her to get the olives out of her pocket and rub them all over her body.
“But my clothes are caught in the branches!” Miss Kartel said.
Sarah reached up and yanked off one sleeve of her teacher’s black shirt and then the other. Afterwards, she began tearing at her skirt to make it shorter. “I know you are used to telling us what t
o do, but you are going to listen to me—that is, if you want to live. Step on the olive and put the oil on your skin.”
Miss Kartel kicked off her shoe and began to squish the olive with her foot. Then she put it on every bit of skin she could reach while still being entangled in the thorny branches. As she put on a little, she was able to slide with more freedom. Then she was able to put on more until she was able to wiggle her way free and trudge on the ground like Sarah. “I’m sorry, you know. I’m sorry I got you into this—you and Trip. It’s just that the Enemy told me he would send me someone to love—true love if I captured the fairy for him. He told me to bring her to a cave in the Bliss Mountains. That’s where he is keeping all of the fairies.”
Sarah spoke sincerely, “I forgive you, Miss Kartel. We all make mistakes. There is a way you can make things right though. You can help us save those fairies from the cave.”
“I will help you...” Miss Kartel said with small grunts that came from trudging on the ground in a growing thorn forest. “...even if it means going from one mess to another.”
Chapter 8: Tree Rings
When Sarah came to the edge of the forest, Trip ran over to her and helped her up. “Thank God you are alright. Wait—you’re bleeding! What did Miss Kartel do to you?”
Just then, Miss Kartel reached the boundary of the tangled trees. Sarah helped her up. “She did not do anything. It was the thorns! God is her master now. There is no reason to be afraid.”
Trip shook his head and backed away.
The fairy flew over to the teacher. She was covered in dirt, and her hair looked wild. “Come over here with Miss Kartel, Sarah. As children of God, you are both permitted to receive God’s healing power.” The fairy put her hands on Miss Kartel’s back. New skin appeared in the place where the thorn had torn her flesh. “I hope that helps you relax, Trip. That would not have worked if she had no faith in God to help her. Now your turn, Sarah.”
Sarah lifted her arm. The fairy touched the bleeding sore, and it was instantly healed before their eyes. “Thank you!”
“Now break off a large branch from the thorn forest. With a Koban thorn branch, I can read its tree rings and know the past, present, and future.”
Trip pulled on a branch, but it did not move. He pulled on a smaller one that was closer to the ground, but it still did not break. He stood on it and jumped up and down. It wiggled, but it did not break. Then the two girls came and jumped together with him. Still, it did not break. Then Miss Kartel came and stood on top of the branch with the children, and it snapped right in two.
The fairy flew over to it and studied the rings. “In the past, it says three children will wander far from home.”
“Really? That’s old news. We did not need a Koban thorn branch to tell us something obvious like that?”
“In the present, it says the suffering of the fairies is great.” The fairy began to weep. “It’s my fairy friends.”
“I can help you, Fairy,” Miss Kartel said. “I know where the younglings are hiding the fairies. It’s in a cave in the Bliss Mountains just north of here.”
Sarah walked over to the fairy and delicately put her pinky on her shoulder. “We will help. Do not be afraid.”
Rosa called out, “What about the future?”
“The tree ring forecasts betrayal for the future. Betrayal and red rain,” the fairy said with a serious look.
Trip said, “It’s that freak show in the cottage. He’s going to betray us. I know it! He has probably told the Enemy where to find us.”
“Probably,” Rosa said.
Trip turned to the fairy, “After that, I sure hope you can show us the way home. I miss my parents so very much.”
“Your parents are probably very worried. I am sure they love you very much, but Koba needs you or else it will be dark forever. Now we must journey away from this forest and get some rest. You cannot tell because the winged creatures block the daylight, but the sun is setting as we speak. In the morning, we will go to the cave and free my fairy friends.”
The fairy flew ahead, and the teens followed. When they were a safe distance from the growing thorn forest, they all laid down on their backs and stared into the blackness. Suddenly, they could see the moon—or what looked to be the moon but it was red in color instead of yellow. Then rain began to fall from the sky—red rain!
“The tree ring was right! It’s red rain. But what is it? What’s happening?” Trip asked. “Is the world coming to an end?”
The fairy flew up and clapped her hands. “It’s better than that! Someone is defeating the enemy’s offspring in battle. We can see the moon because he has captured some of them.”
Trip turned to Maria. “Who has the power to defeat the enemy like that? The angels have all turned into fairies because they cannot be around evil in their angel form. And well, no offense—but you are not exactly fierce in that form. “ He wiped the red rain off of his face, but it was useless. All of them were covered in red. It was in their hair and clothes.
“There is only one person that could have done that...God’s Son.” The fairy smiled like she was thinking of someone she loved very much. “C’mon, take cover under this tree.”
“So then why is the rain red?” Rosa asked.
“It’s not red rain, Rosa. It’s the blood of God’s Son. The Enemy has attacked God’s Son in another realm, and He is dying. The Enemy does not know Jesus’ blood is so pure and righteous that it is killing the spiritual demons—the younglings. Soon the fairies will be able to return to their angel form and carry on the work of God. They will still need to be freed from the cave though. Get some rest. The Bliss Mountains are steep. It will be a challenging hike.”
Chapter 9: The Hike
The bright morning sun woke the group. Sarah danced arm-in-arm with Trip, Rosa, and even Miss Kartel as she sang a made-up song, “Look at the beautiful sun; it makes me want to run; sunnnnnn.....”
The fairy said, “Okay, we are off to a good start! The younglings are defeated, but the Enemy still prowls around us looking for someone to devour. Let’s get moving. First, we hike north to the Bliss Mountains.”
“Then I can show you the cave where the enemy keeps the kidnapped fairies,” Miss Kartel said.
“What about breakfast?” Trip asked.
“Remember the manna is on the Bliss Mountains,” the fairy said. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we eat the angel food!”
“Let’s go!” Trip said rubbing his stomach.
The teens hiked and hiked until they reached the bottom of the Bliss Mountains. As they hiked uphill, they started seeing sparse amounts of manna. They ate as they found the pieces. Soon, they were full and the trail changed from a slanted dirt trail to a steep rock face.
Trip looked over the edge. “Woah, look how high up we are. I can even see Green Hills from here.” He yelled, “Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad.”
“Shhh...” Miss Kartel said. “We’re getting close to the cave. Who knows? The enemy might be there.”
“What?” Trip yelled. Then he whispered, “What? I’ll wait here and protect Rosa. You’re not going in there, are you? Rosa?”
Everyone looked around, but no one could find her.
Trip said, “See? She needs protecting. She even got lost. I’ll find her. You three go on ahead.” Trip sat and caught his breath while Miss Kartel led Sarah and the fairy to a cave entrance that was blocked by a huge stone.
Miss Kartel said, “The kidnapped fairies are in the cave on the other side of this stone. It’s far heavier than the three of us can roll away. How can we save them?”
Maria said, “Since the younglings are gone, I should be able to change into my angel form as long as the Enemy is nowhere near.” She squeezed her eyes together as if she was wishing very hard, but nothing happened. “I cannot change into an angel. That means the Enemy is nearby.” She looked left and right like he might appear in front of them at any moment.
“Great!” Sarah said as she sat down on the r
ocky surface. “It’s hopeless.”
“You give up too easy,” Maria said. “Don’t you know that you can move mountains with prayer?”
Maria began praying. Sarah and Miss Kartel joined in. Sarah could hardly believe her eyes when the stone began to roll away like it was moved by an invisible hand.
Sarah stood up and began jumping up and down. “It worked. Thank You, Lord!”
The fairy led them inside. They pressed their bodies flat against the cave wall so they would not be easily seen. Then she saw the fairies. They were locked in birdcages—dozens and dozens of black birdcages. Maria flew to each one and opened the doors to free her fairy friends.
Chapter 10: The Cave
Trip was still sitting on the rocky surface when he caught a glimpse of the back of Rosa’s lime green shirt.
“Hide and seek!” she said to Trip as she went off the trail they had been following.