The Wizard of Light was seething with rage. "How dare that temple cat upset all my plans! Evanora must be behind this, blast that witch! I shall see she pays for this! And where's that no good butterfly? Come out here, you coward!"
The little butterfly was shaking with fear as it hid in a dark corner of the cave. It had tried to help the Wizard but it wasn't its fault if things did not turn out right.
WWW had still not returned from her little games in the sky. The Wizard racked his brain as to how he could get hold of the holy water in the temple. Suddenly, an idea struck him!
"I know! That cat which WWW captured in the bottle! Yes, I will get him to help me. I will make him obey my commands ....!"
I had just finished my meditation when out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ning walk into the prayer hall. I was quite surprised to see him as he seldom comes to this part of the temple and so early too. He was walking quickly towards the large water container which contained holy water and I was even more surprised when I saw him take a plastic bag of holy water which had been left there.
"Wonder why he wants that water," I thought to myself. Before I could call him, Ning had run out of the temple. I hastily excused myself and ran after him.
"Ning, Ning! Wait!" I called but he apparently did not hear me. He ran out of the temple gate and headed down the path leading to the forest.
When I reached the forest, I thought Ning would be at our usual spot but I couldn't see him anywhere. I walked a little further up the path and to my relief saw him sitting near the river bank.
"What's up, Ning?" I asked, as I ran up to him. He didn't answer me. He sat there as though he had been turned to stone. His eyes were glazed and he was staring ahead, a blank expression on his face.
"Ning, Ning!" I cried, giving him a shake. He did not respond but just sat there.
"Oh, my God!" I whispered. Finally, I decided to give him a knock on the head. It seemed to be the sensible thing to do. He fell to the ground and lay there motionless, his eyes and mouth open. I began to panic as he looked quite dead.
"What's going on here?" said a voice behind me. I turned round and saw to my relief that it was the Forest Queen. Even before I could answer, she took a quick look at Ning and said, "Quick! Get some moss from over there!"
I did as she was told, though I couldn't understand why she needed moss at this critical hour.
"Alright now, put that moss into your mouth, chew it for one minute, then rub it over Ning's face and head," instructed the Forest Queen. I could swear she was trying to hold back a grin as she spoke. Sometimes I think she thinks I'm pretty stupid.
"Your Majesty, if this is some kind of joke ...." I began, determined that she would not make a fool out of me.
"You want to save your friend, don't you?" she interrupted angrily. "Then get on with it!"
I looked at the slimy, green moss in my hand. I had no choice if I wanted to save Ning. Taking a deep breath, I threw it into my mouth and chewed it. Mmm, it didn't taste that bad. Could do with a dash of pepper and salt though.
"Have you finished? I said one minute, not one hour!" shrieked the Forest Queen.
I spit out the moss, ran over to Ning and rubbed it over his head. For several minutes nothing happened, then he groaned and struggled to sit up.
"He's going to be alright, " said the Forest Queen, grinning widely.
"Ning, what happened?" I asked when he had more or less recovered.
"I don't know....I had just woken up from sleep when suddenly a beam of bright light zoomed down on me. I felt myself being pulled up and then I heard a voice telling me to go to the temple to get the holy water there and bring it to this spot. It was like I had been hypnotized...."
"Oh my God, it's the Wizard of Light! He did this to you!" I exclaimed.
"What?" said Ning, puzzled.
Then suddenly I remembered the holy water.
"The holy water! Where did you put it?" I gasped. "The Wizard musn't get hold of it!"
"Are you looking for this?" asked the Forest Queen, holding up an empty plastic bag. "While you two were chatting away, I threw the water into the river. The Wizard of Light won't be able to get hold of it."
"Quick thinking, Your Majesty!" I said.
Even as I spoke, the sky suddenly darkened, thunder rolled and streaks of lightning shot across the sky. The lightning came closer and closer and hit a tree near us. Then it hit another tree and very soon trees were falling all around us!
"Run, run!" shouted the Forest Queen. We ran like we had never run before and didn't stop running until we reached the safety of the temple.
"It's the Wizard, he's furious because his plans have been foiled!" I whispered, trembling from head to foot. Ning could not fathom what it was all about until I told him the whole story.
There was a strange, deathly silence when we returned to the forest the next morning. We were shocked to see that many parts of the forest had been devastated. There were dozens of fallen trees all around us, some with their trunks and branches badly burnt. It was as though a fire had razed through the forest. Some people from the village were also there, looking at the damage.
"I hope your friend, the Forest Queen is alright," said Ning.
"She can take care of herself, Ning," I said. "She's a witch, you know." Witch or not, she's not invincible, I thought to myself. Perhaps the Wizard of Light is more powerful than she...
Then, something flashed in my mind. "I'll be back soon," I told Ning as I headed towards the grotto where the statue of the Forest Queen stood. As I suspected, the statue had been destroyed! All that remained was a pile of rubble.
"Oh, no," I whispered, as a tear rolled down my cheek. I wondered whether I would see the Forest Queen again. I knew how painful it must be for her to see her beautiful trees destroyed; she loved them like they were her children. I sat for a long time at the grotto, great sadness in my heart
When I at last walked back to the temple, a gentle breeze was blowing. I looked up at the sky and felt the sun's warm rays on my face. I knew then that everything would be alright and peace would return to the forest soon.
The little butterfly was shaking with fear as it hid in a dark corner of the cave. It had tried to help the Wizard but it wasn't its fault if things did not turn out right.
WWW had still not returned from her little games in the sky. The Wizard racked his brain as to how he could get hold of the holy water in the temple. Suddenly, an idea struck him!
"I know! That cat which WWW captured in the bottle! Yes, I will get him to help me. I will make him obey my commands ....!"
I had just finished my meditation when out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ning walk into the prayer hall. I was quite surprised to see him as he seldom comes to this part of the temple and so early too. He was walking quickly towards the large water container which contained holy water and I was even more surprised when I saw him take a plastic bag of holy water which had been left there.
"Wonder why he wants that water," I thought to myself. Before I could call him, Ning had run out of the temple. I hastily excused myself and ran after him.
"Ning, Ning! Wait!" I called but he apparently did not hear me. He ran out of the temple gate and headed down the path leading to the forest.
When I reached the forest, I thought Ning would be at our usual spot but I couldn't see him anywhere. I walked a little further up the path and to my relief saw him sitting near the river bank.
"What's up, Ning?" I asked, as I ran up to him. He didn't answer me. He sat there as though he had been turned to stone. His eyes were glazed and he was staring ahead, a blank expression on his face.
"Ning, Ning!" I cried, giving him a shake. He did not respond but just sat there.
"Oh, my God!" I whispered. Finally, I decided to give him a knock on the head. It seemed to be the sensible thing to do. He fell to the ground and lay there motionless, his eyes and mouth open. I began to panic as he looked quite dead.
"What's going on here?" said a voice behind me. I turned round and saw to my relief that it was the Forest Queen. Even before I could answer, she took a quick look at Ning and said, "Quick! Get some moss from over there!"
I did as she was told, though I couldn't understand why she needed moss at this critical hour.
"Alright now, put that moss into your mouth, chew it for one minute, then rub it over Ning's face and head," instructed the Forest Queen. I could swear she was trying to hold back a grin as she spoke. Sometimes I think she thinks I'm pretty stupid.
"Your Majesty, if this is some kind of joke ...." I began, determined that she would not make a fool out of me.
"You want to save your friend, don't you?" she interrupted angrily. "Then get on with it!"
I looked at the slimy, green moss in my hand. I had no choice if I wanted to save Ning. Taking a deep breath, I threw it into my mouth and chewed it. Mmm, it didn't taste that bad. Could do with a dash of pepper and salt though.
"Have you finished? I said one minute, not one hour!" shrieked the Forest Queen.
I spit out the moss, ran over to Ning and rubbed it over his head. For several minutes nothing happened, then he groaned and struggled to sit up.
"He's going to be alright, " said the Forest Queen, grinning widely.
"Ning, what happened?" I asked when he had more or less recovered.
"I don't know....I had just woken up from sleep when suddenly a beam of bright light zoomed down on me. I felt myself being pulled up and then I heard a voice telling me to go to the temple to get the holy water there and bring it to this spot. It was like I had been hypnotized...."
"Oh my God, it's the Wizard of Light! He did this to you!" I exclaimed.
"What?" said Ning, puzzled.
Then suddenly I remembered the holy water.
"The holy water! Where did you put it?" I gasped. "The Wizard musn't get hold of it!"
"Are you looking for this?" asked the Forest Queen, holding up an empty plastic bag. "While you two were chatting away, I threw the water into the river. The Wizard of Light won't be able to get hold of it."
"Quick thinking, Your Majesty!" I said.
Even as I spoke, the sky suddenly darkened, thunder rolled and streaks of lightning shot across the sky. The lightning came closer and closer and hit a tree near us. Then it hit another tree and very soon trees were falling all around us!
"Run, run!" shouted the Forest Queen. We ran like we had never run before and didn't stop running until we reached the safety of the temple.
"It's the Wizard, he's furious because his plans have been foiled!" I whispered, trembling from head to foot. Ning could not fathom what it was all about until I told him the whole story.
There was a strange, deathly silence when we returned to the forest the next morning. We were shocked to see that many parts of the forest had been devastated. There were dozens of fallen trees all around us, some with their trunks and branches badly burnt. It was as though a fire had razed through the forest. Some people from the village were also there, looking at the damage.
"I hope your friend, the Forest Queen is alright," said Ning.
"She can take care of herself, Ning," I said. "She's a witch, you know." Witch or not, she's not invincible, I thought to myself. Perhaps the Wizard of Light is more powerful than she...
Then, something flashed in my mind. "I'll be back soon," I told Ning as I headed towards the grotto where the statue of the Forest Queen stood. As I suspected, the statue had been destroyed! All that remained was a pile of rubble.
"Oh, no," I whispered, as a tear rolled down my cheek. I wondered whether I would see the Forest Queen again. I knew how painful it must be for her to see her beautiful trees destroyed; she loved them like they were her children. I sat for a long time at the grotto, great sadness in my heart
When I at last walked back to the temple, a gentle breeze was blowing. I looked up at the sky and felt the sun's warm rays on my face. I knew then that everything would be alright and peace would return to the forest soon.
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