"I can't wait to try it on." Glenna couldn't take her eyes off the gorgeous gown.
Glenna's mother set down her coffee and stretched. "We better get back to work. You can change behind the curtain if you want."
Clutching the beautiful dress to her chest, Glenna hurried to change. This is the best birthday ever, she thought.
CHAPTER TWO
An Unexpected Vision
Tingles of excitement raced down Glenna's arms as she slid the pale green dress over her head. She pulled her long blonde hair over her collar. It fell in waves to just past her shoulders, glinting in the dim light. Pulling the corset on, she laced it quickly, her fingers flying over the gold cord strings. Amber rays streamed weakly through cracks in the tent as Glenna inspected herself in the mirror, twirling and checking over her shoulder. She wrinkled her nose. Her outfit needed something....
She slid the pendant over her head and glanced in the mirror. As it fell against her chest, she felt a jolt of shock. In the reflection, she could have sworn she saw the glittering ruby surrounded by the metal vines and flowers. It was just for a moment and then, in a flash, it was gone. She grasped the necklace loosely in her hand. "What are you?" she whispered.
"What did you say, Glenna?" her father called, his voice muffled through the heavy fabric.
"Nothing," she said quickly as she jumped from behind the curtain with a twirl and a bow. "What do you think?"
"Gorgeous." Her mother smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind Glenna's ear. "Your brother is finally up and almost done with breakfast. Why don't you eat and then you two can go exploring while your dad and I finish setting up? Before it gets too crowded?"
"Alright."
David was sitting happily near the tent corner, basking in the streaks of morning sunlight streaming through the trees. Glenna lowered herself to the cardboard box table next to her brother, her green dress fanning out around her, and helped herself to a cup of juice. As she sipped it, she glanced down at her necklace. Maybe I was just imagining it earlier, she thought. No, a nagging voice inside her head argued, it was a ruby.
* * *
After breakfast, David and Glenna eagerly set out to explore the festival. Glenna grasped the map her father had given her, studying it closely.
"Where are we going first?" David asked. His clear green eyes still looked sleepy and he rubbed at them.
"I don't know. Where do you want to go first?" Glenna knew most brothers and sisters were supposed to fight and argue, but David was her best friend. Sure, they fought at times, but it was usually only minor disagreements. Since her family traveled so much, David was the only other constant child in her life and they were very close.
David shrugged. "Who's here?"
"Let's see." Glenna wrinkled her forehead as she read the flowery script on the page. "It looks like Owen and Linnette Thatcher are here with the birds." David's face lit up in excitement. He loved the falconers and aspired to be one when he grew up. Glenna liked them, too. They were an older couple who traveled with their granddaughter in the summer. She was one of Glenna's best friends, besides David. "And the fire-eater is here." She studied the list. "I wish more people we knew were at this faire, but it looks like not many made it."
David shrugged again. "Let's go see the Thatchers. I want to see Orion." Orion was a Peregrine Falcon and David's favorite of all the Thatcher birds.
"Alright." Glenna bit her lip. "But they're at the other end of the grounds. I think we should work our way to them."
David nodded and kicked the dirt, yawning.
"I also want to see if I can find that path."
"What path?"
Glenna started to reply, but stopped. She didn't know how to explain it, and it took her several seconds to think of what to say without sounding crazy. "I went on a path this morning and met someone. An older lady who gave me a necklace for my birthday. I just wanted to see if I could find her and thank her," she finished lamely.
"Alright," David said. He slipped his hand into hers. "I'll help you find it. Let's go explore!"
* * *
An hour later, Glenna sighed as they traversed the same path. "It's just not here, David! I don't understand."
David scrunched his mouth up, wrinkling his nose like he always did when deep in thought. "I guess you imagined it."
Glenna tilted her head, lifting the necklace from under her dress by its leather cord. "Did I imagine this?"
"No...." David shook his head. "Maybe the path is somewhere else."
"We've looked all over this festival and I haven't seen anything like it. Besides, I know I talked to Roger there." She pointed to the spot defiantly.
All around the children, the festival was bustling. The gates were opening soon and the final adjustments to wares, costumes, and shows were being made. Glenna sighed again. She didn't have time to keep looking for it anymore. She and David had searched for the path where it ended near her parents' tent. She had then gone to the bottom of the hill, determined to find the spot the path had started on, but she couldn't. Not a trace of the narrow lane remained.
"I haven't gotten to see anybody yet. I thought we were going to see the Thatchers. And I wanted to see the fire-eater, Hank," David complained.
Glenna nodded. "I know. I'm sorry, David. They'll probably be busy now, though. Let's go to their shows and then we'll visit with them later."
David kicked the dirt before nodding in agreement. Guilt stabbed at Glenna as she stared at the drooping head of her brother. She should have taken him to visit his friends before searching for the path. It was selfish of her not to have done so.
Glenna took David's hand and started up the hill. "We'll go see the falconers first. Hank's show is right after them and then we'll go to lunch."
David nodded, a smile appearing on his face. He hugged her tightly. "Happy Birthday, Glenna. I love you."
Glenna laughed. "I love you, too." David skipped along the path towards the falconer's show happily, tugging Glenna's arm, but she didn't complain.
* * *
The falconer's show was just beginning as the two of them reached the stage. The birds sat in cages on display and David waved at them excitedly as Mr. Thatcher talked about each one. The birds preened, their bright eyes taking in the crowd.
"They can't see you, David," Glenna said.
"Yes, they can," David said obstinately. "If they can see a tiny mouse in the field while they're flying high in the sky, then they can see me. I'm a boy, after all. I'm way bigger than a mouse. Besides, they know me."
Glenna had to admit they probably did. David visited them constantly when the Thatchers happened to be at the same festival as them. She watched as, one by one, the birds were released from their cages. They soared overhead before flying back to Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher. The audience oohed and aahed as one of the eagles, Arngeir, skimmed the crowd.
David grinned at Glenna. "Arnie's my favorite. Next to Orion, I mean."
Glenna laughed. "I know," she said as she scanned the crowd.
It was always interesting to see the costumes at the Renaissance festival. Several women dressed in full-length gowns festooned with flowers and vines passed Glenna and her brother. Another couple dressed as pirates walked by slowly. The man sneered angrily, and Glenna shrunk back, scared. He laughed and waved at her, his sword clanking loudly. A boy dressed as a fox caught her eye as he slunk from shadow to shadow. It was hard to spot him in the crowd. His russet-colored hair blended artfully with his face painting and the clever look on his thin, narrow features. His dress and manner made him appear tricky to Glenna, and she watched as he disappeared from sight behind a tree, his tail twitching one final time into view.
Above the passing pedestrians, a fairy troupe dropped petals from their perches in the trees. The petals showered the people underneath, falling like rain from the sky. One fairy glanced at Glenna, her dark hair streaming over her shoulders and cascading over the tree branches like a chestnut wave as she stretched along the
bark. Her face glittered, covered in green, blue, and silver make-up and stones. Her fairy costume consisted of a green top and short skirt from which hung various trinkets and containers. Glenna thought she was beautiful.
As Glenna watched, the fairy reached into the leather satchel at her waist and grasped another handful of flowers. They rained down from her hand, floating lightly in the air on the breeze, before drifting slowly to earth. Glenna smiled and waved, but the fairy ignored her. She had never seen them speak to anyone at the faires. They just smiled and nodded, a puzzled expression on their faces. At times, they acted as this fairy did and ignored everyone.
Several other branches around the trails were littered with fairies. One fairy with long and curly hair mimicked the passing strangers' facial expressions. Her gown, pink and light, made her appear angelic, but Glenna knew the truth. Fairies were not angelic.
Glenna touched her necklace through the cloth, deep in thought. She realized with a start that the vines and leaves covering the old trees reminded her of the designs on the bridge. Suddenly, she gasped. The fairy was staring at her again, but her face looked different, her ears pointier. The make-up looked... real. The glittering stones reflected the light, dazzling Glenna's eyes for a moment.
"Glenna." David tugged at Glenna's hand, breaking the spell. "Glenna, we have to go if we're going to see Hank!"
"Alright," Glenna said, "lead the way." She let David pull her down the path, her feet dragging as she struggled to see the fairy once more. She caught a glimpse of her before she disappeared from view. It was the same lady, long hair trailing over the branches as she tossed petals on the passersby. She caught Glenna's eye and smiled before the surging crowd overtook them.
* * *
Glenna was distracted throughout Hank's performance. The audience watched in astonishment as Hank swallowed fire, but Glenna couldn't get her mind off the fairy she had seen. For a moment, it had seemed like it was a real fairy in the tree.
You're letting your imagination run away with you, Glenna tried to convince herself, but it was no use. She pictured the girl again, how the make-up had glittered and changed before her eyes. The puzzling thing was that Glenna felt the essence of the girl had stayed the same. She had just sharpened around the edges in some places, like her ears, and softened in others. Her eyes had seemed slightly more upturned at the corners, but that was all.
Strange, Glenna thought again, reaching for her necklace as she watched Hank.
At first, Hank appeared as he normally did. Lanky, with an auburn ponytail and a long, friendly face. And then....
Again, for a moment it seemed like the world blurred and shifted. Glenna felt she was looking through a wavy surface, like a pond, at an image. Hank changed before her eyes, growing larger. He danced a jig onstage and then blew an amazing plume of fire into the air. His eyes reflected the glow of the flame and a tiny orange spark danced in them.
Glenna dropped the necklace in shock. As soon as the pendant left her grasp, Hank became himself once more. He looked at her, smiling, as she gaped at him in awe, and winked.
"It's the necklace," she whispered. And suddenly, she knew what to do. She grasped David's hand and pulled him away from the show. Ducking between audience members and around booths, Glenna hurried to her parents' tent, dragging David along behind her. She was careful not to touch the pendant as she ran.
"Why are we running? I didn't even get to see the end!" David gasped as she hurried along, dodging a troupe of minstrels and a man dressed up like a centaur. She almost tripped over the back end of the horse costume as she flew down the hill.
"Because... I've got something to do. We'll go see Hank's show again later."
"What are you doing? I want to come."
Glenna stopped, hesitating. She wasn't sure yet what was going on and she didn't want to endanger her little brother. "Maybe later, David."
"But I've been helping you all morning," David said. His lower lip stuck out slightly and Glenna knew she had hurt his feelings. "Why don't you want me around now?"
"I do want you around. I just... I need to do something on my own right now. Alright?"
David frowned.
"David," Glenna sighed, "it's not that I don't want your help. I need your help. I need you to keep Mama and Daddy busy so I can investigate something. Can you do that for me?"
David nodded slowly. "I guess so," he sighed.
"Thank you, David," Glenna said as they approached their parents' tent. It wasn't too busy at the moment, but Glenna knew as soon as the next show let out it would be crowded with potential customers.
Mr. and Mrs. Tate, Glenna and David's parents, were setting the makeshift table in the back as they approached.
David's eyes brightened merrily as his mother opened the picnic basket. The smells of spicy apple pie and hot sandwiches filled the air.
"Mom, can I eat later? I want to look around a little bit more," Glenna asked.
Glenna's mother frowned, confused. "Well, I guess so, Glenna, but what more is there to see? This faire can't be that different from what you're used to."
"It's not. I just want to walk around a little bit more."
"Don't you want to go with her, David?" Glenna's father asked.
"Not anymore!" David exclaimed as he tore open a sandwich. "I'm starving."
Glenna's parents laughed. "Be careful, Glenna," her father reminded her. "Don't get in the way."
"I won't," Glenna assured them.
She walked slowly, inspecting her map. It should be about here, she thought as she neared the spot where she had seen Roger that morning. Yep, there's the tent with the soaps. Her nose recognized it before she could see it. People of all shapes and sizes surrounded the sides of the tent, anxious to buy the colorful, sweet smelling items. She folded her map, sticking it into her corset, before beginning. She lifted the necklace by its ribbon, studying it. The twigs encircled the pebble like always. Glenna lifted her free hand and paused a moment before grasping the necklace.
Dimly, through the mirror-like haze, Glenna spied the path to her right. The necklace felt hard in her hand and she was surprised to find that a chain bit into her neck. She loosened her hold on the necklace and studied it as it rested in her hand. It was metal again, vines and leaves woven around a ruby stone. She smiled to herself.
As soon as Glenna entered the path, the mirror-like haze faded. She clutched the necklace as she staggered forward in surprise.
CHAPTER THREE
The Bridge
It was the path from before. Glenna knew it as soon as she stepped onto it. Her eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat. What is this? she thought. Maybe I should turn back. But she continued on, her steps slow and deliberate. I just want to see the bridge again... and... and maybe Byfroste so I can pay her for my present.
She loosened her grip on her necklace, finger by finger. As she released it, she squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the path to disappear. But when she opened her eyes, the same narrow lane remained before her. She gasped in excitement and increased her pace, her long dress wrapping around her legs as she ran.
The bridge was still there, as if it were waiting on her expectantly. But it was different this time. The flowery vines now sported great purple flowers and a shower of petals rained down from above. The sweet, flowery scent perfumed the small wooded glen and the tinkle of water splashing over stones filled the air. The dry creek bed was no longer dry. Water, twinkling and sparkling in patches of sunlight, danced underneath the bridge and flowed swiftly away. Glenna laughed in delight.
She squinted up into the falling petals, but she could not see where they were coming from. They clung to her hair and covered the ground before her feet.
"You found your way back," a voice said from behind her.
She whirled to face the strange voice in confusion.
It was the old woman from before, Byfroste. She leaned against a tree, staring at Glenna.
"Yes, I.... Why was it so hard to find?" Gle
nna asked.
The woman chuckled as she shuffled forward. "The first time wasn't real, so to speak. I could only create a vision of what it was like, so that you could find your way back. Isn't it much more glorious now?" She gestured around herself in a sweeping motion. "But now, it's up to you. Well, you and the pendant."
"What is this place?" Glenna whispered. "Is it magic?"
The woman smiled. "Yes and no. It's the magic of imagination."
"So it's not real?" Glenna asked, disappointed.
The woman chuckled again as she passed Glenna and turned to face her at the entrance of the bridge. "Oh, no, it's real. As real as anything is. You have a rare gift, Glenna. You're a traveler."
"What's that?"
"It means you can travel between your world and the world of imagination. It exists inside all of us."
"But why?" Glenna asked, confused, as she followed Byfroste onto the bridge. Her footsteps banged loudly on the wooden floor, but the old woman moved as silently as a breeze. "Why do I have this gift?"
Byfroste paused and studied her. She reminded Glenna of a picture as she stood exactly in the center of the entrance to the bridge, framed perfectly by the archways as flowers petals floated to the ground behind her. Her blue eyes were piercing as she stared into Glenna's. "That is something you must find out for yourself. And you must be ever cautious to be true or you might not find your way back."
"To my world?" Glenna asked.
"No, to this one." The woman turned and continued on her way. "It's much more special than yours." By craning her neck, Glenna could just see the edge of Byfroste's profile as she hurried to keep up.
"So I can come visit this bridge and... you, anytime I like?" Glenna smiled. She was so excited she didn't notice the growing noise of chattering voices and loud music as she approached the end of the wooden bridge.
"Not just the bridge, Glenna." Byfroste swept her arm wide as they stepped onto the dirt path. "Not just the bridge."
Glenna's eyes widened as she stared at the scene before her in shock.
* * *
The path and trees were crowded. Everywhere she looked, people were rejoicing. But not just any people. To her right, several knights fought playfully with swords as girls in long dresses and veils of pink, yellow, and green watched. A centaur crossed in front of her, shying and erupting suddenly into a gallop as a man with blazing red hair and dark brown leather pants leaned forward and blew fire.