The World Beyond the Door

  Examining the picture of the man under the oak tree on the back cover, Travis said, "Wow, this is a pretty fancy engraving." Squinting at the ornate writing under the picture he read out loud, "The Way Back. Is that the name of the picture?"

  She shrugged, "I don't know." Pointing to the stanzas in the four corners she said, "Some of these words match the poem in the article."

  She read the words that could still be made out, and Travis wrote them down.

  Between two ------ stands a ---- of wood

  Where the Forester guards --- ---.

  ----- to him the source of light

  That is not f--nd -y ---.

  The depths are not his natur-- ----

  F-- he -ides the --- by night.

  Capture the key from --- ------- ----

  In a ----- ---- -- -----.

  At the --d of the ---row path he -----

  For the designat-- key,

  Place -- ---- ---- -------- hand

  For pass--- through the ----.

  Exotic creatures and unknown ------

  Lie just ------ the door.

  Adventure awaits the ----- -- -----

  And --------- to explore.

  They began comparing the writing on the book to the poem from the old Village Monthly. The writing in the two top corners matched the first six lines of the poem.

  Between two worlds stands a gate of wood

  Where the Forester guards the way.

  Bring to him the source of light

  That is not found by day.

  The depths are not his natural home

  For he rides the sky by night.

  "Maybe The Way Back is the name of the poem," Travis suggested.

  "Okay, but the way back to where?"

  "To the other world?"

  "If there is such a place," she said wistfully.

  "Hey, you're the one who started this. Are you saying you don't think it's real?"

  "Well, it's one thing to believe in something. It's another thing to start living it. I'm apprehensive about actually going through a door into another world."

  "Apprehensive? You mean scared?"

  "Yeah - scared - nervous. Aren't you?"

  "Maybe. Yeah. Some. It would be easier if we had a map of the place and knew what to expect. Didn't you say we have a map?"

  "We do - but it's almost 100 years old."

  "Oh, things don't change that much in 100 years," he said confidently. "A map of our village would still be good. Why wouldn't a map of that world still be good?"

  "Okay. Then let's see what that other world looks like." She opened the book near the back where there was a folded page. Carefully she opened the paper to reveal a map.

  Travis bent over it excitedly. He started reading off the names of the places. "Forgotten Woods, Border Path, Lady Elaine's Woods. Who's Lady Elaine?"

  Telah answered in a dreamy voice, "According to legend, Elaine was the first gnome to weave starlight."

  Travis rolled his eyes, "You mean the one the pixies always call Roberta?" He looked back down at the map. "I don't think she ever visited these woods." He continued reading, "Then there's The Downs, and the Lesser Bog - that one doesn't sound too good."

  "Sounds better than Greater Frog Bog."

  "Yeah. What's a Grandfather Tree?" he asked pointing to the center of the map. "It looks like something called the Tangles surrounds it. It's quite a detailed picture of a tree - must be important. Now?.assuming you go through a door to get to this place?..does this map show a doorway?" he squinted at the map trying to find a picture of a door.

  "Huh uh," she mumbled.

  "Too bad we don't have the rest of the article with the poem," Travis said. "I was never good at crossword puzzles. There's a lot of it missing, and it talks about a door and a key. Maybe it tells where the key is hidden, or how to open the door, or even where it opens on the other side."

  Telah jumped up suddenly. "We DO have the rest of the poem."

  "We do?" he looked up surprised.

  "Sure. We have a library," and she grinned. "Kendra keeps old publications in the attic. Is there a date on that article?"

  He pulled the paper out from under the book, and scanned the page quickly "It was 90 years ago this month," he exclaimed. "Does the library keep copies that far back?"

  "Let's find out. There's a lot of stuff up there, and no one is around right now to ask questions."

  They folded the map back into the book. Taking the article with them, and a paper and pencil, they headed to the library. It was a stone structure over 300 years old. Originally it was the Town Hall, but had been sold to the Wordsmith family when the new Town Hall was built. They had lived in it until Axel Wordsmith had turned it into a public library. Many of the books were from his personal collection.

  There were regular hours when the Library was officially open, but it was never locked. Gnomes are generally honorable and it was virtually unheard of for them to misuse public property. Occasionally someone would be there reading, but it wouldn't be crowded during off hours.

  They slipped into the building unnoticed. The smell of old books and old leather greeted them. Telah loved the smell of the Library. A soft rustle of pages could be heard coming from a corner near one of the back windows behind the stacks of books. They tiptoed up the stairs. Telah motioned for Travis to step only where she did. She had traveled these stairs since she could walk, and knew all the places where they creaked.

  Once in the attic she led the way to the back wall where all the old Village Monthly copies were kept. Dust tickled their noses and they struggled not to sneeze. Finally they found the right issue. The paper crackled noisily as they turned the brittle pages until they found the article. On the next page was the rest of the poem.

  Between two worlds stands a gate of wood

  Where the Forester guards the way.

  Bring to him the source of light

  That is not found by day.

  The depths are not his natural home

  For he rides the sky by night.

  Capture the key from his jeweled belt

  In a woven drop of light.

  At the end of the narrow path he waits

  For the designated key,

  Place it in his upraised hand

  For passage through the tree.

  Exotic creatures and unknown plants

  Lie just beyond the door.

  Adventure awaits the brave of heart

  And mysteries to explore.

  They copied and poem and put the publication back. As they quietly slipped back down the stairs, the reader in the back corner coughed. The leather chair creaked. A quavering voice called out, "Polly? Polly, is that you?" The two children slipped out the front door and raced down the steps. They didn't stop until they reached Telah's house, exhilarated and laughing at their success.

  They read the poem several times. "The door is mentioned, but even with the whole poem, I don't see how it's operated. Maybe we should just go check it out. Isn't this about the time you said the light would be shining on the door?"

  "You're right. Should we take the map? Just in case," he teased.

  She hesitated. "We'd have to tear it out of the book. Maybe we should just make a quick sketch instead. You do that while I throw together a lunch. At least we can have a picnic here if we don't get the door open."

  Leaving the book on the table, they headed for the cave. Travis carried a backpack with the copy of the map, the poem, and lunch.

  CHAPTER 12 - OPENING THE DOOR

  We'll have to be careful as we pass Morley's," Travis said. But when they got there the house was quiet, and no one was home. They slipped up the path to the cave.

  On Morley's roof, Briar, Thistle and Spike were leaning against the still warm chimney, soaking up the morning sun. Lying on a tree branch over the path, Mari and Della looked down at the children as they passed underneath. At a bush by the back gate, Buckleberry was living up to his name. The sto
ut pixie was busy picking and eating berries.

  Della and Mari sat up on the branch, and bent their heads together in a brief consultation. Taking a horn from the belt at her waist, Della stood, placed the horn to her lips and blew a sweet clear note like a bird's call. Briar, Thistle and Spike looked in her direction. She waved at them to come down. They flew over to Buckleberry, and dragged him along with them to the tree. Another pixie named Buttercup joined them when she heard the horn.

  "First Morley, and now these two. What do you think they're up to?" Spike asked.

  "Maybe something's happening in that cave you told us about," said Buttercup. She tilted her head to look around them up the path. The light shinning through the curls of her short, pale yellow hair made a halo around her head.

  "Well, we'd better hurry if we don't want them to get too far ahead," Briar said. He flew off the branch and they all followed. They chased each other through the crevice in the roof of the passageway. The sloping walls had many protruding rocks that made natural ledges on which the pixies landed and sat for a front row view of the door.

  Outside, Telah and Travis hurried up the path. It had rained the night before, and the sound of their steps was muffled in the wet leaves. The smell of damp earth was replaced by the fragrance of drying herbs when they entered the cave. A faint light could be seen at the back. Following the passageway they found the light shinning directly on the door, and Telah could see the carved pattern. It did look like the Forester Constellation. Travis ran his hand lightly over the pattern. "Do you feel anything?" she asked.

  "No, there doesn't seem to be any mechanism, or even an opening. The light is starting to fade, and it's hard to make out where the door would be."

  The pixies were all intently watching the children. Several were leaning forward precariously, and one nearly toppled off his ledge.

  "Hey, weren't there lyte beads in the chest?" Telah asked. "I'll get one. Then at least we can see what we're doing."

  "They weren't very bright. I think they're starlight beads, but let's try it," he agreed.

  She went back to the chest, and struggled with the heavy lid. Inside the lyte beads were still nestled in the folds of the burlap bag. She reached in and took several beads, stirring up the musty odor. "Ugh," she grunted. She slipped a couple into her pocket and hurried back to Travis.

  He was feeling the area around the top. "Wait a minute," she said, "Let's get some light on this." Taking one of the beads, she squeezed it gently in her hand until it glowed like a small candle. She held up the light to examine the door. Thistle motioned the other pixies to lean back into the shadows as the light got brighter.

  "Bring it a little closer," Travis said. She held it near the top. To their surprise, the light slowly faded from her palm, and flowed to the outstretched hand of the figure on the wall. The light moved in a jagged line crossing the figure and ending at his opposite foot. "Just like the shooting star crossing the Forester Constellation," Travis said quietly.

  "Or like a bolt of lightening," she said. Then there was a faint "click" as the lock opened. Sunlight from the other side seeped in, outlining the frame around the door.

  They stared incredulously. Travis turned to her and said, "Are you up for an adventure?"

  She hesitated, then replied, "Only if we're back in time for supper."

  CHAPTER 13 - EXPLORING BEYOND THE DOOR

  Travis pulled open the door. Beyond they could see enormous tree trunks. In a shower of color, gigantic leaves drifted down from the branches far above. Sunlight glistened on the reds and brilliant golds. In front of the door, the ground was covered with a thin carpet of leaves that twisted and turned in a faint breeze.

  As they passed through the door, Telah felt a wave of dizziness. She reached out for Travis, and their hands met. A gold mist swirled around her, and settled like a blanket on her head and one shoulder. She started to lose her balance, and gripped Travis' hand tighter. The golden blanket slipped off her head, and her vision cleared. She saw the blanket was just a gold leaf, which now lay on the ground. Turning to Travis, she saw that he too was disoriented. She smiled weakly and said, "Whoa?that was unnerving."

  Travis laughed nervously, "Nothing like stepping off the merry-go-round into a new world."

  They realized they were still holding hands, and self-consciously let go. Travis cleared his throat, "Should we shut the door? I wouldn't want anything from here going back through."

  Telah looked a little alarmed at the thought. "No, that's definitely not something we'd want. Look at the size of this place. That door's not very big, but anything that could get though would be as big as the bones in the museum."

  Her voice trailed off and they looked at each other. Surprise swept across their faces as they both had the same thought. "This must really be where those bones came from," they said together.

  "We're going to have to be careful," Travis said. His voice had a nervous edge to it. "We don't have wings like pixies."

  Telah nodded a little shakily. "So, what do we do about the door?"

  "Well, we don't want to get locked out. Maybe we can close it most of the way, and block it so it won't latch. That way nothing big can get through."

  "That might work," she agreed. They found a stick to put in the door, and Travis wedged another stick on the outside as a brace to keep it from opening any further.

  Getting up he asked, "Sure we're up to this?"

  She nodded determinedly.

  A massive wall of twisted thorns as high as a house circled the clearing. Purple and blue flowers as big as their hand were mingled in. Near the ground was an opening high enough for them to walk through without ducking. Telah pulled out the map that Travis had copied.

  "This wall must be the Tangles. It shows the road that way," and she gestured to the left. "From the sun, it looks like it's about the same time as at home."

  "There's no problem keeping track of time. When it's gets to be noon my stomach will remind us."

  She smiled wryly, and stuffed the map into her back pocket. They headed for the opening under the Tangles. The path twisted and turned through the thorns, and finally came out on the other side.

  To their right was a grove of pines with a mist rising just above the treetops. The faint odor of decaying vegetation drifted to them on an intermittent breeze. A vast sea of tall grass stretched off into the distance on their left. They paused to examine the map and get their bearings.

  They found the Grandfather Tree with no difficulty. The grassy place was labeled The Downs and they decided the mist must be coming off the Greater Frog Bog.

  Telah wrinkled her nose. "Doesn't smell like the Pixie Woods."

  Travis laughed. "No, but I think following the woods might be the best way to go. According to the map it leads to the herb garden. No telling what's in that tall grass."

  "What are these cone shaped figures near the herbs?" She pointed to a grouping of symbols on the map.

  He shrugged. "Let's go see."

  The air under the trees was damp and cool, but the earth was dry. Brittle brown pine needles littered the ground and muffled their footsteps. Sunlight glinted through the branches high above.

  They had been walking for about ten minutes when the silence was shattered by a loud raucous 'caw caw' overhead. Startled they ducked under the cover of a low bush, and looked out. Overhead an enormous black bird was being chased by a group of much smaller birds. They flew out of sight, the small birds darting about the black bird's head and driving it away from the woods.

  As they walked, they were startled several more times by other birds flying through the woods, but the birds paid little attention to them. One time while hiding under a bush, Travis noticed large berries hanging from a branch.

  "Any mention of berries on your map?" he asked as he tugged on one. It came loose suddenly. He fell backwards sitting down hard on the ground with a surprised look on his face, and a large berry in his hands. Telah giggled, and he gav
e her a disgusted look.

  "It would be easier, and a lot less work, to pick up the ones that are already on the ground," she said smugly. "Like this one." She stooped down to pick up a large one, but the overripe berry squished in her hands, and dark juice ran through her fingers. "Yuck!" Dropping the berry, she jumped back to avoid getting juice all over her.

  "Yes, I see that method does work better," he said with a smirk. There was silence as they frowned at one other for a moment, and then they both laughed. "Here, help me get more off the vine. Exploring is hungry work."

  The berries were sweet and delicious. They ate their sandwiches, and finished off their bottle of water. After they finished eating, they continued their walk. Coming to the end of the trees, they could see a road ahead. Travis noticed the sun reflecting off a piece of metal on the other side. Hurrying across the road, they ran up to a large, round, flat piece of white metal about the size of a saucer. Bending over, they examined it.

  "There's a picture of a tree on it," Travis said.

  "You're right, but what is it doing here? And what is it for?"

  "Maybe it's the Grandfather Tree. Let's see what's under it." Using both hands he lifted the disk. It wasn't as heavy as he thought it would be, and he turned it over easily.

  "It's a picture of an Elder gnome," Telah said. "There's writing, but I can't read what it says."

  Under the portrait was written "Quarter Dollar," but neither of them could read the language. Turning it back over they examined the tree again. Printed in the same language were the words "Connecticut 1788-1999."

  "We should take it back to the tree with us," Travis said. "Maybe it has some purpose connected to the door. Why else would it have a picture of the Grandfather tree on it?"

  As they were packing the disk into the backpack they heard voices. Startled they looked around. The laughing and talking were getting closer, but they couldn't make out the words. Mixed in with the voices was a strange yapping noise that sounded like some kind of large animal. Frightened, Travis grabbed the backpack in one hand and Telah's hand in the other, and ran for cover.

  CHAPTER 14 - BERRIES AND BELVEDERE

  Back at the cave, Thistle and Spike were sitting on the wall talking in low voices. After a few moments Spike flew down to explore the door. It was open just wide enough for a pixie to fly through. Landing on the handle, he leaned out and peered cautiously through the doorway.