roar, and Roggie had never seen so much spray before. He was in big trouble as he frantically tried to grab hold of the passing rocks, which pushed their way out of the cascading waters. It was no use, as he was travelling far too quickly, and the water kept on sweeping him past before he had a chance to grab hold of one. The sound of the water was truly deafening now, as the white spray shot up into the air, before diving down into the valley below.
The only thing that Roggie could see was an old tree, which was partially submerged in the water. It had fallen down from the hillside above, and must have become wedged between the rocks right on the waters edge. He was travelling right for it, and as he got within range, he made a grab for one of its outstretched branches.
His left hand caught the branch, and he jerked backwards, as the water tried to pull him away. The current was so strong, that he had difficulty holding on. Roggie gritted his teeth, summoning up as much strength as he could muster, but his efforts were in vain, as the branch suddenly snapped, and he felt his whole body lurch over the waters edge...
Three
Clouds of white spray cascaded into the air, shrouding the edge of the waterfall in fine droplets, as the thunderous roar of the water hitting the river far below echoed all around the valley. Far below the severed branch of the tree disappeared in another shower of spray eventually rising to the surface, before being swept away.
Roggie felt his whole body lurch as he hung precariously over the waters edge, expecting to follow the branch down into the churning cauldron below.
He waited for the sudden impact, as he hit the water, before being thrust far below its choppy surface. For some reason, it failed to materialise, and as he hung there in mid air, he began to realise that something was wrong.
Looking upwards, he was both amazed and relieved to see that somehow his bag had got caught up in the tree’s other branches. It was pulling tightly around his shoulders, although he did not mind, as it had been enough to save him from being sent down into the turbulent waters below.
Roggie splashed about trying to get a grip on the branch which had saved his life, whilst still trying to hold onto his spear, and eventually after quite a struggle, he managed to haul himself up onto it. His bag was still caught up within the tree, and somehow he managed to free it without being swept away.
Slowly, he was able to climb along the branch until he was almost out of the water, and then all of a sudden, it moved. Roggie lost his balance, as his weight dislodged the tree, as the current got a hold of it. Roggie gasped as he made a mad scramble for safety, climbing along the tree in a desperate attempt to reach the riverbank.
Roggie tried to grab hold of a nearby rock. It was wet and slippery, and all covered in moss, but it was all that there was to grip hold of, as the tree finally broke free. There was a horrified look on his face, as he feared that just like the tree, he would be swept away in the current, and out over the edge of the waterfall. There was nothing that he could do, as it disappeared in a cloud of spray.
He gasped for air as he scrambled onto the rock, his left hand clinging to a dry piece, that lay above the covering of slimy moss. Still holding onto his spear, he scrambled up, with his feet still submerged in the water.
Somehow, he found the strength to hold on, as the strong current threatened to sweep him away. It was a precarious position, and with his arms aching, he used all the strength that he had left, to try and climb clear.
Somehow, he managed to get his feet up, as they tore at the moss to get a foothold. It was incredibly slippery, and he almost fell back into the water again, but his efforts were just enough to haul himself clear.
There was no time to rest, as he feared that if he tried to stay here, he would eventually lose his balance, so the only thing that he could do was to try and reach another rock, which was half submerged just in front of him. Roggie jumped, and his feet bounced off the rock, as he fell forward, onto yet another rock, which was a bit nearer the riverbank.
It was very difficult to hop over the rocks, even for an Elphin Rabbit, and one gave way, rolling down and hitting another before splashing into the water, as Roggie stumbled, almost losing his balance again, as he finally reached the relative safety of a much larger rock. This one was comparatively dry, with a flat surface, which he fell head first onto. Gasping for air, he managed to hold on, finally pulling himself clear of the water.
Roggie was totally and utterly exhausted, and just lay there breathing heavily. In all the excitement, he had forgotten about the arrow, which was still sticking into his back. Strangely, he did not feel any pain from it, and as he delicately removed his bag, he could see that it was sticking into something. He opened his bag and found that it was embedded into his trusty spade.
The spade was one of his most treasured possessions, which he used on his beloved vegetable plot. It had a smooth wooden handle, and a metal heart shaped blade. The arrow was sticking into the handle, and he realised that if it had of struck him a fraction either side, then he would not be here now. Luck was certainly with him today, as he had eluded the Men, evaded the gold mines, and survived the arrow, not to mention the clutches of the waterfall!
Relief filled his body, as he spread out on his back in the warm spring sunshine. He was soaked right through to the skin, and his clothes clung heavily to him. With all his efforts, Roggie was worn out, and did not have the strength to move, as his eyes soon began to close, as he drifted off into a deep sleep...
Four
Droplets of water danced magically in the sunlight, creating a rainbow of colours, as they hit the rocks, before cascading down over the waters edge. It was a beautiful site, although its beauty belayed the danger to anyone, or anything unlucky enough to follow.
The sight may have seemed magical, but the thunderous roar was enough to bring fear into the hearts of the bravest of souls, who, if they were ever unfortunate enough to fall into the raging torrents, had little chance of escape. The tree had long since lost its battle for survival, and succumbed to the powerful current, which had eventually swept it away, far down into the swirling mists below.
There was one exception to this rule however, and having miraculously escaped from its clutches, he now lay spread out on a rock. Fortune had certainly favoured him today, and for the first time in hours, the contentment of sleep filled his body, as Roggie slept on, oblivious to the dangers that surrounded him.
His mind was far away from here, and his thoughts were still concentrated on his little burrow. To him, he was soundly asleep in his warm comfortable bed, and any thoughts of the waterfall, or his escape, were nothing more than a distant memory.
His mind began to drift, and Roggie could see the inside of his burrow, and everything was neat and tidy as usual. He was thinking of his vegetable plot, and what he could have for his dinner. Roggie was just going to lie here for a little while longer, before getting up and venturing outside.
“Roggie!”
A distant voice seemed to be calling out to him, but the contentment of the sheets and warm quilted blanket, were enough to prevent him taking any notice of it.
“Roggie!”
There it was again, soft and gentle, wavering at the edge of his mind.
“Roggie!”
For a third time, the voice called out to him, but he slept on, not wanting to move a muscle, as he was far too snug to rise for anything.
“You’re destiny awaits, young Elphin Rabbit!”
Roggie could think of nothing more than his warm comfortable bed, and any thoughts of destiny would have to wait until he was ready.
“I have been able to protect you so far, and I will show you what will lie ahead in the next phase of your adventure.”
Roggie had often dreamed of going on an adventure, but that was as far as he had ever got. To him it was far better living out his adventures from the safety of his burrow. He did not like to leave the familiar surroundings, where he felt safe and secure. Roggie was not that courageous, and had heard tales of adventurers f
rom the village elder, and it all sounded far too dangerous for him to get involved.
Images began to float over his closed eyes, like clouds blowing across the sky on a windy day. They were soothing, and he felt a sense of beauty and calm, emanating from a distant figure standing by his side. He could not see it clearly, but at the edge of his peripheral vision, he could just make out a beautiful Faery. She was wearing a full-length white silken dress, which sparkled with little magical diamonds. She also had light blue and turquoise wings, with their many tiers spread out behind her. Roggie could also see some butterflies, which circled around the bunch of beautiful flowers that she was holding in her right hand.
“Don’t be afraid, little one.”
How could he be afraid, when he felt such a feeling of peace and security?
The clouds began to clear, and he could see that it was now night-time, and a beautiful crescent moon was shining high above him. He could also see two stone pillars, and what looked like a monument on the other side. It was shrouded in mist, and looked so tranquil, being the home of several beautiful flowers.
In the daylight, he suspected that it was visited by many butterflies, and Roggie loved butterflies. He used to watch them playing around his vegetable plot, and used to talk to them. He had never had a reply, but he just knew that they understood what he had been