But the answer, when it came, was not in words. Nor was it a voice inside her head. Deeper than that, it was like a gentle feeling in her heart, spoken in a language that was not her own; an ancient language made up not of set words but of musical sounds and sensations long ago forgotten by mankind. Yet she understood it.
“I am your friend. I am here to help you.”
Ali paused, stunned. “Am I imagining this?”
“No. I am real. I am as real as you.”
Her heart beat faster. “You are not there. I do not hear you.”
“You cannot hear me, true, but I am here.”
Ali stopped and shook her head. “I am talking to myself.”
“Do you believe that?”
“Yes. I am sitting in a tree and talking to myself.”
“That is fine, then talk to yourself. I will still help you.”
“No. People who talk to themselves are crazy. I should get out of here.”
“Do you want to get out of here?”
“No.” She paused. “I like it here.”
“Why?”
“It is quiet, peaceful.”
“It is peaceful because you are with an old friend.”
“Hey, maybe I shouldn’t be here. My friends might be in danger.”
“Do you think they are in danger?”
She paused. “No. It’s weird, but I know they’re safe.”
“They are safe. You can stay for a while and we can talk.”
She relaxed further. “Okay. But who are you?”
“You may call me what you wish.”
“But don’t you have a name?”
“I have many names, as do you.”
“My name is Ali Warner. That is the only name I have.”
“It is the only name you remember. But I remember you by another name.”
“What?”
“Alosha.”
“Alosha,” she repeated. “That’s a pretty name.”
“I think so.”
“What does it mean?”
“That is a secret. An important secret that you must figure out for yourself.”
“Why don’t you just tell me?”
“If I tell you then it won’t be a secret.”
“Come on.”
“You will have to learn a great deal about yourself before you are ready to know what it means. I can tell you this—you are very important. But you know that already.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What did you do this afternoon?”
“You mean, with the bigfoots?”
“They are not bigfoots. They are trolls.”
“No! There are no trolls!”
“And there are bigfoots?”
Ali stopped. “I see your point. Both are imaginary creatures. But trolls are even more imaginary. They’re only in books and stuff, like elves and dwarves.”
“There are elves and dwarves.”
“Gimme a break. I can’t believe that.”
“What is there to believe? You spent the morning fighting three trolls and now you think you are talking to a tree.”
“But you are a tree.”
“I am a tree now.”
“Wait a second. If my name is Alosha, what’s your name?”
There was a long pause. “You may call me Nemi.”
“I have never heard that name before. What does it mean?”
“No One.”
“Your name means No One?”
“That is one of its meanings.”
“What are the others?”
“That is a secret. For now.”
“Then I’m talking to no one?” she asked.
“In a manner of speaking.”
She nodded. “Then I am talking to myself.”
“You are talking to Nemi. What do you wish to ask?”
“Okay. I have a few questions. These trolls, what are they doing in this forest?”
“They are invading it.”
“What? Why?”
“Trolls are part of the family of elementals. Dwarves, elves, fairies, trolls, leprechauns—they are all elementals. And they are mad at humanity for ruining the Earth. To stop them, they have decided to wipe everyone out.” Nemi paused. “There is another reason.”
“What is it?”
“That is also a secret.”
“You have so many secrets. What kind of friend are you?”
“I am your best friend.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“So you like me and stuff?”
“I like you and lots of stuff.”
Ali opened her eyes, looked around. She had forgotten that she had closed them. “Am I dreaming?”
“No.”
The answer was hard to pick up. She closed her eyes again, spoke to the being inside the tree. “I’m not so sure about that. Lots of weird things have been happening with me lately.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
“I know everything about you, Alosha.”
“It feels weird to be called that.”
“How so?”
“Like, I remember the name but don’t really remember it. Know what I mean?”
“Yes. It was your name before you were born.”
“No way! I didn’t exist before I was born!”
“You did. And you will exist after you die.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“That is so cool. How old are you, Mr. Nemi?”
“Nemi is fine. I am very old. Older than the stars.”
“No way. Really?”
“Yes. So are you.”
“Wow. How come I don’t remember any of this?”
“It is part of being human.”
“Will I remember in the future?”
“Hopefully.”
“These elementals—where are they coming from?”
“They have always been here, in a sense, all around you. But now they have entered your dimension.”
“What do you mean, my dimension?”
“Do you watch TV?”
“Too much.”
“When you watch TV, you look at a single screen. Yet you can change channels and enjoy different shows. It is the same with your Earth. On one channel humanity goes about its business. People build roads and buildings, they cut down trees and pollute the water. Men and women meet and get married and have babies and life goes on. But that is only one of Earth’s channels. If you switch stations, you see the elementals. They live here as well. This is their world as much as humanity’s. Do you understand?”
“I think so. But what are they doing on our channel? I mean, in our dimension?”
“I told you—they are here to wipe out humanity.”
“That isn’t very nice of them.”
“They don’t feel you have been very nice to the Earth. Even though they are in another dimension, the damage you do in this dimension affects them.”
“That’s awful. How come no one knows about this?”
“Few people know how to change the channels on the TV inside their heads. They don’t believe in elementals or in other dimensions.”
“Why do I get to learn about this?”
“Because you are very important.”
“To what? The world?”
“To the war that is about to take place. You are here to stop it.”
“No way. I’m thirteen years old. I’m on summer vacation. I can’t stop a war.”
“You are the only one who can stop it.”
“But what am I supposed to do?”
“For now, you have to stop the elementals from entering your dimension. Even though they are all around you in their dimension, they are entering your dimension through a magical gate called the Yanti.”
“Where is this Yanti?”
“On top of the mountain. You have to go there and close it.”
“It is freezing on top of the peak. The air is thin. I can’t go up
there.”
“It is your choice. But if you don’t humanity will be wiped out.”
“That’s not fair, Nemi. That’s too much responsibility to put on my head.”
“It is neither fair nor unfair. It is what it is. Through the Yanti the elementals are able to enter your dimension. The war is starting here, in this forest, in your hometown. But soon it will spread to other parts of the world. What is necessary is to delay it, at least for the time being. Most of the elementals will still want to wipe out humanity, but if they can be stopped for now then you can make other plans for the future.”
“Do some of the elementals like humanity?”
“Yes. Many more are undecided what to do with people. But enough of them want to go to war so there is bound to be trouble. You have to get to the Yanti.”
“What does it look like?”
“You will see when you get up there.”
“What do I do with it when I get to it?”
“You will know.”
“You have a lot of confidence in me.”
“True. Look how well you have done the last two days.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have survived two major tests: the test of earth and the test of water. You got buried in the earth and you did not panic. You figured a way out. The same with getting thrown in the river. You kept your head and you saved yourself from drowning.”
“Those were tests? Who is testing me?”
“Nature tests you.”
“But the bigfoots . . . the trolls made those things happen. Are they part of nature?”
“Everything is part of nature. The sun and the moon and the stars are parts of nature. The tests were going to happen no matter what the trolls did. And there are more tests to come.”
Ali swallowed. The first two had been bad enough.
“What are they?” she asked.
“Nature is made up of elements. They are seven: earth, water, fire, air, space, time, and the seventh one—that is secret.”
Ali interrupted. “That is what people used to think. Now we know better. I learned that at school. There is oxygen, gold, lead, hydrogen, mercury—over a hundred different elements. They’re on a thing called the Periodic Chart. I can show you my science book if you want to see it.”
“I know about the Periodic Chart. What I am telling you is deeper. Everything in nature has a particle of these elements in them—some more, some less. It is by controlling them that you will learn magic.”
Ali got excited. “I’ve always wanted to learn spells and potions. I’ve read books about them.”
“That is not magic, that is fiction. Real magic is always connected to the elements. When you master them you gain powers. See what happened to you in the river today. The rushing water could not knock you over. You were able to pick up heavy rocks. That is because you have already passed the tests of water and earth.”
Ali was delighted with the news. “You mean I’m a superhero now?”
“You will not be strong all the time. But when the need is there, your powers will appear.” Nemi added, “Hopefully.”
“What do you mean, hopefully?”
“Maybe not all the time you need them.”
“That’s kind of scary.”
“It’s a scary world.”
“Let’s talk more about these elementals. How many have invaded this forest?”
“A few. But in two days there will be a full moon. That is when the Yanti will open all the way. An entire army of elementals will come through then.”
“What will they do?”
“Kill people.”
“But people will fight back. The army will be called in.”
“More elementals will appear, and there will be a big war. It is hard to say who will win, and it doesn’t matter in a way. The world will be in ruins, in both dimensions.”
“Say I get to this Yanti in the next two days. When I close it, won’t the elementals who are already here in our dimension be trapped?”
“No. They will shift back into their own dimension. The forest will be free of them.” Nemi added, “Unless you want some to stay.”
“I was thinking about that. I’m not sure what the elementals are doing is wrong. Lumberjacks are destroying this forest. I want someone to stop them.”
“Things are out of balance in your dimension, that is true. But a war is a poor way to bring balance.” Nemi added, “Think of the men who work on the mountain. They have families. Do you want them hurt?”
“Of course not. But someone needs to teach them a lesson.”
“What lesson do you want to teach them?”
“I don’t know, something.”
“You think about my question. You might get an answer to it before the day is through. You think about the task that has been put before you.”
“Do I have to go up there alone?”
“You may take whomever you wish. I can only advise you—you have to make your own decisions. You don’t have to go at all. It is entirely up to you. But if you do go, be wise and be careful. The forest is now a dangerous place to be. Certain elementals will do everything in their power to stop you from reaching the Yanti. Many of them are much more dangerous than trolls.”
“When will I face the other tests?”
“Soon.”
“And each test I pass, I gain more power?”
“Yes.”
“What if I fail one?”
“You will die.”
“That’s a pretty severe punishment.”
“You are an unusual girl. A lot depends on you. If you do not reach the Yanti in time, there will be few left alive, on both sides. Think about that as well.” Nemi added, “Now it is time for you to find your friends and return home.”
“But I don’t want to leave. I feel happy with you.”
“I am always happy to be with you. But if you are to reach the Yanti in time, you must make preparations.”
“One last question. Two days from now, exactly when will the Yanti open all the way?”
“When the moon is straight overhead. That will be late at night. At that moment, the moon will begin to burn.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you have the courage to go on this quest, you will see for yourself.”
Ali fidgeted where she sat. Her eyes burned; she wiped away a tear before it could touch her cheek. Here she was talking to no one and it broke her heart to leave.
“Can I talk to you again, Nemi?” she asked.
“I am always nearer than you think. Go, Alosha. Be brave.”
Ali opened her eyes and stood. She looked around the inside of the tree. There was no one there, not even a ghost of a person. Yet she felt as if Nemi touched her heart in farewell. She was reminded of her mother’s love. She wished she had remembered to ask Nemi about her. Maybe next time.
“Thank you,” she said.
Ali climbed out of the tree and hiked toward her friends.
She found Cindy and Steve twenty minutes later, at the same spot on the path where she had been thrown in the water. When she walked up, they were both sitting on the ground and going through his daypack.
Cindy appeared unhurt, and Steve did not look bad, although he had a bruise on the side of his head and a spot of blood near his left eye. Seeing them alive, Ali let out a squeal and leaned over and gave them a hug. Intuition and talking trees aside, it was good to see with her own eyes that they were all right.
“They didn’t eat you!” she exclaimed.
“You didn’t drown!” they cried.
Ali stood back up. “There was a tree hanging over the river. I was able to grab it and escape the falls. Then I . . . well, I can tell you later. I’m just so happy you guys are okay!”
“I was looking all over for you!” Cindy said. “I figured you went over the falls and finally gave up hope. I just got back to Steve a few minutes ago.”
“I just woke up,” Steve muttered.
Ali was s
hocked. “You were knocked out all this time?”
“Must have been.” Steve shook his head in disgust and pointed to his pack.
“My camera’s gone, and all the rolls of film.”
“What happened?” Ali asked.
“I don’t know,” Steve said. “One moment I’m walking behind you and the next I got hit on the head.”
“You didn’t see what it was?” Cindy asked.
“I didn’t even hear it coming,” Steve said, getting up slowly. His eyes were clear and he was not wobbly. “But it must have been strong to put me out so easily, and lift you and throw you so far.”
“I know what happened,” Ali said.
“You do?” Steve asked, puzzled.
“Yes.” Ali offered Steve her arm for support. “But let’s talk about it later.”
CHAPTER SIX
A funny thing happened to Ali on the trip back to town. She tried to imagine telling her friends about her battle with the three trolls, and her conversation with the tree, and a lightbulb went off in her head.
They would think she was crazy.
Bigfoot was one thing. Lots of people had seen the creatures. But an army of invading elementals? That was too much for any reasonable person to accept, never mind the fact that she was supposed to be the “chosen one” who was destined to defeat the magical army. She could just picture Steve and Cindy’s faces if she started to explain such a scenario. They would not laugh, they would rush her to a doctor.
So on the way home she said nothing. The others did not care. They were all exhausted. By the time they reached town, Cindy and Steve did not even bother to quiz her about what she had seen. They each just wanted to get to their houses and rest.
Yet Nemi’s explanation haunted her as she entered her house. She knew for a fact the trolls were real; since they were, everything else he had said was probably accurate. The world was in danger, she thought, something had to be done. But why had he placed all the responsibility on her head?
She hated to ignore what he said for another reason, one that she was almost too embarrassed to admit. She trusted Nemi, she trusted his love. More than anything else, that is what she had felt inside the tree. She wanted to talk to him again soon, have him approve of her.
She did not know what to do.
Filthy from her adventures, Ali jumped in the shower and let the hot water pour over her head. Clean at last, she dressed in her bedroom while she let a frozen dinner heat in the oven. She hated pre-packaged meals but felt too weary to cook.