Hidden Ruby

Hidden Ruby

By Rosie Carignan

Dedicated to my family with love and kindness.

Maple Leaf Writing Project

Brattleboro Vermont

It was dark as Alyss sat behind the log in the forest. She wasn’t afraid of the small alert looking man, but she stayed hidden in case of danger. Another man dressed in black robes came out of the shadows and into the light of the small man's lantern. “You’ve met your match," the robed man said with a deep voice.

" Who?" the small man said nervously.

" Me, Nangirac! I’ll kill you no matter how desperately you try to escape." The small man cowered. Nangirac continued, "You'll go to a house with a girl who has the necklace." The man laughed cruelly, erupted into flames and disappeared, leaving the small man alone.

* * * * *

"Alyss!" Alyss's mom stood at the head of her bed asking Alyss to get up. "Alyss, honey, you're going to be late to school.” Alyss sat up breathing hard.

"I’m up," she said. Alyss got out of bed and tried to forget the nightmare she had. She started her chores and got dressed.

I don’t want to go to school right now, Alyss thought.

"Alyss, you're going to have to take the bus if you don't come down here! Alyss's mom yelled.

"I'm coming!" she yelled back. She started down the stairs. Suddenly, Alyss felt a gust of cold air hit her.

"Ugh," said Alyss. She hated the cold. It reminded her about the time her father died. It was a sad moment. Alyss’s mind went blank and white fog appeared in front of her. When it cleared, she saw the gruesome memory.

Alyss's father was sitting on the couch when Alyss came with a cup of tea for him. She passed it to him, he took a sip and started to choke. The way he was choking sounded as if the air around him was overgrown with evil. Before he died he said "in desk....hide...stay safe..." Then he closed his eyes and never opened them again.

Alyss rushed to her father's desk and searched the drawers. She found an envelope with writing that read For Alyss From Your Father. Alyss opened the envelope and took out a blue gemmed necklace with a Black Ruby inside. With the necklace was a letter for her. It read:

For Alyss, This necklace is for you. Under my pillow i found it. The light from the gem, lit the room with it's power. Take this, and wear it always, it will keep you safe. It makes you immortal. Remember, don't forget me. Love, your father.

She put on the necklace.

* * *

"Alyss are you coming or not!" her mom called.

"Coming!" said Alyss, snapping her father out of her mind. She rushed downstairs, out the door and into the cold. Alyss looked at her yard. The trees were tall and skinny . They looked as if they‘d been skinned to the bone.

Alyss got into the car, strapping the seat belt.

"Wait!" said Alyss." I forgot my book!" Alyss's mother groaned. She rushed to get her book. Alyss ran inside and sprinted toward the stairs. I don't want to make mom mad, thought Alyss.

She tripped over something furry.

"Jelly! You big dog, you're always in the way."

She heard her mom come into the house. "Alyss?"

“One second," she said, pushing herself off the ground, she rushed up the stairs and got her book.

Alyss and her mom got into the car. at school there was a big sign in front reading, School Closed For Power Outage. Alyss's mom groaned.

"Alyss, I'm sorry but I need to get to work. Do you mind walking home?”

" O.K."

Alyss got out of the car and stepped out into the cold, with a shiver.

"Thanks honey. Are you sure you can handle the weather?"

"Yes.”

She drove away leaving Alyss on the sidewalk.

When Alyss got home, her dog, Jelly, walked over to her. Alyss pat her dog. She thought of the man in her dream. The one who was in trouble.

Right then, Jelly started to glow and change. He was standing on his human legs.

He had turned into garden gnome.

Alyss gasped, looking scared could this be the small man in her dream?

"Jelly?"

"Yeah, being in that dog form gets tiring.”

“Huh?” asked Alyss.

“ I am a shape shifter. All Creaturemen are."

Alyss looked dumbfounded. "Where do you come from."

"I come from the forest of mystery. I’m in danger. There is a man in black robes. He is searching me down, to kill me."

Alyss realized that this must be the man from her dream. "Have you been running away?"

"Yes. I transformed into a dog to escape,” Jelly continued. "Someone found me in dog form and brought me to the pound. You picked me up, and I’ve been Jelly, the dog, ever since. The man in robes, his name was Nangirac. He said that I would go to the house with a necklace that he wanted. He was going to kill me if he found the necklace.”

"A necklace?" Asked Alyss, remembering her dream and the necklace in that.

"The necklace has magic powers that make you to immortal. “The black ruby inside the blue gem”

Alyss realized that the necklace her father gave her when he died met the description perfectly.

"I have the necklace."

Alyss withdrew the necklace from under her shirt. "Is this it?

"Yes," said Jelly. "That is the necklace. We must keep it hidden. Nangirac will come searching again."

"Again?"

"Yes, Nangirac has come before." Jelly said quietly. “Nangirac came to your house to steal the necklace. He killed your father,” Jelly said. Alyss felt all the energy inside her swell up into a balloon and float away. She faced the window trying to take in the news.

"What are we going to do?" cried Alyss.

“I know that Nangirac will want war." Jelly said.

"We’ll fight back!”

“You're right Alyss. Let’s gather all the good Creaturemen, take them to Glorious Glen and prepare for battle,” Jelly said.

"What is Glorious Glen?" Alyss asked.

"I'll lead the way to the Glen. I know how to get there. But we will need to explain what we're doing. I think you should explain. Tell them about our goal,”Jelly said.

"Do you think I could?" Alyss asked.

"Of course."

Jelly and Alyss talked more about their plans.

"If we pack our things now we can leave today.”

"How will we fight the Cruel Creaturemen? Alyss asked.

"Back in the Forest of Mystery there are many weapons. If we leave soon enough we can get them before Nangirac and his group do.” Jelly said.

"Right," Alyss said. But what about my mom?"

“don’t worry. time moves slower in the forest. She won’t notice. If we want to leave soon we should pack."

" What should I pack?"

"You will want the necklace, wear that in battle. It will protect you. If you don't wear it the powers will not work.”

"I'll wear the necklace," Alyss said.

"You’ll want some of your belongings and a small supply of food and water.”

Alyss turned to go start packing. She already had the necklace. Alyss grabbed a bag and put in a few maps of the woods they would be traveling, and a flashlight. Then she got a water bottle and a box of food. Alyss called, "Jelly are you ready?"

"Let's go," he said bravely.

Jelly and Alyss walked out into the cold and headed to the forest. Tree branches hung like claws.

"We're there." Jelly said. Alyss looked past the trees at the door. She couldn’t stop looking at it hidden in red pine tree branches.

"Ready to go in?" Alyss asked Jelly. He nodded. Alyss turned to the Sapphire door, and, taking a brave step forward she slowly moved towards it.

“Let's go in" Alyss said.

"When we get inside follow me.”

" I'm ready. But, is this where the bad Creaturemen live also?” Alyss asked.

"This is where just the good Creaturemen live. The bad ones live east." Jelly and Alyss walked up to the Sapphire door, opened it, and stepped inside.

They saw many different kinds of Creaturemen. There were tall ones and small ones. Alyss had never seen so many creatures in her life. Some were men and some were women. They were working; weaving, sewing and carving. It was wonderful.

"Follow me. I'll lead you to Happy Harbor where most Creaturemen gather. There, we can make our speech." Jelly led Alyss behind some houses. Finally they stopped. There, in front of them stood a space in the woods, surrounded by trees, were tons of Creaturemen. Alyss looked around at all the creatures.

" Over here," Jelly motioned Alyss to a tall platform. She stepped up to the top and began to talk. The Creaturemen turned to see Alyss. She looked brave.

“Please listen!" Alyss said. "I am Alyss, my friend Jelly and I need your help! Nangirac is trying to take over the Forest and kill us all." The Creaturemen gasped.

Alyss continued, "Please let me and Jelly take you to Glorious Glen and help us prepare for battle! I know this is dangerous, but please fight with us Show them what we mean. Show them that we should have freedom. Let's show them together."

Alyss stepped down from the platform. She hoped the Creaturemen would help her and Jelly. But they would fight, even if they had to take on Nangirac alone.

Murmur went up through the crowds. Finally a Creatureman spoke.

"My name is Togger-log. I can turn into a tree. I'll help you fight.

Togger-log grinned at Alyss.

But then another person spoke.

“How can we trust her? She's a human.” Creatures started to agree. Alyss struggled to prove that she was safe to fight with. Just then Jelly rushed up.

" We must lead the Creaturemen to the Glen as soon as possible. We have to get ready." Alyss nodded and stared ahead.

“Jelly wait,” she said. "Not everyone agrees with us. Jelly nodded and tried to talk to the Creaturemen who did not agree.

"We'll lead you to Glorious Glen. Please, please help us.” Some Creaturemen said no and they had to leave them behind. Sadly they would probably perish in the war. But some reluctantly agreed, and followed behind, carrying weapons.Jelly started walking through a path that led through the woods. The other Creaturemen followed.

After walking almost half a mile the group entered Glorious Glen. There were large trees and rocks outlining it. All at once there was a clatter as Creaturemen rushed to get weapons. Alyss tried to calm down the group. They were ready at two O’clock.

* * * * *

They were sitting around the camp they made. Alyss was holding the blue gemmed necklace with the hidden black ruby inside. Jelly was sitting with some other nervous Creaturemen.

Suddenly they all heard a bang.

Alyss put on the necklace. The good Creaturemen jumped up with their weapons. They had been waiting, and were ready. But what they saw surprised them. The good Creaturemen gasped.

There before them was Nangirac in flowing black robes. Behind him were two straight lines of bad Creaturemen, with weapons. Nangirac and the bad Creaturemen cackled, causing the good Creaturemen to want to cower, but they stayed put. They were just as brave as the other Creaturemen that they were going against.

An arrow shot from Togger-log's bow. It lodged itself into a cruel Creatureman’s back. Togger-log glanced at Alyss determinedly. The war had started.

Arrows shot out of bows, cannons blew trees down, spears stabbed into the Creaturemen's' bodies, killing them.

Alyss fought harder than anyone. She used a bow-and-arrow. She was safe from all weapons because the necklace was protecting her.

But that wasn't what she was thinking about. Alyss was thinking about what was planned for in the next few hours. The good Creaturemen had made a deal that Alyss and Jelly were going to fight Nangirac. Alyss was not worried about fighting the other Creaturemen, she and the other good Creaturemen had almost killed half of the cruel ones. Sadly the cruel Creaturemen had killed many of the good ones, but never Alyss or Jelly.

The war went on into the night. The fighting slowly calmed down as Creaturemen trickled out of the war zone like drips of water.

The next morning Alyss and Jelly gathered up their weapons and made their way to find Nangirac.

They parted some trees and quickly spied a large rock to hide behind. The two of them rushed behind it. Soon afterwards Nangirac appeared from the shadows. Alyss held tightly to her necklace.

" Where are you? I want a fight. I’ll kill you. I’llget the necklace." Nangirac spoke in a raspy voice. Alyss held her breath, waiting for the signal from Jelly. They had decided that they would find a place to hide and then jump up when Nangirac came. Alyss waited a few more seconds. Then Jelly stood up and fired an arrow that impaled itself into a tree only a few centimeters away from Nangirac.

"Come get us Nangirac. You are no match for us." Alyss took her cue and stood up.

"Come on, you can fight, can't you?" Alyss taunted. She strung an arrow into her bow and shot it at Nangirac. It hit him in his steel glove. She tried again.

After lots of dodging, shooting and fighting, Alyss and Jelly realized they needed more of a plan. As soon as Nangirac turned to see if any other Creaturemen were coming to help him, Alyss and Jelly dashed behind the large rock.

"What are we going to do?" whispered Alyss.

"Let’s get him from both sides. You shoot from the left but keep missing him."

"Why?" Alyss asked.

"Just do it. Then he will think you have bad aim. He will try to get you. But you have the necklace so you will stay safe. Then I will shoot him from behind. After I shoot him you can help me. Then when he dies we will know." Jelly stopped talking and gave Alyss a chance to influence the plan.

"How will we know when he is dead?"

"He will disintegrate into dust."

Alyss nodded. They both peeked around the corner of the rock to see where Nangirac was. He looked as though he had just lost a million dollars. He was trying to find Alyss and Jelly behind everything except the rock they were behind. It must be the necklace. Alyss thought. She looked at Jelly. He nodded.

Alyss stood up from behind the rock and shot an arrow. But she missed, just like Jelly had told her to. She shot another. Once again, she missed. Alyss acted as though she was getting nervous, like she really couldn’t shoot an arrow accurately.

"Ha! You are no match for me Alyss." Nangirac tried to stab Alyss with his spear. But, since she was wearing the necklace, the spear bounced off into thin air two feet away from her, like there was a shield of steel standing before her. Nangirac made another attempt at stabbing Alyss. Right when he bent down to stab her,Jelly stood up and shot an arrow. It planted right in the middle of Nangirac’s back. Jelly shot another and it impaled firmly into Nangirac again.

"Now!" Jelly yelled to Alyss. Alyss and Jelly shot arrow after arrow at Nangirac, each one impaling him. Alyss was getting more confident as Nangirac got weaker. She still kept a protective eye out though. Alyss had a feeling that magic was in the air. And she was right.

After the tenth arrow Nangirac took all his power and shot it at Alyss and Jelly. Alyss closed her eyes and prayed that the necklace would protect her and Jelly. When she braced herself for a gust of evil magic, nothing came. Alyss heard a high pitched scream and a log falling.

Alyss opened her eyes a few seconds later. Nangirac was no longer to be seen, and in his place was a pile of dust. Jelly was behind a fallen log. He stood up and nodded at Alyss as if to say, yes, we killed him. Alyss walked over to Jelly.

"We did it. We killed Nangirac. "

"Yes. We actually killed him. You did a great job." Alyss smiled.

"Well you did a lot of the fighting, too. I think you worked hardest of all." Jelly grinned at Alyss as the two walked back to the Glorious Glen to spread the great news.

When Alyss and Jelly got back to Glorious Glen and everyone had heard the wonderful information cheer went up through the crowds. Creaturemen started giving them gifts and congratulating them kindly. Once Nangirac had been killed all the bad Creaturemen turned good, because they were free from his evil actions.

Later on that day Alyss decided it was time to go home. Jelly wanted to stay with the Creaturemen so Alyss agreed. Sadly, she said goodbye to her friends.

"I’ll miss you, Jelly. Just don’t forget, I'll come to visit." Alyss said.

"I will really miss you too. And maybe sometime I could visit you." Jelly spoke quietly. Alyss nodded. She knew that she had grown. Her courage was stronger and her braver was braver. Alyss knew that everone would be safe.

After Alyss had said goodbye to most of the other Creaturemen she walked over to Togger-log.

"I won't forget you Togger-log. I will always think of you when I see a tree." Togger-log smiled at Alyss and waved goodbye. Alyss made her way to the front of the crowd to say goodbye one more time. Then she remembered the necklace.

"Take the necklace. It belongs with the Creaturemen more than it belongs with me." Alyss took off the necklace and handed it to Jelly. After waving goodbye. Jelly and all the Creaturemen watched as, Alyss walked down the trail to her own home.

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