The Golden Feather

✵This book is dedicated to all the tragic curses in this world✵

Maple Leaf Writing Project

Brattleboro, Vermont

2015

✵Prologue✵

I was almost as normal as you could get, but that was before the dream. Then it all happened. I woke up one morning and remembered little details of what I had dreamt of that night, but the main parts were very clear.

My family has a curse that when the right time comes, whenever that will be, you have a dream of something tragic happening to someone. You may know the person or not, but what we have found out, over the years, is that only the first born child gets the curse. You have to save the person who you saw.

I, Alese Weinreich, knew exactly who I dreamt of.

I woke up with a start, my head pounding with pain. I must tell Roy.

I know I had the horrible dream that my ancestors had, but I could not exactly remember the whole dream, only bits and pieces, but it was all fuzzy.

I jumped out of bed stepping on the cold floor still dazed with the stronger pieces of the dream I remembered. I quickly threw on my old paint splattered jeans and my favorite sweatshirt, I got from the town I was born in Ansbach, Germany. I ran down the stairs to see my mom making crepes and my little six year old sister, Annalee gulping down a glass of eggnog.

''Good morning Alese,' 'said my mom. She was very cheery this morning considering it's been a lot of work for her with our father on a business trip.

''Alese, Alese, Moms making crepes, my favorite!” squealed my six year old sister Annalee jumping up and down with exitment.

All of a sudden my vision went dark. I saw my best friend, Roy, but Roy was a Golden Eagle soring high in the blue sky! Then I saw him laying on the ground in a dark cement room with blood trickling out the corner of his mouth and onto his shoulder of his favorite dark brown hoodie, but I could tell he was alive because I could see his bright blue eyes looking frantically all over, as if he was seeing things.

It was part of the dream. I was remembering!

''Mom I’m have to Roy’s house right now, I need to tell him something really important right away!" I said as fast as I could.

"Whoa, slow down what's so important?”

"You know our family curse, well I think I had the dream last night and I'm scared! I don't want him to transform!"

“Who's going to transform, what does that even mean?" my mom asked startled.

"I can't tell you!" I shouted.I grabbed my coat and ran out the door before she could say anything else. I could hear her yelling my name behind me. I ran three blocks until I came to Roy's house, ran up the stairs and through their crooked front door.

Roy, and Mr. and Mrs. Crimson, had stricken, confused, startled and surprised faces all at once. They looked at me as though I was a wild animal that had barged in their house."Roy" I yelped. "How are you, how do you feel?"

I looked at Mr. and Mrs. Crimson " You have to take him to the hospital now, right away, hurry!" I shouted. "Get a move on, go now!"

" But why? I feel fine, maybe you are the one who needs to go to the hospital." said Roy sarcastically.

" I'm not, ok, I can't explain. You just have to trust me and do it now!"

" Why does Roy have to go to the hospital?” said Mr. Crimson.

"Because if you don't he's going to transform!" I screamed.

"Oh my! Alese what does that even mean?" gasped Mrs. Crimson.

I looked at Roy he was not wearing his dark brown hoodie, he was wearing a plain white T-shirt, so I knew he was not going to die today.

"Oh yes he will" I said. "But not today, just you wait and see.”

Just then the phone rang. We all were silent, then Mr. Crimson got up and answered the phone." Hello?" he said into the phone.

" Yes she's here yelling nonsense about how Roy's going to transform and we have to take him to the hospital right away!" He paused listening to the person on the other line speak “ Yes, ok see you then,’’ said Mr. Crimson as he hung up the phone.

He turned to me and said that my mom knew what was the matter with me and she was coming over right away. I turned to look at Roy. His light brown hair hung in his ice blue eyes. His eyes were usually like a puppy's, soft, sweet, warm and welcoming eyes, but now they were curious, scared, and alarmed puppy eyes.

“Alese” said Roy, “ How do you know this is going to happen? What do you mean when you say transform?”

Just as I was about to explain, my mom burst open the door and let in a warm gust of wind. “Alese, come here. Excuse us, lets go talk in the other room, and sorry about her Roy, George, and Bertha,” apologized my mom as she glared at me.

My mom pulled me in to the living room.”Alese did you see something tragic happening to Roy? What was it?” asked my mom frantically.

”He’s going to transform into a Golden Eagle! Mom how can you stop that?” I cried. “I don’t want my best friend to be a bird!”

‘’Did you dream of how to stop the transformation?” my mom said very curious.

”Ya but it seems so hard and impossible, I don’t even remember the whole dream, but its come back little by little,” I said

“What was the way to stop it?” asked my mom.

“Well, all I remember is that we all have to go to Germany and gather a special object. That object is the cure.”

Then I blacked out again. I saw Roy as a Golden Eagle, perched on my shoulder and my mother besides me, as we all look at a golden feather. Then Roy flys off my shoulder and does a loud squawk and he turns into a golden dust.

I suddenly came back to reality. My mother was shaking me staring into my green eyes saying my name over and over. I blinked, and my mother gasped. “Alese you're awake!’’

“Wha-what happened?” I asked confused.

“You just went silent and you kept staring off into space,” said my worried mom.

“ Uh, sorry,” I said still dazed from my vision.

My mom pulled me back into the kitchen were Roy and his parents were.

“Sorry to scare you guys, Alese was just paranoid from a dream she had last night, thats all.” admitted my mom. Which was partially true except the dream was real.

I lay in bed as I think of how to get to Germany and get the cure. Then it hit me I knew exactly how we could make up an excuse to tell Roys parents to let him come to Germany. I ran downstairs to find my mom sitting our red leather living room couch, reading a magazine. “Mom,” I said. “ I know how we can get to Germany and how Roy’s parents will let him come too!” I squealed.

“How?” asked my mom.

“Well, we will ask Roy’s parents if he can come with you and I on a plane to Germany to visit the town I was born in, plus since it’s the end of school in a week, so its going to be summer break.” I stated.

“Well lets give it a chance, I’ll call Roy’s parents and see what they say, lets hope it’s a yes, because we have to save Roy,” said my mom.

My mom called Roy’s parents that night saying how we’ve been planning the trip for months and how we would like Roys to come with us. My mom said they could think about it and tell us their decision tomorrow, so we can get plane tickets.

The next day I thought about the cure we would need for Roy. We would need to find a feather as pure as gold in an underground room at the museum, Gemäldegalerin. I was scared, for two reasons. One, I did not want to become a thief from stealing a golden feather, and the second reason I was scared, was because what if the cure didn’t work, I didn’t want my best friend to be a bird.

Then I heard the phone ring. I ran downstairs hoping it was Roy saying he could go. I answered the phone “ Hello?” I said hopefully. “ Hi Alese, this is Bertha, Roy’s mom. Can I speak with your mother if she’s there?” I handed the phone to my mom. My mom walked into her bedroom and closed the door.

When she was done talking to Mrs. Crimson she opened the door and said “Guess what, Roy can come!”

I smiled and sighed with relief.

A week had passed and we were on the plane to Germany. I still had to tell Roy what I knew about him and why we were really going to Germany.

I looked over at him sitting next to me. He had the window seat and I was in the middle and in the aisle seat sat an old woman. Roy was looking out the widow and smiling his crooked smile at the view of Germany as we got ready to land. The plane hit the ground with a nerve racking thump. “ Excuse me miss.” sweetly sung the old lady as she looked at me.

It took me a second to realize she was talking to me because she hadn’t spoken at all the whole flight. “Yes?” I asked.

Then the old woman went from a sweet tone and friendly gleam in her eyes to a serious tone and a deadly gleam in her eye. “For the cure you seek, to work it will choose a deadly price.” she said and vanished. I wondered if I had imagined that but then considering everything else that magically happened I knew it was real.

We had arrived at the hotel we were staying at.

In the morning I was going to tell Roy the truth about why we were in Germany and about his transformation and the cure. “Roy there’s something I need to tell you,” I said.

“What is it Alese” Roy worryingly said.

“Well, I have a curse …” I began, and told him all about my family curse and how we see something tragic happen to someone. “ I saw you transform into a Golden Eagle, Roy.” I whispered.

He looked at me as though I was crazy and then all he could manage to say was “Oh.”

“Well, that’s why we’re in Germany to get the cure, so you will turn back into you.” I gasped. Roy was shocked at everything he had just learned, he turned around and sat on the bed. “What’s the cure?” he asked.

“ A feather as pure as gold hidden in the museum, Gemäldegaleriein, in Berlin Germany.” I said.

“Then what are we waiting for?” said Roy.

My mom, Roy and I headed to the museum in the early morning before the it opened. We were walking up the front steps of the museum when Roy stopped dead in his tracks. “Roy?” Now I was worried but he wasn’t going to die today because he wasn't wearing his favorite sweatshirt. “Roy, what's wrong?”

Then all of a sudden there was a mist covering up around Roy so my mom and I couldn't see him. Then just as soon as it appeared, it was gone. I sniffed back a cry. “Roy?” I said as I looked down at a Golden Eagle were Roy used to be.

“Whoa you guys grew, like, four feet. Wait,” Roy the Golden Eagle looked down at himself, and his eyes widened so big I thought they would pop out of there socket. “ I..I’m a bird! I think, I might faint” cawed Roy as he pulled one wing to his forehead pretending to faint. Nobody seemed to notice the two foot tall golden eagle standing in front of me. I took a bobby pin out of my long curly blond hair. I picked the lock with it and we walked inside the two double doors of the museum and still nobody noticed Roy. The feather was in an underground room so how could we get it without getting caught? I looked down the hall and saw two custodians polishing some statues. “Hey mom.” I said looking over my shoulder so I could look her in the eye “Follow my lead.”

Then I ran down the hall towards the custodians before she could ask why. I saw Roy flying in the air above me. I think he understood my plan because he swooped down on the first custodian pinning him down. I grabbed some rope from the cart with his supplies in it and I tied him up and put a gag in his mouth.

The other custodian had ear plugs in so he didn’t notice me. Roy and I tied down the other custodian and gagged him too. I searched the cart he was pushing, Inside was some cleaning sprays, rags, a bucket, mop, and then I found what I was looking for, two extra custodian outfits! My mom ran up to me “ Alese Weinreich, what on earth were you thinking! You could get arrested for this.” scolded my mom. “Don’t worry mom I saw Roy go up to the cameras and turn them off when I told you to follow my lead.” I said. I handed her the custodian outfit.

“Here put this on.” We quickly put on their clothes over our own. Then I looked around the corner and saw a door with a sign on it that said, Staff Only, on it. I took a key from the custodians cart and turned it in the lock, “click” the door creaked as I opened it. We walked down the dark stairs,the smell of dust and mold was in the air. Then in the middle of all the darkness I saw a glowing gold glow. As I looked closer I realized it was the golden feather! “Wow” I whispered.

“Wow is right” said my mom. I even heard Roy squawk in delight.

Roy came and perched on my shoulder. “ Touch the feather,” I whispered to Roy. He took his wing and touched the feather, it shined brighter and then disappeared. I looked at Roys right wing and on it with the other dark brown feathers was one golden feather.

Roy the golden eagle squawked one last time then burst in a cloud of golden dust. When the powder cleared I saw my best friend, Roy Crimson, but he was lying on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and on to his favorite dark brown hoodie. The hoodie was not even on him earlier how could that be! I leaned over his body and started to cry soaking his sweatshirt.

“ The old lady said that the cure would take a price it must have taken his life!” “I’m sorry Alese”said my mom as she put an arm around me.

I looked up towards the ceiling and said “ Grandfather Alous (which means weise alte, wise elder) it’s me, Alese Weinreich, (which means schöne seele, beautiful soul) I sincerely ask for a gift if you can be ever so kind and bring me back my dear friend, Roy Crimson. Thank you grandfather,” I pleaded. We waited a few minutes, just when I thought Grandfather did not hear, Roy gasped and his eyes flew open. “Roy you're alive! Thank you Grandfather.” I said as I squeezed Roy. I looked at Roy his light brown hair and his ice blue eyes and I knew he was really back. I was so happy, that I started to cry. I was so worried that he would be gone forever and I was so relieved that Grandfather brought him back and he’s not a bird anymore.

Since we were still in Germany, and Roy was not a bird anymore, we decided to have a fun vacation and go visit the town I was born in. It ended up being a fun vacation, though the only thing to show that Roy was ever a golden eagle was a mark on his right arm in the shape of feather, exactly were the golden feather used to be.