Petit Tatou and The Deep, Dark, Treacherous Forest

Petit Tatou and The Deep, Dark, Treacherous Forest

By Eben Wagner

I dedicate this book to my old Guinea Pig, Phineas Wagner who came to a very unfortunate death at the hands of a ravenous pitbull. May you rest in peace.

Maple Leaf Writing Project

Brattleboro

2018

Petit Tatou was very frightened. He never had the slightest idea that something so inconceivably horrible would ever have to happen. He wished he could just live a normal life like everyone else in the kingdom. Most of all Tatou wished that he would never, ever have to be the king.

“Tatou!” His mother called. “Tatou!” Petit Tatou wriggled down even deeper beneath the covers on his bed. He cringed when he heard the door slowly squeak open as his mother approached. “Tatou, you need to come downstairs and eat your breakfast before ceremony begins.”

Tatou reluctantly rolled out of his bed, and slipped on some pants and a silk collared shirt. He stumbled down the spiraling staircase to the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast. He slumped in the hard wooden stools at the dining room table as he munched on a muffin and some berries. Just before he left the table, he made sure to stuff some blueberries into his pocket in case he wanted a snack later. Tatou stood up and marched to the long carpeted hallway where the ceremony would be held.

Tatou definitely did not want to participate in this ceremony, but what else could he do? He was the son of the former king, and his opinion didn’t matter. No one cared whether he actually wanted to be king or not.

After hours of contemplation, the ceremony began, and the trumpets began to play. Tatou slowly strode down the long hallway towards the throne. But Tatou was still empty. There was a hole in his heart where his father had been, and he was not ready to have such a big responsibility.

All the sudden Tatou stopped. He just stood there in the middle of the hallway. His mother began to try to pull him along, but he did not follow. Tatou stumbled backwards, and before he knew it his feet were carrying him away. With tears streaming down his face, Tatou scrambled as fast as he could away from the long carpeted hallway.

He blasted through the kingdom doors, and out into the courtyard.

Then Tatou stopped abruptly and realized he had nowhere to go, for surrounding him was The Deep, Dark, Treacherous Forest that had haunted the land around the kingdom for all of eternity. He ducked back behind one of the stone pillars surrounding the kingdom walls. Tatou held back the urge to run back into his mother’s arms when she called his name. He couldn’t stay forever, and he knew that if he stayed he wouldn’t ever truly be happy. Tatou looked back, and saw the folk of the kingdom, and his beloved family rushing towards him, and he knew he only had one option left. Tatou looked up at the towers above him one more time, and then he closed his eyes and plunged into the forest.

Petit Tatou stepped into silence. It was dark, and not the slightest bit of sound could be heard except for his own breathing. Tatou looked around, and could not see where it was that he had come from. Everything here was new to him. Tatou started forwards.

As Tatou walked, the forest just got darker, and even more grim. The ground was barren, but soft beneath his feet.

“There must be something past this wood,” Tatou said aloud. “I must find it.” The hours were long and tedious as Tatou continued through the woods, and he was getting tired of eating the berries in his pocket.

Tatou saw something different in the formation of the trees. The trees created a large clearing ahead of him. He jumped with joy at his new discovery. He entered the clearing, and was disappointed to see that still no light shone through. The sky looked pitch black, but there were no stars, almost like it wasn’t the sky at all. A shiver went down his spine, and an eerie feeling went through his body. Where was he and how would he get out? Tatou felt so helpless, he curled into a ball, and began to cry.

“I want to go home! Please!” And the forest answered him.

“Home?” A new deep voice whispered. “What is home?” A slim hairy creature peeked out from behind a tree. Tatou jumped back in fear. The creature was hideous, and he had never seen a creature other than an armadillo in his whole lifetime. The creature crept closer to Tatou, and began to examine him. “Hmmm,” the creature mumbled “Very interesting. Wherever did you come from, and why are you in The Deep, Dark, Treacherous Forest? It’s quite dangerous for such a small creature like you.”

“I - I’m not sure about anything in this place,” Tatou stuttered wiping tears from his cheeks. “I ran away from home, and now I’m lost,”

“Well, what if I told you that I can get you to the rumored valley beyond this forest. Beyond home,” the creature chuckled.

“How? Tatou asked.

“Well,” said the creature, “it won’t be as easy as you may think.” Then, it began to chant. “In this wondrous deep, dark forest, you’ll find the smartest and the boldest. If you’re in need, just do this deed. Throw it behind to stop what’s not kind. The answer is found where the wind takes you, where you may find the feather, the stone, and the key. To find each one you must find the last. Turn, and turn, and turn once more, and then you may unlock the door. But be warned, for this door may not hold what you’re looking for.” The strange creature let out an eerie laugh, and then slowly faded into the deep, dark wood.

Tatou knew that eventually the riddle would reveal itself as magic riddles do, so he continued on stuffing the last few berries into his mouth.

Very small and quiet, Petit Tatou could hear a slight whistle. It was beautiful. So beautiful that a tear rolled down Tatou’s face. He went to investigate, and he saw a tree with some kind of red fruit hanging from the branches. He rushed over and snached one of the fruits from the tree, and took a big bite. It was juicy and delicious. Then Tatou heard a loud squawk. He looked up and saw that a beautiful gold tinted bird was perched on the top of the tree. The bird looked at Tatou and perked up. It looked almost like it was glad to see him. Then Tatou realized what he was looking at.

“The feather!” Tatou cried. “I found the feather!” Tatou began to scale the tree branch by branch. At the very tip top of the tree, Tatou reached out to pluck a feather from the bird. The bird began to ruffle up and shake. Was it a warning for Tatou to stay away? But he needed the feather. He shot his hand towards the bird, but just before he touched it, its beak stretched open and it began to scream. The screech was so startling that Tatou slipped, and fell from the tree. His helpless body whipped through the branches and hit the ground with a loud crack.

When Tatou opened his eyes and realized that the crack was in fact not from any of the bones in his body, but from the base of the tree. The force from Tatou’s fall had split the tree though it was not enough to break it. Tatou covered his ears, for the bird’s screaming had not yet ceased. Tatou pulled up his chest and pounded the tree hard. The tree swayed, but still had not fallen. Again Tatou slammed into the tree, and again nothing. One last time Tatou pulled in all of his energy, and took a running start at the tree. He slammed the tree will all his might, and a loud crack rang through the forest. Very slowly the tree began to topple. The bird’s mouth retracted, and it flew off into the sky. As it flew one single feather floated down and landed right beside Tatou.

“I did it,” Tatou thought, “I got the feather.”

Tatou took off his shirt and made a makeshift knapsack to carry the fruits he took from the tree. He thought about the riddle.. He had the feather. How could he find the stone and the key?

Tatou felt a twitch at the end of his fingers. Just a little tinge. What could it be? Tatou now knew that everything in this forest had a meaning, and that nothing could go unnoticed. Again, and again that little feeling at the tip of his fingers. Tatou began to hear another whistle, a song, but this time it was not at all the same. It was the wind.

The little twitch now began to grow into a bit of a push. Almost as if something was grabbing, and pulling him by the arm. Tatou struggled and held on to the trunk of a tree. The wind became stronger and almost unbearable. It picked his feet off the ground, and only his grip on the big tree trunk kept him from being blown off his feet. In the struggle, Tatou’s feather was whisked from his hand. Then suddenly the wind slowed to a breeze. Tatou fell to the ground, breathing heavily. He needed to get to the feather.

Tatou scrambled through the woods after the feather. He could faintly see it floating through the woods. Tatou ran and ran until he was exhausted and out of breath. He needed some fruit. He sat down and munched on one of the fruits until all he had left was the core. Petit Tatou threw the core deep into the woods in frustration from losing the feather.

“Clunk!” Tatou jumped at the sound he had heard. It must have been the core of his fruit, but what had it hit? Tatou followed the sound to see where it had come from. He found a small hill built into the ground. He walked over to a tiny wooden door, where he found the feather resting on the ground. He picked it up, and this time he put it in the knapsack with the red fruits so he wouldn’t lose it again.

Suddenly the doors swung open as if ushering him in. He slowly and reluctantly stepped inside the creaky wooden door.

The room was bigger than Tatou had expected it to be. There were no walls, and every once in awhile dirt would suddenly crumble and fall inwards. Tatou almost thought he heard the sound of something scuttling around, but maybe it was just him. The walls looked like they had something carved into them, and the room had an astounding amount of detail in every inch of space. At the very end of the room lay a table with a bunch of different items on it. Before Tatou could get to the table he heard the strange scuttling noise once more. Now he knew he wasn’t crazy, and that he was not alone. Even so he continued towards the table.

On the table was a strange map, and a stone. He picked up the stone and realized that this must be the stone from the riddle. He shoved it in his knapsack, and took a look at the map. He saw miles upon miles of trees, with a large rocky mountain at the end.

“That must be where I need to go,” Tatou thought out loud. He rolled up the map, and shoved that too into his knapsack. He began to walk towards the door, when the scuttling noise came again, louder than ever. This time insects started creeping through the dirt in the walls. The tiny green beatles started to gather on the floor around him. Tatou began to back up when he realized that they were coming from behind as well. The insects formed a circle around him, and began to whisper…

We are the pax, they chanted. Who disturbs our slumber?

“I - I didn’t mean to disturb you. I need this stone to get past this forest.”

Foolish child, that stone belongs to us! Anyway why would you need to get past this forest while we’re here? You could stay here...forever. Tatou stumbled back and forth. He had nowhere to go, and the insects were closing in.

“This is the end of me,” Tatou thought, “This is where I die.” But right before Tatou “ended” he remembered the riddle.

“If you’re in need, just do this deed. Throw it behind to stop what’s not kind.” Tatou repeated in his head. He pulled out the feather, and threw it up into the air. Suddenly the feather began to let off a golden glow. Air blew up in all directions making the tiny insects fly into the wall. The air was so strong that the insects plunged back into the dirt, not to be seen again.

Tatou slumped to the ground, out of breath and exhausted. Suddenly he heard a strange noise again. Could the insects be alive inside the walls? Tatou cupped his ear and listened to the dry dirt covering the walls. It was not a scuttling noise this time, but more like a crumbling noise. Then it all clicked. The insects were not coming back… the whole building was crumbling! Tatou sprinted toward the door. He tripped on a root jutting from the ground, picked himself up again, and dove out the door. That exact moment the small mound collapsed. All that was left now was a pile of dirt in its place. Tatou sat down and took a moment to breathe and collect himself before he continued.

Now Tatou needed to find the key. He continued through the wood, and soon he began to see a slight upwards angle in the ground. “I must be close to the mountain that I saw on the map,” he said. A few minutes later the ground got even steeper, and Tatou began to spot grass growing here and there. Soon enough Tatou was climbing a full on mountain. All different kinds of lichen grew, and many other beautiful plants that Tatou had never seen were everywhere.

The trees were no longer perfect like in the wood. Many jutted out in strange directions. One tree almost looked as if it were reaching out to grab him. Tatou laughed at the idea, and continued up the mountain. Soon the terrain became less steep and the ground began to flatten.

When Tatou finally reached the top he sat down to munch on a red fruit. He was about to take a bite when he heard a thump. He looked down and realized that the stone had fallen out of his pocket. He looked back and saw that a tree branch had extended almost six feet into his pocket. The trees wanted the stone. He had to go, and he had to go now! Tatou stuffed the stone into his pocket and began to run. He looked back and saw all the trees coiling and and twisting towards him. Tatou ran faster, but the trees were catching up to him.

Seconds later he looked back once again, and realized that the trees were only a couple feet behind him. He pulled the stone out of his pocket, but before he could throw it, a branch grabbed his arm, making the stone fly from his hand. Time seemed to slow down as the stone flew through the air. Tatou saw all the trees turn towards the stone. They reached, but could not grab the stone in time. It clattered to the ground, and suddenly began to grow. The one stone became many, and soon an avalanche had grown. The wave of rocks wiped away the trees like ants.

Tatou pulled himself up, exhausted and relieved. He looked around his surroundings, but the key was not to be found. Where had it gone? Was there even a key at all?

Tatou’s mind was racing. Tatou slowly began to turn around studying his surroundings to find the key. Suddenly he stopped. The words of the riddle returned to him: “Turn, and turn, and turn once more, and then you may unlock the door. But be warned, for this door may not hold what you’re looking for.” Could the riddle actually want him to turn three times? “That’s it,” Tatou gasped, “I am the Key!” If Tatou faced the way he was going, and took three 180 degree turns he would end up looking back home. What else could the riddle mean? After all, the strange creature he had talked to had never heard of “Home” before.

Tatou breathed in the grassy air of the mountain, and slowly began to turn around. And again. And again. It was true. He knew it was true. Tatou looked over the trees and saw the flag of his kingdom flapping in the wind. Tatou slowly took a step forward, and he knew he had a long way to go from there. He belonged in the kingdom. He belonged at home. After all he was king.

Just before Tatou started his journey he tied up one last loose end. He believed that after all of this, the riddle was wrong about just one thing. “The door” was holding what Tatou was looking for.