The pamphlet closed and the group was plunged back into emptiness. The scenery was gone, the colors were drained, all of the sounds paused abruptly without a warning as if waiting for the next signal. There was nothing to admire, nothing that would catch anyone's attention, there was just... nothing.
Super Why zoned out into the distance, trying to gather what he'd just seen in what felt like minutes. There were just too many questions he wanted to be answered, but wasn't sure who or what could clarify his questions. Woofster maybe or he could look back at the pamphlet he had in his-
His... his hands were empty.
"Huh?" Super Why looked up and around for the pamphlet, purely perplexed. Surely, it wouldn't have been hard to find one single pamphlet in this white sea of nothingness, it would've stuck out more than a sore thumb, but Super Why was proven wrong. It'd vanished, without any trace of it left behind.
Alpha Pig was the first to notice Super Why wandering around, worry on his face. "Super Why, what's wrong?"
"The pamphlet! The pamphlet is gone!" Super Why exclaimed, arms up waving around in the air in a frenzy.
"Gone, what do you mean it's gone? You just had it," Wonder Red implied, pointing out the obvious.
"Well, I don't have it now!" Super Why replied. "Oh no, where could it have gone to?"
"Uh, Super Why, I think I know where it went," Woofster spoke up, his owner looking back at him with relief.
"Really?" Super Why smiled, overlooking the worried look on his face or that he was looking up. "Then where is it?"
"Heads up!" Before the boy could even comprehend what his canine had just spat out, a book instantly hit Super Why's head again and both he and the book fell to the ground.
"Oh my peas, not again!" Princess Presto exclaimed worriedly, as she and the rest ran to his aid.
"You know, you could've warned him before he got hit," Wonder Red mentioned to Woofster, helping Super Why to get back on his feet.
"Hey, I did say, 'heads up,' so technically I did warn him," Woofster responded then looked at what had hit Super Why.
It was a plain brown leather book that was less thick than the pamphlet, yet looked more worn out. The overall plainness and mysterious aura fascinated him and he sauntered over to it.
"Ow..." Super Why groaned, using one hand to lean against Alpha Pig for support and the other rubbing his head. Admittedly, he should've seen that coming, but he needed to deal with his splitting headache at the moment. Once the pain died down a little, he heard Woofster barking and stared at him pushing a journal toward him.
"What's that..?" Super Why asked, his eyesight still adjusting to his surroundings after his vision was filled with stars.
"That doesn't look like the pamphlet we had before," Wonder Red said, inspecting it closer. Her curiosity got the better of her and she grabbed the journal, her mind loaded with interest and marvel. "Huh, wonder what's inside?"
"Woah woah, Wonder Red, hold on a second! Don't-" Princess Presto and the others were unable to stop her once she opened the book and within a flash, another blinding light hit them.
"open it..."
The light died down, and the group quickly realized that they now were in another setting.
"Where are we now?" Alpha Pig asked as they began to examine their new surroundings.
The group sat in the back of a prairie schooner wagon huddled behind luggage and barrels of food and water, stored and tucked securely. Alpha Pig scooted towards and peeked out of the wagon's cloth cover. It was pitch black outside in a woodland area, dim lights from the flame of the lantern hung on the wagons to guide the way where the only noise came from the wagon trailing across the path and the soft chirps of crickets.
Princess Presto poked her head out as well, smiling. "Well, it seems like we're back on track with the story after all!"
Both kids brought their heads back inside the tented wagon and gathered around the rest of their friends, looking at Wonder Red, who had the book tucked tightly in her grasp.
"Well, Wonder Red," Super Why began, smiling at his friend, "since you're the one who opened it, why don't you go on and read?"
Wonder Red agreed and reopened the book, looking at the first page for a moment in pure excitement, then turned into confusion. The group noticed that her eyes were rereading the same words on the page, seeming bewildered at the sight of the words as if she'd never known how to read in her entire life.
"Wonder Red," Princess Presto was the first to speak after what felt like several minutes, her face shifting in concern. "Is everything alright?"
The red-headed heroine looked up from the book, "This makes no sense..."
Princess Presto was taken aback, "Pardon?"
"The book, the book doesn't make sense! It's written differently, like it's from another...perspective," Red explained.
"Let me see," Woofster got up and took a gander at the page, soon understanding why she looked so troubled.
"You're right. This page is written in the first person," He used his nose to flip to another page and examined it. "And so is this one."
"What's the page say?" Super Why asked, finally bringing up the most reasonable question that had yet to be brought up.
"We're almost there on our journey through the Lands of the Unknown, where we will find our new home. Folks here are getting tired. They stated that in a few more weeks, we'd be closer to home than ever before. I'm hoping so, for my excitement can no longer be contained any such longer: the things I've heard about the new place... it's like something from fiction, but it's real! Yet, nothing unusual has happened yet, if you exclude us trying to cross a river. We've been traveling for days and our pitstops are short, and for I wish something would change at least just this once for this journey..."
As Woofster began to read, another voice began to narrate alongside him. The voice was feminine yet it was not like any of the girls in the group. It wasn't until the last sentence that both voices went quiet, leaving everyone in strained silence.
"Who was that?" Super Why whispered fearfully, trying not to alert their presence to the other voice in the wagon.
The group wordlessly poked their heads around from a pile of luggage where the voice came from. Just a few feet away from them sat a young girl with light skin and short dark brown hair, wearing ragged clothes covered with stains and filth. In her hands was the exact book they had being illuminated by a candle to help her write in the dark.
Upon closer inspection from the limited light sources, Princess Presto saw two younger girls and a much older woman sleeping soundly next to the girl, noticing they looked far more sophisticated than her. Princess Presto thought she'd knew who they were, but couldn't put her finger on who.
The girl sighed and closed her journal, blowing out the candle. "Maybe tomorrow, something interesting might happen for once," She took one last look at the other girls then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
It seemed like forever that nobody uttered a word until Wonder Red began to whisper.
"This isn't just any sort of book, it's... her diary." Wonder Red pointed out.
"Yes, I think we know that it's a diary, Red," Princess Presto replied, keeping her voice down.
"A diary? What's a diary?" Alpha Pig asked.
"Well, it's sorta like a book where you write about your life and keep secrets in: that's why some people call it personal," Woofster explained.
"Oh, okay," Alpha Pig nodded. "but why do we have that girl's diary instead of a pamphlet?"
Suddenly, the wagon abruptly halted to a stop and sent the Super Readers tumbling forward, including the luggage they were hiding behind. Yelps were heard from the front and the back and groans were overheard afterward. Luggage cases had their contents spilled across the wagon from the force, but most of the barrels were still standing upright thanks to the ropes tied around them.
Super Why groaned and lifted himself from an overturned suitcase, gazing around the wagon for the source of the sudden halt. Was it a loose wheel? A collision perhaps? Maybe they were in the path of a river? He didn't hear any water running but he sure did hear people yelling from outside. Soon, he could clearly see silhouettes of people outside from lit candles and torches. Ducking back down to not be seen, he looked back at his teammates who were just getting back up after removing piles of clothing that had fallen on them.
He put a finger to his mouth for them to stay quiet then pointed towards the end of the wagon, "Let's go see what's going on,"
The group follow suit with the boy's order and managed to exit the wagon without drawing any attention from the wakened women upfront. They made their way around the wagon and caught sight of at least a hundred other wagons dead in their tracks and many people out on the trail, yelling over one another.
"Double drats, now we can't see what's happening!" Wonder Red shouted.
"Hold on a second, I've got an idea," Super Why announced. From behind his back, he pulled out the diary and flipped it open, with his teammates gathering around him. After a moment, he found the exact page with another entry with the words seemingly appearing from thin air. As each word came up to view, Super Why began to read the entry.
"As if my words came to life, it seems like something is finally happening, but I wish I could've taken them back. Such trouble has come up for us folks and it appears to be dreadful: we've come face to face with three paths leading to goodness knows where. And with such, it's sending us people into an uptight frenzy, begging for the leaders to tell us which path is the rightful one to go with. And from what I can see from Sir Purrult, it seems like he and his fellow constituents are just as lost as we were. The overlapping panic and distress have put us in a surge of the overwhelming despair of the unknown, something that we people weren't so used to." Super Why read aloud.
"Hold on, that's why there's a holdup: just a couple of paths? Couldn't they have just used a map? " Wonder Red suggested, crossing her arms.
"Well, they didn't have that kind of stuff for the journey, they just followed a path and hoped it lead them somewhere," Woofster explained.
"Then why does everyone seem to... depend on them so much?" Princess Presto asked.
"You see, The Factioneers wanted to be on their own and thought they could be independent ever so easily. However, when they first stepped foot out into the great unknown and because they were so reliant on their leaders on every move they do, they realized they were utterly helpless and terrified in making their own decisions, in fear of not knowing or shamed for whatever they decided to do, moreover needed someone that would guide them." Woofster further explained.
"So that's why they're so riled up," Super Why answered, looking back at the journal and noticing there was more writing was on the next page!
"It's no use," Some shouted, "We're lost, let's just turn around," Many seemed to agree, but it seemed one was not so pleased.
"Madame d'Aulnoy put a foot down at our lack of faith, stating, "That's never going to happen, we've made it this far and all of you want to give it up right this second when you're faced with something out of the ordinary? What about wanting your freedom? A right to choose your own stories and make your own decisions? Do you want to give up this easily just so you folks could go back to Historia and perform those customs you've so loathed? Poppycock I say!" We only got angrier and more frightened, shouting over one another. Yet, one question was asked the most and was in everyone's minds."
"Well, what are we supposed to do?"
And with that came a noise.
A noise so blatantly loud that everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at who had suddenly spoken up.
Waddling through the crowd, wearing the same blue bonnet from before was none other than Vertigoose. She continued to bellow fairly loudly, her honks were short yet powerful, making this small goose stand tall amongst the fiesty crowd.
"There once was that ol' Vertigoose, so peckish and bold that it was like another human was there with us. Once she made it to their feet, she flapped her wings to signal that she wanted Charles to lift her. He hoisted her up and she put her bill to his ear and began to honk softly. Perrault's eyes widened in shock at what Verti was, presumably, saying. A wide yet confident grin grew on his face."
"Why Verti, you clever little goose, you're a genius!" Perrault stated loudly, that the Super Readers could hear him from that amount of distance.
"From what I've heard of Miss Goose's plan, it seems of it as we're splitting up, which of course worried us folks, but we were met with further information. We'd be led by one of the three and each group has fifty per group since there's around one-hundred and fifty of us. With our three leaders guiding one of three, we'd be sure to be given orders set in stone."
After things were cleared up, they made their way back into their wagons and the three head wagons split onto the three paths and the others followed suit, setting them all down different paths for different stories to be told.
"That was so cool!" Alpha Pig piped up as the setting soon faded back to white.
"Indeed! But, we never got a proper first-person experience before unlike the last chapter, why's that?" Princess Presto asked
"Well, Princess Presto, that's because this," Woofster pointed to the diary on the floor, "is a primary source while the last pamphlet was a secondary source! Primary sources are from that time period while secondary sources are loosely based on any information from that time period. I'd thought it'd be nice to get an actual proper picture from somebody that was there to document everything!"
"Wonderific!" Wonder Red cheered.
"But I wanna know what happened with those wagons. Where did they go anyway?" Super Why replied.
"Not to worry, I can tell you guys all about it!" Woofster informed, his face flourished with delight. "Aesop's group is first. Their path led them to be one of the wealthiest kingdoms ever, Mythologica!"
"Myth-a-logic-who?" Alpha Pig asked, his face clear of confusion. Woofster's tag began to glow and his doggy dictionary emerged, its pages flipping and stopped at an open page. The others seemed astonished yet Woofster simply smiled and began to read aloud.
"Mythologica is a kingdom that resides near the east side of the Fairytale Lands. It is a place where all legends and myths from around the globe reside. They are mostly known for being very rich, but not just with money, but with ideas. Many citizens were known for trading tales with one another and with other nations, which soon led many to come up with stories of their own, their tales being passed down for generations. The kingdom grew and grew and shortly became an independent empire of its own, being the first to tie history with the work of the mind to create new stories."
"That's so super duper!" Super Why exclaimed. The rest of the group agreed in awe, imagining the prosperous kingdom in all its glory.
"What about d'Aulnoy's group? What did they discover?" Princess Presto asked.
"Her group just founded a small village that's now present-day Ol' Folksville, nothing too amazing. But, she, alone, did do many things equally as important!" Many pages flipped until bright letters emulated from the page. "Like how she helped create this!"
"The Tell-Tale Literature Record is a single book that contains many documents comprised of all of the well-known tales from time. The book did exist ages ago but didn't have a proper title or purpose until the m'lady Madame d'Aulnoy gave its official name. She soon left the guardianship and responsibility into the hands of three simpletons: Ethan, Logan, and Patty. These three were acknowledged for displaying the three important elements of writing and speech, gaining them a high position in the Fairytale Lands of such an important role. This record resides in the foundations of the Rhetoric Hall of Words, where it is still kept secured by the Three along with other essential archives of literature."
"Wow, now that's super!" Wonder Red affirmed her leader's last statement with wide eyes and a smile that went ear to ear.
"You mean, every story there ever was... is in that one record?" Alpha Pig asked, his face exhibiting sheer awe.
Woofster nodded with a smile. "Every single tale you can think of is in that record. It's a very important book, if it ever went missing it would lead the Fairytale Lands into total mayhem, but thankfully it's been lying safely in that hall for a long long time."
"What else did d'Aulnoy do, Woofster?" Super Why asked.
"Let's see," Woofster began to flip through his dictionary for the right page, and after a couple of minutes of non-stop flipping back and forward, he found exactly what he wanted to share with an "Aha!"
"The three other important things she did was assemble the Fairies, a group of female authors that granted her the name, "The Fairygod Mother", invented the term "fairytale", but the other one was one she helped co-create, and oh boy is it important!" Woofster informed then began to read aloud from his Doggy Dictionary.
"The Folklore Society is an association part of the Tellers of Tales consisting of many folklore authors from time. The term was first coined by sir Willaim Thoms, founder of Folklore and Ol' Folksville's name, in the late years of the Fairytale Lands, but also underwritten by the m'lady d'Aulnoy. This group is known for keeping every account of folklore, from many beliefs and legends to well-known sayings and even traditional dances and plays. Many of these documents, known as the Round the Folklore Index, are also kept safe in the Rhetoric Hall of Words."
"Are there other groups that are part of the Teller of Tales?" Alpha Pig asked.
Woofster barked happily, "Yep! Just like the Fairies, there's one for nursery rhymes, tall tales, myths, and even poetry! Though, they all form into one single group; The Tellers of Tales. They keep everything in the Fairytale Lands in order and secured. From storylines, people, and everything in between, just in case any threat may happen."
"This is alphabetastic!" Alpha Pig commented eagerly, "So what about Charles? He must've done something even cooler, right?"
Woofster's mind drew a blank. "Huh."
He began flipping through the pages in his dictionary. On the last page, it closed, but his expression stayed the same.
"I... can't find anything more about what he did." The four gasped in shock.
"Nothing? Not even a little bit?" Alpha Pig asked.
Woofster nodded, his eyebrows lowering sadly. "I suppose so. Besides writing fairytales & his public speaking methods, he isn't much known for anything else: just like his group." Right when he finished his sentence, the scenery changed into acres of luscious barren green fields with forests of green where many wagons gathered in one spot. The sky was blue-tinted with dashes of lavender and yellow, so peaceful and easing on the eyes.
Super Why looked around, his mind recognizing the familiar area. "Is this... Storybrook Village?"
Woofster nodded, his expression changing slightly as he faced the young lad. "You bet, Why. This is Storybrook in its early years."
As the group admired the beautiful surroundings, they noticed something...odd. The people were quite.. unsure. Thier body language was a mix of uncertainty and confusion, thier faces too!
"What's up with them? Aren't they happy to finally be here?" Wonder Red asked.
Woofster frowned, borrowing the diary with just using his nose to open it. The diary let itself flip to another page to continue the story. "Here, this will explain what happened with his group,"
"We finally arrived at our destination and were welcomed with broad fields and perfect weather, lush forests of green as far as the eye can see, and looked like the perfect place to live, like something out of a fantasy book, something I wasn't even allowed to read!"
"That doesn't seem so bad!" Alpha Pig mentioned.
Woofster looked at him with a look that meant no good and continued reading.
"Except, everyone here is absolutely dumbfounded and nervous about what to do, and so am I. For the first time in forever, we're allowed to do anything we want, to have our own free will. But we didn't know we would be this... afraid. I never knew what fear felt like, I thought was just my imagination, but no, it's real. None of us are willing to do anything unless we're approved to do so by Sir Purrualt, that it's gotten to the point where we're constantly asking him for permission to do such simple tasks as sleeping and eating. He may be getting frustrated, but we can't help it: we've finally stepped out of the line into the great unknown, to finally do what we'd please, and now we're lost. Because of all this, arguments are more common around here and not much has been done due to our fear. I have no hope we'll even make it, as our fear has taken control over us like a plague... that'll never go away.."
"Nevermind." Alpha Pig responded sourly.
"I have never seen someone this afraid to make their own decisions!" Princess Presto replied, completely bewildered at the paragraph.
"That's the thing, remember from earlier in the chapter? Because they were so dependent on their leaders and from the fear, they became afraid to do anything by themselves for the first time in their lives." Woofster explained.
"Oh right, forgot about that." Princess Presto replied, remembering the utter chaos from before on how they were utterly helpless on deciding which path to choose. "Wait, then if they were so scared to do anything new, then how did they even survive?"
"Well, they had a little friend to help them out," Woofster winked, motioning over to the scene in front of them. Many men and women were seen bickering with one another in dirt fields, shouting over one another. The arguing got so loud that it brought the attention of Charles and Vertigoose, who promptly made their way over to calm the villagers down.
"Okay, settle down, settle down everybody! What seems to be the matter?" Charles asked the crowd, feeling a presence of fury in the air.
"We don't know who should control the farming!" One woman shouted. "Our rations are running low and we have no idea who's going to be in charge of the farms! How will we ever make any food if we don't know who will lead us?"
Charles began to think, rubbing his chin in thought, but it was hard to think when dozens of eyes stared at him for a solution. He was their leader, the man they asked everything to. Without him, they would be more clueless than a headless chicken. How they should feel, what to do, what to say: all were asking to be approved of an order they could follow.
Sure he was irritated, but he couldn't blame them. It all felt like he found an incomplete page in a book and waiting for it to write itself, only to realize it was up for him to continue the book, but he had nothing come to thought and left the page unfinished. Ugh, just thinking of that gave him goosebumps.
Speaking of a certain goose, his friendly feathered friend pecked his foot for his attention. He looked down and saw something in her beak. Several pieces of staw that were all different lengths were clamped tightly in her bill and as if he'd solved a puzzle, things began to click together for once!
"What a clever little goose, you are!" Perrault said, gently being handed the straws. He looked at the crowd and began to explain Verti's idea, "One member from each family will pick a piece of straw from my hand. Whoever has the two longest pieces of straw will be in charge of the farming." The others looked reluctant, but that was the only answer they got, so they went along with it.
One by one, one family member from the fifty or so people there drew a piece of straw and checked to see if they got the long end or the short end. Most people in the crowd were understandably disappointed they weren't chosen, but their mood swiftly changed once they heard two men cheering. They looked over to see that their pieces of straws were the longest.
Charles smiled at the sudden excitement from the men, "Congrats, you're in charge of leading the farming."
"Woohoo!" One of the men exclaimed, hugging a lass. Then, he stopped in his tracks and looked at Verti. "Wait, how do we even farm?"
"Over the last few years, that Vertigoose took over the role of attending to us whenever she heard a conflict or problem, having no issue doing so. Soon, we now are used to doing things without permission, but still need assistance in such tasks, where Miss Goose has no problem doing so. Sir Purrault still helps from time to time but is more focused on writing and keeping in touch with his fellow companions. But, not such is a problem all thanks to that clever goose. It seems like everything is going to be alright after all!"
The Super Readers smiled at the amount of progress that was unfolding in front of them as they read. One head cabin was built, there were fences enclosing small kept farms and pens for the animals and plants, a small stream was turned into a commonplace for washing clothes and pitching water: even in its early years, Storybrook Village seemed to be on a steady pace to be becoming its counterpart in the present.
When Super Why turned to the next page once everyone had read that last, Super Why was greeted with a strange sentence.
"Today was something that I never expected before, something I wished never happened" Super Why's voice lowered at the last few words then the sentence stopped abruptly, not even period was at the end.
"What does that mean?" Wonder Red asked and got her answer when they all heard footsteps running to them.
They soon noticed that everything had changed yet again: it was nighttime, slightly warm and they were by a wagon, but the footsteps didn't get any quieter, in fact, they came even closer! They witnessed a younger girl and an older woman run over to the wagon, not even regarding them, and open the wagon's cloth opening.
"Charles!" One of the ladies shouted so loud that it shook the kids through thier core. The group could see the silhouette of Charles fall along with some stuff on a desk from the lit candle inside. There, they heard Charles conversing with the younger woman, slightly peeved.
'Goodness gracious, Maria. You don't just barge in like that, the candle could've knocked over and set the whole wagon ablaze! Now, care to explain why you are in such-" He stopped.
It got very very quiet.
"Margaretha, is something wrong?" Charles asked, his tone lowering in concern.
An older voice answered and it struck everyone with terror. "It's Verti, something's wrong with her. Come with us, quick!"
Charles ran so fast that the Super Readers couldn't even keep up with him, so they resorted to flipping to the next page of the diary to see where this would go. All of them were worried, troubled by the sudden change in the story's tone, once steadily climbing the mountain now tumbling downhill at a quick pace.
The page flipped and now they were outside of a rather large cabin out of the few that were built. Through a window they could see most of the villagers in the cabin, circling a single bed. Dim lights from candles illuminated the room and some small talk was heard.
"Look, there's Charles!" Alpha Pig pointed over in the distance. They spotted the curly-haired man just over the grassy fields, and just behind were the women, barely breathing from how nimble he was. The group peered through the windowpane once he entered the cabin.
The door flung open and a concerned Charles entered with the villagers made some room for him.
Laying there on a bed was Vertigoose, wrapped in a cotton blanket and surrounded by the other villagers. For a moment, Perrault thought she looked just fine and the women must've been mistaken for their hysteria. However, once he got closer, his stomach dropped.
The once perky and vocal goose was now sickly quiet and hollow. Her eyes were drained of any emotion besides exhaustion and her head hung low. She looked nothing like herself and that by itself seemed off to everyone, so used to her lively spirit that brightened everyone's day.
Charles knelt beside the bed and the others enclosing him. Not a word came from the man as he gently caressed her, which she gladly took the loving warm feeling.
Wonder Red groaned, "I can't see anything, there's too many people in the way!" The group tried and tried to get a better glimpse of the man and the goose, but showed no avail.
"Spilt pea, how are we going to know what happens next if we can't see it?" Princess Presto asked, then stopped and thought for a split second. "Oh, of course: the diary!"
Sitting just beside the cabin, the other Super Readers reopened the diary and read the pages of the girl's diary, while overhearing some villagers asking questions.
"What's wrong with her, Charles? Is she sick?"
"Is there anything we can do?"
"What are we going to do?"
"With all those questions, nothing came to mind, not a single answer could form. He looked like he was just as lost as us. It took a moment for him to think until he mustered out three words, complete and utter honesty. "I...I don't know...". Gasps were heard, even one came from Princess Presto. They looked at her in dismay.
"Sorry, was getting into it," Princess Presto apologized and they resumed reading.
"We didn't expect that answer, not in the slightest. Everyone thought he knew everything: every solution to every question and problem they had. It took not long for a single thought-provoking question to enter our minds. If you don't know what to do... and we don't know what to do... then whatever are we supposed to do...?"
Silence lingered on for much too long. The Super Readers were antsy for the next word to be written, though feeling quite uneasy about the sudden noise drop.
"That obscure question hindered in our minds and-" And from within the cabin came shouts and screams of pure panic and anger blended together, creating incomprehensible mayhem.
The Super Readers except for Woofster instantly rose to their feet to understand what was going on in the room. From what they were able to see, there was a bunch of arguing and bootlegging but there was no sign of Charles in the midst of the conundrum, but what they did see was Verti, frozen in fear on that cotton bed. The girl from before was huddled on the ground, quickly writing whatever she could into that diary of hers before anything bad could happen to it.
"People are now freaking out and blaming one another, not sure what to do anymore." Woofster proceeded on reading the messy handwriting as the rest were occupied with watching through the window, getting a better picture of the story he was addressing aloud.
"Uncertainty turned us, villagers, into an absurd tangled-up mess full of the fear of the unknown. We're growing relentless, all of us are angry at one another yet scared and need comfort. I'm too, I just want to know what was going on and get an explanati-" Before another word could be formed, a tense honk was heard that resorted the Super Readers into ducking back down when people began to gather around the bed once more.
"A sound, for it came from the weak goose, poor feeble Verti. It wasn't as persuasive as before but it did get everyone to calm down. And that's when I saw Sir Charles's face and he looked as if a book had hit him. He's solved the problem."
"What does she mean by that?" Super Why asked.
Before anyone could try and answer his question, Charles' remark blared throughout the cabin. "Great gaspy, I figured it out!"
Once the voices the eager voices of the people settled down, the Super Readers heard him loud and clear, "My dear Verti, I know what is wrong: you're oh so tired because you've been helping us out for much too long. Though my dear, I can't blame you, helping others with their problems can make you a wee bit overwhelmed, and for such a little goose, it may be even tougher,"
Vertigoose, sadly, honked tiredly in agreement.
"But, I think I might know just what to do to make you feel all better, but I need to know if you want me to-" He didn't even finish his sentence before Verti began to honk continuously, sounding livelier than she had been for the last couple months.
"Charles smiled then brought out something from underneath his coat, his famous feathered pen, known for writing his famous tales with. Verti stopped honking and seemed interested in what her human friend was going to do. "I reckon, miss Mary Elizabeth Foster Vertigoose, have earned this for your thoughtful and daring commitments these last several years to our needs," I remember him saying. Verti reluctantly held the pen in her bill and stared at it for some time."
Without another word, they flipped to the next page with the uneasy silence hanging on by a loose thread. On that page was a single sentence.
"And with that came a flash."
"A flash?" The Super Readers repeated. Immediately, a radiant light pierced through the window, brighter than the sun. They jumped in surprise and spun around at the window, shielding their eyes. It was only after the light died down when they got back up and peered through the window once more.
Astounded murmurs came from the crowd and gasps from the Super Readers outside, everyone was aghast at what they were staring at.
"The once feeble, fragile goose had now turned into something that I could only describe as extraordinary, simply marvelous. Verti, why, she was more... human-like! Her wings were functioning like human hands, she felt taller and stronger, and...
"Oh... goos-goosey gracious!" She could talk!
Vertigoose honked in surprise when she heard herself speak for the first time, holding her bill shut. Such a jaunty childish voice she was given that ideally suited her. Easily, she got even more excited and began to snicker, being so contagious that others chuckled along with her.
Charles laughed along, like a father to his daughter, and spoke up, 'Why Verti, seems like that's not the only thing that changed,"
Verti gandered around to ponder what else could've been changed, then looked in her wing and noticed something in her grasp. It was Charles' pen! It looked somewhat the same but the feather was tinted blue and was curled in a way of a question mark. Verti gasped in shock at the sight, waving it around to get all the angles of her writing utensil. Laughing, the little goose ran around the room in pure joy, so undoubtedly happy from all of this happening.
"Oh my, oh me oh my, this is simply..." She stopped in her tracks and deliberately glanced at Charles with doubt. "...Charles, but why? I-I don't deserve this. I'm just a silly ol' goose, I tell you. I've just helped others out when there's trouble, nothin' like that should ever receive an item this precious to you." She stated with a slim pout.
"Verti, I wouldn't have given you my pen for nothing," Charles explained, kneeling to his feathered friend. "You may be a silly little goose, but what you've done is bigger than anything ever done before. From the very beginning, you've devoted your time to help us when we were lost and in need of a... helping wing. You've attended to us and changed us in so many ways imaginable and without you, I don't think we would've come this far, even I don't think I would've been where I am today without you by my side." Vertigoose was touched by that, placing a wing to her chest.
One woman who had long luscious brown curls spoke up, supporting Charles. She recounted how Verti helped her find a way to contain her hair from getting any dirt or bugs in it as she twirled around, showing her hair braided winsomely to her back. "Without her, I'd still have to pluck twigs from my beautiful hair!"
"From Charles' speech, a spark ignited. More and more people began to recount all about the times Verti had helped them, which soon brought all of us together once more. Such little things as retrieving lost items from the river to even much bigger things like saving livestock from pesky wolves. It was then a realized what Charles had meant: Verti was the glue to us people, she was the reason we're were still together, and that brought me a smile."
Throughout the laughter and chatter, one woman's words made way in the sea of voices to young Verti. "Why, now that I look at it, it seems like Vertigoose is like me' mother when I was a youngin! So protective and helpful, I must say,"
Verti's eyes widened from her giant glasses at that comment. "Might you say I'm like a... mother goose?"
"And on that day forth, we now have a new leader: known as Mother Goose, the motherly figure who aids us when we have a dilemma. With all the things she's one for us, the thing we're most grateful for is the kindness she brought during those rough times: from once we were scared of the unknown now taking us under her wing to embrace the fear and march on forward with high hopes. One thing's for sure, there will never be another kind and thoughtful being like Mother Goose ever again... " And with that, the page ended.
The Super Readers were in shock of what they've seen and heard, that their jaws hung open for some time. All had happened so fast, yet they understood now: Mother Goose was Vertigoose...and this is how it all came to be. How Storybook came to be, how the present came to be: all because of a little goose's offering to help.
But something else popped into one particular member's head, an answer to a question nobody knew. "Charles did create something important after all..." Super Why began.
Woofster looked at him, curiously yet his smile showed that he already knew what he was to say next. "And what's that?"
"He created our Mother Goose!" Super Why stated. And that instantly brought a smile to everyone's faces.
"Oh my peas, you're right, Why!" Princess Presto realized suddenly. "I never realized that without Charles, we wouldn't have our Mother Goose! And without her, everything would've been so different, like Storybrook would have never been where it is today! "
"And speaking of Storybrook, did you know Mother Goose gave that name for the village?" Woofster butted in.
"You're kidding, right?" Alpha Pig asked with a grin. Woofster opened the diary again and flipped to the exact page to read.
"As usual, Mother Goose continued to help us, but we've noticed something else; she has new interests! Reading, writing, rhymes: the literary classics. When she isn't busy with her new duties and responsibilities, she loves to compose stories that always rhymed. She adores reading to us and it soon gave her the title the Queen of Rhymes. This leads to today of the new year, 1 AS. Today, Mother Goose now has finally given a title for our home, our village, now known as Storybrook Village. I believe it was meant to be Storybook Village, but her handwriting looks like chicken-scratch as she's just getting used to writing, but we went with it anyway. Better than nothing." Woofster read allowed.
"Wait a minute," Super Why intervened, "Is our village's name... a misspell?" Everyone was stunned by that claim that Princess Presto couldn't help but laugh.
"So that's why it's called Storybrook, can't say I was expecting that of all things!" And the group shared a round of laughter.
"And that's not even the best part! Remember when I mentioned earlier about the Tell-Tale Literature Record?" Woofster asked, gaining several nods, "Well, let's just say she helped create a tradition with that same book, and do you know what it's called?"
It took not long until something snapped. Wonder Red and Princess Presto gasped, "The Story Telling Ceremony!"
Super Why looked at the two in confusion. "Story Telling Ceremony? What's that?"
"It's where fairytale characters get their storylines, Why!" Wonder Red responded with excitement.
"Every few years, there's this ceremony where any of us who's ready to receive our stories would step up to the book then it magically flips its pages until it meets with the story that precisely suits you. It's fascinating to know what tale you might get, that's the fun in the celebration!" Princess Presto further explained.
"Woah, that sounds really cool! Hey, Woofster?" Super Why looked over at his canine companion with an eager expression, "Could we see what the first Story Telling Ceremony was like?"
"You bet, Super Why!" Woofster yapped, then emulated his collar. His collar lifted said diary and the scenery exploded with color. Still nighttime and dusk outside, lit torches were up and lightening the area with thier emulating glow. Though something looked off for Wonder Red, and her expression showed it well.
"Wait, where's the book? And the podium and the dancing and the celebration?" Wonder Red asked, looking around the place. The place was bare, quiet at the most. A bunch of people were huddled together in one large group, anxiously anticipating for something to happen.
"It wasn't all like that back then, Wonder Red. This wasn't that much of a huge event unlike nowadays," Woofster said. "in fact, this celebration was not used to give people their storylines but rather Mother Goose assigning the villagers roles to follow. It changed after more storylines were created, but it's interesting to know how it was first used."
Wonder Red 'huhed' in response and watched one by one as the villagers stepped up to Mother Goose, while the diary explained further.
"When thier name was called, a flick of a page was all it meant to earn their permanent roles and duties. All from farmers, foragers, prospectors, shepherds, businessmen, milkmaids, even the king & queen! My stepmother and sisters got noble jobs as sewers, but I got stuck with being a scullery maid for them. I'm upset by that, but Mother Goose says it suited me well and I'll learn something from that. I, of course, went along with it. She knew what was best for us people anyhow."
As the final few people got thier roles, something rather odd occurred. Three pigs were led by vegetables to Mother Goose and once they reached her, she opened the book and flipped to a random page.
"Huh What are they doing to those pigs?" Alpha Pig whispered, wonder in his eyes.
"I dunno," Wonder red shrugged.
There, Mother Goose wrote something and a magical light emulated that surrounded the pigs and easily captivated them until they were completely engulfed by it. After a few seconds, the light vanished. The pigs now were slightly more human-like: taller, standing on two feet, and only wore bright blue overalls.
Pig's face showed absolute shock, his jaw falling to the floor. The rest of the kids copied his reaction.
"It can't be..." Princess Pea said, wordless.
"They're like me..." Alpha Pig added. "We look so... similar."
"In more ways than one." Woofster chuckled.
"What I see, are three witty, hardworking, and cooperative pigs, and from what I've heard from the villagers, has earned you the role of tending to crops, and feeding our people with your hardworking endeavors.
Mother Goose declared and was about to write something down in the book when all of a sudden, she and everyone there could hear howls that were eerily close. "Goosebumps crawled up my skin because I knew one thing: the wolves were nearby... and they sounded angry!"
From the woods, glowing yellow eyes radiated from the darkness. Out came a pack of wolves, snarling then ran towards the group, trying to attack the villagers. The Super Readers screamed and ducked behind a bush for cover, unsure as to why these wolves in particular were so aggressive. They were nothing like Wolfy or the Big Bad Wolf, so what gives?
Alpha Pig gasped, seeing Mother Goose nearly trampled by the villagers that were running for safety. Someone eventually knocked both her & her book & pen from her hand, which accidentally created a radiate light aimed at the wolves. Quickly being engulfed and released by the light, the wolves stood in confusion then in astonishment. The Super Readers gulped at the sight of these wolves, they were definitely bigger and scarier than any wolf they've seen before.
One of the wolves, a grey male with a scar piercing through his left eye, snarled and made his way over to the feeble goose, who held the book and her pen dearly to her chest. The expression he presented indicated he was up to no good and it alerted the three pigs who put themselves in front of Mother Goose.
The larger pig stepped forward with an annoyed scowl on his face. "Leave these villagers alone at once, Slink. You and your pack must leave these people at once, I say!"
"As that'll put'll stop to us, pig. We're taking back what was rightfully ours!" Slink bellowed, his teeth baring. "This was our home until they arrived. Don't assume you three are going to put a stop to us until we get back what was ours!"
"Mister Slink, I-I understand you and your pack is upset, rightfully so," Mother Goose stepped in, now putting herself in front of the two animals. "but utilizing violence as a tactic to frighten these villagers isn't helping either." She informed, her tone getting more serious.
"Yeah, what she said! We're just as smart as you, so don't think we'll find a way to put an end to your devious ways!" One of the other three declared. He had white fur with black splotches and piercing sky-blue eyes and seemed to be not too tall yet not too short like his other brothers, who looked to be a mix of the two.
With an insidious chuckle, Slick turned around but not before saying one final message to the pigs, "I'd like to see you try..."
As Slick led his pack back into the woods cackling aloud, Mother Goose gazed at the forest then lamented. Now they appeared to be quite the obstacle for her to face: a problem she had no idea how to solve and that got her to worry, oh what could she do? These villagers depended on her so dearly!
"Miss Goose, I have an idea that will make those wolves never bother us ever again," The middle pig brought up. Mother Goose nodded, willing to listen to whatever he had in mind.
"Instead of making us tend to gardens and push wagons, why don't you make us do manual labor like build structures that'll be so strong and secure, that no wolf could ever blow down?" He requested.
She gulped. "Oh now, I'm sure we can try and find another way to compromise with them." Mother Goose tried to reason with them, worry in her voice.
"Miss Goose, you know those wolves had been pestering us for years now and it looks like they're not giving up any time soon. If they want to continue fighting, then we must retaliate and fight back: we can't just do nothing!" The littlest pig responded.
And she knew they were right in a way: those wolves had been bothering them for months on end, but for now, this could be a temporary solution. Mother Goose sighed and reluctantly agreed with their request, only slightly tweaking her writing. Within an instant, it was like the three pigs felt a wave of energy surge within their body. A surge of creativity and strength, in the mind and their bodies.
"Promise me, you'll intend to use this gift for good?" Mother Goose pleaded with the pigs, who all gave a thumbs up to her in response.
The elder pig smiled, "Indeed we will, Mother Goose. No destructors will ever harm those people again with us by their side!" And the three brothers got straight to work, grabbing a nearby wheelbarrow and piling stones in it.
"Our pigs wasted no time with their duties: soon constructing a border around our home, a sturdy stone wall of many layers. Ever since it has been built, those wolves haven't bothered us since as it had become harder for them to enter our village so easily. But I have a hunch we'll be seeing them sooner than we think: they may seem stubborn, but if they went so far as to attack our people to get thier territory back, who knows what cruel approach they'll have to retaliate against our people." Princess Presto read aloud, while the scenery began to fade back into the white abyss. Just as she finished the page, the book disappeared in an instant.
Alpha Pig now understood how this whole family rivalry began, yet had to sit down from the immense shock he was in. So that's how it all started...
On the other hand, Super Why was busy reminiscing on what he's seen so far and recalled before of what Red saw in the abandoned hallway. Something about a portrait of Mother Goose and how the Book Club could've been hers.
"Why would that label below that painting of her say "Our Founder" anyways?"
That got him thinking: was the Book-Club actually Mother Goose's... or was it something...more?
"Hey, Woofster? Remember what Wonder Red said earlier about the Book-Club?" Super Why brought up.
"Yeah, what about it?" Woofster looked over at him, his ears raised a bit in curiosity.
"Do you think you can tell us more about it, or if Mother Goose has any "history" with the Book-Club?" By the mention of the Book-Club, Woofster's tail began to wag in excitement and a joyous smile grew on his face.
"Well," Woofster emulated his collar that engulfed the group in blinding light. "Let's not waste any more time to find out!"
And thus, they disappeared.
Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait you guys, life hasn't been that easy on me, high school has started, and I got another book to work on, so I'm sorry for the late date for this next chapter!
And yep! This chapter is Mother Goose's origin story, but also the beginning of Storybrook Village: back when it was just a plain of grass surrounded by woods filled with wolves, and also the origin of the whole Pig and Wolf family rivalry!
Here are some fun facts about the research I've done: the main reason why the wolves are natural enemies to the villagers is of two reasons: they are very territorial in the wild so it's quite logical as to why they are upset their land got taken over and are shown to be quite fierce to try and get the inhabitants out of the land they fought to get from other packs. The other reason is that if you have read a fairytale or folktale, you'll see that wolves are the common antagonist in those stories; being portrayed as a threat to humans, a cunning predator, or an intruder in the home. For all those reasons, you can see why everyone is raised to fear them and why the initial members of the Pig family swore to protect everyone from them.
It's also the reason why in some episodes, there's what seems to be some sort of brick/stone wall surrounding the village (sometimes it's shades of blue or purple or grey) which I believe was made by the Pigs to keep the wolves out from attacking, though it doesn't surround all parts of the village. (maybe it was due to the village being way smaller than its present counterpart or being destroyed and rebuilt: who knows?)
(Anyways, here are some things to be noted about this chapter!)
Mythologica, the kingdom where all mythology resides, is based on an actual book written by Stephen P. Kershaw (the title that is).
The Folklore Society is based on a real organization based on the same name. They are known for studying the history and culture of folklore and spreading the known history worldwide to all, which I thought was pretty interesting.
The Tell-Tale Literature Record and the Round the Folklore Index are both based on the Roud Folk Song Index, a database containing over 250,000 references to over 25,000 songs from English oral traditions. I decided to expand the Tell-Tale Literature Record a bit more to hold all the encased literature accounts of any fictional writing to ever be conceived while the Round the Folklore Index is only for folklore.
Sir Willam Thoms is based on an actual man William John Thoms, the man who coined the term folklore.
The guardians of the Rhetoric Hall of Works, (based on the word rhetoric, the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.) Ethan, Patty, and Logan are based on the three important artistic proofs by Aristotle. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. They are models to pursue audiences and are a key to excellent argumentative writing. They'll become important in later chapters don't worry.
My interpretation of Storybrook's name was that it was a simple misspell since many fans get confused about the actual name of the village because it tends to switch or the characters say it differently. (some say it's Storybook Village while others it's Storybrook: either way, it's still fun to say in this book, technically both are correct.)
AS stands for After Storybrook while BS means Before Storybrook. In the last chapter, the Factioneers set off and arrived in Storybrook on 9 BS (1707 AC) and got its official name on 1 AS (1717 AC)).
The symbolism of a goose is that it brings peace, goodwill, and signifies good luck or protection in numerous cultures, which fits what Verti is meant to represent in this chapter.
With all that out of the way, on a special note, I'd like to thank all of you guys for your support and for getting this story to over 800+ reads, now that is Super Duper in a million ways imaginable! I couldn't thank you all enough! :)
What else may have dear Mother Goose created for the Fairytale Lands, and what will our heroes find out more about the now mighty goose? Tune in next for SW: The Lost Pages!