Rini in Toyland
By Emma Redmer
Disclaimer is in the Prologue.
Chapter 6 - Lost in the Forbidden Forest
Rini huffed and puffed for a few moments, after Michelle the Mermaid helped her onto a bank. She was soaked and she had no idea where she was. Her snowsuit and boots weighed a ton. She spread out on the warm grass. The sun was just beginning to disappear behind the trees.
"Michelle," she asked after a few minutes, "where am I?"
"You're just outside the Forbidden Forest," Michelle explained.
Rini sat up excitedly. "Darien Be-Nimble's there! Diamond Barnaby told King Cole that Darien stole his sheep. The king banished him." She brushed grass and leaves off her snowsuit. "We've got to find him! He'll help us rescue Serenity Bo-Peep. The Barnabys took her to Nemesis Manor."
"That dirty double-crossing sneak!" exclaimed another, deeper voice. A second mermaid appeared by Michelle's side. This one had a gold top that almost matched her bronzed skin and short, butter-yellow hair. Her blue eyes blazed and her blue-gold tail twitched. "I'd like to throw a fisherman's net on him and see how he likes getting tangled!"
Michelle shook her head. "I doubt it would do any good, Amara," she pointed out. "He's very cunning, and he has either Rubeus or a member of his family near-by at all times."
Amara grinned up at Rini, who was quite surprised. Meeting one mermaid was strange enough. Finding out that two existed was nothing short of amazing! "Hey there, Little Pink Hair! Michelle told me all about you." She shook Rini's hand. "I'm Amara, Michelle's companion. I would have given anything to have seen you kick Diamond Barnaby in the rear!"
Rini giggled. "He still has the footprint, I think!"
Michelle gave her companion a look. "You have something to give her, right, Amara?"
"Oh, yeah," grumbled Amara. She dove into the river and returned with a belt and a scabbard. "This sword is magic," she explained. "It never misses its target, and it never needs sharpening. It'll slice through anything." Rini tried to pick it up, but it was very heavy! Amara swung her fists. "I wish I could come with you, kiddo, but the river doesn't go through the Forbidden Forest."
"There should be guards and other people in the Forest who will aid you, though," Michelle added. "Watch out for the criminals, the Living Trees, and the Dark Chocolate Bats!"
"The WHAT?" Rini gasped. "Living Trees? Criminals?"
"Michelle, don't scare the kid to death!" Amara scolded.
Michelle took Amara's hand. "We'll go back to Toyland for more help," Michelle assured her. "Santa won't be leaving for a little while, and Mother Goose should be arriving soon, too." She handed her the magic mirror. "This should help you find Nemesis Manor. It's at the foot of the Parched Mountains, just beyond the Forbidden Forest."
"Good luck, kiddo!" Amara added as she and Michelle swam in the direction of Toyland Town.
Rini shivered. She felt quite alone. She slung the belt around her shoulder. It was too big for her waist! The Forest looked cold and dark. She wished she were back in Tokyo, arguing with Serena over who got to eat the first slice of Ilene-Mama's Christmas cake!
The trees were the biggest she ever saw. They were taller than the tallest tree in Japan. Their limbs were as long as Santa's sleigh! The twigs and leaves crunched under her boots. The forest was very quiet. The only sound was the occasional call of a bird, or a squirrel chasing after an acorn. She jumped at every tweet and skitter.
The trees seemed to be getting lower and lower. She pushed aside several heavy branches. It was getting darker by the minute, and she didn't want to be in the Forbidden Forest after nightfall. This place was creepy. The tress threw odd-shaped shadows against the brush.
Her snowsuit got caught in a bramble bush. As she stopped to tug it free, she felt something tap her on the shoulder. She turned to see who - or what - it was, but there was nothing behind her but trees. She finally pulled away and turned in a circle. "Who tapped me? Please show yourself!"
A long, skeletal branch picked her up like she was a doll. "I did, little human!" the giant maple tree hissed. Several holes in its trunk revealed eyes and a mouth. "What business do you have among the Living Trees of the Forbidden Forest?"
Rini struggled in the tree's grasp. "Let me go!" she screamed. She struggled, but the maple was surprisingly strong. "I've got to find Darien Be-Nimble."
Another tree, a pine, shook its deep green needles. "You'll never find him, little pink human. You'll not be going any further. We don't like people who invade our forest. You're an outsider. You don't belong here."
"Leave Rini alone!" exclaimed a voice. Darien Be-Nimble rushed into the circle of trees, brandishing a heavy log. "She's done nothing to you."
"She trespassed in our forest," growled the tree that held Rini. "She's too small to be a criminal, and she's certainly not a bird or a squirrel or a Dark Chocolate Bat."
"We pass judgment here, Be-Nimble," snapped a gnarled old willow. "Humans have no laws in the Forbidden Forest." The willow wrapped its slender arms around Darien, pulling him to the ground. Rini tried to reach for the sword, but the tree held her tight.
That was when Rini heard something whistling. It wasn't a bird. It sounded like a human. A young woman walked into the circle of trees. She had short blue-black hair that shined in the waning light. Her face hid behind a book. She paid no attention to the trees and the helpless girl and young man. She would have kept on walking and whistling if a tree hadn't blocked her way.
"Are you a criminal?" snarled a slender oak.
The young woman finally raised her head from her novel. She sighed. "Not at all, Oak, and I wish you wouldn't carry on so."
Oak looked perplexed. "How do you know who I am?"
"I read all about you," she explained. "There's a wonderful book on Living Trees at the Toyland Public Library. I went over it last week." She closed her book. "Oh, my. It is getting quite dark, isn't it? I won't be able to see what I'm reading." She drew a match from the pocket of her apron. The trees all gasped and tried to move as far away as possible.
"No, don't!" wailed Pine. "Fire is the one thing Living Trees fear most! Please put that out!"
She gathered a thick branch from the ground and set it on fire. The trees screamed in horror. "I need this torch to see where I'm going," the young woman explained. "I'll take it away if you release your prisoners."
Maple threw Rini on the ground and Willow released Darien. "Get it out of here!" Willow shrieked. "That little torch could destroy us if it caught on a bush or a branch!"
The young woman shrugged. "If that's your wish." Rini tried to brandish her sword at the already-cowering flora, but the weight of the thing nearly knocked her to the forest floor. She waved it at the general area as the trio hurried out of the circle.
They stopped to catch their breath by a rotted log. "Thanks, Amy," Darien insisted. "We owe you big-time." He laughed. "I knew their weakness, too, but I had no matches and no quick way to produce flames."
+ Amy? + Rini finally got a closer look at the woman. She was small, with a tiny, delicate frame. She wore a simple blue dress with a plain apron, and none of Serenity and Mina's frippery. "Your name is Amy?"
She nodded. "Miss Amy Muffet, small lady. I was sitting on my tuffet, reading and eating my curds and whey, when I saw a big ugly spider! He frightened me so that I upset my snack and fled. I was searching for another reading spot when I found you."
Darien took Rini by the shoulders. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "The Forbidden Forest is dangerous during the day, much less after dark!"
"Diamond Barnaby had Rubeus steal his sheep, so he could blame it on you!" Rini blurted. "I came after you. Amara and Michelle the Mermaids went back to Toyland Town to get more help."
"I knew Barnaby was behind this!" Darien insisted. "Is Serenity ok? He didn't try anything on her, did he?"
Rini looked at her boots. "He took her to Nemesis Manor when he sent his Dark Chocolate Bats into Toyland Town. That's how I got here. I fell in the river."
"Someone dear to me is also incarcerated in Nemesis Manor," Amy admitted. "Gregory Boy Blue was unfairly imprisoned after he fell asleep while tending to the Barnabys' farm animals."
"Prisma's sisters told me during the Christmas Festival that she never returned from Nemesis Manor, and Sapphire Barnaby wasn't there, either," Darien added. "Sapphire could be holding Prisma hostage with the others."
Rini handed Darien her sword. "It's too heavy for me. You'll probably be able to use it, though."
"I'm unfamiliar with the route to Nemesis Manor," Amy said. "It's terribly dark, and this torch won't last forever."
"The mirror will show us the way," Rini assured her. She took the mirror from inside her snowsuit. "Mirror, show us the path to Nemesis Manor!" A light flickered in the smooth glass before finally revealing a path, following it to a big, dark mansion. Dark Chocolate Bats swooped around a bright moon. Furry creatures guarded the gates.
"We've got to find a way around those creatures," Amy said. "They're the unfortunate souls who were arrested by the Barnabys and transformed into mindless beasts. They'll tear anyone but the Barnabys apart!"
Darien leaned over the mirror. "We need to find a back door, or a part of the house that isn't being used."
The mirror flickered again. A large, wood-beamed door built into the side of the mansion appeared on the surface.
"The cellar!" Darien exclaimed as he buckled the sword to his belt. "Rumor has it that this is where Diamond Barnaby and his family changes humans into animals. I'll bet Gregory and Prisma are being kept there."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rini poked around in the brush, looking for the path. She finally found a clearing that seemed to lead out of the woods, toward the no-longer distant mountains. "Let's go rescue our friends!"
By Emma Redmer
Disclaimer is in the Prologue.
Chapter 6 - Lost in the Forbidden Forest
Rini huffed and puffed for a few moments, after Michelle the Mermaid helped her onto a bank. She was soaked and she had no idea where she was. Her snowsuit and boots weighed a ton. She spread out on the warm grass. The sun was just beginning to disappear behind the trees.
"Michelle," she asked after a few minutes, "where am I?"
"You're just outside the Forbidden Forest," Michelle explained.
Rini sat up excitedly. "Darien Be-Nimble's there! Diamond Barnaby told King Cole that Darien stole his sheep. The king banished him." She brushed grass and leaves off her snowsuit. "We've got to find him! He'll help us rescue Serenity Bo-Peep. The Barnabys took her to Nemesis Manor."
"That dirty double-crossing sneak!" exclaimed another, deeper voice. A second mermaid appeared by Michelle's side. This one had a gold top that almost matched her bronzed skin and short, butter-yellow hair. Her blue eyes blazed and her blue-gold tail twitched. "I'd like to throw a fisherman's net on him and see how he likes getting tangled!"
Michelle shook her head. "I doubt it would do any good, Amara," she pointed out. "He's very cunning, and he has either Rubeus or a member of his family near-by at all times."
Amara grinned up at Rini, who was quite surprised. Meeting one mermaid was strange enough. Finding out that two existed was nothing short of amazing! "Hey there, Little Pink Hair! Michelle told me all about you." She shook Rini's hand. "I'm Amara, Michelle's companion. I would have given anything to have seen you kick Diamond Barnaby in the rear!"
Rini giggled. "He still has the footprint, I think!"
Michelle gave her companion a look. "You have something to give her, right, Amara?"
"Oh, yeah," grumbled Amara. She dove into the river and returned with a belt and a scabbard. "This sword is magic," she explained. "It never misses its target, and it never needs sharpening. It'll slice through anything." Rini tried to pick it up, but it was very heavy! Amara swung her fists. "I wish I could come with you, kiddo, but the river doesn't go through the Forbidden Forest."
"There should be guards and other people in the Forest who will aid you, though," Michelle added. "Watch out for the criminals, the Living Trees, and the Dark Chocolate Bats!"
"The WHAT?" Rini gasped. "Living Trees? Criminals?"
"Michelle, don't scare the kid to death!" Amara scolded.
Michelle took Amara's hand. "We'll go back to Toyland for more help," Michelle assured her. "Santa won't be leaving for a little while, and Mother Goose should be arriving soon, too." She handed her the magic mirror. "This should help you find Nemesis Manor. It's at the foot of the Parched Mountains, just beyond the Forbidden Forest."
"Good luck, kiddo!" Amara added as she and Michelle swam in the direction of Toyland Town.
Rini shivered. She felt quite alone. She slung the belt around her shoulder. It was too big for her waist! The Forest looked cold and dark. She wished she were back in Tokyo, arguing with Serena over who got to eat the first slice of Ilene-Mama's Christmas cake!
The trees were the biggest she ever saw. They were taller than the tallest tree in Japan. Their limbs were as long as Santa's sleigh! The twigs and leaves crunched under her boots. The forest was very quiet. The only sound was the occasional call of a bird, or a squirrel chasing after an acorn. She jumped at every tweet and skitter.
The trees seemed to be getting lower and lower. She pushed aside several heavy branches. It was getting darker by the minute, and she didn't want to be in the Forbidden Forest after nightfall. This place was creepy. The tress threw odd-shaped shadows against the brush.
Her snowsuit got caught in a bramble bush. As she stopped to tug it free, she felt something tap her on the shoulder. She turned to see who - or what - it was, but there was nothing behind her but trees. She finally pulled away and turned in a circle. "Who tapped me? Please show yourself!"
A long, skeletal branch picked her up like she was a doll. "I did, little human!" the giant maple tree hissed. Several holes in its trunk revealed eyes and a mouth. "What business do you have among the Living Trees of the Forbidden Forest?"
Rini struggled in the tree's grasp. "Let me go!" she screamed. She struggled, but the maple was surprisingly strong. "I've got to find Darien Be-Nimble."
Another tree, a pine, shook its deep green needles. "You'll never find him, little pink human. You'll not be going any further. We don't like people who invade our forest. You're an outsider. You don't belong here."
"Leave Rini alone!" exclaimed a voice. Darien Be-Nimble rushed into the circle of trees, brandishing a heavy log. "She's done nothing to you."
"She trespassed in our forest," growled the tree that held Rini. "She's too small to be a criminal, and she's certainly not a bird or a squirrel or a Dark Chocolate Bat."
"We pass judgment here, Be-Nimble," snapped a gnarled old willow. "Humans have no laws in the Forbidden Forest." The willow wrapped its slender arms around Darien, pulling him to the ground. Rini tried to reach for the sword, but the tree held her tight.
That was when Rini heard something whistling. It wasn't a bird. It sounded like a human. A young woman walked into the circle of trees. She had short blue-black hair that shined in the waning light. Her face hid behind a book. She paid no attention to the trees and the helpless girl and young man. She would have kept on walking and whistling if a tree hadn't blocked her way.
"Are you a criminal?" snarled a slender oak.
The young woman finally raised her head from her novel. She sighed. "Not at all, Oak, and I wish you wouldn't carry on so."
Oak looked perplexed. "How do you know who I am?"
"I read all about you," she explained. "There's a wonderful book on Living Trees at the Toyland Public Library. I went over it last week." She closed her book. "Oh, my. It is getting quite dark, isn't it? I won't be able to see what I'm reading." She drew a match from the pocket of her apron. The trees all gasped and tried to move as far away as possible.
"No, don't!" wailed Pine. "Fire is the one thing Living Trees fear most! Please put that out!"
She gathered a thick branch from the ground and set it on fire. The trees screamed in horror. "I need this torch to see where I'm going," the young woman explained. "I'll take it away if you release your prisoners."
Maple threw Rini on the ground and Willow released Darien. "Get it out of here!" Willow shrieked. "That little torch could destroy us if it caught on a bush or a branch!"
The young woman shrugged. "If that's your wish." Rini tried to brandish her sword at the already-cowering flora, but the weight of the thing nearly knocked her to the forest floor. She waved it at the general area as the trio hurried out of the circle.
They stopped to catch their breath by a rotted log. "Thanks, Amy," Darien insisted. "We owe you big-time." He laughed. "I knew their weakness, too, but I had no matches and no quick way to produce flames."
+ Amy? + Rini finally got a closer look at the woman. She was small, with a tiny, delicate frame. She wore a simple blue dress with a plain apron, and none of Serenity and Mina's frippery. "Your name is Amy?"
She nodded. "Miss Amy Muffet, small lady. I was sitting on my tuffet, reading and eating my curds and whey, when I saw a big ugly spider! He frightened me so that I upset my snack and fled. I was searching for another reading spot when I found you."
Darien took Rini by the shoulders. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "The Forbidden Forest is dangerous during the day, much less after dark!"
"Diamond Barnaby had Rubeus steal his sheep, so he could blame it on you!" Rini blurted. "I came after you. Amara and Michelle the Mermaids went back to Toyland Town to get more help."
"I knew Barnaby was behind this!" Darien insisted. "Is Serenity ok? He didn't try anything on her, did he?"
Rini looked at her boots. "He took her to Nemesis Manor when he sent his Dark Chocolate Bats into Toyland Town. That's how I got here. I fell in the river."
"Someone dear to me is also incarcerated in Nemesis Manor," Amy admitted. "Gregory Boy Blue was unfairly imprisoned after he fell asleep while tending to the Barnabys' farm animals."
"Prisma's sisters told me during the Christmas Festival that she never returned from Nemesis Manor, and Sapphire Barnaby wasn't there, either," Darien added. "Sapphire could be holding Prisma hostage with the others."
Rini handed Darien her sword. "It's too heavy for me. You'll probably be able to use it, though."
"I'm unfamiliar with the route to Nemesis Manor," Amy said. "It's terribly dark, and this torch won't last forever."
"The mirror will show us the way," Rini assured her. She took the mirror from inside her snowsuit. "Mirror, show us the path to Nemesis Manor!" A light flickered in the smooth glass before finally revealing a path, following it to a big, dark mansion. Dark Chocolate Bats swooped around a bright moon. Furry creatures guarded the gates.
"We've got to find a way around those creatures," Amy said. "They're the unfortunate souls who were arrested by the Barnabys and transformed into mindless beasts. They'll tear anyone but the Barnabys apart!"
Darien leaned over the mirror. "We need to find a back door, or a part of the house that isn't being used."
The mirror flickered again. A large, wood-beamed door built into the side of the mansion appeared on the surface.
"The cellar!" Darien exclaimed as he buckled the sword to his belt. "Rumor has it that this is where Diamond Barnaby and his family changes humans into animals. I'll bet Gregory and Prisma are being kept there."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rini poked around in the brush, looking for the path. She finally found a clearing that seemed to lead out of the woods, toward the no-longer distant mountains. "Let's go rescue our friends!"