Here's my first official Bridge to Terabithia fanfiction. ^_^ I got the idea right around the time I was writing "Cockaigne" and "Paracosm." This story is not connected to those crossovers, this is just a one-off piece.
I did the math with the year the movie came out, and the age the actors were. In this story, May Belle is twelve and Joyce is six. This fanfiction takes place in 2013. I had a hard time figuring out Ellie and Brenda's age. I kind of guessed with them, but they both looked like they were in high school. Ellie, a senior. Brenda, a sophomore. Sorry if I might've got it wrong.
Again, this fic follows the movie, not the book.
P.S. Pareidolia means "seeing familiar objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns." And it kind of describes how Terabithia is hidden, and it only exists for Jess and Leslie, and now May Belle.
Enjoy the story. :3
"Come on, Joyce!"
"I'm coming!"
Joyce followed May Belle as best as she could. Her sister, with her brown hair to her waist, that bounced as she walked, radiated this determination that Joyce couldn't place. She glanced up the treetops covering the blue sky, resembling broken fragments of robin's egg. The birds sang in the sky, working in sync to the sound of animal claws scratching against wood, and the clear bells coming from the whispering creek. The air is rich with the scent of leaves, loam, flowers, and damp, too.
Rays of sunlight knife their way through the canopy, shining through the smallest nooks. Bushes were scattered here and there, curving plants curled around the moss-covered tree trunks.
When Joyce finally caught up to her sister, she saw her standing by a bridge. It was primarily made from wood with an arch that had a sign at the top that said "Nothing Crushes Us" in yellow letters. It had a picture of a pencil and a sword and a white shoe with wings underneath. The sign was worn out from years of being pelted by the elements and even the paint had started to fade. The base of the bridge was a fallen tree that fit perfectly between one end of the creek to the next. The roadway had worn away from years of sun, wind, rain, and snow. The railing was cobbled out of gnarled, scraggly branches tied together with rope.
"Where are we?," asked Joyce.
"This is where Jess and I used to play when I was your age," said May Belle, turning around.
Jess, their older brother, was in studying fine art with creative writing as a minor at the RMCAD Arts and Design College. He and May Belle used to come here and play in Terabithia and it was their secret place where they could be themselves. Now, all those childhood years were disappearing, with Jesse moving on and putting away their old games and going off to carve his niche in the world.
"It's the bridge to Terabithia," said May Belle.
"What's Terabithia?," asked Joyce.
"It's a magical place," said May Belle. "It's filled with all sorts of creatures. You can have anything you want here. Anyone is welcomed here."
Joyce screwed her eyes. What she saw past the bridge was an endless row of gargantuan trees. She didn't see any magical place filled with wondrous things.
"I don't see it," said Joyce, looking up at her sister.
"It's there," said May Belle, "but you have to close your eyes, and keep your mind wide open."
Joyce furrowed her brow.
"Just try it," encouraged May Belle.
Joyce looked over at the deck of the bridge, and closed her eyes. May Belle stepped on the bridge.
"Come," she said.
Joyce, with her eyes still closed, carefully stepped onto the bridge. It took an instant for things to evolve.
The bridge, which was wooden, changed in a manner of milliseconds. The wood was being lacquered in pure gold. The arch changed from gnarled wood to golden with a filigree design. The bridge's wooden deck became tiled in a type of metal with a bumpy texture.
"Open your eyes," said May Belle.
Joyce opened her eyes, and she was filled with surprise. The bridge changed in an instant, and she didn't know how it became golden, or why it changed. Either way, she was impressed.
"Wow," said Joyce.
"There's more," quipped May Belle.
The grass on the other side of the bridge started sprouting purple flowers, resembling a carpet. Joyce followed May Belle across the bridge, watching everything change before her eyes. Beings appeared out of thin air. These creatures were humanlike; most of them having wild hair, carrying instruments that resembled sitars, drums, flutes. One that stood out the most was a being with a birdcage for a neck. A few more that stood out were ones that had birdlike heads on human bodies with wings that resembled leaves. Joyce saw a few of them riding on the backs of animals that resembled ostriches.
"Who are they?," asked Joyce.
"The Terabithians," responded May Belle. "They're the ones who inhabit this ancient forest. And they're all here for a special occasion."
"What occasion?," quipped Joyce.
"You."
Joyce gave a befuddled look.
"You're going to be the new princess of Terabithia," said May Belle.
"I am?"
"Of course."
Joyce looked on toward the changing landscape. She saw a great castle atop of a big hill. It was a squarish structure with many towers, and flags flew from the rooftops. A zigzag path led to the castle. The tallest tower was on top of a dome-shaped roof. A river ran by the left side, and beyond that were snow-capped mountains. And everything was surrounded by a clear and beautiful blue sky.
"I'm going to be the new princess?," asked Joyce.
"Yeah," replied May Belle, "and I'm the new queen. Jess used to be the king."
"He was?"
"Yeah."
The ground shook, and Joyce saw where it came from. A giant, about twenty feet tall, walked toward her and May Belle. The giant was female from the shape of the face, and the body had a curvaceous form. She had pointed ears peeking through her dirty blonde hair. Her nose was like a potato; her eyes were a greenish blue. She was wearing a brown corset over a moss-covered, long-sleeved shirt. She wore a necklace cobbled out of rope with silver objects, like a teakettle, spoons and forks. Two gold armbands decorated her wrists. A tattered, dark skirt skimmed to her knees. Her legs were covered mostly in bark and dirt. Her fingernails and toenails were green.
"Hey," said the giant. Her voice was soft but still was able to carry out an octave.
"She's friendly," said May Belle. "She was actually inspired by a bully that used to pick on Jess, and on me." She looked up at the giant. "I call her Janice."
"Hi," said Joyce, waving.
Janice the giant waved to her, smiling.
"Come on," said May Belle, cocking her head, "there's more to see."
Joyce trailed beside her older sister. The Terabithians watched her with curiosity and awe. She in turned found herself gazing at each and every one of them. Her eyes caught a great animal with the head of an elephant on the body of a bird. The head didn't resemble a real elephant; true, it had the trunk, and the tusks, but its whole head was covered in dark brown fur. Further away from the elephant-like bird was an enormous snail-like creature with a catlike head.
"Amazing, right?," said May Belle.
"Yeah!," cheeped Joyce.
A low droning noise buzzed overhead. Joyce glanced up skyward. She saw a swarm of insect-like creatures fly up above.
"Those are the warriors from the Treetop Provinces," explained May Belle.
Joyce smiled.
The two girls walked up the path leading to a bridge over the river. It was a smaller bridge made a stone with two arches, unlike the great golden one behind them. The babbling of the river was a symphony for the ears. May Belle rummaged through her jacket as she stepped onto the bridge. Joyce watched her pull out two small crowns. They were made from twigs and leaves intricately woven together.
"Here," said May Belle, handing her the one of the crowns.
"Wow," cooed Joyce, taking the crown.
The crown, that was made of leaves and sticks, changed instantaneously. It was now bronze with a leaflike pattern. She looked at May Belle's. Hers was a tiered, gold crown with a filigree carving design.
"Did Jess have a crown, too?," queried Joyce.
"Yeah," said May Belle, "his was silver."
Joyce put her crown on. She looked back at the Terabithians, who looked at her and at her older sister. There were smiles on her faces. The warriors of the Treetop Provinces fluttered in the air, regarding her and her sister with utmost deference.
"I really get to be princess?," chimed Joyce.
"Of course," said May Belle. "And I'm the new queen."
"Who was the queen before?"
"Leslie." May Belle's face fell. "She died when you were a baby. She drowned in the creek. There used to be a rope tied to a tree. That's how Jesse and Leslie would get to Terabithia. But it broke, and she drowned."
Joyce's face was neutral, but she sympathized with her.
"I'm the queen now," said May Belle, "and you're the new princess."
Joyce looked on at the vast forest. The Terabithians stood, as though waiting for orders. Joyce didn't know what to do. She had always thought of May Belle as the prettiest in the family. Her older sisters, Ellie and Brenda, were all grown up and living on their own. Ellie was living two towns over with her new husband. Brenda had just graduated last year and was working in marketing in the city. Jess was an up and coming artist. Joyce had seen his drawings. She was left awestruck by how talented he was that he could draw such marvelous creations. Most of the Terabithians looked like the ones she'd seen in his drawings. Terabithia was real, and she was loving it.
Joyce looked down at herself. She wore a pink jacket over a pale lavender sweater. She had on a pair of dark raspberry pants and a pair of tennis shoes. Her dull brown hair was worn in a tight braid. Her eyes were brown. May Belle had always been good with mingling. People saw her and felt generally safe around her. Her sister just had that charm that made everyone find her warm, cordial and inviting. Joyce always shied away from strangers. She didn't stand out, but she also tended to fit in with her peers at school. Looking at her reflection on the river's surface, with the crown on her, she didn't feel like a princess. She just felt...like her.
"Leslie created some of this," said May Belle, sitting on the edge of the bridge. She turned around, so her legs hung on the other side. "And I added the purple flowers. What do you want to add?"
"I don't know," said Joyce, climbing onto the edge of the bridge. She grabbed onto May Belle's shoulder and gingerly sat down next to her.
"What do you want in Terabithia?," inquired May Belle.
Joyce went silent. She gazed at the Terabithians, their faces like sculpted statues. The purple flowers covered most of the forest from one end to the next. It seemed to go on forever. An animal swooped in from up above. It looked leonine, but with prominent birdlike features. It had a bird's beak with a long tail, great big wings. Its fur intermixed with the feathers, and its talons were sharp enough to cut through anything.
"That's a Hairy Vulture," said May Belle, having caught sight of it. "They used to serve the Dark Master, but they're our friends now."
"There's more of them?," chirped Joyce.
"Yeah."
"Who was the Dark Master?"
"He was the enemy. He held the Terabithians captive, but Leslie and Jess destroyed him. Now the Terabthians are free."
Joyce nodded wordlessly. She gaped up at the blue sky scudded with white clouds. The Terabthians milled about, carrying on with whatever it was that busied them. Joyce saw a group of them riding on the ostrich-like animals. That looked like fun.
"So," quoth May Belle, "what do you want?"
A monumental silence swept between the two sisters.
"I want..."
May Belle waited, and that's when it happened. Clusters of blue flowers sprouted out of the ground in seconds. These were flowers May Belle had never seen before. They had a strange shape. They looked like a cross between a lily and a rose. It had the anthers usually found on a lily with the the soft petals of a rose.
Creatures appeared out of nowhere. They were humanlike with flat noses with monolid eyes. The long muscular bodies stand straight. The arms hang down at the sides, ending with graceful hands with curling fingers and pointy nails painted gold. Their skin was the color of snow. The legs are tall and unbent, towering over the rest of the Terabithians, but shorter than the giant. The shoulders and pelvis were the same proportion. Their smiles reveal white noticeable canines. But despite looking unapproachable, May Belle could tell they were friendly.
"What do you call them?," asked May Belle.
"Aren't they Terabithians, too?," retorted Joyce.
May Belle looked back at the newcomers. Their hair was white-gold, cascading to their shoulders, or to their waists, or even framing their chins. Male and female are easy to discern from the body shape to the shape of their faces. On the females, the faces were oval-shaped and more delicate than the broad, rugged, squarish faces of the males. These creatures had eyes in either deep sea blue, emerald green, pale pink, lavender, grey, and even amber.
"You are right," she said, "but do they have a specific name?"
Joyce tapped her finger on her chin, furrowing her brow. She kicked her foot against the bridge's wall.
"Lithes," said Joyce.
"I like it," commented May Belle.
The Lithes meandered to join the rest of the Terabithians. Joyce looked on and in an instant, it appeared. A team of horselike creatures with transparent antlers showed up out of thin air. The antlers glittered prismatically, throwing off colors in the sunlight. Their coats were seafoam white, and had dark eyes. The eyes around the sockets were large, while the muzzle was smaller with the nose of a deer. Their manes and tails were white with a cream hue. Their sleek slender bodies gave off a slight gleam, and their legs were delicate but strong.
"This is our place," quoth May Belle.
"Terabithia," said Joyce, smile growing wider.
"We make it we want it, and no one crushes us."
The inhabitants of Terabithia basked in the glory of their new princess and newfound queen. All around them, the mountains smiled on at them. The sun shone gloriously, filling the world with its golden light. Joyce and May Belle sat on the small bridge, taking the moment to enjoy the whisper of the river and the wisdom of the trees.
May Belle spun around and jumped off the stone bridge.
"Come on," she said.
"Okay." Joyce leaped off and trotted behind her, giggling.
"You have to see the Sqogres," hooted May Belle.
"What are Sqogres?"
"They're these big, hairy squirrels, and they..."
The two sisters ran down the bridge and toward the other side of the river. Their laughter was heard past the treeline, letting the people of Terabithia know there'll be more adventures to come.
How was that for my first Bridge to Terabithia fanfiction? I might write more for this movie. ^_^ There's no use keeping this to myself.
Anyways, thank you for reading.