Trinity's Book Read online

  What did I really want out of life?

  Ever since I was little, my mother had told me that I could be and do anything I wanted. All the women in our family had achieved their sky-high dreams and aspirations.

  I dipped the pen in the ink again and wrote:

  I put the pen down and smiled with satisfaction. I didn’t expect my dream to come true because I wrote it in a book. Like my mother, I’d have to work hard to make it happen. Still, I liked the idea that my daughter might read my words someday, especially if I succeeded.

  Thoughts about my illustrious future receded as pictures began to appear on the borders of my page. Unlike the flying devices surrounding Mom’s dream, my words were decorated with images of flying creatures: birds, butterflies, and dragons. Ribbons like those that I had woven into my kite wound in and around the pictures. I loved the design, but it made me uneasy, too.

  Does the book know that my real number-one dream is to fly?

  The heavy leather cover lifted and closed with a thud. Dust and bits of dried leaves whooshed from between the pages. Before the cloud settled, the two fairies took the book, the quill, and the ink shell away.

  “What’s next?” I asked Queen Patchouli. Now that I had moved past my this-can’t-possibly-be-happening frame of mind, I was eager to get going.

  “Now we must get you properly outfitted.” Queen Patchouli waved me to follow as she headed out of the clearing. The other queens fell into line behind us as we entered a dense thicket of willows.

  In the dark, I could see a golden aura that surrounded the Queen of Aventurine. The glow had been hidden by torchlight in the clearing, but here it kept me from stumbling off the path. Her aura faded when we entered the outskirts of a village.

  The path we had followed through the woods gradually melded into a road embedded with gems, polished stones, seashells, and crystals. Quaint dwellings made of thatch, flowers, vines, stones, shells, and woven willow branches had been built at varying distances from the road. Most were firmly on the ground, but a few floated while others hung from trees like swings. Shadows shimmered in flickering firefly light. Torches blazed along the road, and lantern bugs cast light wherever they flew.

  Queen Patchouli stopped when she reached a crooked house at the center of the village. Made of willow branches, feathers, ribbons, and grass, it resembled an upside-down bird’s nest.

  “You’ll find the wardrobe inside,” Queen Patchouli said. “Choose whatever you want to wear.”

  I hoped the wardrobe had what I needed: hiking boots with textured soles so I wouldn’t slip, a long-sleeved shirt, and snug pants to protect my arms and legs.

  “I’ll wait out here,” Queen P said, urging me to get moving without actually saying so.

  Taking the hint, I hurried down the stone path. The door into the nest house was made of long feathers and grass streamers. After I parted the strands and stepped inside, the streamers fused into a solid panel.

  So I wouldn’t try to escape? Or because it wouldn’t let me out until I picked a suitable outfit for climbing?

  A tree stump in the center of the room cracked open, drawing my attention. Emerging from the crack was a wooden panel that rose until it stopped a foot short of the ceiling. Then, as I watched with my mouth hanging open in disbelief, the panel unfolded and expanded until it became a huge cabinet with two doors on top and three drawers below. Carvings of tall pine trees stretched up the doors, and a beautiful kite decorated the top.

  I didn’t move, not even when the wardrobe suddenly popped open. I stared at the fantastic collection of skirts, blouses, shirts, leggings, boots, shoes, scarves, and hats that hung on pegs and overflowed the drawers. Gossamer fabrics were mingled with sturdy homespun threads. Some of the clothes were accented with jewels, feathers, or beads. There were so many choices, it was impossible to choose. As though realizing I needed a nudge, a long-sleeved white tunic dropped off a hanger and fell on the floor at my feet. It was beautifully woven and as soft as a cloud. The white would be a good camouflage when I reached the Cantigo Uplands.

  The tunic needed leggings, so I found a pair with a fun pattern that reminded me of Maori tattoos. They were tan and wouldn’t stick out on the tree or in the clouds.

  When I finished, a mirror appeared on the front of the wardrobe. Placing my hands on my hips, I regarded myself from all angles and nodded with approval.

  The white and tan clothes that I had chosen would provide excellent camouflage in the clouds. The greenstone beads and ivory disk of the Ananya necklace lacked the brilliance of most jewelry, but it shone against the bright white tunic. However, if I had to blend in, I could hide the compass disk inside my new shirt.

  “I guess that’s it,” I said to myself.

  The wardrobe seemed to agree. In the space of a few seconds, it condensed and folded itself back into the tree stump. When I turned to leave, the nest house door had become loose feather and grass streamers again.

  Satisfied I had chosen well, I left the house with renewed confidence.

  Queen Patchouli was waiting for me outside. She was alone, but as I approached, the other two fairies returned with a large basket. They set it on a toadstool.

  Queen Patchouli didn’t comment on my clothing choices. I took her silence as approval and gave her my full attention when she mentioned gifts.

  “Every fairy-godmother-in-training is given three things she’ll need to complete her mission,” Queen Patchouli explained as she pulled a spool of string out of the basket.

  I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t string. If Queen Patchouli noticed my disappointment, she didn’t let on.

  “This string will never break,” the queen said, “but you can cut it. You must make a kite as soon as you reach the lower branches of the trees. You’ll need one to reach the Cantigo Uplands, and this string might come in handy.”

  “What if I can’t find the materials I need for the kite?” I didn’t want to start off on a negative note, but the question had to be asked.

  “Improvise,” Queen Patchouli said. She reached into the basket again, discouraging further discussion.

  I didn’t have any pockets, which was a huge mistake on my part. I couldn’t climb if I had to carry stuff, but Queen Patchouli had that problem covered. My second gift was a beautifully beaded belt with a harness backpack attached to the back.

  “The harness is designed to hold the kite,” Queen Patchouli went on. “The backpack contains an always-full water pod and a never-gone sweet potato so you won’t go thirsty or hungry.”

  “Thanks,” I said. I didn’t tell her that sweet potatoes were on my yuck list. I didn’t even eat the traditional marshmallow-covered ones Mom made for my first American Thanksgiving last November. Still, I’d eat the fairy’s sweet potato if I got hungry enough.

  My third present was a feather that Queen Patchouli wove into my hair by my left ear.

  “What does the feather do?” I asked.

  “It will be quite useful under certain circumstances.”

  The queen’s answer didn’t tell me anything. I started to ask what circumstances, but she gracefully waved her arms, cutting me off. The bees abandoned their lazy circles about her head and flew away. A few minutes later, they came back with the other fairy queens.

  As the first rays of daylight peeked through the trees, the queens formed a circle around me. They held hands and began to chant:

  Mirror, mirror, let her go

  Through your glass to reach the bough.

  Mirror, mirror, let her go

  Safely to fulfill her vow.

  A large oval mirror appeared and hovered six inches off the ground. I wasn’t sure exactly what the spell meant, but I could see myself and the fairies reflected in the glass.

  “The fastest way to reach the mile-high forest is through the Portal of Magic Mirrors,” Queen Patchouli said. “Once you enter, you’ll be taken to the tree you must climb to reach the Cantigo Uplands.”

  “Cool!” I couldn
’t help being excited. The quest was clearly going to be tough, but I was determined to rise to the challenge.

  “You must not open your eyes until you are through the mirror.” Queen Patchouli’s warning was delivered in a harsh, no-nonsense tone. “Just go with the flow.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath. “Do I go through now?”

  “Whenever you’re ready,” Queen Patchouli said. “Good luck, Trinity.”

  I took another deep breath, squeezed my eyes shut, and stepped through the mirror. I kept expecting to bump my nose on the glass. Then, since that didn’t happen, I automatically considered possible scientific explanations for the phenomenon. I suspected the magic portal was actually a wormhole, a passage through the space-time continuum that would deliver me to the distant forest.

  Overwhelmed by curiosity, I wanted to look. But I decided it wouldn’t be wise to ignore Queen Patchouli’s instructions the moment my mission began. That turned out to be a good call. In less than a second, I was yanked off my feet, wrapped in a cocoon of warm air, and hurled like I had been shot from a cannon.

  The ride was worse than the Cyclone roller coaster on Coney Island. I couldn’t see, but I felt every jolt, sudden turn, updraft, downdraft, stop, and acceleration. The sensations were so terrifying it took every ounce of willpower I had to keep my eyes closed. My imagination, however, ran wild as I hurtled through the mirror-world gauntlet.

  I saw myself passing mirror after mirror with no more than a hairbreadth margin. The slightest deviation would send me off course and crashing into glass. I tensed and tried not to flinch as I was jerked to the right and then to the left to avoid unknown obstacles.

  Even when it felt like I was slowing down, I kept my eyes closed. Somehow, I knew that the air tube would rocket off again. Dizzy and nauseous, I just wanted the ride to be over.

  How will I know it’s over? I wondered. When I stop, should I wait ten seconds or ten minutes?

  Suddenly, the air cocoon jerked to a complete stop, then unraveled and dumped me.

  That’s how, I thought when I hit the ground. I waited for a minute before I dared look, and then I squinted without fully opening my eyes. It probably wouldn’t save me if I was opening my eyes too soon, but the smell of musky pine made me feel like I was safely through the portal. Through slitted eyes, I could see that I was right. I was facing a roughly textured wall of mottled brown and gray.

  Bark, I realized when I touched it. The portal had delivered me to the climbing tree in the mile-high forest as Queen Patchouli promised.

  Exhaling, I relaxed and studied my new surroundings. A strip of sand twelve feet wide separated the dense woods from the humongous pine tree before me. The trunk stretched as far as I could see on both sides. I craned my neck to look up. The lowest branch was so high it seemed no bigger than a toothpick. Turning, I expected to see a mirror-exit behind me, but there were only more pine trees. They were normal size but packed so closely together they formed an impenetrable barrier. The only way to go was up, but I had no idea how to reach the first branch. I leaned against the rough bark to puzzle out the problem.

  Back home in New Zealand, I went to the indoor climbing wall every week, and my dad and I had spent several mountain-climbing weekends in Fiord-land National Park. Scaling a vertical surface wasn’t impossible with regular climbing gear.

  The lead climber inserted protection devices into a crack in the rock and secured ropes to them with carabiners. Everyone wore a harness that was connected to the rope. The equipment and techniques were designed to prevent falls.

  I ran my fingers over the monster tree’s bark. The grooves were as deep as cracks in a rock face, but I didn’t have the equipment.

  A movement on the side of the tree caught my eye. A purple caterpillar clung to the bark with dozens of sticky feet. Six inches long with twitching yellow eye-stalks, it wasn’t moving fast, but it was moving.

  I’m in Aventurine, I reminded myself, and the rules are different. I had to think like a fairy, and it seemed that fairies took their cues from nature. Maybe my fingers would magically turn into suckers if I just started climbing.

  With nothing to lose, I adjusted the harness on my back and took a few deep breaths. Then I placed the bottom of my shoe on the bark. When I lifted my other foot, I didn’t magically grip the side of the tree. I fell back down.

  “Scratch sticky feet,” I muttered.

  Stumped, I looked in both directions. The surface of the massive tree trunk looked unbroken all the way to the horizon, but distance could warp things. Sometimes what appears flat actually isn’t.

  I couldn’t go up so I had to go right or left.

  But which way?

  I counted to ten and reverted back to Trinity thinking—logically. The Queen of Aventurine would not have sent me on a mission that couldn’t be accomplished.

  I drew a total blank.

  I had to be missing something, and it was probably something obvious. I sat down and looked right. I watched and listened for several minutes. There was nothing to notice except the monotony of the brown-gray bark.

  I looked left. A minute passed before I saw the dots in the distant sky. The dots could be birds.

  A few seconds later, I heard a faint rat-a-tat-tat. Hammer? I wondered. Or woodpecker? Either way, something was happening on or near the tree on the left. I didn’t pause to think about my decision. I couldn’t afford to doubt my instincts. I headed toward the dots.

  I walked with no way to judge distance or time. I didn’t know if two, three, or four hours had passed when I saw wings on the dots. The closer I got to the flying things, the more creatures appeared on the tree trunk.

  In addition to purple caterpillars, I saw tiny flowers with prickly leaves, red corkscrew bugs, and trickles of sap. The rat-a-tat-tat sound came from furry little animals with long sharp claws. The red bugs drilled, and the furry things drummed the bark with their claws to make the sap flow. Apparently, sap was a food source.

  Brown and gray with bright orange beaks, the birds circled like vultures waiting for dinner to die. I wondered if it had been a good idea to go this way, but as I neared the birds, I could see a strange pattern in the bark ahead.

  “Finally!” I exclaimed when I saw the winding staircase that had been carved into the trunk.

  Unfortunately, a tangle of vines several feet wide grew over the lower steps. I could easily scramble over it, but my mother’s stories had made clear that Aventurine was riddled with nasty surprises. I decided to wait a bit before touching the vines; something about the vultures made me wary.

  A black beetle with snapping jaws poked its head out of the vines, and the vultures dived. One of the birds was fast, aiming right for the beetle. At the last moment, the beetle ducked back into the vines, and the vulture’s beak snapped shut on empty air. It screamed in frustration and pumped its wings to circle back up to its friends.

  I shivered, wondering how many biting bugs were waiting for a tender girl to crawl over the vines. Still, I knew I had to do it. The stairs were the only way to climb the tree.

  “But I don’t have to serve myself up as bug breakfast.” I spoke aloud to settle my rattled nerves. Thinking about breakfast made me hungry. I hadn’t eaten since dinner at home in New York. That had probably only been hours ago, but it felt like days.

  I sat down and took out the water pod and sweet potato. When I poked the top of the pod, it split open at the top. I held it to my lips and drank. The water was cold and had a hint of lemon. It immediately quenched my thirst. I turned to the sweet potato. It looked normal, but obviously it was also magical. I poked it like I had poked the water pod and a dent formed. I dug a finger into the dent and a large chip flaked off. I bit off a corner and smiled. It was delicious. The sweet potato chip was both sweet and savory, like a sugary potato chip, but somehow I could tell it was nourishing. One chip was enough; I was completely full.

  I began to study the vines. Every time a beetle popped out, a vulture tried to catch it. The b
irds almost never succeeded, and the threat didn’t stop the beetles from popping up like Whac-A-Moles.

  When I opened the backpack to put away my food and water, I saw the spool of string and had an inspiration. If I could clear even the smallest path through the vines, this would give the birds the advantage, as they could reach the beetles for a couple minutes; the beetles might stay hidden long enough for me to quickly climb over the vines.

  I didn’t have a knife or cutting tool, but Queen Patchouli said I could cut the string, so I could probably use anything. Standing up, I measured a piece four times my height and then found a groove in the bark. The edge easily cut the string.

  I threaded the string carefully around a heavy vine and tied it tight. Then I walked over to the edge of the sand strip, where the smaller pine trees blocked the way, and looped the string over a low-hanging branch. Then I gripped the string tight and began walking back toward the vine.

  With each step, the string was pulled more taut. And slowly the vine began to move toward the branch and away from the steps. After years of growing into the stairs, it resisted, but Queen Patchouli had insisted that the string wouldn’t break unless I cut it, so I was confident that if I just kept walking, the vine would clear away.

  Step by careful step, I shifted the vine and cleared a sliver of a path. Beetles scattered as their cover lifted, and a few vultures were finally successful at gobbling them up. I quickly tied my end of the string to the newly moved vine, creating a taut loop.

  I rushed up the path, trying not to trip over the small tendrils of vines beginning to creep back over the stairs I had cleared. Heart thumping, I kept climbing until I was far above the vines.

  When I turned, the tendrils had thickened and the path was completely closed off. Only the unbreakable loop of string from the vine to the branch showed my passing. I had been lucky that I was quick enough not to be trapped beneath the vines. I caught my breath and then decided there was no going back. I could only head up, so I started to climb.