Caught
A Fairy-Choose-Your-Own-Adventure
By James Menaker
For Essie Menaker
(Happy Birthday!)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Page 19
Without hesitation the princess
raced towards the river to help the outnumbered knight. Sir Diego
knocked the heads of two bandits together, knocking them out, but he
did not see the third man sneaking up behind him, knife drawn to
strike.
The fairy shot towards the
attacker like a glistening arrow, knowing she had not a moment to
lose. The goon raised his weapon and then crumpled to the ground,
howling in pain. Sir Diego turned around in time to see the knife
fall out of his enemy's hand. There was no sign of the princess.
“Oh, be quiet,” he growled
at the man on the ground, “You will be fine.” The howls turned
into whimpers as the man put his red, throbbing thumb into his mouth.
“Your highness?” the knight called out.
“Come on, sir knight!”
Princess Esperanza was already on her way up the road towards the
village. The billowing smoke was growing larger and darker by the
minute.
The pair raced towards the
village, unsure of what waited for them. Perhaps a band of
brigands...or a mighty dragon...or a fire golem...or simply a
wildfire that was sweeping across the buildings. They rounded the
corner and came to a screeching halt, mouths agape.
“Suprise!!!”
The entire village was gathered
together in the square, surrounding a large fire pit with a pig on
the spit. It just so happened to be Sir Diego's birthday and the
entire community had turned out to celebrate.
“What about the brigands that
attacked us?” the baffled princess asked.
The mayor, in tears over his
great joke, patted the knight on the back. “Visiting merchants who
agreed to put on a show. I never thought it would work this well,”
the three attackers were staggering into the village, nursing their
wounds. “Looks like I owe these fine fellows an extra bonus after
the thumping you gave them. Worth every penny,” he chuckled as he
went to see his accomplices.
The knight shook his head in
disbelief. “Allow me to show you my home, milady.” It was the
best birthday he ever had.
Page 18
“This is rediculous...I'm not
singing anymore. I'm royalty, after all.” Esperanza crossed her
arms.
The knight looked up at her with
alarm, “But the boat said...” She shook her head.
“FINISH THE SONG,” bellowed
the vessel's head.
Essie shook her head one more
time.
“THE SONG!”
“Figures...” Sir Diego
mumbled as he pinched his nose. The boat rocked back and forth until
it flipped upside down.
The princess flew to the shore,
feeling a little sheepish that her actions resulted in the knight
getting soaked. “Rediculous mystical piece of junk,” she
muttered as she saw it floating back downstream. “Now where has
that big person gone?”
The big person in question was
just emerging from the river on the opposite shore. “Thank you,
milady,” he called out, “Thank you for the lovely swim on this
scorching summer's day.” He sneezed, violently. “I do believe I
will head home now before I run across any other wizards or fairies
or magical boats or cages...I need a nap.”
Princess Esperanza watched the
knight trudge away, talking to himself the whole way. She smiled to
herself and turned towards the setting sun. Getting home would be a
3 day journey, but after today's adventure she had no doubts that she
would get there. And probably have some more stories to tell.
Page 17
The princess had a difficult
time continuing their song. She kept giggling at the knight's “Tra
La La's.” Sir Diego had gotten so into the song that he was now
standing in the middle of the boat with one hand extended to the
shore and the other pressed against his heart. He continued his
melody for a solid 5 minutes after they had reached the dock.
“A fine song,” the seahorse
proclaimed. “Your fare has been paid in full.” With that the
vessel departed the shore and returned downstream.
“Well, milady,” Sir Diego
said as he turned to face the fairy,
“What do you recommend we do
now after our successful escape?”
“I think...” The princess
cut off as a wave of shrieks fell upon the pair. The adventurers
were surrounded by armed creatures of every kind: centaurs, wolves,
eagles, minotaurs, pixies...even fairies. Spears, swords, teeth and
claws were pointed threateningly as the circle closed in.
“Hello, my friends. Has it
been so long that you have forgotten me?” The knight spoke clearly,
looking each creature in the eye.
A griffon was the first to
speak. “It is the Liberator! The knight who battled the mage to win
our freedom! Stand down, every one!” Weapons were sheathed,
smiles replaced snarls and stories were exchanged. The princess and
knight were hailed as heros and treated to an extravagent
feast...highlighted by Sir Diego's singing.
“Tra Laa Laaaaaa...”
Page 14
“Stay behind me!” the knight
yelled as he charged the guard dog. The great beast lept and
exploded into Sir Diego. Man and beast rolled across the ground as
fists flew and jaws snapped. When they finally were still, the
knight was kneeling with the dog's neck firmly locked in his arms. A
few more growls escaped before the animal went limp and Sir Diego
dropped it to the floor.
Essie flew over, “Are you all
right? Is it...”
Sir Diego stood and brushed
himself off. “Just sleeping, your highness. He will have a nasty
headache when he wakes up, but we will be long gone by then.”
They wound their way through the
passages and chambers of the castle until they came upon a great
audience chamber. The far end of the chamber was centered upon a
great, black throne. For the first time, Esperanza saw her captor.
Mularky wore red, shimmering robes. His black eyes glinted with a
mixture of anticipation and rage. “Ahhh, the troublesome knight
and the fairy princess. I had a hunch that you would come after me,
so I prepared a small welcome for you.” The magician's deep voice
trailed off as he snapped his fingers...
The princess looked around,
realizing she was back in Fairy Meadow...but something did not feel
right. Everything was fuzzy and shifted when she moved her head.
“Hello! Is anyone there? Am I dreaming?”
Page 13
“Good doggie. Nice Doggie.
Sleepy and Lazy Puppy who never, ever barked or bit anyone,” Sir
Diego's voice came out in a whisper as he backed away, hands raised.
Essie rolled her eyes. “Oh,
please,” she said as she flew towards the dog's nose. The dog
growled and tensed, preparing to pounce. “Everyone knows that
there is a spot you can rub that puts any dog to sleep.” She easily
avoided the mighty jaws snapping at her. “It is halfway between
the back of the jaw bone and the ear.” She flew right beside the
dog's head and found the spot, giving the beast a good scratching.
The dog stopped barking and
stood up straight. Its tail wagged; its leg twitched; its eyes
rolled back into its head and the mighty guard dog collapsed, fast
asleep.
Essie, turned to the knight,
“Come along, mighty sir knight. But be quiet, everyone else seems
to be asleep.”
The pair snuck through the
castle as the stars twinkled in through the windows. Sir Diego led
the way through the winding hallways and shadowed chambers. Finally
they came to a large, locked door. “The holding cells are in
here,” he whispered, “but it can only be opened by magic.”
They walked to the next door and silently entered the dimly lit room.
A small fire crackled in the hearth as Sir Diego made his way to the
window on the far wall. “Mularky's library,” the knight
muttered. “This is where he researches his targets' locations and
weaknesses.” Shaking his head, he opened the window.
Page 12
“TICKETS! PLEASE!” the
upriver seahorse yelled.
“Well that could get old
fast,” Sir Diego muttered.
Essie could not agree more.
“Very well,” she said, “Let's go downriver.”
“As you wish, madam,” the
seahorse rumbled as they launched from the shore. As they rode the
river, the princess turned to her travelling companion and asked,
“How did you end up in that cage?”
The knight shrugged. “Fairly
standard Evil Wizard tricks. I was going through the castle and
freeing everyone I could find. I came around a corner and ran into
Mularky himself. He raised his wand, I fell asleep and woke up in
that blasted cage. I...” He trailed off, “Look...in the
sky...that is smoke! That is smoke coming from the direction of my
village! Boat, let me out on this bank...let me out now!”
The landed on a clear patch of
shoreline. Sir Diego leapt out and began running towards his
village. Suddenly he was tackled by three men who had been hiding in
the bushes. Bandits!
The princess could not leave her
new friend alone against such odds. She flew out of the boat and
dove into the fray.
“Princess!” the knight
called from under the pile, “Leave me! I can...oof...I can handle
this! Go help my village!” All four men rolled down the bank into
the river.
Help
Sir Diego? Turn to page 19
Fly
to the Village? Turn to page 20
Page 10
As the princess followed the two
mice through the dark and dusty passageway, Essie realized two
things. First, she would never be able to find her way back without
guidance. Second...Mr. Oliver P. Fluff liked to talk. He really
liked to talk.
“...swinging by his whiskers
into the beehive. That was quite a birthday, I can tell you.” He
chuckled to himself. “But what about you my lady? Have you made
any progress in finding the sword?”
Princess Esperanza tilted her
head to the side, “Sword? What sword?”
The Fluffs exchanged a look of
surprise. “Why, the Sword of Secrets, dearie,” said Rebecca just
as Oliver began, “We just assumed you had been captured just like
all them others who had been searching...”
Essie's head shook, “What is
the Sword of Secrets?”
This time Mr. Fluff spoke first.
“The Sword of Secrets is said to be the only thing that can break
the curse on this land.” He paused to push aside a cobweb. “Why
it was 10 years ago this week that the great Sorcerer Mularky invaded
this land and enslaved its inhabitants. Stories say that only the
Sword of Secrets can break his power. Many have gone
searching...none have returned.”
To
search for the Sword, turn to page 15
To
confront Mularky, turn to page 16
Page 9
“I won't leave another poor
creature caged for people to stare at,” the princess seethed. She
saw that Sir Diego's cage had a large lock holding it closed. The
keyhole looked big enough for her to reach into. She flew down to
the lock and gently felt the inner mechanism. She closed her eyes
with concentration, “If I push this here...and jiggle this
latch...” The lock sprang open to the delight of both the fairy
and the knight.
Sir Diego lept from his cage,
grabbed the support rope and swung down to the ground. “Come on,”
he called over his shoulder, already at a full run.
The princess joined him as they
went up the stairs. The staircase was pitch black except for the
flickering of an occasional torch. Noises echoed down to them as
they climbed. Screetches, wails and howls sent shivers up Essie's
spine. “I wish I had my wand,” she said.
“I wish I had my sword,” Sir
Diego said.
They came to the top of the
stairs and froze. Standing in front of the door was a large,
snarling dog. It's eyes blazed with fire and drool fell from its
bared teeth. “It looks like Mularky was expecting my escape,”
the knight sighed.
The hound began moving towards
them, eyes locked on the fairy with its hackles rasied, ready to
pounce. Essie's heart raced.
To
try calming the dog, go to page 13
To
try fighting the dog, go to page 14
Page 11
“TICKETS! PLEASE!” the
upriver seahorse yelled.
“Okay, okay.” Essie flew in
front of the magical carving. “We don't have any tickets, or
money, but we would like to travel upriver. How could we pay for
passage?”
The seahorse was silent for a
moment. A blessed, peaceful moment. Its voice then rang out, “Your
ticket shall be a song! A great and glorious song! For as long as
you sing your song, I shall take you upriver. The moment you stop
singing, I shall overturn and dump you into this river. Are we
clear?” The princess nodded and began to open her mouth, only to
be cut off by the seahorse,
“The song must, MUST, be about...a
window!”
The other seahorse head groaned
deeply, “I warned you about that one.”
So they set out. Essie made up
a song while the good knight inserted a deep “Tra-la-la” whenever
she ran out of ideas. It went something like this:
“I looked out the window of
Castle LaMame
And I saw a dragon attack it
with flame
Tra-la-la. Tra-la-la.
The soldiers responded, the
children did flee
Till the only one left in the
castle was me.
Tra-la-la. Tra-la-la
Should I fight, should I hide,
should I beg for my life
To the window I returned, to
watch all the strife.
Tra-la-la.
Tra-la-la-la-laaaaa.
Keep
singing? Turn to page 17
Enough
of this silliness already. Turn to page 18
Page 8
Essie found the rope that held
Sir Diego's cage in the air and followed it to the ground. It was
tied to an anchor in the ground by a knot, held in place by a pin.
“Make sure not to pull the...”
the knight yelped as his cage plummeted to the ground, “ugh...pin,”
he mumbled.
“Come on. Get up.” The
fairy hovered over the broken remains of his cage. “Let's head for
the river.”
Sir Diego staggered to his feet
and followed the glowing princess down towards the water. On the
bank they came across a golden canoe with identical seahorse
figureheads at both ends of the vessel.
Sir Diego sat down in the middle
and searched for a paddle while she flew higher in the air, trying to
figure out which way they should go.
“Tickets, please.” A high,
shrill voice rang through the cave. There was a pause and then it
called out again, “Tickets, please!”
“They don't have tickets, you
fool,” replied a low, rumbling voice. Sir Diego and Princess Essie
looked at each other and each shrugged, both confused.
“Tickets! Please!” The
exasperated voice was coming from one of the seahorse figures on the
boat.
“Listen, here's the deal,”
the other seahorse turned its head and talked to the two passengers.
“Either you can come up with some kind of payment to give to 'Mr.
Tickets Please' and go upriver or you can ignore him and we can go
downriver.”
Upriver?
Turn to page 11
Downriver?
Turn to page 12
Page 7
The princess shot out of the
hole in the top of her cage, eyes darting around, looking for some
clue as to her location. The room was filled with cages and
trinkets, shiny golden objects and frightening items that oozed evil.
Jarvil groaned behind her and Essie knew that she didn't have much
time.
“Quickly, come this way!” a
sharp voice called from the other side of the room. Essie spotted a
brown mouse standing by a hole in the wall, waving at her with its
paw, “Yes, quickly! You must not be caught again!”
It darted into the hole as the
princess heard, “Look, Mr. Fingers, she's escaped! I know, I know!
Stop yelling at me and catch her!”
The small fairy flew past the
man's face, feeling his hot breath on her wings. She zigged and
zagged through the air as he batted at her with his hands She flew
as fast as she could up to the ceiling and then dove for the hole in
the wall, just before Jarvil could reach her. She rolled into the
safety of darkness. Jarvil crashed into the wall and fell to the
floor again.
Two mice were there to greet the
brave princess. “That was a fair piece of flying, my lady,” the
first mouse said, “The missus and I were just saying we had not
seen better in a long time.” He helped the fairy to her feet.
“There you go. Oliver P. Fluff at your service. And this here is
my wife, Rebecca.”
“I am Princess Esperanza, but
you can call me Essie.”
“Well Essie, follow us. Let's
go someplace to talk.”
Page 6
Essie flew out of her prison and
looked around. This might be her only chance to escape. But she
couldn't just leave that poor man lying there if he was injured. She
flew over and landed next to Jarvil's ear. “Sir? Sir? Are you
okay?” The janitor's eyes blinked a few times. He began to sit
up, moaning. “That was quite a fall you took. Easy...easy.”
She hovered in front of Jarvil's face. “Does anything feel hurt?”
The man rubbed the top of his
head and his lower back. His eyes finally focused on the princess
and he let out a low whistle,
“Wouldja look at that, Mr. Fingers.
A really truly flyin' fairy. She glows and everything. That she
does, Mr. Fingers. That she does.” He cocked his head to the
side, “Why is you still here, miss? Most little ones that my
master collects run away as soon as they gets the chance. But you
stays. Why?”
“I had to see if you were hurt
and try to help,” she said simply. “Why are you here?”
“If Jarvil and Mr. Fingers
don't be doin their chores, master chains us up and don't feed us.”
he said, just as simply.
Essie was shocked, “Why
Jarvil, that is terrible! Why do you not leave?”
Jarvil shared a look with his
hand, “We've tried, haven't we Mr. Fingers? Yes we have tried.
The Master has an enchantment on his gate, the only way in or out of
his mansion. There is a riddle to answer to get out and it is too
hard for me...to hard even for Mr. Fingers.” He looked down sadly,
“We've been stuck here a long time.”
The princess set her jaw and a
determined gleam shone from her eyes, “Jarvil, it is time you were
free of this place. Take me to this magic door and we will both get
out of here.”
The man nodded and stood up.
They both agreed that it would be safer for the fairy if she rode in
his sleeve, so as not to be seen. In a few short minutes they
arrived at the gate. It was large and black with the riddle
engraved:
Fire and Water mixed together
Only appears after dismal
weather
Jarvil read it out loud a few
times, groaning. Essie just smiled. He squirmed and giggled as she
flew up his sleeve to whisper into his ear. A great smile spread
across his face as he bellowed, “RAINBOW!”
The gates creaked and cracked as
they scraped open. The man held up his hand to his face, “After
you, Mr. Fingers, sir.” Together Mr. Fingers and Jarvil and Essie
walked, and flew, out of their captor's mansion and into the
sunlight.
“Where will you go now?” the
princess asked Jarvil. “We don't really know,” he said, “Have
no family or friends to speak of.”
“Answer this riddle and you
can come to the Fairy Meadow with me.
Quick to make. Slow to lose.
Close as Family, but you can
choose.
Another smile came to Jarvil's
face. “Friends.”
So the riddle was finally
answered.
Page 5
“I can use these trails of
light to find a way out of here,” she said with excitement. The
candlestick was still pulling in the light from her wings, but it was
also pulling in light from other places, offering the princess a few
different light paths to choose from.
One trail went straight up.
Princess Esperanza followed it to a high window that overlooked the
forest. “Home!” she exclaimed. “I found a way out!” she
called down to the deep voice.
“Go then! Save yourself but
remember those of us who are still trapped in this pit!” the voice
replied.
Essie used her ring to cut
another circle in the window pane and flew out calling, “I'll be
back, I promise you!”
She flew straight for her home,
the great Fairy Castle of Riverwood. There she told her father, the
king, all about her abduction, imprisonment and escape. King Elric
summoned all his soldiers and allies to right this wrong. Essie
herself led the army of fairies, birds and woodland creatures to the
tower window where she had escaped. Inside the tower they found
dozens of mystical creatures imprisoned. Elves and fairies and
dryads and griffons and gnomes, all in cages in the darkness. The
captives were freed and led out of the dark. There were three other
towers in this castle that were also holding magical prisoners,
including one baby dragon. The castle was cleared and then burned to
the ground, courtesy of the baby dragon of course.
The captives all shared stories
about how they came to be in that castle and one consistent story
appeared. A wizard had been travelling through their lands with a
caravan, The Magnificant Mularky. He had then either given them a
sleeping potion or used a spell upon them and loaded each prisoner
into his wagons without anyone noticing. No one knew what his plans
were, but they all knew they were glad to be free of them.
King Elric sent messengers out
to each of the prisoners' familys and invited everyone to stay in his
kingdom for as long as they liked until their escorts arrived. That
night he began a celebration unlike anything that had ever been seen
before. Mystical creatures from all over the world ate, drank, sang
and danced together, forgetting old rivalries and grievances.
Essie stood outside one of the
dancing circles, taking it all in.
“I wanted to thank you,” She
recognized the deep voice from the tower.
She turned around and froze.
The dark-haired fairy was instantly recognizable, “Prince Gerard!
Everyone thought you were out exploring for the past two years.”
“One and a half years of
exploring, six months of capture. And I have you to thank for my
release.” A warm, deep smile spread across his face. “Would you
join me in this dance?”
The Prince barely had time to
set down his drink before Essie pulled him into the circle.
And for all I know they may be
dancing still.
Page 4
Princess Esperanza strained her
eyes to look at the candlestick carefully. It was hard to see
anything in the dark, but she could make out some faint elvish
writing, “Breath of light, by day or night.”
She smiled to herself, thanking
her fairy teachers for all those boring lessons when she was a child.
She flew up to one of the candle wicks and took in a deep breath.
The candles lit instantly. “Exhale and the light goes out, inhale
and the light returns,” she said proudly.
With the light filling the room,
Essie took a moment to examine her surroundings. She was in a cave
filled with strange items and boxes. Empty cages lined the walls. A
river ran through the bottom of the cavern while a set of stairs was
visible in the other direction. The princess thought that she was
alone here until the familiar deep voice echoed, “That was
impressive.”
Essie looked up to see a cage
hanging from the top of the cave with a young man inside it. She
flew up to see him. “What's going on?” she asked. “Why are we
trapped here? And who are you?” she added on.
“My name is Sir Diego,” he
gave a small bow in his cage. “We are in the holding cells of the
Magnificant Mularky's World of Wonders. He is angry at me for
freeing his exhibits and I believe you were to be the first
replacement. If you will release me we could either escape by way of
the river or we could go through the World of Wonders to make sure
there are no other creatures being held against their will.”
Take
the River? Page 8
Take
the Stairs? Page 9
Page 3
The princess felt a deep calm
fill her. “I don't know who is out there, but I am not scared at
all. Let them come to me and we will figure this whole thing out.”
She was so relaxed that she lay down on the floor, wrapped herself
in her wings, and took a nap.
She was awakened by the sound of
a creaking door and shuffling feet. A golden candlestick suddenly
flared with a brilliant light that made the fairy cover her eyes.
When she could reopen them, she saw an old man in tattered, brown
clothes with a broom and duster.
“Gots to keep the goodies
clean,” the man blew his long white hair out of his face as he
hummed his song, “Scrubby dubby red and green.”
Essie tilted her head as she
watched him work. His right hand was busy with the dusting,
straightening and mopping. His left hand simply stayed by his left
ear and opened and closed with the words.
“What's that Mr. Fingers?
Oh...” the man turned around and looked straight at the fairy, eyes
growing wide, “Right you are, Mr. Fingers. We do have a new
guest. Jarvil didn't even notice. Go get the master, must go get
the master.” Jarvil dropped the duster and turned to run out of
the room. His eyes never left the fairy. Which is why he never saw
the broom. Jarvil let out a yelp as his feet got tangled with the
broom handle. He fell to the ground. The broom flew to the air and
landed on Essie's dome, punching a hole through the glass.
To check on Jarvil, turn to page 6
To
investigate the room, turn to page 7
Page 2
The princess stood up, “There
is no way I am going to just sit around here and wait to find out if
I am in danger.” She flew to one of the glass walls and began
tapping on it with her fingers.
Tap tap. Tap tap. Tap clink.
Her eyes shot to her hand. “My ring! My diamond ring! Of course.
Diamonds can cut through glass.” Esperanza turned her ring around
so the gem was next to the palm of her hand and then she began to
etch a large circle in the glass. Around and around she moved her
hand; with each pass she felt the groove in the glass becoming deeper
and deeper. Finally she stepped back and gave the circle a great
kick. The glass fell out with barely a sound.
Princess Esperanza climbed
through her escape hatch and looked around. She was clearly standing
on the table that held her cage, but there was no more light out here
than there was inside her prison. “Why is it so dark in here?”
she asked out loud.
“It is the Cursed
Candlestick,” came a deep voice from across the room. “Instead
of bringing light to a room, it sucks all the light away. I have
been sitting in darkness for two weeks now and was beginning to
forget what light looked like until I saw your wings.”
The room grew darker as Essie's
glow was sucked away to a different part of the room. She followed
the light trail and rubbed her chin as she hovered in front of a
large, golden candlestick.
To try breaking the enchantment,
turn to page 4
To continue trying to escape in
the dark, turn to page 5
Page 1
Caught!
Darkness. The Fairy
Princess Esperanza woke up in complete darkness. She did not know
where she was or how she got here or how long she had been lying on
this pitch-black floor. Panic welled up inside of
her as she struggled to come to her senses. “What happened? Where
am I? Is anyone there?” she called out.
Silence was the only reply
she heard.
The Princess stood up and
decided that she was tired of worrying about the dark. She closed
her eyes and squeezed her hands into fists while stretching her wings
as far as they could go. The veins in her wings began to glow
brighter and brighter. Soon, she was surrounded by a warm, white
light that reached to the end of her outstretched arm. “Now then,
let's see where I am.”
It did not take long for the
small fairy to find her way to a clear glass wall, and then another.
And another. And another. She tried flying but bumped into the
glass dome not far off the ground.
Trapped inside a glass prison!
How did she get here? Essie's mind raced as she tried to remember
what had happened while she looked for an escape.
She ran her hands along the
smooth glass, trying to feel a crack. “I was in the forest,
checking on the new litter of baby rabbits. Their mother was
feeling snacky so I went to pick some carrots from Farmer Green's
patch. I took a shortcut through Fairy Meadow...and then everything
went dark. What happened?”
Try as she might, the princess
could not remember anything else. She sat down in the middle of her
cage and spun the ring on her finger as she thought. “Well.
Someone caught me and is holding me here. Someone does not want me
to know where I am, but they also have not hurt me either. I suppose
I could either try to find some way to escape or just wait here and
see what happens.”
What should Princess Esperanza
do? You get to decide. At the end of each chapter will be a choice
for you to make. Choose your own adventure:
To
try escaping, turn to page 2
To
wait and see what happens next, turn to page 3
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