Molly spungle : The Secret of Red Stone

“And here is your way back, Molly,” Jackson Spungle went on to explain to his daughter, indicating the red rose trees. “They grow here as well as in our village.”

“I can no longer fly, father,” Molly told him forlornly.

“But you can still dance and that will allow you to enter the World Outside again. The Invisible Divide also encloses the forest and is a part of it, Molly, as I told you.”

“That’s wonderful, father! When the moon is full, round and deeply yellow, I can dance my way back to the Hills of Halle to rescue my friends and family! But I will have to walk on their ground, I’m afraid.”

“That cannot be helped this time,” responded Jackson. “I’m sure it will make no difference whether you touch the ground or not.”

Molly filled him in on the rest of what happened since she had arrived without warning in Fielders Forest. He listened solemnly as she spoke, his fingers smoothing his long beard.

When she finished, he spoke thoughtfully. “The red stone created a shelter for you, Molly, and for the king. Perhaps one of these people can go with you to the Hills of Halle. I will not permit you to go alone. It is not safe.”

At this point, he reached inside his coat, bringing out a small packet, which he handed to her. “I have a little of the lattis flower powder for healing. I’m afraid you have an important choice to make, my daughter.”

“A choice, father?” Molly asked, bewildered by his suddenly grave expression.

“This powder can also repair your damaged wings,” he told her. “You must choose to use it to heal King Simon or your wings. There is not enough for both.”

A sense of joy swept through the young fairy at the thought of being able to fly again. However it lasted for only a brief time as she thought of the severe wound the king had endured. “Without it, the king may not recover,” she whispered. Molly, silent for a long while, finally made the only decision she felt was right. “I will apply it to King Simon’s wounds,” she told her father. “He needs it more than I.”

“I’m very proud of you, Molly, for your great sacrifice,” said her father, his face beaming.

Molly took the packet gratefully. “He needs all the help he can get after such a frightful wound.”

“Perhaps King Simon will be better by the time the moon is full again and he could go with you. We have about three weeks until then. I feel quite sure the king would like to get hold of Jar-Ed and his men.”

Molly, knowing her father was right and that she could do nothing to help her friends alone, had to be content.

“We will do the best we can to get the king well again, father. Hoddi is his sworn servant and will probably want to go as well.”

Jackson Spungle nodded. “I will return just before the moon becomes full to assist you in any way I can. However, I am unable to go with you and must conserve my strength until all is ready, so I can appear to you in this form.”

Much to her surprise, Molly watched the father she loved so much fade away before her eyes, leaving her feeling bereft. She consoled herself with the thought he would soon return.

A week later the king was able to move around the castle, his wounds healing quickly from the application of the powder from the lattis flower. He was grateful for all the care and devotion Molly and Hoddi gave him. King Simon grew stronger every day, the awful pallor gradually leaving him and a healthy color entering his cheeks.

They endlessly discussed what they would do when the walls to the World Outside vanished. “If I could find my way back to my palace, I could round up the men whom I’m sure are still loyal to their king. Then we can capture Jar-Ed and his little army and rescue your friends,” promised King Simon.

“Sounds like a very good idea to me,” declared Hoddi. He was going with his master, come what may, he vowed.

Every day Molly visited the red dragon, petting his face and whispering to him. He remained encased in the red stone which made Molly doubt the truth of the words she read every day on the plaque beside him. She wondered if he would spend his life in this manner.

The time seemed to pass more quickly than usual and suddenly it was only a couple of days before the moon would again be full and deeply yellow in the night sky of the forest.

Molly made her way to the clearing where the rose trees stood, finding her father already there. She informed him of the king’s return to health and the plans they had made to rescue the Spungle fairies who were in much danger at the Hills of Halle.

“I am glad they are going with you Molly,” replied her father, a relieved smile replacing his worried look. “And the king’s own men will prove a definite asset.”

They sat close together for a long time, enjoying each other’s company. Molly felt unsure as to when or if they would ever meet again. Tears begin to well up in her eyes at the thought.

Jackson comforted his only daughter, his arm firmly about her shoulders. “Do not worry, Molly, I feel sure we will be together again when all of this is over.”