Mouse and the Dragon Crystal

8/21/2019 Mouse and the Dragon Crystal

1/21

eborah Tipp

MOUSE AN THE

RAGON CRYSTAL

Book One of The Willow Tree Trilogy


2/21

Copyright © Deborah Tipp (2015)

The right of Deborah Tipp to be identified as author of this work

has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 7 of

the Copyright! Designs and "atents #ct 1$%

#&& rights reser'ed% o part of this pub&ication ay be

reproduced! stored in a retrie'a& syste! or transitted in any

for or by any eans! e&ectronic! echanica&! photocopying!

recording! or otherwise! without the prior perission of the

pub&ishers%

#ny person who coits any unauthori*ed act in re&ation to this

pub&ication ay be &iab&e to criina& prosecution and ci'i& c&ais

for daages%

# C+" cata&ogue record for this tit&e is a'ai&ab&e fro the ,ritish

-ibrary%

+., $7 1 7/55 $ 0 ("aperback)

+., $7 1 7/55 $/ 7 (ardback)

www%austinacau&ey%co

irst "ub&ished (2015)

#ustin 3acau&ey "ub&ishers -td%25 Canada .4uare

Canary harf

-ondon

61/ 5-

"rinted and bound in 8reat ,ritain


3/21

#cknow&edgents

There are so any peop&e + wou&d &ike to thank so here goes %%%irst&y to a&& y fai&y and friends who read y book!

because without their &o'e and support this book wou&d ne'er

ha'e been pub&ished and + thank the! with a&& y heart%

3y sister! #&i% 3y u% 3y dad% 3y gray% 3y brother!

9obert% 3y cousin! 3atthew% :ur 'ery own 3ouse! 3egan

&ower%

#nd thank you to y aa*ing husband 9ich and y three boys! 3atthew! ;ordan and .aue& who had to put up with e

tapping away on the "C constant&y<

3y friends! e&en = 3ark &ower! .arah a&&ett! Danie&&e

3inche&&a! ,en 8riffiths! #e&ia -a&ey%

+ a&so ha'e a huge thank you for #ndy ,rown (Tikia>

Digita& Design)! who &o'ed and cared for y book near&y as

uch as e<

#&& of you ha'e ade y drea coe true%%%


4/21


5/21

Chapter One

3ouse awoke to bright&y co&oured ba&&oons and banners

festooned around her bedroo! on that ear&y .epteber

orning% +t had been a good suer this year with p&enty of

&ong! bright! war days and sun&ight was bursting through the

b&inds at her window! casting &asers of &ight across the four

wa&&s% Today was her twe&fth birthday and she had hinted! on

ore than one occasion what she wou&d &ike fro her u

and dad this year% ot that the presents fro pre'ious

birthdays had been disappointing! but she was tru&y hoping

that the nuerous pointers had paid off% The e>citeent was

too uch and she wondered at the surprises ahead% .he si&ed

to herse&f at the thought of her u and dad shopping for her

present! scurrying hoe to hide it before wrapping it up! andthen eager&y awaiting to see her face when she opened it%

.he cou&d hear the bust&ing about downstairs! no doubt

getting her breakfast set out on a tray! to bring up to her with

her presents! as they did e'ery year% They wou&d be

whispering and working together without e'en trying! and

they wou&d be aking e'erything ?ust right for her% .he was

their on&y chi&d and she knew she was s&ight&y spoi&t! but shehad been to&d on se'era& occasions that she was a we&&

@groundedA! and not at a&& se&fish chi&d% #fter she was born!

her parents had been unab&e to ha'e any ore chi&dren! so no

brothers or sisters! for reasons she had yet to understand%


6/21

#pparent&y this was soething that wou&d be e>p&ained to her

when she was o&der% Therefore! a&& their attention! tie and

&o'e was poured o'er her! and gratefu&&y recei'ed%

The fai&y had on&y o'ed to the 'i&&age a few weeksago! during the schoo& suer break! but a&ready 3ouse

&o'ed it% .he &o'ed the house! which was o&d and

characteristic! fu&& of creaky f&oorboards! wonky wa&&s and

sa&& deep windowsB she &o'ed the &arge! &ush green garden

which was grassy ost&y but a&so had se'era& app&e trees

&aden with de&icious fruit this tie of the yearB and she &o'ed

the peacefu&! but bust&ing 'i&&age where you cou&d a&ways find

a si&ing face! a chatty neighbour and p&enty of co&ourfu&shops fi&&ed with new and e>citing goods% The 'i&&age of

i&&owdown was fair&y &arge with three schoo&sB a priary! a

idd&e and a secondary schoo&! a&& either in the 'i&&age or

within a i&e or so! on the outskirts% There were a coup&e of

parks! a 'ariety of shops and a 'ariety of houses in a&& sorts of

sty&es! and of a&& ages% .he had wa&ked past her schoo& on

se'era& occasions and wondered what it wou&d be &ikeB newfriends to eet! new &essons to be &earnt and new ru&es to obey

in a .econdary .choo&% .he was s&ight&y apprehensi'e about

starting ,ig .choo& in a new area where she knew noEone!

but she was a&so &ooking forward to what &ay ahead% The

schoo& was ade up of a scattering of o&d bui&dings! with a

p&aying fie&d for sports on one side of the site and a &arge

p&ayground on the other% The bui&dings these&'es were ade

of a du&&! red brick and &ooked as o&d as her 8randa< Therewere hanging baskets! co&ourfu& and hea'y! hanging on the

outside of one bui&ding which she had assued ust be the

entrance%

The schoo& was on the edge of the 'i&&age and she wou&d

ha'e a de&ightfu& wa&k through the shops to get there e'ery

day% There were the nora& newsagents! cheist and f&orist

shops! which she was used to seeing% ,ut this 'i&&age had souch ore to offerB aongst which was a butchers

(soething she had ne'er coe across before)! a book shop!

an anti4ue shop and craft shop% 3ouse &o'ed to read and paint!


7/21

so the book shop and the craft shop had been on her &ist to get

to know intiate&y% #&& in a&& it was a peacefu& 'i&&age with

&ots to e>p&ore and &ots to &earn for a&& the fai&y%

-i'ing in the city had been fast and ipersona& and noEone seeed to ha'e the tie or inc&ination to catch up with

each other! so this was the 4uiet and friend&y country &ife they

had a&& cra'ed! and for different reasons for each of the%

3ouses u had been offered a prootion with the bank in

the City! where she had worked for any years! and she had

been asked to be the 3anager of the i&&owdown ,ranch%

3ouse had been born in the city and had grown up in the city%

They had &i'ed in a sa&& townhouse on the outskirts of theCapita& and unti& she had o'ed to i&&owdown! she had

thought she had the perfect &ife% The house was a spacious id

terrace house with two good si*ed bedroos! a sa&& &ounge

and a &arge kitchen dining area% er bedroo had been

decorated in pa&e greens and it had a / foot bed with a desk

ne>t to it! for a&& her books and pictures% .he had &o'ed her

bedroo as it o'er&ooked the .outh ester&y facing garden atthe back of the house% The garden was a reasonab&e si*e with a

&awn at the end and an area of decking for the garden furniture

outside the patio doors of the &ounge% 3ouse cou&d picture her

dad cooking succu&ent arinated eats on the barbe4ue ?ust

outside the patio doors on a hot suers day! and her u

preparing the 'arious sa&ad dishes to accopany the hot food!

in the coo&ness of the kitchen% They worked we&& as a tea!

the three of the! a&ways chatting easi&y together and gigg&ing&ike schoo& chi&dren! and it was an easy decision for her dad to

o'e to a cop&ete&y new area! for her us career%

.o thanks to her dads easy going nature! they had o'ed

to i&&owdown and so far it had suited a&& of the%

er dad worked a&& o'er the p&ace F soeties he wou&d

be in the ne>t 'i&&age and other ties he cou&d be away fro

hoe for a who&e week! tra'e&&ing around the country with his ?ob which was soething to do with coputers and he&ping

peop&e fi> the% +t seeed to 3ouse that there were an awfu&

&ot of peop&e who didnt e'en know how to use a coputer


8/21

proper&y< +t was a good ?ob there were e>perts &ike her dad! on

hand to he&p the si&&y peop&e who bought coputers and then

anaged to break the%

G

:f course 3ouse wasnt her rea& nae but because of her

fair co&ouring and 4uiet nature! it had been soething her

father had ca&&ed her since she was a todd&er and it had ?ust

stuck! she cou&dnt reeber any of her fai&y ca&&ing her

anything e&se< .he wou&d ha'e to introduce herse&f at schoo& by her gi'en nae! 3o&&y eston! but undoubted&y before

&ong! e'eryone wou&d ca&& her 3ouse% .he &iked the fee&ing of

fai&iarity when peop&e ca&&ed her 3ouse! it ade her fee&

happy%

.he drifted out of her thoughts as she heard footsteps and

gigg&ing outside her roo%

The door f&ew open accopanied by a chorus of appy

,irthday and the se&& of bacon and eggs drifted into her

roo! 4uick&y fo&&owed by her u and dad%

@appy ,irthday beautifu& gir&!A her u s4uea&ed!

opening the b&inds! @and are you ready for presents and

breakfastHA 3ouse was sure her u was a&ways ore

e>cited on her birthdays and Christas than she was herse&f

but it was infectious and within seconds she was a&so caughtup in the oent% .he sat up! her eyes ad?usting to the

brightness of the day! and uch as she was desperate to see

what her presents were! the desire to tuck into her food

o'ercae her% They a&& sat on her bed! each with a tray pi&ed

high with their steaing hot breakfast on! and after a p&ate of

bacon! eggs! toast and cups of tea! she fina&&y &ooked at her

dad e>pectant&y for her cards and gifts%

@3! what ha'e we here!A her dad ub&ed! @&ooks

&ike a huge pi&e of cards for soeone ca&&ed 3ouse%%%%do we

know anyone of that nae hereHA he ?oked! as he handed her

the cards to open first% #&& three of the chattered easi&y as


9/21

she ripped open the en'e&opes to find the usua& 'ouchers and

oney fro 'arious fai&y ebers who were scattered

about the country! and a &arger! ore co&ourfu& one fro her

u and dad%

@+ suppose we shou&d gi'e her this sa&& present here!A

said her dad as he hea'ed a &arge bo> out fro behind hi!

wrapped in red and go&d paper! @not sure if its soething a

twe&'e year o&d budding artist wou&d want but%%%A e &et his

words hang idEsentence as 3ouses face &it up with

anticipation%

@appy ,irthday!A they both said together as they handedher the bo>! and she &et her hands drift o'er the wrapping

s&ow&y before pee&ing back the &ayers% +nside was the artists

bo> she had had her eye on for onths and in it e'erything

she cou&d ha'e e'er dreat ofI paste&s! co&oured penci&s!

waterco&ours! brushes and a pad of artists paper% #s she ga*ed

at a&& the different co&ours! her ind was a&ready a swir&ing

ass of shades and brightness! and of hope for the great

pictures to coe%

@:h! its ?ust perfect! + &o'e it! thank you sooooo uchc&aied! and threw her ars round her parents% 3ouse

had &o'ed to draw pictures of ?ust about anything e'er since

she cou&d ho&d a penci&! and this artists bo> briing with

her kind of treasures fi&&ed her with e>pectancy for the first

tie she put pen to paper and for what wou&d fo&&ow% ou&d

she draw a f&ower! wou&d it be an ania&! or wou&d it be soeagica& creature she cou&d ake up fro scratchH The

possibi&ities were! actua&&y! end&ess for 3ouse%

hi&e she sat &ooking at the bo>! her parents gathered the

breakfast trays and took the downstairs% 3ouse decided to

get up! get washed and dressed and go for a wander around

the 'i&&age! ared with her present! to see if she cou&d find

soe inspiration for her first sketch% .he picked up a&& thecards and p&aced the around her roo! picked up the

wrapping paper and headed downstairs% .he skipped down to

the kitchen! where her u and dad were tidying away the

trays and dishes!


10/21

@+ think +&& go and find a nice spot to start a picture!A said

3ouse! @+ think theres soewhere fair&y f&at to sit behind the

park! by that huge tree! you know the one F the one that

dang&es its branches rea&&y &ow%A

@Thats the i&&ow Tree that the town is naed after! its

supposed to be hundreds of years o&d!A infored her dad! @bet

that o&d tree has a ta&e or two to te&&!A he ?oked and winked at

her u%

er u si&ed! &owered her eyes deure&y and then

a&ost shook herse&f fro a drea! back to rea&ity%

@#nd ake sure you take your phone and soething toeat! ?ust in case you get carried away and end up there for

ages!A said her u%

@+d sur'i'e a onth on that breakfast we ?ust ate! but +&&

take soe fruit! ?ust in case!A she &aughed%

3ouse grinned at her u and dad! grabbed an app&e

fro the fruit bow&! a bott&e of water! and with a 4uick kiss for

her the both! she bounced out the door%

#t $%0 a the sunshine was war on her back and the

sa&& c&ouds scudding across the b&uest of skies ?ust

e>hi&arated her! she cou&dnt wait to sit down in a 4uiet spot

and &et the pictures in her head s&ow&y feed down to her hands!

and start the agic of her art% #s she ab&ed through the

sa&& residentia& streets of the sti&& 4uite s&eepy 'i&&age! she

recognised the se&&s of other breakfasts being cooked! thedistincti'e aroa of fresh&y c&eaned washing hanging on &ines

in back gardens! and the faint waft of a f&ower bed with each

&itt&e peta& aiing itse&f towards the warth of the sun%

.he headed into the shopping area of i&&owdown and a

who&e different set of sights and se&&s occupied her indB the

baker was arranging his window disp&ay with fresh&y baked

bread and 'arious scruptious cakes! the grocer pi&ing up hisfruit and 'egetab&es on the trest&e tab&es outside the front of

his shop and the f&orist! &ost in thought as she sang to herse&f

whi&st carefu&&y p&acing each type of f&ower in different 'ases%


11/21

The co&ours of the fruit! 'egetab&es and f&owers this tie of

the year were so 'ibrant<

3ouse si&ed to herse&f as she wandered into the ews

#gents! today was going to be a good day and she was goingto buy her fa'ourite sweets to he&p it a&ong% The shop was

busy at this tie of the day and she s4uee*ed behind a coup&e

of woen who were ta&king about the weather and how

beautifu& the war sunshine was% They g&anced at her as she

past with her &arge bo> tucked under her ar%

@hat ha'e you got there! sweetieHA asked one of the

&adies%@+ts y birthday today! + 12! and y u and dad

bought e an artists bo> with abso&ute&y e'erything inc&aied proud&y%

@e&&! + say! appy ,irthday! can we ha'e a peak! +

not sure +'e e'er seen a rea& artists bo> beforeHA

The two &adies &eaned in c&oser as 3ouse opened the bo>

to show the%

@3y word young &ady! what a beautifu& bo> of co&ours and

she a&ost burst with e>citeent and said! @e&& + going to

sit by the big o&d i&&ow Tree and see what coes to e!A

e>p&ained 3ouse! @it &ooks &ike a &o'e&y p&ace to sit with anice 'iew a&& around! and think about what co&ours + want to

use and%%%A she &ooked at the two &adies! @is there soething

wrongHA

The two &adies had &ooked at each other! and 3ouse had

detected a hint of unease%

@J no! no y dear! its ?ust that the i&&ow Tree is %%%

u! how do + put it %%% we&&! soe peop&e in this 'i&&age ha'esaid that strange things happen at the i&&ow Tree! isnt that

right! #nneHA The woan turned to her friend for

confiration%


12/21

@e&&! + dare say its a&& ?ust a &ot of nonsense! nothing to

back it up so + sure it wi&& be the perfect p&ace to sit and

draw your first picture y dear% .o! any idea what you wi&&

paintHA

@J! we&& + ha'e no idea yet but soething bright and

co&ourfu& + think!A answered 3ouse%

@hat a good idea F and you ha'e so any co&ours to

choose fro in that bo> and &ooked up at the two woen!

nothing cou&d dapen her ood and she cheerfu&&y rep&ied@+ sure it wi&& be ?ust perfect%A ,ut it didnt escape 3ouses

attention that the two &adies were sti&& e>changing weird

g&ances! so she &eft the whispering to each other whi&st she

chose her sweets! paid and &eft the shop%

.he cou&dnt he&p wondering to herse&f what on earth the

two &adies were ta&king about! but she didnt dwe&& on the odd

con'ersation for &ong as it was too nice a day! and she hadthings to do%

#s she was wa&king through the &ast street of shops! she

stopped to &ook in the #rt .tudios window! one day +

going to ha'e y art hanging in y own shop for e'eryone to

&ook at as they pass by! there wi&& be co&ourfu& tubs of f&owers

outside the door! and peop&e wi&& want to coe in to buy one

of y pictures thought 3ouse as she &ooked at the paintings

disp&ayed in the window% .oe were waterco&ours of the

scenery around the 'i&&age! soe were oi& paintings of fruit or

f&owers! but her fa'ourite was the sa&& picture in the front! in

a p&ain go&d frae! of the i&&ow Tree at the top of a sa&&

inc&ine behind the 'i&&age and the park% +t &ooked soehow

agica& to her! with the &ong sweeping branches near&y

touching the grass! and the sun&ight dancing around the base%

K3aybe there is soething specia& about that treeK! she thought!as the tiny picture he&d her capti'ated! at the shop window%

.he shook herse&f out of her deep thoughts and decided to go

in and ha'e a &ook at the rest of the co&&ection inside%


13/21

There were a&& sorts of pictures! &arge and sa&&! co&ourfu&

and p&ain in a&& shapes and si*es< There were e'en soe sa&&

scu&ptures that soeone had bra'e&y attepted! of 'arious

'i&&age bui&dings! that she had coe to recognise%

#s 3ouse g&anced around the shop a&& the co&ours swir&ed

around her head and she knew that she had to get out of the

shop and into the sunshine and get painting straight away< .he

shouted her goodbyes to the &ady in the shop who had been

watching 3ouse! and she rushed through the door into the

warth of the orning! stopped sudden&y and &ooked a&&

around her% hich way shou&d she head for soe peace and

4uiet and soe inspiration L it didnt need to be the tree soshe decided to try the park instead! but it didnt take &ong to

rea&ise that there were too any peop&e aboutB chi&dren

s4uea&ing on swings and s&ides and 3us chatting on the

benches with ha&f an eye on the energetic bodies which raced

about the% 3ouse si&ed as the other sa&&er chi&dren

whi**ed past her with &itt&e fear of the speed and heights of the

swings they were on! ob'ious p&easure on their &itt&e happyfaces%

.he wa&ked through the gate at the back of the park! up a

sa&& hi&& and ended up aking her way to the i&&ow Tree!

without e'en rea&ising that was where she was going% #s she

stood in front of the tree! she was aa*ed at the si*e of it! and

the different shades of greens and ye&&ows of the drooping

branches! @,eautifu&!A she whispered to herse&f! @so big and so

co&ourfu&%A

.he scooped back a few of the wi&&owy branches and

stepped KinsideK where it was a &itt&e coo&er! but sti&& bright

enough to see a&& the agica& co&ours that were fi&tering

through each &ow hung ar of this giant o&d tree% #s she

sett&ed down! she opened her sketch pad and ran her hand o'er

the fresh! c&ean! new page% .he c&osed her eyes for a oent

and iagined a&& the agica& things that this o&d tree cou&dha'e seen L "iratesB sword fighting around the base! round

and round! with the sound of the b&ades swishing and c&ashing%

itchesB using the &ea'es and sap for g&orious potions to ake


14/21

you in'isib&e or turn you b&ue for a ?oke% 8ob&insB p&aying in

and out of the branches in a gae of Tag% #nd DragonsB

beautifu& fire breathing creatures! using the tree as a hiding

p&ace fro the e'i& Mings and ueens who wanted to rid the

wor&d of the<

3ouse &et her ind wander for a whi&e &onger and then

opened her artists bo> and tried to decide what to use for her

first picture% .he chose the water co&ours because she wanted

the detai&s to run into each other! bright b&ues and greens!

erging with oranges and reds E a&& fiery around the edges%

.he dripped a sa&& aount of water into the pa&&et and

se&ected the ediu si*e brush to start with! and dipping thewet brush into the ?ade green co&our! she out&ined the

agnificent dragon% #s she &ost herse&f in her picture!

changing brushes for different parts! adding water to the

'arious co&ours! the dragon took a shape of its ownB with

&arge kind eyes! shades of greens! b&ues and purp&es! a &ong

tai& and ap&e wings to carry it off to faraway &ands% .he

finished off with a sa&& inferno of reds and oranges for thef&aes coing out of its nostri&s%

3ouse stopped and &ooked at the dragon% #nd as she put

down her brush to adire her first picture! she rea&i*ed that

shed been &ost in her own wor&d for ages% .he g&anced at her

watch! 11%00! which wasnt too bad! Kgood!K she thought to

herse&f! p&enty of tie to perhaps do another picture% .he

si&ed and c&osed her eyes in the warth of the sun!

shiering through the o&d tree to her face% +t was turning out

to be a perfect birthday%

er eyes snapped open as a sweeping noise fro the

branches of the big tree becae &ouder around her! and she

saw the hea'y branches dancing in front of her! swaying to

and froH

as she iaging it or did the &ea'es see to bespark&ingH -itt&e twink&es of &ightH .he cou&dnt be sure that

she was seeing c&ear&y! so she rubbed her eyes and &ooked

again% ,eyond the circuference of the trees cocoon! the


15/21

wor&d beyond seeed to get darker! which ade the &ea'es

see e'en ore g&ittery than beforeH

hat on earth was happeningH The branches of the o&d

tree were dancing in circ&es in front of her eyes< The treeseeed to be spinning round and round! spark&y and g&ittery!

faster and faster L

#&& of a sudden she fe&t di**y%

G

3ouse ad?usted her eyes s&ow&y to the diing &ight of

the tree! the sweeping noise got 4uieter and 4uieter! the

spinning got s&ower and s&ower and e'entua&&y the g&are fro

the &ea'es &essened bit by bit% .he shook her head! trying to

shake off the di**iness she had fe&t! thinking she ust be

going ad! sure&y a tree! e'en such a beautifu& tree as this!

cou&d not ha'e done what she thought it had ?ust doneH ad

she ?ust drifted into a deep s&eep in the warth of the sun and

dreat that the i&&ow Tree had spun round and round! that

the &ea'es spark&ed brighter than the g&itter shed used on a&&

her pictures as a sa&&er chi&dH

@8et a grip! 3o&&y eston! you idiot!A she said out &oud%

a'ing a good &ook at her hands! her ars and &egs! she

surised that she was sti&& in one piece! e'en though she fe&t

cop&ete&y shaken up and dis&ocated fro rea&ity% "erhaps

those two &adies had been right about the strange KhappeningsK

at the tree after a&&% .he now wondered what they had eant

and wished she had taken the tie to ask the%

.he &ooked down to her picture and it took a whi&e to

register but it had changed< 8one was the stereotypica& dragon

as ost peop&e wou&d iagine! and instead was an a&together

different face &ooking up at her fro the paper L it was a LDragonNuan type faceH

@hat on earth is happeningHA she said 4uiet&y to herse&f!

@where is y pictureHA


16/21

.he 4uick&y f&icked through the other pages of the sketch

pad! &ooking for her dragon but a&& of the were b&ank% .he

&ooked again at the new picture and rea&i*ed that e&eents of

her sketch were sti&& there! but transfored into soething

entire&y uni4ue%

The face was ost&y huan but with a &onger! wider nose

which! on c&oser inspection! was co'ered in perfect&y shaped!

shiny! sea green co&oured sca&es% The outh was s&ight&y

wider but sti&& had the sa&& sharp teeth she had drawn

origina&&y% ,ut it was the eyes that capti'ated her ost&y F big

wide eyes that were the co&our of the deepest ocean! a&ost

b&ack with ?ust a hint of b&ueNgreen%

hen she cou&d tear her eyes away fro the face she

&ooked at the side on iage of the body! of this strange

creature! crouched down &ooking as if it were ready to take off

in f&ight%

The creature had &ong shiny b&ack hair bi&&owing behind it

&ike a dark curtain% The ars were re&ati'e&y huan but had a

s&ight sca&ing down the outer side! ending in hands with four

&ong fingers and a &onger thub% ,etween the wrist and the

e&bow was a saggy f&ap of skin which seeed to be ?oined to

the waist of the creature! which &ooked a&ost transparent%

@:h y goodness! it has wings!A she whispered to herse&f%

#s she &ooked further down the body! she noticed &ong!

ath&etic &ooking &egs! again with a sca&ing down the outer sides

but the sca&es on the &egs were bigger and brighter than those

on the face or ars but ore of a sapphire b&ue co&our than

the green of the upper ha&f of the body% #nd &ast&y was the tai&%

# &ong sca&y tai&! with a fairyta&e pointed arrow on the 'ery

tip%

#s 3ouse took a deep breath! she ran her hands o'er the

picture! a&ost as if she cou&d fee& the creatures te>ture! its

warth and its 'ery breath% .he wasnt at a&& sure what wasgoing on but the picture was capti'ating none the &ess%


17/21

hat 3ouse had fai&ed to notice yet was! in fact! that it

wasnt on&y her picture that had transfored itse&f without

e>p&anation%

.he sighed as she drew her hands away fro the pictureand &ooked up proper&y for the first tie% +t seeed darker and

co&der% .he got to her feet and busied herse&f by putting her

picture down beside the trunk of the tree% .he put a&& her

paints and brushes away! safe&y in the bo> and c&osed the &id%

.he &eft the bo>! the picture! her app&e and her water &eant

up against the trunk and tentati'e&y ade her first step

towards the branches of the o&d tree! which were now eeri&ysti&&%

.he s&ow&y reached out her hand towards the dang&y

&ea'es and touched the carefu&&y! she started to pu&& the

back% The outside wor&d had transfored into a barren

&andscape and the &ight seeed &ike dusk on a &ate autun

e'ening< @hat on earthHA 3ouse e>c&aied%

#s she passed through the branches she stepped into ana&ien terrainB the iediate &andscape was f&at with sa&&

shrubs dotted about! grassy areas! sandy patches and a few

sa&& &akes% #s her eyes ad?usted to the di &ight! she cou&d

ake out ountains in the background! &arge ?agged

ountains with snow topped peaks%

3ouse cou&dnt o'e! she was in soe sort of shock but

surprising&y not at a&& scaredH 9ooted to the spot! she &ooked

c&oser at her surroundings! she cou&d see that the tiny! rounded

shrubs were grouped together in sa&& c&ups and had &itt&e

ye&&ow f&owers which had anaged to defy the &ack of &ight!

and grow in abundance% The grassy areas were 4uite 'ast in

p&aces! a&ost as big as her new schoo&s sports fie&d! but

&acked the &ushness of the fie&ds as the grass was &ong and dry!

b&owing gracefu&&y in the s&ight bree*e%

#&& of a sudden there was whoosh abo'e her head and adark shadow 4uick&y passed o'er< .he screaed and fe&& to

the ground! and with wide eyes tried to work out what had ?ust

happened L she cou&d see nothing% .he cautious&y got back to


18/21

her feet and &ooked around her% er head swished fro side to

side! &ooking for any sign of o'eent but e'erywhere was

sti&& F e'en the grass<

.he was then aware of a throbbing pain in her &eg! andwhen she &ooked down she rea&i*ed she had fa&&en on a sa&&

rocky patch and cut her knee% @:h great!A she said to herse&f!

@3u wi&& go ad! these were new &eggings and they now

ha'e a assi'e ho&e in thecited&y she painted as fast as she cou&d! but

within a oent! the branches had stopped% .he stared at

the! wi&&ing the to swir& and spark&e &ike they had the firsttie% #s she watched she saw a shadow *oo past and the

branches shook oentari&y! then once again! they stopped%

3ouse s&ow&y put her brushes and paints away inside the

bo>%


19/21

This wasnt working%

:nce a&& her e4uipent was safe&y put away in the bo>!

she sat sti&&! sipped at her water and unched on her app&e!

considering her options% .he cou&d stay under the tree! but shecou&d be here for ages L :r she cou&d try to seek he&p! which

eant going into unknown territory with no idea who or what

was out there%

hen the app&e was eaten and the water finished! she

stood up and began to hide her pri*ed possession with

surrounding fa&&en &ea'es fro the wi&&ow tree% .he wou&d

return for the &ater but for now she cautious&y steppedthrough the branches once again! ha'ing decided that being

bra'e was her on&y choice<

.he &ooked back at the huge o&d tree! which was eeri&y

sti&& and shadowy &ooking% er bo> wou&d be ?ust fine where it

was but she didnt want to stay near the tree for soe reason!

it was a&ost &ike she didnt trust the treeH

Then she &ooked towards the ountains L .he decided tostart wa&king towards the! which seeed a &ong way off but

the on&y p&ace that &ooked &ike there was soe sort of

protection fro L we&& fro anything<

.he kept her eyes pee&ed and her ears open% .he was

s&ight&y ner'ous and ore than a &itt&e cautious with e'ery step

she took% Thankfu&&y the wa&k to the ountains was fair&y f&at

so wa&king was not a prob&e! which was ?ust as we&& because

she had a &ong way to go<

.he had been aking s&ow progress for about an hour

when she cae to a c&up of the &itt&e f&owery shrubs and

decided to rest for a whi&e% .he headed into the idd&e of the

bushes and sat down aongst the &ong grass% .he &ooked back

the way she had coe and cou&d sti&& ake out the big i&&ow

Tree! but in the di &ight it seeed &ike ?ust a &arge shadow%

#s she &ooked towards the ountains! which sti&& &ooked i&esaway! she thought she cou&d see a sa&& strea of soke!

snaking its way into the bree*eH .he rubbed her eyes and

b&inked a few ties and &ooked again and sure enough!


20/21

a&though s&ight&y &ess now! there was definite&y soke up

ahead%

3ouse tried to decide whether this was a good sign or

soething she shou&d stay we&& c&ear ofL :n the positi'e! itcou&d ean there was soeone up ahead who cou&d he&p her

get back hoe% ,ut on the f&ip side! she had no idea who! or

what! was aking the fire near the ountains<

,efore she cou&d pu**&e at her situation a oent &onger

another whoosh! and another 4uick! dark shadow *ooed past

her o'erhead< .he ducked! screaed again and &owered

herse&f into the grass% .he ro&&ed into a tight ba&&! co'ered her face with her ars and cowered into the ground% #nd ?ust &ike

before! on&y seconds &ater! e'erything was sti&&%

,efore uncur&ing herse&f! 3ouse &istened to the si&ence!

waiting for soething! anything% #fter a few inutes she

rea&i*ed she was a&one in this unfai&iar wor&d once again% o

sounds! ?ust her hea'y breathing and her heart thudding

through her chest% o o'eent! e>cept for the s&ow re&ease

of her body fro the tight&y gripped ba&& of fear%

3ouse s&ow&y &ooked skyward L nothing% .he &ooked

around the &andscape L nothing! not e'en the sa&& trick&e of

soke near to the ountains%

.he was sudden&y o'ercoe with a sense of e>tree

&one&iness and worry%

@This is a drea! this isnt happening to e F where onearth am +HA she uttered to herse&f through big sa&ty tears!

which were s&ow&y running down her cheeks onto the ground%

.he sat in the sae spot for a few ore inutes! sobbing to

herse&f unti& she rea&i*ed that crying wasnt he&ping this odd

situation she was in% .he wiped the tears away with the back

of her hand and sat up straight! deterined to be bra'e and

continue her trek to the ountains! to get out of hars way%

.he needed to be hidden fro the open ground and she&teredfro any whooshing! shadowy things%

3ouse &ooked down at her knee! the b&ood had dried! but

where she had been sitting for a whi&e! her &eg fe&t a bit stiff%


21/21

.&ow&y she got to her feet and cast a 4uick! cautious &ook

around L no whooshing things% .he started to wa&k towards

the ountains to seek she&ter% +t was going to be a &ong

?ourney F the ountains sti&& &ooked sa&& and far! far away!

but 3ouse was deterined to get there as 4uick&y as possib&e

and with her head down! she set off at a rapid pace%

.he passed a nuber of sa&& &akes! fi&&ed with c&ear

water! but no sign of &ife% .he wa&ked fro one c&up of

shrubs to the ne>t! ginger&y p&anning her route as she went

a&ong% .he was 'ery aware of e'ery o'e she ade and

&istened for any new sounds which werent her footsteps

through the grass! or the swishing noise of her &egs against it%

.he had strode at such a speed that it wasnt &ong before

the ountains &ooked assi'e! and the co&d air fro their

snowy! c&oudy tips was fi&tering down to the &ower ground and

she cou&d see her breath in front of her%

3ouse ga*ed up at the enorous range of onstrous

shapes which the ountains had now becoe% .he wasnt at

a&& sure if reaching the was a good thing or a bad thing! she

wasnt sure of anything anyore<

#s the ground started to rise beneath her feet! her steps

becae hea'ier! and therefore s&ower% ro far away the

s&opes had &ooked gradua& but the rea&ity was e>tree&y

different! with the sides of the ountains becoing awkward

to c&ib a&ost iediate&y%

er eyes were frantica&&y searching for a sa&& ca'e or

opening in the great rocky hi&&side! for her to hide! in case of

any further une>p&ained goings on% er knee started to throb!

and she rea&i*ed that she had not on&y cut it but bruised it 4uite

bad&y L she needed to rest! and soon%

#fter another fi'e inutes of c&ibing and searching! off

to the &eft s&ight&y! she saw a tiny break in the bushes

surrounding what &ooked &ike a ca'e% #s she edged towards it!she rea&i*ed that entering an unknown ca'e in this wor&d cou&d

ean e>tree danger but she was too weary to think too uch

about that right now% .he ?ust wanted to rest%

Mouse and the Dragon Crystal

Documents

Transcript of Mouse and the Dragon Crystal