Ambrosia's Story (2 page)

“Ambrosia, you said that you wished yourself
here. How exactly did you do that?”

“Last night I read
The Black Unicorn
in bed. When it was time to go to sleep, I put the book under my
pillow and made a wish. I wished that I lived in the Mystical
Forest with all of you. When I woke up my wish had come true.”

“Why would you wish to leave your family and
come here?”

Tears began to form in Ambrosia's eyes and
Mirabella could sense her heart's agony. “It's alright Ambrosia,
you can tell me.”

“My mommy died last year in a car accident,”
Ambrosia said as she wiped at a runaway tear. “My step dad doesn't
like me. He drinks all the time and he is always so angry. When he
gets angry he hurts me.”

Mirabella reached out and placed her hand
over Ambrosia's finger. She closed her eyes and concentrated on
Ambrosia's thoughts. She could clearly see Ambrosia's stepfather
storming through a house calling Ambrosia's name. Ambrosia is
huddled in her closet crying softly. Her stepfather stumbles up the
stairs still screaming her name and spilling his beer along the
way. Ambrosia tries her best to be still, but he knows where she is
hiding.

He slams open the closet door and glares down
at her. “Get up,” he bellows.

Ambrosia comes from the closet, her small
body trembling with fear. “Please don't hurt me,” she pleads.

He lifts his hand and slaps her hard across
the face. “You shut up now, you hear me.”

Ambrosia placed her hands protectively over
her face. Her cheek has turned blood red from his assault. He
begins to shake her. “Get down stairs and make me something to
eat.”

Mirabella wishes to see no more. Tears have
wet her face. She looked up at Ambrosia, “No one will ever hurt you
again, Ambrosia, I promise.”

Ambrosia wiped her tears away and smiled down
at Mirabella.

“Is everything all right, Mirabella?”

Mirabella looked down to see Bean, the
sweetest gnome to ever breathe air, looking up at her with
concern.

“Bean,” Ambrosia said excitedly before
Mirabella could answer.

“How ... how does this human child know my
name?”

“It is complicated, Bean. I will talk with
you and the others in a moment.”

Ambrosia and Mirabella watched as Bean walked
away. He looked back at them one final time before disappearing
into the trees. “They have many questions and I don't have any real
answers, but we will work through this together.”

“You're not going to make me go back are
you?”

“You can't go back to that place, Ambrosia,
it is not safe. We will find a way to protect you and keep you
here. I have to figure out how all of this came to be before I can
protect you from the outside world. Right now, I need to speak to
the others and calm their fears. You can wait for me here or you
can wander through that grove of trees there,” she said pointing.
“On the far side you should find the unicorns grazing in the
meadow.”

Ambrosia jumped to her feet with pure
excitement.

Mirabella could not help but smile as she
watched Ambrosia run toward the trees. As she glanced back toward
the village she saw several doors slowly open and their occupants
step out into the morning air their faces filled with angst.

~ Chapter Two ~

Ambrosia slowed her pace as she reached the
end of the grove. As she stepped from the trees, she discovered the
unicorns grazing on the far side of the meadow. Her breath caught
in her throat from the unbelievable joy she felt at the sight of
them. Ambrosia sat down on a large rock and watched them graze. She
had imagined them a million times in her dreams, but now, truly
seeing them for the first time, she never could have imagined how
magnificent they truly were.

Jollah lifted his head and tossed his long
wild mane. He was so white he seemed to glow. Their eyes connected
and Ambrosia smiled at him. At first Jollah was startled by the
child's presence, but he could clearly smell Mirabella upon her and
knew she was of no danger to them. Jollah nuzzled Nadia and drew
her attention to the child.

Nadia whinnied softly. She too was white and
magnificent. Majik moved out from behind his mother and looked
curiously at her. Ambrosia's heart skipped a beat at the sight of
the young black prince. “You are so beautiful,” she said a
loud.

Majik began to make his way cautiously toward
her. His curiosity would not be denied. When he was inches from
her, she reached out slowly and rubbed his soft fur. She moved her
hand to his horn. It was rough like sandpaper. There was no glitter
on it; in her dreams, the unicorn horns were always covered in
glitter. Majik whinnied softly and Ambrosia scratched him behind
his ear.

Majik could sense Ambrosia's innocence and
goodness. He could also sense a heavy pain that weighted down her
heart like an anchor. Majik closed his dark eyes and his horn began
to give off a glow. Ambrosia's fingers tingled and felt warm. The
sensation moved up her arm and straight into her heart. Much of her
sadness lifted and she felt a strong desire to laugh. As she
laughed she hugged Majik around the neck until her arms ached.

After she let go Majik turned and trotted
back to his parents. The trio looked back at her before heading off
into the shelter of the trees.

Ambrosia watched them go until they
disappeared into the darkness of the forest. With her heart much
lighter, she knew that the books words were real, Majik would
protect her from all the bad in the outside world. She laughed and
danced among the flowers.

* * * *

“I know that all of you have many questions,”
Mirabella said. “The truth is I do not have all the answers. What I
can tell you is that the human child, Ambrosia, needs our
protection.”

“A human in the Mystical Forest can only be
trouble,” Raz, the elder of the elves said. Raz's big expressive
eyes showed his wariness as he shoved his hat back from his face.
It came to rest just behind his pointed ears. His long blonde hair
stuck out from under it.

“She is but a child, Raz, a child who has
suffered much pain in her short life. I will not send her back into
a world where she will not be safe.”

“If Mirabella says we must help this child
then that is what we must do. We must remember not so long ago it
was a troll, our mortal enemy, who saved our kind from
destruction,” Bean said.

“Where is Rom?” Mirabella asked.

“He went to Lilly Peak to gather some Lilly
dust for me,” Serena the pixie said, giggling, as pixies will
do.

“Ambrosia's heart is pure and full of pain.
This is the only home she knows.”

“How can she feel this is home when she just
got here?” Ellie the wood sprite asked confused by Mirabella's
statement. Ellie sat upon her mushroom home her long brown hair
shone in the sunshine. Her skin was pale and her features delicate.
Ellie's dazzling colored wings twitched nervously.

“Ambrosia brought something with her from the
human world.”

“What?” Bean asked.

“A book, a book entitled
Majik the Black
Unicorn
.”

Everyone fell silent. Mirabella let the news
sink in before saying, “It was written by a writer named Tammy
Marie Rose from a place Ambrosia calls West Virginia. The book is
about our battle with the trolls.”

“How? How could there be a book about the
Mystical Forest, when no one knows that we exist? This is not
possible ... just not possible.” Raz said, his voice reflecting his
fear.

“I wish that I could answer that question. I
wish that I could calm your fears, but the truth is I do not have
all the answers and I fear danger may be lurking in the not so
distant future.”

“What danger?” Ellie asked.

“In the human world Ambrosia was in a home
where she was not loved as a child should be. Her mother has passed
into the world beyond and her father was out of control with rage.
He hurt her. I sense that as angry as he is this man will not let
Ambrosia go so easily. For some reason I sense he has a great need
for her, but this need has nothing to do with the love a father
should have for a child.”

Raz was about to speak, but the sight of
Ambrosia coming out of the grove silenced him. They all watched her
approach. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the sunlight and her
brown hair was lifted gently by the morning breeze.

Ambrosia stopped several feet from them and
smiled.

“Come, Ambrosia, come sit here with me,”
Mirabella said gently.

Ambrosia sat down on the cool ground.
Mirabella fluttered up and landed softly on her leg. “Ambrosia this
is ...” she began, but Ambrosia cut her off.

“You are Bean, the gnomes elder. You have 21
grandchildren, 19 great grandchildren, 10 great, great
grandchildren, 5 great, great, great grandchildren and 3 great,
great, great, great grandchildren,” she said with a giggle. “You
love apples and are pure of heart.”

“I am my dear and I do. It is a pleasure to
meet you.” Bean removed his hat placing it beneath his snow-white
beard and bowed.

Ambrosia's excitement lightened his
heart.

Ambrosia looked around her. “You are Serena,
and you are Ellie and Raz ....” Ambrosia went on and on until she
had named every magical face before her.

The Mystical Forests inhabitants still had
many questions, but this child had already won over each and every
one of them with her smile.

* * * *

As the sun rose the next morning, Rom went to
work building Ambrosia a shelter. Fancy the fairy set about making
her clothes. Fairies are noted spinners and they weave and spin
their own clothes. Basil and Ogre quadrupled their recipes to
ensure she got enough nourishment. The entire village, without
further questions, had adopted this child.

While Rom built her a hut Ambrosia sat not
far away watching.
Majik, the Black Unicorn,
rested on her
lap. After working for several hours, Rom put down his tools and
came to rest beside Ambrosia. “You really love that book, don't
you?”

“Yes. I read it almost every night. It took
me away from where I was and to a wonderful place full of amazing
creatures. This book brought me here to the Mystical Forest where
no one can hurt me,” Ambrosia said with a bit of embarrassment.

“You should not feel shame for others
cruelty, Ambrosia. Do you wish to talk about it? I am a very good
listener,” Rom said placing his big troll hand over the top of her
small human one. Ambrosia squeezed his hand tightly. She could not
help, but wonder how such a gentle soul could be encased in such a
loathsome shell.

“My mommy died last year in a car accident.
My daddy drinks a lot and after mommy died, he began drinking a
whole lot more. The more he drank the angrier he got. At first, he
would just yell at me, but then he started hitting me ... hard. He
just doesn't love me.”

“Love is a funny thing, Ambrosia. I am new to
it myself. Some people are not capable of love.”

“You mean like Nog?”

“Just like Nog.”

“Maybe I just wasn't worth loving.” Ambrosia
began to cry.

Rom scooted over close to Ambrosia. He
reached up and put his arms around her dainty shoulders. “You are
so worth loving, Ambrosia.” She placed her head on his shoulder and
Rom comforted her until her tears dried up.

Mirabella, who sat high above on a tree limb,
wiped at the tears streaking down her face. She fluttered off and
left Ambrosia in the safety of Rom's arms.

When Ambrosia composed herself, Rom asked a
favor of her. “Ambrosia will you read your book to me?”

“If you want me to, yes.”

“I do.”

Ambrosia opened the book and began to read
the Preface. “Perhaps it is a place that exists only in a child's
imagination. Possibly, it is more. One may never know, but the
magical folks that call the Mystical Forest home are beckoning
...”

Rom listened in a state of disbelief. How is
it possible that someone from the outside world knew the story of
his or her lives? He closed his eyes and remembered that dark
day.

An hour later when Ambrosia closed the book
Rom had a chilling thought.

~ Chapter Three
~

“Mirabella, will you walk with me?” Rom
asked, finding her sitting on a rock watching the flow of the
rainbow waterfall. She always came here for solace.

“Of course.” She flew up and landed softly on
his shoulder. “What has your heart so heavy my friend?”

“I asked Ambrosia to read her book to
me.”

“I want to read its pages, but I have not yet
summoned up the courage to do so. Is it truly our tale Rom?”

“Every word is exactly as things took place.
As she read the words I pondered how could this writer know all of
this, how could she have gotten every word, every event right?”

“I do not know my friend, I wish that I did,
but I am at a loss. I sense that you have an idea that has brought
great sadness and confusion to your soul. What is it my
friend?”

“Mirabella, what if we do not exist, but
within the pages that book?”

The thought took the breath from her. She
felt as though a mighty weight sat upon chest. Could it be that
they were not flesh and blood, but merely words upon a page?

It could not be. She lived, she rejoiced, she
felt pain and fear. She was more than mere words; she had to be ...
they had to be.

* * * *

Daniel McDonald woke with a throbbing
headache. He pushed an empty bottle of booze from his chest. Slowly
he sat up, rested his elbows on his knees and rubbed at his
forehead. He stumbled into the bathroom and went through the
medicine chest for a bottle of aspirin.

After swallowing down three, he walked down
the hallway to the kitchen where he turned on the coffee maker. He
headed back down the hallway and threw open Ambrosia’s door. “Get
up and make me some breakfast.”