The Orchard of Hope (5 page)

“I’m keeping up.”

That was the end of the
conversation for a while because the rain was now starting to come
down so heavily that the noise of the drops on the leaves became
too loud for anything else to be heard. It sounded like a rushing
river pouring vertically over them.

“Is this normal?” Kelsey shouted
above the noise.

“Yes,” Roland answered, but he
seemed unaffected by the water. He was walking in front and didn’t
look backwards when he spoke. The two girls followed single file
down the narrow path behind him.

“How should I know?” Maggie asked
in annoyance. “I’ve never been here before.”

Kelsey wanted to ask how long the
rain would last, but she decided not to attempt any more
conversation while the rain was so loud. She also wanted to figure
out a way to talk to Roland without Maggie asking about her
invisible friend or assuming that Kelsey’s conversation was
directed at her.

The rain showed no sign of letting
up, and the path quickly became muddy and slippery as a stream of
water washed over it. Roland didn’t have any trouble on the slick
ground. His footing was solid even when the path wasn’t. Kelsey and
Maggie, however, both struggled and occasionally slipped,
especially when they were trying to go uphill. Kelsey wondered if
Roland had special boots that gripped the earth through the
mud.

The wind gusted and whipped
Kelsey’s hood off her head, and her hair was soaked almost
immediately. Both of the girls were covered in mud that the
torrential rain washed off them, only to be replaced by another
layer of mud when they stumbled again moments later. As she
tripped, Kelsey could have sworn that the group had gotten turned
around and was now headed in the wrong direction. It was difficult
to tell with all the rain. Everything looked similar, and even
though the veil of drops coming down obscured her vision, it
appeared as if they had somehow changed direction. She was afraid
that if they kept going, they would be back at the castle and lose
valuable time on their journey. She wanted to alert Roland, but he
seemed to be certain of the route, so she kept silent. She
continued following him despite her doubts. It would be difficult
for him to hear her over the downpour, anyway.

The rain was making it difficult to
talk as well as grueling to climb the path. Kelsey resorted to
holding onto any branches within reach that were sturdy enough to
support her. It didn’t matter if they were hardwood branches or the
occasional pine branches with needles sticking into her palms and
scratching her skin. Very soon Maggie started imitating Kelsey’s
actions and following her example of grasping the
branches.

At first Kelsey was angry with
Maggie for copying her behavior. However, as she was struggling to
stay on her feet, Kelsey realized that Maggie was right to imitate
her so that she could stay on her feet, as well, and keep up with
the journey. Kelsey was also flattered that Maggie had quickly
recognized Kelsey’s expertise in the situation.

After a short period of groping
their way along the path, both of the girls were getting cuts in
the palms of their hands. The wounds burned as they continued to
hold the tree limbs and steady themselves along the path. As she
felt the pain from the cuts, Kelsey remembered what Megan had said
about everyone needing to learn some healing. At the time it seemed
foolish, but now the comment made sense. Her hands would be tender
for at least a week, and it could affect her ability to use a sword
effectively.

Although it had been raining
heavily, thunder and lightning weren’t noticeable until a sudden
flash was followed immediately by a cracking sound. It sounded like
two angry siblings fighting for the travelers’ attention. Each time
the thunder struck, it shook the earth so much that Kelsey forgot
her name and had to concentrate to remember who she was and where
she was going. The rain, the loud noise, and the flashes of light
were disorienting. She had never been in a storm like this
before.

Kelsey turned to look at Maggie and
briefly forgot what to call her also. Names were like clouds
drifting just beyond the reach of her memory. As Kelsey shook her
head, she felt her wet hair slapping against her cheeks. This
revived her long enough to begin focusing on her own name again. As
soon as she recalled it, she concentrated on spelling it over and
over. This seemed to help her to remember who she was and why she
was on the soggy mountain path. She recited the letters in her name
and then reached down to feel her favorite knife resting securely
in the hilt at her side. Perhaps she was getting a fever from the
cold rain, but touching her knife had a temporary calming effect
until another round of thunder and lightning startled her
again.

Nevertheless, Kelsey moved forward,
and most of the time she managed to keep herself from falling. As
she reached the top of a hill, she paused for a moment to catch her
breath as she assessed the slick path underneath her feet by
grinding one heel into the mud. She knew from experience that the
descent would be more treacherous than the climb had been. With
gravity to pull her down in the direction she was heading, falling
would be much easier. She knew she had to be more careful on this
section of the road, so she extended her arm and grabbed a pine
bough tightly to guide herself along, moving even more slowly than
she had been. Just as her hand grasped another branch, her feet
slipped out from underneath her and she skidded forward several
feet. She held onto the tree limb as well as she could, feeling the
sharp edges digging deeper into her skin as her feet gave out. The
pain was burning her hands, but she would not let go because the
water was rushing down the path so quickly that it could easily
sweep her down the mountain, causing serious injuries.

Kelsey glanced over her shoulder as
she struggled in the mud and saw Maggie fighting to stay on her
feet, as well. Kelsey felt all her anger and frustration toward the
girl going away. They were both engaged in the same struggle, and
it was exhausting. At this point, Kelsey didn’t have time to be
cross or upset. Fighting against the flooding rains was fatiguing,
and it felt as if everything within her was being drained by the
struggle. Kelsey watched Maggie having the same unpleasant
experience and it was difficult for her to hate someone who shared
something with her, even if that something was trouble.

The situation felt hopeless, and
Kelsey didn’t know if they would make it without being injured or
losing their way in the downpour. She had never experienced rain
like this, and she still wasn’t sure they were headed in the right
direction. In a rare moment of empathy, Kelsey reached out a hand
for Maggie, who was sliding down the wet path despite her
scrambling efforts to hold onto a limb. Kelsey yelled Roland’s name
as loudly as she could, screaming above the sound of the thunder.
She and Maggie needed help, while Roland didn’t appear to be
struggling at all.

Roland slowly turned around, but he
didn’t reach out a hand. Instead, he calmly took his small staff
and tapped the ground three times without speaking a word. The rain
abruptly stopped. More than that, the ground was dry as if the
storm had never happened.

Kelsey dropped Maggie’s hand as
well as the branch she was clinging onto. She slumped down to the
hard, dry earth. As she hugged her arms across her chest, she felt
her clothes. They were dry, and there were no mud stains on her
anywhere. She quickly glanced over at Maggie, who was now sitting
on the path dumbfounded and staring at the cuts in her own hands.
She was dry also. There was nothing wet anywhere. The trees showed
no signs of dripping water, and the bits of sky visible through the
overhead branches were clear. Now Kelsey felt even more
confused.

Maggie stared down at her hands,
looking over the scratches and cuts she had gotten from pulling
herself along the path. The blood was real. Kelsey’s own palms felt
raw and sore, and her whole body ached.

“What happened?” Kelsey asked with
a baffled expression.

“I don’t know,” Maggie replied.
She appeared to be even more confused than Kelsey.

“You’re away from the castle,”
Roland said. “The sorcerer’s spell overwhelmed you all at once with
a storm of confusion. It’s because you were protected from the
spell at the castle and weren’t used to having to discern reality.
Even small spells can appear much larger when you’re not used to
protecting yourself from them.”

Kelsey thought about this. It had
been almost two years since she had traveled through the kingdom.
She could scarcely remember what her life was like before she had
begun training. She had been out in the world her whole life, but
it seemed like a very different place after having been away from
it.

“That looked like a regular
storm,” Kelsey mused. “It was intense, but there was nothing
supernatural about it. Why didn’t the sorcerer make the trees come
alive or something more dramatic?”

“I don’t know,” Maggie answered
with annoyance in her voice. “And what makes you think it was the
sorcerer, anyway?”

“I’m talking to Roland,” Kelsey
responded to Maggie with equal annoyance in her tone. She turned to
look at the fox. “There are better ways to confuse people than with
rain and thunder.”

“Other methods can be obvious, and
you might see that something outside yourself was causing the
confusion," he explained. “Because a rainstorm is a common
incident, it makes the deception more effective.”

Kelsey reflected on this
information. It did make sense. After all, she had no idea that the
storm wasn’t real. It had fooled her and left her disoriented. She
looked up at Roland and noticed how calm he was.

“The sorcerer’s spell didn’t have
any effect on you, did it?” Kelsey asked.

“No, it didn’t,” Roland
answered.

“Is your conversation
interesting?” Maggie asked. “Because it’s pretty boring from my
perspective.”

“Do you always see reality?”
Kelsey asked Roland, ignoring Maggie’s question.

“It’s very difficult for anyone to
fool death – even a sorcerer,” he said. At this remark, Kelsey
suddenly understood the value of having Roland on the quest, and
she knew that the king was looking out for her.

“This is tougher than the
experiences I remember,” Kelsey confessed.

“Memories are not always the best
measure of things, especially in this kingdom,” Roland
replied.

Kelsey paused to consider his
words. It was now easier to think than it had been during the
storm, but it was still difficult. She had not expected this type
of complication, but she now realized that she should have. She had
been isolated and protected in the castle and had forgotten what it
was like in the outside world. She had thought the quest would be
mostly fighting battles and physical adventure. Fighting unreality
was a different sort of problem than she had anticipated. She knew
that Roland was competent, but she had just seen how quickly she
and Maggie had both fallen into the storm of confusion. She felt a
sudden wave of discouragement as she understood her limitations and
the size of the task ahead of them.

“Are we going to make it?” she
asked Roland with concern in her voice. He glanced around at the
woods carefully before responding.

“Since we’re on our way to rescue
hope, it might be a good idea to start this journey by embracing
hope rather than despair,” he replied.

“I’m not embracing despair. I’m
embracing reality.” Kelsey awkwardly shifted the weight of her
backpack as she spoke.

“No, you’re not. What you call
reality is actually despair. We’re away from the castle now, so
you’re incapable of recognizing what’s real and what isn’t. Despair
appears real to you, but it doesn’t have to. You always have a
choice, and since at the moment you can’t discern reality, I
recommend that you choose the perspective of hope and make it your
reality. It’s a better way to travel.”

Kelsey felt awkward under Roland’s
gaze. She admired his wisdom, but her own lack of it made her feel
uncomfortable in his presence.

“I don’t like these little
lessons,” Kelsey retorted.

“What lessons?” Maggie
asked.

“Well, I have another one for
you,” Roland said.

“Yes?”

“Sometimes it rains,” he replied,
smiling to himself at his own joke as he turned away.

“Gee, thanks.”

“Are you done talking with your
imaginary friend?” Maggie asked as she stood up and turned to face
Kelsey.

“Why?” Kelsey asked. She was
irritated that Maggie could not or would not hear Roland’s voice.
It might be OK not to be able to see death. After all, most people
don’t see death approach them, but Maggie could at least have the
courtesy of listening to him.

“Because there are some strange
people following us,” Maggie replied. She lifted a wounded hand and
pointed down the path into the shadows.

Kelsey looked behind them and saw
two hooded figures cloaked in black, each of them carrying a
scythe. They looked just like the classic image of the Grim Reaper,
which Kelsey had read about in stories. The individuals kept their
distance, hiding partially behind the trees while observing Kelsey
and her friends closely. Although Kelsey was certain that the
reapers knew that they had been spotted, the cloaked figures didn't
attempt to come near.