By Sherri Yount

THE RIDE

I went for a ride, the most amazing thing, 

My steed was an eagle, with strong, large wings.

The rain had finished, the sun was out,

The time had come for flying about. 

He took a few steps, we began to fly,

Above the trees into the sky.

The air was warm and rushing past,

I held on tight so this would last.

A beautiful rainbow had appeared.

It looked so bright and looked so near.

The trees below were small and green,

Such a peaceful sight you've ever seen.

We caught the breeze and began to soar,

The currents had us rising more.

Rising up, close to the clouds, 

I almost lost sight of the ground.

We started to swoop down towards the river, 

Going so fast it made me shiver.

His talons came down as we started to slow,

He gently landed, bringing me home.

Another day I'll again be there, 

When the mighty eagle takes to the air.

By Reese Sartori

Adventures of the Mind

He starts on an adventure

He meets friends and foe

The treasure is lost

He found someone better though

She fights her way up

Lets no one stand in her way

The evil is conquered

So in the end she saves the day

The group plan their jouney

They must uncover the mystery

They find ancient relics

Together they make history

All these adventures

They exist in my mind

To be written down later

When I have the time

Though I can't help but wonder

Can any be true

Can I be like these heroes

To make my way through

I guess I  won't know

If I don't ever try

To go on my own adventure

I just hope that I fly

By Amber Driskill

Adventure Awaits

Saddle up, gear up, get ready to explore! 

I can hardly wait to see what's behind that door.

Will it be a ride in a hot air balloon?

Will it be a soaring trip to the moon?

Will it be sailing a boat on the sea?

Will it be a quiet hike with little ole' me?

Who knows where each adventure lies,

Some in our hearts and some in our eyes.

Whatever adventure awaits for me today,

I'm ready and willing, so let's go play!

By Alaric Drost 

Throes of the Wizard 

Chapter I: Bold Beginnings 

Jack was never one for adventure, or leaving the village for that matter. Being smaller than anyone else his age, 19, and pale skinned with red eyes, he was seen as almost a cursed child. Only his family talked to him, and he never was able to find a job in the village. However– and there’s always a “However” with things like this, his family, and everyone in the entire village fell seriously ill, and that illness grew into an eternal slumber. He was the only one spared. The only thing going through his head as he shamelessly took supplies from the now-dormant armory was “I can not believe that I’m doing this.” 

This all started in a small seaside village called Anert. It is pretty northern compared to the rest of the continent, and higher in elevation, so it’s pretty cold most of the year. What started as a simple fishing village has come to thrive with almost 300 residents, each with their own houses and jobs. Usually it’s a busy city with almost every resident moving with purpose across the many layers of docks and huts across a steep cliffside down to the sea, and some farmland on top of the cliff, but now– one single word echoed through all but one persons’ mind: “SLEEP”. Being of weaker will, everyone was forced into an eternal sleep, by one figure, several miles south through treacherous mountains and snowy slopes: Garond, The Lonely Wizard. 

Several miles south from the village, we now come to Garond, gnarled with age, large white beard and eyebrows, extremely tall at 8’ 2, and fitted with blue robes adorned with yellow stars and moons. He has one thing on his mind now: Anert, a small village he had just cast a nasty curse on. He was getting to the end of his lifespan, so his plan was simple: make everyone fall asleep, sacrifice them to the dark gods and make himself immortal. Which was great in theory, but he needed time and energy, something he lacked sorely right now. He now slumps down in his throne and sleeps, for the curse he cast took much out of his stamina. 

Fitted with maneuverable and comfortable tough leather armor, a shortbow with a quiver of seemingly endless arrows, and a backpack with enough rations to feed a small army for a couple days, Jack sets off with one goal in mind: Find the Wizard he had heard so much of.

Chapter II: Major Underestimations 

About a mile away from home, Jack is already losing heart as the trees get larger and larger around him with each step he takes. As a child he had gone down to the forest alone because of the older kids bullying him out of the village for the way he looked. He only had bad memories here due to this, so that was not helping either. 

A recent rain was making each footfall press into the ground and take some effort to pick back up, and water dripping from the trees made the only sounds in the entire forest. A path is the only thing guiding him through a now almost completely dark forest, and a lantern lighting only ten or so feet in front of him. 

After some time of walking, a large, sudden gust of wind snuffed out the lantern, which would have been bad, but to Jack’s delight, the trees were thinner right here, making almost a clearing around what seemed to be a ruined horse drawn carriage. 

“Okay, let us see what this is all about, then” He thinks as he makes his way through the half-muddy dirt. A knocking sound loudly erupted from the carriage when out from under it burst a grey blur, darting into the forest. Scared out of his mind by this, Jack takes a second to recollect himself and readied himself for what else could come out of the carriage when he stepped closer. As it turns out, a lot more could, as three other grey things leapt out from the carriage, but did not run. Getting a good look at what they were, Jack was relieved at first being that they were just rabbits, but after a closer look decided to arm himself with his bow and arrows when one of the rabbits lunged closer and opened its mouth revealing large rows of serrated teeth! 

Apart from needing to lunge and dodge to avoid a painful hug, these small rodents were hard to hit, being so small and agile. Arrow after arrow whizzes into the dark forest around as shot after shot misses these murder rabbits. “Aw come on just leave me alone!” Jack loudly says to the rabbits, when another rustling could be heard from behind him! “Well shoot, things just went from complicated to real bad real fast!” Jack thought, but to his pleasant surprise, a young man holding a large piece of stone on a stick rushes out of the brush and hits a rabbit with such force that it’s sent flying into the forest beyond. “Would you quit being so loud, outsider?” The man says. “Sorry, it’s really not my fault that these furred fiends started attacking me out of nowhere!” Jack somewhat struggles to say as a rabbit tries to bite him through an arrow. “Mmm, yes it is, you were too loud around them, they didn’t like it.” The man says, effortlessly making swift work of a second rabbit. Sticking an arrow neatly through the last rabbit, Jack says “Showoff”

under his breath, thinking the man wouldn’t hear. “Really? I’m one of the weakest where I come from.” He responded. 

Chapter III: Respite 

Both of the young men now sit on the side of this carriage, getting to know each other and sharing their present plans, why they are in the forest, and why they are away from their villages. The thing that catches Jack’s interest the most was why Bunder, this stout barbarian from a small village southeast of his own, was cast out of the village in the first place. Apparently, Bunder’s hometown has a “Tradition” of testing their young in competitions of strength, and those unfit and who do not pass are cast out of the village. Bunder was unlucky enough to have had a particularly bad day the day of the test, and failed in the final stretch of the test. He would have cared more, but the look his father gave him on the way out was not one of pity or sorrow, but of disgust, of his weak son. “So I left, now on my own volition, so I have been camping out in these woods, trying to find… anything, really.” Bunder ended his story now looking at the ground, slightly embarrassed that he shared his entire life’s story with a random guy he met less than an hour ago. 

“Well, I actually think I know what you mean,” Jack said. “Why don’t you join me?” Bunder thought about where life had taken him so far, and decided that it couldn’t hurt, since he had no real direction for the past week. “Then it’s decided!” Jack said with a jovial attitude, considering this is one of the first people who didn’t look at him like he didn’t belong anywhere on this planet. “We make for the mountains as soon as we can.” Jack finished his statements and his complete plan now that he had a companion on his quest. 

Then came several days of walking, occasionally interrupted by more carnivorous local wildlife, but other than that, it was a fairly easy walk. After some time, the forest finally starts to disperse, and a gradual slope upwards takes them to rockier terrain. The grandeur of the mountain range loomed before them, towering thousands of feet upward, almost blocking out the now greying sky, as if there was a risk of rain. 

Chapter IV: Rain 

The rain started small, but quickly turned into a freezing cold downpour that made it extremely dark on the surface. Slipping through the wet, rocky terrain, the two adventurers made their way upward, hoping to find an outcrop or something to block out the rain.

Dark, darker, and darker, the shadows cut deeper into the land, almost completely restricting all vision. Stumbling around, almost blinded by the freezing rain, Jack and Bunder find a small cave to hide in for the time being. It was really just a small outcrop in the rocky terrain, just a large rock jutting out from higher up, making a sort of tent for protection against the rain. 

“Bunder, come look at this!” Jack said in a seemingly out of place excited tone. Bunder came along to the edge of the wall, and saw a stone archway, with somehow lit torches lining the wall. Not even six feet tall or three feet wide, it was a pretty tight squeeze for Bunder, but all Jack had a problem with was getting his bow in a comfortable position on his back. 

Deeper into this hallway, it widened to an almost grand hall. Just from a glance, the stone becomes more defined, more well carved, the torches holders go from stone to steel, and the hall itself widens to about Twelve feet tall and Eight feet wide, with an arching pattern on the ceiling. Small cracks in the ceiling caused small droplets of water from the rain above to drip slowly, causing the only sound aside from the torches crackling and the breathing of both the adventurers. 

Cautiously now, they head further into the cavernous dungeon. The walls get larger and larger, the ceiling getting higher and higher, and the stone getting more and more pristine. A red carpet had also started at some point along the way that they had missed, but it certainly beat walking on wet rock. 

“SPEAK NOW YOUR PURPOSE.” A voice suddenly boomed across the room, seemingly emanating from every direction. Looking frantically around, Jack and Bunder see the stone walls, now large dark bricks with rows of braziers lining the walls, and three hallways in this semi-circular room. Each doorway had a word above it. The first door read ‘Revenge’, the second door read ‘Glory’, and the third door read ‘Fortune’. Jack thought for several moments, the voice still lingering in his head, and said after a while “None of these options seem very good. I just want to save my village.” Bunder on the other hand, had other plans, and said “Glory… I could prove to them.”, and begun to walk toward the door that read ‘Glory’. Quickly, Jack said “Are you sure that’s a good idea? There could be traps or monsters!” 

This only stalled Bunder for a little while, and then off he went into the doorway to change his fate. Jack, being the selfless person he is, ran after him despite his better judgement. Sure enough, Jack was right on the mark. A huge room made up of a greenish grey stone lied just beyond the doorway, and it would appear that all three doors had to have led there, but looking back he saw no doorways at all, and just a solid stone wall.

Chapter V: Fight or Flight 

In the center of the stone room, a single trapdoor lied. Upon entering the large room, Jack and Bunder, unbeknownst to them, made the ground ever so slightly heavier, triggering an ancient mechanism, so old that the creaking of the stone and iron gears could be heard above the contraption. 

A terrible sound emerged from the floor all around them as they stepped into the room, and after a short time, the trapdoor flung open. Slowly rising from it, a towering block of stone with a smaller, more pale block on top of it. A loud CLANK resounded through the echoey chamber as the mechanism whirred to a halt. “A totem, see, that could have been so much worse!” Bunder said in a jovial manner. “UNBOUND LIFEFORMS DETECTED. INITIATING INTRUDER PROCEDURE.” The totem said back. Bursting from the sides of the “Totem”, large stone legs and arms erupted, and from the white stone on top of the now obvious golem, a purple light began emitting from inside of the stone. “Yeah, just a totem.” Jack muttered in response. 

The golem now begun to move, slowly at first, turning toward the two adventurers, and then faster as old cogs began to move and dust began to fall off its ancient mechanisms, it picked up into a walk, and then a jog toward the “Intruders”. 

Sensing the impending doom, Jack made some distance by running away, but the golem made no notion of changing course to follow him. It was going straight for Bunder, who with the face of a warrior, also began to charge the construct almost three times his size. 

“Bunder, that’s a really, really bad idea!” Jack shouted at him. “Try shooting it! This is going to be fun!” Bunder replied as if this wasn’t a life-or-death situation. Only ten or so feet away now, the golem makes an attempt to crush Bunder under its large arms. Bunder easily dodges out of the way, but the force of the golems arms shattered some of the arena’s ground and sent shrapnel flying at Bunder, scraping up his legs pretty badly. 

Now sensing the weight of this situation after his legs were perforated with chunks of stone, Bunder decides to fight, bringing down his makeshift hammer down onto the arms of the golem still embedded in the arena. The arms of the golem were not meant to withstand such pressure applied all at once, and folded inward against the huge weight of the hammer. 

Jack, seeing all of this take place, gains some heart back and readies his bow, and then fires into the purple light emanating from the white block on top of the golem. The

shot fires true, and lands effortlessly into the white block, and the light goes from a deep purple to a crimson red. “UNIT COMPRIMISED. SELF-DESTRUCT PROCEDURE ACTIVE.” The golem begins to shake violently. Jack and Bunder take this as a sign that they should 

find the nearest exit, which happened to open on the opposite side of the room from which they entered. Once they got around three-quarters of the way to the exit, the golem explodes, quickly and forcefully. The impact launches Jack about 10 feet from where he stood, but Bunder stands firm, as he’s much more resilient. “Jack, are you okay?” Bunder shouted over the ringing in his ears. No response. 

Chapter VI: On the Other Side 

“Well, great. He got himself knocked out.” Bunder said to himself. Sure enough, Jack lay unconscious by the wall near the door. “I guess I ought to carry you somewhere safer, can’t say I want to stay here any longer than I have to.” Bunder says to himself again, looking back at the crater the golem left after the explosion. He sighs heavily when he walks through the doorway, it has been a long trip. Once out of sight from the large arena room, Bunder sits Jack up against a nearby wall, still lit with torches and adorned with red carpet and a high ceiling. 

Some time later, undiscernible due to the cave blocking the sun, Jack stirs. “Wh… What happened?” He groggily says. “You were thrown quite a ways from the blast. We’re safe here, I think.” Bunder responds. “Oh… Right, that happened.” Jack recalls. Jack heaves himself up with the wall’s assistance, and decides he can walk on his own. “Well, we did it, now let’s see what awaits us next.” Jack decides. They press onward for another while, and the dripping of water from above slows to a halt. “Looks like the rain’s done” Bunder notes. “Or we are so far into the mountain it can’t get to us anymore.” Jack says in return. 

Finally, they get to a wooden door, ornate in design with a moon shape as its handle. Jack presses against the door to see if he can hear anything on the other side, but the door was cracked open unbeknownst to him, and he pushed clumsily through it. 

“Ah, the escapee joins me in seeing his village fall.” A voice says from a stairwell leading upward. The room is a simple circular stone room, maybe 12 feet in diameter and 8 feet high, and only adorned with some torches that dimly light the room. 

Seeing no other way forward, Jack and Bunder decide to push up the stairs. The next floor is lit by windows revealing sunlight out them. They are on top of the mountain. “But how?” Jack thinks to himself. “And here they are. Come to die.” The voice says, now they could clearly see, in a throne of dark wood, a man, gnarled with age, very

tall, with a beard down to his waist, in a blue robe, adorned with stars and moons. This was exactly who they were looking for, Garond the Wizard. “No, I haven’t.” Bunder says, rushing forward with his hammer raised. “Wait, I can grant you imm-” His words were cut short by a large stone in his face. “See? Not too bad.” Bunder says confidently. 

Chapter VII: The End 

Sure enough, after several days of walking back down the mountain and forest, Jack comes to the foot of his village, seeing it stirring like it once was. Nobody would believe it was him who saved the village, but he no longer cared what they said, he found a friend along his treacherous path, and that was enough for him. 

The End

9-12 Short Story - 1st Place

by Harrison Jaycox

Clay Pillars

The horse trots along the sand, kicking large sand clouds as it goes. Clayton Burnside  rocks along on the horse. He is on patrol with two other men from the National Park Service in  the Monument Valley area. They are there to help the Navajo catch bandits that previously  mugged visitors at Grand Canyon National Park and floated down the Colorado River. Some  reports indicate that the perpetrators found their way to the Monument Valley area. With  permission, the National Parks Service has stationed rangers there to find and capture the  criminals. That is why Clayton and others are patrolling the area.  

Clayton whistles for his horse to stop. He signals to Rangers Hall and Begay that it is  time for a break. They dismount and sit down. Clayton opens a log book and writes down their  movements. Ranger Hall opens a personal journal and writes in it, and Ranger Begay opens a  canteen to drink. When Clayton finishes, he looks at the two men next to him. Ranger Hall is a  man in his mid-thirties, has glasses, and wears a pencil moustache. His uniform is almost  spotless, with his dark green jacket and his tan trousers fairly dusty. Ranger Begay is Navajo and  in his mid-forties. He has long, black hair braided in a ponytail. He wears the tan uniform  trousers and grey shirt with a forest green tie. His hat, along with the others, is tan and has a wide  brim. Clayton himself is in his early thirties, wearing a similar uniform to Hall, though his jacket  is in a bit of a rougher condition. He sports a bushy moustache in the English style.  

Clayton looks out to his surroundings. In front of him is a beautiful site. There are buttes  in the left of the frame in the distance, with a stone pillar standing tall in front of the butte. Far in  the distance stands a double-crested pillar with a significant hill below. On the right is a thicker,  and equally impressive tower. Behind it is a smaller butte. In the foreground is a sandy plain  stretching for miles. In that plain stands many dry shrubs and cacti, with no trees for miles. All he smells is sweat, dry air, and the horses behind him. He can hear the rustle of the wind, the  neighing and kicking of the horses, and cacti shuffling. The rock he is on is warm, but bearable.  Clayton stands up and announces the end of the break. By this time, Ranger Hall is just finishing  watering the horses. They all mount their horses again and resume their patrol. 

Around twelve and a half miles along their route. Begay sees a light caused by a  reflection on top of one of the nearby buttes. He tells Clayton to stop the patrol and to investigate  what is up there. Clayton agrees and calls for a stop. He dismounts and searches in his bag on the  horse for a pair of binoculars. When he finds them, he puts them to his eyes and looks up. He  searches the top of the butte the best he can. He sees nothing. Clayton then hands the binoculars  to Begay to see. He also sees nothing. When Hall is handed the binoculars, he also sees nothing.  Hall walks over to Clayton and hands him the binoculars. Hall then makes a rude remark about  how annoying and bad Begay’s eyesight is. Begay then retaliates and threatens a fight with Hall.  Hall accepts and Begay throws a fist. He misses, but Hall doesn’t with a hit in Begay’s jaw.  Begay then lands a hit on Hall’s nose. Hall stumbles back a bit and then charges at Begay.  However, Clayton jumps in between the two men and throws his hands out to his sides. Though  he is partially obscured by the sand that has been kicked up, Hall still sees Clayton and stops.  Clayton yells at both, telling them how foolish the fight is. He reminds them of their friendship  and that it could have been a trick of the eye. No punishment is issued, but Clayton warns them  that if this happens again, there will be consequences. He steps away and lets them shake hands  and apologize. After they make up, the company continues their patrol. 

After another break and a few miles, they arrive back to their base of operations outside  of the Goulder’s General store. Clayton walks into the head ranger’s tent. It is fairly large with  multiple desks along the walls of the tent. On the right are two typewriter desks, and another, 

empty desk. Right next to those is a filing cabinet. On the right side of the tent stands a larger  desk, three chairs, and two filing cabinets on its right, closest to the entrance. At this desk sits  Chief Ranger Perkes. Clayton walks up to him and salutes him. Chief Ranger Perkes stands up  and salutes back. Then they shake hands and sit down. Clayton retells the events of the patrol  (omitting the fight) and gives his logbook to Chief Ranger Perkes. After he skims through it,  Chief Ranger Perkes stamps it and hands it back to Clayton. He thanks Clayton for his attention  to detail and for stopping to double check the strange reflection. The men then stand up, shake  hands, and then Clayton walks out of the tent. Outside, it is windy, so Clayton pulls up his tie to  cover his mouth and walks to the general store.  

Inside the store, there is a large counter with a register on it. Behind it stands Mr.  Goulder, Sr. He smiles and waves at Clayton as he walks in. There are rows of items in the  center of the store. On the right side of the store is a bar and next to it, a few tables for eating.  Clayton walks up to the bar and sits down. He orders a bottle of whiskey and lays his arms on the  counter. The bar feels warm and is made from local wood. It is a dark brown in colour and  smooth in texture. Behind it was a roughly one meter gap between the counter and the wall. The  waitress comes out from the back room and gives Clayton his drink. He tucks his tie back into  his jacket and pays for his drink. Clayton drinks the whiskey in short bursts. After he finishes the  bottle, he feels good and walks out of the store. 

When leaves the building, he heads straight for the sleeping cabin. He takes off his  uniform and heads for the bathtubs. After he finishes bathing, he puts on his sleepwear and lies  in his bunk for a few minutes. The men slowly shuffle in and then the quartermaster announces  lights out. Clayton tosses and turns a bit before falling asleep, but he sleeps well after that.

At 5:00 a.m., Clayton wakes up, along with a few others. Most go to the bathtubs, but  Clayton and a handful of others hang back and change into their uniforms. With it being fairly  early in the morning, Clayton leaves his jacket off and heads to the restrooms (which were in a  separate tent). He uses the restroom and brushes his teeth. Afterward, his breath smelled minty.  He sits down on a bench outside of the barracks and reads a copy of I, Claudius. After the sun  officially rises, Clayton closes his book and heads back inside the barracks. Inside, he finds the  place finally coming to life. Clayton navigates his way through the crowd to his bunk. He puts  his book on the bed and puts on his jacket. He then heads outside to eat breakfast at the general  store. He sits down at one of the tables and orders a waffle with syrup and a cup of coffee. The  waitress writes down his order, compliments the smell of his breath, and leaves. Clayton eats his  breakfast and is joined by Ranger Chesterton and Fr. Reuel. They discuss the matter of Lenten  Fridays thoroughly for about thirty minutes. Then, Fr. Reuel leaves to talk with some of the other  men. Rangers Burnside and Chesterton talk a while more before parting from each other. Clayton  heads over to the counter where he asks Mr. Goulder, Sr. for a bandana. Goulder Sr., as he is  getting it, asks why Clayton would need such a thing. Clayton responds that his old one broke a  few days ago and now he needs a new one. Mr. Goulder, Sr. accepts the response and gives him  the bandana. Clayton pays Mr. Goulder, Sr. and walks out for the morning briefing. 

Clayton walks into the Chief Ranger’s tent. There are more chairs out this time than the  last time he was there. They are laid out in a 5x3 configuration. However, this was normal for the  morning briefing, and he sat down in the second row, fifth seat. This morning's briefing contains  no new information, just reiterates the importance of finding the bandits. Chief Ranger Perkes  also goes over what they look like. The leader is believed to be of German descent. He  reportedly has a black moustache and hair, a square face, and was last seen wearing light brown 

clothing articles. It is over in ten minutes, and Clayton heads back outside to grab his men and  saddle up.  

He goes to the barracks and calls over Rangers Hall and Begay. They immediately come  to him and together they walk over to the stables. The “stables” are really just pens with one to  two horses each. On the fences are labels with the horse and rider names so that there is no  confusion between which horse is which. The three have their horses right next to each other,  with Clayton in the center. His horse is a male, Arabian horse in a chestnut colour. It is about  five feet tall at the shoulder. He opens the gate, unties Old Bill (the horse), and mounts the  stallion.  

The patrol starts out like the previous day. They stop every few miles or so, seeing the  sites and logging in their notebooks. They are passing the place where Begay first saw the  reflection, and Hall reiterates how sorry he is to Begay for provoking and accepting the fight.  Begay accepts the apology once again. All three agree to never bring the incident up again. They  continue their patrol and then take a stop at around thirteen and a half miles. Clayton looks at the  mesa. It is a large, curved shape as a whole, but the part in front of him is different. It sticks out  like a peninsula, and has quite the look to it. Near the top it had a bit of a concave shape to it, and  below a rough slope that flushes out with the outer pillar at the bottom. The area smells like  horse and clay. The air feels cooler than it usually does, and Clayton enjoys it. Then, he sees  something on the mesa. It is a reflection of light. Frantically, Clayton grabs Begay’s arm and  points up at the place where he saw the reflection and tells him that there is something up there.  Begay looks up and doesn’t see anything. Hall comes over and looks. He also sees nothing.  Clayton says that he was sure that he saw something. Clayton tells Hall to pull out his rifle and  give it to him. He points the rifle at where he thinks he saw the reflection and fires. Rocks are 

thrown up, but something else is also thrown up. It is a man, dressed in clay coloured pants, shirt,  vest, and hat. He also has black hair and a black moustache. Clayton is dumbfounded, he actually  found the bandits! Or, at the very least, their leader. Clayton freezes up, but Hall, being the  weapons specialist he is, grabs Clayton’s rifle from out of his hands and points it at the man.  “Who are you? State your business!” 

“I am who I am,” the man replied smoothly, “and my business is my own.” “I, along with my fellow rangers, have reason to believe that you are a gang member and  wanted criminal Justin Oswald. Put your hands in the air.” Presently, Begay and Clayton are  standing there, afraid to make a move. 

“What is your evidence, officer?” the man says while putting his hands up, slowly and  noncommittally in the air.  

“You have the right to remain silent!” 

“And so do you, Ranger.” Quickly and suddenly, the man pulls a pistol out of his holster  and shoots at Hall. Hall fires back the moment the man moved his hand, but he missed. Now,  Hall is on the ground, writhing in pain and holding his shoulder. The man looks at the other two. “Don’t make a move. I will be down there shortly.” 

Then two men holding pistols stand up next to the man. Neither Clayton nor Begay make  a move. The man comes down. As he does, he walks over to the two standing rangers. He says  mean phrases to Begay that will not be repeated. But in brief, he stole their horses and their  weapons. Once the band of criminals walk off, Begay tells Clayton that their first step should be  finding a way to help Hall. Clayton agrees, and they help him over to a shaded spot by the mesa.  Begay takes his jacket off and tears off his shirt collar. He wraps it around Hall’s wound and tells  Clayton to constantly apply pressure. He goes over to the rifle that was previously under Hall’s 

body. Clayton, along with almost everybody else, forgot that the rifle is there. Begay picks up the  rifle and puts it over his shoulder. He says he will be back shortly, walks in the direction of the  bandits. 

For what seems like forever, Clayton sits next to a Ranger Hall who has been slipping in  and out of consciousness. By this time, Clayton has already ripped off collars, cuffs, and lapels,  trying to keep applying pressure on Hall’s wound. Suddenly, he hears the sound of hooves, and  of trumpets. It sounds like there are hundreds of them, all coming towards him. He looks up and,  in the distance, he sees a large cloud of dust. He starts shouting at the horde, waving his hands in  the air. In the quickly dying sun, he sees Begay at the front, with Chief Ranger Perkes, a flag  bearer, and two empty horses at his side. Clayton feels like he could cry. The horde comes up to  him and is celebrating. They also pick up Hall and place him in a wooden cart. Clayton mounts  his steed and rides off into the sunset. 

✹ ✹ ✹ 

One week after the whole ordeal, the camp receives the order to pack up and leave the  Monument Valley area. However, Chief Ranger Perkes calls Clayton, Begay, Hall, and two  others to the head tent. When they walk in, they notice that the place is gutted, and the only  person in the tent is Chief Ranger Perkes. The men file in and salute him. He salutes back and  begins his speech. 

“As all of you are aware, we are seizing operations in this area. However, the natives of  this land have asked that I leave a group of highly skilled individuals here. This is to help protect  the sacred lands of these people. I have chosen you five to be that group. Your job is to now help  and protect both the natives of the land and the land itself from any threat. This is a great honour  for you all, and I hope you accept it. Please come forward to receive your new posting.” Every 

man in that tent goes forward and receives their new posting. Begay is proclaimed leader of this  new band. He accepts the honour. After everyone else leaves, they are left to take care of this  land. Now, they will face challenges ahead, but that is a story for another time. 

By Lillian Ganime

A Fairy’s Wish

A long, long time ago the world was full of magical creatures. Creatures that danced, sang, flew, and could perform miracles with their magic. These creatures were known as the fairies. Fairies lived in the magical forest in the brightest of lands. They were colorful and always radiated light into the darkness. They were rather small, and had wings that carried them high into the sky whenever they pleased. Boy and girl fairies never slept, or cried, for their life was perfect, and they were always having fun together. They used their magic to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and give money to the poor. 

Fairies couldn’t live in this peace and harmony forever though. People of all kinds started to seek after the fairies, and steal them for their powers. The wealthy strove to be richer, and the poor strove to be the rich. Corruption took over all the people, and they started capturing the fairies for their own selfish desires. The Mother of the Fairies led all of the remaining fairies into a sanctuary deep in the once magical forest, so they would be hidden from all people. For thousands of years knights, servants, and even kings and queens have searched for the fairies, but have all failed to find them. All that the fairies are now, are myths and legends. Nobody believes that they even exist anymore, and that their story is all folklore. 

Everly looked fascinatedly into her mothers eyes each time she told the story of the fairies. Everly wanted to hear the story almost every night before bed. She always hoped there would be a happier ending to the story, and she thought maybe that was why she wished to hear it so much. Everly’s mother, Willow, held Everly tightly in her arms. Everly just wanted to stay there forever. She knew that she couldn’t, but she wished to. Everly knew that the fairies were real, and that maybe she could ask them for that one wish. To stay with her mother forever. That was all that Everly wanted. Everly dreamed of meeting the fairies that night, as she did many nights during her sleep. She dreamed of dancing and singing with them all day long with her mother right beside her. 

Every morning Everly and Willow went to work for a rich man who lived in town. They cleaned, scrubbed, and swept every inch of his mansion every day. Everly started helping her mother from the moment she could walk. Everly knew her mother didn’t make much money, and that’s why they lived in a

small cabin in the woods. Everly didn’t care about their money though. She just wanted to be happy there with her mother forever. As Everly got older though, so did her mother. She noticed that every time they went to the rich man’s house, her mother was a bit slower, or she groaned when she cleaned. One cold winter day her mother fell down the staircase, and got badly injured, and sick. Everly helped her the whole way home, and fetched some medicine for her the next day. 

“Fifteen coins,” demanded the cashier. Everly rifled through her small worn out leather purse. She only had eleven. 

“Here are eleven,” Everly offered the cashier. “I’m going to work tomorrow, by then I will have made more money, can I pay you off then?” she asked. 

“No, you either pay it all now, or you don’t get any at all,” explained the cashier. Everly sighed, and slowly put back the medicine. She came home to her mother empty handed. “It’s okay love, you can just get the medicine the day after tomorrow. I can make it until then,” her mother affirmed. 

Everly worked extra hard the next two days to make up for the work her mother couldn’t do, and to ensure that she would have enough money for the medicine. When the rich man gave Everly her daily pay on the second day, she nearly ran to the store to buy the medicine. She hurriedly bought the small bottle and brought it home to her mother. The medicine only worked momentarily though. By the time it was the next week Everly had called a doctor to come visit her mother. 

“She is not well. At this rate she will be dead within two weeks,” he whispered to Everly before he left. Everly tried to smile while she held her mother’s hand throughout the night. Her mother slept soundly, unaware that Everly was profusely sobbing. When she woke in the morning Everly was already awake. 

“My love, you were crying, weren’t you?” Willow asked. 

“Yes, mother,” answered Everly. Willow softly wiped away a tear on Everly’s face. “You don’t need to worry about me,” she whispered. 

“But mother, you’re dying,” Everly cried.

“We all have to die someday,” she responded. 

“But I need you mother,” Everly explained while sniffling. 

“There is nothing the doctor can do. There is nothing anyone can do,” her mother said with acceptance. “I think the only thing that could heal me is some fairy dust,” she softly laughed. Everly chuckled, then let her mother’s words settle in. Many legends, and old wives tales said that fairies could heal the sick and wounded. 

“Mother,” Everly started. “Didn’t you say your great grandmother used to have a map through the old magical forest?” she asked. 

“Yes, yes indeed. She drew it all herself when she went searching for the fairies with great grandfather all those years ago,” Willow explained. “Why are you asking? You haven’t been interested in fairies since you were little,” 

Everly completely ignored her mother’s question and just asked her own, “Do you have the map?” 

“I suppose it's stuffed in a drawer by the bed,” Willow suggested. “Why do you–” she was cut off by the squealing sound coming from Everly. Everly pulled out the sacred map from the bottom drawer of her mother’s dresser. It was beautifully drawn with great precision. Everly immediately admired the craftsmanship her great-great grandmother had. The cabin in which she and her mother currently lived in was even labeled there too, since great-great grandmother and grandfather lived in it before they had. 

“I will use this to find the fairies and then they will be able to heal you,” Everly beamed. Her mother shook her head. 

“Everly, it’s too dangerous, you can’t try and find the fairies,” Willow explained. “It’s the only thing that can heal you, mother. I have to find them! Life would be unbearable without you,” she cried. Willow looked long and hard at her daughter. Everly softly cried, and begged her mother. “Please, you have to let me go. It is the only thing that will save you,” 

“Okay,” she said softly. 

“Really?” asked Everly.

“Find the fairies, and then come back and bring me to them. That is all I ask of you,” she wept. Everly kissed her mother softly on the cheek, and gathered the supplies she needed, and added it to a small backpack. Everly wasn’t afraid of what might be waiting for her in the once magical forest. She would do anything to save her mother. 

She set out around noon to the forest. She held the map in front of her to guide the way. Her and her mother lived in this very forest, but only on the outer edge of it. The deeper you went in, the darker it got. The trees turned from a soft light brown to a very dark gray. Even the sky seemed more cloudy the further she went in. Nothing could stop Everly from going farther though. She walked a couple miles when she came across a lake. This wasn’t an ordinary lake though. According to legend the fairies called it “The Pool of Enchantment”, and they said anyone who swam there could be granted one wish. All of the magical power drained though when the fairies left the forest. The sky grew dark, so Everly decided to spend the night under a large weeping willow near the lake. She dreamt of finding the fairies, and healing her mother, but it was only a dream. 

She woke to the sound of a bird singing in the trees. When she sat up straight she looked up into the willow tree trying to see the bird. The song that it sang was quite beautiful in Everly’s ears. When she finally got a good look at the bird she realized what it was. A small nightingale on one of the uppermost branches. Everly found it odd that such a joyful bird was this deep into the once magical forest. It suddenly flew down past her, and started heading north. Everly had this feeling, a hopeful feeling that this bird connected to the fairies. She wondered why else such a delightful bird would be in the middle of a dark forest. She chased it more, and more until it stopped on a dead tree further in the forest. She stood hunched over gasping for breath while the bird continued its song. 

As the bird sang, she heard the snapping of a branch behind her. She whipped her head around quickly, and saw a vague figure off in the distance in the middle of the fog. The bird kept singing its song softly as Everly grabbed a large stick. Whoever this person was she didn’t know, and didn’t want to find out.

“Who are you?” she yelled. The figure came closer, but there was no answer. “I asked, who are you?!” she shouted again. Suddenly, as the figure emerged from the fog she realized it was a boy. A young one that was maybe only a few years older than her. His figure was larger than hers, since she was very underfed due to her lack of money. As he got closer she swung the stick at him. 

“Whoa!” he shouted, taking a large leap backwards. “Watch where you are swinging that!” “Who are you, and why are you here?” she asked calmly, and still pointed the stick at him like a gun. 

“Can you please just watch where you’re aiming that branch? It could be dangerous,” he explained. 

“Just answer the question!” she yelled. 

“My name is Everest,” he replied. “What’s yours?” 

“Not important,” she responded. “You haven’t answered my other question,” 

“I will when you answer mine,” he said with a smile. He had sparkling white teeth. They looked better than any pearl she had ever seen before. 

“My name is Everly,” she admitted. 

“Fascinating. Now, I’m here on a mission,” he answered finally. 

“What kind of mission?” she questioned him still. 

“I seem to be searching for something. What about you? I am going to assume that you don’t usually take morning walks through the magical forest,” he implied. 

“So you believe this forest is magical?” she asked. 

“Very much so,” he answered. 

“So does that mean you are looking for the fairies?” she questioned. 

“And you are too,” he blurted. “It isn’t the kind of mission for little girls, so if you would let me through I will be out of your hair,” he explained. 

“Little girl; you can’t be speaking of me? You can only be seventeen or eighteen years old,” she scolded him.

“Ninteen, and you?” 

“Sixteen, almost seventeen,” she answered. She didn’t really like this boy due to his lack of confidence in her, but she was curious, and wanted to know more. 

“May I know why you seek the fairies, Everly?” he asked her. 

“It’s very personal,” she explained. “Why do you?” 

“They are good friends of mine,” he answered. 

“Friends? You’ve met the fairies before?” she asked. 

“Many times. I could show you the way……” he whispered. “If you tell me why you seek them,” “No, I don’t need your help. If that is what it takes to find them, then you must be lying to me,” she said, grabbing her bag. She started to walk away from the boy, and follow her map again when he spoke. 

“You’re going the wrong way,” he confessed. She turned slightly to the left, but he spoke again. “Still the wrong way,” he admitted. This process went on for a while until she walked right up to the boy and threatened him with the branch again. 

“My mother is sick and dying, and I need the fairies to help her, so she can live! Now show me the way to the fairies before I go insane,” she demanded. 

“I think it’s too late for that,” he murmured, rubbing his red cheek. “Follow me,” He wasn’t such a pain after that incident, and he led the way back to the lake. Everly noticed his golden colored wavy hair, and his icy blue eyes. They were such a light shade of blue that they almost blended in with the white of his eyes. 

“Why are we back at the lake?” she asked. 

“This is the way to the fairies,” he answered. “You must say ‘I wish to see the fairies’ as you jump into The Pool of Enchantment, and you will simply be delivered into the realm of the fairies,” he explained. 

“It can’t be that simple,” she remarked.

“One wish can change everything, Everly,” he whispered as he jumped into the lake. Everly worrily waited for his head to pop back up, but it never did. Either he drowned, or he really got delivered into the fairy realm. There was only one way to find out. 

“I wish to see the fairies,” Everly mumbled as she took a leap. One moment she was freezing and wet in the lake, and the next she was completely dry on a soft bed of green grass. She opened her eyes to Everest, who lended a hand to help her up. No words were exchanged, because Everly was in awe. 

The land of the fairies was everything she hoped for, and better. They looked more like humans than what she imagined, and they were the same size too. The ground was full of green grass and beautiful flowers. Tall trees were everywhere, and everything seemed so alive. The girl fairies wore sparkling dresses, and the boys wore fine shining clothes too. Small cottage looking houses were scattered about everywhere. There was singing, dancing, and some of the fairies were even flying too. It was perfect. It was everything her mother had always told her about. 

“Everest, back so quickly?” a voice from behind them said. Everly and Everest turned to see a tall woman fairy with a large leafy gown and flowers upon her head. This was the mother of the fairies. Everest bowed and suddenly two wings sprung from his back. Everly gasped, but then she realized that everyone there had golden hair and ice eyes. Everest had been a fairy this whole time. 

“Yes mother, and I brought a girl. Her name is Everly, and she seeks help from us,” he explained. The mother looked over at Everly. 

“What do you need help with?” she asked. 

“My mother, she is sick, and doesn’t have much time left. I have come to ask if you would so graciously heal her. She is all that I have,” Everly begged. The mother sat on her throne and brought along Everest and Everly with her. 

“Fairies usually don’t give people whatever it is that they desire, but since you seek to help others, and not yourself I will help you. Take this bottle to your mother. Make sure that she drinks all of it, and she will be healed. Although, if you reveal our location to others, your mother will not recover from her illness,” the mother explained, giving her a small bottle of golden liquid.

“Thank you, I don’t know what I will ever do to repay you,” Everly confessed. 

“Just keep our secret, and that will be enough payment,” the mother said. “Everest, take the girl home, and make sure her mother heals,” Everest bowed again, and brought Everly home to her mother. They talked little on the way home, since they were in such a hurry. When Everly got home her mother lay on the bed sleeping. Everly shook her awake, and Everest held on tightly to the bottle. 

“Mother, mother, wake up! I found them! I found the fairies! One is here with me, his name is Everest, he helped me so much! Mother, please wake up!” Everly exclaimed. Willow softly opened her eyes, and took in the scene around her. Everest handed the bottle to Everly who poured it into her mother’s mouth. 

After that Willow was healed, and thanked Everest and Everly for all that they did. Soon enough when Willow fully restored her health they went back to the land of the fairies with Everest. Everly and Willow lived among them, and the fairies quite enjoyed having humans around, mostly Everest enjoyed it. Willow and Everly even learned that they had some fairy blood in them passed down from Willow’s great-great-great grandmother. Everly realized she was named after that grandmother of hers, and that’s why her name was so similar to the rest of the fairies. The fairies had many stories of their own, and were quite the entertainers. Many of their tales included a great moral, or message to the story. The moral that Everly held onto the most was that one wish can change everything. 

The End.