A Mysterious Envelope

  In a little cottage in the Paradise Woods, there lived a 16 year old girl and her 13 year old sister. Her mom and dad lived in a bigger cottage next to them. Every day they go to the bigger cottage for meals and stuff, but go back to their own cottage for other things like sleeping, playing, and lots of other things. There were chairs, tables, lamps, sofas, and any other thing a regular old house would have in the little cottage, but the only missing thing was the kitchen.

  This family was happy for every day. The bigger sister was named Marianna Altimerg, and the little sister was named Bethany Altimerg. They both have good manners, were polite, helpful, careful, very nice, and very pretty indeed. Everyone liked them very much. But they sometimes get into arguments easily. One day, there was a knock at the door. They were both surprised because the fence was locked and how would anyone get to the door if the fence was locked? But they opened the door anyways. There was no one standing there though. They only saw a golden envelope with silver flowers on it. Marianna picked up the envelope quickly, and opened it.

  “Wow, Bethany. This is a very pretty envelope. There are also a golden star and a card inside,” said Marianna.

  “Open the card then,” replied Bethany, “I want to see what it says inside.” So Marianna opened the card and read it. This is what it said:

 

Dear Marianna and Bethany,

Hello, this is the Nadora Palace speaking to you. We looked over you a few times and think that you’re pretty nice. So that’s why we are inviting you to our secret palace beyond the Sparkle Forest. Could you come? Don’t worry, we will be sending a message to your parents to let them know that you’re only in the Nadora Palace, and would be coming back every month to visit you if you get picked to stay. If you could come, just shake the gold star in the envelope three times and you’ll get whisked here. There would be a lot of guests, and you won’t get sent to the palace immediately, but will get sent to the entrance of the Sparkle Forest. We will be waiting for you there. Please come at any time before midnight today. If you come after midnight, we will be gone, and you will be lost. Thanks!

                          Royal Wishes,

                    The Royal Messenger Group

 

“Um, so should we go? I mean it sounds like fun and I-” Bethany got cut off.

“No, Bethany. We should not go for some very good reasons. First, I don’t trust them. Second, we don’t know them and never heard of them. Third, I don’t think it’s safe. Fourth, what if it was actually bad guys who are kidnapping us? Well, that kind of goes with not safe but there is just too many reasons we should not go. I’m sorry to say, but I don’t think we should go, Bethany. Sorry,” said Marianna.

  “Yes sis, those are some very good points, I know, but something in my mind tells me that it is as safe as it can be. I still think we should go,” said Bethany.

  “Fine, but I’m not going. It’s not safe for me,” snapped Marianna.

  “Oh yeah, I’m going by myself then, and you are going to miss all the fun. It’s okay for me, but I’m thinking of you. Make up your mind then. Are you going or not?” Bethany snapped back.

  Marianna sighed, “I don’t want to argue with you. And if it really is fun, I would want to go. I just don’t know if it’s safe.” They both were silent for a few minutes.

But then Marianna piped up. “You know what, Bethany? I think we should go. If the thing about the golden star was real, then it’s magic, right? I think it might really be a secret place that knows magic!”

  “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” said Bethany jumping up and down excitedly, “but wait a minute, do we need to bring anything?”

  “Uh, I…don’t…know,” said Marianna awkwardly.

  “Whatever, let’s look at the letter again,” said Bethany smiling. So they read it again.

  “Hmm, it doesn’t say anything about bringing anything. It just tells you to shake the gold star three times, that’s all,” replied Marianna.

  Bethany nodded, “It only says that, so I think we don’t need to bring anything.”

  “You’re right. But should I wear my most splendid ball gown? We’re going to a palace, you know,” said Marianna thoughtfully.

  “Yes, I know we are going to a palace, but I don’t know if we are supposed to wear a ball gown. I just don’t think we are going to a ball and go dance with a prince or whatever,” said Bethany.

  “I don’t mean that we are going to dance with a prince. I just mean that we should dress a little fancier or like princess because we’re going to a palace! And remember palace means castle. People in castles dress very finely,” replied Marianna.

  “I know that. Don’t think that I’m a dummy. Who wouldn’t know that? Only a baby wouldn’t know!” said Bethany angrily, “Fine, I’m going to dress like a princess, and if my dress is prettier than yours, don’t be jealous!” Then she stormed off into her room. Marianna shrugged and muttered, “Weird person.” Then she went to her room and started picking a dress.

  “Hmm, what should I wear? This pink gown with a white feathery fan? No, maybe this turquoise one? No, just what should I wear?” Marianna said frustratingly while her sister was also picking a dress. Her fancy wardrobe was just too full of fancy stuff.

  “Ugh, why is there nothing I could wear?” moaned Bethany in her room. Her fancy wardrobe was just too full of gowns, dresses, petticoats, fans, feathery boas, and all kinds of things. They both had lots of trouble picking what to wear.

 

  After an hour or so, they finally finished all their makeup, dressing, and hair. But they both had trouble doing their hair. Marianna wanted her hair to look very nice, but at last she only managed to do an ordinary bun neatly piled on the top part of her hair on the back. What she really wanted to do was have a neat bun on the same location as now, but with nice curls hanging down her bun. She knew her silky blonde hair would look nice with that hairstyle. Bethany also had silky blonde hair but a little shorter. Her hair was not too short; it was just like one inch shorter than her sister’s. She wanted to make a neat bun like what her sister had managed to do now, but accidentally made a ponytail tilting to the right. But she didn’t try to change it. Marianna looked at her pony clock. It was nine o’clock already! Oh no! Only three more hours until midnight! She quickly got her snow white feathered fan and ran downstairs. Her sister was already there. She looked really pretty.

  “Um, sorry, sis. I didn’t mean to argue with you like that. You look very pretty,” said Bethany.

  “Thanks. You look gorgeous too. Let’s go, there’s no time to waste!” Marianna said happily. She held hands with Bethany and reached for the star. But just then, Bethany let go of her hands and said, “Wait a minute. I‘ll be back in a second.” And with that, she disappeared into her room.

  “Are you ready yet? I’m kind of getting goose bumps from standing here,” said Marianna crossly after fifteen minutes.

  “Coming! I will be out in a few minutes,” shouted Bethany from her room.

  “Honestly, Bethany. What’s taking you so long? If you don’t come out soon, you’re not going. I’m going all by myself,” Marianna said.

  “Okay, okay, I’m coming. Just be a little patient, please,” Bethany said. So Marianna waited patiently again. She almost fell asleep. Her head dropped and started to close her eyes. But just then, the door of Bethany’s room sprang open and there was a loud BANG! Marianna jumped up.

  “Whoa! Next time please do not bang the door!” Marianna said, shaking her head, “You’ve done that at least 50 times already!”

  “Sorry, I just do that sometimes when I get really excited,” Bethany said.

  “Is that still called sometimes? I said you did that at least 50 times already!” Marianna said shaking her head again.

  “Whatever,” said Bethany laughing.

  “So, what took you so long in the room? What were you actually doing?” asked Marianna curiously.

  “Oh, nothing much. You don’t need to know,” said Bethany.

  “C’mon, just tell me. There’s nothing to worry about. I won’t laugh at you or anything,” said Marianna.

  “Really, sis. There is nothing you have to know about. It has nothing do with you, okay?” said Bethany pleadingly.

  “If it doesn’t have to do with me, it has to do with the palace, right?” said Marianna.

  Bethany sighed, “Yes, it has something to do with the palace, but I’m not telling you what I’ve just done. You will copy me, I’m sure of it.”

  “Well, you’ll just have to tell me what you’ve done sooner or later. Are you keeping a secret from me?” Marianna said sounding very annoyed about her sister not telling her the truth.

  “I am not keeping a secret from you. I will tell you what I did when we get to the forest, only if you promise to stop asking me, and don’t copy me when I told you what I’ve done,” said Bethany.

  “But why? Why can’t I do what you’ve done?” asked Marianna.

  “Because it’s my own way of doing things and I don’t want people to copy me,” said Bethany firmly.

  “Fine, then let’s go, and you must tell me what you’ve done when we get there,”  

said Marianna. Bethany nodded.

  “Okay, here we go!” shouted Bethany.

Off With the Star!

 Marianna shook the gold star three times, and they felt a strong wind. The two sisters were shocked. They were picked up, and swept out of the window. A magic cloud beneath them was beginning to form. They could hardly believe there own eyes. They were flying!

  “Wow sis, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever imagined! I never knew I could actually fly!” said Bethany sounding very excited.

  “Yeah, I could feel the breeze swapping on my face. I love it! How about we split up and see if the magic still works?” said Marianna excitedly too.

  “Hmm, but what if the magic only works for a group because there is only one star’s magic? What if when we split up only one person could be carried in the magic and the other would fall down?” asked Bethany unsure about her sister’s suggestion.

  “You’re right, but it’s worth a try, isn’t it? Let’s hold our hands as far as we can, then slightly move our fingertips away. If one person starts to fall down then the other person could grab that person quickly, and the magic will work on both of us again, right? That way nobody would get hurt,” said Marianna thoughtfully.

  “That’s a great idea! But why do you want us to fly by ourselves?” asked Bethany.

  “I just want to fly by my own and see what it really is like. I mean, we are already flying, but I don’t feel like it when we’re holding hands. It feels like as if that someone’s helping me, then I could fly,” said Marianna.

  “Oh, so you mean you want to prove that you’re really flying on your own, right?” asked Bethany. Marianna nodded. “Okay then, here goes!” Bethany and Marianna stretched out, and felt the tip of their hands. Then, very slowly, they started to let go, then further away, further, further, further…

  “Oh, good! I’m not falling down! Sis, I think this works!” cried Bethany happily.

  “Yes, you’re right! Should we go away a little bit further?” replied Marianna happily too.

  “Okay,” Bethany said slowly, “but only a little bit further at a time.” So then they started moving a little further away. The magic was still working! Very soon, they were not holding hands anymore, and flying all around the sky. Bethany was zigzagging through the sky, and Marianna was closing her eyes, and stretching her arms out like a bird. But they never seem to bump into each other. Marianna was sure that it was the magic telling them which way to go.

  But after all the fun, they finally saw a huge forest in front of them. Was it the Sparkle Forest? Marianna didn’t think so. The trees were all crooked, with spooky branches on all sides. There were barely any leaves, and the place was all deserted. It gave Marianna and Bethany the shivers immediately.

  “Is… this… the… Sparkle Forest?” Bethany asked, her voice all wobbly.

  “I… don’t think… so,” said Marianna sounding very scared.

  “So where are we?” Bethany replied with a shaking voice. Marianna didn’t answer. She just stared at the forest in front of them.

  Now, Bethany realized she was staring too.

  “Now… what… are we going to… do?” Bethany asked. Marianna still didn’t reply. She kept on staring.

  After a few moments, Marianna started blurting out questions, “Where are we? What place is this? What’s in here? Are there bats? Are we lost? What are we going to do? What if there are hungry bears that will be eating us?”

  “Yes, what are we going to do? I’m very… scared,” said Bethany.

  Marianna shrugged a little shrug, “I’m very frightened too, but I think we’ll just have to make it through. After all, it’s the star that’s whisking us away. I think it is taking us the way it knows to the Sparkle Forest,” said Marianna looking brave, but still sounding a little scared about the place in front of them. Bethany nodded, her teeth chattering.

  “It’s okay, just close your eyes. We will go through the whole forest quickly,” Marianna said soothingly. Bethany nodded again, still teeth chattering.

  “Let’s hold our hands together again. We will feel better,” Marianna said. Bethany nodded. They started moving toward each other and stretching out their fingers. They grabbed each other tight as their hands closed around each other. The forest in front of them was approaching quickly, then quicker, and quicker, and then… WHOOSH! The two sisters felt their face brush against the crooked branches. The inside of the forest was even scarier. Everything was only pitch-black; the only light that was shining was the magic that brought Marianna and Bethany away. The trees seemed like spooky ghosts in the darkness. The forest stretched on and on. Marianna started thinking about when would the forest end. Bethany closed her eyes and tried to think about happy things that happened in the past. She’s not a scaredy-cat, but just is really frightened sometimes. Marianna still held on to her teeth-chattering sister. Actually, she was a bit frightened too. Marianna doesn’t get scared that easily, and if she’s scared, then most other people should be scared too.

  When Marianna thought they were going to get trapped in here forever, the forest suddenly formed a clearing. Marianna was too happy to speak.

  “Bethany,” Marianna whispered, “open your eyes now. We are out of the forest.”

  “Are you… sure? I’m too scared to open my eyes now,” said Bethany sounding just a teeny bit more relieved.

  “It’s okay, I promise. I see the sun shining. There are plants all around. But it is pretty dry out here,” Marianna said, sounding much, much better. Bethany slowly

started opening her eyes. When they were fully opened, she was relieved. But it was getting drier and drier as they went more forward. Marianna’s mouth was very dry.

  “Do you have any water? Why is it getting drier and drier?” Marianna replied.

  “Ah, yes, I think I have two bottles of water here. I packed them just in case we get thirsty in this plastic bag. You can have one bottle, but I don’t know why it is getting drier and drier,” Bethany replied back. Bethany gave Marianna a bottle of water. Marianna quickly drank some water, and then put the bottle on the magic cloud that held them on. Then, Marianna suddenly noticed there were no more plants. Only cactuses and tumbleweeds stood in front of them. Then Marianna figured it out. Her face looked pale. “Bethany, we’re in a desert.”

  “In a desert? But how long will it take to get through the whole desert? Won’t we die of thirst?” Bethany said sounding alarmed.

  “I don’t know how long it will take to get through the whole desert. We just have to use our water wisely so we won’t run out. If you are too thirsty, just try to sleep,” Marianna said.

  “Okay, I think I’ll just try to sleep. Thanks for the advice, sis!” Bethany replied.

Bethany tried and tried to go to sleep. But she never seemed to close her eyes properly.

  “Sis, I don’t know why I can’t go to sleep. I just can’t close my eyes,” Bethany said disappointed. Marianna didn’t know what to do. But then she came up with a great idea. It was to distract Bethany to make her be in a happy mood and forget that they were in desert. It might even distract herself.

  “Bethany, what did you do in Fun-o-fun club on Monday?” Marianna started asking.

  Bethany’s face lit up, “Fun-o-fun club, right? It was so fun this week! This time we went to the selling program building to help people sell food and stuff. Then we went to the drama building and watched people make music. Next we went to Celina’s Cookie shop and ate her best selling cookies. Finally we went back to our clubhouse and learned about how to camp outside and how to keep yourself safe from danger.”

  “Sounds like fun! I wish I could join in too!” Marianna said sounding very happy about her sister.

  Bethany smiled, “You could have joined in if you wanted to. That time you thought it was for babies, remember? It is actually fun so our parents thought we would both love it! Now I’ve been in the club for almost 6 years now!” said Bethany happily.

  “Yeah, I know, it was so dumb of me. Now I know that,” replied Marianna, “I should have listened to mom and dad.”

  “Anyways, you really would have loved it if you joined in,” said Bethany. Marianna nodded. Her plan was really working! Actually she was also distracted. She almost forgot they were in a desert when leaves suddenly brushed her face. She felt weird. Then she remembered she was in a desert.

  “How could there be leaves in a desert brushing by my face?” Marianna asked.

  “Hey, sis. Did you know that we’re not in the desert anymore?” asked Bethany.

  Marianna looked around, “You’re right! We are in a forest, a normal forest!” said Marianna.

  “Would it be the Sparkle Forest?” Bethany said excitedly.

  “No, I don’t think so. They said they will be waiting for us, and it’s not sparkly in here. I expect the Sparkle Forest to look sparkly,” said Marianna firmly.

  Bethany nodded, “You’re right.” Then they kept on flying in the forest. After about 45 minutes, they came to a halt and a huge stone wall lay in front of their eyes. It looked about 8,000 feet tall!

  “Uh… what are we doing stopping here and doing nothing? I think the star must have taken us somewhere that it wasn’t supposed to go. Maybe it got mixed up with routes,” said Marianna puzzled.

  “Yeah, I think you’re right. We were starting to get away from deserts and stuff, but we suddenly came to a dead end. This situation has definitely got something wrong in it. Now, what are we going to do?” replied Bethany.

  “Maybe we shou- Hey, look at this!” cried Marianna excitedly. Her hand was brushing on a dusty rock. She suddenly saw some pictures or letters on the rock.

She didn’t make out what was on the rock. Bethany squinted. Her hand brushed off more dust. Then the two girls saw what was on the rock. It said:

 

             If you have your star, shake it three times on of the

rock that has this message on. Remember that you

could only shake it three times. Wait for a while.

The rocks will open. You will find what you want to see.

 

  “Sis, should we really do it?” Bethany asked.

  “Maybe. Yeah, I’ll try it,” Marianna replied. She took out the golden star and shook it three times. They waited. After a few minutes, they saw the huge wall opening. The sisters’ eyes were wide. How did the stone wall open?

  When the stone wall was opened wide enough, Marianna said, “Should we go through? This is a miracle!”

  “I think so. Maybe the Sparkle Forest is on the other side of the wall. Let’s go!” Bethany replied excitedly. Marianna nodded. The cloud whooshed in. The stone wall snapped shut. Inside the walls were not dark at all! There were gems that glistened and sparkled on all sides, and the stone walls shone with all the colors of the sunset.

  “It’s so beautiful!” Bethany replied.

  “Exactly,” Marianna agreed. She was looking at flowers in all the colors of the rainbow on the ground. They cast glows below the two sisters. “What kind of flower is that? I’ve never seen one before.”

  “I never saw any like those either,” said Bethany sounding so surprised, “It might be some flowers that only this magic place has.” She looked at Marianna. She was looking upset. “What’s the matter? I thought you were so excited.”

  “I am! It’s only that I still want my hairstyle to be the kind I wanted. I also wish my gown was prettier,” said Marianna.

  “But we can’t go home and change now, can we? I also wish the same thing,” replied Bethany.  

  Marianna sighed, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She was more cheerful now. They kept on seeing beautiful things on their way through the rocks. Then, they came to a halt again.

  “Why are we stopping? Aren’t we supposed to get out?” asked Bethany.

“No, look,” Marianna said, pointing in front of them. There were two caves, “I think we need to go through one of them. Then we will get to the Sparkle Forest.”

  Bethany looked alarmed, “But how do we know which cave to go through? They didn’t give us any clues!”

  “I think they have,” Marianna said, pointing to three golden stars on one of the caves, “This cave has three stars on it. The other has two. We shook the gold star three times a lot of times already, and I think that’s the password. So I think we should go through the cave with the three golden stars on it.”

  Bethany nodded, “I think you’re right. After all, that’s the only clue.” When they both were 100% sure that they were going through the cave with three gold stars on it, the cloud whooshed in. 10 seconds later, a huge mass of sparkling trees lay in front of them.  

The Sparkling Forest

 

“I think this is the Sparkle Forest,” Marianna said, sounding excited. Bethany nodded,” Exactly.” The two sisters were getting more and more excited. They looked around. The trees were all sparkling with diamonds and other gems and the trees were looking as healthy as can be. It smelled fresh. They didn’t notice each others’ change at all until they looked at each other. Marianna’s and Bethany’s hair were all the style they wanted. Their dresses were also looking prettier.

  “You look much nicer! How did that happen?” asked Bethany sounding eager to know.

  “I don’t know. You look much nicer too! What I think is that there is magic in the stone wall and it grants our wish. That’s possible,” declared Marianna. Bethany agreed.

  A minute later, Bethany said, “They said they would be waiting for us. But I can’t see them anywhere!”

  “Do you think they tricked us?” asked Marianna anxiously.

  Bethany shook her head, “I don’t think so. After all, this place is so beautiful and has magic! How would they trick us?”

  Marianna shrugged, “Now we don’t know where we are and no one even shows up. I just want to know how in the world we’re going to get back to our house.” They waited and just stared into space. They thought of some plans and what this place might be. Will they get grilled like chicken? Will they be tied in ropes and get burned by fire? Will the place make them servants?

  “I just knew we shouldn’t have come. Now look what we’re into,” said Marianna crossly, “and it’s all about you!”

  “What did I do? Did I tell you to get lost?” snapped Bethany.

  “You told us to come! That’s what you did! You should’ve listened to me! I’m older than you so you always should’ve listened to me!” Marianna said angrily.

  “Mom didn’t say I always had to listen to you and you can’t blame me because I told you to make up your mind. You said yes,” said Bethany.

  “So? If I didn’t come will you faint with fear in the creepy forest and survive the desert? It was always me who helped you get through!” Marianna argued.

  “No,”

  “Yes,”

  “No,”

  “Yes,”

  Bethany sighed, “Let’s just stop it. It’s not worth arguing. We just have to wait and come up with some ideas.”

  “Okay, but I’ve got to get out of here,” said Marianna. They were silent and thought for a few minutes. Then they heard some rustling sounds in the leaves and bushes. They both froze.

  “What was that?” Bethany asked anxiously.

  “I don’t know. It might be some kind of creature that… that wants to eat us!” Marianna said alarmed. They were startled and went on talking about what kind of scary or unusual thing it might be.

  “Maybe we really will get grilled like chicken,” said Bethany her voice shivering.

  “What do we do? What is going to happen? What is the thing?” questioned Marianna quickly.

  “Sis, let’s just close our eyes like you told me to do in the creepy forest. Maybe it will help,” said Bethany. Marianna nodded. The two sisters closed their eyes and thought about happy things. Then they heard the rustling sound again. Their eyes shot open.

  “What was that?” they said at the same time. They looked at each other. This was scary! So this letter thingy really was a trick, after all? Marianna shook her head. No, this can’t be true. This place would not be a bad place. We didn’t get tricked. I’m sure someone would get us. We won’t get grilled like chicken. She thought to herself. She closed her eyes again. So did her sister. Then they heard some laughs and voices. Someone had come to rescue them! She opened her eyes. Nobody. She closed her eyes again. Voices. Her eyes opened. No one! How could this happen? Was she imagining it or was it a… ghost? No, it couldn’t be. Ghosts don’t exist, do they? Marianna thought to herself again. She opened her eyes again…

 

A Huge Surprise!

 In a distance, a faint light was twinkling. Marianna peered more closely. It seemed to get brighter and larger. Then she saw some shadows. It was someone! Then, she slowly made out a body. It was coming closer…

  “What is that?” Marianna suddenly heard a voice. She swooped around. Her sister was looking.

  “Look. It’s coming closer. Let’s stay still,” Marianna pointed at the light and suggested. They stood still. Then, someone burst through the leaves!

  “Hi! WELCOME! Let’s see,” a person in a fancy cloak said. He was looking at some list,” So, you’re Marianna and Bethany, right? Good. I’m Master Radrifaz and I’m here to have a talk with you. Well, well, well. Now, come with me.” He checked off something on the list. It seemed to be a list of names. Marianna and Bethany froze.

  “COME WITH ME!” He shouted.

  “Y-y-yes sir. B-but we’re s-still f-f-l-loating. Could y-you get us d-down?” stammered Marianna to afraid to speak.

  “Okay. Why hadn’t I thought of that?” said Master Radrifaz. He snapped his fingers and Marianna and Bethany started coming to the ground. The cloud slowly disappeared. Master Radrifaz used his hand to beckon the sisters and turned around. Marianna and Bethany were scared to hesitate so just followed. On their way following Master Radrifaz, they saw the magnificent trees. They were even prettier than the ones they just saw in the first place! Some were glittering gold, others were silver, bronze, and lots had the most sparkly gems on them than you’ve ever seen. But before they knew it, they stopped. They were in a huge clearing the size of 50 tennis courts! There were tables neatly put here and there with food piled on top of each of them. Some golden tables and chairs were placed at a far corner of the clearing. There were people dancing and people playing games. It was like a huge carnival!

  “Go on. It is our welcoming ceremony. All the guests are involved. Eat and have fun! But at midnight, we’ll leave,” replied Master Radrifaz. Marianna and Bethany stared. It looked fun!

  “Let’s go! Come on! I really want to try some food! After all that, it’s nice to eat and drink something,” said Bethany excitedly. Marianna nodded and didn’t hesitate. They went jumping in the clearing.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Please do not do that! It’s not good manners!” shouted an elegantly dressed lady,” I’m Lady Kascade and would appreciate good manners. Now, stop skipping.” Marianna and Bethany slowed down and started walking. Lady Kascade nodded.

  For the next few hours, Marianna and Bethany had lots of fun. They tried lots of things. The food was delicious! No one could’ve not loved it! They danced in a few songs and played all sorts of games. You could even get a free cuddly stuffed animal at a stand! Marianna got a blue bear and Bethany got a pink rabbit. Although they were already sick of stuffed animals, they still really liked this new one. But soon they heard a bell.

  “What does that mean?” asked Bethany out loud.

  A few minutes later, some dressed-in-white people came into the clearing. It didn’t take Marianna or Bethany long to figure out that these people were chefs. The chefs cleared everything away and went out of the clearing. All left was the guests and some people from the palace-Nadora. Some people were wailing and squealing like little juveniles. They were really loud!

  Suddenly, Bethany froze like a statue. There was a faint sound of bells and galloping of horses.

  “Did you hear that?” hissed Bethany in Marianna’s ear. Marianna listened hard, and then her eyes became wide. She nodded.

  “What would horses be doing here?” asked Bethany anxiously. Marianna shrugged, “I have no idea.” The sound became louder and louder, and then they saw some horses, and BURST! Marianna and Bethany stepped back. In front of them was-was-was a bunch of magnificent carriages pulled by several gleaming white-coated horses with elegantly dressed coachmen sitting on one of the lead horses. There were so many carriages!

  Very soon, a lady that was dressed in the most fancy clothes you could think of came out of one of the carriages.

  “Hello, everyone! It is a good evening and I’m pleased to meet all of you! As you know, you might not believe this, but now you’re in a magical world. Don’t panic. We will take good care of you. Now, I would like the coachmen to tell you your carriage that you’ll be on,” said the lady very soothingly.

  One of the coachman nodded,” Sara and Danielle!” bellowed the coachman. Marianna and Bethany waited until someone called their names. At last, they heard the sound of their names.

  “Marianna and Bethany!” yelled a coachman that was standing beside a carriage that sparkled with all the jewels and it was painted magnificently with gold and silver. Marianna and Bethany walked into the carriage, but they were too excited to even walk! The carriage inside was even more gorgeous! There was one seat on each side of the carriage. The seats were comfy and were red. There were cushions on each seat. There was a miniature chandelier hanging in the carriage that made the inside cast a warm glow. Red curtains hung from the windows. When they climbed in, the coachman shut the door and Marianna and Bethany each chose a spot.

  “Bethany, it’s so nice in here!” said Marianna.

  “Yes, I know. But I wonder what we’ll do after we get off?” asked Bethany. Marianna just shrugged and then they enjoyed the rest of the trip in the carriage. On the way, Bethany slept for a while. But Marianna made her wake up. They accidentally got a notice from the coachman that said: PLEASE BE QUIET IN THE CARRIAGE. IF YOU DON’T IT WILL MAKE THE PEOPLE GRUMPY AND THE ROYAL MEMBERS WILL BE ANNOYED. SORRY TO BOTHER YOU BUT THIS IS AN INSTANT MESSAGE. THANK YOU.

  “Bethany. We seem to almost get there! I think I can see something. Wait-no, it is just the trees,” she sighed.

  “Sis, I know we’ve took a long time but we need to be a little patient. Our mom told us that when we were small and she always told us that. Even if we’re away for the minute, you still need to remember her words, right?” Bethany said seriously.

  “Yeah, I guess so- Wait, speaking of patience, I remember that you said for me to stay patient at some time. When was it? I was sure it was at the beginning when we haven’t come here yet…” sad Marianna

  “Sis, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I told you to be patient for a billion times already and you never complained much. Why bother you so much today?” answered Bethany annoyed.

  “Yes, never mind,” said Marianna. But at that moment, Bethany thought about the thing she did she didn’t want Marianna to know… A million years later, well, really only about 30 minutes, they finally reached the Nadora Palace. Wow, it took a long time for them to get here, so that means this is deep into the forest. Marianna and Bethany were amused at the sight of the palace.

The Wonderful Nadora Palace

The sight of the palace was beautiful! The two sisters and the other girls all staredsurprisingly and amusingly. The Nadora Palace shimmered. First it had a Silver gate 100 feet wide. That was the Grand Gate. Gems and crystals were specially nailed intothe gate. Swirly patterns of all kinds made up the gate. 5 guards stood at each side on the inside to make sure no one bad comes . After that there was another wall with a different gate that was golden and made with real creamy pink and white pearls. This was the Golden Gate. 5 guards also stood on each side of it. Then, there were still two gates after that. Those were the Protector Gates. They were made out of 1000 layers of steel and then covered with pictures of royal people. 5 guards stood on each side of those gates. All the walls were made out of 100 layers of steel in the inside, then 100 layers of rock on the middle layer, then 100 layers of marble on the very outside. When you get through all the gates, you get to the Great Moat. It is a 100 feet deep moat. There was a silvery marble bridge. It stood magnificently with jewels of all kids glimmering and shining. Guards stood at each end and side. The Nadora Palace was strongly protected.

  The Nadora Palace itself had 500 towers. It was 15,682,372,273,188,100,199,188 feet wide and 15,000 feet tall! It was mostly creamy white, pink, light blue, and light purple colors that the Palace had. Jewels, gems, pearls, gold, silver…were all on the palace towers and around it. It was the most beautiful structure you’ve ever seen. Walking in the palace made Bethany and Marianna nervous. It wasn’t scary, just a bit awkward. Was this real? Maybe it’s a dream? Maybe if they pinch themselves everything would be gone? But nothing did. Everything stayed, sparkling and shimmering in the moonlight.

  “My dears, now it’s time for all of you to come in! Do not be afraid, for you will have fun! Come, the royal servants will show you around,” the magnificently dressed lady said, “come in one by one!”

  “Oh my.”

  “Oh, my.” All the people went in, but one by one at a time of course! Bethany went in first. She gasped and her jaw dropped open. When Marianna went in, her jaw dropped open too! What in the world?! This place was so huge and magnificent!

  The fancy dressed lady walked up to the grand stage. She stood there and smiled. Then she spoke,” Everyone, listen to me! I am the queen of this land. Very soon the servants would show you around. But still, only some lucky fellows will have the chance to stay here. Now, please wait for your groups.” Some servants called names that would be put in groups. Marianna and Bethany waited to be called on. Soon, a woman called on them.

  “My girls, please. Come with me for the quick tour! Let’s first go to the rose hall,” the servant said. Their group walked to a hall that had a sign saying ‘ROSE HALL’. It was fancy, covered with a rose design.

  “The rose hall is the hall that has lots of rooms where members of the palace stays. This is the very first level to start with. Every once in a while, different girls get chosen to come here. The lucky ones get chosen to stay. They start off with the 1st level: Level Rose.

As they earn enough points, they move up to the 2nd level: Level Tulip. When they get to the 3rd level, Level Orchid, we then set off to choose more people. You guys are here for now. When you guys are in level Orchid, we will have some newcomers! You will see lots of people here now, and lots of them that you don’t know. Ok, let’s see what the rooms are like,” the servant explained. Then she muttered some words and the doors immediately opened,” Go, my girls! Now you could go look in every room in the Rose hall! Don’t wander off!” Marianna and Bethany quickly walked around, looking in every room. Lots of roses covered the walls. Those wallpaper were beautiful! The beds were fancy. Each room was huge! There were 5 beds in each room. Each bed had a door. It was like 5 mini rooms in a huge room. Each mini room was huge too! So, not many places have things like this. Actually, many do. Like the fanciest hotels… But, they had the chance to be able to sleep and live in one for a very long period! How exciting! Each mini room had a silver door. A name tag was put on each one. But they were all empty. No one lives in the rose hall right now; they are the ones to own the rose hall soon. They opened each door. A bed layed in the very left side of the mini room. A small table was put beside it with a rose colored lamp. There were a few shelves for putting things, a few chairs, a table, and two silver bells. One had numbers below them. Bethany wondered what the silver bells were for. Meanwhile, the servant walked in.

  “Girls, do you have any questions about the room? I can explain everything clearly!” the servant asked joyfully.

  “Of course we do! Thank you so much. Um, can you tell us what the silver bells are for? Ha ha, I really love the rooms! They are very pretty and clean.” Bethany answered.

  “Oh, no problem! This is one of the nice things we have in the palace. It’s for easier communication. The small bell is for communicating with your friends. You just need to put in the correct number of the room. Of course, their own mini room. Then just press the button that says ‘ok’ and ring the bell. That way, you could talk to each other through the bell. The larger bell is when we call for reminders and meetings, and when you want something. When you ring it, you will hear the voice coming out of the bell. That is the royal manager. She will ask you what you want and ring the servants to prepare. That makes things easier, right?”

  “That is very, very cool! At my house, I never had those things!” Marianna exclaimed. The servant smiled, “Maybe you’ll get the chance to stay…”

  Suddenly, a large sound came. Oh, it was just the loudspeaker.

  “Everyone, listen up! Gather to the grand stage. We would have the choosing ceremony there! Quick, everyone! No time to lose!” the queen said through the loudspeaker. Everyone quickly moved through the doors. They gathered at the grand stage. The queen was there already.

  “Girls, now we will have the happy and sad part. Lots of you won’t get chosen, but lots of you will too. If you don’t, then you would have to immediately go. If you do, then we would arrange you to your room. As in your letters, we told you that your mom and dad won’t worry. Their minds would know. Let the ceremony begin!” The queen announced.

A Member of the Palace

  There was lots of murmuring. Marianna and Bethany were so nervous. They might not get chosen! Uh-oh. What is one of them get’s chosen and one doesn’t? Then they would be split up! No, that is not going to happen.

  “Ok, I will announce the members that will be staying! Drum roll, girls!” The queen announced. 1. Andrea Smith! 2. Aubrey Wilming! 3. Rebecca Wilson……… 56. Bethany Altimerg………………… 78. Marianna Altimerg……………………. 100. Michelle Park! Thank you, everyone! Those are the people who got chosen. Tonight you will find everything ready for you. The others who didn’t get chosen, you will get chosen someday. We will call you to come again. But that is a few years later. Off you go!” the queen announced. But Marianna and Bethany were gasping. Wow, they got chosen, both of them!

  One of the servants said,” Today we will take you to your room. Your name would be put on the door along with your door’s number. 5 girls would share a room! Ok, we will now take you.” The servants led them through the long halls. Finally, they saw the rose hall. Everyone eagerly listened for their names to be called.

  “Casey Maraddin, Marianna Altimerg, Sabrina Moasic, Bethany Altimerg, and Teresa Humbert! You are in room 15749294. Go in and look for the door that has your name on it.” A servant said. They did as told and they were so excited! They were sure going to have some fascinating adventures! When everyone was finished, they had some talking and playing. They knew adventures were ahead of them. It was a dream, and that was the whole new dream. Of course, though, Marianna and Bethany had other dreams, and they were about to come true…

***

 

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 20.10.2013

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