(Click here to read the previous chapters 1-5)
She had always wished for something extraordinary to happen to her, and now it had. She was ready.
Beatrix set off into the woods with the little spider to guide her on her quest. The sunlight broke through the tree tops casting sparkles of light onto the ground below. Beatrix walked with a new aura about her. Through the brush they went; weaving around the large trees. Beatrix had fashioned some footwear out of an old shirt from her bag. She looked down at the spider. It contently stared off into the distance. “Where are we going?” she asked with curiosity. “To the door” replied the spider. A shiver ran down Beatrix’s spine. She began to tremble. She knew what door the spider was talking about, for near it was where she met that insidious creature. Panic filled her. Flashes of that night raged through her mind like a storm. She recounted that night: The dark creature, gleaming in the moonlight. She remembered its sharp fangs tearing through the flesh of its kill.
Beatrix stopped walking. Fear froze her in place. “With knowledge dear Beatrix, there is nothing to fear.” said the little spider. “I have crossed paths with the creature you met in the woods last night. I know how to get passed the guardian of the door.” “But you’re so small. You can hide easier than I can.” Beatrix choked out in a worried tone. “Don’t you worry” said the spider. “Leave that to me.” Not completely reassured, Beatrix nodded, and they moved on.
The woods were alive. Squirrels chased each other through the canopy of the forest. Dear meandered by. Deeper into the forest they went. They walked and walked for what seemed like hours. She looked all around her for the door, but saw nothing in sight. She began to question the spider. Did he know where they were going? Did he know where the door was?
Up ahead was a giant tree. It must have been centuries old. Beatrix gazed up at it, not noticing the red door peeking out from behind it. She looked down, saw the red door, and froze. She strained her ears to listen for the creature, but heard nothing. The woods were eerily silent. The rustling of squirrels and other wildlife had subsided. “We are near” said the spider.
Quietly they inched their way closer to the door. A tree branch cracked near by. Beatrix looked all around her for the creature, and there it was, resting on the ground in the distance. Her heart started pounding. She stared at the spider with a worried look in her eyes. The spider uttered something. Beatrix couldn’t tell what he said though, for it was not in English. She looked puzzled at the spider. A flash of light blasted through the trees around her. The world grew around her, and so did the little spider. Afraid, she closed her eyes.
“It’s Ok” said the spider. “Open your eyes.” Beatrix opened her eyes to towering grass blades. She was resting on a leaf the size of a mattress. She took a step forward and looked all around her. It was like a world within her own that she had never discovered. Basketball sized lady bugs shuffled by. She turned around to see the spider, now life-size, sitting beside her. She saw her reflection in his eyes; she was a spider now too! “Y-you can do magic?!” Beatrix asked, with a shocked look in her eyes. “Of course” said the spider nonchalantly.
“Now, we wait.” said the spider.
“For what?” Beatrix asked.
“For the door to be opened.” replied the spider.
They scurried up a tall blade of grass and rested on top; waiting for the door to open. The creature raised its head and began looking all around it; trying to figure out what the flash of light was, and where it had come from. Beatrix and the spider sat for a few minutes. Curiosity filled her until she couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “What’s behind the door?” she asked. The spider turned, looked at her and replied: “The other side; the magical world.” He paused for a moment and continued “On the other side you will find what you need to grow your powers. It’s another world; similar to our own, but filled with magic.”
Beatrix stared at the door, mesmerized with wonder. “But if it is just sitting here, out in the open like this, can’t anyone find it?” she asked.
“Only magical creatures from the other world can see it.” said the spider.
Beatrix sat and pondered what she had just learned. Her mind tried to make logical sense of it all. But, it was magic. True magic; and magic didn’t make sense, it just… was.
The sky grew a deep, dark purple as the evening approached. The ground began to shake like the beat of a drum. The monster towered above. “It is time” said the spider. The creature made its way to the door with a ruckus; snapping branches as it went. It reached for the door, and a handle appeared. The creature opened the door slowly and began to walk through it. Sunlight beamed through the opening and washed the ground outside. Beatrix and the spider raced for the door. The ground shook with each step the creature took; it was almost on the other side. They ran for the door as it began to close. They darted around the grass blades and over small rocks. They were almost there. The beam of golden sunlight on the ground grew narrower as the door was being pushed closed. Across the earth they scurried as fast as their legs could carry them, and they passed through the doorway just in time. The door shut behind them, shaking the soil.
Sunlight shined through the forest ahead. It was daytime. The creature stomped off into the distance.
“Did we travel in time?” she asked, looking around confused. “It was nighttime just a few minutes ago on the other side of the door.” The spider looked at her and said: “No, we did not time travel. Our days and nights are opposite your world.”
They rested on a purple flower for a second. Beatrix gazed around at her surroundings in awe. She sat there; stunned by the beauty around her.
The spider turned and looked at her and saw the wonder in her eyes. He looked out into the other world and said: “Let’s begin.”
I am using the tag "beatrix-percival", so you can easily find all the previous chapters, as well as see the new ones as soon as they are released!