The Magical Feather

By Ally

Edited by Aleks

Riddle by Aleks

After I had revealed everything and talked with my parents, they allowed me to explore
around the city by myself. They said I was old enough, though I was only a fourth
grader. With my powers, I mused, there came freedom!

They told me, as soon as I graduate from high school, I could live by myself if I wanted
to. However, with that, I was afraid. I didn‟t want to leave my parents so soon.
Especially since it‟s just a few years away.

Emma became my guardian and protector. I could call her anytime with my already-
mastered calling spell.

However, with all these fuss, I needed to hang out with my friends. Amelia and Nick had
gotten permission from their parents so that we can watch a movie together.

We watched the latest hit in the mall, and then we got around in a small café, and talked
about school, secrets and a lot more. I felt normal again.

However, of course, my secret made me feel good also.

As the day came to a close, the three of us said goodbye to each other, and I called
Emma with the spell in a secluded corner. No one could see me, or else the Fire Woods
Council would take away my powers.

“Emma, take me home.” I called.

She appeared right beside me and made us both disappear. We appeared back in the
house, and I entered after saying good night and goodbye to Emma. I crept upstairs,
knowing that my Dad and Mom were safely sleeping.

I changed into my pajamas and lay down on my comfy bed. I slept and dreamt of bad
things. In the middle of the night, I woke up and saw my blanket lying on the floor. Why
is it there? Instead of wasting more time thinking about it, I used a spell to make it float
back to me. Spells can be so handy at times and so are my practices.
I heard my Dad snoring, and I giggled for a brief moment. However, then, my window
caught my eye, and I gazed quietly at the stars. They were so beautiful, I thought, what
could be even more beautiful? I went back to my bed, thinking. What indeed could be
more beautiful?

I woke up earlier than I intended because of a loud noise originating from…somewhere.

I fell out of my bed and was rubbing my head as I asked myself what could possibly be
making that loud noise.

I did find a locating spell in my book, but then I saw my Dad in the corridor who was
vacuuming the whole house.

Rubbing my eyes, I went downstairs and got my cereal. I prepared it and shouted,
annoyed. “Can you please stop it?!” I yelled. The noise stopped considerably, but
started up again. I scowled as I ate my breakfast.

My brothers came bounding down the stairs, rubbing their eyes. “Did you sleep as well
as us?” they both asked in chorus.

“No,” I replied. “Did you guys sleep well?”

“No,” they both groaned and turned to Mom. “Why did Dad wake up us so early? It‟s
supposed to be summer! Meaning we get a break!” Their whines annoyed me, so I
concentrated on eating instead.

“Dad was just cleaning the house,” Mom said sternly. “We haven‟t cleaned the house for
a long time, and we thought we‟ll do a little summer cleaning.”

“You picked the worst day to do it,” grumbled one of the twins. “Isn‟t it supposed to be
spring cleaning?” groaned the other. Mom frowned at them – from the look on her face,
she was clearly annoyed.

“Mom, can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked. A question just popped in my head. A
really interesting one.

Mom nodded. “What‟s the matter? Didn‟t know its summer?” she joked. She went
outside with me trailing after her.

“Do Mike and Bob know about the powers I have?” I asked.

Mom looked around and shook her head. “Can you use your blocking spell? I think the
boys are looking at us. They might know.”

I looked at the twins. Sure enough, they were, in fact, they were looking at us oddly. I
nodded and cast the blocking spell – which blocks out anyone from a conversation or
anything – with my mind.
“Do they have magical powers?” I asked.

“They do, honey. They do.” Mom replied.

I looked at her, confused. “Then why do we have to keep this a secret from them?” I
glanced back at them nervously.

“We have to.” Mom replied grimly. “They can only know that they have powers if they
accidentally found out about it. I‟ll tell you everything.

“They have to find it out accidentally because the guardians will feel it. Therefore, the
guardians go directly to them and direct and protect them.

“However, if someone just tells them, chances are they won‟t feel it. I don‟t know why.
That‟s all I can tell you for now, Mike and Bob are coming.” Mom ended her speech
while I cast the cure of the blocking spell.

Fortunately, the spell was removed just as the twins hurried to us. “Hi, guys!” I said.

“Inside, boys,” Mom said, a trace of anger in her voice, “we‟re already done with our
private conversation.”

I did a little mind reading spell and heard what was going on in their minds. They were
actually using a conversation spell without them knowing it. Could this be the little trick
that was going on with twins? Like as they say, twins always know what was happening
with each other?

‘Mom will surely punish us because we almost interrupted a private conversation! And
it’s your entire fault, Bob!’

‘It’s not my fault! You’re the one who wanted to go to them!’

I waved goodbye to my parents after I washed the dishes (if only the twins knew that
they had powers, these tasks could be done easily with magic) before running to the
edge of Fire Woods. The woods weren‟t that scary anymore to me than before.

‘Beautiful day today, no school.’

I saw Emma by the edge of the Society‟s Gathering Ground. Emma had taken me to a
tour of Fire Woods before. I looked at as glance at her before looking around.

“The Society is coming!” She whispered to me, almost scared. “They are going to give
you one task. If you pass it, they cannot take your powers away. If you don‟t, you‟re
gone forever. No one has ever passed the test. Your mom didn‟t join, so in
consequence, she lost her powers.”
“Do I need to join?” I asked nervously.

“It‟s up to you.” Emma said gravely. “It‟s one way or another.”

She had a point. However, if I turned away the task, that would make me seem like a
scared Guardian. I looked at her and did some quick thinking. “I‟m in! I‟m changing that
record of no one passing that test.”

“She has accepted the test.” A startlingly familiar voice said behind me. I turned around
and my eyes widened when I saw my principal with a bunch of other people. “She shall
go to the cave, go pass the Fet monster and get the magical feather.”

“Which is the hardest part,” someone added. Emma glared at him.

I looked at Emma nervously. “That‟s the Society.” Emma said.

“What?!” I cried, getting confused. “But my principle is there!” Everything suddenly

began clicking around together, piecing themselves and fitting. My principle set up the
entire field trip. She knew all along!

“Please sign here,” one of them said and a sheet of paper floated up to me along with a
quill. I took the quill and signed it.

I looked around at them, feeling confused. All of them were looking at me, looking
scared. What was wrong? Maybe they were wondering, „why is a little kid accepting this
task? She’s so new, too!’.

“You shall go now!” Another said, loudly. He had dark hair and cold brown eyes. I
shivered. I had always thought that brown eyes were warm. “The location where you
must be!”

I was in another place at the instance of time along with Emma. A cold cave; I shivered
and made a jacket appear. It wasn‟t like I was warned, it‟s summer!

“This cave isn‟t nice.” Emma said. I nodded, agreeing much.

Feathers were everywhere. I couldn‟t believe my eyes. Tufts of feathers peeked out
from every cranny and nook. They tickled my ankles as I walked along with Emma.

Emma noticed my discomfort with the tickles and offered me a chance to ride. I hopped
on her back and lowly flew through the cave. We stopped to rest and I leaned across a
wall which was covered with so many feathers that it felt like it was a bed. Only that it
moved and I stumbled in.

Then I gasped. I had stumbled into a circle full of bones.

I saw a statue in the middle of the bones. I felt compelled to walk towards it, even if my
mind was screaming and yelling at me not to. I walked towards the ugly statue and felt
the texture of the cold rock. It moved.

I screamed and tried to run. However, it was too late; I wasn‟t able to move, as if I was
somehow stuck to the ground. The statue awoke and spoke in a frightful whisper.

“You seek something never intended to land in the wrong hands,” it whispered to me. I
was forced to look into the cold eyes of the frightening statue. “You must answer my
riddle. Listen carefully. I will only repeat it twice. If you solve it, you may go on, and you
may ask me one question. If not, I will attack.” I gulped and listened to the riddle.

In the matter of forever, she will be guiding you,

The edge of the forest, she arrived as if on cue.
Look around you, there is a teacher, who is frozen,
Only the one who will solve this is the chosen.

It was so simple. The moment I heard it, I knew the answer immediately.

“It‟s Emma.” I said calmly.

The statue nodded. “You have solved it, young one. In return, I will let you pass. Unless
there is something you need to ask? Choose carefully, or else I might never let you
pass.”

I pondered at first and decided on my question. The first one that sprang to my mind, I
had already answered. I was about to ask „did you ask different questions to those who
went here?‟ But I answered it by myself already. Surely, he did ask different questions.
“How do I unfreeze Emma?” I asked in a sure voice. She was frozen – though I knew a
spell that could unfreeze her, it would take a tremendous amount of power and energy.

“You are a bright one,” grumbled the statue. “I was suspecting that you would ask where
is the feather. But, apparently not.”

I grinned slightly at the statue. “No. I seek the answer to cure my friend.”

“Recite this chant thrice.” The statue recited a chant. “And then soak her with water
mixed with your blood. It must be stirred thrice with the deep crimson feather found on
my feet.”

“My blood?!” I gasped. Surely, it wasn‟t that grave.

“The spell can only be unlocked that way,” he said.

“Anything to help Emma,” I said. I pierced my skin with the rock and dripped a few
droplets into the water found in my bottle. I stirred it thrice with the feather found on his
feet and recited the chant carefully. I soaked her with the mixture, and she came alive.

“What happened?” she immediately gasped as she was unfrozen.

I smiled reassuringly. “You‟re fine. Everything‟s fine. We just have to find the feather.”

However, then, the statue stopped me. “The feather lies within me. You will have to
break me to get it.”

“But, then,” I said. “You will be gone!”

“It is for the sake of the task,” he rumbled.

“Emma, do you know any breaking spell?” I asked.

“Yes, I do.” Emma replied grimly. “Recite this spell twice and point your finger to the
object you need to break.” She gave me the spell.

I closed my eyes. The statue was doing a great sacrifice for this one. I recited the spell
twice and pointed – with a deep sigh – to the statue. It broke to pieces and a feather lay
in the pieces. I picked up the delicate feather and realized that I had indeed broken the
record.

Emma and I flew back to the mouth of the cave, where, surprisingly, my Mom, my Dad,
the Society, the Elders and the Guardians were waiting.

My Mom hugged me tight and whispered in my ear. “I couldn‟t believe you passed. I
was so worried.”

“Don‟t worry, Mom,” I reassured her, “I‟m alive and the task was quite easy.”

“Easy how?” my Dad inquired. “No one returned.”

“That is because they didn‟t have the logic to solve the riddle,” my principal replied.

“After all, the Guardians before, because of their powers, didn‟t see a reason to have
logic. Therefore, when they were given the task, they failed.”

“She has a point, Dad,” I said.

“Oh, and Nicole?” Emma said. “Keep that feather. It grants wishes.”

“How many?” I asked.

“As many as you like.” Emma replied. “Though, of course, there are exceptions.”
“I thought you didn‟t know anything about the feather,” I accused.

“There has been a book about that feather.” She replied. “The only thing was that the
feather was never found – until now.”

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There may be a new chapter! Please comment, vote, and fan, so I would write it!

Thanks sooooo much, Aleks (ZaneBrooks), for the riddle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!