Little Orphan Anvil: The Complete Trilogy by Joseph Beekman (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📕

reckon some creatures stir withinthese deadwoods,” Will confessed. “The droid detectssomething out there in the darkness, I’m sure. Be onguard—but move quickly!”

They hurried forward; careful not to slip andtumble on any moss, or trip and fall on any branch orroot.

~ Chapter VII~ The Little Girl and the Firefly

As their travel steadily progressed along the root,a sudden and strange noise caught their quiet attention.Will quickly whistled at the robot ahead of them to halt.Sonny tugged at Ranger’s neck for him to heel, then ranand caught up to Will’s side.

As they listened carefully—their hearts beatingrather rapidly—the sound of a tiny bell rang off to theright of them. Ranger spun fast around and froze,facing the sound’s direction. Will and Sonny lookedwhere the dog was glaring, and noticed a small lightflickering in the pitch dark of the trees. Swiveling itsdented, metallic dome, the robot aimed its eye-lightstowards the movement.

As Sonny was about to speak, Will brought hishand up to shush him. Sonny closed his mouth, andwith a wide-eyed glare started to tug on Will’s jacketsleeve.

“Be still, lad!” Will hissed. Leaning forward intothe darkness, he focused his eyes intently on the flickering light.

With careful ease, the dog moved forward.Sonny went to pull him back but Will batted his handaway, allowing the dog to continue. Sonny winced andgave Will a sour look.

“Sorry, but let him be,” Will stated. “A dog hasgood instincts for things like this.”

“Things like what?” Sonny whispered.

“Shush! I hear that bell again. Sounds like acoded message of sorts—could be strange trickery…”

Will waved the robot forward to follow Ranger.It whirled its way after the dog, switching its electric,red eyes to high beams of pin-pointed light.

Within minutes, the robot and the dog wereswallowed by the dark. Frightened for Ranger’s safety,Sonny jumped off the root and ran off after him. Willshook his head and instantly followed, stumblingslightly as he stepped down off the root.

When Sonny reached a point where he could nolonger move, he was in a panic. Ranger could be heardwhimpering, but not seen, and Sonny found it impossible to keep moving any further. Cursing under hisbreath at the cuts and scrapes on his face and arms, heremained still.

Suddenly, Will crashed through the limbs androots, smacking right into Sonny and causing both ofthem to fall into a deep hole. Landing in soft soil, theywere confronted by Ranger who jumped all over Sonnywith glee.

Will cursed under his breath as he dusted himselfoff. Looking up, he saw the robot’s wavering lightshovering around the base of a massive tree trunk. Thetree twisted and curled up from the hole and seemed todominate all the other dead trees that they had seenalong the way.

He called out to the robot. It whirled itself aboutand zoomed down a few feet into the hole. With thelight from the robot, they could see hundreds of rottingroots clinging into the soiled walls, snaking down fromthe base of the tree.

“Keep quiet now. We’ve probably alerted theattention of who knows what, lurking out there in thedark,” Will whispered. “And whatever that ringingsound was—it’s still up there.” He helped Sonny up offhis feet as Ranger whimpered and pranced about.

Sonny grumbled as he glanced around. “Whatare we to do, Will?” he whispered fearfully. “I think Isaw someone moving in that tree right before youcrashed into me!”

Will froze, his eyes growing wider as he saw ashadowed figure moving above in the dark with a tinyflutter of light. The shadow seemed to be floating inthe center of the massive tree, holding the little lightwhich zigzagged about.

“Hello there!” Will called up, cupping his handsto his mouth to be heard clearly.

Sonny grabbed Will’s arm, pulling him back.“What are you doing?” he shrieked into Will’s ear. “Wedon’t know who that is!”

Will brushed him off, and began to climb up oneof the roots. Sonny just shook his head, not trustingWill’s actions. But then to his surprise, Sonny saw thefigure move down closer to the hole—it was a little girl,about his age! Her dark hair was cut to the shoulderand her skin was rather pale. She crouched near theedge and offered Will a hand up.

“Don’t be afraid, I know who you are,” the girlsweetly spoke.

Will stopped climbing and locked gazes with herdeep blue eyes.

“You—you do?” Will replied in shock, as hereached for her tiny hand; a little bell attached to one ofher fingers clanged softy as she grabbed his hand andhelped pull him over the edge.

Sonny scrambled up the root after him, whileRanger gave it his all and jumped up and out of thehole.

“How is this so, young lady?” Will asked.

“I have seen you at the orphanage,” the girl said;“it was some time ago. You came there one eveningwith this here robot,” pointing over to the robot thathovered nearby. It’s eye-lights flicked to a higher beamof light, giving them a better source of sight.

Will and Sonny appeared dumbfounded. “Howhave you come to be so far out here?” Will askedexcitedly. “And so far from the mansion? We were justmaking our way to the Land of Shadows to lend aid!”

The girl shivered at the cold, and Sonny quicklygave her an extra blanket he had stashed into his knapsack back at Will’s tree fort.

“Thanks, young sir,” she said smiling. She setdown her glass jar and took the blanket.

Sonny nodded with a smile and looked at theflittering light in the jar. He noticed it was no ordinarylight, but that of the light of a firefly!

“I have been hiding out here,” she said, wrappingthe blanket around her. “Using this great tree as a fortof sorts—after I was able to escape that mad, witchlady.”

“You escaped?” Will said with puzzlement.“What do you mean, escape? What of the others?”

She shook her head, looking down at the ground.“They have been put under some odd spell. That lady iswicked.” Her voice took on a bit of sadness.

Will lifted her chin up and gave her a comfortinglook. He motioned her to sit. “Please, we are here tohelp.