The Land of Flora

By Marie Springberry

Ken and Meg were on their way from New York to Tokyo to start a new life with their father in Japan, but something went really wrong during their flight. When they came by, they found themselves in an exotic and mysterious kingdom full of flowers. Be ready for an adventure full of excitement, battles, magic, love... and tears. There is a legend in the Kingdom of Rosetta: Rosetta will be in peril. Danger will approach from the west, beware. The drought will come, beware. Wait and pray for saviors if Rosetta were to remain. They will come, the two people from Yamato. A brother and sister, from nowhere in the sky. One brings Health and the other brings Fortune. Oh, the spicy fragrance of peppermint! Oh, the soothing fragrance of cherry blossom! They are your only hopes, Rosettalians. The Fortune will find the true heart in the mythical land. The Fortune will gain power and so will the Fountain. The Health will..., and here the legend is torn. What if you suddenly have to make a decision between two contradictory perspectives? Do you follow your heart? Or do you follow the heart of your beloved one?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marie Springberry
• Release date: Dec 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310561061

Book preview

The Land of Flora

By Marie Springberry

Copyright 2013 Marie Springberry

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1 Ken and Meg’s Flight

Chapter 2 The Garden of Peace

Chapter 3 At the City

Chapter 4 Unexpected Welcome

Chapter 5 The Feast of Eclipse

Chapter 6 The Story of Fair Lady

Chapter 7 Dream and True Song

Chapter 8 Acceptance of Fate

Chapter 9 Tulitta

Chapter 10 Meg’s Voyage

Chapter 11 Mishap at the Castle

Chapter 12 Sakuratta

Chapter 13 Difference in Perspectives

Chapter 14 Sounds of War

Chapter 15 Magic and Farewell

Chapter 16 The Fate

Epilogue

Prologue

In the beginning, everything was Empty.

Emptiness seemed to last forever, and ever….

Suddenly, sweet fragrance filled the Emptiness.

And from nowhere, five flower petals appeared.

A beautiful petal of Rose.

A powerful petal of Tulip.

A fragile petal of Sakura.

A brave petal of Daffodil.

A cheerful petal of Violet.

They drew spirals in the Emptiness,

And came together as One Flower.

The petals of the Flower then started to rotate,

Slowly and slowly, recognizing the new Bond….

Suddenly, the movement came to a halt.

And there appeared in the middle of the Flower,

A Lady with breathtaking beauty.

The sweet fragrance became stronger and stronger….

The Lady then whispered into the Emptiness

Emptiness is the beginning of Everything.

Everything, everything…

Her whisper resonated through the Emptiness

And grew louder and louder…

Emptiness is the beginning of everything…

Everything, everything…

Lo! The Emptiness suddenly started to prepare itself

To become Everything….

Lo! The Air started to fill the Emptiness.

Lo! The Water emerged in the Emptiness.

Answering to the Call by the Fair Lady.

The Fair Lady was smiling on the Flower,

Waiting for the Moment to come.

When Everything was ready to sustain Life,

The Flower started to descend gradually.

Until it touched the Water gently.

And the petals of the Flower each became a Land.

Then, the Fair Lady proclaimed

Here the Land of Flora begins! May it last peacefully forever!

Lo! Five shining Stones appeared in the Air.

Pink, red, white, purple, and yellow.

The Lady took the Stones from the Air

And threw each Stone onto each Land.

Then, the Fair Lady disappeared into the Air….

So, the Land of Flora was Created,

By the Words of the Fair Lady.

The Land of Rosetta,

The Land of Tulitta,

The Land of Sakuratta,

The Land of Violetta,

The Land of Daffolitta,

Together they formed a Union.

Under the name of the Fair Lady.

The Land of Flora was to last Peacefully,

Forever and ever…….

Chapter 1: Ken and Meg’s Flight

The sky concealed something hostile behind the thick layers of clouds. This particular flight from New York to Tokyo might have been doomed in the first place. It was supposed to depart from John F. Kennedy at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. But the sudden and harsh thunderstorm prevented its take-off, and the 131 passengers had been waiting for nearly an hour at the runway, crammed in the slender aircraft.

Hey, how long will you make us wait?

I have an important business meeting in Tokyo!

As time went by, the main cabin started to ring with irritating complaints by grumpy passengers.

My baby is crying. Do something!

I’ve been waiting for my drink for half an hour!

Isn’t this high-tech plane supposed to fly in an extreme weather condition?

The complaints were dealt by inexperienced cabin attendants, whose superficial smiles failing to conceal their true feelings. Outside the plane, the wind was getting even stronger, as if to claim the triumph of natural force over human technology.

When the voltage of the complaints was at its highest, the frustrated pilot finally got the clearance.

Thank you for flying with…… We are now ready for departure. Please fasten your seat belt. We apologize for our unexpected delay. Our new landing time will be….

Listening to the dull announcement in the business cabin, Ken and Meg were experiencing a very mixed feeling about the plane’s take-off. They were happy because the long waiting time was finally over. They were unhappy because they knew they wouldn’t come back to New York for some years once they waved good-bye to the airport. Ken, who was wearing a T-shirt of his favorite rock band over his jeans, was a 15-year-old boy with a somewhat grown-up air. He was sitting in the window seat, looking down the now fast disappearing runway. Beside him in the aisle seat was Ken’s elder sister Meg. She was wearing a pale pink dress with a flower pattern. She had just had her 19th birthday, but her girlish style and expression made her look much younger. In fact, if someone saw the brother and sister together, that person would think Ken was older than Meg by a few years. Their father was a CEO of one of the leading technology companies in Japan—that’s why Ken and Meg were in the business cabin. They were on their way to Tokyo to see their father for the first time in seven years. To be more precise, they were not only going to see their father, but were going to live with him, at least until they both graduate from university.

Well, I guess this is it, said Ken. We are now heading to our new home country.

I can’t believe we’ll be in a totally different country when we wake up, commented Meg.

It shouldn’t be that bad. Ken’s voice was not convincing. We are not going to live in a remote village in the Sahara.

You know what I’m talking about, retorted Meg.

Umm… Ken produced an ambiguous grunt.

I know Japan is not that different from the US these days. They have advanced technology and stuff like that. But what about traditional cultures of Japan? I know almost nothing about Samurai, or Kabuki, or Kado…

I don’t think people of our age are that much interested in traditional cultures any more. Well, at least business people in Tokyo are not dressed in kimono, right? You’ve seen Tokyo a lot on CNN, haven’t you?

But what about language? I only studied Japanese for a year in my high school, and that was four years ago.

Sis, we’ve gone through this talk before. You will be fine. How many times do I have to remind you that you’re going to a bilingual university?

But, it’s not totally in English, right? Bilingual means that I need to speak Japanese…

I’ve told you many times that you can take classes offered in English. I guess you didn’t read the curriculum. Didn’t I tell you that you should have a look through it so that you’d feel better?

It was too painful for me to even open that envelope. Besides, you read it for me… No, no. I can’t accept the idea that I will be studying with Japanese speaking people. I won’t be able to make any friends. What shall I do? Meg’s voice was now starting to tremble.

OK, my big sister. Ken made an audible sigh. There’s nothing we can do about it. You know Japanese at least better than me. And I’m going to a totally Japanese high school. If one of us is going to have trouble with the language, that’d be me.

But still, how can I get around without literacy in Japanese? Meg’s shaky voice was now getting higher.

Calm down, Sis. We will try to adapt to that society together, OK? I’m always with you. And you’re always with me.

Yeah… Thanks, Ken. I wish I wasn’t the older one. Meg remarked. Ken wanted to say that he was always feeling like the older one, but thought better of it. Instead he just said,

Everything will be all right, though he wasn’t sure about what would happen to them in Japan either. Actually, there was one important piece of information Ken had not shared with Meg. They had received a letter—though Ken thought it was an instruction—from their father two months ago. That letter, which Meg