The Tale of Willaby Creek

By Victoria Lindstrom

A magical tale of amazing sacrifice...
When a violent windstorm strikes an enchanted rain forest many of the woodland creatures of wallaby Creek are stranded, injured, or lost forever to the frenzied force of the tempest. Basil, a black bear full of doubt and fear, becomes the unlikely leader to head the woodland creatures' rescue. He is joined by Daphne, a spunky blue dryad; Oliver, a wise horned owl; Elbert, a noble elk; and a host of other creatures that inhabit the enchanted rain forest.
Dangerous twists and turns in this animal adventure-fantasy cause Basil to discover a courage, and a conviction, he never knew he had. The answers to the ancient mysteries in this magical tale emerge in an extraordinary finale under the tall timbers of the hidden hinterland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Victoria Lindstrom
• Release date: May 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9780996241533

Victoria Lindstrom

Victoria Lindstrom was born in Southern California, raised under the tall timbers of the Pacific Northwest, and educated at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington. Her books for young readers include The Scandinavian Santa and The Tale of Willaby Creek. She lives in Washington State with her husband where they are active advocates for the arts in their community.

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Victoria Lindstrom

Thistleberry Books

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, dialogue and

incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are

not to be construed as real. Any semblance to actual persons

or animals, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN 978-0-9962415-3-3

Text copyright © 2015 by Victoria Lindstrom

Jacket art copyright © 2015 by Michael Lindstrom

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Thistleberry Books

The Tale of Willaby Creek / Victoria Lindstrom. First Edition.

Book Design by Tattered Page Ink

Cover Design by Mae I Design

Printed in the United States of America

First Edition

Thistleberry Books

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted in any form, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical,

without the written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case

of brief quotations used in articles and reviews.

For Michael

Contents

Prologue

Part One ~ The Storm

Chapter 1 - The Hidden Cave

Chapter 2 - The Wind in the Forest

Chapter 3 - Neighbors in Need

Chapter 4 - Wisdom in the Woods

Chapter 5 - Woodland Creatures

Chapter 6 - Finding Friends

Part Two ~ Sacrifices

Chapter 7 - Daphne’s Decision

Chapter 8 - Brothers of the Heart

Chapter 9 - Path of Discovery

Chapter 10 - Wilderness Song

Chapter 11 - History of the Hinterland

Chapter 12 - Grand Gathering

Epilogue

Note

Acknowledgements

"What lies behind us

and what lies before us

are tiny matters compared

to what lives within us."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Prologue

Centuries-old evergreen trees stood as guardians of the enchanted forest and the keepers of its mysteries. Their coniferous canopy served as a covering for the ancient kingdom below, shielding it from the all too frequent rain that fell from the gray skies above.

It was home to a society of diverse denizens, each with their own stories and shadows. They had secrets that were much more than obscure bits of knowledge concealed from others. Some held their souls captive by the fear that their tales might be told. Tales such as this one, concerning an extraordinary black bear named Basil.

Basil was one of the most benevolent creatures living in the enchanted hinterland known as Willaby Creek, but he lived with trepidation in his heart. His earliest recollections were filled with terror… a terror placed there by Man.

The early autumn breeze hinted the warm days would soon take their leave. The young Basil frolicked in the forest, scampering along the lonely path bordered by sword ferns, wildflowers, and huckleberries. His mother, Belle, scratched herself against the bark of a giant spruce tree a few yards away. The bliss of the bears was suddenly shattered when a deafening noise caused the young cub to tremble and turn toward the source of the blast. Seeing the lifeblood rushing out of his loving, nurturing mother was shocking; seeing her limp, dead body dragged away by two male humans while he stood motionless was intolerable. Basil’s energy abandoned his body in such haste that he collapsed on the pinecone-covered forest floor in a trancelike state.

The cub’s wholesome, tender soul darkened. It was as though a storm cloud had moved in and was hovering over his being like a malevolent villain. He drifted from reality and slept.

Basil awoke from his coma-like slumber cold, hungry, and, at first, bewildered. He wondered why his mother had left him outside in the dark, not taking him home with her to their den. Then the memory of the horrid event drifted back and he cried out in pain. His tearful bellowing shook his young, muscular body in waves of agony. Basil had never known his father, and now his mother was gone, too. His ursine spirit quivered and was about to fracture when a tiny, white light appeared. As Basil writhed in his torment the brightly-lit, fluttering ball soon caught his attention.

Your mother feels your pain, a voice said from the little light. I have come to help you.

Basil’s eyes bulged open.

Who…are…you? He hesitated to believe what he had heard.

I am called Daphne; I am a dryad.

A dry – ad?

The tiny creature came into focus. Her humanoid torso was cobalt blue, matching her blazing blue eyes, while her long, dark-brown hair was pulled back with a leather strap. She had creamy, white skin and was no more than six inches tall. Her thin, transparent wings moved at the speed of a hummingbird’s.

Yes, that’s right, she confirmed.

But, what is a dry-ad?

Oh, this is going to take longer than I anticipated. I am a forest nymph - a dryad. I only appear in the direst of situations, as I come from the Land of Eternal Youth.

Basil’s mouth dropped open, but he couldn’t think of what to say.

Your young eyes have not been darkened by the doubt of this world. You have joy in your heart…or at least you did. That is why I have come…to restore your joy. It is your mother’s wish that you grow to have a long and happy life. I will place you in an early hibernation…if you will allow me. Daphne paused, momentarily pondering something. I will help you return to your den to fall asleep…you will rest from your pain and when you awaken next spring, you will be able to accept your mother’s absence. The blue nymph recited her magical message like it was an everyday occurrence. And, you will not remember this visit.

Basil sat in stunned silence.

Will you allow me to place you in winter hibernation? The dryad continued fluttering in front of Basil, her blue eyes beckoning.

The young bear stared at the miniature creature, and as the little blue nymph sighed and waited, Basil pondered his choice.

Yes, he finally said. You may place me in hibernation; it’s nearly time anyway.

With the strength of her light, the dryad helped him stand up, and as they proceeded down the path they arrived at a large hollowed-out hemlock trunk that served as the cub’s home.

Daphne fluttered and flew around the bear, as though tying him up with strands of her light. Sleep, my precious bear. Your mother may now enter into her peace as well.

Nature truly can be a mother, especially to a creature who so desperately needs one. The following spring Basil received much tenderness from the woodland creatures in the enchanted forest. Joy, however, never returned. There is a symbiotic sort of balance in Nature and that balance had been disrupted in the young bear’s life.

In the years since that painful turn of his path, Basil did survive, that’s what animals do: they persist. But, surviving and persisting are ever so different than living. To live one must engage the heart in all of life’s endeavors. If not, life is but a shadow of what might have been.

The dryad had said that Basil would not remember her visit, and in that, she was true to her word.

Part One

The Storm

The Hidden Cave

1

Scrunch!

Basil’s bulky legs halted mid-stride in the center of the pinecone-laden path. His black eyes scanned the old growth forest for the source of the strange sound. Searching through the wild web of evergreen branches and discovering nothing out of the ordinary, he relaxed and began lumbering down the trail once again, carrying a bark basket in his paw.

Probably just a scared, scampering critter.

The giant evergreen branches, laced with stringy moss, always caused Basil to imagine magical beings just waiting to wrap their long sinewy arms around his neck – especially as nightfall approached in the mystical woods.

Scrunch!

That is no little critter – what is that?

A tall, bronze, human male emerged onto the path a short distance ahead.

Basil’s black eyes opened wide in fear.

The long-haired man turned and briefly smiled, staring straight at the bear. Then he crossed the path and briskly proceeded toward the lake, away from Basil.

What was the human’s smile about? The big bear’s heart seemed to bounce in his chest.

Sightings of humans were few and far between; Basil’s reaction was always the same: Fear. He’d learned from other woodland creatures that humans were more afraid of him than he should have been of them, but the poignant memory from his youth still brought him great pain.

Moisture dripped from the constantly damp fir, spruce, and hemlock trees. Basil blinked a few times to clear his eyes as his breathing slowed and his muscles began to relax. He quickened his pace as he padded along the moist, spongy path which sloped down to meet Willaby Creek. The thunderous sound of water greeted the huge bear as he approached the water’s edge. A wide and beautiful waterfall at the south end of the creek continuously cascaded; it was a familiar landmark to the creatures of the enchanted forest. Splashing through the cold, rippling creek water with his broad paws, Basil ascended the opposite embankment.

The scent of rain-washed mildew was ever-present in this corner of the woods. This evening it wasn’t the smell that he noticed, it was the lack of critter activity; it seemed to scream a silent void into the hinterland. After having encountered the human, Basil was happy to be nearly home with his family. His bear-mate, Betsy, would be pleased with the four plump salmon he carried in his simple basket. Basil shivered as he rounded the bend in the tight, narrow trail. A massive boulder stood as a sentinel to the left of the bear family’s hidden cave.

He crossed the threshold of the warm, dry dwelling with his shoulders hunched, and entered the chamber…seemingly unnoticed.

I’m home, called Basil, as he shook the droplets of humidity from his dark-brown fur, like he did almost every day. His cubs, Byron and Beatrix, appeared from the back of the cave.

Papa, you’re back! Beatrix hurried toward her father for a hug.

Hey, Pop…what’s for dinner? asked the lean and lanky Byron.

"Here, you can take these