Magio Kingdom

By Carita Lewis

Two mombos of Magio Kingdom find a scroll that depict a terrible disaster that is about to occur to the kingdom. Since they must not read it, they have to make an incredible journey to the wizards. Along the way, they make some new friends, face some difficult dangers and gather together a group of different creatures to combat the evil that is about to destroy their lives. All they need is a wizard to join them and a human from earth. Peter from Florida is the one to be recruited. But he is such a small defenseless boy. What can he do? This is a great read for children of all ages and contains hidden lessons throughout the book that help to better life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Asato
• Release date: Mar 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311218919

Carita Lewis

Carita Lewis was born and raised in Helsinki, Finland. She grew to love stories when her mother told them to her at bedtime. It was a magical time of day for her and she continued to read stories of adventure, science fiction and many others that caught her attention as she grew up. In fact, the first story that she remembers reading that made a big impression on her was Robinson Crusoe.Carita currently lives in Florida where she puts her imagination to work to write this fabulous story of fantasy. She loves to work with children of all ages and finds them very easy to work with especially when you care about them. In fact, when her son was young, she enjoyed animating their stuffed animals for him at bedtime which would send him into gales of laughter.She started writing ten years ago and wrote about the wonderful world of the mombos in Magio Kingdom. The whole idea of their world came to her and she felt the strong need to share this world with the children who love fantasies.Another skill that she has is painting, and much of her artwork depict fantasy scenes. The cover of Magio Kingdom was one of her own artwork.She also loves to exercise as well as continue to read in her spare time. Her favorite authors are James Patterson and Lewis Carroll.

Book preview

Magio Kingdom

By Carita Lewis

Copyright - Carita Lewis 2016 - All Rights Reserved.

Edited by Linda Asato

published by Linda’s Creative Concepts

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

"The best sound in the world is the sound of children laughing."

- 1 -

A beautiful carriage, decorated with an elaborate golden ceiling and made entirely of very hard, indestructible crystal, flew through the forest with lightning speed, about hundred feet above the snow-covered terrain. It flew so fast that the trees below quickly shook off most of their snow, exposing their fresh, dark-green pine needles. It was crossing over an area of Magio Kingdom that was and had always been in perpetual, harsh winter. A bitter, cold wind howled across the mountainsides of the White Storm Mountains, tossing snowflakes violently in the air.

The six, gray pegasus pulling the carriage were not even vaguely tired. Although the powerful snowstorm had been going on for a long time, and they had been in the air for much longer than they had been used to, they still had incredible strength to go on.

Inside the carriage, everything was cozy and comfortable. Within its golden, velvet interior sat four older men, each one sporting white beards and long white hair, and clad in long royal-blue tunics. Sitting in total silence, seriousness showing on their faces, they were returning from the Dark Caverns.

The shortest man with big, red cheeks and a plump body adjusted his spectacles on his nose. Holding a magnifying glass, he was completely immersed in reading what seemed to be a very old, yellowed, time-aged scroll. Two other men, facing each other, played an ancient game. They had set a game board between them on a tiny table. On it rested white and black marble pieces. Scratching his jaw through his white beard, one man contemplated his move.

The oldest one of them all, sitting across from the scroll reader stared out the window into the stormy skies with his always keen, dark-green eyes. He was the tallest of them all with high cheekbones and handsome features, and was considered the wisest of the group.

Concentrating on the dark gray sky, he wondered if he should change the weather with his powers or not. Then he leaned forward to reach the window and carefully opened it to let in some cold but refreshing mountain air, but not so much as to let in too much snow. As he pushed the window open just a bit more, he closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and decided not to alter the weather after all—if he used that ability, he would age quite a few years and become suddenly older. Eyes still closed, enjoying the mountain smells, he did not notice how a playful gust of wind had quietly lifted one of the red leathery tubes containing an ancient scroll from the corner of the carriage and faster than an eye could see, had tossed it out the window.

Satisfied with the weather, the wisest man opened his eyes, closed the window gently and adjusted a soft, golden pillow under his head. It was the perfect time for a short nap before they arrived at their destination.

All four men were completely oblivious to the fact that a very secret, ancient scroll that they had been sent to rescue from the Dark Caverns was completely missing. Out of the four scrolls, only three remained.

- 2 -

A wild, extremely strong wind carried the red leather tube far away from the speeding carriage, tossed it about in the air a few times here and there as if playing a game with it, and then pushed it down several hundred feet of mountainside, into the frozen valley below. It landed, bouncing on some perfectly round stones covered with ice near a small, slow-flowing brook and finally came to rest inside a small cave under a giant rock formation. An unusually large brown hare glanced at it from a distance—then hopped off, uninterested. The lonely, misplaced, secret scroll was safe—at least for now.

- 3 -

Meanwhile, little Peter could not sleep at all. Listening to the deafening thunder, he glanced at the tiny alarm clock on his night table; it showed 12:50 A.M. Rain was pouring down, hard. His large, floor-to-ceiling windows rattled as if they were about to fall off at any second. He did not mind the Florida's seasonal, violent storms at all; it was those popping, shaking and rattling windows that bothered him.

'What kind of craftsmanship is that?' he wondered. He had wanted to talk to his mom about them but kept forgetting, until the next storm hit town and then it was too late. Peter, being a smart eleven-year-old with an engineer-type mind had even tried to support the windows one night with wooden planks that he had dragged in to build bicycle ramps with, but that did not work too well.

Too dangerous, his mom had told him and forced him to remove them. For nights like this, he had extra bedding well-prepared downstairs, the same bedding his friends used when they came on sleepovers during the weekends.

Lighting struck again, illuminating his room completely, the roar-of-a-lion thunder that followed rattled the windows so thoroughly that he definitely decided to re-locate into a much cozier downstairs living room. Snatching his favorite comic book, Aliens from Outer Space, he tiptoed quietly so as to not wake Lily, his eight-year-old sister who shared his mom's bedroom. He looked in at Lily as he passed by their room.

Another bolt of lightning cracked the darkness, illuminating the pink bed Lily slept in and Peter noticed how she hugged her soft teddy bear tightly with her little hands. Small thunder followed.

Now downstairs, he prepared the comfortable couch-bed with routine speed, took his yellow flashlight from under the couch and turned it on.

'Perfect!' he thought. If he turned on the living room lights, his mom would surely be there, wondering if everything was all right. He decided it was best to let her sleep. His excitement grew as he laid down on the couch and turned his comic book to page twenty-two. On it was a well-drawn picture of two grotesque aliens with big heads and small lime-green eyes, carrying a sleeping, unsuspecting man. Peter could not but wonder if there really were other life forms or even people just like him in other parts of the vast universe. He had come to a conclusion that there must be.

'It would not make any sense to think that we were the only living beings in space, on one tiny planet amongst countless others. No way!' he thought.

Outside, the storm bent the palm trees violently and rain now pounded on the rooftops from many directions. Continuous thunder roared across the skies, but in his little reading nest, Peter did not hear a thing. Wide-eyed, he was totally immersed in the alien story.

- 4 -

Back in Magio Kingdom, not too far from the frigid White Storm Mountains, the two inseparable friends, Omi and Sep (who were the cutest, most adorable creatures in the kingdom) were laughing so hard they could hardly breathe. Their high-pitched, squeaky frivolity filled the area with pleasant mirth and their laughter was almost melodious. Floating upside down on the ceiling inside the tall tower of a humongous ice-castle, they entertained themselves. The air was so cold that the castle never melted and, because they loved ice and snow, it had become one of their most favorite places to be.

Omi looked at himself through an ice mirror that had distorted his body into a squashed one, his face appearing as if he had smashed it with great speed against a wall, flattening his nose. Sep was also floating upside down and had spread his tiny legs and arms in the air, watching his reflection in another ice-mirror. He looked like a tall, thin bug with an elongated, unusually large nose.

Omi and Sep were mombos—the oldest known inhabitants of Magio. Some believed that it was the mombos who had created the entire kingdom eons ago. Some believed that the mombos alone kept alive its beauty, serenity and anything that was goodhearted in nature. Everyone respected the mombos immensely. Protecting them and safeguarding them and their lives, as well as keeping them happy, was a primary interest that everyone shared.

The mombo had a very different body compared to that of the humans. Its pear-shaped body was about half the size of a human adult. At the top part of the pear shape was its head and face with a protruding nose and floppy ears on each side. Their bright eyes were round and somewhat large, while their legs and arms were small but very useful when needed.

Omi was turquoise in color, while Sep was a warm orange and, while the latter was slightly larger and taller than Omi, he was also clumsier. They usually floated and flew to places but sometimes also used gravity to walk and to do what humans did, if they so wished. Mombos were very light and airy. Their bodies were of the most aesthetic colors, being pink, blue, yellow, or green and, as a matter of fact, any and all colors imaginable, even combinations of colors.

If a mombo became angry, upset, sad, scared, worried or any other similar unhappy state of mind, their bodies would darken and start to lose their color. They would also become heavier as gravity gradually settled in, They would, in an extreme case, become so heavy that they resembled a solid rock, unable to move. But usually all that was needed was for them to become happy again somehow and they would return to normal, considering that their sadness was short and temporary. Different mombos reacted differently; some were never bothered by upsets and some became solid very easily.

Mombos created happiness wherever they ventured in Magio. They were natural magicians with a genuinely good heart and sincere intentions. They easily lived very long lives of several thousands of years.

They possessed yet another extraordinary quality. A mombo could think of an object in his mind and make it appear in the physical universe wherever he wanted. He could think of a cloud in the sky, for example, and in an instant, it would appear. In their everyday life, they used this ability to enjoy existence and towards any other purpose they could think of.

Omi was older than Sep and so he was quite good at this ability and controlled it well, Sep however, was in training, and still learning how to properly make objects, transfer them, or make them disappear exactly as he had intended, and many times, he goofed and made mistakes.

The ice-castle where Omi and Sep were enjoying the day was created by mombos. It had four towers, a wall surrounding it and a frozen moat with a drawbridge crossing over it. Everything inside the castle was made of ice: tables, chairs, pillars, beds and even mirrors—everything. Several mombos pretended to be humans, walking in and out of the castle, sitting at tables and sliding on the surface of the moat. Everyone was happy. Some just floated around, flying in and out of the arched windows, playing catch. Some, like Omi and Sep were just in the mood to entertain themselves. Outside, a few mombos had built a giant mombo out of snow. It was as tall as the castle towers, with a nose and arms made of ice. With their squeaky voices, they admired their achievement, praising and patting each other on backs and shoulders.

Up in the highest tower, Sep was exhausted from laughing. With his tiny hands holding his belly, he floated out of the castle through a window. Suspended in the air, he exclaimed with his cute little voice, I can't take it anymore! He was trying to calm down, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

Omi followed through the same window, wiping his laughter-tears from the corners of his eyes. That was fun! he managed to say before bursting into bubbling laughter once more.

Now when mombos are extremely happy, they sometimes bubbled which means that a bunch of small, golden bubbles appeared around their bodies, making minute popping sound. Sep started bubbling in the air, 'pop, pop, pop.'

Both floated stationary in the air, ebullient and relaxed, watching the active mombos below praising their creation. The air was very cold, but mombos did not have to feel cold or heat, if they so chose. The gigantic sun was shining down and a few clouds drifted by.

Suddenly, Sep felt a strong surge of energy, turned his head to Omi and announced, Catch me if you can, His light orange body spurted into motion taking off faster than an eye could follow towards the snow-covered trees in the far distance, in the direction of the White Storm Mountains.

Appearing soon as a tiny orange spot against the blue skies, he had almost completely flown out of sight. Omi smiled. He admired Sep's boundless energy—it was contagious.

He instantly bulleted his turquoise body into fearless motion and followed in Sep's trail. I will catch you, Sep, he shouted with his sweet and determined voice.

Meanwhile, ahead of Omi by a long way, Sep did not intend his friend to find him anytime soon. Feeling exuberant, he flew up and down making huge loops in the air, then sideways and up, really shaking Omi off from his path.

'He is never going to catch me,' he thought. Then thinking of a large, darker cloud up above him, Sep made it instantly appear. He zoomed towards it and decided to hide and watch Omi's search efforts for a while.

Omi, a great distance below him, had stopped in midair, looking bewildered and confused as to where Sep might have flown. Sep was definitely a trickster but this was really very clever. He watched Omi turn this way and that, looking in all directions, his ears flopping as he moved.

Finally, Sep, having amused himself long enough, took off again, pushing himself closer to the White Storm Mountains so fast that his body appeared elongated in its form, rather than a pear-shape.

'He can't find me there,' he thought. The sky was getting darker as the snow started to fall, and the wind grew stronger.

Right next to the mountain range, Sep felt adventurous. He zoomed up and down its side, searching for a spot to hide in while admiring the mountain's sharp tops covered in ice. The sky was very dark now, almost black, and although Sep did not notice it himself, he was covered in icy snow, looking like a giant, frosty pear. The wind was furiously strong and howling now like pack of hungry wolves. Sep was elated, he loved adventures, and, far down in the distance, he noticed what appeared to be a cave.

- 5 -

Sep's curiosity grew. A cave...? he said quietly to himself. Descending along the mountain slope, he lazily did a few turns here and there, not realizing that the icy snow had slowed his flight due to the added weight on his body. He was too excited to notice. Coming close to the cave opening, he flew straight in and landed softly on top of a round stone. No wind, no snow and all was suddenly quiet.

'He'll never find me here,' he thought and lifted his tiny hands in the air in triumph, snow shedding off them. Rubbing his hands together excitedly, he curiously looked around the cave. Floating slowly around here and there, he saw that it was one cave with two smaller ones attached to it. On the ground were a few fresh rabbit footprints. Sticking his head out from the cave, he searched for Omi, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Good! he said to himself while retreating back inside. Then seeing that his body was covered with snow, he shook it vigorously, causing snow to fly off in all directions.

It was then that something on the ground captured his attention. It was a reddish object, half covered in snow. He floated over and saw that it was a leather case of some kind.

'A human treasure?' he wondered with wide, awe-struck eyes. He picked it up.

No sound, he muttered, shaking it gently against his floppy ears.

He inspected it at both ends and sniffed it.

'Smells very, very old,' he thought.

Seeing a cap covering one end, he took it off with his tiny fingers and slightly tilted the leather case. A scroll gently fell out. It was a very old scroll. Amazed and interested, his eyes almost popped out.

It IS a human treasure, he said quietly to himself as he carefully unrolled it and recognized its writing, which was in ancient Magio-Kingdom rune-language. Most mombos were able to read it.

Clearing his throat, he started reading aloud. Behold Great Protectors and Wise Men! Magio Kingdom will be in grave danger! All that has been beautiful and pleasant will turn into eternal, most horrible darkness, everything will wither away and die unless …. He stopped reading, shocked by what he had just seen.

Meanwhile, Omi had figured out where Sep had gone and had flown noisily and enthusiastically into the cage.

FOUND YOU! he shouted. Hah, hah, hah! Who is hiding now? He bumped into Sep and laughed, as he vigorously patted the snow off his body.

Then, his joy died instantly as he looked more closely at Sep. The other mombo was just floating there holding a strange object. He was almost lifeless, mouth open, staring at Omi, not looking happy at all and, even worse, he was turning darker in color!

Quickly, Omi grabbed the scroll from Sep and, while maintaining his studious gaze on him, he very curiously read the same passage Sep just did. He gasped and then closed the scroll quickly, pausing for a moment. Looking around, he found the leather tube, placed the scroll quickly inside it and closed the cap at the other end.

Both were now staring into space, dumbfounded, in complete silence. They knew that when things were very unpleasant, negative or disturbing—even a little bit—it would have the dangerous effect of slowly turning them into more solid bodies, even into rocks. Sometimes the transformation was quick, depending on how bad they felt. Omi, after a quiet moment, composed himself and shook off any odd thoughts and fears he had already created in his mind. Now, he had to help Sep who was not moving at all and was already turning a dark brown.

LOOK AT ME! Omi commanded, snapping his fingers and then clapping his hands together. Sep's eyes stirred as he immediately looked at Omi, his body completely still.

Omi smiled, placing his hands on Sep's shoulders. Good, my friend. We cannot dive into apathy. Let's find out what this is all about, shall we? He spoke re-assuredly.

Still looking at Omi, Sep mumbled, But ... but … it says ...

Omi interrupted. Sep, we don't know what this is. We have to find out and I need your help. I need YOU well and happy, otherwise we can't do anything!

Yes, Omi. You are right. You are always so much wiser than me. Sep, his eyes still on Omi, was now moving a bit, his body's color lightening up.

Come! said Omi, grabbing Sep's hand and floating to the adjoining, smaller cave. Knowing how Sep loved the Zuka bird, a small, completely yellow bird from their homeland, the Rolling Meadows, Omi pictured a dozen of them in his mind and they soon appeared all over the cave, flopping about and chirping happily. One sat right on Sep's head causing him to smile. He felt much better and his orange color was fully restored.

You are so kind, he said and then paused hesitatingly. Did you read the scroll, too? he asked.

Floating right in front of him, Omi said tenderly, looking straight into his eyes. Yes, I did. But we need the true meaning of this. The truth. We must not assume anything, not one thing.

Circling slowly around the cave, Omi was doing some thinking and planning what to do next while Sep admired the singing Zukas, floating amidst them himself.

I know what we should do next, Omi finally announced. Here is my plan!

- 6 –

The pleasant sun's rays warmed Peter's face as he was on the verge of waking up. Last night's alien book was still resting on his tummy. Suddenly, he had the feeling that something was wrong. And he was correct. He had slept in and was now late! Opening his eyes and scratching his blond hair, he saw Lily, in her yellow pajamas standing there close to his face.

Looking helpless, she announced, Peter, I am hungry and we are late.

He quickly glanced at the living room clock, it showed half past eleven in the morning! Their mother worked on weekends, starting very early in the morning, and so had given Peter specific instructions on how to take care of Lily.

No! Two hours late! he said, angry with himself. He rocketed off the couch, throwing his blanket to the floor and ran to the kitchen where he prepared Lily's breakfast as fast as he could—cereal, milk and a fresh glass of apple juice. By then, somebody was knocking at the front door and he ran to open it. Mrs. Butterworth stood there with a concerned look on her face.

Little sweet Lily! Your mother called me from work, wondering why you hadn't arrived at our house yet, she said, walking nervously past Peter to the kitchen. And hello Peter. How are you? She glanced at him over her shoulder.

Peter felt he had to confess and said apologetically, Er … Mrs. Butterworth … I overslept … it's my fault.

Oh … that's all right. No harm done. Are you ready Lily? she asked.

Running upstairs to get dressed, Lily shouted back. I'll be right down! Going to Mrs. Butterworth's house was so much fun! She could spend the entire day with Mary who had the b-e-s-t Barbie dolls in the whole world!

Within half an hour, Peter had proudly managed to bring order into the morning's chaos. He was looking forward to his own fun for the day—a day at the beach! After all, he had waited a whole week for it. As he put on his shoes, three bold knocks on the door broke the silence. He knew exactly whom it was and ran excitedly to open it.

Peter Pan! Good morning to you, sir! Guess what I have behind my back in my left hand? boomed jovial Luke, father of Peter's best friends, Sam and Kyle, whom he had known since kindergarten. All three had brown, curly hair and a multitude of one freckles on their cheeks. Luke moved his left hand carefully to the front of his body, holding a double scoop of Cookies-and-cream ice-cream cone. Now, hold on to that while I prepare the truck. Try not to eat it—it's very bad and unhealthy—makes one grow two noses overnight.

He ran downstairs to make space for Peter in his truck.

Peter, Peter! Come down! shouted Sam from the back seat, peeking up to see Peter waving his hand and smiling.

Standing at the door, watching his friends and licking the delicious treat, Peter felt content and warm inside. His own parents had divorced five years ago, leaving himself and Lily in his mother's care. He missed his father very, very much and wished every day to be able to spend more time with him—every other weekend was just not enough. The whole arrangement his parents had made was strange and made him sad now and then. But, on days like this, having 'cool' people like Luke around made him feel as if somehow, he had a father after all, at least temporarily, and that made him feel as if he was genuinely loved.

The sound of a honking horn woke him up from his deep thoughts. Grabbing the house key and his lunch-box, he turned off the lights and slammed the front door shut. Rushing down the stairs, he soon sat cozily in the back of the red truck with Sam and Kyle. They all licked their ice creams, very happy to be together. Peter was thoroughly enjoying the moment, his mind empty of any sad thoughts of his father. The sky was cloudless and a nice, comforting blue. Light breeze moved in the air. It was going to be a great day! They were headed to the beach—and that meant SWIMMING!

- 7 -

The skies above the White Storm Mountains were dangerously black and air-freezing cold, and large snowflakes were being pushed down in droves by the determined wind. But inside the cave, things were entirely different. Omi and Sep had gotten quite creative with their natural abilities to create things; a nice, crackling fireplace was gently burning in the middle of the biggest cave and large, floating candles illuminated the other two caves.

Sep had invented a dark wooden box with a lock on its side to keep the scroll safe. He was proud of his special box and couldn't stop talking about it to Omi, who, in turn, was very impressed. Having made up their minds to sleep the night in the cave, Omi had created floating hammocks—beds for both. Mombos could not only create an object but they could also make it appear anywhere they wanted or even make it disappear. They had made the cave their home.

Sep sat in his hammock, whistling and contentedly studying the Zukas. Omi watched him silently from his hammock, thinking that he would have to be the stronger one and instill confidence in his friend.

Hey, do you remember anything about the Emerald Elves? he asked quietly.

Turning his head, Sep said, Emerald Elves … they are the … big mushrooms you can make great soup out of … tastes good with herbs ...?

Omi chuckled. No, they aren't mushrooms. Emerald Elves are also known as Forest People and sometimes the Tree People. Remember? He tried to jolt his friend's memory.

Sep scratched his head, looked at the fireplace, and asked, Tree Elves ... Tree People … are you talking about the ones who healed my body a long time ago, when I was still a young Mombo? Sep seemed to remember finally.

Yes! Exactly! That is it! Omi said loudly, happily clapping his hands.

Why do you ask?

Laying down in the hammock, hands under his head, Omi replied, I think we should pay a visit to their forest and consult their council. They are known to be very wise throughout Magio Kingdom. Perhaps they know something about this.

Yes, you are good at decisions, Omi. So much smarter than me. Perhaps they know … Sep had his eyes half-closed, ready to fall asleep, and soon he happily did, while the Zukas chirped.

Omi did not feel one bit tired. He slowly floated out of his hammock and saw that Sep was deep in sleep, snoring. He moved over to the wooden door and opened it a bit. The storm was finally weakening. Two Magio moons, half pink and half white, were staring down, emanating an eerie light to the landscape. Mountain wolves were howling somewhere in the far distance. He closed the door quietly and moved over to the fireplace. Watching its dancing flames, he somehow felt that the red scroll had already changed his and Sep's life. Although he had succeeded in keeping a composed state of mind to keep Sep calm and from turning into a solid rock, a small amount of fear filled his own mind now in reality. He had tried to put off any negative thoughts but the fear kept creeping back.

'Something is really very wrong,' he thought. 'Magio Kingdom is such a peaceful, simple place. What was the scroll all about?' He tried to figure out the answers, but none came.

He floated toward the wooden box resting in the corner of the cave, opened the lock and took the scroll out. An urge came over him to read more. Sep was asleep and it would be perfect. Tempted by its mystery, he very carefully unrolled it. Making sure Sep was actually sleeping, he quietly laid the scroll wide open.

'Dark, monstrous clouds will arrive...,' he read. He quickly rolled it up and stopped. Knowing that reading any further would mean risking his health, his life and happiness, he had to stop. He might not like what he read, get upset and start getting heavier. That wouldn't be good. He placed the scroll inside the tube, placed the cap on and placed it back into the wooden box.

'I can't read it,' he reasoned. 'I might turn into a rock myself. We have to take it to the Elves. This has to go to its rightful place and fast!' Trying to think pleasant thoughts of his home at the Rolling Meadows, he floated over to his hammock, closed his eyes and managed to fall asleep. Even the Zukas were quiet. Only the relentless howling of the distant wolves echoed in the faraway woods.

- 8 -

Breakfast is served, Omi, Sep announced proudly. It was still dark outside but mombos spent very little time in sleeping. Rubbing his half-open eyes, Omi took a look at Sep's magnificent creation with one eye. It was a king's meal, indeed! Four large candles at the corners of the cave revealed a shiny, silvery tray full of food. Ten strawberry cakes, piles and piles of sweet-smelling pouches of herbs (mombos' favorite food), sweet sticks, hot tea in several flavors and two baskets of fresh forest fruits of many kinds. Enough food for twenty mombos.

Are we expecting a few guests? We can't possibly eat all that! Omi said, getting up and then adding, It does look good though.

After what happened yesterday, I thought a nice, big morning meal will give us happy bellies and we would feel better. Come over, lazy one.

Sitting on colorful, floating pillows at the glowing tray, they sipped a bowl of strawberry tea. Sep asked, How do we get to the Emerald Elves? Is their forest far?

A warm herb pouch in his hands, Omi replied, The elves' forest is to the south of here on the other side of the Misty Mountains, a smaller mountain range than this. We should go there by a speed bubble, that way we can get there in two nights and two days.

A speed bubble was a large bubble that a mombo created when he wanted to fly a greater distance with much faster speed than his own body could fly.

After munching on a sweet stick, Sep proposed an idea. Good thinking. Maybe we should go by Rolling Meadows first?

After biting into his herb pouch, Omi mumbled, Something tells me that we can't afford to lose any time. We must leave right after we've eaten. He knew by the look on Sep’s face that the other mombo had sensed the urgency. They ate quickly until their bellies were full and both let out cute, little burps.

Sep, that was delicious! Thank you. Let's clean up and go, Omi said energetically.

Both made motions in the air with their little hands and fingers, pointing to different directions silently, almost like a light dance. The rest of the food disappeared from the cave and quickly appeared on the mountain top where hundreds of tiny red-chested birds flocked to their own little feast. It was time to leave the cave and prepare the speed bubble.

- 9 -

The mombos floated out of the cave to find that the storm had stopped, the sun was now shining gloriously on the white, sparkling slopes and the air was very cold and crispy. Omi held the scroll box protectively in his hands. Glancing at each other, they began to create the Speed Bubble. They took in as much air as they could possibly hold and then exhaled it out with great force and effort. As the air came out of their mouths, it formed a bubble that grew bigger and bigger and BIGGER until it was so big that it covered Sep and Omi completely, placing them inside. Omi, after having placed the box on the floor of the bubble, created a control area in front with a steering stick to direct it. Then he added a speed lever so they could travel at various speeds if they wanted to.

Ready to be the Sky Captain, Sep? he asked, rubbing his tiny hands together.

Sep was so excited, he accidentally passed some gas while happily moving to the front. Proudly, he loudly announced, with his right arm raised victoriously in the air, Off we go! Goodbye impressive White Storm Mountains. Here comes the scroll!

The bubble moved incredibly fast straight up in the air, pushing their bodies and the scroll box against the floor like pancakes. Sep screamed. Then it moved suddenly back down again, throwing them to the ceiling of the bubble, sticking them there.

Sep laughed and tried to apologize. Ooops … I didn't mean to ...

Knowing Sep, Omi was well prepared for an accidental goof and didn't scold him in his efforts to handle the bubble. Instead, he created a floating pillow as a chair to sit on at the front and took control of the bubble, whisking it off the ground smoothly, ascending elegantly into the skies with ever-increasing speed. The scenery flew by. His mind was already on the Emerald Elves' forest and in the events to come.

Omi looked over at Sep and saw his friend was blushing a light pink and giggling in an effort to appear more serious. He knew that Sep would feel embarrassed.

We should have one rule, he said.

Sep looked at his wise friend curiously with open mouth. A rule?

Yes, and that is to keep the scroll safe and protected at all times until it's where it belongs. Agreed?

Yes, Captain Omi, of course...protect the scroll at all times … till … it is where it belongs. Got it, Sep replied, watching the majestic mountains basking in the morning sun.

Omi smiled and said, Very well, then.

He made the bubble ascend even higher above the mountaintops, curious if the distant Misty Mountains could be seen from there.

He was right. Looming far ahead of them, the purplish-blue mountain range peeked above the horizon. Omi sighed in