Elm:The Tale of the Tree of Sleep

By Patrick Bowron

Elm is a heartbroken blue-skinned teenager that dreams of the outside world. All his life he has looked across the Great Moat and wondered what was beyond. Now, he has met a mysterious woman on the edge of his forest and he is submerged in a quest as the world's last hope. Join Elm, as he travels into ancient rocky kingdoms and into enchanted fortresses. Time is running out, will Elm be successful in aiding the legendary Tree of Sleep before it is too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Patrick Bowron
• Release date: Jul 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463964866

Patrick Bowron

About the AuthorPatrick lives in Brownsburg, Indiana with his wife, Sarah, and is a stay-at-home Dad to their daughter, Irene. Before this he had an array of time-passing vocations, including high school history teacher, banker, laser engineer, hearing aid technician, car wash supervisor, and library assistant. Pat received his Bachelor’s degree in History from IUPUI in Indianapolis. His hobbies include living and breathing Notre Dame Football, Star Wars, reading Tolkien and other fantasy authors, researching ancient astronaut theories, and the Indianapolis 500. He enjoys spending his time outdoors with his family, including grilling, hiking, kayaking, and captaining his father-in-law’s pontoon boat.Other books by this author available now:Tales of the Mountain KingBook One of the Chronicles of the Ball of Light - The Story of Faded StarsElm: The Tale of the Tree of SleepThe Adventures of Koril Icebane: The Relic of the TombThe Shimmering KnightA Drunk Dwarf Inn ChristmasComing Soon:Book Two of the Chronicles of the Ball of Light - Upon the Bridge of Falling FrostBook Three of the Chronicles of the Ball of Light - LaevindalPrologue to the Chronicles of the Ball of Light- The Box of Stories

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Elm

The Tale of the Tree of Sleep

Patrick Bowron

Elm: The Tale of the Tree of Sleep

Published by Patrick Bowron

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright 2018 Patrick Bowron

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

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Chapter 1: The Festival and the Meeting

The world was warm, young and full of song. In the distance, over the tall green bows of the trees of the Great Forest, the sun began its descent in an orange hue. Lights were lit and ran parallel along the long grasses of the open field and they appeared as fireflies that swayed and held assembly to the coming of night. Beyond were homes of thatch and wood, and about those, happiness was in abundance.

Song rose up to meet the warm summer air. The wind answered that song. Its current blew. Its voice caught on the leaves of the trees and played a tune, and the tune was soft and gentle. In the center of the field the people danced. They are the people called the Bolamn, and they had come and gathered at the grounds of celebration that lay in the center of their land. For today was the Festival of the Forest Wind, the festival of the coming harvest.

Children ran and played. Adults drank and laughed in hardy voices. Young ones danced with sweethearts. And Elm brooded.

Elm was fifteen, and he was alone in his displeasure of the night’s activities. Tholm and Bren had run along hours ago after constant striving to get him to lighten up and enjoy the summer festival. Elm sat alone, off to the deeper grass that had not been cut as part of the celebration grounds. He itched his blue skin that had tanned to a deeper color of almost midnight do to his constant chores under the gleaming summer sun. His skin itched, and it probably had to do with the tall grass that was most likely littered with small bugs biting him. Yet, he still did not move and continued his brooding.

The problem with Elm was that he was in love. Now, unfortunately this is the number one case for most of boys’ unhappiness that are Elm’s age. They pine and cry, then find someone new. But, Elm was different, as he liked to put it, for he was really in love.

But what her name was he really wasn’t sure (it was Tulip). He had first seen her earlier that summer. Elm had been out on his parent’s farm tending the beets and the galyapas when he had first seen her. She was walking across a field with her friends and she had been stunning with her light blue skin and flowing red hair. Most of the Bolamn had golden hair, so she was a rare beauty indeed.

Elm’s heart turned to her instantly. He had spent most of the summer when he was not doing chores or throwing stones down the Great Moat with his friends, thinking about her or trying to find her, to catch a glimpse of her beauty. Now, there she was, dancing with a boy that was three years older than Elm, and twice his size. He had seen enough and had had enough of the Festival of the Forest Wind; he retreated to the solitude and safety of the forest.

The cover of the green leaves soon extinguished most of the remaining light. A glow slightly illuminated what were mostly shadows in the forest. He moved freely though, a path he took, and it was one he had traveled most of his life. He thought of running away, but there was nowhere to run, for the Great Moat was the edge of the world.

He thought of the Great Moat, that one hundred yard chasm that separated the Great Forest from the distant tree line. He had long looked at those faraway and unattainable trees and wondered what lay behind them. He had constantly asked his parents when he was younger to the point that they had one of the village elders speak to him. The elder had disclosed an interesting story, saying that the Bolamn and the Great Forest was the center of all creation, and when a Bolamn passes from this life they turn into a tree. Those trees across the Great Moat were the souls of all of the Bolamn that had come before.

Elm had accepted the story and never asked about it again. He had spent many days afterwards walking around the circumference of the Great Moat peering thoughtfully at the trees. He witnessed a tree on the other side that had apparently fallen do to