The Chimes in the Tree

By Jazan Wild

Book One in Jazan Wild's The Chimes In The Tree series.

Wild returns with an epic tale about a journey to find the magic within... The Chimes In The Tree. Young Katie Windsor Loves to play in the forest with her cat, Green Eyes. One day he disappears. Improbably her cat's cries seem to be coming from inside a great oak. Cautiously Katie approaches the tree. At first her hand enters the bark... and then so does she. Having never truly felt that she fit into this world, it would seem that Katie found another. Or did it find her? Enter The Tree!

Includes the song, I Want To Believe.

"The Chimes In The Tree" ™ is a Trademark by Carnival Comics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CARNIVAL COMICS
• Release date: Jul 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463054284

Jazan Wild

Jazan Wild is a bestselling author and musician whose Carnival of Souls, Atomic Dreams, Chimes in the Tree, Dandy and Funhouse Of Horrors series are international hits that have been downloaded millions of times around the globe, even gracing Entertainment Weekly's Must List!

Book preview

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PROLOGUE

The Big Bad Wolf

"I'm going to get you! I’ll get you all!" barked the old man with a walking stick in hand waving it wildly, pretending to be a wolf chasing after three little girls, as they ran just along the edge of the forest. 

Oink, Oink, Oink!

Leave us alone, you big bad meanie!

Oink, Oink, Oink!

Reaching down, the wolf grabbed two of the girls under each arm.

Grrrrr!

The girls screamed madly, squirming and kicking, trying to break free. The third little girl, Cynthiana ran deep into the woods, disappearing behind brown and green leaves.

Wait! Wait! Come back Cynthiana! Come BACK! 

The old man set down the two girls warning them to stay there, as he tore into the forest after the third. 

Frantically he called Cynthiana’s name over and over again, as he struggled to keep a line on any movement at all. Thoughts raced through his mind of the little girl getting lost or falling down a long dark hole where no one would ever find her. These thoughts only made his breathing intensify and the desperation in his calls more pronounced. With a crack of a branch and a shoved aside bush, he stepped out into a clearing, and there before a great oak tree stood his grandniece.

Cynthiana, said the old man, lifting the little girl up into his arms and hugging her tight.

Meow, cried the kitten that purred safely tucked inside her jacket.

You scared me to death, young lady.

I’m sorry, but I didn’t want the Big Bad Wolf to get me.

Well, I’m just glad you are okay.

What a beautiful tree, said Cynthiana, looking over his shoulder staring at the oak in amazement. Can I climb it?

Just then from out of the brush behind them, emerged the other two girls, Cynthiana’s cousins, Kadence and Hailey.

You girls should have stayed put like I asked.

It was scary all by ourselves, they said.

But then they abruptly added, Can we play in the tree? 

All fear seemed quickly long gone from thought. One might think it was never there at all.

The girls’ uncle eyed them carefully knowing that they had not learned a thing from the experience, though it certainly had shortened his life by a few years, not that he had that many left to spare, he thought to himself. So he answered with the unpopular answer… No.

Aw! they sighed collectively.

But I will tell you a story about this very tree, and the little girl who used to love to climb it.

All three of the girl’s faces lit up. 

And how she went missing, he said in a mysterious tone.

Their uncle found a part of the stump that was the right height for his purposes, and sat down upon it. Around him, the three little girls gathered. Cynthiana’s kitten curled itself up into a ball, as her hand scratched behind its ears, not looking away from her uncle at all, for fear of missing any of the sure to be a whopper of a tale about to be told. With anxious, attentive eyes fixed upon him, the old man took a deep breath and began.

It was a long, long time ago. Yet the tree, I speak of, the one directly behind us now, looked the same. No one knows how old the great oak really is, no one except its rings. You’d have to cut it down to see those. That is unless, you could stick your head inside the tree through the bark and gaze inside. And of course, we know that no one can do that, right? asked the old man of the three little girls and the kitten purring away pretending not to care. They all nodded in agreement, even the cat, I think.

So you’ll have to trust the wind, the sky, and all that floats around in it, that the things I’m about to tell you, are not a lie. This is a tale about dreams and wishing... and about the day that Katie Windsor went missing.

The old man turned round and pointed his walking stick towards the tree, tapping the bark. From out of the tip sprang a shadow from long ago that climbed the branches playfully dueling against the air. The shadow was that of a girl, no older than the ones made of flesh and bone that presently sat at the roots. To their uncle’s side hanging overhead, something began to sparkle; a misty silhouette of what might have been wind chimes, swayed between this world and another.

It was as if the tapped wood had awoken a sleeping giant and everyone gathered knew they had officially entered into the story about to be told. 

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CHAPTER ONE

The Great Oak

There it sits, with branches that reach out to the sky. The great oak was the largest tree in the forest. But look closely, that’s no ordinary fruit resting upon its limbs. See it was not difficult for a little girl to find such a magnificent wonder, being it was as tall as the sky, making it easy to spot when she wandered down the dirt path from the tree line that bordered the old creaky farmhouse the Windsor’s called home. More impressive was that she could keep its existence all to herself.

This little girl, who from day one, felt out of place with all the other children, as they hopped and skipped, and tossed the ball on the playground after school; here cradled in the great one’s arms, she did not feel out of place at all. The mighty tree fit her like an old coat.

No, for this little girl who only pretends to be rather plain and ordinary to the outside world, this place was freedom. Her family, her school mates, her teacher, and the entire world for that matter, just couldn’t see that she was cloaked in a secret. See, it was only here amongst these trees that she could be her true self. 

Entering the forest, it would take no more than a deep breath or two - a trace of fragrance dancing on the wind from the magnolia trees and their snowy white blossoms - to remind her of who she really was. Covered by the leaves and shadows that swirled about, she could fancy herself a dancer performing before a mighty king. The howling wind was really crowds of people cheering wildly of course. In a twist of a thought, the stage would change. And now as the howling wind stirred the branches, so did it stir up her courage. Just like that, through the glimmer that bounced off the clouds above her, this little girl saw herself as a heroine, saving her village from bandits looking for gold. Swinging a stick like a trained swordsman, she defeated them all. Until that is, she ventured out a little too far on a thin branch. Testing its resolve, the bark splintered, displaying an unwelcomed upside down smile. With a couple more sounds that were reminiscent of popcorn popping on the stove, the branch snapped sending the little girl to the ground.

Ow! she said sprawled out amongst the dirt and fallen leaves. 

Tears started to well up in her eyes. Then she thought, Heroines don’t cry.

But her arm did hurt so maybe just one tear or two. 

As she laid there she thought about how all the children earlier at school that day, and the day before, and the day before that, had teased her and called her odd, a freak. The little dreamer, with no friends, only trees. 

Before she knew it, the tears were flowing. Curled up in a ball, all strength waned. Maybe, she thought, maybe they were right.

Through the howling wind and rustle of the leaves above, another sound, small as it was, echoed throughout the forest. Meow. The little girl forgot about her troubles, as she turned her head just a bit at first, and then her eyes widened. At the trunk of the great oak sat the tiniest ball of white fur, with huge green eyes. It was as if the tree knew what was needed in that moment, and magically what was not there before, now was. The kitten gingerly walked over and nudged his head against the crying little girl. On her face a smile grew as her new friend purred. The next day, and the day after that, and the day after that, the two would run through the forest and climb the great oak together. And so it went on like this for years. 

*

The sunlight crept through the drapes and covered the paint-chipped and weather-worn window sill. Through half opened eyes one could follow the beams and spot the forest and tall trees that bordered the old creaky farmhouse. They were a little taller now and older than before.

See to some, this sunlight was like magic waking up the world to a new adventure with endless possibilities. To others, it was an indication that it was only a matter of time before… Katie, cried a voice from downstairs, "you and your sisters are going to be late for school. Hurry now! Hair needs brushing and lunches need making." It would seem to Katie it was both. Yes that was Katie’s alarm clock, just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that. Usually about the time her skin got used to the freedom of it all - the dream world - the walls of fantasy would melt away and she unwillingly would be forced to return to her crowded bedroom, greeted by the sound of her mother’s calls and her six sisters’ snores.

With wild wiry sandy blonde hair, hazel eyes and thin as a rail, Katie stuck out from the rest of her family, which all had dark hair and dark brown eyes, and not exactly thin. But she was different in other ways as well. Though shy and reserved, the only place Katie truly felt she could be herself was on an adventure. Whether in books or in trees, she’d get lost in her stories. While on those adventures she’d see herself as she wanted to be. Then a glance in a mirror or a passing reflection in a storefront glass on the way to town would quickly cause that particular vision to fade. Often she wondered, surely this one they call the wallflower of the family can’t be me. 

But it was. 

Even at the young age of twelve - soon to be thirteen, born on Halloween - being the oldest daughter was a job unto itself; it always meant that there was something to do. And as you just heard on this morning, it was no different.

Yes Mother, Katie answered. 

She turned and nudged her sisters one by one. 

Get up you brats. You’re not gonna get me yelled at again!

But Katie knew that wasn’t true. 

Leave us alone, said Daisy, the youngest, at five years old.

You’re mean! added Jessica. She was one year older than Daisy at six. And then there was Annabelle who was seven, Ruby who was eight, Libby who was nine, and Violet who was ten. With Charles and Abigail, her parents, that was the entire Windsor family. Oh wait, there was one more.

Good morning, Green Eyes.

Katie bent down and petted the white cat as he rubbed his head against her ankles; he too, was a little older than before. 

Ready for an adventure, pal? If we hurry, we can get one in before school.

You're not our sister, you're too strange! said Ruby.

You were left in that forest by gypsies! added Libby. I heard Mom and Dad say so.

No they didn’t, replied Katie. 

Yes they did. It explains a lot, actually, Libby continued. Can’t you tell how different you are? Always have your head in a book, or in the clouds. Never playing with us at recess or after school. Just books, trees, and clouds. Aaa… weirdo.

Everyone in town thinks so too. Shh… there goes the oddball who plays in the woods with her cat. I think she’s going to marry that furry thing when she grows up, said Ruby with a smirk. 

No, I heard she’s dating a tree, mocked Libby as well. 

Sadly Katie had also heard the whispers. All of them. 

Forget you all. You’re just mean spoiled little brats. Brush your own hair. And your teeth while you’re at it. You should hear what everyone says about your breath, answered Katie. This made Ruby turn her head and breathe into the palm of her own hand. 

Katie, who had already dressed in a hurry, tied her books with a leather strap and tossed them over her shoulder, and then scooped up Green Eyes. She swung one leg out the window, pausing to look back at her sisters. Violet, you see that everyone gets to class. I’ve got things to do… strange weird things. 

She made a gesture with her hands, like a witch casting an evil spell might do, and then disappeared leaving only dancing curtains where she had been.

Mom! Katie climbed out the window again! cried Annabelle.

Katie, don’t you dare! said a voice seeping through the floorboards. 

Annabelle stood with her hands pursed upon her hips in a very satisfied manner. Violet added a stuck out tongue for good measure. All were happy, that is until Katie, who had swung out onto the tree branch just outside her window, just waved goodbye. You could tell that she had done it a million times before.

Mom! She’s escaped again!

I’ll be… Get back here young lady!

Too late. Katie and Green Eyes were already half way across the short field and entering the forest wall. Normally she would have completed her long list of chores before jaunting off, however on this morning her sisters’ arrows hit just the right spots. The gypsies in the forest comment had been a low blow, and a dig that stretched back as far as Katie’s memory served her. She knew she didn’t fit in. It wasn’t because she wanted it that way. It was more a thing of bone. Deep beyond surface and skin, way down inside, Katie felt just as her sisters had said… different.

In the shadow of the great oak, all of that odd and weird talk didn’t matter. She and Green Eyes were standing at the dawn of a new adventure, one that better last a half an hour and not a minute more. The teacher had already sent home several warnings to her parents. Being she had ran out on her morning chores, another tardy might just cause her parents to finally decide to give her back to those so called gypsies in the woods.

What shall we be today, Green Eyes? asked Katie as she gave her cat a boost, and then she followed.

You’re right, she exclaimed, as if her furry friend had replied out loud. I believe pirates are an excellent choice… an excellent choice indeed.

Katie paused and then in a voice filled with urgency, she continued, "The wind is blowing through the masts, and the ship is taking on water. We have to defend her, Green Eyes. Skull Bone Sam and his merry men have boarded our vessel. All odds are against us. As a captain and his first officer, we must be willing to go down with our ship; but we’ll be damned if we’re going to let those bloody pirates have her! Damned I say!"

Katie swung from branch to branch yielding a stick as if it were a mighty blade, just as she did on the day she found Green Eyes. The cat’s paws waved through the air trying to catch whisking wood as it flew by. On this day however, with this adventure, Katie offered the outlaw pirate Green Eyes his freedom from a walk down the plank, if he would join forces with her and defend the Mary Pearl from the scurvy lowlifes that were fast approaching from her starboard side. Being that he had no other options, and being a cat, he hated getting wet, so the furry white pirate agreed. Hell in the end it was Green Eyes that fired the cannons that snapped the foremast in two, sending half a dozen pirates and the Crimson Ghost into the belly of the stormy seas. Or as Katie told it to the forest… To ye graves with you then, ye bums!  

Good thing Green Eyes fired the cannons when he did, because in the distance a school bell tolled. Five minutes is all. All the time Katie had to get into class. She leapt down to the ground and took off towards the ringing, all the while looking back to see Green Eyes’ big green eyes staring.

"See you later matey. I did notice that Skull Bone Sam made it to a dinghy. We’ll have to go after him later, after school!"

Katie ran through the trees as fast as her feet would carry her. Behind her, her books flailed about dangling from the strap. It seemed they were desperately trying to keep up. As she noticed the old schoolhouse sitting on top of a small hillside just outside the forest, the bell had sounded its sixth pull. She had only two minutes to get to her old wooden seat in the back of Mrs. Charlotte’s classroom; three minutes if the teacher has her back turned to the students while writing the day’s lesson on the chalk board. Katie thought she could manage it though, as long as nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

What was that?

From out of the corner of her eye, Katie noticed something move. She wasn’t alone in the forest. Then to her other side, a flash of shadow between the trees. She definitely wasn’t alone. 

See, when you spend every free moment in the woods, over time you become a part of it. Your senses grow strong, where they would otherwise be dormant. Katie suddenly knew she was surrounded, before she even saw who or what was surrounding her.

Who’s there? she asked.

No reply, just more movement. Whatever it was… it or they, were fast.

Uhh! she gasped sucking in air. 

Another blur danced just behind her. She whipped back around and her eyes tightened on the school just ahead. Trusting her instincts, she bolted for it. She felt the twigs crackling under her feet, yet she could barely hear the breaks. They were drowned out; overwhelmed by the sounds that chased behind her on either side. Though she couldn’t see her pursuers, by the way the ground shook they might have been giants for all she knew. Sure felt that way.  

Ahead there was sunlight just beyond the break.

If I can only make it out of the forest, thought Katie.

With all her might, Katie leapt the last few yards and landed just outside the tree line, at the foot of the hill leading to the schoolhouse. 

ROAR!!!! 

She turned back to see the entire forest, bushes, and trees, wobbling back and forth like an ape tugging at a circus cage. Katie didn’t see what was contained in the shadows, but she surely wasn’t going to stick around to find out. So clutching handful after handful of grass, she began to crawl her way up the hillside towards school. Within no time, she had flung open the back door to the classroom. Sweat beading off of her forehead and struggling to catch her breath, Katie appeared odder than ever to her classmates and teacher. 

I see you made it just by the skin of your teeth, Miss Windsor. Congratulations, now take your seat, barked Mrs. Charlotte flatly. 

Yes, Ma‘am.

Katie heard quite a few snickers scurry around the room. But what else was new. 

Today, as in the day before, and the day before that, the loudest sneers came from a particularly unpleasant little beast of a child with long flowing golden locks of hair. 

Probably had a lover’s spat with her cat.

And that fine sharp-tongued, how do you do, was offered to the class by none other than, Mabel Wythenshawe of the Wythenshawes. A very well-to-do family, just as stuffy as the name would suggest. 

Even Mrs. Charlotte avoided any confrontation with the little darling Mabel, out of fear of incurring her family’s wrath. Once riled up, whomever a Wythenshawe set their sights upon did not stand a chance. Mabel was no different. It just seemed to run in the blood.

Of course, each Wythenshawe backside would not be complete without a pair of firmly pressed lips upon it. Usually these lips only disengaged long enough to reinforce whatever vile thing had been spewed by the master. The two pairs puckered and glued to Mabel’s posterior belonged to, Gertrude Moore, who was guffawing, good one Mabel, good one, and Priscilla Pattensworth, who added, something just moved in her crazy hair. I saw it! I did! I did!

I think she has fleas, surmised Mabel coldly with an icy glare to match.

"Krazy Katie has fleas! Krazy Katie has fleas! Got them kissing her cat, while climbing in the trees!" the girls taunted in a singsongy manner.

That will be enough girls, said Mrs. Charlotte, finally realizing that this wasn’t going to die down on its own.

The teacher, being a typical headmistress with hair in a bun and gripping a pointer stick, delivered the lessons as well as one could expect, being that all the grades of boys and girls were under one roof, in a large church-like classroom. There were no other schools for miles and miles, and Mrs. Charlotte knew that if she wanted to keep her job, she had to stay in the town’s good graces. And that town, the town of Windermere, was built with old money, Wythenshawe money to be precise. And oh, how Mabel Wythenshawe liked to remind everyone, including the teacher of this fact, and might I add, on a regular basis. 

So given the dynamics and politics at play, Katie and Mrs. Charlotte entered into an unspoken agreement. Mrs. Charlotte would never stick up for Katie. Not once. Never. And Katie, in return, would resent her for it. Additionally, Katie would tune out the teacher and retreat into her daydreams and lands of make-believe, as part of the deal. There, she would not dwell on the mean girls’ taunts and jeers. No Katie’s mind would be racing with other matters… just as it was on this day.

Did I actually see that? Were there really monsters in the forest or did I just let my imagination get the better of me, she questioned? It was a particularly good adventure that Green Eyes and I were on, after all. I mean, boy we did give ole Skull Bone Sam a run for his…

Miss Windsor, I asked you a question, Mrs. Charlotte demanded.

Huh, oh sorry Ma‘am.

I asked are you with us today?

Yes, Ma‘am.

Good then can you pass up your homework?

Here it is Ma ‘am. 

Katie always got A’s, which made her even more popular as a punch line to the other students.

Freak, muttered Mabel just loud enough for everyone to hear. 

More snickers echoed around the room. Katie didn’t even hear them anymore. Well actually she did… but she chose to quickly return to ruminating over the morning’s events.

Yes, that’s it. Green Eyes probably leapt from a flyway branch and it wacked me in the head, which caused me to imagine the entire episode. It had to be. Just an over stimulated fanciful journey, reasoned Katie. That… or maybe I am as crazy as the whispers about me would suggest.

Before she knew it the entire morning had passed. With the ring of the recess bell Katie abruptly exited her daydream, aided by her sister.

Wake up moron, said Libby. "You are so dead when you get home. Mother was