A Weelad's Journey: The Tree People, the Great Oak Sorela and the Great Caves

By K Kinsey

The journey continues south....home to the Tree People, a very old race of people that live in the trees; the Great Oak Sorela, sister to the Great Oak Napinka and the Great Caves which is home to the moonworms, airyshoots and puffleflies. Come along as we continue to travel through the Old Forest. Meet Luta, the Womalads and many others that call this forest home.

This second book continues the journey south into the Old Forest. It is truly a great story too! I feel it was sent to me while I was gardening and it is a story that has become very special to me. I am truly having just as much fun as the characters are. It saddened me to bring this book to a close, so much so, I will probably write forever.

I hope you can come along on this journey for it is a journey into the Old Forest and one I know you will enjoy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781467069960

K Kinsey

K Kinsey lives in Waukeenah, which is located south of Monticello, Florida. She is a retired banker turned master gardener and she has an art degree. As gardening is the love of her life, she feels the art degree along with becoming a master gardener has enabled her to transform her backyard into the garden it has become and one she couldn't be prouder of. She and her husband have 7 cats of which 4 were dropped off and you can always find some of them in the garden with her.

Book preview

A Weelad’s Journey

The Tree People, The Great Oak Sorela and the Great Caves

K Kinsey

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© 2011 by K Kinsey. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 06/18/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4670-6998-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4670-6997-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4670-6996-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011918820

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Dedication

To my Lord and all the children of the world

Chapter I

A cool crisp morning had come to the Old Forest and to the Great Oak, Napinka, and it finds Beetelybug thinking of many things but mostly of his journey. The last few days have been spent visiting with his mother for they have been apart for many years. He still does not have all the answers to his questions as he knows only his mother can answer them for him. But he wonders if she will talk to him about them for they are questions that have bothered him since that day in the Old Forest when he realized he had been in it before, questions he had thought long and hard about. He thought if his mother would answer his questions, he would then be able to go on with his journey and worry no more about them, or would he? Beetelybug, being the worrier that he was, had spent many nights wondering how he should ask his mother about his dreams, or at least that’s what she called them, but he was unsure of exactly when was the best time to talk with her about them. He knew he needed to talk with her before he continued on with his journey because he wanted to enjoy the journey and only with a clear mind would he be able to do this. Clearly, he had not been dreaming so why tell him he was? What was going on back then and what was she trying to keep hidden from him? And why had he forgotten so much? What happened to him?

Beetelybug was very thankful he and his mother have had the chance to talk of his early years for it seemed he was always watching the forest and she felt he may have forgotten to enjoy those years. But then he will tell you he only remembers happy times, though his father had been gone much of his life, he had his mother to talk to and he pretty much did as he pleased. Even going into the Old Forest all those nights against the elders’ wishes and it appeared he may not have listened to his mother very well either. He remembers his friends from the village and thinks of them from time to time wondering where they might have moved to. However, on his journey north, he will come across a small village where a few of them are now living. Some of the families moved to the eastern area of the forest, far away from the cold weather. Soon enough he will see them all again. For now his journey awaits, and though he had not made up his mind on the direction his journey would take him, he would indeed go south for the northern area of the Old Forest would be way too cold this time of the year.

But on this day, his thoughts were only of his journey into the Old Forest. A forest he had watched for most of his life before deciding to go on his journey; a forest that had held his attention every day and one that had often called his name. It was a forest he had spent many days walking, sleeping and laughing in and now he watched over it and the trees for he was now their guardian. Except for the Great Oaks for he had been told they each had their own guardian. He wondered how one became a guardian of one of the Great Oaks for no one had said anything about them. He knew Mineera sent Hugo to Napinka, the Great Oak in the center of the Old Forest but what of the other Great Oaks, Banira and Sorela? Were there any other Great Oaks in the forest? He would ask Mr. Higgles to make a note in the journal for he was curious how the guardians were chosen to watch over the Great Oaks. Did Mineera decide on who watched over them? Did some other goddess in the forest make the decision? What if he wanted to be a guardian of one of the Great Oaks one day, how would he go about becoming one? With each passing day, he was finding out there was much more to the Old Forest than he ever thought there would be. And in time, he would find out there were many creatures that called it home, as he would.

Being a guardian to the trees had helped Beetelybug become a happier Weelad for he never wanted to be old and he felt village life was making him very old and grumpy. He knew leaving the lake would not be easy for him this time for his mother was there as was Galik, his truest friend. But he also knew he would return when he had seen all the forest had to show him. He came on this journey to see the Old Forest and he knew there was much more to see, for he had heard about the other Great Oaks, the Tree People, the Great Caves, the Lake of the Cranes and so many other areas and he wanted to see them all. He knew if he did not soon get back on his journey, he may never see the Old Forest as he had wanted to for so long.

Galik had told him about a cave that was on the eastern side of the Lake of the Fairies and he wondered where exactly it might be and how long it would take him to get there, without being flown there by a fairy that is. Galik told him you should get there in about a day. There is a path just on the other side of the lake and though it is not too well traveled, it is still very easy to follow. There are flowers to run through on the way there so it will be a fun journey. The path curves around an old mountain and then when it straightens back out, you will come across another mountain that has been flattened on the top though you will not know this until you get to the end of the path. This path continues down the side of the mountain and when you reach the bottom of the mountain, there is a little stream that runs from the eastern border to the southern border of the forest. This stream comes from the Wonscap Mountains, flows underground into this cave and then to the southern area of the forest ending at the Valley of the Great Caves. Follow the stream east and it will lead you to this small cave. This cave is not as deep as the Great Caves but you and Mr. Higgles will enjoy seeing it. The moonworms that visit the Lake of the Fairies call this cave home as well as the Great Caves. At the back of this cave there is an old tunnel that was once used by the trolls to enter the Old Forest. It has been said the tunnel will take you to all parts of the forest, though I do not know if this is true for fairies seldom go underground. I believe Hugo has walked some of the tunnels so he may be able to tell you more about them. Hugo told me he would like to speak with you before you leave, so this may be a chance to ask him about the tunnels.

Beetelybug thanked Galik for telling him about the cave. He thought he might venture there before deciding on which direction to begin his journey again for it seemed there was a lot more to see in the forest, more than he had ever imagined. Night was almost on the forest and he had had another full day visiting with the trees and talking with Galik. He knew he would miss Galik but he also knew Galik would keep a close eye on him while he was away from the lake. But for now, his days were spent thinking of his journey, a journey he wanted to continue for he had planned on seeing all of the forest before settling at the lake. He had spent the last few days speaking with his mother about the dreams he had as a youngster, though he knew they were not just dreams. But why did his mother keep his visits to the Old Forest a secret from him for she knew one day he would figure it all out? She never really tells him why she told him they were just dreams, but she had hoped by telling him that, he would not venture into the Old Forest again. By listening to her, he quickly realized she did this to protect him from the elders and the forest for she too had feared what it might do to him. She had listened to the elders tell their stories and she worried about her little one venturing into the forest at all hours of the night. And though he was always back home by the morning, she still worried when he was not home at night. And so, he decided not to ask his mother any more questions concerning the dreams for it appeared she truly had her reasons.

Beetelybug would think of it more and more during the journey wondering why he had not been able to remember his visits to the forest and his friends. Did he come into the forest at night by himself? Did a friend from the village go with him? Was this why some of his friends moved away? Were they seen leaving the village together? And if so, which friend would have gone with him?

A few days have passed and he and his mother have spoken about his journey and where this one might take him. She is very proud of him for being so much like his father but she is most proud of the Weelad he had become. She never knew there was so much in the Old Forest either and she is glad her son is seeing it all for she knew he wanted to continue on to see the Old Forest. With each day he was in the forest, he was amazed by all he had seen and learned. But before he continued on with this journey, he planned to spend some time in the forest for he had become the guardian of the forest and all the trees and he needed to know if they would understand why he needed to continue on with his journey for there was still so much he wanted to see. He had talked with them for many days and the trees had found an inner peace and with this, they seemed greener and much taller with each passing day. There were days the white cranes would visit the forest but the trees had figured out a way to keep them out of this part of the forest. Beetelybug had tried to find out what they had learned to do, but the trees decided it was best to keep this a secret. The trees did not care for the cranes as they could be very loud. The white cranes lived on the eastern border and the trees knew they had their own lake far away where no one could hear them. The trees also knew the Lake of the Cranes had been created just for them and they planned on doing all they could to keep them there. They are most unsettling if you have never heard one. Just ask Mr. Higgles, he can tell you all about them!

Hugo told Beetelybug about the other Great Oaks that were in the forest. Sorela is located in the southern part of the forest, Banira is in the east and Donai, the youngest one is on the western border. And though all three were smaller than Napinka, they were worth visiting and meeting the guardians that watched over those areas. But he needed to decide on which direction his journey needed to take him. It would take him several weeks to get to Sorela, where it is warm but much longer to get to Banira. The northern area would be too cold this time of year, according to Hugo. He had heard so much about a Magical Garden that was near Sorela in the southern part of the forest and he wanted to see this more than anything. The village elders had spoken of the garden on so many nights and Beetelybug just could not see how anything could be more magical than his lake, Lake Anura. He knew he would need to talk to Mr. Higgles for the journey would not be the same without him. He continued walking around the forest and talking to some of the older trees to see how they were and what they thought of him continuing on. He hoped they would understand why he needed to continue with his journey for he had wanted to do this most of his life and to come this far and not continue would not set too well with him. But it appeared the trees were fine with him continuing on with his journey for some of them had told him it would be good for him to meet some of the other trees that were in the Old Forest. Even the smaller trees seemed to be fine with him continuing on his journey for they knew he would soon return to them. He thought of how his life had changed since entering the forest. He was most thankful to the trees for taking care of him and for speaking with him. He told them he would always be there for them and he would never leave them.

Without much thought of where he had been walking, he found himself on the way to the lake. Plamji had been on her way to the Great Oak when she saw him walking and wondered if he would like to be flown to the Great Oak. Looking up at Plamji, he was amazed for she always appeared when he needed her the most. Fairies are like that you know because they can sense when you are thinking