Soptah May and the Petrified Guardian

By Jane Rovis

   She stayed there alone. Alone and abandoned. A tiny five year old girl stayed standing in the middle of a large flower meadow after the people of her tribe were gone forever. Going with them would mean a new life for her, a beautiful life. She could be happy with her family in a gorgeous land, most people couldn't even imagine how wonderful the place was...

 

   Soptah May belongs to a tribe called Sholmieni. All Sholmieni people have a line on their ear – a blue line is for royal people, who can understand animals, a silver line is for poor and ordinary people. Even if Soptah's family is poor, good deeds of her ancestors caused, she became exceptional. Unfortunately, she doesn't know about it.

Soptah's parents return through a magic gate to their homeland called Sholmien. However, Soptah stays alone in the old world. Some circus people take Soptah to their circus because they think she is rich and they could get money for taking care of her. After some time they start treating her badly. Luckily, Soptah has three secret companions, who help her a lot. Unfortunately, they have to leave her too….

At the age of sixteen Soptah gets an invitation to the Bluevalley Royal Library, where are saved books with information about her family. But it's forever closed. The only person, who can open the library, is the Guardian Lucili, who was petrified by witches. It seems hopeless, but Soptah could get advice from The Guardians. However, it's not easy to get to them, Soptah would have to win the Golden Eagle competition in Gatley School. It's not easy, because her rivals would be warriors and various wizards.

   Will Soptah meet her family again? Will she find out the secrets of her ancestors? How will her love influence her looking for the truth?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jane Rovis
• Release date: Mar 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393041535

Book preview

A Lost Family

She stayed there alone . Alone and abandoned. A tiny five year old girl stayed standing in the middle of a large flower meadow after the people of her tribe were gone forever.  Going with them would mean a new life for her, a beautiful life. She could be happy with her family in a gorgeous land, most people couldn’t even imagine how wonderful the place was.

Her nation was called Sholmieni and their homeland was Sholmien. It was a big country with gorgeous nature, crystal clear water, the flowers you’ve never seen before and there were lots of animals. Sholmieni lived there for ages in peace, but then the country was destroyed because of the king’s stepson Gorlar. When he was a young man, he left the Sholmien and he learned how to fight and lead wars. He desired to become a new king of Sholmien, so he came back with his army and they started the war with the king and with Sholmieni people. He defeated them quite easily because Sholmieni were a peaceful nation and  they couldn’t defend themselves against such a strong army.  After Gorlar became the new king, he was destroying nature, he was killing animals and he burnt many forests there. The country changed.

Their ancestors were forced to leave this place hundreds of years ago. It was like magic. -  The country pushed them away and then the boundaries closed. No one could get back.  It was said that Gorlar and his army were cursed in stones or sand. But people weren’t sure if it was the truth.

Another generation of Sholmieni lived in the Deep Lake land among ordinary people. They knew that one day it would be possible to come back, after the country would heal itself and let them return. They were expecting a sign from trees.

And the day was here. Sholmieni were standing in a row in front of a huge chasm and they were waiting for a bridge, leading to their land, to appear. At the beginning of the row there were royal and noble families. They took their horses with them, some of them brought their carriages decorated with gold. Ordinary and poor people were standing at the end. They could bring only basic stuff. No animals, no carts. The royal and noble families had the right to enter the land first, in case there wasn’t enough time for them all to get there. If all Sholmieni took all their property, it would make them slow and only some of them would manage to get into their country.

None of them was born in Sholmien, that’s why they all were thrilled to see their country for the first time. They knew it just from their ancestors’ telling. 

Sholmieni were beautiful people with fine features in their faces. Their skin was smooth and their hair was shiny. You could recognize them by a line along the edge of their right ear. They were born with it. Members of royal and noble families had a sparkling blue line, ordinary people had a silver line.

Soptah May was standing nearly at the end of the row because her family was ordinary. Her Dad was carrying heavy suitcases in his hands. He kept putting them on the ground and taking them back into his hands.  Her Mom had a leather bag with some food over her shoulder and she was holding Soptah’s twin brothers in her arms. They were born three months ago. Her Mom kept checking Soptah, who was standing next to her.

It was still a little dark outside. Just several minutes before dawn. Drops of dew decorated the grass and Soptah felt it on her wet shoes. She pulled her light yellow cardigan closer to her neck because it was quite cold outside that early in the morning. Suddenly the crowd hummed and the horses neighed nervously. The bridge, they were eagerly watching for, appeared. First, it was hidden in the fog, but soon they all could see its beauty. It was shiny and sparkling, as if it was covered with hoarfrost. Behind the bridge there was a waterfall with many beautiful flowers around.

First seconds they all were watching it with admiration without saying a word. Even children stayed calm. The view was breathtaking. But then they realized, they didn’t have enough time and they tried to get through the bridge as quickly as possible, so they all could get into the country, before the bridge would disappear. They were pushing each other to make the moving even faster. It took long before most of them crossed the bridge. There were hundreds of them.

Soptah’s Dad nervously squeezed the handles of the suitcases. He didn’t want to waste the chance to get to his motherland with his family.

Let’s go! Faster! He encouraged people in front of them and he was pushing them slightly with his suitcases. Long minutes passed and many people got to Sholmien through the waterfall. But there were still many people left.

Hurry up! A man called out.

Thunder. People looked to the sky, but it was blue. No clouds. That was a bad sign.

The bridge’s going to close! Someone shouted out and people started running and screaming. Some of them fell on the ground, but they managed to stand up and push the others to get to the waterfall. No one wanted to stay there.

And then it happened.

Soptah’s rug doll fell on the ground and she went back for her. It happened right before her parents got to the bridge.  Running people stepped on the doll and made it dirty. They nearly hurt Soptah. She took the doll, brushed the dust from it and when she looked back at the crowd, she didn’t see her parents. They were standing on the ground just behind the bridge. The waterfall was right behind them. Before they tried to get through, they found out Soptah wasn’t around. They didn’t understand it. She was still with them, holding her Mom’s skirt. Then they looked over the bridge. They didn’t see properly through the people running towards the waterfall. But then they saw her. She was holding her doll, looking at her parents. Several narrow strands of her fine hair loosened from her braid, so she moved the hair away from the face with her palm and she made her right cheek dirty.  She seemed to them so tiny, so fragile. - Their five year old daughter.

Soptah! Her Mom shouted out.

Her Dad quickly dropped the suitcases and was prepared to run for her. But... the bridge disappeared and the last running people pushed them through the waterfall. After that, even the waterfall disappeared. All Sholmieni, who were waiting for the bridge, managed to get to their home country – except for Soptah. And her parents couldn’t come back for her.

Soptah? She heard a familiar voice. It was an old woman, who lived next to their house. Soptah loved playing in her garden because it was full of fragrant herbs. She had several bird feeders in the trees in her garden and she and Soptah often put seeds into them. This lady was an herbalist and she came to the meadow so early because she was picking some herbs she needed for healing people. And moreover, she wanted to see the Sholmieni. She knew Sholmieni were leaving because Soptah’s parents told her about it, when they came to her house to say goodbye to her. They gave Annie their house knowing, it would be in capable hands.

Auntie Annie. Soptah smiled at her and showed her the doll. She called her Auntie, even if she wasn’t her aunt. But for her family, she was like their relative. Anne saw what happened. Such a misfortune!

My little Soptah.... Your parents left and you stayed here alone.... But don´t worry, you’ll live with me. Annie hugged her. She decided to take Soptah with her and to take care of her. She hoped her family would come back, even if she knew, it wasn’t easy. Maybe it wasn’t possible.

Soptah, my dear. They both heard suddenly behind them.  An obese woman in a colorful dress, with many bead bracelets on her wrists was coming to them. It seemed the moving to the new land wasn’t as secret as Sholmieni expected.

Poor girl stayed here alone! Janette – as she was called – pretended, she was crying and with one eye she was watching Anne. Lucas, come here and look at her!

The man, who appeared behind her, looked like a freak. He was wearing a blue shirt with a huge red bow, a yellow jacket with green circles on it, pink and blue striped trousers with brown suspenders and his black shoes were certainly bigger than his foot size. He gave a cloth handkerchief to his wife to wipe her tears. Then  he took off his orange hat and he bowed before Anne.

Let me introduce myself and my lifetime work. – My name is Lucas Blackberry and I would like to invite you to our circus called and now..... Be prepared for something very original! Our circus is called – Circus Blackberry! In our circus you can see juggling, a plate spinning, many acrobats and dancers, many wild animals and even lion taming!

Ahem. Janette coughed to catch his attention.

He noticed it, but he understood it wrong. Yes and you can see magic in our Circus Blackberry! He turned his hat several times and then he took a bunch of red flowers from it. Soptah clapped her hands. She enjoyed this funny man.

Ahem. Ahem. Janette coughed again and she nudged him with her elbow. Look at our poor niece. She put the handkerchief on her eyes again. Lucas stared at her blankly. He didn’t know what Janette was talking about. They didn’t have any niece.

Niece... our niece... He said, after she frowned at him. - He knew this look. Each time his wife looked at him like this, he knew, he did something wrong.

We’ll have to take care of her. She turned to Soptah. But don’t worry my darling. We will teach you all, we know and soon you’ll be our new famous acrobat.

At last Lucas understood Janette’s game. Yes, they needed a girl for their circus. She could be in their performances and she could also help with cooking and all the household work, when she gets older. They had three sons and this was a great chance to have a girl in the circus. But Janette’s thoughts weren’t completely the same as Lucas’s thoughts. Yes, they would find a lot of work for a girl but she realized something else. - She saw Sholmieni in beautiful clothes, she saw their jewelry and golden carriages, before they disappeared behind the waterfall. Soptah could belong to a rich family and they could get money from her parents for taking care of her. Although Soptah was poor, her Mom chose the most beautiful  dress for her for this day. That was the reason why she looked, as if she was from a rich family.  Janette and Lucas didn’t know anything about Sholmieni, so they didn’t know the real meaning of the silver line on Soptah’s ear. 

I didn’t know the Mays had relatives. Anne said. I would take care of Soptah. She lives next to my house and she knows me.

No way! It’s our duty to care for our niece. – You are kind, but... you know, we love our family. Janette didn’t want to sound unfriendly and she pretended the crying again.

We came here to say goodbye to our family, but we came too late. Travelling with our circus can sometimes be very unpredictable – rain, storms, drought... it’s not easy. She was trying to explain, but in reality they were passing the meadow with their circus and they saw the crowd of Sholmienis with torches from the distance. They stopped and hurried to find out more because they both were very curious. Janette knew Soptah’s name, because she heard Anne talking to her, when she was hiding behind a bush.

We’ll have several performances in the town, before we leave. You’re welcome to visit our circus. Janette said and she took Soptah’s hand and they were leaving. Soptah didn’t understand what was happening around her. The circus people seemed to her funny and although she would feel better with Annie because she knew her, these people knew how to get her attention. Colorful flowers, a huge lollipop and Soptah was theirs.

She even dropped her doll on the ground...

Life in the Circus

9 years later

Soptah got used to the nomadic life very quickly. She spent nine years in the Circus Blackberry and she was already 14 years old. She was petite and very pretty. Her long light brown hair usually covered the silver line on her ear, which became even brighter during the several years.

Soptah didn’t remember a lot from the day, when she saw her family the last time. Janette and Lucas told her, her family left her because she didn’t obey them and she was a naughty child. They said she didn’t deserve to go with them and they reminded her of it very often, especially when they thought, she didn’t work enough. But in reality she worked so much that she had calluses on her palms.  Janette was very strict with her and Soptah had to work from early morning till late evening. Of course it wasn’t like this from the beginning. Janette hoped Soptah’s family would come for her soon. They travelled a lot, but they were sure, Annie would tell them, Soptah was in the Circus Blackberry. But the years passed and Janette lost her hope. She knew Soptah wasn’t her way to get a lot of money, but they kept her to help in the circus.

Each time Soptah asked about her family, Janette refused to talk about it. She even didn’t tell her what bad she did, when her family didn’t take her with them.

I think it was irresponsible from your parents  to leave you here and I don’t want to talk about them. At least you can see that me and your uncle were kind to raise you.

When Soptah had some time for herself, she liked laying on the grass and watching the sky and the trees above her. She was often thinking about what bad she was doing, when her family left her. When she was watching other kids from the circus and their parents, she felt sad because she wanted to have love from her parents too. However, she found many friends there. Mary was about twenty years old, when Soptah joined them. Her two daughters and one son liked playing with Soptah. Mary somehow felt that Soptah wasn’t Janette’s and Lucas’s niece, as they had told them. She was talking about it to her husband Philip a lot.

Even if it was true, Mary, we can do nothing about it. He always told her. If they said their thoughts loud, Lucas wouldn’t give them work. They both took care of circus animals and Philip was juggling and he and his kids were showing card tricks in the performances. They both liked Soptah and each time Mary baked a cake, she didn’t forget to give several pieces of it to her. Soptah rather spent time with them than with Janette and Lucas.   

There were many other people in the circus. Lucas had about forty employees. Some of them prepared circus performances, some were workers, who helped with the animals and repaired all that was needed. One of them was Joseph, an old blacksmith. In the circus they needed him to shoe horses and there was always something he had to fix. He could also carve cutlery and various nice things from wood. Joseph lived alone in his caravan, even if he was married. He never talked about his wife and people didn’t know why she wasn’t with him. All children liked him because he made wooden toys for them. He was always very kind and for Soptah and all the kids, he was like their grandpa. But the most important thing was that he was teaching the kids how to read, write and count. Not all people from the circus could read and write, so they were grateful, he was willing to teach their children. Joseph’s father was a teacher and Joseph was educated thanks to him.

Blackberry boys made fun of Soptah and they made their clothes and shoes dirty on purpose, so she had to clean it. All three brothers had red hair and freckles on their faces. They were tall and very slim and in the circus performances they showed their acrobatic skills. Soptah was a maid for them.

Soptah! Janette needed her in the kitchen again. Even if Soptah hurried to her, she knew, she wouldn’t avoid her complaints. Soptah! Where have you been? Can’t you see the boys are hungry?

Tim, Tom and Jim were sitting around the table in their caravan and they were laughing. It always seemed to them funny, when their mother was shouting at people from the circus.

Soptah served them mushroom soup. This summer they found a lot of mushrooms in the forest and Janette loved mushroom soups and cream sauces. Then Soptah cut slices of baked meat and put it with potatoes on other plates. The Blackberry family refused to eat soups and the main courses from the same plate.

Soptah, you must realize that the work in our circus is very difficult. Boys do so much and they’re still hungry. Even I am tired most of the time.  Janette was telling her sentences, which her boys knew by heart. She said it so often, they were able to imitate her. And because she was standing with her back to them, they were opening their mouths and they were quietly pronouncing the words together with her.

When I was as old as you... Janette said and she turned to the boys with a teapot. What are you doing again!? She slapped them on their heads.

Lucas, the lunch is ready! She called at Mr. Blackberry, who was training their new monkey next to the caravan.

This will be amazing! People will love it! He praised himself, when he came to the caravan and sat down at the table. He poured the soup, Soptah prepared for him, back to the pot. He didn’t like mushrooms, but the baked meat he could have for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

Janette raised her eyebrows. We all were eating the soup.

But you know, I don’t like it. He frowned a little and sighed.

You’re a nice example for your sons. - I’d prefer meat to the soup too. Even Tim was eating it!

Yes, Dad, I did. Tim showed him his empty plate.

"I think I deserve a huge piece of meat today,