The Wicket

By Carlee Coton

12-year-old Kai stumbles upon a magical world within the Wicket...
Only the magic has started disappearing, and Kai has been thrown in to an adventure beyond her
wildest dreams. Now she must journey through the withering forest, helping the Wicket creatures to
solve the mystery of the Redwood gemstone, before it's too late!

Is Kai in over her head?

Or is she exactly what they need to return the
magic to the Wicket?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carlee Coton
• Release date: Aug 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223287865

Book preview

Chapter 1

Going Back

Ugh! Why is it so dark and gloomy out there? Kai stared out the window of their SUV as her mom drove them along the winding highway through the forest-thick mountains toward Saffron Lake Country. She was completely shocked to see that the normally beautiful, lush forest surrounding them, known as ‘the Wicket’ to the locals, now appeared before them, dark and dreary. It looked nothing like how she remembered from her many summers spent here.

Even the environmentalists can’t figure out what is happening to the forest. It’s definitely a strange situation, Kai’s mom, Renna, replied.

Tell me again why I had to miss Hannah’s sleepover for this? Kai said.

I’m sorry, Kai. If your dad hadn’t been on a work trip, you could have stayed home and gone to the sleepover. But here we are! And we’ll have to make the most of it. I’ve had this trip planned for months now; I could finally fit it into our schedule. We just need to pack up some things so the cottage is ready to be sold...it just can’t sit there any longer, unoccupied, her mom said.

It had been six years since Kai’s grandma had passed away... And six years since they had been back.

Renna had hoped that this trip away from their busy schedules in the city would give Kai a chance to breathe. Kai was growing up so fast. The spunky and once full-of-life little girl was slowly disappearing into a quiet and moody young lady.

Kai sighed and adjusted her headphones back onto her ears. It was easier to stay away. For so long, she had been devastated about losing her grandma. It was just easier to carry on with life in the city and not have to face all the heartache she had long since buried away. Although Kai had only been six years old when her grandma died, she had spent so much time at her grandma’s Saffron Lake cottage...she had so many memories there. Over the years, the memories had started to get fuzzy. She was afraid it would be too painful to revisit the cottage and feel it all over again.

As they turned onto the long dirt driveway and made their way toward the cottage, Kai looked out at the dull brown foliage twisting up from the ground, rising high on either side of them, bending into a canopy of darkness above.

She grabbed the locket around her neck and held it tight in her hand. Kai’s grandma had given her the necklace three weeks before she passed away; Kai never took it off. Holding it in her hand always comforted her; it had a warmth about it.

As they neared the cottage, Kai was surprised by the sudden excitement she was feeling. Her stomach felt like butterflies were dancing all around, spinning and fluttering about.

Kai caught her mom’s eye and smiled. Maybe this won’t be so bad, she thought.

I wonder if it will be the same as I remember? she thought aloud.

Well, said her mom, besides all the brown, wilting trees surrounding us, everything inside should be just as we left it six years ago...but with a thick layer of dust! She winked at Kai as she pulled up to the front of the cottage and put the car into park.

Kai ejected from her seat so quickly that she forgot to take off her seat belt and flew back stiffly. She let out a cry.

I guess we know the seatbelts work! She giggled. Her mom shook her head and sweetly ruffled Kai’s long blonde hair, which was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Mom! Please! I’m 12 now. I don’t want you doing that anymore.

But you’ll always be my baby, her mom replied affectionately.

Kai groaned as she closed the car door and ran over to the front window of the cottage to peer in. Sheets were draped over all the furniture, and the stillness inside felt eerie. She turned to see her mom juggling boxes of cleaning supplies, stumbling up the front porch steps.

Oh, sorry, Mom. Kai reached out and took a pail full of supplies.

Thanks, sweety, her mom said, out of breath.

Renna bent down to put the boxes on the porch. She paused as she brushed her fingers over her name etched in the wood planks, and beside hers was Kai’s. She smiled to herself, remembering how hard Kai worked to carve her name into the wood at five years old. Renna stood up and grabbed the keys from her coat pocket, jiggling them into the sticky lock.

Grandma Ruth’s cottage had always been such a warm, happy place. As they walked into the kitchen, Kai could almost see her grandma at the kitchen counter rolling dough for her famous sweet apple pies. And she could almost hear her grandma humming to the tune of whatever crackly country song softly played from her old am/fm radio on the windowsill.

Kai remembered sitting up on the counter, taking part in whatever baking step she could get her little hands on. Her grandma always handed her a tart green apple to eat while they baked. Kai realized that this was the first time she’d thought of this memory in a long time. Her heart ached; she really missed her grandma.

Grandma Ruth was a feisty woman with a heart of gold. Kai would often spend weekends at the cottage...just her and her grandma. Kai’s grandfather had passed away long before she was born. Her grandma had continued to live in the cottage—their home—ever since they retired.

It was a cozy and simple cottage on the edge of the Wicket. A long winding trail began behind it and made its way through the lush forest...or at least it used to be lush.

Kai and her grandma used to explore along the trail. They would bring a backpack with snacks and a basket for any treasures they found. Her grandma would tell amazing stories about the forest. She was convinced there was a magical element to it. She would point out how the leaves and the flowers all had a sparkle to them if you happened to be looking in just the right light. She would skip around the forest, pulling Kai along, talking about all the forest critters and how they lived in harmony and worked together to keep their home so beautiful...it truly was beautiful. Kai was always in awe of the way her grandma spoke about the Wicket. To Kai, it was her grandma who brought out the magic.

Kai continued into the living room. Sheets covered all the couches and chairs. She could see dust particles floating around the room from the sunlight streaming in the